Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar

Do you, often, hit First Friday galleries?
Do you, sometimes, dream of a very creamy, very luxurious Lobster-​Mac-​n-​Cheese?
Do you, occasionally, crave some shredded fries with Chinese mustard sauce twist?
You’re not alone.
So do the right thing, and go to Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar.
I’ve eaten here several times, and so should you! I’ve never been disappointed.
Three and Half Unilocal

We are in town for a convention and this was suggested as a place with some local appeal. We generally don’t expect much in these situations but we were so, so pleased with not only the service and friendliness of the staff but with the incredible food.
We had the chicken dumplings which were served in a steamer basket with shredded carrots and a nice ginger/​soy sauce. There are only four in the order so you may want more if you have a larger party.
Our meal consisted of the burger which was suggested by the staff and the greek salad with chicken. The burger almost appeared to be an after thought on the menu as everything else had more flair to it but don’t be fooled! This was truly one of the very best burgers I have had including those at Mortons and Capital Grille. To top it off, the fries were fantastic.
The salad was very will done with a large piece of chicken and plenty of greens. In fact, it could have been shared by two people as we had a bit left over even after sharing. Wonderful dressing and a nice balance of flavors.
While there were several interesting items on the desert menu, we opted for the Grasshopper hoping that this wouldn’t be the usual brownie with a slab of ice cream. Again, we were more than pleased with the smaller portion, homemade (hot) brownie and fantastic ice cream. It was the perfect finish to the entire meal.
Don’t be fooled by the somewhat pedestrian sound of the meal. They did a fantastic job using high-​end ingredients, lots of care and perfect preparations. Great work!

You can’t go wrong here. I had dinner here most recently with a group of six. Everyone raved about how much they enjoyed their meals.

Came here specifically to eat breakfast today outside. I ordered the kale and mushroom omelette which was good. However the portion was very small and was served with only one slice of toast.
Regarding service, it was terrible. I sat at a dirty table. The other server (mine was Lauren) cleaned the other customers’ tables but not mine. I had to continually ask for service (eg. More coffee, syracha sauce, toast). Essentially I was ignored.
Will think next time before coming here.

The place was quite crowded, but overall the service and the food were pretty good.

Fantastic. Lively and energetic clientele. The Dodd was fantastic. I loved the Brussel sprouts

Great cocktails, love the décor and the service is great too. Olives everywhere, love it.

Love this place! Had the pad Thai with lump crab meat. The service and management was great and they are very dog friendly:) definitely going here again and this is a great stop if you are hitting the clubs and bars after!

The Brussels sprouts were great. Everything we ordered was very good. We ate it so fast I didn’t have time to take a photo. The just have is their bridled octopus. Trust me you will love it. Best I’ve ever had!
The cocktails were good. Nothing special but you won’t be disappointed.

Although still a Philly favorite of mine and has been for years — I was a bit disappointed with my latest trip to this Continental.
We were seated almost immediately but maybe a little too quickly because the table was soaked after being cleared. Not sure if I’m being a snob but I don’t think it’s a good idea to seat diners at a wet table… We really could’ve waited but instead, I rolled up my sleeves, asked for napkins and went to work. Had to wipe down menus and er’thang. The job got done but was bit ridiculous, honestly.
Bad job, Ms. Hostess.
Anyhoo — The stars are all for food; I can’t always remember the slight differences in the menu from the Midtown location but I still had my Lobster Mac and other favorites. No kofta though. Womp. I did notice the Mac was light on the salt and I wonder if someone complained because Continental tends to be a pinch too heavy with it. It’s easier to add more salt, if you ask me so I didn’t really mind.
Disappointments were really with service. I wondered if they were bored because a couple busboys kept coming around and around asking if we wanted our plates taken away. What if I wanna savor the last 3 edamame and stretch it out over the next 40 minutes?! Let me be, bruh!
Of course I’ll be back, food is always good and reliable, and that tall grey haired man is still there sooo… No brainer.

