This has to be my absolute favorite brunch spot in Philly. It’s first come first serve, but they usually do a pretty good job at seating you as fast as possible. The food is TO DIE FOR. Anything you get is so tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka
Stefanie Lau
This review is really to remind myself of this experience and not waste my time in the future. I rarely disagree so hard with a rating like this, but this is why I need to write it down!Woke up early and was like: oh sht! We should finally try that place with the insane line. Without brushing teeth, we dashed out the door and made it before the rush (9:50am on an April Sunday).tl;dr — Lots of hype. The food was waaaay expensive ($20-$22 per brunch entree) for the quality and portion. Not at all on par with Philly standards: Middle Child, Front Street Cafe, Sofi’s Corner, Cafe Lift, honey’s sit n eat (next door), etc. all of these cheaper that La Maude. I felt like I was eating a bunch lunchable.I got the huevos rancheros and my partner got the open face Mediterranean burrito. Both were so surprisingly weak in terms of presentation and taste.Huevos Rancheros - they separate out the components of the huevos so you’re eating each part in isolation (or you mix it yourself but the balance of ingredients is off anyway). It’s served on a 10 or 12 inch plate and you get 2 dollop of guacamole with home made Doritos, a room temp watery bean soup?, 4 triangles of brisket quesadilla, and a few slices of fries that propped up the sunny side eggs. All the components were different temperatures, ranging from slightly cold to a warm egg. Such a confusing dish.The open faced burrito was poorly composed as well. All ingredients organized weirdly on the plate with a whole cup of pico de gallo on the side, then the warm components piled up: pita, beans, green rice, eggs and guacamole in that order. The balance was just wrong. (Very little beans, too much salsa). But it just looks like a mound on a plate. Like you got in line at a cafeteria and the lunch lady plopped them all on your plate. A bowl would have made a lot more sense, esp because one of the best parts of a burrito is having the flavors melt together. My partner was initially confused as the rice and guacamole looked the same. He thought he was about to eat a pound of guacamole.Even with the weirdness of the compositions, if it was high quality ingredients or fresh baked pita, and interesting flavors, we’d give it some love. But it really felt like they went to Trader Joe’s or Giant and just plopped things on a plate and charged us $22.Coffee was burnt (ordered black, then had to cut it with cream and sugar). Cappuccino was fine, on par with a typical coffee shop.Service was also rushed and a little rude. The guy visibly rolled his eyes when I asked him about the 3 different kinds of potato sides on the menu with all similar names. They clearly get a lot of volume and try to turn you over as fast as possible and are impatient. We were in and out in about 30 min even with eating slow. The food came out within 5 min of us ordering it. We still tipped well, we were still kind to the servers, especially one that presented as non-binary and was being joshed by the manager.Maybe it was an off day and I fully appreciate that people are working hard, but man, just a little effort in the food and patience with customers would go a long way, esp for those that are arriving before the rush.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Anwar M Hossain
Cafe La Maude in Philadelphia is a charming spot that blends French and Lebanese culinary traditions into a delightful brunch experience. With a 5-star rating, it’s praised for its flavorful and unique dishes, professional service, and the cozy ambiance that makes the wait worthwhile. The menu offers a mix of healthy options, and while the prices are a bit steep, the quality of the food is exceptional. It’s a place where you can enjoy a leisurely meal and feel the warmth of family history and culture in every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saumon Fume a Cheval, Sweet Potato Benny, Brisket, Parisian, Gaufre Chicken Cordon Bleu, Red Velvet Tiramisu Pancakes, Burrito, Fried Potatoes with Saffron Aioli
Anwar Md Hossain
Cafe La Maude in Philadelphia is a charming spot that blends French and Lebanese culinary traditions into a delightful brunch experience. With a 5-star rating, it’s praised for its flavorful and unique dishes, professional service, and the cozy ambiance that makes the wait worthwhile. The menu offers a mix of healthy options, and while the prices are a bit steep, the quality of the food is exceptional. It’s a place where you can enjoy a leisurely meal and feel the warmth of family history and culture in every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saumon Fume a Cheval, Sweet Potato Benny, Brisket, Parisian, Gaufre Chicken Cordon Bleu, Red Velvet Tiramisu Pancakes, Burrito, Fried Potatoes with Saffron Aioli
J lof
The owner as definitely mastered the business aspect of monetizing well presented low cost carbs and minimizing high priced portions of meat optimized around $20 per meal. There is a true sense of creativity in an attempt to provide novel options from the red velvet pancakes to the shawarma platter. In many cases though it’s hard to see how some of the meals come into their own. The red velvet pancakes came with too much whipped cream muting the intrinsic flavor of the pancakes. The red shackshuka was very runny and the egg was uncooked in parts. These are nitpicks but it’s apparent the business is trying and the wonderful staff deserve some actionable feedback. Chai latte is also a must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Shelly G.
