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All 1,813 Philadelphia Restaurants »

City Tavern

138 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2827
215-413-1443
Ranked #55 of 1,813 restaurants in Philadelphia
4.0 of 5 stars 342 Reviews
Price range: $21 - $30
Cuisines: American
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Restaurant details
Good for: Families with children, Romance, Large groups, Local cuisine, Special occasions, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Reservations, Late Night, Dessert
Neighborhood: City Center East
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342 reviews from our community

75% Recommend
    156
    99
    46
    21
    20
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Metro Atlanta
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
67 helpful votes 67 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed May 28, 2012 NEW
1
person found this review helpful

The founding fathers of our nation ate and drank here during the heady days of the drafting of the US Constitution! Wow! It is a historic building located a few blocks from Independence Hall in downtown Philadelphia. However, other than its historic roots there is nothing going for this place. The service was indifference bordering on surly. The food was... More

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See 2 more reviews by Docrwm for Philadelphia
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
2 of 5 stars Reviewed May 28, 2012 NEW

Out of town friends insisted, in spite of my warning. Touristy, pretentious. Good service but food was nothing special

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See 33 more reviews by Bill S for Philadelphia
Carlisle, PA
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 28, 2012 NEW

The City Tavern was disappointing in that the food was just average. Too many good restaurants in Philly to waste your time on average tasting food. My wife's meal was also not very warm, but she refused to send it back. Mine - a lobster and shrimp potpie - was piping hot and had abundant amounts of meat - but... More

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Mullica Hill
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 25, 2012 NEW

If you want to travel back in time and have some "old fashinoed American" fair, this is the place to go! Period dressed wait staff and an historical building will make you want to don a powdered wig! The food is very traditional and some what unusual (braised rabbit,pheasant), but they also offer traditional fair, like crab cakes and steak.... More

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See 3 more reviews by Andrea616 for Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 25, 2012 NEW

a nice visit if you're not too cool for that. I was grateful they included a tofu dish on the menu. Don't expect any of the food to blow your mind (go to one of the many, many fabulous alternatives nearby for that), though the bread basket is fun.

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See 5 more reviews by mram28 for Philadelphia
Rochester, NY
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2012 NEW

We were attracted to this place because of this history and the menu. The food was suburb. The service was mediocre at best and the prices on everything was very high (12.95 for a kids meal, 7.75 for a 10oz. beer). If you're looking for value and service look somewhere else. If you're looking for good food and a unique... More

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See 4 more reviews by Chris_P_Rochester_NY for Philadelphia
Auburn, Mi
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2012

I eat at many restaurants more expensive than this. I had the sausage Wellington. I've made hot dogs in croissant wraps that are way better. $40 for 2 hot dogs and a beer is rediculous. Service is slow and hokey. Definitely would not recommend. On the plus side the building and wall hangings are interesting.

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Memphis, TN
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2012

The food was very, very good. We had the crabcakes and the salmon. The crabcakes were the best I've ever eaten. They also served complimentary breads, one of which was a sweet potato biscuit -- delicious and unique. It was made with sweet potato (of course) and pecans, and it tasted like it also had some molasses. We also got... More

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See 13 more reviews by Spotted_TN for Philadelphia
Clackmannan
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 12, 2012

Everything about this visit was excellent, all the staff are in period costume, a harp player in the lower hall, the serving staff helpful and informative, the beers brewed to 18thc recipes, the excellent breads and the lovely food. recomend this strongly to any visitor to Philly

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See 4 more reviews by Albanach for Philadelphia
Boston, Massachusetts
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 12, 2012

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal at the City Tavern. The colonial-era bread was great and the beer sampler was fun, especially the quirky spruce beer from Benjamin Franklin's own recipe. Overall, I thought the experience was really well done. It's not a tacky t-shirt / key chain type of place - the City Tavern has achieved a... More

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