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Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Olde CityDon't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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I was here a few years back and I must say we had a lot of fun. The Americana diner inspiration is fun and funky retro and seemed so new at the time.
I remember the food being pretty good. I was pretty surprised to see that it was a very Asian inspired menu in a classic American retro diner space. The flavors worked really well. My favorite image of the night was this big heaping pile of crispy, crunchy, salty shoe string fries!
Well if I had just gone here once they would have gotten better reviews, But we just went back for the second time and ya know what??? It ain't anything special. And what a bummer too.
The first time I had a cheese steak encased in an egg roll wrapper. It came with 6 huge pieces and the inside was warm and runny with cheese. Looking at the menu I think this is the Peking duck spring roll. Highly recommended.
But what ticked me off is when we stopped in this past Sunday for brunch it is not on the menu. Oh geez, now what to pick. We had the garden omelet, Portabella Cheese steak, and a Thai noodle salad.
And of course string fries.
Well, stick to the Peking duck eggroll and the string fries. The rest is unacceptable.
The omelet was supposed to have boursin cheese inside, I peeked, it was nowhere. And the omelet was bland and worthless. And the hash browns that come with this dish are not fit to eat.
The portabella cheese steak was uneventful and the regular fries that come with this are less then uneventful. So what does that make them? Yech.
The Thai salad had potential,, but didn't hit any spot. It was neither here nor there. I'm not sure what dish they were aiming for.
I now know that I do not have to go back here. Guests from out of town were tickled about the martini lamps. Go figure, they are from the mid west.
The service is nothing to write home about either. I never got a second cup of coffee.
Why do they think they are above the clientele? Do they get paid so much? For insolence?
Will try out some of the other yelp recommendations next time we venture down to the CITY.
This morning I had the perfect brunch at Continental. My aunt is in town for the Philadelphia marathon and we wanted a noontime breakfast. Continental was the perfect choice.
We both had the spinach and feta omelet. The omelet was light, fluffy, and practically perfect. Yum. The home fries were made from potato rounds and the fresh squeezed orange juice was... well what can you say badly about fresh squeezed orange juice?
The waitress was courteous, checked on us several times, and brought me a dish of hot sauce on request. The prices were modest for such a picture perfect experience, all together about 13 dollars per person.
Four stars not because of this trip, but because during the evening Continental can be unnecessarily pricey.
If you are going for drinks, go to the other location and hang out on the roof deck on a nice summer day. At least the location makes up for overpriced martini's and terrible food...
The food is simply cliche (thai lettus wrap, tuna tartar) if I'm being nice, or terrible copy-cats for various cuisines put together (if i'm being brutally honest). The portions are off (some appetizer portions are way too big, some dinner portions too small). The drinks are more interesting, but each martini's $20...most of them too sweet (but then I'm more a single-malt served neat or gin martini type of person).
So if you're unoriginal, likes to waste money, wants to eat "cheesecake factory" type of food priced twice as much, sure, why not. For the rest of us, try somewhere else.
We arrived on a Sun morn after a late night with at event and Amada. With that said...I think it was perfect for brunch, as most of the staff seemed to be nursing a hangover. In fact, our waitress, after taking our order, was viewed from our window seat to be walking across the street and never to return. Interesting... So the brunch was good. Eggs benedict, fruit and homefries for me, and handsome hubby enjoyed the standard fare, eggs, bacon and english muffins. It fit the bill and our breakfast hunger, but the longing for coffee refills and an extra napkin made me wonder if we should have taken them up on their signature bloody mary's.
I am from DC so I am used to high prices but I kind of though they were a bit outrageous here.
The food was very good, I started with the udon noodle soup which had chicken dumplings in it. Very tasty! The Thai lettuce wraps were good as well (but not as good as PF CHANGS). I did not care for the french fries, which were just thin crunchy shoe-stringed potatoes with spicy mustard on them. Also, the duck spring rolls tasted strange, WAY too much ginger.
They have a lot of fancy pants drinks, the champagne cocktail was very good (champagne and stolli raz with a raspberry sugar rim).
