If you’re a food lover and discount lover, which literally every college student is, then you don’t want to miss out on the Center City District Restaurant Week. This event runs from September 11-16, and September 18-23. With over 100 participating restaurants (121 to be exact), you can find food from various cuisines, including Asian, Chinese, Continental, European, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mediterranean, Mexican, and Middle Eastern. Each restaurant presents a limited menu of items, including appetizers, main course, and dessert. This budget friendly deal includes three courses (sometimes four depending on the restaurant) of lunch for $20 and dinner for $35. Tax, tip, and alcohol are not included in these set price. Full menus are still available during this event, but are not included in the Restaurant Week deal.
Many popular food destinations participate in Restaurant Week, including Max Brenner, Alma de Cuba, The Capital Grille, Chima Brazilian Steakhouse, R2L, and McCormick and Schmick’s. Alma de Cuba is a quaint restaurant settled along Walnut Street; a perfect meal place to break up a night of shopping. We recommend Chima if you’re a hungry carnivore, R2L if you’re looking for a romantic date spot that overlooks the entire city, and Max Brenner for a girls night when you’re seriously PMSing and need chocolate in your life.
There is parking available around the various restaurants, but public transportation is always a strong recommendation to avoid traffic and parking issues. It is highly recommended to make reservations ahead of time because of the popularity of this event. This can be done either by phone or online through OpenTable. Head to VisitPhilly.com for a complete list of participating restaurants and menu options.
So give your stomach a break and drop that same old salad from J&H, the sticky stir fry from Wok Star, or the flavorless “chicken patty” from Morgan and head down to Center City for arguably the best week of the year.
Bon Appetit!