Last October, I had the pleasure of visiting the city of Philly! It was a quick little getaway with three of my favorite DC bloggers (Jessica, Aparna and Ashley). I’ve heard great things about the food and art scene in this city so I was more than ready to explore.
Hotel Palomar
Picking a good hotel is game changer, even for short trips! You can never go wrong with the Kimpton hotel brand when it comes to offering great rooms, great service, and most importantly, wine hour! LoL Hotel Palomar is located in a pretty central and busy part of Philly. The lounge and check-in area of the hotel was so artsy and chic! We were greeted with the cutest Visit Philly bags that had everything we needed to make this trip event more fab. Once we checked in to our room, I went right ahead to search for my animal print robe! The beds were super comfy and even though the room was small, they did a good job at making it feel cozy. Another great aspect of staying at Hotel Palomar is that you have so many great shops within walking distance. So if you forgot something at home or your itinerary changes and you did not bring an extra dress or high heel with you, don’t you worry! You can walk to Forever 21, Zara and Nordstrom Rack to save the day.
Restaurants Recs
After settling in and taking a few hours to relax it was time to eat! I was super excited to explore the food scene in Philly, as I’ve heard great things.
Maison 208
First restaurant we visited during our stay was Maison 208. The restaurant is two levels: The downstairs has a bit more of a formal seating arrangement, while the upstairs where we dined had more of a lounge feel. You can also immediately see how art is def a big part of this place, with an amazing wall mural all throughout the restaurant. We ordered a few main dishes to share, with my fave being the whole French-style dorade that came with vegetables. I also really loved their dirty margarita (Duh!) lol
Federal Donuts
I’m not a big donuts person, but any time I hear people raving about a donuts or some sort of dessert place I need to try, I always listen. Well I was not disappointed that I did because the fried donuts at this place were amazing! My fave flavor was the strawberry lavender. I was left speechless and wanting more. This place is def a good way to start your morning. They also have real good fried chicken that I hope to try on my next visit.
Root Restaurant and Wine Bar
I’m a big fan of wine bars in any city! Root Restaurant was located in sort of a kind sport (or at least it looked like that to us). We arrived a little late so our reservations for inside were moved to outside, which was not disappointing as we had great weather. We started off by sharing a few of their snacks such as their crispy potatoes and pan con tomato! Both yummy options. As my main entree I order the beef and pork meatballs, which I def enjoyed. As my main cocktail choice I went with “Furiosa” because you should google that word in English! Lol it was so good. I also loved their wine selection, with the SauvBlanc being my top choice (so fresh!).
Pizzeria Vetri
Who doesn’t love a good pizza? I know I do! Pizzeria Vetri exceeded all of our expectations when visiting a restaurant, and aside from their yummy pizza choices, the customer service we got was amazing! We also got to taste their Rotolo (Pizza dough, mortadella, ricotta, pistachio pesto dough, mortadella, ricotta, pistachio pesto)–not only very instagrammable but also delicious! This was my first time visiting Pizzeria Vetri, and to my surprise, I found out we have a location in DC! You bet that I’ll be visiting that location often!
We overall had such a great time! During the little time we had without an itinerary to follow, Aparna and I escaped to check out The Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens! I’m so glad we did this because this place is indeed magical! The amount of detail they put into the glass art work of each wall is amazing. I wish we had a little more time to explore, as Philly def has an awesome food and art scene, but this just means that I get to come back to do more exploring soon.
Photos By: The Dining Traveler
This post is in partnership with Visit Philly+ Hotel Palomar. All opinions are my own.
