RFK Rankings · Philadelphia
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Philadelphia (2026)
Weekend brunch & breakfast · Philadelphia · 8 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published March 12, 2024 · Updated June 12, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Michael Solomonov pulls pistachio sticky buns out of the oven at K'Far on 19th Street, and a mile south the line at Sabrina's runs out the door for stuffed challah French toast. Philadelphia brunch is a BYOB-and-line town as much as a Rittenhouse-bistro one, and the best rooms run both ways. These eight, ranked, are where to spend a Saturday morning in the city, from a Zahav-team cafe to a century-old deli. For the city's dinner tables, see our Philadelphia dining guide.
1.K'Far
Solomonov and Cook's daytime Israeli cafe in Rittenhouse; come for the pistachio sticky bun and a Jerusalem bagel.
K'Far is the daytime cafe from Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook, the Zahav team, at 110 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse, opened in 2019 with a pastry program built by James Beard winner Camille Cogswell. The order is the pistachio sticky bun, the Jerusalem bagel with smoked salmon, shakshuka and the whipped-ricotta toasts, most plates around 8 to 16 dollars.
It comes off the team behind Zahav, the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant, and has since expanded to Brooklyn. Service is counter-style by day and the room fills at weekends. Come early, order at the counter, and start with the sticky bun before the Rittenhouse crowd arrives.
2.Parc
Stephen Starr's Parisian bistro on Rittenhouse Square; reserve a sidewalk table for the croque madame and fresh croissants.
Parc is Stephen Starr's Parisian bistro on Rittenhouse Square at 227 South 18th Street, the flagship of his Rittenhouse cluster and one of the most photographed brunch rooms in the city. The kitchen runs a classic bistro card, croque madame, eggs en cocotte, steak frites and a basket of fresh-baked croissants, with most plates around 18 to 38 dollars.
It is a fixture of the Inquirer and Foobooz weekend coverage, and the sidewalk tables facing the square are the seats people fight for. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday, and it books out, so reserve on OpenTable rather than walk up. Ask for the patio and start with the pastries.
3.Suraya
Fishtown's Lebanese garden room runs a set weekend brunch; book ahead for man'oushe flatbreads and mezze under the trees.
Suraya is the Lebanese restaurant, cafe and garden at 1528 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, from the Defined Hospitality group with pastry chef James Matty, a James Beard semifinalist. Weekend brunch runs a set tasting at 42 dollars a head: man'oushe, the za'atar and cheese-and-egg flatbreads from the wood oven, mezze spreads and a cardamom kouign-amann.
It has been a multi-year James Beard semifinalist alongside Zahav and a regular in Visit Philadelphia and the Infatuation. The garden is the seat to ask for, and the brunch tasting is required, so it books up. Reserve ahead, come hungry, and let the kitchen send the flatbreads in waves.
4.Sabrina's Cafe
The Philly brunch institution since 2001; expect a line and order the stuffed challah French toast and an oversized frittata.
Sabrina's Cafe started in the Italian Market at 910 Christian Street in 2001 and grew into a small group across the Art Museum, University City and South Street neighbourhoods. The signatures are the stuffed challah French toast and the oversized stuffed frittatas, generous plates around 18 to 25 dollars.
It is one of the city's defining brunch institutions, two decades in, and the weekend wait is part of the deal. There are no reservations and the lines are notorious. Come right at opening, put your name down, and order the challah toast for the table while you wait.
5.Cafe Lift
A Loft District brunch pioneer since 2003; come for seasonal pancakes and cinnamon-batter French toast seven days a week.
Cafe Lift opened in the Loft District at 1124 Spring Garden Street in 2003, run by Michael and Jeniphur Pasquarello of the 13th Street Kitchens group, one of the rooms that started the neighbourhood's brunch scene. The kitchen leans on seasonal pancakes, a cinnamon-batter French toast and a long list of Benedicts, most plates around 16 to 24 dollars.
It has run daily brunch for more than two decades, an early mover that the later Loft District rooms followed. Service is walk-in and weekends draw a wait. Come on a weekday morning to skip the rush, or arrive at opening on a Saturday and take a table near the windows.
6.Honey's Sit 'n Eat
A Northern Liberties BYOB blending Southern and Jewish comfort since 2005; order the biscuits and gravy and the latkes.
Honey's Sit 'n Eat has worked the corner of 4th and Brown in Northern Liberties at 800 North 4th Street since 2005, now run by longtime general manager Eric Courtwright, who bought the room in 2023 after years on the team. The kitchen blends Southern and Jewish comfort: biscuits and gravy, potato latkes and challah French toast, most plates around 15 to 22 dollars.
It is a neighbourhood BYOB, two decades in, and the weekend brings a wait. Service is largely walk-in. Come early on a Saturday, bring a bottle of something for the table, and order the biscuits and gravy alongside the latkes.
7.Green Eggs Cafe
The indulgent end of Philly brunch across three rooms; put your name down and order the red velvet pancakes.
