I have made a goal for myself to visit more restaurants/cafes or just general food places for either the vibe or simply to try new food. Now that I am a college student that has someone who will always go with me to try new cafes, I’ve been slowly accomplishing this goal. So, here is a list of a couple of cafes that I visited in my sophomore year of college near East Falls.
1. Matines Cafe
89 Bethlehem Pike, Philadelphia, PA 19118
This cafe is a little bit out of the way – located in Chestnut Hill, this French-style cafe is a 17-minute car ride or an hour bus ride away. However, the ambiance of the whole cafe, the food, the sellable items, and the seating were all so perfect. I visited a trendy cafe in Center City called Sofi’s Cafe, which is a French-Moroccan style cafe and this instantly reminded me of it. When you walk in, you’re greeted with a menu and a little bakery at the front counter where you order your items. You can sit down anywhere with a mix of separate tables and booth seating. I ordered the tomato bisque soup and the sweet blossom tea latte, but I also had the chance to try their flaky croissants as well. I almost licked my bowl of soup clean, and the sweet blossom tea latte was so floral and herbal and it tasted smooth in my mouth. I highly recommend this place if you have the money and time to spend in Chestnut Hill.
2. Founded Coffee and Pizza
Founded Coffee & Pizza, 3300 Henry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19129
I have always passed by this place on my way to campus, but I never stepped into it until just a couple of days ago, and I will say I regret the fact that I haven’t visited it sooner. The place has a very rustic interior that sort of reminds me of a horse stable meshed with a church. The odd combination of pizza and coffee strangely works. I will say that this place is perfect for studying as well – it’s quiet and at the time that I visited, many older individuals were there with children for an afternoon family date. I ordered a hot matcha latte and also tried some of the buffalo chicken and chicken teriyaki pizza which both tasted pretty good. The matcha latte comes unsweetened but it gives you the freedom of customizing the sweetness level of your drink. I think Founded has a great atmosphere for cheap eats not too far away from campus, so this place gets my stamp of approval.
3. Landing Kitchen
617 Righters Ferry Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Landing Kitchen is beautiful from the outside. The entire place is industrial and reminds me of a loading dock. On a paved road, beanbag toss and Connect 4 are free for visitors to utilize even if they aren’t customers. There are many fireplaces and I think it was a perfect place to visit on a cold day. If you have finished staring into the embers of the fire pit and have fed it some logs of wood, going inside the cafe is a completely different experience. It’s a very open area with a variety of booths and wooden seating. I would say that I would go to Landing Kitchen more for the ambiance than the food. Their breakfast items are good, but it is not really a good study place. The drinks are pretty basic and to be honest, I wish they had a little bit more variety, but the drinks are enough for just hanging out and sitting next to an open fire to catch up.
4. Artesano Cafe
Artesano Cafe, 109 Green Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19127
If you love plants, I highly recommend Artesano Cafe. The drinks are pretty good and I love the grilled cheese too. This place is pretty close to campus as well, located in Manayunk and very accessible by car or even a 16-minute bus ride on the 61 bus. The entrance is filled with beautiful plants and succulents that customers can purchase and while you bring your new green friend to the counter, you can also order off their menu. They specialize in sandwiches and I ordered a grilled cheese with tomato pesto which came with a bag of chips that tasted so good. Sometimes, I get phantom sensations of the sandwich again. I highly recommend this place.