We only had one night in Philadelphia, so I very carefully chose where we would eat our one dinner. I — as always — turned to TripAdvisor for suggestions. While searching, I came across The Dandelion. I pretty instantly decided that’s where I wanted to go.
The outside of this British tavern is gorgeous, and festive fall décor made the building extra colorful.
Inside, the restaurant is super cozy. It’s broken up into a pub area, lounge, and an upstairs space. We opted to sit at a high top by a window in the lounge. While we relaxed and looked over the menu, the boyfriend ordered an interesting drink that had bourbon, chocolate bitters, a whole egg, orange marmalade, and chocolate stout beer in it.
I was really impressed with how extensive their menu is. They will certainly have a small plate or full entrée that sparks your interest, as you can pick from salads, charcuterie boards, burgers, seafood, and more.
We decided to order the smoked salmon and trout pâté to start with and split the large plate of mussels. Our server talked us into getting frites with the mussels, and I am SO happy he did. Their fries are out of this world. Really, every single thing we ate was totally delicious.
The salmon and trout pâté was served with warm pumpernickel bread. The fish spread was SO good. It was just the right amount of salty and creamy. Atop the toast, it was a satisfying meal all in itself.
The frites were unbelievable. They were hot and tasted like a crispy baked potato. It’s crazy how most fries don’t actually taste THAT good and don’t resemble potatoes at all. These frites were far from the common greasy and bland fries that are often found on plates across the country. Writing about these frites is actually a bit torturous because now I’m really, really craving them.
Eating the mussels alongside the frites was a solid plan. The mussels were served with a light broth and sprinkled with fresh cilantro. I highly recommend this dish as an appetizer for the whole table or as a meal for one to two people.
If you are in Philadelphia and are looking for a great place to grab a bite to eat, I recommend The Dandelion. The environment is warm and cozy, the servers are friendly and attentive, and the food is great.
Emily Keen Photography 