Race Street Cafe
(215) 627-6181
208 Race St
Philadelphia,
PA
19106
39.9537
-75.1434
Neighborhoods: Center City East, Center City
What People Are Saying About Race Street Cafe
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
Sit inside the low-key café and you'll feel like you've settled into a rustic bistro: heavy wood beams hold up the ceiling, a wood stove warms the room, and a gas street lamp throws dim light on exposed brick. Friendly bartenders anda broad selection of 12 beers on tap helps you wet your whistle, and the menu is simple but accomplished. The burgers are adequate so consider the hearty, tangy pulled pork barbecue sandwich.
User Reviews
Rman
April 14, 2009
5/15/09 Update: I was impressed to the point of adding this - The owners reached out to me with a sincere apology. Thanks and I'll be back! My wife and I stopped by on 4/12/09 and ordered two beers. We had just moved into the area a stones-throw away, we had been there before and expected a low-key night. A drunken patron at the other end of the bar makes a tasteless joke involving Asians being small - my wife is Asian - we both hear this and I am ready to walk over and tell the guy to shut his mouth or come outside. The waitress could not stop laughing at the joke and loudly repeats it to the bartender and they both laugh, meanwhile we are 15 feet away and my glare does nothing to stop them. The bartender comes over to see if we are ordering food, I tell him no and why not. I tell him the waitress was out of line and he so was he, that we had just moved into the neighborhood, are offended and will probably never come back . At that moment he had his chance to do the right thing and apologize, he said only "OK", takes our money for the beers, gave us our change, again no apology. We leave. My response is "OK" and we will never go there again. We will also go out of our way to tell everyone we know never to go there and why. The staff was too ignorant to understand they lost a customer for life. Is business that good that customers can be offended, bring it to the attention of the staff and still be ignored? There are too many bar options in Old City to go and be treated with respect. I will not patronize a place employing bigots. I did have success in contacting the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which gave me the liquor license #, owners name, etc. of Race Street Cafe. They also told me that complaints of this nature go to the PLCB Enforcement Division and can be a determining factor in whether or not a liquor license is renewed. I hope to be a factor.
read full review
Norland
December 17, 2008
I'm really surprised at the good reviews here. I've been to Race St. several times, but only because work colleagues choose to go, and it's not worth making a fuss. It really isn't very good - the food is mediocre yet terribly overpriced, and the service is really bad. It's not rude service, it's just not attentive. The servers repeatedly forget to bring you things, like forks, that you asked for, and I've more than once just walked over to the supply shelf and gotten those things for myself. It's one of those places where you wait a long time to get a menu, and an even longer time to get the bill. It has a good choice of beers, but so does Plough and the Stars and practically any other bar in Philadelphia. Trust me, skip it.
read full review
Anonymous
December 07, 2008
This is a great local bar, that is a good place to come for a meal and drink with friends. It has a good number of tables, in additional to the bar, and the menu is pretty progressive for a bar. There is also a good burning stove in the winter.
read full reviewThe Details on Race Street Cafe
Where To Sit:
Take a table by the open window and you'll feel right back in Old City--albeit a less crowded, less pretentious corner of the neighborhood.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Late Night Dining, Lunch Spot, Cheap Eats
General Info:
Cuisine:
Smoking Permitted:
No
