Real Food Eatery

So glad RFE is now in the burbs!  Long time fan of the center city stores.  Food quality is amazing, tons of veggies and quality meats.  This store has cold brew AND kombucha on draft which is a plus and plenty of seating in the dining room.  Great dinner spot for when I don't feel like cooking!

I just really love this place. With so many places closing due to COVID-19 im praying that they're able to garner the support to stay open. I believe the City Ave location is the only one left in Philly but I could be wrong.

My husband and I received an email about their new lemon za'atar chicken so we decided to give them a try on a Friday night. We put in an online order wiite easily and arrived to pick up about 20 mins later. Unfortunately, they had run out of the new chicken. They offered us the spicy chicken in its stead-- we weren't as excited but it was still very delicious. With broccoli, sweet potatoes and cauliflower as our sides we got a bunch of food for around $20. It was so filling! We will be back to give the lemon za'atar chicken another try over the next few weeks!

Decided to stop here on my way to a spring concert. Thought it sounded good instead of the regular old fast food places. It was around 6:30pm and the place was empty. The staff was very friendly and more than happy to help us decide what to get. Even gave me a sample of the spicy chicken (not spicy at all). Since the chicken was pretty good I decided on the Spicy Chicken Bowl with kale, brown rice, sweet potatoes. We also got a Tofu bowl, brown rice, Califlower, Sweet potatoes and a Cobb Salad with apples added in.
I was so excited to see a place that sales "Real Food" and hate to be critical but the food was very bland. Nothing special about it. The rice was not quite done, the kale was just kale. It was just what it says. Real Food. nothing more, nothing less.
If you're eating clean and want bland food, this is your spot.
Not sure if I'll be returning.

As far as these casual little chipotle-esque establishments are concerned, Real Food is my new favorite. If I could make healthy food taste this good I'd eat more healthy food! I have opted for a create your own bowl type thing every time I've come here and it's always turned out great. I highly recommend the braised beef bowl with quinoa. While it only comes with two sides, additional support news can be bought for $2 each (a little steep but worth it). So far my favorite is the broccoli but I also like the slaw, sweet potato, and avocado half.
The staff is friendly and efficient, and I really hope it stays that way! Real Food has earned a spot on my work break rotation and I highly recommend it.

Mmm I wake up on saturday morning around 10:30. Groggy and bloated from the fatty buffet I indugled in last night. I force myself to go to the gym to get out the meata sweats. My work outs over and I'm proud I showed up. I want Chickfila but I know better. I go to real food eatery and get myself a quinoia chicken bowl with sweet potato. Its good. I dont hate myself. I eat a pan of brownies. But its ok because I hd real food for lunch. All is well again.

In all seriousness the food here is pretty good. Ive seen to her reviewers say its flavorless or bland. This cannot be further from the truth. If anything it is over-salted just a tad and encrusted with seasoning. Considering I never see people in the restaurant other than myself, the food is pretty fresh. It doesn't really taste like its just been sitting out all day. The neighborhood is filled with a bunch of fast food places and although I don't consider this food extremely healthy, Im ok because at least I know it's just that - real food.

The menu looked super good so my bf and I decided to try this place out.

I hope to update this to five stars because I think they can get there with some adjustments.

To start: there are tiny little menus and nothing at the actual bar where you order is labeled. This makes for a lot of questions and confusion when trying to actually order along the "assembly line".

This place is a bowl or plate style where you have a base (grain/salad), meat, two sides (hot or cold) and a sauce. They have a lot of options for carnivores and herbivores alike so this would be a good spot to take almost anyone.

I opted for the brown rice, chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower.
-The rice was definitely hard for my taste and the bf agreed 2/5
-The chicken was white and dark meat- I'm
More of a white meat only person and there were a lot of "chewy" parts I left behind. It was mostly flavorless but the sauce I had helped with that. 3/5
- the broccoli and cauliflower sides were the winners and super tasty! 5/5

I tried the bfs sirloin which was tasty and better than the chicken in my opinion. He also liked the broccoli salad and his carrots were well cooked. We both agreed all the sides tasted the best!

Overall this place could definitely step up their game. Prices were okay but given I left half my chicken uneaten it wasn't so filling. The decor is nice and the ability to try many different things at once is definitely a plus!

We'll try again and hopefully they can work out some kinks!

Wow! Where do I begin? The salmon (Mediterranean Salmon Bowl)! I was impressed by the quality. Firm, yet succulent with the right amount of sear and seasoning that paired well with the other ingredients. All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. In addition, recommend a cup of Spicy Squash Soup and the Mint Turmeric Lemonade.

Second time there and I've gotten the couscous, spicy chicken, cauliflower, broccoli and sesame sauce ... and I must say I love a tender thigh ... it was more salty than spicy but wasn't bad, I love how the veggies are cooked it's like a roast maybe, with a nice amount of crunch and char and they seasoned them perfectly. The couscous was ...just that.. I tried a spoon full of the tofu... I'm a meat eater and I gotta say it was actually very good!! For $10 and some change I was full for the day and I'd definitely come back to try more!!

-The line moved quick even at 12:30 week day
- their drinks are... blah I ended up mixing all 3
- the second time I went in near closing they were still kind and I didn't get any dried out hours old chicken.

The other day I was thinking about what to get for lunch. I wanted something healthy and different from some of the other options in the area. I walked somewhat aimlessly and decided to try Real Food. The name is pretty straightforward; the food is real, nothing about it appears to be synthetic. There are options for a bowl or plate. I went with the bowl because it reminded me of a poke bowl.

You begin by ordering your protein (lemon herb chicken, salmon, beef meatballs or tofu). The base is rice or salad. I opted for brown rice, with broccoli and sweet potatoes and added teriyaki sauce. It was delicious and very filling, considering I ordered the largest size.

This is definitely a healthy option for lunch if you work or live in the area. Lunch will run you more than $10, so keep this in mind.

Love at first bite I love the concept of this place, good healthy food, simply, and not too pricey. I ordered via caviar to my work building which is only a mile away. The delivery was fast & the food was fresh. The portions are just right, it may look like it's not much but it was very filling. I did the 3 sides option and I got 2 so I can have lunch for tomorrow. Everything was delicious & I especially loved the mashed potatoes, carrots & quinoa. My only negative is the prices are higher on caviar. I paid $1.10 extra for each platter than what's shown on the website. Other than that it was a great experience and I will be eating from here frequently.

Unlike most places, Real Food Eatery actually understands how to make vegetables tasty without sacrificing nutrition. They also have "unhealthy" options like bacon and spicy chicken if you want some extra flavor. To top it off, the staff are pretty friendly and positive.

I come here about three times a week, just sayin'.