Midtown Lunch

Sakura is one of my favorite places to eat in Philadelphia. Though best known for their xiao long bao (dumplings filled with soup) they offer so many other knock-out dishes. The restaurant is newer and cleaner than many other Chinatown counterparts, so it can appeal to a broader audience and serve as a safe introduction for those nervous about Ctown dining. Sakura serves Japanese food as well as Chinese; I am normally suspicious of combo joints, but Sakura pulls off both rather flawlessly.

Sakura’s lunch specials run during the week starting at $5.50 and come with white or brown rice and a choice of eggdrop, wonton, or hot and sour soup.  I highly recommend the “Eight treasures in spicy sauce”, which I mostly ordered because I like the name and with no description of which treasures were involved, I was excited to be surprised. Read more »

Through a door, passed a jewelry counter, down the stairs, and to the right of the grocery store is Tasty Place- serving cheap Chinese food. If you require a white table cloth to accompany your dining experience, this is probably not the place for you. I tried two  dishes to feel the place out. I had no idea what to expect from the quality of the food here,  but I was pleasantly surprised.

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