#37 Saqqara Cafe - Sam's synopsis

I had never heard of Saqqara Cafe before - Sandya kept pronouncing it like Sakura, which I think is actually pretty close, although the emphasis might be on a different syllable. Of course I think of my girl Cardcaptor Sakura when I hear that, but this is not a maid cafe. It is a hookah bar that also serves food. I think most patrons come here for the hookah, but since neither myself nor Sandya are all that into hookah, we just got food. It is also a BYOB, which we missed the memo on, so I'm pretty sure our server (who I think might also be the owner) was very confused as to why we were there, but he was still very friendly. 

The only thing I will say about the interior is that we were the only folks in there for awhile until a group of women came in who knew the owner/waiter so it was particularly quiet. I say this because the television screen above us was blaring middle eastern music at a volume too high for such a small customer base. Maybe they were expecting it to fill up and get noisy, in which case the volume would have been acceptable, but when there are only two other people in the restaurant, it could have been lowered quite a bit. Of course, I failed to mention this because I really hate being a jackass about things and it wasn't THAT annoying, just something noticeable throughout our meal.

Since we didn't BYO anything, I decided to splurge and order a chocolate milkshake. It did not disappoint, although it's hard to mess up a milkshake. Very nice and creamy, with some chocolate syrup on top. For dinner, I ordered the falafel platter, which came with pita, tabouli salad, hummus and rice. Let me say right off the bat that the rice was absolutely delicious. Cooked to perfection and it had a nice, buttery flavor. It was some of the best rice I've had in a long time. The falafel was very good, some of the better I've had in the city. The tabouli salad had too much parsley in it - I actually enjoy eating parsley even though it's more of a garnish, but this was a bit overpowering.


Overall I enjoyed my meal, especially the buttery rice, and I would probably order take-out from here if I were in a falafel mood, but otherwise I imagine that most people go here for the hookah and the food is there as an added bonus.

Saqqara Cafe
1356 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 735-0565

#36 Govinda's Vegetarian - Sandy's synopsis

Govinda's has been around for as long as I can remember and this is the first time I've been here. Boy was that a big mistake - for their sandwiches are amazingly tasty. 

Firstly, Govinda's is entirely vegetarian and so anything with meat on the menu is faux meat. They have an order at the counter find a seat and come when your name is called....system. There was probably a more succinct way of putting that. Anyhow, they take cards which is convenient and they have outdoor seating.

They have alot of vegetarian options on the menu and it was hard making a choice. I am however a sucker for burritos so I ordered the golden tofu burrito. Sam read my mind when it came to the pepper steak sandwich, so we decided to share those two. 

We were feeling particularly peckish that day and also ordered fries and samosa as accompaniments.

Pepper steak

Tofu burrito

I cannot tell you how satisfying this meal was. That pepper steak was cheesy and saucy and hit all of the spots. The tofu burrito was lightly spliced but perfectly tasty. The portions were big too so I had delicious leftovers for the next day. The fries were good too and it is hard to go wrong with samosas. There clearly is also a good variety of food from many different taste profiles, so definitely wouldn't mind going back to try something else.  

Honestly, I feel pretty stupid for not having been here before. I have no explanation or excuse. I know nothing Jon Snow. 

Hopefully I will rectify that in the future because Govinda's has delicious affordable vegetarian food that you should all try.

Govinda's Vegetarian

1400 South Street

Philadelphia PA19146

215-985-9303

#36 Govinda's Gourmet Vegetarian - Sam's synopsis

Broad Street!

It's admittedly been a few weeks since we visited Govinda's, but I still dream about the meal I got there. So you can already tell this review is off to a good start. Even more awesome, this was our last stop west of Broad! Block-wise, we are about halfway done, but restaurant-wise might be another story, since once we enter "historic" South Street, there are restaurants galore. But we shall persevere! And to all you nay-sayers out there, we will finish our epic quest.

doesn't it look cozy?

I had heard a lot about Govinda's - mostly that it's a great vegetarian spot in the city. We arrived and it wasn't too busy, a few tables eating and only one or two people ahead of us in line. The inside is interesting - the counter where you order is in one room, which is very much like your local, greasy pizza joint with a few tables, a view of the food prep station and an overall vibe of being a bit run-down but at the same time very welcoming. Somewhere you'd go to hang out when you had nothing better to do, or if you couldn't decide where you wanted to eat so you'd go to the local spot that you know is always consistent. The other dining area, which consisted of several tables, was decorated like a stripped down version of a fancy room in your grandmother's mansion-like home. And that's also not a bad thing. Are these descriptions even making any sense? They make total sense in my mind. Maybe I have a weird concept of reality. But hopefully someone out there can read that description and picture exactly what I mean in their mind. And if that's you, dear reader, maybe we should be best friends.

so delicious. wow.

