Best of Penn 2018

Start your day off right at this cozy spot, located on the quiet corner of 45th and Spruce. This 45-seat BYO focuses on serving the most fresh and delicious ingredients.

Address: 4443 Spruce Street

While the quirky dog-themed decor and unique array of dining rooms are a plus, you come to White Dog for the food. It’s your go-to spot for an impressive start to Family Weekend, a daytime date with your significant other, or a much-needed boozy breakfast.

Address: 3420 Sansom Street

Not only one of Penn’s favorite food trucks, Magic Carpet also wins best vegan spot on campus. Offering a plethora of hearty, vegan dishes including tofu meatballs, veggie chili, and spicy seitan pepper-steak, Magic Carpet skips the meat without sacrificing flavor.

Address: 36th and Spruce Streets, southwest corner; 34th and Walnut Streets, southwest corner

Step aside, meat, because HipCityVeg is here to satisfy all of your burger and sandwich needs, vegan-style. The restaurant originated in Philadelphia back in 2009 and has since continued to be Philly’s favorite spot for vegan food that looks good, tastes good, and feels good.

Address: 214 S 40th Street

Over 30 years old and still going strong, Magic Carpet is practically a Penn institution. Fresh, healthy, and undeniably comforting, Magic Carpet serves up globally-inspired vegetarian and vegan food.

Address: 36th and Spruce Streets, southwest corner; 34th and Walnut Streets, southwest corner

Of all the food trucks lining the stretch of Spruce bordering the Quad, none provide food and service nearly as refined as Chez Yasmine. This campus fixture focuses on using local, fresh produce to make its healthy, often vegetarian and vegan-friendly, dishes.

Address: 37th and Spruce Streets

&pizza’s location on 39th and Walnut opened earlier this year and instantly became the newest late-night hot spot. It’s probably due to the fact that their pizza, made from scratch in front of you, is so good that you don’t need to be drunk at 3 a.m. to enjoy it.

Address: 3925 Walnut Street

Some Penn students tend not to venture past 41st Street, which is a waste given that sitting on the corner, right across from the Saturday farmer's market, is Clarkville — a restaurant with incredible pizza, an amazing beer selection, and extremely relaxed vibes.

Address: 4301 Baltimore Avenue

Lyn’s is an indisputable campus staple. If the food truck is gone for even a few weeks, Penn students all but riot. After all, where else can you get a bagel egg and cheese sandwich for $2.50?

Address: 36th and Spruce Streets

Copabanana, the popular Mexican restaurant on 40th Street, is already beloved for their margaritas, but if you’re willing to make an appearance in the middle of the day, they also have great deals on food.

Address: 4000 Spruce Street

The famous New York based Shake Shack has three Philadelphia locations, including one in University City with plenty of outdoor seating for warm nights and an upstairs dining room.

Address: 3200 Chestnut Street

It’s like Chipotle, but pizza. The world of “build your own” has now extended to the world of pizza, and it does not disappoint. Located on Drexel’s campus, Blaze Pizza allows you to build your own pizza or choose one of their signature pies.

Address: 3400 Lancaster Avenue

At any point in your party process — whether you’re trying to fill up your stomach, already several shots deep, or so hungover you can barely think — there is nothing better than good, old-fashioned fried food, and no better spot to get it than Wishbone.

Address: 4034 Walnut Street

Open 24/7, the vast emporium of food that is The Fresh Grocer is always at your disposal no matter how late it is when you stumble out onto the streets of University City.

Address: 4001 Walnut Street

Starbucks. A classic. How could you ever argue that this giant was anything but the winner of the caffeinated beverage hierarchy?

Address: 3901 Walnut Street

Every student at Penn needs to drop by William’s Hall and check this location out at some point, because it truly is a gem at Penn.

Address: 255 S 36th Street

Penn loves Ken’s. Why? One word: karaoke. Serving family style Chinese food, Ken’s Seafood is the perfect spot for a birthday party, club outing, or pregame.

Address: 1004 Race Street

A posh Italian spot in the middle of Center City, La Viola is the ideal BYO spot for your club gathering, roommate dinner, or wine-soaked date night.

Address: 253 S 16th Street

Whether it’s Taco Tuesday or you’re just looking for bomb margaritas, Distrito is a go-to campus option. Penn alum of years past will tell you it’s the perfect start to any night.

Address: 3945 Chestnut Street

Set on a rooftop with views spanning from the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul all the way to the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art and beyond, this bar is known for its breathtaking views and brilliant cocktail concoctions.

Address: 1840 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Getting sick of the everyday on campus nightlife scene? This live music bar with a delicious menu of drinks has got you covered.

Address: 258 S 15th Street

A hidden gem among a collection of crowded bars, Hop Sing Laundromat in Chinatown is a cocktail bar like no other. Seriously.

Address: 1029 Race Street

Located in the heart of charming Fishtown, La Colombe is known for its quality brews as much as its atmosphere. The cafe is the perfect spot for studying or a casual brunch.

Address: 1335 Frankford Avenue

Chapterhouse opened in 2005 and offers a wide range of organic fair trade coffee and baked goods. If you’re not hungry, the large brick fireplace and cozy seating offer the perfect getaway on crisp fall afternoons.

Address: 620 S 9th Street

A cult favorite on Penn’s campus, Ramen Bar is the place to be for a hot bowl of noodles on a cold winter afternoon. With big portions and a cozy atmosphere, this restaurant is the perfect spot to bring a crush or hookup.