Hands down the best brunch spot in the city!!! Any time i have a visitor come from out of town, this is the place I always take them. Best to come here on a weekday as the lines arent that long but weekend rush is pretty busy! Obviously because this place is awesome!! The vibes are like a French eatery. I have tried many things here and each dish is amazing! Cant go wrong with anything on the menu. I have had the baklava pancakes, the berrylicious pain perdu, the red shashuka, the shawarma, the foul moudamas, open face burrito, briskey huevos rancheros, mediterranean platter the poulet roti. All ARE GREAT the sweets and the savories!! Cannnot go wrong with brunch here .
Lilly Jiang
Love this place. It’s a favorite for brunches. On weekends expect a wait - today we were told a 30 min wait but in reality it took maybe 15 mins. There’s a cute plant shop nearby you can browse while waiting.Shakshukas are both excellent. The petit steak is also delicious and hearty (they are pieces of steak mixed with potatoes, so don’t expect an actual steak). Salmon was also delicious and refreshing.Highly recommend for brunch in Philly. Some of the best brunch food I’ve had in the East Coast to be honest!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka, Saumon Fume a Cheval, Le Fou Steak Sandwich, Petit Steak, Red Shakshuka
Avery Taylor
This was our second time dining here and we always have a good time! The tables are pretty close to don't bring a large bag or anything. Also, be prepared with your whole party present when you arrive (tables free up unexpectedly). Bring cash, too, they appreciate it :)That aside, we were seated quicker than we were initially told, which was great! We placed our drink orders right away (I had an iced dirty chai and my boyfriend had a cup of coffee). We noticed it was busy, and we understand large parties delay other tables. The reason we gave it a 4-star for service, though, is because we waited almost 20 minutes after we received our drinks to place our food orders.This allowed us to talk (sort of, it was pretty loud (other patrons talking and one a few occasions a woman (or a few of them) cackled and scream-laughed, which made it really hard to hear and we were sitting right next to each other, (DEFINITELY NOT THE RESTAURANT'S FAULT)). Our waiter and the staff were kind and and light hearted though which was a plus for sure.The food came and it was exactly what we'd ordered and hoped for. The Baklawa pancakes are DELICIOUS! My boyfriend had the eggs Benny (and he said they were delicious! Note: he doesn't usually like eggs benedict).Everything else went smoothly. It really was just the really long wait to order and to get our food that was the reasoning (it's not their fault (I understand large parties of 6 people take a lot of attention)).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Baklawa Pancakes
Jibraan Ullah
Good food, service not bad. Wait times long on a weekday afternoon. Went inside to our table after a 40min wait to see a few empty tables inside.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Baklawa Pancakes
Chalise J.
Outstanding restaurant, the service was wonderful for an Easter brunch with mom. First time here and I'm speechless. The food is amazingly good, delicate with a specials taste that leaves you wanting more and more. Presentation is top notch.
My wife and I came here before a musical at the Kimmel center. She decided on it based off of good reviews found on Google and Yelp. We were not disappointed! Parking was a little tough but it didn’t take long to find a close spot. The neighborhood looked decent, unlike most other areas of the city where I feel like my car will be broken into for spare change.The lattes were delicious. They came to us hot, which can be hard to find surprisingly. I ordered the Shawarma, which came with steak, rice, pita, sweet potato fries, and scrambled eggs. She ordered the Entrecôte omelet. The potatoes were amazing. We also split an order of the Baklawa pancakes. Everything was delicious. The avocado tartar spread on my plate went so well with the rice and eggs. We would definitely like to come back here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Petit Steak, Baklawa Pancakes
Bill M.
