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In Defense of Old City: 15 Reasons Not to Hate

Posted by Foobooz on February 14th, 2011

In Defense of Old City

In Defense of Old City
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Hating on Old City has become something of a bloodsport around these parts. It's not quite as incendiary as saying the word "hipster" in a crowded blog, but it's close. At Foobooz World Headquarters – which is both a place and a state of mind, by the way – we have spent a lot of time discussing the various merits and demerits of the neighborhood over the years. And here's what we've decided: There are way, way more food-and-drink-related things to love about Old City than to hate. Yes, there is a lot of douchery to be had there and there are times that it's best to avoid the area, but there are many more reasons to like it. View the slideshow to see 15 of our favorite reasons to head east on Market.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cramer


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    This entry was posted on Monday, February 14th, 2011 at 4:18 pm and is filed under Food, Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

    • Dan

      I’d take Triumph (their beer isn’t good) off the list and add Buddakan (still surprisingly good after all these years) in its place. I’d also mention Zahav, even though it’s just out of Old City in Society Hill.

    • http://foobooz.com/author/khenri/ Kirsten Henri

      @Dan After much debate, it was decided that Zahav couldn’t be included because the geography nazis would take offense. But in my mind, where neighborhoods are more amorphous, I agree on Zahav.

    • Dan

      Couldn’t agree more with PBR and less with Triumph. Triumph feels like Rock Bottom Brewery with more rich mahogany. The food is consistently over-salted and Ruby Tuesday-like and the beers are decent and nothing more. Add to that the fact that the clientele most certainly pushes into the douchy range and it feels like it should be out in King of Prussia or off of one of the ubiquitous four lane roads in south jersey. PBR on the other hand is inventive with that fryer (Short rib puffs are pretty phenomenal) and the food is pretty damned good in general. The prices are also awesome. The crowd, OK slightly questionable… Why not Eulogy (great beers decent scene)?

    • http://yuppieeatsphilly.blogspot.com Yuppie Eats Philly

      THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! Finally someone has something positive to say about this neighborhood. The section of Old City north of market is one of the best neighborhoods to live in in Philadelphia, no actually in the world!

    • Agentred

      Chloe is great in concept but has anyone actually eaten there lately? Big bland portions of generic dishes, plated with little enthusiasm or passion.

      But um, Sugar mom’s is great too!

    • http://yuppieeatsphilly.blogspot.com Yuppie Eats Philly

      Sugar Mom’s, Eulogy, Zahav, Buddakan…and the list goes on…starting to see a trend, there’s WAY more than 15 reasons to love Old City!

    • Bob

      Don’t forget La Locanda, Radicchio and Cafe Ole’

    • Snake

      I think that I’d drop Triumph and Continental. Triumph’s food is pretty bad IMO and Continental has gotten a bit rough around the edges over the years.

      Mac’s has a pretty great beer list and is a fun spot and I personally like Plough and Stars quite a bit – as long as it’s not packed in there.

    • kbor

      Zento rules! Also i want to honorably mention Beneluxxxxxx

    • Steve

      Farmicia has one of the best brunches in the city; crowd is douche-free.

    • Nightman

      I will second Plough and the Stars. There is something to be said about drinking near the fireplace in the winter. No Mexican Post or Rotten Ralph’s?

    • keepers

      What about the Mexican Post for some flavored (or original) margaritas? Charlies, Eulogy?

    • brianbrews

      The list did get me thinking how many reasons there are to love Old City, beyond the 15 shown here. Old City is a great neighborhood to live in or visit.

      I’ll keep my ‘hate’ under wraps…

    • Snake

      @ Brian – lots of great reasons to visit though I tend to stay away between 8-2 on Friday and Saturday nights. I think it’s a great daytime neighborhood with all the parks and access to nice walking on Penn’s Landing.

    • Snake

      Yikes…more trouble in Old City this past weekend. right down from Khyber (LaBan’s reviewing them this weekend).

    • http://zennpotatoes.com Vinny

      A good positive list. I’ve bookmarked most of these on Yelp. I’ve indulged in the Olde City hatin. We all make mistakes.

    • http://bekahbuttons.com Bekah Buttons

      Did I miss Farmacia!? That should definitely be mentioned here!

      And now I’ve bookmarked a few new places to try! Of course I’ll probably do it on a Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Thurs-Sat. for reasons that have been mentioned too many times before :)

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