The closest restaurants/delis to Friends Center and Arch Street UMC are listed below. Most of these will have vegetarian and vegan options. The first listing, Mi Lah, is not as close as the others, but it is a more reliable option for strictly vegan food.
NOTE: These descriptions were written by me (not lifted from a review website). If you have any specific questions or special needs, please contact me at jschwab@afsc.org for more information.
Mi Lah Vegetarian, 218 South 16th, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 732-8888
Excellent vegetarian food. Full-service mostly vegan restaurant with reasonable entrée prices. Allergy-friendly.
Tir Na Nog Bar & Grill, 1600 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, (267) 514-1700
Irish Pub restaurant with a full bar menu and full service restaurant.
Green Village, 127 N 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 564-2400
Full-service deli and grill plus salad bar. The soup is good and it is a good place to run in for drinks and snacks. Seating located upstairs. Located directly across the street from the Friends Center.
Olga’s Luncheonette Pizzeria, 125 N 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 568-9902
Simple sit-down breakfast grill and pizza shop. Located very near to Friends Center across 15th Street.
Yonny’s, 1531 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 665-0407
Sit-down “greasy spoon” restaurant with Victorian décor. Diner food at diner prices. Located one block west of Friends Center.
Bubbys Brisket & Bugsys Wiener, 103 N 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 569-0184
Award-winning hole in the wall boardwalk-style takeout. Serves hot dogs, cheesesteaks, fries, salads, homemade lemonade, and water ice. A foodie favorite for real, authentic Philly comfort food. Located near Friends Center across 15th street. Allergy-friendly.
Cafe Old Nelson, 1435 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 568-1730
Full-service deli with limited sit-down seating. Salads are huge and reasonably-priced. Also good for grabbing drinks and snacks, including allergy-friendly packaged items. Located one block away from both Friends Center and Arch Street UMC.
Capriccio Cafe & Espresso Bar, 110 N. 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 735-9797
Small café locate on a small city triangle park with views to the Art Museum. Sandwiches, pastries, Bassett’s ice cream (local) and coffee.
Dunkin Donuts, 101 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Closest place to Arch Street UMC to grab coffee and snacks.
Mexican Post, 1601 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 568-2667
Large full-service restaurant and bar one block from Friends Center. This is where the Friday night registration will happen.
Additional options:
Arch Street UMC and Friends Center are also close to two major sources for great food in Philly – Chinatown and Reading Terminal Market.
Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market has been continuously operating as a Farmer’s Market throughout the past century and is located at 12th and Arch (2 blocks from Arch Street UMC and 4 blocks from Friends Center). Reading Terminal is a Philadelphia treasure where you can get any type of food imaginable for reasonable prices, including vegetarian, vegan, Halal, Kosher and serious carnivore. I especially recommend the Dutch Eating Place, an Amish dinette, and Fair Food Farmstand which sells local, sustainably grown food. Down Home Diner, located in the market, is a full-service restaurant that serves locally-sourced food bought fresh in the market every morning. Vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly options are available. Right now, they have a $7 Meal Deal promotion where a number of merchants are offering $7 meals. Info here http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/news/article/83
Chinatown Dining
Vietnam Restaurant, 221 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA – (215) 592-1163
Local family-owned restaurant specializing in good, reasonably-priced Vietnamese food. If you are staying in West Philly, you can try out their other restaurants – Vietnam Café and Grill Fish Café, both located at 47th and Warrington.
Vietnam Palace, 222 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA, (215) 592-9596
Rival to Vietnam Café across the street, Vietnam Palace serves excellent food in a very elegant atmosphere.
Singapore Kosher Vegetarian (Kosher), 1006 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-922-3288
Imitation meat entrees.
Kosher and Halal Dining
Maccabeam Restaurant, 128 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-922-5922
Middle Eastern Kosher
Maoz Vegetarian Restaurant, 1115 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-922-3409
Kosher
Kingdom of Vegetarians Restaurant, 129 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-413-2290
Kosher Vegan
Singapore Kosher Vegetarian, 1006 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, (215) 922-3288
Fake meat dishes. Kosher
Aya’s Café, 2129 Arch Street, Phila, PA 19103, (215)567-1555
Mediterranean Halal
Zaffron Café (in the The Shops at Liberty Place – Food Court), 1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, (215) 563-2437
Mediterranean Halal with an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients.
Favorite Desserts
Capogiro, 119 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA – (215) 351-0900 and 117 South 20th Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, (215) 636-9250
Very highly recommended for gelato and sorbetto. Recently named by National Geographic as “the best ice cream in the world”. Pastries, coffee and candies.
