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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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Save money - go to http://Restaurant.com and you can get a $25 gift card for $10. As of November 2009, this place offers a limited about of gift certificates for a discount.
Okay, now my review.
I've been to this place 7-8 times now (about to go again next week with the parents). The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is nice. The menu features local produce and meats and there are a handful of vegetarian and vegan offerings.
My favorite dish is the duck. Their cranberry sauce is really tasty and the meat is always top quality. When in season, they include pumpkin risotto on the menu and it is to die for. Also, I am a huge fan of their trio of cheeses plate. The size isn't overwhelming so it makes a nice app for two.
This was, by far, my favorite little restaurant when I lived in Old City. They have great happy hour specials - I highly recommend a visit.
Amazing Brunch! I went yesterday for brunch with my finace and 2 friends. One of my friends suggested that I try the vegan tofu scramble with vegan chorizo sausage! While I am not fully vegan, I don't mind eating vegan when I can.
It was amazing. The chorizo was so good, I was worried I was eating meat. It came with re fried black beans, a vegan sopapilla, and avacado salsa.
The entire dish was full of great flavor and color. Needless to say I finished it all. (which is not something I often do at restaurants)
I will go back here for brunch.
They do serve dinner but i have heard it's not as good as the brunch.
If Farmicia were a book and I judged it by the cover, this would be a 5-star review. With a delectable menu, tons of options for herbivores, a focus on fresh and local and a long list of herbed-up drinks, this place should knock my socks off. While Farmicia does a lot of things right, somehow I feel that it doesn't quite deliver.
During a recent brunch, I was impressed by the thoughtful, friendly service, even though the restaurant was packed to the gills. I also appreciated the fact that I could hear and converse with my friends amongst all the chatter, and they were playing some low-intensity female-singer indie music (Lykke Li, Feist, et al.), which seems exactly right for brunch. The "brunch happy hour" is a fantastic idea, and the brunch menu is wide-ranging and appetite-inducing.
Unfortunately, things looked less bright when the food and drinks started arriving. My Bloody Mary was watery (although it had a healthy horseradish kick), and my overwhelming impression of the food was that I could've cooked it myself and it probably would've come out better. Breakfast potatoes were completely lacking in seasoning, a side of veggie sausage came out burnt on the outside and lukewarm on the inside, the vegan scramble with soyrizo was plain chunks of tofu mixed with the fake sausage you get at Trader Joe's, and while I admit to being particular about my grits, Farmicia's cheddar ones had zero cheesy flavor.
I think this shows that fresh, local ingredients can only get you so far - they still need to be treated right to make for a good meal.
Wonderful atmosphere inside, service was very friendly and good and the food was wonderful. Ive only been there once but I definitely will go back. My son is a vegan and they had a few dishes to accommodate him. I dont like to judge any place after just one visit but I think this place is well worth a visit.
For $18, I got a small piece of bland chicken, some inedible polenta drenched in some sort of grease, and a few beans. My server allowed me to select two pieces of bread from an assortment, as if they were made out of gold. Fortunately, the olive bread was tasty. After the morsel of chicken and beans and two slices of bread, I felt like hitting McDonald's to top myself off, as I was definitely not full. (I probably would have been full had I eaten the disgusting polenta, but I digress...)
Food aside, the decor was pleasant and pastoral. I was surprised that the place doesn't have a pharmacy theme. The only nice part of the experience was that I was able to use a http://restaurant.com coupon to reduce my bill. This is a place with great service and ambiance but mediocre food.
Wow. With friendly, solicitous service, some killer alcoholic herbal concoctions, and a brunch to die for, I will be back.
Brunch was $26, which for me is expensive, but this was a real treat!
The half price on Sunday "Tonics" and all other alcoholic bevies, totally lured me in. While one compatriot owned that his drink was too saccharine, when he re-read the menu he did admit he should have known better. I had a fantastic play on the classic mimosa and learned a bit about some liqueurs we haven't seen since pre-prohibition. Very neat. If you are a total nerd for cocktails, have fun!
As a true diner lover, one of my favorite breakfasts is SOS, or Cream Chipped Beef on toast. Well FARMicia's version with mushrooms on a brioche was heavenly. I ate the whole thing, and still managed to pack away my crème brulé for dessert.
We had a very fun time and will definitely be back for more brunches.
I really like this restaurant. I did a solo work day lunch not to long ago and could not wait to get back with my lovely wife for her enjoyment.
Both visits were off-peak and for lunch.
Simple food with some minor innovative twists. Fresh ingredients of food I love make for a delightful dining experience.