Address: 4040 Locust Street

Charlie was a sinner is an all vegan bar located in the beautiful Midtown Village of Philadelphia, where the bartenders are exceptionally knowledgeable, whimsical, and attentive.

Address: 131 S 13th Street

White Dog’s homey yet elegant aesthetic, in combination with its signature luxe eats, make it the perfect place to splurge on a meal with your family.

Address: 3420 Sansom Street

Zahav serves up Middle Eastern dishes that’ll make you feel like you’re abroad in Tel Aviv. Enjoy Philly’s diverse food scene while sharing the unmatched hummus, salads, and meat with your family.

Address: 237 St James Place

Conveniently located near the Quad, right of Hamilton Walk near 38th Street, this hidden urban oasis is the perfect place for freshmen to find their cannaBliss away from their RAs.

Address: 433 S University Avenue

Head on up to the top floor of DRL, open doors until you find the boiler room, and climb up to the most chill rooftop on 33rd Street. Soak up some sun and THC while staring out at the Philadelphia skyline.

Address: 209 S 33rd Street

Situated on the far eastern side of campus, Penn Park feels like an escape from stress. Located right next to DRL, it is the perfect place for that one hour “study break” with your special someone in between class and office hours.

Address: 3000 Walnut Street

The perfect place for sex on a desk. The corner desk is a great spot to celebrate your OCR victories or mourn over your negligible job prospects.

Address: 3620 Locust Walk

Having one of those nights where it be like that sometimes? The abandoned parking lot next to Blarney’s is a tranquil and quiet place to let it all out.

Address: 3929 Sansom Street

The Dental School has a very convenient location in the block between Smokes/McDonalds and Allegro/Copa, meaning that you could be leaving a drinking location to go to a food location, and have a spot to quickly pull trig if needed.

Address: 240 S 40th Street

As a physical structure, this spot earns points for its waist level height which makes it an easy target.

Everyone pees, it’s just a fact. Sometimes you get caught past 2 a.m. and you can’t run into Huntsman. Or, you’re too lazy to go to the 6th floor of Van Pelt, and let’s face it, the other bathrooms just don’t compare.

Old and classic with its curlicue carvings and time-worn brick, this freshman favorite comes with your choice of mold or the occasional cockroach infestation. But physical living conditions aside, the Quad wins as the crowning glory for a quintessential freshman experience.

Address: 3700 Spruce Street

Here’s the deal. New College House West does. Not. Exist. Yet. All the more reason it deserves to be top vote. Penn hasn’t always been skilled at meeting students’ expectations when it comes to housing. So let’s make our standards clear here, shall we?

Address: 40th and Walnut Streets

The Radian is back this year, reclaiming her throne as Penn’s pick for best off-campus housing. From breathtaking views to laundry in your own room, 3925 Walnut Street is truly the diamond of off-campus housing.

Address: 3925 Walnut Street

Beige Block is every socialite’s wildest dream. Nestled snugly between Spruce, Locust, 40th and 41st, this popular off-campus pick is home to many frat parties and the birthplace of Insomnia Cookies to boot.

Address: Spruce to Locust Streets, 40th to 41st Streets

Ah — wide, shimmering fields of perfectly gray tile. Stalls for days, all lined up like terracotta warriors, perfect little businesslike ways to take the inevitable consequences of five Pret coffees a day.

Hidden away among the stacks of books about South Asian Studies and Socialist Theory, we find the perfectly-tiled oases of Van Pelt’s private third floor bathrooms.

Situated in the northeast and sidelined by the Delaware River, Fishtown has hip nightlife, a great food scene, and residents who probably all listen to Sufjan Stevens.

Only a fifteen-minute uber from campus, this unassumingly vogue sliver of Philly’s lower northwest takes the cake for Street’s favorite ‘hood.

On the third floor, you can tower over campus and get a bird’s eye view of what others are doing with their morning as you work out, but with an added sense of superiority from your impressive height.

If the third floor reaches for the stars in Pottruck, the basement sauna grounds you and brings you back down to Earth. Give yourself a break, throw a towel over that beautiful body of yours and hop into the sauna.

This shop is a Philadelphia institution, and anyone who vintage shops in the area knows about it. Since the store takes almost every donation, you may have to sort through lots of items to find the one you want, though the feeling of finding an amazing piece is completely worth it.

Address: 710 S 5th Street

At Retrospect Vintage, you don’t have to spend hours looking for the perfect item. The store is owned and operated by Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, and the best items from the area are chosen by experienced buyers and get put into the shop.

Address: 508 South Street

Filled with Penn apparel, the bookstore is the best place to feed your Penn pride. With the clothing inventory constantly changing, you can always find something new and turn any item into a special gift for a fellow Quaker.

Address: 3601 Walnut Street

With an entrance on 36th and Sansom and another connected to the Penn Bookstore, Hello World is a unique home decor shop with everything from kitchen wear to shot glass tic-tac-toe.

Address: 3610 Sansom Street

Founded in 1974, Pleasure Chest in Rittenhouse Square offers a boutique-style experience for patrons looking to satisfy all their potion, lotion, lingerie, novelty, and sex toy needs.

Address: 2039 Walnut Street

Recently rebranded as Danny’s Midnight Confessions, this sex shop has been specializing in leather, lingerie, and exotic novelties at reasonable prices for almost 40 years.

Address: 133 S 13th Street