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Diners in general are really overrated. The only real advantage you get is eating crappy food in a restaurant late instead of at home from a drive-through window.
Penrose is definitely an exception to the rule. Is the food gourmet? No, and it doesn't need to be. Just not prepossessed with the cheapest ingredients the diner can buy. It is generally fresh with just enough homemade touches on most dishes to make it really solid comfort food.
Case in point was the chicken pot pie I had the other night with my mom. Generous-sized portion with plenty of tasty vegetables along with the chicken and potatoes all in a light sauce that didn't overpower everything.
While I didn't quite say, "no mom, that's my pot pie!", my mom did ask to try it and dipped some bread into the sauce at the very end when I was done. It also came with a basic mixed green salad & tomatoes and a dessert of basic chocolate pudding all for $10.95. I was completely stuffed & my wallet wasn't too much lighter.
Penrose also had several other things going for it including ample parking (which is a blessing in South Philly), easy access, a large & varied menu, clean tables & restrooms, and a generally friendly & prompt staff although it can be hit-or-miss depending upon the waiter/waitress.
Probably the best rule of thumb though on a diner is exactly the opposite of an ethnic restaurant. For example, if a Chinese restaurant that serves dim sum is packed on a Sunday morning with little kids and families slurping down food while talking Mandarin & other several other possible dialects, it is a pretty good bet that place has solid dim sum.
For a diner, the rule of thumb is if the locals eat there and they have a bunch of working people who come in to grab a bit before/during/after their day or shift. Penrose does and that is a generally a really solid sign that a diner is solid.
I love the Penrose. Here's why:
1. The food is FAST. On our second or third trip there, our waitress said, "I'll be back in two minutes" after she took our order. We thought she was joking -- she was not.
2. They will take the time to learn who you are. We have several servers who knew us after 4-5 visits and now go out of their way to say hello to us. The manager/owner type guy who also plays hostess knows our faces, knows how many, and takes the time to be personable with us. None of them have to do this. They certainly don't do this at the Oregon diner, and I don't have an issue with that per se, it's just nice to find a friendly place that knows their stuff, too.
3. My food ALWAYS comes out right. It's not gourmet cuisine, it's breakfast. My eggs are over medium, the way I ordered them. My coffee is always hot and frequently re-filled. I don't ask for much more from a cheap diner than this.
4. I am a diner waitress. Believe me when I say that this place is a well-oiled machine. You might wait for a few minutes, but it's huge, they know when you got there, and they will seat you in the appropriate order. You will leave full, satisfied, and you won't spend a ton of money either.
Best scrapple ever! Now before you turn up your nose, I'm a native South Jerseyan, which means that I love scrapple! My grandparents used to make it for breakfast, and I remember eating it when I'd spend the night. So for you out-of-towners who act like it's not good, it is salty, grey, breakfasty goodness - and you don't know what you're missing!
My friends and I stopped at Penrose last Friday night after catching a movie at Riverview. I had a taste for breakfast food, so I opted for the short stack with scrapple. The pancakes were HUGE and cooked to perfection. I don't eat pancakes often, so when I do, I need them to be delicious and these didn't disappoint. Now on to the scrapple, it was fried perfectly. So perfectly in fact, that I considered ordering more (it only came with one slice), but I decided not to as the summer is rapidly approaching, and I'm hoping that my waistline will thank me for it.
Definitely my favorite Philly diner!
I have to say, This is one of the best diners in South Philly.
The food arrives as fresh as can be and
The service is great but most all I love it because I can relax and eat!!!!
I don't have to worry about whos eating beside me, behind me or whos starring at me from another booth.
Everyone is there to eat and relax.
Oh and its very clean, I mean very clean. Everything is clean. Something I look for in the places I eat.
A few years ago I would have sworn that the best Philly diner breakfast came from Broad and Ellsworth, but since they're no longer in business I need to pass the buck to the Penrose.
For years I was an Oregon Diner girl. It is a hop skip and a jump from my house and I always found something to hit the spot, especially in the morning, but lately I have been having nothing but horrible experiences there. The Penrose, on the other hand, is becoming my favorite local diner.
If you can get across the million way intersection without getting killed you won't be disappointed. To be honest I have NEVER eaten anything other than breakfast here so I have to base my judgment off of that.
Only once did we ever get a rude waitress and it is better to sit at the counter, especially on Sundays after church hours. The meals are filling and don't dig deep into your pockets. I have never had to send anything back so that's always a good sign.
In all it's a great little place, and if we can get our friend Billy to clear his plate then it must be good.
Guest leave closer to dawn than I prefer, try to sleep in, but my stomach is rumbling and it demands breakfast stat! Certainly not in the mood for waiting with the cute people, I need nourishment now. Head south my friend, were going to the Penrose. Penrose is a good diner, it serves good portions of good food, nothing fancy, nothing ill prepared. Eggs, french toast, and various breakfast meats served exactly as you expect them, no fusion and no surprise twist. Comforting when its most needed. all the flavors are right, enough cheese on omelet, french toast is moist.