Green Eggs Cafe runs the indulgent end of the city's brunch scene from rooms in Midtown Village at 212 South 13th Street, Brewerytown and South Philly. The kitchen is built for a sweet tooth: red velvet pancakes, stuffed French toast and cinnamon-roll pancakes, with savoury plates alongside, most around 18 to 24 dollars.
It is a fixture of weekend brunch lists and the rooms fill fast. There are no reservations; you call to join the waitlist and wait it out. Come early, get on the list, and split the red velvet pancakes while the savoury plates land.
8.Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
A Philadelphia deli institution near a century old; come for towering pastrami, a Reuben and a full breakfast spread.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen has held the corner of 4th and Bainbridge at 700 South 4th Street in Queen Village for roughly a century, a Jewish-deli institution. The plates are built to share: towering pastrami and corned-beef sandwiches, a Reuben, smoked fish and a full breakfast board, most around 20 to 30 dollars.
It earned a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin Guide's Philadelphia selection, a recommendation rather than a star. There are no reservations and weekend mornings draw a crowd. Come early, take a booth, and order a pastry-and-eggs spread or a pastrami sandwich big enough for two.
Not for brunch
Famous, but not a brunch room
Hungry Pigeon. The Queen Village room from Scott Schroeder and Pat O'Malley has closed, and even open it refused the brunch label outright. It still turns up on old lists, so do not go looking for a weekend table there.
Middle Child. Matt Cahn's luncheonette won national breakfast-sandwich fame, but it is a counter sandwich shop, not a sit-down brunch room. Come for a hoagie at the counter, not a long weekend table.
How to brunch well in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's brunch map clusters in a few pockets: Rittenhouse around 18th and 19th, the Italian Market and Queen Village in South Philly, Fishtown and Northern Liberties up the Frankford corridor, and the Loft District along Spring Garden. None is far from the next, so a slow morning can move from a deli to a bistro without crossing the city.
Half these rooms are walk-in and run lines, Sabrina's, Cafe Lift, Honey's, Green Eggs and Famous 4th Street, so the move is to arrive at opening and put your name down. The reservation rooms are Parc and Suraya, the Rittenhouse bistro and the Fishtown garden, both of which book out at weekends. Many of the casual rooms are BYOB, so carry a bottle. For the city's dinner tables, see our Philadelphia dining guide and the RFK rankings index.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Philadelphia?
K'Far in Rittenhouse, the daytime Israeli cafe from the Zahav team, is the marquee pick, built around a pistachio sticky bun and a Jerusalem bagel. For a classic bistro brunch, Stephen Starr's Parc on Rittenhouse Square is the destination; for the institution with the line, Sabrina's Cafe has run since 2001. Reserve at Parc and Suraya, and arrive early everywhere else.
Do you need a reservation for brunch in Philadelphia?
At a couple of rooms, yes. Parc on Rittenhouse Square books out on OpenTable, and Suraya's set weekend brunch in Fishtown requires a reservation. The rest, Sabrina's, Cafe Lift, Honey's, Green Eggs and Famous 4th Street, are walk-in and run weekend lines, so the move there is to arrive at opening and put your name on the list.
What is the best upscale brunch in Philadelphia?
Stephen Starr's Parc on Rittenhouse Square runs a Parisian-bistro brunch of croque madame and fresh croissants with coveted sidewalk tables. For a chef-driven alternative, K'Far brings the Zahav team's Israeli cooking to a Rittenhouse cafe, and Suraya's Lebanese garden in Fishtown serves a set weekend brunch tasting at 42 dollars under the trees.
Is there good BYOB brunch in Philadelphia?
Yes. Honey's Sit 'n Eat in Northern Liberties is the classic BYOB brunch, blending Southern and Jewish comfort since 2005, and several of the casual rooms, including the smaller Sabrina's locations, let you bring your own bottle. Bring something for the table, arrive early to beat the weekend wait, and confirm the BYOB policy with the specific room before you go.
Does Philadelphia have Michelin-starred brunch?
No. Philadelphia is not covered by the Michelin star guide, so there are no Michelin stars in the city. The 2025 Michelin Guide did include a Philadelphia selection with Bib Gourmand recommendations, and Famous 4th Street Delicatessen earned one, but that is a value recommendation, not a star. The city's brunch strength is its independents, not a starred room.
What time should I arrive for brunch in Philadelphia?
At the walk-in rooms, be at the door when it opens, Sabrina's, Cafe Lift, Green Eggs and Honey's all run weekend lines, and Famous 4th Street fills its booths fast. Putting your name down at opening, or coming on a weekday morning, is the only way to skip the wait. The reservation rooms, Parc and Suraya, take the timing pressure off if you book ahead.
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Browse the full Philadelphia dining guide, find a table for the family in the Philadelphia family-friendly ranking, line up a no-booking counter in the Philadelphia walk-in ranking, plan a late table in the Philadelphia open-late ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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