Budget
Tacos Don Memo
Some of the best burritos and tortas in the area actually come out of this tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it taco truck on traffic-heavy 38th Street. Unfortunately, there will be quite a long waitâabout a half hour or soâduring the lunch rush, and despite their popularity, their presence is not always reliable though you can now follow their Twitter account for updates.
Saad's Halal Restaurant
Mediterranean restaurant.
Bobby's Burger Palace
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay's first "fast casual" burger joint in a major city, featuring "Crunchified" burgersâpotato chips between the meat and the bun.
Kaffa Crossing Cafe
Cross between fair trade coffee shop and Ethiopian restaurant. Vegan friendly.
Kim's Oriental Food
Food truck that's immensely popular amongst college students, because it's cheap, tasty, extremely fast, and is one of the few food trucks that feels like it's always open.
Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
Good, affordable Ethiopian food, if you can stand the poorly rated service and long wait times. Vegan friendly.
Pho Cafe Saigon
Cheap Vietnamese food.
Midrange
Dahlak
Economical Ethiopian/Eritrean fare, one of the original and best east African restaurants in the neighborhood. Lovely traditional decor.
Tandoor India Restaurant
Vegan friendly.
Satellite Cafe
Local and organic coffee shop.
Mokas
Greek restaurant.
Koreana Restaurant
You'd never know it was there, since it's tucked behind Abner's Cheesesteaks and a Chili's, but the Korean college students will tell you it's some of the best Korean food in the city.
The Greek Lady
Greek food.
New Delhi Indian Restaurant
Vegan friendly.
Vientiane Cafe
Thai/Laotian Restaurant. Vegan friendly.
Rx
Great food, with somewhat slow service.
Sang Kee Noodle House
Sitar India Cuisine
Vegan friendly.
White Dog Cafe
One of the pioneers of the "buy local" movement in Philadelphia, the White Dog uses products from local farmers, and serve beers from local breweries. As a result, prices are higher. The food is mostly American/Continental style, with pub grub served at the bar.
Metropolitan Bakery
Locally-based artisan bakery with several stores throughout Philadelphia.
Allegro Pizza & Grill
A staple of the college student's late-night delivery repertoire.
Top end
Zocalo
Contemporary upscale Mexican cuisine.
Distrito
"Modern Mexican" food by local restaurateur Jose Garces.
Pod
Stephen Starr's Asian fusion restaurant in a funky, nightclub-like decor.
Marigold Kitchen
MidAtlantic
Modern reinterpretation of Mid-Atlantic and traditional Philadelphian food.
West Philadelphia boasts one of the largest and most varied concentrations of ethnic restaurants outside of Center City. However, more familiar chain restaurants, from McDonald's to Boston Market, aren't hard to find for the less-adventurous palate. Food trucks are also popular around the university areas, leading several Penn students to start a website cataloguing and mapping all the local trucks (http://pennfoodtrucks.com/), with a handy filter for only trucks that are currently open.