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The Little Lion, Philadelphia, PA

The Little Lion

4.2
4.2
730 Reviews
$30 and under
Comfort Food
243 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

About this restaurant

  • Innovative
  • Great for brunch
  • Good for groups
The Little Lion is an upscale, yet casual American comfort food restaurant in the heart of Philadelphia's historic Old City district. Our team focuses on local, fresh, and sustainable products to ensure only the highest level of quality in everything we do. The bar features seasonal cocktails, 16 rotating drafts, and locally roasted coffee.

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Comfort Food, Contemporary American, American
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast: Monday - Friday: 8:00am- 11:00am; Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 8:00am- 4:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Nightly: 4:00pm - 11:00pm
  • Phone number
    (267) 273-0688
  • Website
    http://www.thelittlelionphilly.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Monterrey Keys
  • Catering
    We offer either:<br />Family Style: A 2 course meal that multiple dishes are shared with everyone at the table. <br />Buffet: All of our menu items and some extra are self served in a larger format for everyone to enjoy.
  • Private party facilities
    The Little Lion offers several private event spaces:Chef Counter Room-groups of 20-30, with 14 chef counter seats looking into the kitchen.Balcony Overlook- groups of 15-25, for light appetizers and cocktails, overlooking the grand staircase and dining room.Lion Ballroom- seated groups of 55-70, cocktail events of up to 115 (or more if the Balcony Overlook is included), includes private bar
  • Location
    243 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
  • Neighborhood
    Center City
  • Cross street
    S. 3rd St.
  • Parking details
    There are many parking garages in the area, as well as street parking.
  • Public transit
    Septa Bus 17, 40, 42- 1 block, 3rd and marketSepta Blue Line-2 blocks, 2nd and Market
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Beer, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 730 people are saying

The Little Lion reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2
4.2 based on all time ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4Value

Noise • Energetic

730 Reviews

  1. Bird

    Philadelphia9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 28, 2018

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Closed due to water damage from neighborhood fire. Will try another time

    1 person found this helpful

  2. KarenB

    New York City3 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on February 21, 2018

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Unfortunately Little Lion recently suffered a fire along with other buildings on the same block. Very tragic. Wish we had known that before we made a reservation. I rated the restaurant so I could leave this note. Please don't use the ratings.

    1 person found this helpful

  3. OpenTable Diner

    Philadelphia1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 18, 2018

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love this place!

    Is this helpful?

  4. DebrahB

    Philadelphia7 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 18, 2018

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good. Appetizers were great - oysters, jumbo shrimp and Brussel sprouts. Disappointed that they ran out of fried chicken plates and only half of our table could get what they wanted. Server was fantastic.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Cityfoodie

    Philadelphia9 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 18, 2018

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    Really trendy cute place. Cocktail menu reads beautifully but all of the cocktails we ordered tasted terrible. However they do have a great craft beer list to choose from instead. The oysters were good but small, the cheese plate was not even close to being worth $25, basic cheeses, a few jams, and very basic sliced baguette. My shrimp & grits were actually really really good- loved the smoked sausage in it. Cheesesteak was lame considering we’re in philly. Overall it’s a cute trendy place but obviously very new and definitely overpriced.

    Is this helpful?

  6. MG520 VIP

    Philadelphia35 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 18, 2018

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    First time eating here. Loved the space, but the experience went downhill after that. Host station was messy. Service (servers and barstaff) were very casual and not professional. Space seemed dirty, cluttered. Food took more than 30 minutes, and was tasty, but my pork chop was very overcooked. Seems the restaurant is poorly managed. Will not be returning unfortunately.

    1 person found this helpful

  7. OpenTable Diner VIP

    Philadelphia2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 18, 2018

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very accommodating and considerate. Our party had to wait about 15 minutes past our reservation to be seated due to a large party that was being hosted. The team apologized and comped a round of drinks for us. The food was great and the wait was definitely worth it. We would definitely recommend and will be back!

    Is this helpful?

  8. MayK VIP

    Philadelphia7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 17, 2018

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Todd was an amazing server! He knew the menu and gave great advice on food options!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Jean

    Greater Boston36 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 17, 2018

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely fabulous. The food was excellent and the service was exceptional. We had the corn bread pancake as an appetizer to share with our children. I then had the roasted carrot salad and my husband had fried goat cheese for our appetizers. We shared a cheese omelette. Our children had Mac and cheese and pancakes. Everything was good. Our server was very friendly and gave us info on where to visit. I wish we had time to go back again before we left Philly.

    Is this helpful?

  10. OpenTable Diner

    Philadelphia2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 16, 2018

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Huge portions! Great atmosphere.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Little Lion is rated 4.2 stars by 730 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for The Little Lion

243 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Additional information

  • Cross street
    S. 3rd St.
  • Neighborhood
    Center City
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast: Monday - Friday: 8:00am- 11:00am; Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 8:00am- 4:00pm; Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Nightly: 4:00pm - 11:00pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Comfort Food, Contemporary American, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There are many parking garages in the area, as well as street parking.
  • Public transit
    Septa Bus 17, 40, 42- 1 block, 3rd and marketSepta Blue Line-2 blocks, 2nd and Market
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Monterrey Keys
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Beer, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.thelittlelionphilly.com/
  • Phone number
    (267) 273-0688
  • Catering
    We offer either:<br />Family Style: A 2 course meal that multiple dishes are shared with everyone at the table. <br />Buffet: All of our menu items and some extra are self served in a larger format for everyone to enjoy.
  • Private party facilities
    The Little Lion offers several private event spaces:Chef Counter Room-groups of 20-30, with 14 chef counter seats looking into the kitchen.Balcony Overlook- groups of 15-25, for light appetizers and cocktails, overlooking the grand staircase and dining room.Lion Ballroom- seated groups of 55-70, cocktail events of up to 115 (or more if the Balcony Overlook is included), includes private bar
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