While the food is certainly above average it isn't amazing. And while my soup was very good it was nothing out of the ordinary. The duck springrolls were $13 and for that you get three of them. The bowl of soup was $9. Its simply just too expensive but the items I liked were good enough to make me want to try some more items.
If you are on a budget and are pretty hungry this is a poor choice. However, if you just want to grab some light fare this is a fantastic and trendy place to go.
Originally my friend and I came here because she designed the menus. From the outside it almost looks like just another diner, however I was pleasantly surprised by the retro decor and the olive theme. We only stayed for cocktails and appetizers. I first ordered the Acai-Pirinha which was a perfect mix of sweet and liquor. We then moved on to try the peking duck spring rolls, which were just as expected and like any ordinary spring rolls, but the most impressive dish we had were the scallops in habanero-pumpkin chimichurri which was absolutely fabulous. I couldn't stop eating the sauce that came over the scallops.
It seemed unusually empty for a Saturday night, but that's probably because it was close to 1AM. I would love to come back here for brunch one day. I was also surprised to see more expensive than New York prices for their cocktails.
***WORST BRUNCH EVER***JUST GO TO SNOW WHITE!!!
I have eaten at Continental so many times I can barely count them. Every time I'm thoroughly underwhelmed by the food, but it's convenient. The drinks are usually good. But this Sunday brunch pushed me over the edge.
This past Sunday, I had brunch here and it can only be described as a debacle. When my date and I walked in, we were seated immediately because there were plenty of empty tables. As we sat there for 15 minutes before any waitress showed up, the tables around us filled up. The waitress proceeded to wait on all the tables that were sat after us. She finally came by and took our order, giving us a disgusting strawberry-banana "granita". Our drinks came out fine and that was the only decent thing that happened.
My date ordered egg's benedict w/ ham (aka egg's benedict, Continental. It's just called egg's benedict). He was served egg's benedict with smoked salmon by a runner. After 5 minutes of trying, we finally waived down our waitress who returned them and put in the correct order. In the meantime, I was buttering the pancakes and toast of my Big Bang. The "scrambled" eggs looked disgustingly rubberized and the "home fries" seriously looked like frozen potato disks and were dry and unacceptable. I finished buttering the pancakes and dumped the "maple syrup" on the pancakes only to discover that I WAS GIVEN WARMED OLIVE OIL INSTEAD OF MAPLE SYRUP. Disgusting. Again, no waitress in sight. She finally brought my date's correct order and I had to send mine back for having been ruined. The second time, the order was fine. The waitress (who was nice but over taxed with indoor and outdoor tables) apologized. The "manager" (I assume because the child who came over to the table failed to introduce herself) was obsequious and needs to learn some manners. They did take my food order off the bill, but that hardly made up for the entire fiasco.
Tries a little too hard. And it reminds me more of a place you'd see in LA than Philadelphia. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Swingers on 3rd. But, so it is. I enjoyed it for what it was: a highly stylized diner-cum-bar, a hipster magnet.
My first thoughts - this place looks like a cheesy diner. Exactelyyyyy says the guy who works there. Apparently it used to be.
I have not eaten here, went for drinks on a Friday night with friends around 10.
I don't think this place is bad, it's just not anything worth going out of your way for when there are plenty of other places nearby (and in fact right across the street)
This is a great place to people watch. We came for drinks on a Saturday night and sat out on the sidewalk. Saw quite a few bachelorette parties walk by. At least 4, loved the one in the hideous 80's prom dresses. People, ok girls in stiletto's, were constantly tripping over the grate. And why does everyone in this town honk like a crazy person? There's nowhere for anyone to move because the street is narrow and everyone who apparently wants to be seen wants to drive down it.
Can't comment about the food, but I would definitely come back to enjoy the atmosphere next time I'm in Philly.
We stumbled on this place for Sunday brunch. Staff are of the young, beautiful, and painfully hip variety and made this 27-year-old feel way too ancient and out of it. We were served a complimentary palate cleanser of strawberry agua fresca to start, then I followed up with coffee and a turkey sausage, spinach, and cheddar egg white omelette. The omelette was a good size but not gargantuan like some calorie-bomb omelettes I've known. It was a little sparse on fillings; I would especially have appreciated more spinach as there really wasn't enough to taste. It came with decent homefries and tasty multigrain toast; if I'd been thinking I would have subbed the fries for fruit as I heard another table do. Service was sharp, and when I went to the restroom I realized why there wasn't a ridic wait a la brunch in Houston/Austin: the place is a total rabbit warren, with two additional seating areas.