I’ve gone for brunch with my boyfriend before. It’s the perfect blend of casual (we can go in sweatshirts) but upscale in that the service is great and food is better than take out.
I always get the Eggs Benedict, he always gets an omelette. Both are good, nothing out of the ordinary though. Portions are on the smaller size but that is probably a good thing. Coffee cures my hangovers.
*I wish this location had a rooftop like the center city one does! It’s crazy to me that it is only one level when they have the space above to build (Revolution House across the street did it!)

Not quite sure what to rate this – the last minute has been alternating between 3 and 4 stars over and over again. So, will settle on 3, but this is a 3.5 star rating.
Many things about the restaurant were very good – the first half of my rad na was delicious, then I realized the second half of my huge bowl was lettuce! Should’ve stirred the bowl around! And the flavors in my boyfriend’s cheesesteak dish were so interesting. Now that I’m on the bus back to NYC, I’m sure thinking fondly of that Philly cheesesteak taste…
My other friend’s salad was huge for the price –but mostly all romaine lettuce. Our other friend was the most disappointed in his dish– 4 tiny raviolis came out for an «entrée». The shoestring fries that he ordered also took an hour to come, while we watched many other tables receive theirs before we did. They didn’t charge us for it though – mistake or not, we couldn’t tell. Shoestring fries were actually my least favorite dish – nothing really special about crispy potatoes.
The waiter wouldn’t accept my interim ID – isn’t this a common thing that normal people do? When you go renew your license, the OFFICIAL State DMV gives you an interim paper license so that you can still DRIVE and VOTE and do many other legal things, while you wait for your permanent ID to come. Apparently, you can’t drink with it though. Wasn’t super sad about missing out on the drinks, but it’s the principle of the whole thing… use some common sense, people.

What’s not to love about this classic spot — cool vibes, great food, and an attentive staff. I was just there this past weekend and the server was wonderful. I prefer this location in comparison to the one in midtown because this is the only location that makes my favorite — The Cucumber Mojito Martini. Although out of season, it is the best martini I have ever had and will gladly drink it even in 20 degree weather.

My party of 2 came in on a Friday night without a reservation and were seated promptly which I appreciated. The servers were attentive and pleasant. The shoestring fries with mustard sauce are delicious and definitely worth the price (it’s a huge mound of fries). They’re not the most attractive food to eat when on a date but they tasted so good, it didn’t really matter. We also ordered the Korean pork tacos which had a bit of a kick to them. I wish the ratio of filling/​meat to tortilla was a bit higher, since it felt like most of my bites were overwhelmingly tortilla. Finally, we ordered the French onion soup dumpling out of pure curiousity and they were surprisingly really good. The texture was a little chewy and not quite what we were expecting, but the flavor was definitely there. Overall, a good meal if you’re in the area and want a more intimate/​dimly lit dining experience!

There are 2 locations in Philadelphia. The center city one is much bigger and has a rooftop, but this is a great chill spot for brunch and more lowkey drinks.
If you haven’t been to either location, its pretty much comfort foods with a slight twist, embodied by the cheesesteak egg rolls and lobster mac and cheese. Very simple overall and can generally be apprecaited by almost anyone.

Came here for brunch on New Years day as it was the only place open at 10am and had some semblance of life.
The service was fine. We were seated immediately and the waiter came over to take our order. Standard stuff. Nothing to report.
On the other hand, the food was mediocre at best. There was nothing special about the omelette or eggs Benedict, although perhaps I shouldn’t have expected much from a diner.

The Big Bang was just what a New Years Brunch should be like. Everything was cooked perfectly. We did not have to wait long for anything, and the service was prompt and friendly.

Sat at the bar on a sunday night with 2 other friends. Had the tuna tacos and brussel sprouts along with spicy margaritas. The service was excellant along with the drinks. Can’t wait to return!