My wife and I came here before a musical at the Kimmel center. She decided on it based off of good reviews found on Google and Yelp. We were not disappointed! Parking was a little tough but it didn't take long to find a close spot. The neighborhood looked decent, unlike most other areas of the city where I feel like my car will be broken into for spare change. The lattes were delicious. They came to us hot, which can be hard to find surprisingly. I ordered the Shawarma, which came with steak, rice, pita, sweet potato fries, and scrambled eggs. She ordered the Entrecôte omelet. The potatoes were amazing. We also split an order of the Baklawa pancakes. Everything was delicious. The avocado tartar spread on my plate went so well with the rice and eggs. We would definitely like to come back here!
Ellie B.
Stopped by Cafe La Maude to meet up with a friend for brunch on a Sunday around 12pm and it was super busy, they had inside and the front heated & covered patio open for extra seating. We were told it was a 30-40 minute wait for 2, but ended up being seated in just 25 mins! Everything on the menu looked amazing and both our dishes were great, we ended up splitting. It's BYOB, so if you want mimosas be sure to pack bubbles yourself, but the coffee and hot chocolates here are great too. Service was quick, food came out fresh. Both our dishes we loved, but the green shakshouka was 100% our favorite! Next time we're here, we will also definitely be getting the pancakes, the table next to us ordered them and they looked incredible. Parking can be bit difficult, but we found free street parking within 3 blocks, and there are several paid lots you can reserve a spot in ahead of time as well if parallel parking isn't your thing.
Dan Horlor
Very tasty brunch in a homely yet quirky atmosphere, really wearing its French/Lebanese heritage on its sleeve. We ate really well for a good price, with a warm and friendly welcome. I went for the green shakshuka which I recommend, but it was a tough choice and looking around I would have been very happy with anything on the menu. Thanks and well done!
This has to be my absolute favorite brunch spot in Philly. It’s first come first serve, but they usually do a pretty good job at seating you as fast as possible. The food is TO DIE FOR. Anything you get is so tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka
This review is really to remind myself of this experience and not waste my time in the future. I rarely disagree so hard with a rating like this, but this is why I need to write it down!Woke up early and was like: oh sht! We should finally try that place with the insane line. Without brushing teeth, we dashed out the door and made it before the rush (9:50am on an April Sunday).tl;dr — Lots of hype. The food was waaaay expensive ($20-$22 per brunch entree) for the quality and portion. Not at all on par with Philly standards: Middle Child, Front Street Cafe, Sofi’s Corner, Cafe Lift, honey’s sit n eat (next door), etc. all of these cheaper that La Maude. I felt like I was eating a bunch lunchable.I got the huevos rancheros and my partner got the open face Mediterranean burrito. Both were so surprisingly weak in terms of presentation and taste.Huevos Rancheros - they separate out the components of the huevos so you’re eating each part in isolation (or you mix it yourself but the balance of ingredients is off anyway). It’s served on a 10 or 12 inch plate and you get 2 dollop of guacamole with home made Doritos, a room temp watery bean soup?, 4 triangles of brisket quesadilla, and a few slices of fries that propped up the sunny side eggs. All the components were different temperatures, ranging from slightly cold to a warm egg. Such a confusing dish.The open faced burrito was poorly composed as well. All ingredients organized weirdly on the plate with a whole cup of pico de gallo on the side, then the warm components piled up: pita, beans, green rice, eggs and guacamole in that order. The balance was just wrong. (Very little beans, too much salsa). But it just looks like a mound on a plate. Like you got in line at a cafeteria and the lunch lady plopped them all on your plate. A bowl would have made a lot more sense, esp because one of the best