Arbol Cafe

 

5

5

Anoop P.

Philadelphia, PA

It's been about 2.5 hours since I had my most recent Arbol sandwich, and I must say, I'm still thinking about how happy and full it made me. Even without taking into account the delicious food and the dark, satisfying coffee (some of the best coffee, if i may add, that i've had in the city), it's easy to fall in love with this place simply for the hospitality of owners Beth and Oscar.  

Even if I lived more than 30 seconds away, I'd still trek up to 2nd and Poplar for Arbol and their delicious coffee, their wonderful garden seating area, and the Lomito, which is one of the tastiest and most decadent sandwiches ever (eggs, steak, mayo, cheese, plus more...on one sandwich!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUM).

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1

38

Alex S.

Philadelphia, PA

I don't get up to Northern Liberties much, it's a tad out of the way for me.  However Arbol Cafe gets a big thumbs up for last Saturday's sandwiches.  OUTSTANDING.  I had a "Society Hill" and my wife had a "Landlocked on a bagel".  Easily one of the great sandwiches of my life, and since I'm 255lb I'm talking a lot of sandwiches.  They have this outdoor seating area under a big ol' tree, big, breezy, beautiful and clean.  A VERY pleasant place to sit and enjoy lunch with my family.  My only complaint is that I had to go inside the shop to order my food, which is silly since there is a waitress that brings food out to you.  The cashier was a tad... antagonistic ( I think it was the owner ), but I chalk it up to a bad day.  I will be back!

By the way, cranky lady, if your wondering why "Wizard of Oz" was not a big hit for your movie night... well it's because that's not a particularly special movie.  I mean, if your going to have movie night, put on something people don't usually see... like French Noir, Cult Classics or Independent films.

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2

16

Lisa L.

Philadelphia, PA

I actually came to NoLibs for the first time ever to try this cafe after reading about it on... Yelp! I'm usually a cheapskate drinker of 60 cent lunch truck coffee, but I decided to mix things up by coming here. I must say, I love the smell of gentrification in the afternoon.

The coffee was really great, full bodied and strong (Yeah, I know about coffee even if I choose to drink bad coffee). A ceramic "sit-down" cup was $2.00, with one free refill. Might be nice to have a saucer because the cup gets really hot. I carried it outside to the nice patio area and drank free ice water. Nobody bothered me. It was great.

Sometime I'm definitely going to come back, get an expensive sandwich and revel in my white-person-ness.

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Elite '08

9

100

Spencer W.

Philadelphia, PA

I like Arbol.  Definitely a top cafe in town.  Plus it's comfy and the street outside is quiet and sunny, and being there makes you feel so wholesome.

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Elite '08

8

48

brynn t.

Philadelphia, PA

i love this little place, though i mourn the loss of the palmito (hearts of palm salad) sandwich.  the mint mate i had was delicious.  owners beth and oscar are warm and welcoming and it's great to have them in the neighborhood.  the adjacent patio is looking gorgeous though i've not sat it in recently.

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0

8

amanda d.

Philadelphia, PA

Everything here is delicious. They make great coconut coffee drinks and the lomitos are probably my favorite breakfast sandwiches.

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Elite '08

14

54

Ryan C.

Brooklyn, NY

I wouldn't call this place cute. Cute is an insult. All little cafes, just like babies, are cute even when they aren't cute. No instead I would call this tiny little place real.

Observant individuals will notice traditional Paraguayan pieces of art, cloth, etc adorning the walls. This is why I like this place because it's true to itself. Similar to how Almaz Cafe "keeps it real" with colors of the Ethiopian flag inside, this place doesn't stray far from its roots.

This is a day and age where cafes are very vanilla even when they try to be the anti-starbucks. Ironically enough, they are the same too. They try to be the cute corner cafe, with a vintage couch here or a black and white photo there, and the waitress has a nose ring and half sleeve tattoo to give it credibility. This is not that place.

The only drawback is that my college dorm room was bigger than this place.

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Elite '08

26

68

Colin C.

Philadelphia, PA

Yet another cute cafe/restaurant in northern liberties, leaving me to wonder why I still live in center city.  nice coffee with a seemingly meat-heavy Paraguayan menu... will have to explore it more. free wifi, and live entertainment.

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4

5

allison h.

Philadelphia, PA

i stopped in for dinner and throughly enjoyed the asado a la olla con kiveve --  a dish of boneless beef ribs served with a side of cheesy-squashy polenta.  yum.  the meat was so soft and delicious.  arbol is very small and the menu is limited but the food is prepared with warmth and care and the owners are very nice.

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