When I first moved across the bridge from New Jersey to Philadelphia for college, I never expected to fall in love with this city. I figured it would fuel my desire for city living, but always thought my post grad plans would include looking into other cities, like New York or Boston.
Well, I was wrong. And I’m probably one of the happiest Philadelphia transplants you’ll ever meet. I learn and love something new in this city every day. There’s never a shortage of things to do, bites to eat or sips to drink and creating your own adventure is a cinch.
To start the new month off right, today I’m sharing all of the essentials needed to create the perfect Philly Saturday. And, I’m linking up with some other amazing Philly based blogger’s who all giving their recs, too! Find those links at the end of this post.
To Caffeinate
No matter the city you’re in, every Saturday is better when you start off well caffeinated. And Philly has lots of options to get the job done. Yes, you will still find a Starbucks on most corners, or a Saxby’s, which is our local big chain coffee brand, but it’s the little shops and smaller brands that offer the charm and grind (literally) that Philly is known for.
- Menagerie Coffee – 3rd & Market St (Old City): Menagerie is, hands down, my favorite cafe in Philadelphia. Everything from the decor in the cafe to their amazing (and I do mean amazing) lattes keeps me coming back consistently. Order anything to drink and the maple breakfast sandwich!
- Plenty Cafe – 16th & Spruce St (Rittenhouse): Offers amazing fresh and locally sourced foods as well as great coffee blends! I recommend the house made granola with Greek yogurt and iced coffee.
- Bodhi Coffee – 10th & Spruce St (Washington Square West) or 2nd & Lombard (Headhouse Square): Bodhi also ranks high on my list as top Philadelphia coffee spots. It’s usually quiet and an easy place to work or chat with friends over amazing coffee. Order the vanilla bean latte and prepare to be amazed.
To Lunch or Brunch
When all of your friends are moving to new cities, taking on new jobs and projects and rarely miss a beat, spending the weekends enjoying good food and each other’s company becomes essential. And let’s face it, the better the brunch, the better the Saturday. Whether you prefer your meals boozy or just filling, there’s an option in Philly that will easily meet your meal needs.
- Green Eggs Cafe – 2nd & Brown St (Northern Liberties): Everything you’d expect from a Garces restaurant and more. The coffee is amazing and the food and drinks are even better. Treat yourself to the amazing caramel popcorn!
- Tela’s Market- 19th & Fairmount (Fairmount): In addition to offering a small market with fresh and local produce, Tela’s has some great food options as well. Eat in with the crew or grab your bites and head to a nearby park or outside space, when it’s nice out.
- Dim Sum Garden- 10th & Race (Chinatown): If you’re a fan of dim sum, this is an easy choice for lunch. You’ll be seated within moments of arriving and eating faster than you can imagine. Less time waiting for food, more time catching up with friends!
To Relax & Hang Out
My favorite part about this city is that it offers the perfect peeks of green space in the middle of an otherwise urban jungle. Admit it, one huge perk of city living is the fact that there are so many different kinds of people, and the best place to watch and observe all of them (and their pets) are the parks. I have spent hours with friends playing guess THAT couples stories or watching fun scenes with yogis and toddlers alike unfold.
- Rittenhouse Park (18th & Walnut)
- Washington Square Park (8th & Chestnut)
- Dilworth Park (15th & Market St/City Hall) * has WIFI!
This city will never leave you hanging, bored or uninspired. From the arts to the the architecture, Philly really does have it all. I hope you’ll check out some of these options the next time you’re in the City of Brotherly Love.
Need more Philly recommendations? Check out these perfect Philly Saturday set up’s from some awesome PHL Bloggers!
Philly PR Girl // Chrystina Noel // Living Here // The Storyologist
Lydia Marie Elizabeth // Simply A
I just noticed Bodhi Coffee for the first time last week, I’m absolutely going to have to check it out. Thanks so much for hosting the round-up, it was a lot of fun to participate – and really fun to read what everybody loves to do in this city!
Thanks so much for participating!! Yes, definitely stop into Bodhi, the lattes are amazing.
Love that we all suggest la Colombe! It’s so Philly!! Great recommendations!!
It’s definitely a Philly staple haha! Thanks for joining in!
Philadelphia is such a cool place! A good friend of mine goes to Penn, and she gave me a tour of the city when I visited. It was also Restaurant Week at the time, so I got to try tapas for the first time!
Thank you for sharing, I’ll have to ask her to take me to Dim Sum Garden next time around. 🙂
Let me know if you do try Dim Sum Garden, it’s great! I love this city, so much opportunity!
Yess! We moved into Philly from the suburbs about a year ago and I couldn’t be happier. There really are so many great things to do here. Have you been to the La Colombe in fishtown? It is incredible.
I’ve never really had the chance to explore fishtown! But I’ll definitely add it to my list of hoods to explore!
I hear Philly is a lovely city, my sister visited earlier this year and fell in love!
It’s an awesome place to be!
Love your recommendations! Menagerie Coffee is one of my favorites, but I’ve never been to Bodhi — I’ll have to fix that ASAP 🙂 Thanks so much for suggesting this linkup. It was so much fun to participate!
Thanks so much for joining in! Yes, absolutely give Bodhi a try! It’s such a great ambiance!
I love how much you love Philadelphia! I’ve been there for a few years right now, and it’s easy to forget all of the awesome reasons to like the city. My FAVORITE brunch place is Ant’s Pants Cafe on South Street. I live so close to there and it’s pretty dangerous.