Permanently Closed - City Tavern
Restaurants you may also like
About
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Colonial Turkey Pot Pie
Tender chunks of turkey, mushrooms, early peas, red potatoes, sherry cream sauce & flaky pastry crust, Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodle accompaniment
43 reviews
Tavern Lobster Pie
Lobster, shrimp, mushrooms, shallots, sherry cream sauce & flaky puff pastry baked in a pewter casserole. Vegetable of the season accompaniment
11 reviews
Mushroom Toast
Sauted Pennsylvania mushrooms, Sally Lunn crouton, sauce Barnaise
6 reviews
Always a fantastic time at the City Tavern. Food is delicious, atmosphere is historic. Such a gem and unique experience. We will be back soon!
Absolutely fantastic. The last time I ate here was back in 2006 and 14 years later the food is still amazing. The restaurant truly honors the history of Philadelphia.
We had a lovely dinner. Crab cakes, pork, turkey pie and Martha’s cake. Our server Jay was on it! Great atmosphere. My friend bought the cookbook when we left.
Wonderful service and food. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to travel back in time for a night
There meal was rushed, the server should have known not to serve entrees when appetizers were still being eaten. I also would have liked the server to provide a history of the tavern and be more friendly . The ambience was nice and the food was good.
Our server was super nice and the food was REALLY delicious, as always.
Kids menu is excellent, with good offerings and portiins for kids.
We were a party of 7 and they put us at two adjacent tables as required by health guidelines. It worked out great and we felt very safe at all times.
We left on a high and talking about when we would be able to come back.
We love City Tavern. The food and service are excellent.
Been here many times and can’t say enough about the experience here. Always the best food and the service is top notch We ate inside and felt very safe. Tables are spaced more then what is needed. Our waiter was attentive and courteous. I have never had a bad meal here. Will be back again for sure
Everything on their menu is delicious including desserts! A great place to take family visiting from out of town.
Lovely dinner outside. Fried oysters were crispy outside and moist inside - a real treat. Dinner entrees were very good albeit huge portions. Wine selection by the glass was very good.
The ambience was very good and the service was friendly and informative. It is definitely worth the visit. The bread, beer and esp. the duck was great.
Delicious hearty meal. The menu was authentically diverse. The fried oysters were the best I ever had. It was a fun and unique experience. Don’t hesitate to ask questions the staff is historically knowledgeable.
We went to City Tavern to celebrate our wedding anniversary and we loved it. I was actually there years ago for a company Christmas party wlicex it then too. We will definitely be back in the future
We had a wonderful time, the meal and setting were outstanding. We spent two days in Philadelphia and ate dinner at the City Tavern the last night. What a great way to end our stay!
Definitely try the pepperpot soup—a Phila colonial signature but made with beef, not tripe. The oysters were wonderful. And don’t miss the turkey pot pie—extraordinary.
We have eaten at City Tavern many times and still love it! We did sit on the back porch and obviously the ambience is not there but this is the only way we will go out now. We chose to eat outside. The duck was fantastic, especially the mango chutney. Fabulous mashed potatoes. Not a big Zucchini lover but it was good. I thought carrots or green beans would go better with duck.
My husband loved his pork chop and kraut. Mushroom barley should was wonderful.
Dessert was raspberry torte with cinnamon ice cream, also a winner. Our waiter was wonderful.
City Tavern is always spot-on. During the Pandemic, they have limited indoor and lots of outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is on the porch or under covered pavilions, so there is no significant issue if it rains. The food is based on Colonial recipes, and is always first-rate. They have standard offerings and things like veal and rabbit as well. They start you with Colonial era bread - including pumpkin muffins, which are awesome. All of the food is very well prepared and the servings are generous. (Staff dress in Colonial garb, too.) If you are doing a history type tour of Philadelphia, you must include City Tavern.
Everything was great at City Tavern. Food and ambience were both excellent.
