Rose Petals Café and Lounge  

When: Sunday Morning

Who: Me and my Boo

Where: 322 W Chelten Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Why: Looking for Fish and Grits for breakfast

Jumped off of a plane at Philadelphia International Airport from my family reunion in Detroit, Michigan early Sunday morning. I woke up at 3:00am, drove the rental car to Hertz by 4:30 and arrived at the airport by 5:00am. Flight left at 7:00 and I was at PHL by 8:30am, I’m tiredddddd! My boo picks me up from the Airport and we set off to grab breakfast before heading into the house so we can relax our Sunday away before returning to work on Monday. In the car we’re trying to decide what we want to eat, we land in fish and grits but from where? We toss a couple of names around and finally land on Rose Petals Café and Lounge since their menu looks pretty good and there’s a catfish and grits option on the menu. 

 Quick drive and we’re there, now don’t forget we’re grabbing something to take in the house with us. Upon entering the café, the host asks if we want to eat in or out, I quickly say out and we’re escorted to the take out counter to view menus and place the order. As I’m looking at the menu, I start paying attention to the atmosphere; small setting, bookshelves reminiscent of a living room and an intentional dining room chair with a regal chair setting for a party of 3 or more. I changed my mind…I wanna eat in now! No problem we chose the seats first offered to us and placed our order with our pleasant and helpful server “K”. I ordered the chicken and biscuits with 2 fried eggs with Gouda cheese and Boo ordered the catfish and grits. Our food arrives in a timely fashion and ready to be demolished. The catfish came in nugget form piping hot and accompanied by a large plate of grits topped with shredded cheddar cheese. My chicken and waffles were a pleasant surprise, I expected the chicken to be fried as I usually get it. Nope! It was a small well seasoned baked breast chopped and smothered in syrup and covered with chopped spinach…fancy as hell! My eggs were in a separate serving dish topped with the Gouda. I must say our food was simply delicious! The Gouda added a smoky and creamy characteristic to my perfectly cooked egg and I complimented it with the chicken dipped in my syrup soaked waffle. My sweetie was thoroughly impressed with the catfish and grits that were prepared to perfection and of course seasoned with the usual condiment of choice…hot sauce!

Before I close out, of notable mention were two things that I was truly impressed with even more so than the food I devoured: 

Staff: The staff at Rose Petals Café and Lounge were amazing, they worked cohesively and efficiently while not compromising customer service and personable greetings of each and every customer that walked through the door. Genuine and easy flowing conversation with every patron new and old completely enhanced the space and made it more than a café, it could have easily been a dining room filled with extended family.

Music: The time I spent at the Rose Petal Café and Lounge was accented with GREAT music, I heard Luther Vandross, The Ojay’s, Michael Jackson, and more Motown legends at the perfect volume. One thing I hate when dining out is music that overpowers the experience, because dining should be an experience right? While breaking bread and sharing great conversation the addition of great music can literally make me stay longer or leave quicker. I ate a little slower, talked a little longer and just plain ole enjoyed my damn waffle! Before leaving we spoke with the Manager who just happened to be the owners wife! I didn’t want to leave their establishment without complimenting my server and any other staff that I came in contact with, they all made our experience the best possible! The food made me want to come back but the people made me want to stay:)

Leah B.