# Looking for kosher/vegan restaurant recommendations in Philly

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 24, 2011, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696 "2011-06-24T12:15:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/1 "2011-06-24T12:15:28Z")

</div>

I’m helping to plan a class reunion in Philadelphia. One of the group keeps kosher, so he’d prefer a kosher restaurant. Alternatively, vegan is acceptable.

Anyone got any recommendations?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/2 "2011-06-24T12:50:45Z")

</div>

A lot of people seem to like Dmitri’s, and we’ve successfully fed a visiting professor who kept kosher there.  
I thought it was all right.

/edit: It was the go-to suggestion among the professors who knew anything about keeping kosher. I can probably ask around for others, though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/3 "2011-06-24T13:01:55Z")

</div>

Google found three different locations. Where was it? Thanks for the recommendation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/4 "2011-06-24T13:04:54Z")

</div>

I just looked at the menu, and it’s got shellfish. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to work. Thanks, though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/5 "2011-06-24T13:33:23Z")

</div>

It’s possible that the guy we were feeding isn’t as strict and just wanted good options rather than an entirely kosher menu.  
If you’re talking pretty hardcore kosher (which it sounds like you are), vegan might be your best bet. If our resident kosher expert is in today, I’ll ask her.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/6 "2011-06-24T13:47:34Z")

</div>

I always like to use the [Shamash Kosher Database](http://www.shamash.org/kosher/) when I’m looking for Kosher food out of town. You can select by Metropolitan area, Philadelphia is one of the available selections.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/7 "2011-06-24T14:15:51Z")

</div>

If you like Chinese, Kingdom of Vegetarians (on 11th St) and Singapore Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant (on Race St.) are both Kosher and good.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/8 "2011-06-24T14:21:46Z")

</div>

Here’s another online guide that may be helpful: [VegPhilly](http://www.thehumaneleague.com/VegPA/index.php)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/9 "2011-06-24T17:46:37Z")

</div>

Hamifgash at 8th & Sansom is very strictly kosher, and pretty good food too. It’s not a really large place, so the size of your group could be an issue. There’s also Mama’s at 20th & Market which is kosher and vegetarian. I’ve never been so I can’t comment on their dining room, but the food’s OK. Both of those places are acceptable to my friends who won’t even eat at a normal vegan restaurant.

If you want to do vegan, check out Mi Lah at 16th & Walnut (I think). They don’t advertise as vegan, but their menus all include a notice that all items are vegan, so I don’t know what’s up.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/10 "2011-06-24T20:01:00Z")

</div>

I haven’t eaten out in Philadelphia in many years, but the absolute consensus of the folks on the [Kosher board of Chowhound](http://www.chowhound.com/boards/28) is that [Max & David’s](http://www.maxanddavids.com/) is the best kosher restaurant in the Philly area. It’s a little out of the way, in Elkins Park. It’s a meat restaurant, so if you also have vegetarians in your group, it’s probably not ideal. Beyond that, it depends on the standards of the classmate; there are several kosher-certifying agencies in Philadelphia, all of which have different standards and many of which are not accepted by all kosher-keepers. My guess is that if the classmate is willing to eat in a non-certified vegan restaurant, he/she is probably fine with any kosher certification, but you should ask him/her.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-kosher-vegan-restaurant-recommendations-in-philly/586696/11 "2011-06-24T20:02:38Z")

</div>

Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
