The Verdict
Parc opened in 2008 at 227 South 18th Street, facing Rittenhouse Square, and is one of the most recognisable restaurants in restaurateur Stephen Starr’s Philadelphia group, Starr Restaurants. It is an all-day French brasserie built to evoke a Parisian cafe: zinc-toned bar, mosaic floors, a bustling sidewalk terrace on the square, and a kitchen that turns out classics from breakfast through late dinner seven days a week.
The plates that define it are the brasserie staples done properly. The steak frites, a flat-iron with maitre d’ butter, runs about $39; the trout amandine with haricots verts and lemon brown butter is about $34; and the bread basket, escargots and a tower of fruits de mer round out the order. The cranberry-walnut bread baked in-house has its own following, and breakfast and weekend brunch are as much the draw as dinner.
This is a see-the-square people-watching room rather than a quiet fine-dining table, and it prices as a Center City brasserie rather than a bargain. What you are paying for is the setting on Rittenhouse and the reliability of the Starr operation: classic French fare, executed consistently, in the city’s most-photographed cafe window.
What to Order
The signature is the steak frites, a flat-iron with maitre d’ butter at about $39, and the trout amandine with haricots verts and lemon brown butter at about $34 is the other plate regulars order by name. Start with the escargots or a tier of the fruits de mer, do not skip the house-baked cranberry-walnut bread, and treat weekend brunch and the all-day breakfast as real options rather than afterthoughts. A sidewalk table on the square is the seat to request.
The Room
Parc occupies the corner of 18th and Locust at 227 South 18th Street, directly on Rittenhouse Square. The room is a high-ceilinged brasserie with a long bar, mosaic tile and mirrors, opening onto a sidewalk terrace that is among the most sought-after seats in Center City. It runs all day, every day, from breakfast through late dinner, so the energy shifts from quiet morning coffee to a packed dinner and brunch service.
Why It Works for a First Date
A sidewalk table on Rittenhouse Square with steak frites and a glass of wine is one of the easiest first dates in Philadelphia, and the all-day format means it works for breakfast, a long brunch or a late dinner just as well. The classic French menu gives a table familiar, crowd-pleasing choices, and the people-watching on the square carries the conversation when it needs to.
Not For
Parc is not a quiet, intimate room or a destination tasting-menu meal; it is a large, lively brasserie where the buzz is the point. Anyone after Philadelphia’s benchmark fine dining should look to Vetri or Friday Saturday Sunday, and diners who want a hushed corner or a short, ambitious chef’s menu will find Parc’s broad, all-day card and busy terrace the wrong fit. Weekend brunch waits can be long.
Reservations
Reservations are recommended for dinner and especially for weekend brunch, and can be made through the restaurant or OpenTable. If the sidewalk terrace on the square matters to you, request it when you book and note that those tables go first in good weather. Walk-ins can usually find a seat at the bar, which serves the full menu, on quieter weekday afternoons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Parc in Philadelphia?
Parc is part of Starr Restaurants, the hospitality group founded by Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr, whose company also runs Buddakan, Barclay Prime and El Vez. Parc opened on Rittenhouse Square in 2008 and remains one of the group’s flagship rooms, an all-day French brasserie facing the square at 18th and Locust.
What is Parc known for?
Parc is known for being Philadelphia’s most famous French brasserie and for its sidewalk terrace on Rittenhouse Square. On the plate it is known for brasserie classics: the steak frites with maitre d’ butter, trout amandine, escargots, fruits de mer and the house-baked cranberry-walnut bread, served all day from breakfast through dinner.
How much does dinner at Parc cost?
Parc prices as a Center City brasserie. The signature steak frites runs about $39 and the trout amandine about $34, with starters such as escargots and the fruits de mer adding to the bill. A dinner for two with wine lands in the mid-to-upper range for the neighbourhood, while breakfast and brunch are noticeably gentler on the wallet.
Where is Parc and do I need a reservation?
Parc is at 227 South 18th Street, on the corner of 18th and Locust facing Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia. Reservations are recommended for dinner and weekend brunch and can be booked through OpenTable; the sidewalk terrace tables are the most requested and should be asked for specifically when you reserve.
Also in Philadelphia
For other Starr Restaurants rooms and Rittenhouse-area dining, Barclay Prime sets the steakhouse standard, Lacroix at The Rittenhouse holds the neighbourhood’s tasting-menu crown, and Laurel is the city’s benchmark BYOB. Each is linked below.