Mar had the winter squash with peanut soup and I had the corn chowder. Both were flavorful and fun. For lunch entrees we ordered the grilled tuna and the grilled goat cheese/pesto sandwich. Both were expertly prepared and flavorful. We tend to be picky about our tuna and this was a nice piece seared ever so lightly.
Service was friendly with a few minor and easily corrected oversights. We were double charged on a coffee (which was excellent! The coffee not the double charge) and never re offered bread or butter when we had used up our portions. The restaurant was certainly in casual slo-mo during our visit which made for a unhurried enjoyable lunch.
I've been to Farmicia before.. and it was good... but my most recent trip has made it one of my favorites in Philly. I had the pork chops, which came with an amazing side of mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup. It was so incredibly good, I kept eating way past the point of being full.
My empty fridge and rumbling stomach brought me to Farmicia for brunch today slightly before noon. It was pretty crowded and we were told there was a 30-45 minute wait for 2. I'd heard good things and had nowhere to go so we decided to stick it out. After staring at a gourd for 5 minutes, we were told that a table opened up and were quickly seated. Awesome.
I kicked off my breakfast with a concoction called the Mexican coffee: coffee with patron and topped with some whipped cream. Yum. To my dismay, they were all out of the fritata so I got brioche french toast with a side of potatoes. The french toast was topped with apples and cranberry compote. The potatoes had a slight hint of bacon. Portions were big, in size and flavor. I plan to return for dinner soon. And maybe for that fritata.
Although I have been to this restaurant a handful of times in the last several years, for some reason, it wasn't on my Old City radar. I can't really understand why.... I have never had bad meal here. And I really love their commitment to Local and/or Organic FRESH ingredients.
Most recently, had a terrific dinner on the night of First Friday. While the rest of Old City had lines, we had no wait for a table for 2. And the food was stellar. Lamb Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Gnocchi cooked perfectly. They also have at least 4 vegetarian entree choices which put this place on the map for me that particular night. Tasty drinks to accompany all of this.
Overall, a great restaurant in the sea of over-hyped Old City fare.
Here I thought I was in on some sort of secret, clearly not my fellow Yelpers. I've only been here for brunch/breakfast, but every time the experience has been a great one. I love that the place always seems busy, but that I've never waited more than 5 minutes for a table. I love the look and feel of the place - pressed tin ceiling, bakery (of sorts)AND bar attached. It's a place where I can bring just about anyone and know they'll have a good experience. And yes, the food is friggin good. Huge selection of things to choose from, from savory to sweet, hearty to light. And if you're a decadent bruncher than may I recommend you take a look at the morning cocktails/elixirs...not a bad way to start your day.
I'm in love with this place. It's exactly the kind of food I want to eat, fresh, local produce prepared perfectly. When I'm in Philadelphia trying a new place, I always think of Farmacia and wonder if I should go there again, where I know I'll find a great meal. I love their Tonics, and they have a nice wine list too. The prices are very reasonable too, considering that it's such a great atmosphere and location, that the ingredients are of such high quality, and everything is prepared so well. I mean, a generous cup of a very good soup cost $3. I wish I lived next door.
Oh Farmicia, how you continue to disappoint!!!
So, today was the fifth time I've been there for brunch, and the third time I was so disappointed, I vowed not to go back. But every time, the delicious grilled brie and pesto called my name! The service is never good, in fact, for those that like the food, it's almost a joke. "We like the food so much, we just deal with the poor service". Today, however, the "genius" executive chef decided to cater to their White Dog followers (from 30 blocks away) instead of their Old City neighbors. It was, apparently, family weekend at Penn, so they decided to do a prix fixe menu whereby they force you to order three courses for $26. Number one, the app choices weren't very good, and they did not include the one thing I went there for, the grilled brie. Two, the entree courses were weak, and three...no, I don't want dessert at brunch.
Don't bother to ask for substitutes or any changes to the menu either (like getting herbs in your omelet), you might as well ask them to give you their first born.
Whatever, that's just my personal gripe with today, let's talk about the wait...oh the horrific wait!!! It took almost an hour and half to get our entrees, and two and half hours from the time we walked in to the time we left. My omelet was dry, the artichoke-walnut pesto was bland and there was no lime in my key lime torte.
The only thing the waiter was quick with was dropping off the check when we asked for it...go figure? I could not believe how much time everything took...for eggs???? French toast???? Really????
Sorry Farmicia...we give you one year tops if you continue like this. I'd fire your waitstaff and executive chef and hire some people who understand what good service and food is all about.