Okay, Stephen Starr’s Continental has been here for «ages» but I never went before today (despite fact that I live within walking distance). A generous friend gave me a gift card for Starr Restauranhts an we decided to use it today for lunch. What a dissapointment.
Menu not large and no «specials». Chicken sandwich — on another table looked boring.
NOTHING on menu under $ 12.00. The waiter was sort of laid back and not very attentive. There was nothing on the menu that said what things came with. I looked at the «fried shrimp and calimara» $ 12.50 and asked waiter if it came with anything else on plate (this was an entrée, not an appitizer) and he said «just aoli». So I ordered that plus a side of fries ($ 3.50). My dining partner ordered the «chop Salad: which was listed as including chunks of tuna ($ 12.50).
So my calimari and shrimp arrived. The calimari was tasty but the shrimp were less than small. I mean miniscule. mostly bread crust. The fries were crisp and good.
With the chop salad there were 3 – 4 cubes of tuna, mixed greens — but no lettuce — three green beans 6 HOT peppers (never listed on the menu) and LOTS (I mean LOTS!) of chic peas.
We both asked if bread came with either and the waiter just replied „no“. No offer of bringing some. The bill was $ 30 for the three items (salad, shrimpand calimari, fries) and we were still hungry and left. As I was leaving I saw a person with a sandwick and a bowl of salad that was about 50% the size of the chop salad. It looked good. I asked what it was and they said it was the chicken sandwich. I said I didn’t see a „side salad“ as an option on the menu. The bartebder then said» All sandwiches come with a salad or fries included”. IT’S NOT on the menu and the waiter never told us the option — or we might have had a better experience.
I know Starr Restaurants are pricey but I expect good service and decent portions. And atrmosphere. At lunch the Continental had less ambiance than a Midtown Diner,
I doubt we will ever return based on today’s experience.

Y’know, I’ve been to this place SO many times, it hadn’t occurred to me that I never Unilocaled it.
The Continental is probably Old City’s most consistent and reliable go-​to place any day of the week. Often Im in the area after a movie at the Ritz (damn, I don’t think I ever gave the Ritz a shout out either, and their great!) and most places are either loud bars or restaurants that close their kitchen at 10 (weeknights).
Some thoughts: it’s a martini bar (according to the title here and that cool-​ass sign Starr was smart enough to have kept atop the entrance) and yet there’s no martini’s on the menu! The drinks though, are very good there and Ive loved the cocktail list every visit. When I say «love» I mean in a platonic way, I swear.
NEVER MISS DISH: the fried calamari tossed salad is a rather large and low priced dish that works as an entrée, easily. It’s always perfectly prepared and there’s like lettuce in there so the greens make you feel healthy enough to say yes to that second cocktail.
Service: It’s a Steven Starr restaurant, so duh. I know it’s past that point where all the cook kids roll their eyes at the idea of eating at a Starr restaurant for fear of losing their «foodie» membership card, but that’s silly. Old city has some spots but it’s not a great area for restaurants and the continental is a solid safe bet to be very good.

Straight to the point
Food:
— Szechuan Fries is a heaping amount to share with a group of people. It tastes literally like potato chips but would not order again. Its pricey because I felt like I paid $ 8.50 for one whole potatoe to be shredded, deep fried and dressed with sauce.
–Shrimp Po Boy & Baja Fish Tacos were flavorful and actually fulfilling for 2 people. Served tapa style so it was expected to be small portions as stated on menu but balanced made up for the amt of meat given.
Customer service:
First contact with the host was just just ehh, no smile, or warmth upon entering. After we received our food no one came to ask us how was the food but people who got seated after us (right behind me) was asked several times.
Overall I would not have this place in mind if I had to figure out where to eat.

