Philly’s Gourmet Cafe

*How do I rate a 0-​star?*
Tons of ppl inside due to tour bus
Cashier told me cash only while I was checking out with total 26 $.
I didn’t see any sign in restaurant that said cash only or no card payment.
Chess steak is normal.
It just sucks.
¹¹⁄₁₀ will never go in again.

I ordered the steak sandwich, it was good. I mean, it’s good but not that outstanding. I’ve had better though. Price was pretty modest. I believe this is where every tour group drops by and eat their meal. Overall it’s satisfactory. I would rate it a 3.5 but there’s no option for it.

If I could give a 0 star, I would. So we were here because our tour guide brought us here. Don’t really used to get a heavy breakfast in the early morning. At the first place, we wanted to get a club sandwich or some kind of salad, where is located in the philly’s, but there was a Korean guy told the server something in Korean, and then we have been told by the server that they were not going to sell breakfast except those buffet thing. Okay, fine. I chose some egg and sausages. When I went to check out, it was expensive. I would like to use credit card and I saw the credit card machine, but I had been told by the cashier that cash only. I felt really disappointed of this kind of business.

This place served its purpose for us, we wanted coffee and snacks, and this place delivered. The bathrooms are quite an adventure, long lines for both men and women (single toilet rooms). We did not get any real food from the buffet, but everything looked and smelled good.

Great place for a quick lunch. Lots of salad items to chose from. Sandwiches galore. Also a Chinese style buffet. Did not try that but it looked decent.
Pay by the pound. Eat in or take out.

This review is strictly for their breakfast.
Food by the pound (weighed) I think it’s a great concept.
The place is at one end of the mall and not too big. They had a few tables and counter sitting by the wall.
The food selection (for breakfast) was adequate IMO.
It’s basically a buffet.
You get a styrofoam container.
You fill it up w/​food.
You go to the register.
They weigh your food.
You pay.
You eat.
The food selection when we were there:
Scramble eggs (2 types plain & one w/​onions & bell pepper), sausages, bacon, scrapple, corned beef hash, oatmeal, grits, french toast, a variety of breads and fruits.
First time for me to see scrapple, I had to try it. What is Scrapple? Well according to Wikipedia.
«Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-​solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving»
Steviepedia says, it was like having liver pâté formed into a slice of bread and fried. Yes, I liked it. This was my first scrapple, so I can’t say if it’s a good one or not. But if this was on the bad end (and I already liked it) I can’t wait to taste a good one. Lol.
I also had to try the corned beef hash (if you didn’t know it yet, I love CBH) I knew it was a canned product when I saw it, but it’s CBH (must have). It was good.
Price: to be honest my coworker paid, it was $ 20 & change for 2 meals & 2 coffee. I thought it was reasonable.
All in all, breakfast was good and filling.
I’d have no problems going back, specially for the scrapple. «Smile on face»

Altough Philly’s Gourmet Café has a wide selection of food, their philly cheesesteaks aren’t that great. The fries were better than the philly cheesesteak, in fact! :P To be healthy, I opted to order some plantains and mixed vegetables. I liked the plantains, but the veggies seemed to be of the frozen variety. Philly’s Gourmet Café is your typical, run-​of-​the-​mill mall food for a good price. They also happen to be in a dynamite location: The historical district of Philadelphia.

I just came in for coffee but WOW, what a spread. I was floored when I saw the hot bar full of everything breakfast related! The coffee bar was clean and fully stocked with everything I could have ever needed, a wide variety of tea as well. Pretty cool place.

Yes, when in Philly, get a Philly, a cheesesteak sandwich that is. It was pretty good, not quite enough meat and cheese, but pretty good flavor.

It is for tourists! Avoid it

This was the only place open at 8am in the morning, so naturally everyone on the tour HAD to eat here.
Food was okay not great. But okay.
Food was charged based on weight, so I didn’t get that much. I also got a drink from the refrigerator and didn’t realize it was opened until I left the place. Disgusting! Make sure you check everything before you leave the place. There’s nothing really special about this place expect that it’s located in a historical area of the USA’s beginnings.
I would not come here again. No, thank you.

The rating is only for service. The food here is good for a buffet, the options vary day to day and taste very fresh. I work right across the street and come about once a week — no usual issues except this week. When I went to pay, the lady working at the register told me they only accept credit cards from «local banks.» I’ve always paid either by debit or credit card so I asked if their policy had changed. She asked me where I was from (does it matter?) and stated again they only took credit cards from local banks. Well there’s a Wells Fargo right across the street, so I don’t know why my Wells Fargo credit card isn’t considered local. There’s no cash only sign and there’s clearly a visa sign posted outside the door. There’s also a ton of tourists and I’m sure they don’t have credit cards from local banks either. She finally agreed to take my visa. I think I’ll take my business somewhere else where they don’t change their policies and make up stupid rules like «we only take credit cards from local banks.»

Stopped in here for breakfast after tootling around the Bourse to find little or nothing open at 10 AM. It is a buffet (per pound) much like Oh so good. It was fine. Just OK. Nothing stellar.
A good place to grab a quick bite — and right near all the Independence Mall touristy stuff.

Sometimes I just screw up! I’ve been working across the street from this place for months. It’s in the Bourse Building adjacent to Independence Historical Park. Numerous folks have told me that breakfast and lunch are great. What did I do but ignore them! Today a coworker convinced me to go for lunch. What a surprise!
Let’s start with how this place works. It’s primarily a buffet place. There are two giant buffets; one for hot food and the second for cold. The emphasis is on Chinese food but there are also plenty of American choices. I’ve been to plenty of Chinese buffets. The quality of this place is near the top of the list. It’s really good and the variety is outstanding! What is interesting is that you pay by weight. Everything on the buffets is the same price. Just load up and pay what’s appropriate for you.
Want a cheesesteak? Off to the side there is a separate grill. They will be happy to make you one. You’ll pay a regular per sandwich price.
Everything is clean and neat and the employees seem to be pleasant and competent. This is a very cool place! If you are in the area make a point to stop in and load up. I’m betting you won’t regret it!