If it weren't for Johnny, it would have been a a good deal all around. Johnny was the gentleman who was seated behind us, after us. the waitress said to us "give me a few minutes" and preceded to go to Johnny and take his order. After making sure Johnny had coffee and was comfortable, then she came to take our order. Johnny's food came out lickety split, while we waited and waited. Johnny had finished his breakfast before we got our food. The only time the waitress payed any attention to us, was to ask to take away our bottle of Tabasco to give it to another table. I get it, we are in south Philly and I am not a regular. I am polite and a good tipper, and if you had made me feel a bit more welcomed, I might be back on regular basis, but now not so much, unless i am starving and in need of good omelet stat!
Are you an insomniac? A lush? Just really, really hungry? Penrose is the place to be for cheap food. And really, if you're out late anywhere in the immediate vicinity (and by that I mean pretty much anywhere within city limits), what else is open? It's one of the few spots that won't be totally dead, so you avoid the creeped-out, middle-of-the-night feel. It's totally South Philly, and what's not to love about that?
I was incredibly disappointed once after a weeknight concert ran late and I headed to Penrose, only to find the doors locked and the staff wiping down the tables and shaking their heads at me. (Guess it's only 24hrs. on weekends.) As I sat for a half-hour in the Wendy's drive-thru on Oregon Ave. waiting for cold, soggy fries, and all I could think of was how Penrose would have totally hit the spot.
As the previous poster mentioned the NY/Jersey area is full of great diners, some better than others...some you just walk in, eat and walk out forgetting about it 10 minutes later.
Not the case with the Penrose. Real close to where I live, it's become a great addition to some late nights on the weekends as well as breakfast Sunday mornings.. You wouldn't think it at first but the Chicken Cassidillas here are definitely worthy of praise. Any omlete you can't go wrong and the chicken parm wedge (sorry) "Hoagie" is around the good/average range..Great staff
Penrose is where its at!!!! The menu is awesome. You are getting a TON of food for an excellent price--oh yeah--and its all delicious! The service is good. I love a friendly waitress!! I went here alone one day and stayed for about an hour at the bar. I really enjoyed myself and felt totally comfortable eating alone there! I am pretty sure its 24 hours so thats a good thing to know for those late nights :)
The Penrose is my favorite diner in the city. Great food, awesome service and reasonable prices.
The portabella sandwich is awesome, but only offered during the dinner menu. (Don't be alarmed or weirded out if they ask you how you would like it done; their system forces the servers to treat it like it were a burger.) Patty melts are so good and mine was a lot less greasy than most of the patty melts I've had in the past. OMG AND THEIR VEGGIE BURGERS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY OTHER DINER'S!! I don't know what brand they use, but they are so amazing and hearty. It's not just a microwaved Boca burger.
I've had a handful of times when the kitchen has left something on a sandwich when I requested it to be left off. The servers have always been so nice and apologetic about it and have rushed me out a new sandwich within a few minutes. (I was vegan for a short time and I could tell they hadn't just scraped off the cheese.)
The worst experience I ever had there was the second or third time I had gone. My friend and I had gone out for a few drinks beforehand and the hostess mistakenly thought I was with a party of loud teenagers instead of with my friend. Come on now, if that is the worst thing I can say after eating there for 10 years, you've got to swing by there!
I am in love.
Saturday was my first time there, and I don't drive or know how to get there on SEPTA, but I think I have found my second home.
Good food, cheap prices, and you can have the world's most outrageous hungover conversations in relative privacy cuz the din is bearably loud. AWESOME.
And Denise, our waitress... she rocks!
I had a pepper and onion omelette w/American cheese and a side of Turkey Ham. Ron ordered "whatever has the most pork products", and Dimps (who refers to pancakes as 'Devil's Biscuits) had a Belgian waffle. Everyone was pleased, and breakfast with all our changes and substitutions, multiple beverages, tax and (generous) tip for three came to $47.
I'm sure I don't know what this "Penrose Diner Corp" title is about. It sounds like an evil grilled-cheese conglomerate of the future.
The Penrose I'm talkin 'bout is all the way out Penrose Ave., conveniently close to the Sunoco Oil refineries, the scenic sewage treatment plant of I95, and also en route to the airport.
The food here is classic diner. Cheap eggs, a variety of melts, combo specials. It's all pretty damn good. The waitresses have seen it all and you can't freak them out. The variety of pies spinning in their plexiglass cylinder is dizzying, indeed.
Easily the best Diner Grub in Philly, and much more fun than the gentrified, expensive versions of breakfast spots Sabrinas, the Glory, and the like. Park on the street side and avoid the lot entirely. and by the way....
How's ya mudda, hon?
This is my after hours drunk spot to eat! Their food is way way better than oregon's diner. I am never disappointed in the food or the service. They're very friendly and food came out very fast for us! They won't yell at you like Oregon if you get too loud. psh, we're tipping them and bringing customers, dont yell at us. hahaha. Like I said, Penrose the spot after drinking too much!! lol. and they have a lot of room for large groups. one time we sat next to a bunch of popos, nice huh? lol.