Decor was faux-vintage diner; I was a fan of the martini-garnish hanging lights (olives on toothpicks). A fun place for a random brunch, but I'm not sure I'd seek it out if I was back in the city.
i'm a starr girl. big fan of his. this is a great diner, with a warm feeling to it. the martini olive lighting gives it a chichi, posh look of an older era. great drink concoctions and the food speaks for itself. this isn't a burger and fries type of diner. starr puts a twist on the definition of diner here.
btw, i would pay for the thai beef salad to be put back on the menu. *drool*
Got a nice omelette with turkey sausage, cheese and spinach. It comes with home fries, and toast. The interior decor is quite interesting; it has the traditional feel of a diner but adds modern to the design.
The big bang combo has 3 pancakes, 2 sausage links, home fries and bacons. The portion is smaller than I thought but obviously big enough to make you fat.
It is definitely a trendy diner with ok food. I think their drinks and shoestring fries are probably more noticeable than anything else.
I've only had take out there. The first time I went to pick up my lunch, a guy at the counter had a cup of coffee, a martini drink, and a glass of water as his lunch. Wow.
I ordered the crab pad thai. It was underwhelming. None of the flavors you expected to taste were there. I didn't taste the crab, probably because the serving of crab was minuscule within the size of the dish. I tried very hard not to channel my inner Gordon Ramsay (on Hell's Kitchen - what is this crap?)
I went back another time for the calamari salad. I got about 12 calamari and about 12 cups of salad. I guess I had a salad with calamari as a garnish. For that meal, the highlight was the carrot cake with caramel sauce and whipped cream. That was very good.
The dishes as a concept are very interesting and there's possibilities, but they fail to execute very well. It's a little on the pricey side for what you get, but it is also very convenient.
Big name restaurants make my heart flutter, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I stumbled in here one Saturday night in a drunken stupor, and Old City on a weekend night is not my favorite scene. If I were rating the Midtown location, I'd give them a solid 3 or 4- I've had many a happy hour there and it has a soft spot in my heart. This location fell short of my expectations though which lands them at a lowly 2 stars.
The space felt cramped and the BBQ chicken quesadillas (a standby at the other location) were rather sad and sloppy. The tower of shoestring fries looked impressive, but were not especially flavorful.
I finished half of my drink, made my way through the crowd of young 20 somethings and into a cab home. Nothing special at this one.
I really like your restaurants. I generally tell people that you're a great restauranteer, and with the number of new places that you open up seems that the general public seems to agree. But I have a few questions.
First, why don't you think beer is important? I mean, when the best thing at the Continental is Anchor Steam, it's kind of a bummer. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was slightly overpriced and really the only decent option. You definitely focus more on the food, but I think you could stand to do both. Is your next venture a beer bar? I wouldn't be surprised.
Second, what's up with the Continental. Maybe the question should be what's up with me, becuase I don't seem to like this place as much as everyone else seems to. The food seems overpriced, the portions are small, and the food is decent, but nothing more.
I'll admit, you've cultivated a really cool swanky diner feel where the point is for everyone to share a bunch of dishes and enjoy themselves. Your servers are great, and overall, this isn't a terrible place. I just don't see any reason why I'd ever come back. There is definitely one shining menu item, the shoestring fries. It's pretty sweet that you can get a heaping pile of decent fries for under $4, with crazy hot mustard in toe. Honestly, if there was some decent beer, I'd stop by for a drink and some fries all the time.
Bottom Line: You're doing a great job. I just think that this place isn't your strongest effort. I'm guessing it's a lot better with a larger group, six to eight seems ideal. This also seems like an ideal people watching spot. As for food and and service, you continue to operate under the "Starr Standard" (I just coined that, how about some kickback?).