FRENCH ONION SOUP DUMPLINGS $ 10 (⁵⁄₅ NOMs)
Its east meets west with a touch of American for lunch with French Onion Soup Dumplings. This sounded so good on the menu that we just had to order this very strange combination. Its exactly as it sounds, crispy dumplings filled with french onion soup. The combination of different flavors and texture made this one very excellent dish. There was even plenty of cheese that we always so happy to see in French Onion Soups. This is a perfect fusion dish that takes the best of all and creates a unique nomnom experience. Forks down one of the best dishes we had at this restaurant.
CRIPSY BRUSSELS SPROUTS TAPAS $ 11 (³⁄₅ NOMs)
Get crispy for your small plate tapas lunch with Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Nothing small about this dish with enough to share with several friends. Nice and crispy brussels sprouts in every bite. On their own the brussels sprouts tasted very well seasoned with a nice crispy crunch to them, but with the white sauce something was off. Couldn’t decide if it was a good or bad flavor which could mean that it didn’t match well with the rest of the dish. Still a good dish we enjoyed as long as we avoided the sauce.
THAI CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS TAPAS $ 13 (⁵⁄₅ NOMs)
Wrap up your chicken for tapas lunch. One of our favorite dishes form the road trip from DC to Philly. Its make your own bites kind of a meal with lettuce instead of bread or tortilla. Does that mean its a lot healthier? We would like to believe so, plus it tasted so much better. With nice and light lettuce wrap you can enjoy all the flavors of Thai chicken and veggie mix. It was a fun dish dish where you make your own wrap and add as much sauce as you want. The dish comes with a spicy sauce so you can add a nice kick to it. Though you don’t really need the sauce since everything is seasoned so well and full of flavor and soft texture. Portion is very large compared to what you would expect at tapas place, so its defiantly worth sharing with a few friends.
The thing about this dish is that it took 30 minutes apart from the dish before. When we asked the waitress when our last dish was coming we got a bit of attitude and saying that dish will get to us when it gets done. Luckily the manager came out to us and brought us the dish free off charge. Its always good when restaurant realizes their mistake, apologizes and make up for it. Hence it has all the NOMs.

Really fun menu, it was hard to choose. The waitress couldn’t have been more helpful. Only wanted a light dinner and the tuna tartare in a jicama «taco» was tasty, delicious pad Thai, fresh veggies and really delicious cocktails.

YUM. I love not only the food, but especially the look and vibe of the place. This is the oldest restaurant in Philly and wow is it good!
My friend and I came here on a week night for a low key meal and some good conversation and it was perfect. It wasn’t too loud but had a fun, vintage vibe and the dishes were amazing.
We ordered the crab spring rolls, spinach ravioli, and the cheesesteak egg rolls. All were DELICIOUS but I have to say my favorite was the cheesesteak egg rolls. Especially the hot peppers that come with it — I asked for extra because each bite of the roll tastes delicious with a bite of the peppers if you love spicy foods like I do.
My only qualm is it is a tad bit expensive so I wouldn’t really be able to come here often as I am a student and could find similar (but probably not as good) cuisine for a bit cheaper.
I would highly recommend this place, especially for a date or out-​of-​owners. It is in the perfect location and could be accompanied by a nice stroll around Old City before or after.

The restaurant has a nice location and style, but the overall experience wasn’t a pleasant experience. The dinning room was freezing cold, not only did my girlfriend complained but also the party of 6 behind us.
We ordered the quesadilla and the fish tacos. The quesadilla was good. However, the fish tacos were also good but SUPER tiny, I have never seen a tortilla that small from my experience dinning out. It was almost the size of a lemon, not kidding (I will uploaded a photo). I told the waiter very politely about the matter and she actually admited having the same complaints on previous ocasions!
We decided we didnt wanted to continue eating there because of the small dishes so we ended having entrees somewhere else.

This place was nice. I met up with a friend of mine from childhood and she highly recommended thus place. Everything on the menu looks great. I ordered the continetial salad with chicken which was excellent. The prices are in the moderate range. The staff are super nice.and.friendly. it’s a decent place for. kids too, which is good. It was
hit.up this place for something different then a cheese steak for a. change of. pace :~)

This is the original Continental, one of the restaurants that kicked off the booming restaurant scene in this city. A great spot for brunch, lunch or dinner. It’s a shareable plates restaurant. You can sit inside or outside. I’ve never had a bad meal here but the standouts are the eggs Benedict, the burger (pat la frieda special blend), the cheesesteak eggrolls (best in city), the French fries, and the shrimp & calamari.
Since I live nearby it’s a great spot for happy hour after work. They have a bunch of drink specials and discounted appetizers. You can come here at any time and have a great time.

