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Philadelphia is a food lover’s paradise. Pockets of luscious restaurants and cafes are strewn throughout the city. With 6 James Beard awards under its belt, there is an endless variety of classics, fusions, and just plain talented establishments to choose from to enjoy your next meal. Yet, more than simply being known for succulent cauliflower steaks or the best ice cream on the East Coast, Philadelphia is fast becoming known as a city that cares. It’s not just love for each other that this city is built around. There’s plenty of love for the environment. And it can be felt in each new sustainable restaurant popping up throughout the city.
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Whether you have one or ten days to explore, there are more than enough sustainable Philadelphia restaurants to be inspired by. Composting is popping up in kitchens. Food is sourced from local farmers. And, fair trade coffee is practically a given throughout Philadelphia. So, from breakfast to late-night desserts you can eat at sustainable food establishments all day long.
Southern-Style Local Brunch: Talulah’s Garden
If you’re only enjoying a short stay in Philadelphia, you’ll appreciate starting your day off by the picturesque Washington Square. Nestled across from the park and with its arrangements of standout vegetation, this award-winning restaurant has an equally wholesome menu sourced from local farms. Grab a private or communal table and enjoy a wide selection of cheeses, vegetables, and fruits sourced from Pennsylvania’s fertile countryside. Pastries are made by in-house chefs. So, grab a warm coffee and indulge in the pastry basket full of flaky croissants, cornbread, or their specialty donuts.
The Best Vegetarian Comfort Food: Martha
This Fishtown neighborhood gem serves up some of the most creative lite eats for vegetarians. Enjoy specialties like the Ceasar salad with wild onion granola or a vegan hoagie with fermented radish and spiced zucchini. Simple condiments and local ingredients are reinvisioned into your favorite new comfort foods. Pair with one of their natural wines, kombucha, or specialty local beers.
The Best Veggie Tapas: Vedge
This all-vegetable restaurant won a James Beard award for its culinary artistry. Sip on a pre-dinner bubbly while you enjoy their one-of-a-kind take on vegetable dishes. From stuffed avocados to sweet potato chutney, colorful tapas are large enough to share and flavorful enough to fall in love with. Focused on zero waste, staff reuse glass jars, compost, and source local ingredients.
Seasonal Dinner Menus: Fork
The cauliflower steak and seasonal vegetable soups are superb at this quintessential Old City restaurant. The menu is ripe with vegetables and humanely-grown meats making this one of the best sustainable restaurants in Philadelphia. Dinner offerings change with the seasons and are designed around Amish-grown produce sourced from the countryside. Excess veggies are picked or fermented to avoid waste and what cannot be used is composted instead of hitting the trash or landfills.
* Before or after dinner, meander around Old City to take in the historic sites, local art galleries, and fashion boutiques.
Specialty Ice Cream: Weckerly’s Icecream
What began as an ice cream cart at a local farmers market has sprung into a brick-and-mortar location with bustling lines for those seeking to satisfy their after-dinner sweet tooth. Noteworthy for their ingenious use of local florals and herbs, classic ice cream flavors are infused with lavender, honeysuckle, and rosemary. Built from a deep respect for local farmers, eggs, milk, fruits, and herbs are sourced from the countryside for this small-batch ice cream brand.