parts of a burrito is having the flavors melt together. My partner was initially confused as the rice and guacamole looked the same. He thought he was about to eat a pound of guacamole.Even with the weirdness of the compositions, if it was high quality ingredients or fresh baked pita, and interesting flavors, we’d give it some love. But it really felt like they went to Trader Joe’s or Giant and just plopped things on a plate and charged us $22.Coffee was burnt (ordered black, then had to cut it with cream and sugar). Cappuccino was fine, on par with a typical coffee shop.Service was also rushed and a little rude. The guy visibly rolled his eyes when I asked him about the 3 different kinds of potato sides on the menu with all similar names. They clearly get a lot of volume and try to turn you over as fast as possible and are impatient. We were in and out in about 30 min even with eating slow. The food came out within 5 min of us ordering it. We still tipped well, we were still kind to the servers, especially one that presented as non-binary and was being joshed by the manager.Maybe it was an off day and I fully appreciate that people are working hard, but man, just a little effort in the food and patience with customers would go a long way, esp for those that are arriving before the rush.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Cafe La Maude in Philadelphia is a charming spot that blends French and Lebanese culinary traditions into a delightful brunch experience. With a 5-star rating, it’s praised for its flavorful and unique dishes, professional service, and the cozy ambiance that makes the wait worthwhile. The menu offers a mix of healthy options, and while the prices are a bit steep, the quality of the food is exceptional. It’s a place where you can enjoy a leisurely meal and feel the warmth of family history and culture in every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saumon Fume a Cheval, Sweet Potato Benny, Brisket, Parisian, Gaufre Chicken Cordon Bleu, Red Velvet Tiramisu Pancakes, Burrito, Fried Potatoes with Saffron Aioli
Cafe La Maude in Philadelphia is a charming spot that blends French and Lebanese culinary traditions into a delightful brunch experience. With a 5-star rating, it’s praised for its flavorful and unique dishes, professional service, and the cozy ambiance that makes the wait worthwhile. The menu offers a mix of healthy options, and while the prices are a bit steep, the quality of the food is exceptional. It’s a place where you can enjoy a leisurely meal and feel the warmth of family history and culture in every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saumon Fume a Cheval, Sweet Potato Benny, Brisket, Parisian, Gaufre Chicken Cordon Bleu, Red Velvet Tiramisu Pancakes, Burrito, Fried Potatoes with Saffron Aioli
The owner as definitely mastered the business aspect of monetizing well presented low cost carbs and minimizing high priced portions of meat optimized around $20 per meal. There is a true sense of creativity in an attempt to provide novel options from the red velvet pancakes to the shawarma platter. In many cases though it’s hard to see how some of the meals come into their own. The red velvet pancakes came with too much whipped cream muting the intrinsic flavor of the pancakes. The red shackshuka was very runny and the egg was uncooked in parts. These are nitpicks but it’s apparent the business is trying and the wonderful staff deserve some actionable feedback. Chai latte is also a must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Hands down the best brunch spot in the city!!! Any time i have a visitor come from out of town, this is the place I always take them. Best to come here on a weekday as the lines arent that long but weekend rush is pretty busy! Obviously because this place is awesome!! The vibes are like a French eatery. I have tried many things here and each dish is amazing! Cant go wrong with anything on the menu. I have had the baklava pancakes, the berrylicious pain perdu, the red shashuka, the shawarma, the foul moudamas, open face burrito, briskey huevos rancheros, mediterranean platter the poulet roti. All ARE GREAT the sweets and the savories!! Cannnot go wrong with brunch here .