Only redeeming part was when I called to complain, the manager, Kevin agreed that our experience was unacceptable. Glad you agree Kevin, now what will you do?
Where do I begin? How to start?
I went to the brunch, ahh brunch, at FARMiCia today (first time) with m'Lady. Brunch...rivers of bacon, oceans of eggs bathed in rich hollandaise, rafts of Belgian waffles docked and waiting to whisk me away to yummy-tummy island, right? Ehh, nah.
We all know that price and value are two different things. Price is the absolute dollar amount you pay for a meal and value is what you get for the price you pay -- food, service, culinary wizardry (How'd they get that baby caper inside my egg yolk without breaking it?!) and other intangibles.
If the folks at Farmicia understand these basic concepts, they have decided to not just ignore them, but they have decided to push the envelope absurdly. $26 for breakfast? Plus, we were admonished by our server, "You will order one appetizer, one entree and one dessert, and I will take your order for all three at once." I don't want dessert for breakfast. And I don't want to pay for dessert, especially if I can't substitute something else for it. Overall, the wait staff made us feel like we were not of elite status at their establishment (apparently, from other reviews, that designation is reserved for White Dog Tavern regulars).
I've seen this movie before. This arrogance of unapologetically charging too much for far too little, providing mediocre, sluggish food service, all with an attitude that says "ignorant diner, we will make you understand how we suffer for our food."
I understand that my eggs were laid by a virgin chicken, raised by farmer-cum-poet who whispered Shakespeare sonnets into its ears. I know all about Slow Food, so at least have the good business sense to offer "We're somewhere between overbooked and understaffed, which isn't your fault, so how's about we comp you a refill on that $2.50 coffee while you wait a half hour for your egg?"
OK. Back to the food. I got the nova salmon appie -- nova, bagel chips, coarsely cut red onion, tomato, caper aioli. Straight ahead fare, and just as good as Manhattan Bagel. Next, the crab cake sandwich on brioche. Not lump crabmeat, but the 'special' or back fin crabmeat. It was mildly fishy and nowhere near the taste or texture of real lump crab. Again, $26 for this.
Finally, dessert, which was a key lime tort...a beige, key lime tort. My taste buds were rebelling or on a smoke break by then so I can't report good things. Again, not bad though.
To add a little insult to the injury, we had to do a little dusting around our table area. The molding/chair rail had not been cleaned or dusted in a long time and tufts of dust bunnies and grayish dust were gently billowing near our table until we cleaned it. Yech!
My point is that for $26 per person, plus $2.50-$3.00 for coffee or tea, I want to be blown away. I would rather pay the $56 at LaCroix and have an unbelievable brunch (we have). This stands out as one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had. I am certain they will be happy not to see me after this review.
Had a long-awaited dinner date with my oldest friend. The company couldn't be better, and the food was good, but didn't quite blow me away the way I thought it would. I love any restaurant that uses fresh, local ingredients, and we were lucky enough to come on the first night of Restaurant Week.
The crab and pear salad was really, really good and the portion was HUGE. The fresh bread was also very good. I took a chance and ordered the duck knowing that duck has to be perfect to be edible. This duck missed the mark, but only slightly. When the menu stated that the duck had a crispy skin, I kinda thought the skin would be, well, crispy. Instead, the fatty part wasn't quite as crisp as it should have been. Still a good dish, though. I really enjoyed the multigrain pilaf it came with, and the snap peas were perfectly cooked. I also liked that the dish wasn't oversauced; it had a perfect amount of cherry sauce for the portion. Finally, I ordered the creme brulee, which was simply a creme brulee. Nothing to write home about.
I would probably try this place again if in the area, but there are just so many great choices between Old City, Center City, and Northern Liberties!
Happy Hour for brunch? Brilliant!
Farmicia's cocktails are unique, tasty, and definitely a bargain between 11am and 3pm on the weekends. The place is airy and relaxed. The music is good. The Metropolitan Bakery pastries are great. The food is tasty. I had their eggs, cheese grits, and sausage; all were tasty and didn't leave me feeling like I just ate a greasy, coma-inducing brick like some brunch places do. Wife really liked her brie and veggies omelet w/ potatoes. Friend #1 enjoyed the French Toast. Friend #2 had the tofu scramble and wouldn't shut up about how good it was. Service was friendly but a bit absent-minded.
I am so full of grits right now. Thanks to all the yelpers that talked them up, they made my day - I wish to eat nothing but grits foreverrrrr. With five r's.
