Indulge in a top-notch Thanksgiving dinner minus the dirty dishes and grocery shopping at one of the many restaurants dishing up Thanksgiving dinner this year. (Credit: iStockPhoto)
It’s time to start prepping the turkey, folks, Thanksgiving is merely weeks away.
For those aiming to avoid the cooking, baking, grocery store chaos and post-meal clean up, dozens and dozens of restaurants in Philadelphia make it easy for Thanksgiving-celebrators to make merry by simply lifting a fork.
Beyond sit-down dinners, Philadelphia’s dining scene has you truly covered this Thanksgiving holiday. For those looking to dine in their own home, tons of eateries are now taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners that will be ready to take home before turkey day.
Whether you desire a farm-fresh turkey with a side of locally grown veggies or a filling buffet at one of the city’s premier hotels, there’s something for you.
Read on for our picks for Thanksgiving dinners in the Philadelphia region.
Eat-In or Take-Out
• Percy Street Barbecue: Bella Vista, 900 South Street, 215-625-8510. Let Percy Street Barbecue do the cooking this Thanksgiving. Place your order for a full Thanksgiving feast or just the turkey by November 21 and be treated to a home-cooked meal minus the mess. The barbecue twist on a classic Thanksgiving meal includes collard greens, an entire pecan pie, sausage stuffing and a 15-pound smoked turkey. Orders are $65 for just the turkey and $225 for the turkey and the sides. Orders can be placed online.
• Greensgrow Farms: Fishtown, 2503 E. Firth Street, 215-427-2780. Order a fresh-off-the-farm meal this Thanksgiving holiday at Fishtown’s Greensgrow Farms. Order by November 14 and simply pick up your meal on either November 26 or 27. Fill your fridge with everything from turkeys from a Chester County farm, to locally raised mashed potatoes, to Franklin Fountain ice cream (for the pumpkin pie, of course). Prices vary depending on the menu. Check out the full Thanksgiving menu and place your order online.
• Fette Sau: Fishtown, 1208 Frankford Avenue, 215-391-4888. Place your order by Thursday, November 21 and take home a brined and smoked turkey fresh from Fette Sau’s cooker on Wednesday, November 27. Turkeys are $85, include homemade gravy and feed 6 to 8 people.
• Fork: Old City, 306 Market Street, 215-625-9425. Place an order by Wednesday, November 20 at 6 p.m. and satisfy your Thanksgiving appetite with a take-home meal from Fork. Sample a plethora of eats prepared by Chef Eli Kulp, including an herb-roasted organic turkey, deviled eggs, two kinds of stuffing, roasted root vegetables, house-made bread, fresh cranberry sauce and a selection of pies. Personalize your order to your preference. Check out the full Thanksgiving menu right here.
• The Farmers’ Cabinet: Washington Square West, 1113 Walnut Street, 215-923-1113. Whether you want to indulge in a Thanksgiving feast at a restaurant or take home a meal for friends and family, The Farmers’ Cabinet is your answer. Choose to enjoy a meal at home with the restaurant’s Thanksgiving take-out service, or sit in at either its 2 or 5 p.m. seating. Bonus: Ring in the holiday with live music at The Farmers’ Cabinet on Thanksgiving Eve from 9 p.m. to midnight.
• Tela’s Market and Kitchen: Fairmount, 1833 Fairmount Avenue, 215-232-4710. Tela’s Market and Kitchen, the newest addition to Fairmount, celebrates its first Thanksgiving with prepared meals for neighborhood diners. Look forward to a personalized meal full of artisanal goods and produce from the grocer and cafe. Prices vary depending on the items ordered, call to order your desired Thanksgiving dinner.
• Miss Rachel’s Pantry: South Philadelphia, 1732 W. Passyunk Avenue, 215-798-0053. Feeling a bit lost as a vegan during Thanksgiving? No need to fear, Miss Rachel’s Pantry delivers a vegan Thanksgiving feast for those with food restrictions. Gluten free or allergic to nuts? Miss Rachel’s Pantry has you covered. This year’s menu features a seitan roast with shiitake-sage bread stuffing, caramelized brussel sprouts and much more. Call 215-798-0053 or email holiday@missrachelspantry.com to place an order. For a fee, Miss Rachel’s Pantry will deliver meals as far as 20-miles from its West Passyunk Avenue eatery.