Basically Continental is an upscale lounge-like diner.
They do server a great menu and most everything I tried was good, but they fall short of an actual lounge and for a dinner it's a bit too expansive...
The continental is a great place to dine if anyone is looking for a good combination of affordability and good tasting food. It's nice location right on the corner of Market and 2nd makes it a staple in the Olde City district of Philadelphia. The restaurant's blend of a very modern martini bar with delicious global tapas makes it worth your while.
Decor - (4/5)
Service - (4/5)
Plates:
Lamb Flatbread - (5/5) Almost made like a pizza with chunks of lamb as a topping. Very simple and plain-looking, yet very flavorful for its size.
Orange-Chile Glazed Calamari - (4/5) A large quantity is served, and it does not cease to amaze the pallet. The sauce added gives the well-fried calamari the pizzaz it deserves.
Steamed Chicken Dumplings - (3.5/5) Sweet soy dipping sauce gives dumpling a better taste. A safe choice for any dumpling fan.
Fresh Vietnamese Summer Roll - (2.5/5) A plate for sushi lovers. It comes raw, so I wasn't very interested personally, and it is very crunchy. Great for crab and sushi lovers, just not for me.
I'd give this place a 3.5/5 but there is no option for it. I'll be sure to go back to try brunch there so that I can give it a 4/5 instead if I like what I eat. Otherwise, The Continental is still a great place when you're not looking to have Buddakhan drop a bomb on your Visa Bill.
This review is only a comment on atmosphere after dinner - so check out other people's thoughts on the food, drinks and service during different times of day.
The first thing I heard about this place - is this what everyone hears first? - is it's one of Stephen Starr's restaurants. It's kind of interesting to check out a restaurant produced by somebody working on a greater vision of spaces that entertain. Collect 'em all, and then put together what the company thinks makes a good night out.
I went with a couple friends to meet up with a group late at night. If you're interested in dinner and drinks with a large group and want music and sleek design, then the Continental is definitely worth considering. It's particularly useful as a trick for entertaining guests or touring around Philly on a weekend. Honorable mention for serving as an upstanding member of the Saturday Party Parade route.
This place has great salads for lunch (they're huge with yummy dressing) and you can't beat their brunch on Sundays as they have endless mimosas for one low price ;) I don't get the huge hype it gets in Philly which I guess is why I'm giving three vs. four starts. The hype lets you down but I think it's cool for brunch or lunch but not for the drinks and dinner scene it is well known for.
We have been going there on and off for ever and a year... all in all i would give it a 4 but the last two out of three times we went, the quality of the food dropped a little.
Bruch is great, I normally get the big bang, and the Buzz Aldrin, now called the "astronaut" (law suit? who knows), special pancakes can be AMAZING!!!
Lunch wise i like the club... I'm very turkey club centric, but is a good "high end" club. I had a London Tea, it was awesome. I love PIMS, so I may be biased, but a "new" or new to me drink with PIMS! NICE!
We only had dinner there once, I would say not a great dinner place, we just did it Tapas style. Edamami was really good. Thai Chicken Skewers where ok, nothing special. Pims cup during!!!
all in all i will go back, hopefully i can move it up to a 4 where they belong!
For the longest time, I naively thought that Continental was a greasy spoon diner. Hey, it looks like one from the outside. Well, I was wrong. It does retain a 50s diner feel, but in an uber-trendy way (not so uber-trendy that I want to gag myself, like Continental Midtown).
I also didn't expect the small-plate style of dining, but it was a pleasant surprise, as it allows me to explore my palette. That makes me happy. Lobster mashed potatoes and ahi tuna tartare, you ask? Heaven! How can you go wrong when food is served in "love sauce?"
During dinner, we were discussing brands of vodka and wondering if any brand could beat Grey Goose. Our waitress indulged us and allowed us to do Cosmo tasting with different vodkas. We tried Pravda and Belvedere, with Grey Goose as the positive control. In retrospect, we should have had a negative control with something crappy, like Popov or something else from a plastic bottle. We decided that Pravda was an excellent match.
The small plates of tasty food with a fun vodka tasting made for an superb experience. I'll be going back.