We had a reservation for brunch and were sat quickly. Our waiter (with an admiral anchor tat - ha! admiral! i didn't even mean to make a pun!) was friendly, not overattentive, but gracious and prompt. We all started with the 3 spreads, which were pretty good, but the Hacienda Eggs were yummy, over medium (and ACTUALLY over medium) with jalepenos and salsa on a crispy tortilla (ACTUALLY crispy) and refried black beans. So satisfying. And the grits were a formidable compliment (complement?). Mmmmmso gritful.
Big ups to Farmacia brunch. I may ask to bathe in the pot of grits I know is simmering in the kitchen next time, though.
My first time here was 11/1/09 (Sunday) and I can't WAIT to go back! We were here for brunch. It was perfect. Excellent service, excellent food, and excellent brunch cocktails!! Gorgeous, cozy atmosphere inside, too. Perfect autumn brunch. LOVED the half-off cocktails starting at 11 a.m.!
Headed to Farmicia on Saturday morning for a friendly brunch with seven people and a baby and was not let down. We all started with some nice brunch cocktails. The OJ in the mimosa was freshly squeezed and delicious, the bloody mary had a great kick of spice and was topped with a nice large olive but something was missing. One of our party thought hers was a bit watered down, but mine was fine. I do wish they put in the obligatory celery stalk though as I really do enjoy it!
I had the simple scrambled eggs and toast with breakfast potatoes (everything on the menu looked amazing so I couldn't decide and wimped out). It was all good but dreadfully under seasoned. I am actually not even sure that they used a speck of salt or pepper in the preparation at all but my feeling is it's better to have less than too much! The side of fruit salad was good but not great. They definitely cut it up themselves but they make it in advance which unfortunately gives the fruit salad a bit of that tart melon flavor over everything like with canned fruit. The bread was awesome, yay Metrolpolitan Bakery, but horribly burnt. The BF had the stuffed french toast. It was not stuffed. It was two slices of french toast (slightly soggy) topped with extremely soggy peaches. He was a bit heartbroken given his love for Sabrina's cream cheese stuffed french toast but overall really enjoyed the entire experience (the double mimosas helped, I'm sure).
All in all the entire group was happy with the food and seemed really happy about the overall restaurant. The place was busy so I will forgive some of the issues as the attention we were given was phenomenal from our lovely server. I will be returning for sure but possibly for a different meal!
When Cherie was in town for a visit (McThrill Loves Lamp!) I just had to get together and catch up (And I still need to find Severa on here. I'm such a slacker!). And when she suggested meeting up and Farmicia I was doubly psyched because it was something that I've been meaning to do for ages (see the I'm a slacker part).
Dinner wasn't without it's flaws so I'll get those over with first. on the good they had a burger that could be worthy of rallying up another majestic orgy of burgers and came with farm fresh local bacon and cheddar cheese and was super sized alongside a fresh cut side of well proportioned fries. as you can imagine it would have been the stuff of sheer and absolute perfection.... If the bacon wasn't burnt around the edges. It would have been a contender for best burger I've ever had, if the mishandling of innocent bacon didn't leave me feeling a little hollow inside. For another considerable flaw while the one beer that I ordered was exceptional, the 2nd flying fish that I ordered flew the coup. it wasn't on the check either but still! lastly rather then come with a traditional kind of sauce that it usually does, the calamari came with a mix of Tabasco and ketchup, which was sort of odd.
The above are enough to merit 3 stars, however everything else was exceptional enough to the point that I can't grade below a 4 (And Aaron and Meredith call McThrill too nice yet again!). It had fresh baked bread from Metropolitan Bakery, and extra fresh coffee. It had a great selection of wines, specialty tonics, and beers, yet is cool enough to double over as a B.Y.O. Wine place every night. Even though he forgot my beer, our server was otherwise attentive and dead on with his recommendations. I came close to having what might have been the best burger I ever had (poor bacon!). the cheese plate and desserts where quite exceptional. and you could take home and eat the apple centerpieces! So overall Farmicia had enough for me to enjoy in all of the right places.
Absolutely loved this place. Originally heard about through Yelp while looking for organic/farm fresh/free range dinner while spending the weekend in Philly. Got a $25 gc from http://restaurants.com but would gladly pay full price for all food.
My girlfriend and I knew we were dining there for dinner because of the gc I obtained. While we were about town we happened to stroll by and decided to check out the menu to prepare ourselves for either beer or wine with dinner. After getting a view of the elixirs, we decided to stay and have a drink. To our surprise it was Sunday Brunch happy hour so our drinks were half off!
We returned for dinner, as planned, and took the best table in the house. It sat on the window ledge giving the perfect doses of a/c and warm night air. Sadly, it didn't get as busy for them as it was at Brunch. However, that only furthered their excellent service and attentiveness.