• The Twisted Tail: Society Hill, 509 S. 2nd Street, 215-558-2471. For $35 per person, fill up on a family-style Thanksgiving meal complete with baked beans, garlic mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing and much more. Diners also have their choice of entree — roasted turkey, prime rib, ham or salmon. Top the meal off with family-style pumpkin, pecan and apple crumb pies. Twisted Tail-lovers are welcome to either dine in the restaurant beginning at 11 a.m. or order the meal for take-out. Meal pick up begins at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving day. Reservations are available online or over the phone. Orders must be placed over the phone.
• Jake’s Sandwich Board: Midtown Village, 122 S. 12th Street, 215-922-0102. A different kind of Thanksgiving menu addition holds its own at Jake’s Sandwich Board. Its sought-after turducken sandwich takes a place on the sandwich shop’s menu from November 1 through Thanksgiving to give diners a holiday treat. What exactly is in a turducken sandwich? Turkey, chicken and duck with cranberry, stuffing and gravy.
• Joe’s Steaks and Soda Shop: Northeast, 6030 Torresdale Avenue, 215-535-9405. Joe’s Steaks and Soda Shop welcomes the Gravy Train, a special holiday sandwich addition to its menu. Fill up on the tasty sandwich which is chock-full of turkey breast, house-made stuffing and cranberry sauce served on the restaurant’s signature cheesesteak roll. Sample the Thanksgiving sandwich from November 24 to December 1.
Sit-Down Dinners
• Zahav: Society Hill, 237 St. James Place, 215-625-8800. Two holidays come together this Thanksgiving Eve at Zahav’s Thanksgivukah, a combination of Thanksgiving and Chanukah. Imagine classic Thanksgiving items with a Chanukah twist at this one-of-a-kind dinner. Think hummus with braised brisket, green bean and lentil salad, honey baked lamb, cornbread and cranberry stuffing, turkey shisklik and fried challah donuts complete with burnt marshmallow and sweet potato. Sounds pretty great to us. The meal is $39 per person, and reservations are required.
• Supper: Bella Vista, 926 South Street, 215-592-8180. Sweet potato soup topped with cinnamon marshmallow and sage and farm-raised turkey take the table at Supper’s annual Thanksgiving dinner. Indulge in a variety of farm fresh Thanksgiving menu favorites for $60 per person for adults and $32 for children under 12. The full menu is available here.
• The Capital Grille: Center City, 1338 Chestnut Street, 215-545-9588. The Capital Grille answers your Thanksgiving prayers with inspired menu additions as well as all the offerings of its regular menu. Reserve your spot at the table for guaranteed access to the Thanksgiving feast.
More Thanksgiving sit down dinners and buffets, below.
• Bridget Foy’s: Queen Village, 200 South Street, 215-922-1813. Bridget Foy’s presents Thanksgiving diners with a $26 traditional roast turkey dinner complete with roast turkey with sausage, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry compote, green and yellow wax beans and cornbread and fennel stuffing. For those looking for the restaurant’s regular menu, you’re in luck, certain items will be available from the fall dinner menu, as well.
• City Tavern: Old City, 138 S. 2nd Street, 215-413-1443. Transport yourself back to the days of the Founding Fathers at City Tavern’s 18th century-themed family-style Thanksgiving dinner. Indulge in an 18th century menu while waiters serve you in period costumes. Also enjoy live music from the time. Reservations are required.
• Moshulu: Old City, 401 S Columbus Boulevard, 215-923-2500. Dine atop the Moshulu, the Delaware River’s premier boat-turned-restaurant, for a super memorable evening this Thanksgiving. Enjoy a plethora of options from the restaurant’s à la carte menu. The full Thanksgiving menu is available here.
• The Prime Rib: Rittenhouse Square, 1701 Locust Street, 215-772-1701. The Prime Rib offers Thanksgiving diners all the staples from its regular menu in addition to specials for the holiday. Thanksgiving specials include roasted turkey, butternut squash soup, whipped sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Price vary depending on the dishes guests choose.