Anyways, FOOD! Everything sounded appetizing, but since I've been on a gravy kick lately I decided to go for the vegetarian pepper steak hoagie with mozzarella and veggie gravy. We decided we'd each order a sandwich and have half, so Sandya ordered the Golden Tofu hoagie, which was stuffed with rice and curry sauce. The veggie gravy was heavenly. The sesame hoagie roll was of the highest quality. The soy pepper steak was so flavorful and had a great texture, I didn't even notice it was fake meat. And I don't even like steak. I would highly recommend this sandwich to anyone, vegetarian or not. You can even order vegan "cheese" if you want to go that route. After such tastiness, the Golden Tofu wrap was less impressive. It was still a solid meal, but not nearly as flavorful. I guess part of that is because we didn't get the spicy sauce on it because I am a wimp, but I don't think much can compete with gravy. Guys, gravy is really delicious. We also got an order of fries, which were fried to perfection but could have used a little more seasoning. I somehow ended up with a free samosa, because Sandya ordered one and I guess they thought I ordered one too or they were being nice. It was your standard samosa. I enjoyed eating it.

fried to perfection indeed.

Apparently Govinda's is well known for its faux hoagies - I can understand why. We didn't get the chicken cheesesteak one, but I would be willing to venture there again, to both try that and divulge in another pepper steak hoagie.

Now that we've completed the western part of our journey, stay tuned for a recap of west South Street, plus an entire week of daily posts as we take on a restaurant-a-day challenge for one week!

Govinda's Gourmet Vegetarian

1400 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 985-9303

#35 Sweet Freedom Bakery - Stephanie's synopsis

Hello, I’m Stephanie. I’m Sandy’s boo and this entry’s guest blogger. I’m also celiac afflicted and ergo, Sandy and Sam’s go to gluten free aficionado. I can’t tell you  all how excited I was for when these two gals finally reached this section of South Street. I could barely contain my jubilation and my inner fat kid when the time arrived to visit Sweet Freedom and EAT ALL THE SWEETS.

First of all, I don’t bake. I did before I was diagnosed with celiac’s, but I found baking anything gluten free to be terribly difficult and requiring a bunch of esoteric ingredients. So I’m very grateful that places like Sweet Freedom exist to provide easy to consume sweets for those that have a hard time making their own or finding them. Further props to Sweet Freedom because not only are their baked goods gluten free, but they are also free from a multitude of allergens, including eggs, dairy, corn, wheat, soy, casein, peanut, and refined sugar. I’ll confess, I’m not entirely sure what they make their food out of!

Upon arriving to Sweet Freedom, we ordered at least one of each type of sweet that they had (okay, I ordered them in my zealousness. Sandy and Sam were more than happy to get only one thing each). We ordered a fauxtess cupcake, tiramisu, a s'mores donut, a salted caramel cupcake, and two cake balls (one raspberry-flavored and one Samoa girl scout cookie-flavored). 

Fauxtess cupcake and the cake balls

Tiramisu

The group consensus was that the donut came out on top by a large margin. This was my first time having one of their donuts and I was impressed. I’m more partial to Okie Dokie donuts, but these guys were a good 2nd. As for everything else, I’d say it was pretty on par with what I hear about Sweet Freedom from most people. Their frosting is great, but the rest tastes like sweetened cardboard. Which is mostly what I’ve come to expect for most gluten free foods.

Salted caramel cupcake and s'mores donut

So here is where my review comes in as someone who has tried almost every gluten free product available under the sun. When you are forced to live on a restricted diet, these guys are pretty good, especially if you’re looking for something specialized like a birthday cake. But if you’re looking for something to fulfill your sweet tooth’s craving, there are many better options out there for gluten free treats alone. If you are looking to meet multiple dietary needs, say gluten free and vegan, then these guys are your best bet, and they do a really good job with such limitations. So I’d say they are not the best gluten free option in the city, but they are still a place I return to on occasion, when the sweet tooth demands it.

Sweet Freedom Bakery

1424 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19146

215-545-1899

#35 Sweet Freedom - Sam's synopsis

Ah Sweet Freedom, what to say about you? Last time, my gluten-free friends were less than pleased with my review of Pure Fare, arguing that their bread choices are some of the best out there for those who can't tolerate the real thing. I think we will run into the same issue with my review for Sweet Freedom. While we got an assortment of treats to try, I would only rate one of them on par with a non-gluten/non-vegan baked good. Luckily for my (2?) gluten-free readers, our other review is a guest post from someone who shares your ailment, so you'll get a better assessment from that viewpoint. As for the whole vegan vs. not argument, that's not something I want to get into, but my general feeling is that if you're buying something from a local bakery, it's likely made with higher quality ingredients, so I'm not concerned with the whole "processed food is bad!1!!" issue. I'll admit, I think my baked goods are pretty tasty (although not local bakery-quality, but maybe a tier below that), so knowing what goes into your food is always a plus - I personally don't put a restriction on the types of food I eat... it's all about balance. But before this turns into a rant about food science (which I don't know a whole lot about), let's get onto the actual review.

We made a quick stop at Sweet Freedom on the Sunday of the Broad Street Run. They were apparently giving away free cookies to runners who finished, but since we decided not to partake this year (I've done the race twice, very slowly, while Sandya sold her bib and Steph may never have had the intention to run the full race) no free cookies for us. Oh well. The inside of the shop is quaint and cute, not unlike the now-defunct Philly Cupcake back at 20th and South, where if you remember ended in a non-food related trip to the emergency room. Except a lot less pink and a lot more pastels, which is a-ok in my book. Pink is fun, but in moderation. There were, of course, cutesy pictures of baked goods throughout the small shop.

