Located in Philadelphia’s charming Old City just a short SEPTA ride away, Eggcellent Café offers is an Asian–owned casual brunch and breakfast spot that offers up fresh yet decadent bites every day of the week. Founded in late 2019 by Daniel Anggrianto, Eggcellent Café has quickly become a popular spot for brunch for good reason.
Surrounded by other small shops and cafés, Eggcellent’s bright, egg–yolk–yellow door immediately stood out as I made my way down the street. The restaurant was busy and bustling during Sunday brunch, with a short wait time for a table when we first arrived.
The restaurant itself is small, with tightly packed tables in a single room. It didn’t feel crowded, though, as large windows illuminated the space. Inside, the minimalist, rustic decor is interspersed with cheery splashes of yellow, reflecting the playful nature of Eggcellent Café’s pun–titled brunch offerings, such as the "Eggspectation" brunch bowl or the "Eggsplosion" burger. Wood–paneled floors and walls, hanging lights, and lush green plants add to the restaurant’s welcoming aesthetic.
Eggcellent Café emphasizes its commitment to providing customers with healthy brunch options that are affordable and high quality. According to their website, the café strives to “provide customers with an exciting and very different dining experience than what they can find anywhere else.”
It took a moment for a waiter to come over to our table, but an extensive food menu and a separate beverage menu was soon placed before us. Their beverage menu included unique coffee drinks, tea lattes, organic smoothies, and a selection of special Korean teas such as the citron yuzu herbal tea. Despite the diverse and creative assortment of ingredients, ranging from tricolor quinoa to house–made basil pesto, everything was under $15.
We ordered the Clucker Benny, an Eggs Benedict dish that swapped out the typical Canadian bacon for fried chicken, and the Maple Almond Granola Bowl that had fresh fruit, yogurt, and crisp granola. The food came quickly, and was arranged carefully with clear attention to aesthetics.
To put it simply, the Clucker Benny was delectable. It was plated similarly to most traditional Eggs Benedict dishes, just with fried chicken—two unbroken poached eggs with creamy hollandaise sauce placed over crispy fried chicken and perfectly toasted English muffins. Breaking the egg and seeing a yolk cooked to runny perfection was extremely satisfying to watch and taste. The mouthwatering fried chicken paired well with the rich hollandaise sauce and soft poached egg, and the side of breakfast potatoes were crisp and seasoned to perfection. Just for $13, it was a sizable enough portion that I could easily share it with another person.
The Maple Almond Granola Bowl was good as well, but didn’t stand out as much. It was plated beautifully, with hearty granola on one side and strawberries, blueberries, and banana on the other, all over a tart, creamy yogurt. The strawberries and blueberries were deliciously fresh and the granola was a nice mix of sweet and salty, but there were certainly more standout sweet options on the menu, such as the Berry Cheesecake French Toast that I would have liked to try in retrospect. It was also a small portion, serving as more of a light appetizer than an item you would order as a fulfilling meal.
All in all, I would be happy to visit Eggcellent Café again, especially as the sheer volume of menu items ensures a different experience each time. If you're looking for recommendations, order anything that has eggs—after all, they're Eggcellent's namesake. The good service, fresh ingredients, cozy atmosphere, and low prices solidify it as a brunch restaurant with a lot of potential to be a regularly visited spot. If you’re looking for a casual dining experience that still has fun and interesting twists on basic brunch options, set a date to go to Eggcellent Café sometime soon.
TL;DR: Visit Eggcellent Café for healthy, affordable, and aesthetically pleasing brunch.
Location: 113 Chestnut St.
Hours: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. every day
Price: $