This place also houses the Metropolitan Bakery. We sampled the cookies earlier in the day, which were full of grain and hearty. Before dinner you are greeted with a bread basket held by a server with your choice of three or more breads.
Food: We had the Goat Cheese Gnocchi app, Tuscan salad, London Broil and Mexican Hot Pot. The Gnocchi could have been a meal for one, great portion. We wished there was more arugula with the salad - still great though (not often to find spelt salad). London Broil, free range, I made the mistake of ordering it Medium Well, would recommend ordering medium and do it up a little more if you need less pink. The potato Au gratin were to die for. My girlfriend ordered the Mexican Hot Pot, I tried it, delicious flavors. I've never had better seasoned Tofu either. Lots of veggies enveloped in a stew with faint hint of coconut milk, topped with pickled cactus. Both paired with Pinot Noir.
The staff were great. From our bartender that afternoon, to our server that evening. We sat as they cleaned up around us, getting ready to close the restaurant down, but never pushed us out. As a classic song came over the empty restaurant, I asked my gf to dance and to our surprise the staff turned up the volume for us.
A delightful evening. If I lived in Philly I would probably live here.
I rolled through here with a co-worker yesterday on a quick day trip up to Philly to scout a couple locations for a conference we're planning. After checking out a couple venue's, we decided to walk around the neighborhood and grab some lunch. We came across Farmicia, saw the outdoor seating, and given it was a gorgeous day out, we decided to give the place a try.
While the lunch Restaurant Week deal seemed like a steal (an app, entree, and desert for $20! Wow!) my co-worker and I both decided independently it was too much food for lunch, and just went with some sandwiches instead. I went with a simple, turkey, avocado, and bacon sandwich on sourdough. My co-worker had the burger with Amish cheddar. I thought both were a little pricey at $10.50 a pop, but I will say the portions are HUGE. Almost too huge- neither my co-worker nor I were able to finish our sandwiches, and the giant portion of fries that came with each hardly got touched. I would have preferred to pay less and gotten a smaller sandwich. It was just WAY too much food for a lunch.
My sandwich was fine- fresh ingredients, but nothing to write home about. The bread was nicely toasted, and a mound of turkey was piled between each layer of sandwich, The bottom layer contained some sort of herbed mayo, bacon, and tomato, while the top layer contained the avocado and more tomato. The fries were only lukewarm, though given the size of the sandwich, I was fine going without them.
The service was inattentive. We had to wait about 5 minutes before we were even acknowledged, and then after our plates were cleared, we basically had to ask for the check after waiting for our waitress for about 10 minutes. The food did come out quickly though, which was nice. The bread bask that comes around before the food arrives was charming too; I went with a couple slices of the olive bread, which was served with herbed butter and was delicious.
In summary, Farmicia seems like a decent place to grab a leisurely lunch. Just maybe not a power lunch. And make sure you go when you are famished and ready to fall over from starvation in order to eat their huge portions...
My husband and I eat at Farmicia about once every couple of months. Since it had been a while since our last visit, we decided to head down to Old City from NE Philly this past Friday night.
We arrived around 7pm and were seated immediately. The restaurant was relatively full, but there were plenty of tables available. This was nice, as we hate to wait.
Whether good or bad, we usually know what we want as soon as we sit down in most restaurants (thanks to frequent visits, or online menu perusing). Unfortunately, this makes any wait for service seem interminable. The servers always give you the time to read over the menu. That's nice, except I've been here before, I know the menu, I was starving, and they don't bring you any bread until you're done ordering your food. I would rate the service mostly positive. I think the manager could tell how hungry we were. After our server took our drink order and seemed to disappear (I think the hunger made it seem that way), the manager came over and took our food order, removing the menus. That was a magic message to the bread dude: bread arrived and the "hangry" went away.
I love the bread and butter served here. Metropolitan Bakery bread is served, and you always have a choice of types. My husband is a bread fiend and usually gets a piece of everything. I stick with sourdough. It's perfect with the herbed butter.
I typically enjoy the lunch and brunch food at Farmicia more than I do the dinner menu. I am a vegetarian, and they have a nice selection of veggie options. However, the veggie entrees never excite me. I really wish they would put the grilled cheese sandwiches or the soy sausage sandwich on the dinner menu. This time, I got the soup of day, Broccoli Cheddar (cheesily delicious and perfect with the second round of bread we demanded), and the Caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes. The salad was okay, but a little too heavy on the dressing. Heirloom tomatoes do just fine with salt and pepper alone, with perhaps a smidge of extra virgin olive oil. We also started with an order of the cheese plate...three local cheeses, toasted bread points (more bread!), and chutney. I need the recipe for this chutney. This chutney is awesome. Honestly, we go to Farmicia just for this.