We had a few days in Philadelphia with the kids (ages 4-10). We tried to see some important places and wanted to give them an authentic as possible experience. City tavern was perfect. We appreciated the outside dining option during covid. We had a wonderful server-friendly and helpful. Kids loved their options. It was the right mixture of old world and new for us. I appreciate that there is a restaurant that gets it right.
Food was surprisingly good for what I was told was a tourist restaurant. Get the mushroom toast. it's awesome.
It was wonderful to be back in the historic ambiance of Old City Tavern. The menu was outstanding as selected for restaurant week. Service was 5 star;
I give great accolades to the waiter having to take care of an annoying patron at another table.
Using fresh ingredients and old authentic recipes the entire meal was very well done. Good service and a very pleasant day outside, plenty of room for social distancing. The only negative were some pesky yellow jackets who were attracted to our wine, so we moved the glass to an empty table and they followed.
All outside tables were spaced over 10 feet from each other. Everything was wonderful.
Greetings, this is not a restaurant to go to if the only thing your interested in is a phenomenal food experience. However, if you love history and appreciate great customer service - this is definitely the place!!! The food is certainly good, but nothing exceptional. You're really paying for the ambiance, which was absolutely wonderful!!!!!!! Plus, if you're a fan of Chef Staib, which I am, you will love it here!!!!!
A relaxing atmosphere coupled with a great menu. The prices are very reasonable and the service excellent.
Had a wonderful meal at the city tavern. Their bread is amazing, love the beer selection. I ordered the Yard's brewery flight, very thematic at the tavern. The desserts are amazing. Love going to the City Tavern.
The atmosphere was good. The service was excellent. The food was excellent and delicious.
Great staff and great food. A menu with lots of goodies from which to choose.
Lobster Pie best thing to eat in Philadelphia
The place has just gotten old
The highlight for me was meeting Walter Staib. I'm a big fan of his. I just love his show. It's excellent.
My waitress was excellent, too. She even tried to find me a cab! The food was excellent!
Great food and very peaceful outside. They’re doing the best they can with the pandemic situation. Would return again!
We were seated in the garden. Everyone was socially distanced. Our waiter was excellent. The food was very good. I had the salmon, my husband had the lobster pie, and our son had the rabbit. The rabbit was everyone’s favorite. Love the atmosphere at this restaurant and the authentic 1700’s fare. Thank you Chef Staib for this gem of a restaurant in the heart of Old City Philadelphia.
Food and service was outstanding! We went on a Sunday and expected a lunch menu which wasn’t the case. We ordered from the dinner menu and while the price was surprising the food was worth it!
We enjoyed the al fresco dining in the grassy yard. With candles and hurricane globes, it was very atmospheric- romantic! Each and every food item was well prepared, nicely presented, and delicious! And not too expensive if you make select choices. The prime rib special was much more costly than standard menu items. We fared well!
Food offerings were great. But 3 of us chose beef tenderloin medallions (1 medium rare, 2 medium) and all 3 arrived well done. Mashed potatoes were ok but were far from creamy. Vegetables were uninspired, soaked in butter. My son loved the salmon. Appetizers and drinks were good. Overall wouldn’t have been so disappointing if the prices weren’t representative of the very touristy area and oldest tavern story. All in all - decent food - though 3 overcooked beef tenderloins- and a lovely atmosphere but overpriced. For those prices the execution needs to be top notch.
We were eating outdoors on a beautiful summer day. The host and server were friendly and welcoming. I spoke with Chef Staib about his delicious meal. The food is hearty but tasty and fresh. I hadn’t been there for a while but plan to go back soon.
My daughters cup had lipstick on it. My other daughters napkin was burnt on one side of it. Their salmon was dry. We had just eaten there two weeks prior and the service and food was so much better. I do not know what happened this time.
We had a great meal, dined outside, gorgeous weather and setting. Appetizers were delicious (mushroom toast, oysters and crabcakes). Entrees were outstanding (trout, pot pies and venison sausage). Service was right on. Definitely will return.