Parc

Parc: Philadelphia’s Great Terrace, With a Kitchen to Match

Every city has one café terrace that owns the golden hour, and in Philadelphia it belongs to Parc. The rows of woven rattan chairs facing Rittenhouse Square fill from morning espresso to late-evening digestifs, and the scene — clinking glasses, park chatter, waiters gliding between tables — feels lifted straight from the Left Bank. The trick is that behind all the people-watching works a French kitchen that would hold its own on the Boulevard Saint-Germain.

The Story

Stephen Starr — later crowned Outstanding Restaurateur at the James Beard Awards — opened Parc in 2008 as his love letter to the Parisian brasserie, and it has been humming ever since. In a restless dining city it stays relevant the old-fashioned way: by serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week and doing the classics really, really well.

What to Order

Begin at the raw bar with a plateau of fruits de mer, or with onion soup gratinée under its burnished cheese crust and escargots baked in hazelnut butter. The steak frites — flat iron, maître d’hôtel butter, a haystack of pommes frites — is the house anthem, with trout amandine in lemon brown butter as the elegant counterpoint and a raclette burger for those who know. The bread alone justifies the visit: crackle-crusted baguettes and a cranberry-walnut loaf The Atlantic once named the best complimentary restaurant bread in America. Finish with profiteroles drowned tableside in chocolate.

The Space

Hand-laid Parisian tiles in ecru and green, dark wooden banquettes, a long zinc-toned bar and mirrors bouncing light across a room that manages to be sunlit by day and golden by night. The energy is pure brasserie — loud enough to feel alive, polished enough for an occasion — and the terrace is simply the best seat in the city.

Who It’s For

Apéro devotees, solo diners who like a marble bar and a martini, first dates that need a safety net of atmosphere, and anyone who believes people-watching is a legitimate sport.

Good to Know

Do I need a reservation? For prime dinner and weekend brunch hours, yes; the bar and terrace hold space for walk-ins if you time it right.

Can I sit outside? The café terrace faces the square and operates most of the year — it is first come, first served and turns over steadily.

Is breakfast served? Yes, daily — croissants, omelets and proper coffee, with a full brunch on weekends.

What is the one dish to try? Steak frites, preceded by onion soup gratinée; add the raclette burger if you are two.

Does it work for vegetarians? Comfortably — salads, quiche, omelets and a bread basket that could carry the meal alone.

Opening hours