My husband seemed to enjoy his Sweet Corn Risotto cakes. I took a taste, and eh, not my thing.
We also did dessert. I got the creme brulee, which is served with a citrusy shortbread cookie. I never eat the cookie, but loved the brulee. My husband got the fruit crisp, also tasty.
Being that I went here for my birthday brunch with family we had full intention of going the distance with trying items off their menu. The French Lentil salad was very good but I would have liked less raw green bell pepper in with the lentils and the "baked goat cheese" to have been baked in some real way, it seemed to just be warmed. We also tried the the spread appetizer that was average but would have liked an explanation of the spreads from the waiter who placed the food down like it was a bomb and ran. The entrees we ordered were good but had some flaws. The first was the steak fajitas, they were served on a partitioned plate reminiscent of a elementary school lunch tray, without an area to unfold and assemble the items into the tortilla. The second was the eggs Benedict which were served with the sauteed spinach on the biscuit below so unless you inhaled them immediately the biscuit became a soggy mess. The third was the humus entree which was assembled like a sandwich between pita slices which made it impossible to eat unless you deconstructed it. Also it is served with a "carrot salad" by this they meant browning spring mix with huge chunks of carrot. The dressing was served on the side in a ramekin. This was because there was no partition in the plate from the humus & pitas so it would have soaked/ruined them. The other issue with the dressing was that is more of just oil than a vinaigrette and when you put it on the side it just separated and was a tasteless oily mess even after stirring. The desserts were nothing special, the only thing to note is that the sundae I ordered had a brownie that was so hot it about burned my mouth. In a general note to the service, we felt rushed. We had to repeatedly ask for more time with the menu, and beg for the dessert menu when we finished the mains. I had to flag him down to get a refill on my ice tea. Overall I would like to give this place another chance, because they seem to have great potential from all the glowing reviews but were just falling short.
I've never been to Farmicia for any meal but brunch. One thing strange to watch out for when you go is that they have a different menu for breakfast and for brunch and I think if you get there before 10:30, you can only order from the smaller breakfast menu...
In any case, their brunch is delicious. I love their goat cheese omelet. The goat cheese has a really subtle, creamy flavor. Their food is really fresh. Even the grits taste clean and healthy (I don't think I'd ever been able to imagine healthy grits until I had them here). The coffee, too, is yummy.
Oh... one more thing to watch out for: try not to get seated near the air vents on the floor. They blow really cold air and can be really uncomfortable. If you can avoid them, you'll have a much better dining experience.
Farmicia has some of the best drink specials! During Sunday brunch (11-3) and from 5-7 daily, most of their drinks are half price! While the drinks (especially the elixirs) are great, they do not steal the spotlight from the delectable food.
I've been to Farmicia for bunch, lunch, and dinner on numerous occasions and have never been let down. The food is consistent and always well-prepared. For brunch I highly recommend the french toast (light and airy) but I have to say that the fajita the guy next to me ordered smelled soooooo good that I was tempted to ask him to trade. Dinner here is elegant but friendly, not pretentious by always well-seasoned and tasteful.
Service is typically spot on, and I really enjoy the bread choices that they bring around to the tables. Also, I think it would be apt to say that Farmicia is a real crowd-pleaser: Meaty, Vegetarian, and Vegan dishes abound to make sure that everyone in your party gets something good to eat.
I tend to dine at a restaurant only once or twice because there are so many places to try in this city, however I can say i have probably been here over ten times in the past year. They have the most amazing scrambled tofu with vegan sausage dish served over a sopapilla. The Sunday happy hour, half off drinks, which goes until 3 will also bring me back for those fab bloody mary's:)
We went to Farmicia for the restaurant week deal. It started with a dirty fork, and went downhill with an awkward manhattan served in a tall glass with a boatload of ice.
Our party was impressed with the heaping helping of the first course - jumbo lump crab cake, beet salad and a grain salad. They leaned a bit towards quantity over quality, but overall were pretty tasty.
For the main course, we had a rib-eye steak, yellowfin tuna and a boneless pork chop. The steak was well-cooked, but topped with an excessive glob of butter that needed to be removed to the bread plate to avoid it just melting under the other hot elements of the dish. The pork chops sat over mashed potatoes, but came off rather inelegant and again seemed to hit you over the head with quantity, to their detriment. The yellowfin was also cooked well (rare) but was a bit uninteresting swimming in a creamy sauce, alongside potatoes and pleasantly crisp green beans.