Since there were three of us, we decided it would be acceptable to get several different treats to try. We went with the s'mores donut, the salted caramel cupcake, the fauxstess cupcake, two cake balls (one raspberry-flavored and one Samoa girl scout cookie-flavored), and a form of tiramisu. The clear winner for me was the s'mores donut, which I would put on the same playing field as non-gluten/vegan baked goods. All of the flavors melded well together, and it had a smooth taste to it - I often find the gluten-free substitutes to have a grainy texture, which is one of the reasons I don't particularly like them. 

it's always time for ice cream!

As for the other goodies, the salted caramel cupcake was very good - it definitely tasted like chocolate and caramel, but again it's that slight difference in texture that takes away from the flavor and makes the overall composition less smooth and fluffy. I've had the fauxstess cupcake (which is supposed to be like a hostess cupcake) before, and it was alright. I used to love eating hostess cupcakes as a kid - I had a very particular way I ate them: peel the chocolate frosting off on each side and eat that, then eat the curlicue frosting bit after peeling that off, split the cupcake in two and eat the filling, then either eat the cake or dispose of it. The fact that you can disassemble a cupcake that methodically probably means it is made up of terrible things for you, so I will give Sweet Freedom the one up on having a better quality cupcake. Also, I haven't had a hostess cupcake in years but I would probably think it's disgusting. 

The cakeballs weren't really up my alley, but they both had shredded coconut in them, which is one of my least favorite things out there besides mushrooms and olives, so that's biasing my thoughts on them. Fact: I don't even have Samoas in my top 3 favorite Girl Scout cookies. Obviously Peanut Butter Patties are #1. To be honest, I don't remember much about the tiramisu, which means it was probably pretty neutral (not terrible, not s'mores donut level).

I probably won't go out of my way to stop at Sweet Freedom - not because their baked goods are bad (in fact, they are probably on the higher end of gluten-free + vegan goodies) - but because unlike Cylons, they just don't go a good enough job of hiding their true nature.

Sweet Freedom
1424 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 545-1899

#34 New Tower Pizza - Sandy's synopsis

Tower Pizza is a little place close to broad street with good pizza. There are two things that a pizza place should have 1) pizza 2) milkshakes. There is nothing better, in my opinion, than eating a small cheese pizza with a vanilla milkshake. Tower did not have milkshakes. However, what they DO have is two very nice men behind the counter who told us that they would be getting a milkshake machine in the summer. I hope they weren't lying.

We ended up ordering a large cheese pizza to split amongst three people. 

The pizza was fine and we sat there under their fans and enjoyed our evening. Also - I love places that have fans. Especially in summer. I hate air conditioning - keeps one from appreciating the heat. 

Fans. Win.

So, if you like friendly service, fans, pizza and possible milkshakes - Tower Pizza is for you. They also deliver if you just like pizza. 

New Tower Pizza

1410 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19146

215-772-2777

#34 New Tower Pizza - Erin's synopsis

Hello there, this is Erin chiming in, a frequent companion on this saunter and roommate of Sam! I tagged along for the blog visit to New Tower Pizza and am here to tell you why this place is great.

First of all I should mention that I have ordered delivery from New Tower many times in the past. I tend to judge pizza places on their plain cheese slices and I think New Tower makes a pretty decent cheese pizza. They usually have the right amount of grease and cheese without the bells and whistles. I’ve also ordered their wings in the past and do not recommend those unless you like your wings deep fried.

My first in-person visit to this place was a few months ago with Sam while we were drunk and craving a slice of pizza after getting off the Broad Street Line around the corner. Not only did New Tower stay open late for us, they gave us an entire pizza for the price of a couple slices. Sure we proceeded to drop some of the pizza on the sidewalk while stumbling home, but it was good enough that Sam insisted on eating it off the sidewalk (much to the amusement of the smokers in front of the Cambridge). That’s right folks; this pizza is so good when you’re drunk you will risk all the diseases that come with eating food off the ground in Philadelphia in order to not waste a single slice! 

This visit was much less eventful. We stopped in for dinner on a week night and were the only customers for much of our meal. The guy serving us (I think he might have been the owner) seemed excited that were staying to eat and in really tried to go out of his way to make our pizza fast. We ordered a large pizza with mozzarella and ricotta but they were out of ricotta unfortunately so we settled on just the mozzarella as extra cheese. The pizza came out hot and melty as any decent pizza should. My only issue was the crust didn’t seemed cooked all the way but I blame that on the server rushing our order out to us as the crust has been fine every other time I’ve ordered from here. In general the toppings offered didn’t seem that special so I’ll probably stick to my usual plain cheese slice.

The restaurant itself is clean but plain. Most of their business seems to be from deliveries as I noticed the delivery guy coming and going the whole time we were there. I’ll continue to order in from New Tower but probably will only stop into the store if I’m on my way home from the subway and need a quick bite. 

New Tower Pizza

1410 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 772-2777