Love this place. It’s a favorite for brunches. On weekends expect a wait - today we were told a 30 min wait but in reality it took maybe 15 mins. There’s a cute plant shop nearby you can browse while waiting.Shakshukas are both excellent. The petit steak is also delicious and hearty (they are pieces of steak mixed with potatoes, so don’t expect an actual steak). Salmon was also delicious and refreshing.Highly recommend for brunch in Philly. Some of the best brunch food I’ve had in the East Coast to be honest!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka, Saumon Fume a Cheval, Le Fou Steak Sandwich, Petit Steak, Red Shakshuka
This was our second time dining here and we always have a good time! The tables are pretty close to don't bring a large bag or anything. Also, be prepared with your whole party present when you arrive (tables free up unexpectedly). Bring cash, too, they appreciate it :)That aside, we were seated quicker than we were initially told, which was great! We placed our drink orders right away (I had an iced dirty chai and my boyfriend had a cup of coffee). We noticed it was busy, and we understand large parties delay other tables. The reason we gave it a 4-star for service, though, is because we waited almost 20 minutes after we received our drinks to place our food orders.This allowed us to talk (sort of, it was pretty loud (other patrons talking and one a few occasions a woman (or a few of them) cackled and scream-laughed, which made it really hard to hear and we were sitting right next to each other, (DEFINITELY NOT THE RESTAURANT'S FAULT)). Our waiter and the staff were kind and and light hearted though which was a plus for sure.The food came and it was exactly what we'd ordered and hoped for. The Baklawa pancakes are DELICIOUS! My boyfriend had the eggs Benny (and he said they were delicious! Note: he doesn't usually like eggs benedict).Everything else went smoothly. It really was just the really long wait to order and to get our food that was the reasoning (it's not their fault (I understand large parties of 6 people take a lot of attention)).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Baklawa Pancakes
Good food, service not bad. Wait times long on a weekday afternoon. Went inside to our table after a 40min wait to see a few empty tables inside.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Baklawa Pancakes
Outstanding restaurant, the service was wonderful for an Easter brunch with mom. First time here and I'm speechless. The food is amazingly good, delicate with a specials taste that leaves you wanting more and more. Presentation is top notch.
Restaurantji Recommends
My wife and I came here before a musical at the Kimmel center. She decided on it based off of good reviews found on Google and Yelp. We were not disappointed! Parking was a little tough but it didn’t take long to find a close spot. The neighborhood looked decent, unlike most other areas of the city where I feel like my car will be broken into for spare change.The lattes were delicious. They came to us hot, which can be hard to find surprisingly. I ordered the Shawarma, which came with steak, rice, pita, sweet potato fries, and scrambled eggs. She ordered the Entrecôte omelet. The potatoes were amazing. We also split an order of the Baklawa pancakes. Everything was delicious. The avocado tartar spread on my plate went so well with the rice and eggs. We would definitely like to come back here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Petit Steak, Baklawa Pancakes
My wife and I came here before a musical at the Kimmel center. She decided on it based off of good reviews found on Google and Yelp. We were not disappointed! Parking was a little tough but it didn't take long to find a close spot. The neighborhood looked decent, unlike most other areas of the city where I feel like my car will be broken into for spare change. The lattes were delicious. They came to us hot, which can be hard to find surprisingly. I ordered the Shawarma, which came with steak, rice, pita, sweet potato fries, and scrambled eggs. She ordered the Entrecôte omelet. The potatoes were amazing. We also split an order of the Baklawa pancakes. Everything was delicious. The avocado tartar spread on my plate went so well with the rice and eggs. We would definitely like to come back here!
Stopped by Cafe La Maude to meet up with a friend for brunch on a Sunday around 12pm and it was super busy, they had inside and the front heated & covered patio open for extra seating. We were told it was a 30-40 minute wait for 2, but ended up being seated in just 25 mins! Everything on the menu looked amazing and both our dishes were great, we ended up splitting. It's BYOB, so if you want mimosas be sure to pack bubbles yourself, but the coffee and hot chocolates here are great too. Service was quick, food came out fresh. Both our dishes we loved, but the green shakshouka was 100% our favorite! Next time we're here, we will also definitely be getting the pancakes, the table next to us ordered them and they looked incredible. Parking can be bit difficult, but we found free street parking within 3 blocks, and there are several paid lots you can reserve a spot in ahead of time as well if parallel parking isn't your thing.
Very tasty brunch in a homely yet quirky atmosphere, really wearing its French/Lebanese heritage on its sleeve. We ate really well for a good price, with a warm and friendly welcome. I went for the green shakshuka which I recommend, but it was a tough choice and looking around I would have been very happy with anything on the menu. Thanks and well done!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka
The shakshuka hit the spot! Very delicious
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Shakshuka