For dessert we shared the flourless chocolate torte and raspberry/peach crisp w/ vanilla iced cream. The former was a little dry, the latter pretty good, with big chunks of peaches that were cooked just right.
Overall, it was a mixed bag. I'd be interested to try the brunch people seem so happy about, but I don't think we'll go back for dinner.
When reading real reviews by real people, you have to understand that you might not be getting a opinion of someone with a trained palate or culinary studies experience. I am no exception, but I do eat out more than frequently, OK a shit load. I believe you start gaining a more valid opinion based on the trial and error. I like to think of it as the culinary school of hard knocks. I also think if you have a favorite dish and order it frequently, you do know exactly how it should be prepared.
For me, that dish is duck...I jones for it like quack...sorry i mean crack. I have a tough time passing it up when I see it on menu. The duck at Farmicia was the best I ever had, in fact only the late Copper(RIP) came close. What was special about it? Absolutely nothing except that it was a great piece of fowl, seasoned and cooked without discernible flaws. everything else I have had was also pleasing. My advice for the frequent diner, is have a meal at Farmicia and use it as a baseline for judging other meals. Good cooking is obvious to even the inexperienced palate.
Oh Farmacia, I love your atmosphere, I love your service and for the most part I love your food. The only thing that gets me is your price. I believe that it's fair but it's such a task for me to come back. I'm just a college student who loves tasteful food, I wish you could help me out. I gave you four stars only because I was once there and ordered your ribeye but it was disappointingly too dry. However, the calamari was so tender and delicious and your crabmeat and asian pear salad was absolutely delicious. I can't wait until the next time I can come and try something new at your place.
I know Im a hater on brunch, but when Im on vacation and the largest to-do list for the day is "1. Get Drunk. 2. Rinse. 3. Repeat.", slugging down bloody marys is high on the must do list. Enter Farmicia. It's a sweet little place a couple blocks east of Independence Hall. They have a charming dining room, rusticly appointed, with a few outside tables and large french doors that invite a terrific breeze on a cool day.
They also happen to have 1/2 priced "Barn Burners" where, for a mere $4.25, you get a terrific, spicy, full-of-horseradish-and-other-chunky-ingredients philly style Bloody Mary. The service can be slow while the place is in full swing, but the drinks hold off the demons. One Barn Burner in, Im impressed with the liquor, pissed off by the slower than I ought to have service.
Two Barn Burners in, I get my appetizer - bagel bits with salmon. Smoked Salmon. And some sort of goopy cream cheese. Granted, not the wisest choice on a sensitive tummy, but I was desperate for food at this point and it looked the quickest thing on the menu. It arrived and I honestly ate the whole dish so quickly I cant remember the taste. I do remember however, that the Second Barn Burner was fantastic.
Three Barn Buners and a perma-grin in, I get the Amish cheddar cheese grits and andoulie sausages. this came with bread. Which was much appreciated at this point. It was the perfect hangover remedy, and I almost recovered enough by the 3rd barn Burner to finish my meal, but alas...my eyes were bigger than my liquor tainted stomach, so I threw the white flag in. This did not however prevent me from ordering....
Barn Burner #4. Now things are getting ridiculous. And I am in such a good mood that it will be impossible for me to grant Farmicia anything less than a 4. Even if the meal's particulars are not particularly particular anymore. It's time to move on and learn me some US History down the street. Yes I enjoy getting drunk and going to historically significant sites. So shoot me.
Went for Happy Hour, probably won't go back.
Don't get me wrong, the drinks were good (and you can't beat Happy Hour prices), the atmosphere is pretty good. Our bartender was great!
BUT...
-Three of us ate. The bartender put the orders in together and they came out so far apart that my friend was done with his salad before I even got my food. Even the bartender couldn't explain it, especially since it wasn't busy at all (just a few people at the bar).
-My food was burned. I ordered the grilled brie, and some of the crustini was so burned I physically could not eat it.
-While the bartender was great, the rest of the servers just stood around giving us the stink-eye. And while the bartender took care of the entire bar, they stood back and wouldn't even run his food for him. Sorry, I've worked in enough bars and restaurants to know that standing back and staring down customers while one person takes all the heat is not the way it should be run. In fact, having a small crowd of cooler-than-you servers glaring at us kind of killed the otherwise pleasant atmosphere.
Visited Farmicia for lunch a couple of weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. I had the grilled cheese, which was good, except that I didn't read carefully and didn't notice that it comes with tomatoes and pickles on it (which I am not a fan of). That was my fault, though. I LOVED the curry/apple/carrot soup. It was really spectacular. My wife had a really good tortilla soup. The hummus was also good.
