Cafe Square One

Fast service and friendly. The protein salad taste great and is large. Fresh ingredients that fill you up fast. Just be ready when they call your name. If you aren’t fast enough they repeat it ever half a second until you pick it up.

I had breakfast here while visiting Philly based on the good Unilocal reviews. I was not disappointed. My mother and I both had the breakfast burrito. If you are expecting a traditional burrito with some sauce you might eat with a fork and knife — this isn’t it. It’s really more of a wrap — no sauce, and you eat it with your hands. It was filled with eggs, some veggies, and your choice of meat. There is also a variety of tortilla flavors from which to choose — I had the spinach tortilla. The food was excellent! We saw someone order the oatmeal. It was topped with lots of fresh fruit and looked great!
I gave Square One four instead of five stars, since I was expecting more of a burrito and less of a wrap. Also, the ambience was more casual/​rustic coffee shop than restaurant. Go for the food, though — hopefully you won’t be disappointed.

Food and beverages — ⁵⁄₅: Their iced mocha was awesome and the smoothie was very refreshing. The food portions were humongous and affordable and really delicious! We had the California club sandwich and chicken pesto panini which were both very tasty.
Ambiance — 4.5÷5: Would love to have more seating, but it’s very cozy and there’s free wifi and lots of outlets hidden behind the long table off to the left.

I love the quaint artsy feel of this café. The food was freshly made and very good. The coffee was on point!

I wish I could give 4.5 stars because this cute little place was SO close to 5. The food was an awesome value. We (girlfriend and I) shared the Pear Salad and the California Chicken Sandwich. Both were very yummy. I preferred the pear salad because I’m a lazy eater, and the sandwich fell apart a little bit because there was SO much in it; that wasn’t a bad thing, I like big sandwiches!
I would have given a perfect 5 stars had the chicken been just a little more moist. It was cubed grilled chicken on the salad, and similar chicken on the sandwich, just in bigger chunks. Of course, this could have been a rare occurrence, but as this was my only time here, I had no other chicken experiences to base it on.

Met up with a friend for lunch around 1:00 on a Wednesday afternoon. It was a small place and we almost had a tough time spotting it. It was quaint inside and had a slightly modern feel, which we both liked. I think we got there right after the lunch rush because we didn’t have trouble nabbing a place to sit. The service was very friendly and quick! I ordered the protein bowl and it was excellent! LOVED the golden honey dressing that came on the side. My friend had the cubano panini and the tropical bliss smoothie. Both looked fantastic and he really seemed to enjoy both of them. Their menu has so many great sounding, reasonably priced options, can’t wait to go back!

Apple salad was excellent! No wonder there was a big crowd.

I come here for breakfast sandwiches all the time. I live in Fishtown and ride my bike to Old City for work, and I’ve tried every breakfast spot in between. These guys are the best — the eggs are fresh and the prices are really competitive! The people working there are lovely too.

As I had wanted to do prior, I tried this place again. I went in and ordered a Cobb salad. And as I had hoped, it was perfect. The chicken was flavorful, and the bacon was crispy. The avocado perfectly ripe. It was a textbook Cobb salad. The customer service and the food, quality and taste, exceeded my expectations. This is now my go to place for lunch in my neighborhood. I will definitely be returning again to try other items on the menu. Highly recommend!

Outstanding little sandwich and salad shop. I order from here at least once a week as I work in the area. I highly recommend the apple salad or the protein bowl. If you’re hankering for a sandwich, the California chicken is awesome. I’m still going through the menu — daring them to feed me something I won’t like.
It can get busy during prime lunch hour, but it’s worth the 5 – 10 minute wait for your order.

Great food and drinks. I think the café could use a little upkeep. The benches on the side of the café are quite uncomfortable. I ordered a California Chicken and a tea. My boyfriend got a pepperoni melt and loved it. He also loved the London Fog latte.

This is my second time here and I will be back. The service is fast and the food I’ve tried has been delicious.

Seems like a neighborhood favorite and if this was my neighborhood I’d be there every morning! The staff is so kind and caring, ready to help and serve up your order quickly.
I can’t say enough how warm and inviting they made me feel each morning (went 3 mornings in a row while in town).
Good coffee and a plentiful selection of sandwiches and other breakfast items.
If you sit at the window seat during warm days and the windows are open you’ll have the perfect people watching perch.
I miss Philly in general but I miss this place especially!

