City: Philadelphia, PA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (215) 413-1443

Address: 138 S. 2nd St. at Walnut Street

Insider Pick:

Description: The First Continental Congress made Philadelphia’s City Tavern, opened in 1773, its first, though unofficial, meeting place from 1774 to 1777. The Second Continental Congress members made it their regular Saturday night dinner spot; some members ate there every evening. It was George Washington’s restaurant of choice when he wined and dined visiting dignitaries. Thomas Jefferson (whose favorite sweet potato and pecan biscuits are still on the menu) called it “the most genteel tavern in America.” Although the original building was burned in 1834 and demolished 20 years later, in 1948 Congress commissioned a historically accurate reproduction of the historic City Tavern. The authentic-­right-­down-­to-­the-­china-­flatware-­and-­glassware-­patterns new City Tavern opened in time for the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976. And it has been serving sophisticated, 18th-­century-­inspired fare ever since. Since 1994, multiple-­award-­winning chef Walter Staib has been the guiding force behind City Tavern’s renaissance as a gathering spot for locals as well as a must-­see (and eat) for visitors. His menus are based on such colonial era–inspired recipes as West Indies Pepper Pot Soup (later to be generally known as Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup), honey-­glazed roasted duckling, and pastry-­lidded turkey potpie. If the dinner prices are a bit too rich for your budget, the same menu is available at lunchtime for less.