The service was friendly and prompt. No complaints there.
Overall, I thought Farmicia was good and, while I wasn't blown away, I would probably go back.
Maybe I've just ordered the wrong entrees but in the couple times I've been here, the food was not hot, and just not very good overall. The appetizers are better, with the crab cake being my favorite.
I'd recommend going for brunch or lunch as that seems to be more popular and well-received.
I agree with Elisha C. While the food is good and the happy hour specials can't be beat, they do have a MAJOR service problem. The waiters all seem to be standing around waiting for something to happen, even though I have been at times when it is super busy. This looks bad to the customers who have been waiting 20-25 minutes for a cobb salad, tuna sandwich and a hamburger.
I started out my evening here with a drink then left to head to another bar in Old City where the bartender there proceeded to tell us that Farmicia is known for their bad service. This is a shame because like I said above, you really do get good food here. I would only go back to sit at the bar, not table service.
I have never been for breakfast/brunch but hope they do a better job during those shifts than lunch and dinner.
Took a little lunch break and needed to get out of my "remote/home" office. Got a simple grilled cheese sandwich with fruit salad on the side. The cheese was amish, so you know it must be good, the bread was a real nice multigrain and had the perfect amount of oil on it with thin slices of tomato. As far as grilled cheese sandwiches go, as good as it gets. Excellent service and classy indoor and outdoor seating options.
I truly dislike giving bad reviews. I even said this to my friend while we were waiting for our food at Farmicia this past weekend. She was visiting Philly for the first time and while we were walking around the Olde City area she started to get hungry for a late lunch. We browsed a few restaurant menus before I caught sight of Farmicia and remembered hearing good things about it from Yelp. She was game to try it out so we went in, grateful for the a/c relief after being out in the sun and heat for awhile.
They seated us immediately towards the back and we eagerly began pouring over the menu. Everything sounded so good! My friend finally decided on the quesadilla with scrambled eggs, jack cheese, potatoes & chorizo wrapped in flour tortilla w/ side of green chili salsa, and after considering my options I chose the French lentil salad with baked goat cheese, greens, & sherry dressing. But first we had to wait for our waitress to appear to take our order, which took a little while. We were patient; we were still recovering from near sun stroke anyway. But once she came and took our order the real wait began.
We waited. And waited. And watched while other patrons got their food. And waited. And waited. And drank more water. And watched while people finished their food. And waited. And wondered how long it could possibly take to make our two dishes. And waited. And watched people leave the restaurant. And waited. And contemplated eating the lovely green apple center piece. And waited. And waited. And started considering killing and eating the next waiter that passed by. That's when our food finally arrived - over 30 minutes later. In the mean time, our waitress never came over to check on us, or to apologize for the delay, or check and make sure we were still alive (we were, but barely). The few times we did see her she had the most sour face I have ever seen. She looked just like we did right before we got to eat - and I might mention that technically a different waiter brought our food over. She rightfully probably feared for her life and sent a replacement instead.
So that's why I'm giving Farmicia a lower rating than the food deserves, because the food was good. In fact it was great, and we were sad that the service was so miserable it negatively affected our meal. My friend and I agreed - eating out is an experience, and if one part is severely lacking the entire time is spoiled by it.
Went here for Sunday Brunch about a month ago. Though the seating is a bit tight in some spots, the food is AMAZING, and the staff is so attentive. When we got there, the place was PACKED but we were seated quickly.
I had a turkey and and bacon club, and my boyfriend had some sort of eggs and grits...holy COW, the grits were AMAZING. Cheesy and buttery and sooo good. My turkey sandwich was great as well, but did not even compare to these grits. Highly recommended. The tonics are amazing also.
Love this place, especially for brunch. Food is generally excellent, though not adventurous. Fresh ingredients, well prepared. Definitely agree with the other reviewers who conclude it is better for lunch or brunch than dinner. My dinners here have been underwhelming. It gets four stars for a great, affordable brunch. They also have great desserts from Metropolitan Bakery. We have also sometimes come here for coffee and dessert after eating dinner somewhere else - another option. I also agree service is weak. We have had great servers here, but we have also had servers who were REALLY inattentive - we were convinced one waitress was actually stoned she was so spacey.
Good happy hour. Great white russians and martinis (of course, depending on the bartender).
I normally don't buy into places like this but I like it.
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Avenue of the Arts South
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Bella Vista
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Market East
Neighborhood: Washington Square West
Category: Tapas Bars
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