Silk City Diner & Lounge - Philadelphia

The Silk City Diner & Lounge was all about atmosphere.  It was part diner with good comfort food and friendly service, part bar because you could belly up to a bar inside and order whatever alcoholic drink that you wanted and part night club because it was dimly lit with red lights and from the looks of the posters downstairs, they must have live music there sometimes. 

I was there in the early evening during the week.  The neighborhood was definitely a little on the rough side.  There was evidence of the local businesses hardened against night time raids with graffiti inscribed riot gates held in place with heavy chains.  So, the restaurant might not have been a dive but the location definitely was.

The food was really good.  It was surprisingly refined for such a rough neighborhood.  I had the fish and chips.  The fish was tempura fried.  The oil was fresh and the tempura frying was executed by someone who knew what they were doing.  It also came with some really good coleslaw and a chunk of cornbread.  The cornbread was actually a jalapeno cornbread that they called a "corn muffin."  I didn't expect cornbread this far north of the Mason-Dixon line but, theirs was very good.

I'd rank Silk City a 9.2 out of 10 on the DDD scale.  The whole place just had its own vibe that appealed to me. 

Silk City Diner & Lounge
435 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 592-8838
www.silkcityphilly.com