The summer weather makes it possible to enjoy lunch al fresco on and around the Penn campus at restaurants in all price ranges and many public spaces furnished with tables, benches or grass.
Generally speaking, these spaces fall into two categories: See and Be Seen, and Tranquil Oases. And some of the best in both categories cost nothing to use, as they are public spaces maintained by the University.
The best restaurant Tranquil Oasis in the area is the outdoor deck at La Terrasse. This is a completely new addition to the recently-reopened local legend, and complements the enclosed atrium that gave the restaurant its name. La Terrasse's deck is an intimate space of gray-painted wood, with trellises above to provide lighting after dark.
The terrace in front of the Sunset Grille in International House is also a Tranquil Oasis--a huge one. The terrace can easily accommodate 200 people, according to executive chef Roger Winther, making it the largest outdoor cafe in University City. But the trees and exotic plants make the space feel more intimate and also block the sounds of Chestnut Street traffic.
The premier Tranquil Oasis for an on-campus picnic, of course, is the Botanical Garden, better known as the Bio Pond. This landscaped park behind Goddard Laboratories has a number of shaded nooks furnished with benches, picnic tables, or rocks and logs on which to sit. The fairly dense tree cover also helps screen out the noise of traffic on nearby University Avenue.
Smaller oases elsewhere on campus include the small fieldstone terrace (photo below) tucked in between the main entrance to Fisher Fine Arts Library (Furness Building) and the entrance to Duhring Wing. Tall bushes and plants envelop the benches and shield the space from the hubbub of College Green.
Another is located behind Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. The relatively light traffic on Woodland Walk means that lunch here is not interrupted by streams of people passing through. The tall trees and lily pad-studded fountain add to the sense of tranquility of this location, which offers table seating and benches on the perimeter.
For seeing and being seen, the place to be is Locust Walk, particularly the stretch from College Green to the 38th Street bridge.
For lunch on the grass, Blanche Levy Park (College Green) is the prime campus dining location. Graduate students, Summer Sessions students and neighborhood youth participating in summer programs on campus keep it busy, even in the summer. And there are benches around the perimeter, the stone-faced amphitheater steps (photo below), and the tables overlooking College Green from the Sweeten Alumni Center terrace for the grass-stain-averse.
Four places along Locust Walk offer the comfort of tables. The prime location is the Palladium's outdoor terrace at 36th Street, where the campus' busiest east-west and north-south pathways intersect (photo below).
Its brown-bagger equivalent is the small plaza next to Stiteler Hall at 37th Street, with about 10 tables and a decorative fountain, plus benches along the edges. While cross traffic on 37th is a little lighter than on 36th, there's still plenty of life passing by on Locust Walk itself.
The other two Locust Walk eating areas are relatively recent arrivals: the plaza opposite the Bookstore, which was created to provide outdoor seating for patrons of My Favorite Muffin, and Chats, which added outdoor tables to its facility in Class of 1920 Commons last fall. Chats will also open for lunch this summer, beginning June 30, providing another convenient option on the western end of campus. Chats accepts PennCards and a machine on the premises lets users store cash value on the cards.
Other local restaurants have gotten into the See and Be Seen game by setting up sidewalk tables. The tables in front of the White Dog Cafe and LeBus on the 3400 block of Sansom Street afford great views of Law School comings and goings as well as of fellow diners and shoppers.
The terrace behind the 3401 Cafe food court is somewhat quieter because it is located away from Walnut.
Some outdoor dining spots do not easily fit into either category. The plaza separating College and Houston Halls (photo below), for example, gets a fair bit of traffic, but it's just far enough off the beaten path to miss being prime people-watching space. Its large sunny expanse, though, makes it popular with sun worshippers.
Further afield, Campus Epicurean at 43rd and Spruce also has three tables on its wide front sidewalk. Located in a quiet residential area, it is for those who want to See and Be Seen, but not by too many people.
Then there is Tuttleman Terrace at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Brown-bagging is permitted on this second-story deck when the ICA is open, and there are tables available. However, would-be art-lover lunchers must ask at the front desk to have the doors unlocked.
A number of building courtyards, such as those at the University Museum and the Law School, offer attractive settings for lunch, and other area eateries such as Zocaló also offer outdoor seating. And, of course, there's nothing stopping you from just sitting down on a bench or patch of grass anywhere on the campus and making your own Tranquil Oasis or place to See and Be Seen.
Read the ratings of food trucks and restaurants
Return to Compass Features for June 17, 1997