• Varga Bar: Washington Square West, 941 Spruce Street, 215-627-5200. Take a load off with friends and family at Varga Bar this Thanksgiving day. For $125, indulge in a family-style meal fit for a king — an 18-pound fried turkey with wild mushroom gravy, pumpkin cheesecake and your choice of two sides including sausage pecan stuffing, sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes. The meal feeds 6 to 8 guests.
• Davio’s: Rittenhouse Square, 111 S. 17th Street, 215-563-4810. This Thanksgiving from 1 to 8 p.m., Davio’s provides Center City dwellers with a three-course meal chock-full of tasty items. The dinner is $55 per person and $75 per person with an optional wine pairing. In addition to Thanksgiving specials, selections from the regular menu will be available as well. The full menu is available here.
• Paramour: Wayne, 139 E. Lancaster Avenue, 610-977-0600. From November 27 through December 1, Wayne’s Paramour restaurant serves up a multi-course prix fixe dinner. The four-course meal starts with soup which is followed by salad, the main event (turkey or venison) and ends with an autumnal dessert. The meal is $65 per person plus an optional $30 wine pairing. Seating begins at noon on Thanksgiving Day.
Buffets
• Chez Colette at the Sofitel: Rittenhouse Square, 120 S. 17th Street, 215-569-8300. The Sofitel Hotel’s Chez Colette dishes out a luxe Thanksgiving buffet for $52 for adults and $22 for children under 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Enjoy a carving station with turkey, tenderloin and salmon, raw bar, salad bar, classic Thanksgiving sides and a solid selection of desserts. The full menu is available here.
• Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing: Old City, 201 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard, 215-928-1234. Thanksgiving means one thing at the Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing: brunch. Beginning at 11 a.m., sit down for a decadent brunch complete with corn chowder, an array of salads, mustard-and-sage roasted turkey, green bean casserole, almond bread pudding, pumpkin pie and much more. The final seating is at 4 p.m. The buffet rings in at $50 for adults and $25 for children ages 5 to 12. Reservations are required.
• XIX (Nineteen) at the Hyatt Bellevue: Rittenhouse Square, 200 S. Broad Street #19, 215-790-1919. Take in sweeping views of the City of Brotherly Love this Thanksgiving at XIX (Nineteen) as it presents a Thanksgiving buffet high above most holiday diners. From 1 to 6 p.m., indulge in a luxe buffet for $65 for adults, $32.50 for children ages 5 to 12 and at no cost at all for guests under the age of 5.
• Bistro St. Tropez: Logan Square, 2400 Market Street, 215-569-9269. All day long this Thanksgiving, Bistro St. Tropez serves up buffet dinners at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., making it super easy to snag a spot at the elevated restaurant with gorgeous views of University City. Buffet dinners are $58 per person and $15 for children under 5. Tip: The first seating, at noon, rings in at a discounted $48 per person. Buffet items include baked Virginia ham, roasted turkey, mussels, salmon and a charcuterie and cheese station.
• London Grill: Fairmount, 2301 Fairmount Avenue, 215-978-4545. Fill up on Thanksgiving bites at London Grill’s Thanksgiving buffet from 2 to 7 p.m. For $45 for adults and $22.50 for children, raid the buffet and top your plate with all of the festive eats you can imagine. A 5 to 6 dish platter deal is available for $20 per person as well. Reservations are required. Beyond actually Thanksgiving day festivities, London Grill will serve up a special selection of latkes in celebration of the overlapping of Chanukah and Thanksgiving from November 27 through December 5.
• Glenmorgan Bar & Grill at The Radnor Hotel: Wayne, 591 E. Lancaster Avenue Every Thanksgiving, 610-341-3188. the Radnor Hotel presents a drool-worthy spread of menu options. Indulge in butternut squash bisque, cornbread stuffing, roasted turkey, almond crusted tilapia and much, much more. The buffet has won a spot on the coveted Best of Main Line list, so you know you’re in for a treat. The complete menu is available here. Call 610-341-3188 to reserve your spot. For groups larger than 11 people, call 610-341-3156.
• Chima Brazilian Steakhouse: Center City, 1901 John F Kennedy Boulevard, 215-525-3233. This Thanksgiving, head to Chima Brazilian Steakhouse for its classic and meat-centric all-you-can-eat dinner or sample its special Thanksgiving Dinner from 2 to 8 p.m. Reservations are required, call 215-525-3233 to secure your spot.