Midtown Lunch

This week, Profiled Luncher John satiates his sweet-tooth.

Whenever there are events, such as birthdays, wedding showers or retirement parties, at work, we always have cake. And the cakes that people bring in most often come from Swiss Haus, a bakery located on 19th Street between Market and Chestnut. While I’ve been enjoying Swiss Haus cakes for years, I finally checked out the shop to see if it could serve as a viable lunch option.

Originally known as the Swiss Pastry Shop, the bakery has been serving Philadelphians with its cake and pastry recipes for over 80 years. In 2007, after the Swiss Pastry Shop went out of business, new owners hired the chef and re-opened the bakery as Swiss Haus.

There’s no doubt that cakes are for what Swiss Haus is best known. Its specialty hazelnut and chocolate cakes are delicious in every which way. In addition to the wonderful icing, most of the cakes also feature a nice touch of shavings or nuts covering them. Even just walking in the shop, I start salivating from the aroma emanating from the cakes.

Most of the items offered by Swiss Haus are either cakes or desserts. Still, you can find a few items to fill you up for lunch. My first offering was the croissant ($3.50), which was pretty sizable. It had a rum-almond flavor and hit the spot.

Later, I ordered up a cheese stick ($2.75). Swiss Haus describes it as a flaky pastry filled with sweet cream cheese. That’s pretty accurate. It was very light (weight-wise) and airy, and the cheese was quite soft. The main issue with the cheese stick? It’s a little messy to eat because the soft flakes fall off.

Of course, at Swiss Haus, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try one of the shop’s signature sweets. Cupcakes come in two sizes, small ($2) and large ($5). I tried the “small” chocolate with sprinkles, and it’s by no means tiny. I’d say it was the right size, as the large cupcake really should be shared by two people (or one person with a bottomless stomach). Because Swiss Haus is a cakery, the cupcake is essentially a smaller version of some of its cakes and uses a lot of the same ingredients. The cream, which was chocolate butter cream, is addictive. Trying a cupcake is a great way to sample the Swiss Haus cake cream. I have had very few cupcakes in the city better than this one.

While I was eating at the shop, someone came in and asked about “lighter” (meaning less fat) offerings. I chuckled to myself, and the server was a little perplexed before pointing the patron towards the breakfast items. Truthfully, you should visit Swiss Haus for many reasons (cakes for special occasions on weddings, dessert, etc.), but looking for low calorie options is not one of them.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• The sweets are every bit as delicious as the specialty cakes.
• You can get you fill for a relatively inexpensive lunch

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Not an extensive selection of savory lunch items
• Don’t come here looking for “lighter” fare

Swiss Haus, 35 South 19th Street, 215-563-0759