Great options for both food and beverages! Searched for a quick bite after touring Historical Philadelphia. Saw the great Unilocal reviews and I’m so glad we checked it out! Great service and helpful when indecisive between the many yummy options. Will definitely come back if we are in the area again :)
Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal to get 15% off!

Hole in the wall… or should I say Gem in the wall. I remember walking by this place and was like, uhhh, they serve sushi and burritos. I’m In! When you walk into the café, it gives off a hipstery feel and it delivers that as well. If you look at the menu, there were sandwiches, sushi, burritos, salads, smoothies, etc, etc. So no matter what you are in the mood for, you will find it here. I can guarantee that.
I got the Sushi combo 1 (spicy tuna roll, avocado, and shrimp tempura) with a miso soup. My buddy got the Sushi combo 3 (philly roll, salmon avocado, and salmon roll) with a salad. His salad came out first and it looked amazing (actually had spinach instead of romaine lettuce). This is the great part, I asked the waitress and she changed my miso soup to a salad! That was pretty awesome. As for the sushi, mine was pretty good. I can’t say the same for my friend’s as the fish was cooked, which was weird.
Definitely recommend and I would come visit again when I’m in Old Town.

I’ve been looking for an all-​purpose eatery for a while, and I think I’ve found it in Café Square One. Salads, sandwiches, and even sushi are available, plus a few snacks and pastries. La Colombe coffee and smoothies are served, too.
All of the food I’ve had is good here – the sushi is very fresh and the sandwiches are all made to order. Definitely try the SQ Melt – it’s a loaded three-​cheese grilled cheese with tomato, avocado, and bacon. Plus it’s only $ 6.75, which is a low price for an Old City sandwich.
Free Wifi is an added bonus, and there is a surprisingly large amount of seating for such a small place. However, the bathroom is out of order indefinitely, so you won’t be able to sit here and drink coffee all day.
My biggest complaint is that the menu in store is a little confusing – the sandwiches are listed with their base price, which is good, but some of the extra ingredients (like a fried egg on the Baconator) is misleadingly listed as being part of the sandwich, when one actually has to ask to add it on, for an extra price. Some clarification would be helpful.

I have honestly been so obsessed with this place. This is my favorite café. The food is amazing and the service is impeccable. I live far from Olde City, but cravings really do kick in and gets the best of me. Spicy Philly is honestly the best panini I’ve ever had.
On my last visit here, my friend ordered a chicken pesto panini and the chicken was a little under cooked. One of the workers/​managers there offered to make her a new one. After doing so, he personally brings it to our table and then takes out his wallet and leaves cash on the table and insisted that the panini would be on him. After accepting the cash, another worker comes over with a plate of sushi (Bali Paradise). He told us that that was on the house. We refused to take it and they insisted. I have never encountered customer service this great.
They are an honest business and respects their customers.

You know when someone tries to do so many things that they can’t really do any of them well? That’s exactly how I feel about Café Square One.
Their menu is super extensive and they boast that you can pretty much make any accommodation you wish, which is nice for those picky souls. I’ve had an array of items here from salads to bagels and I wasn’t very impressed with any of them. Service is friendly, but very slow, even when you’re the only customer.
The smoothies are a solid 4-​stars though and I will certainly return for those.

Wife and I needed a fresh, take out breakfast on the last morning of our trip and thanks to Unilocal,we discovered Café Square One. This place is great! It’s quiet, roomy, and its located a block or two from Independence Hall.
She had a hazelnut latte with an egg, cheese and sausage bagel sandwich, i had a hazelnut drip coffee and the breakfast burrito. Both were amazing! Although, being from southern California, i gotta say, the burrito needed salsa! Still, the food was fresh and tasty and the lunch menu looked even better!
If you ever find yourself in the area, i’d highly suggest the Café Square One to get your morning or afternoon started off right!

Oh my~lanta…YUM! First time eating here in The City of Brotherly Love so I Unilocaled it. Thank you Unilocalers for the guide! This quaint little sandwich place is amazing ~ great choice of salads and sandwiches too. I ordered the Jewish Hoagie… corn beef, roast beef, turkey and swiss cheese. They were out of hoagie buns so suggested focaccia bread. Great choice! Lettuce, tomato onion and Russian dressing was a great combination. The fact that my sandwich didn’t have the swiss cheese (not my choice) didn’t matter to me ~ it was delicious!
My husband had the Turkey Hummus Wrap and totally got wrapped into it! Said it was really good.
We rounded out our lunch with a Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar muffin :)