Midtown Lunch

As is customary at Philly Lunch, every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Philadelphia. This week, it’s Elizabeth, a pescatarian living in CC, working in Jerz.

Name: Elizabeth

Age: late 20’s

Occupation: Graphic Designer

Where in Philly do you Work?: bustling Marlton, NJ, but living in CC

Favorite Kind of Food: Vegetarian (well, pescetarian) delights of all kinds. Mussels from Monk’s (16th & Spruce), the ceviche at Twenty Manning (261 S. 20th St), Huevos Rancheros at The Royal Tavern (Passyunk & Carpenter), Matar Paneer from Lovash (South St at American St) or Tiffin (7th & Girard). I like broccoli, tomatoes, Greek yogurt, tuna sandwiches, Pistachio pizza at Stella (2nd & Lombard), mozzarella, guacamole, citrus fruits, the grilled octopus at Barbuzzo (110 S. 13th St). I love anything crunchy, crispy, nutty or topped with caramel.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Ham Loaf is reason #1 stopped eating meat.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: When I’m at home my go-to spots are Philly Chutney Company (16th & Sansom) for the #25 Chutney Wrap, Famous 4th Street (4th & Bainbridge) for bagels and hamantashen, the vegetarian torta at Las Bugambilias (2nd & South), a slice of Yukon pizza at Blackbird (6th & Lombard), sushi at Izumi (Passyunk & Tasker), Khyber Pass Pub (2nd and Chestnut) for the vegan fried chicken po-boy, and I love being close enough to pop in for a coffee and a baked good at Bodhi Coffee (2nd just south of Pine) or Cafe Fulya (2nd & Monroe).
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Last week, I had a really disturbing Chinatown dining experience.  Though several commenters called me out on being a wuss, I was semi-traumatized, I have issues with hair… They say that when you fall off the horse, you should get right back on. So with that in mind, I marched myself back to Chinatown to have another meal.

Chinatown Restaurant, on the corner of 10th and Arch,  is one that I would never ever have gone into, it looks completely generic. But  a trusted friend advised me that there were some dishes of interest, so I figured I had nothing to lose. As long as nothing was hairy.

Two menus are available at Chinatown restaurant, one with American-Chinese staples and the other with more authentic fare. Ask for both.

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• PYT is claiming it is turning into an empanada restaurant, nice try [Phoodie]
• Sloppily enjoyable chicken parm pizza at Isabella [Slice]
• Jay’s Deli has been on my radar, looking at this chicken salad makes me even more interested [Serious Eats]
• 1518 Bar & Grill has opened on Sansom with several sandwiches under $10 on the lunch menu [Foobooz]
• Tacos Mi Pueblito Truck has large veggie tortas [Mac&Cheese]