I'm a big fan of the Continental Midtown for late night debauchery and eats so I decided to take the posse to the Olde City location for some brunch after being snuffed at the Plough and Stars a few doors down (reservations shmerervations!).
We were seated at a spacious booth. Guava mojitos were yum and so was the Morning Glory (which is no longer on the menu---boooo!). Service was prompt and courteous. Food came out quickly. My Big Bang breakfast was a caloric fest of goodness. Pancakes were fluffy. Eggs were scrambled right and not runny. Turkey sausage was fantastic-al. I tasted the salmon hash and it was scrumptious. I can't comment on the applewood bacon as I don't eat the swine but it was lifted off my plate with the quickness and devoured so I am sure it was tasty. Everyone liked their dishes--ranging from the brioche french toast and caramel bananas (heavy but yummy!) to simple lox on a bagel.
I would definitely come back for a laid-back brunch. It wasn't anything to write home to Ma and Pa about but it was a solid meal that made my belly happy and full which is no easy feat.
One of Steven Starr's intentionally super trendy joints but probably one of the more affordable. FYI, the high menu prices at don't translate to living wage pay or health benefits for his full time employees.
The fries plate is monstrous and highly addictive and the vodka flights make this the only place I've ever ordered vodka. They also have a great cocktail called the Buzz Aldrin or something similar with a Tang rimmer. The retro airline styling of the menus is also a lot of fun if you ever grow weary of lists written in italics or script fonts.
It had been a while since I had been here, the prices seem to have gone up, while the portions and menu have shrank. There are certainly better places to go in Olde City.
Been there twice. Once for dinner with the fam - really good tappas dishes (I have a hard time saying "tappas", without sounding like I'm saying "topless") and excellent service. Also went for breakfast and had these amazing waffles with maple syrup and granola. For any meal there, be prepared to spend $15-20 per person w/o drinks.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; Stevenstarism- affliction that causes restuarants that serve very average and gimmicky food to be over price. Also serves drinks that are so "fun" that girls have to try. Honestly, I am not super hard on Steven Starr restuarants like most people, but Continental is my least favorite Starr restuarant. I would rate the food a 3 but the fact that it is diner food priced at Starr prices drops the score to a 2 bomb. I mean they do not even have a good gimmick.. trendy diner?... our salads are big!...whoopityfreakingdo..it still is lettuce and sucks. Also another addition to the old city im so belowaverage&unwanted brunch club.
They had a couple really nice choices at dinner for vegetarians. Love the atmosphere and swing seating.
Breakfast was my favorite!
i went here with friends saturday night. as i mentioned before, i had only ever been here for brunch, and i wanted to check out the after-dinner scene. the lights are dimmed, the music is hip/trendy but not loud or oppressive. the martinis are obviously fantastic. the glasses are normal sized, not the giant fishbowl sized ones seen in most restaurants. and you get the shaker so you can enjoy every drop of your drink. the bartender was busy but had enough time to give the phillies' score to the guys and tell me about a tequila i hadn't heard of before.
it's official. i love the continental, no matter what time of day. and seriously, strawberry basil! (i think the martini is called "strawberry fields.")
strawberry basil martini with a balsamic sugar rim. sounds pretty out there, right? you have to try… Read more »
I went here with a group of friends. We skewed a bit on the old side for the place but we ended up having a really fun time. Since it's tapas style we ordered a ton of dishes. Everything we had was delish and our total bill before drinks came out to about $30 per person. The martini I had was excellent and came with the shaker which made it a value at $11 for the area. (The hotel I was staying at was charging $9 for a run of the mill gin and tonic.) Our waiter-twenty something and handsome in a Zachary Quinto-ish sort of way--was just what you'd expect at a vodka bar except that he was totally competent and not the least bit douche-y. They put us in a tucked away back room which was dim and conducive to conversation (unlike the front which was crowded and noisy.) The whole evening surpassed expectations. Lobster mashed potatoes were to die for. Philly cheese egg roll was fun and blasphemous at the same time. Fried scallops, crab cakes on black rice and chicken satay skewers were better than average. Even the humble hummus plate was good.