Of all of Philadelphia's "true" diners, this is my preferred. Granted, it is a pain in the butt to get to, and even for South Philly, parking is not always easy in their cramped lot.
However, whether it's weekday dinner specials or weekend breakfasts, the diner is upbeat, busy, and has all the qualities one should expect from an old-fashioned eatery.
The food is what you would expect. But as so many Philly diners haven't met those aforementioned expectations, Penrose holds its own.
WARNING: Do not go at breakfast, otherwise you'll feel like you're trapped in deleted Sopranos scenes.
Best diner to go to in the city after the bars kick you out. Absolutely huge and there's more parking than other diners in the city. You should have no problem getting a table. They have things on the menu like the "belt buster" (pancakes, eggs, meat for $8?) and good cheesesteaks. Ahh, Penrose.
Penrose is the best Place to go after a long night of drinking. The food is always good, and inexspensive. Most of the staff are very nice, and will share more then a few laughs with you. The people that work there are all from south philly so cursin and sharin drunken stories that will make you spew french onon soup from your nose are not unncommon. If your fro philly then expect to see at least half of your graduating class in there no matter what time you go. If your not from philly youll still probably find a relative or two. This place has the best french onion soup in town and thier menu is not one to fuck with. It's got everything you could ever wish for. It's fat man heaven. I will die at penrose and be a happy man.
Penrose is one of the best diners I know of. They've got a really decent menu with more than just your usual diner fare- it's not just meatloaf and mashed. You'll find local favorites and Greek and Jewish favorites on the menu as well. Their baked goods are very good, although not quite as good as the Oregon Diner's. Plenty of seating here, but not enough parking! Car pool if you're in a large group or you'll regret it. You can get a decent meal for under $10, but most of the choices with beverage tax and tip are going to take you closer to the $15 mark.
Unfortunately living in New Jersey for most of my life, diners have become like second nature to me and my diner standard is forever tainted. Clearly you can get diner food anywhere these days at any time of night, but in all honesty I'm so hesitant to frequent diners anymore since the smoking ban. In my humble opinion, diners have lost their late night coffee, cigarette and conversation inducing charm. However, every once and a while when I'm drunk and craving two eggs and bacon at 3am, the Penrose can do no wrong. Their menu, service, quality of food, prices and cleanliness is unrivaled in the city. Considering this, the Penrose easily outclasses Oregon Diner, South Street Diner and the Melrose in every aspect. I highly recommend the notorious buffalo chicken wrap. Some things just taste better late at night and under the influence.
This place seems like it's always open and the food is always good, certainly for diner food, and it is cheap, however if you are hungry on a weekend morning, be prepared to have trouble parking and to have a bit of a wait.
Of course, there's not many other choices in diners down there, but you are doing pretty well at the Penrose with the wait than at Denny's without.
I just adore Penrose for late-night, post-clubbing eats. The food is pretty consistent, fresh, and tasty. You just gotta try the Buffalo Chicken Wrap; hands down, the best I've ever had. The service can be iffy if it's busy, but I have yet to encounter any rudeness there. Oh yeah, make sure you order a milkshake too. Pretty damn good. Penrose is probably the best diner I've been to in Philly.
Disappointing to say the least. We went on a Saturday morning. It was busy but there wasn't a wait. Our server was awful. We ordered and waited, and waited, for our food (which I know isn't our servers fault) but once the food came out it was cold which lead me to believe it sat for a long time which is probably our servers fault. She didn't bring us our juice after we asked numerous times. We both ended up gagging on the pile of coffee grinds at the bottom of our cups. I am definitely more disappointed with the service than the food. I think the food could have been okay if it was warm. Not sure if I would want to try it again...maybe we'll check out the dinner menu.
great googley moogley!! why didn't i go here sooner??!
you know, i have no answer, either.
damn fine diner, with decent prices, funny & more than adequate waitresses and good chocolate milk. hooray!
i go here with my best friend about once a week. its the perfect place to take her bc shes very loud so she fits right in. no one stares at us bc theyre too busy having loud conversations themselves.
the food is good ole fashioned diner food. the prices arent over the top either. sometimes i feel like diners will charge an arm and a leg bc they know theyre just about your only option late at night. not so here though. i always stick to the cheapest stuff on the menu bc im broke but ive seen their other dishes and man oh man they look great... and huge! only thing ive had that i didnt really like were their pancakes. i like big fluffy ones and these were more on the crisp/bread-like side. the cakes and pies they have on display are incredible looking. i just want to shove my whole body into the case and lock myself in until im done eating everything inside.
the staff are friendly considering its a 24 hour diner in South Philly... you can only be so happy working in this kind of environment i would think. the diner itself is nice too, its clean and has good lighting and the colors arent visually insulting.
my fav thing though is that they have the old school diner bills/checks. no new computerized bill/check, fuck that. hand written with a carbon copy, sweet.
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Diners
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Kensington
Category: Restaurants
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Category: Restaurants
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