Continental is definitely a very hip, typical Steven Star restaurant. The food is good, the atmosphere is trendy, and everything is slightly overpriced but I wouldn't call it too expensive.
The mac n' cheese is delicious, that's one of the things that stand out from my one visit to this establishment.
Personally I would have more fun just going for a drink, than focusing on the food!
I actually think this place deserves 4.5 stars if you look at it as a trendy martini bar that happens to serve food. The drinks are pricey but creative. They serve my favorite vodka, Zyr, in their eponymous martini with delicious blue cheese stuffed olives.
The food is certainly passable. The salad and the mound of potatoes everyone gets are good deals (although the potatoes are a bit tough to eat as they are messy and super thin). I would NOT come here looking for a sit-down dinner. Come here for the cocktails and view the food as supplementary. You'll have a much better experience.
The food was OK. The fry pile was tricky to eat. The drinks are the definite draw. Good people watching place.
We came here by accident as part of a weekend getaway from DC ( I know I know...very exotic) and could not have been more happy with it! We had so much fun with the drink menu and our waitress (Jessica we love you!) that we barely noticed the food. Which may suggest that the food was underwhelming I suppose but I don't want to take anything away from this place. Would totally recommend Continental for a lingering, boozey, brunch!
It's difficult to solely rate The Continental without thinking about the scads of swank to oogle at as they meander by on a nice evening. It's mos def a place to people watch. And then check your Craigslist missed connections.
But the food is decent, as is the decor. Best looking diner interior in the city. Unless you're talking about Silk City. Or just a regular diner. What ever happened to those?!
The salads are are tantalizing and very plentiful, and the wasabi mashed potatoes are quite tasty, as well. They weren't incredibly wasabi-afied, but certainly delish. They seem to do a great job with a varied menu. As far as how authentically made their ethnic dishes are I cannot say for sure, but your tastebuds will take care of deciding the execution, which from my experience, is very well done.
After going out for dinner for my friend's birthday, we headed to the Continental for after dinner drinks.
We found (luckily) two spots at the bar, perfect for us, and crammed in. We got lucky because this place was PACKED. We told the cocktail artist we wanted something with tequila. He created this tequila martini that was off the chain.
It knocked me on my butt, and the prices blew me away. Only $19 for two huge drinks. I gave him a great tip, he gave me a great buzz, and we both got a start on a great night of drinks for the birthday celebration.
I'd definitely go back here and really look forward to my next visit.
I've been here a few times and it's been consistently good. The space is kinda small and very diner like which I love. The small plates/sharing concept is in full swing here so order a few things and share!
To try:
Shoestring Fries with chinese mustard (I'm a sucker for fries...)
Crispy Tofu Satay
Continental Salad (the salads are HUGE--best deal here)
and or course you cannot forget about the martinis! there are tons but my absolute fav is the Buzz Aldrin - it's made with Tang!
Actually 3.5 stars. We went for cocktails and a snack this past Friday. It was among the first restaurants where I ate when I first moved to the city a few years ago. I loved the kitsch and decor. I still do and it has a more intimate and social feel than the Midtown location.
I usually get a Buzz Aldrin -- the martini with tang, absolut peach and triple sec. Something about the sugary tang mixture on the rim makes it delicious. The food is decent. We only got a snack of the Calamari salad this visit. It's a green salad with friend calamari in it and is a really large portion. I would highly recommend this dish. It's a good option if you like calamari but prefer to stay away from a dish of totally deep fried offerings.
There is a back bar past the bathrooms that has a few more seats and a little more space. It's an old standby at this point and we've yet to be disappointed. Don't expect haute cuisine or fine dining -- its a modernized diner.
I went here under slight duress on a Sunday afternoon. I mean it wasn't real duress I'm not a yuppie nor do I live in the suburbs--so it's not my scene normally. I had a portabello cheese steak and it was really really good but I couldn't finish it. As I don't do left overs my lunching companion took it home and promptly put some real meat it in and i hear it was delish.
The service was great as was sitting out in the sun on the sidewalk. I feel slightly more Caucasian and slightly more yuppie for the experience but it's all about growth right?
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: American (New)
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