Love this place for a kitschy deco, cocktail menu, friendly staff and interesting food.
Stopped in for lunch and were able to get a seat although place was pretty busy for a summer Monday. Sometimes I’ve been here at happy hour and the place is jammed and hard to get into so this was a treat to get a seat right away!
Deco is mid-​century, atomic age, martini bar. If that makes any sense. With booths along the window overlooking 2^nd Street, tables in the middle and a diner counter along the opposite wall. There is also a back area with more rooms which are a bit darker and swankier.
Ordered the caprese sandwich which was served on a cheesy toasted chiabatta bread and the veggie «cheese-​steak» which was portobello mushrooms, peppers, onions and provolone on a toasted hoagie roll. both were tasty!
We didn’t go for one of their interesting cocktails and instead opted for beers and were a bit sad to find out some beers on the list weren’t available. This is definitely one of my pet peeves when a beer list isn’t updates so people, get on this… Selection was excellent though for the ones they did have but of course our first choice was no longer available…
Services was pleasant and available and food came out quick. One thing to note it’s a bit of a quirky menu with things like cheese-​steak egg rolls and ramen noodles so I wouldn’t take grandma here nor might you have a full meal here. Think of it more like tapas. Really odd tapsa but tapas nonetheless.
Overall a fun place to stop in for a drink, a bite and a fun time.

It was Mother’s Day and we were looking for a place to have brunch. Most of the places nearby were closed (not open til 10:30 or so), and we stopped here.
We sat at the bar because most of the tables were reserved. The bartender was awesome, he was attentive but not pushy and we were really happy with the service. The food was good– I had the Turkey sausage, arugula, mushroom and provolone omelette (added jalepenos). My husband had the Eggs Benedict, which was definitely better than mine (so much better that I had to steal a few bites).
The desserts were awesome, too. We had the peanut butter tart and also the Blondie. So. Delicious.
Mimosa was strong and I’m glad we decided to try this place!

Came here for lunch on a Friday, sat outside. Got the Big Daddy Mack (veggie burger) with a side salad. The Mack was actually very tasty, and the bun had a perfect crunch. The side salad was pretty good as well (lettuce, cucumbers, etc. with a nice helping of feta cheese).

This is a pretty good, reasonably priced restaurant that specializes in Asian fusion tapas. But, it’s a weird place. The décor reminded me of a diner with a long counter in the front seating area and neon lights in the hallway. We were escorted to the back room which was donned in leather couches and leather walls. Very odd.
Thankfully, the food was more well thought out than the interior design. The menu had «snacks», «smalls», «bigs», and «salads». We ordered a number of items:
*Szechuan fries topped with Chinese mustard sauce: ⁴⁄₅ — needed something sweet to balance the spiciness and monotony of the mustard
*Thai chicken lettuce wraps: ⁴⁄₅ — good flavor but nothing too inventive
*Grilled octopus with spinach, Greek herb vinaigrette and pita bread: ⁴⁄₅ — great flavor and the octopus-​soaked warm pita bread was divine
*Seared diver scallops with corn purée
*Lobster mac ‘n cheese: ³⁄₅ — rather bland
*Rad Na — chow fun noodles, peanut, chicken, over crisp romaine: ⁴⁄₅ — reminded me of a mix between pad thai and a salad
*The Grasshopper — fudge brownie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce: ⁴⁄₅ — nice, gooey brownie with fresh minty ice cream
*Chocolate peanut butter tart — chocolate sable tart, peanut butter mousse, chocolate gelato: ⁵⁄₅ — decadent
The dishes were presented nicely, particularly the mile high fries with enough mustard on top to really clean out your sinuses, and although nothing was absolutely incredible, individually, they could stand on their own as nice appetizers, tapas, or entrees. But, the menu offerings were weird to me. Although this place was billed as an Asian tapas place, the menu was a little all over the place. I just didn’t get it but maybe it’s just me.

I’ve been to this chain a few times already including the locations in atlantic city, center city, and this one in olde city. I’ve been to this location 2 times and both were for dinner. First time I came here for dinner, I ordered the seared tuna, which I found to be not too bad. My date had some steak dish, which was just ok, nothing impressive about it. The drinks here I should comment are worth the money because they don’t skimp you on the alcohol.
The second time I came here, we started with the dumplings and scallops. The dumplings were not at all tasty, the sauce was a little on the sour side for my taste. I personally don’t like scallops, my date loves it. I gave it a taste and it was meh; however the sauce that came with it was flavorful. We moved on to ordering the string fries which I found to be weird. Whoever came up with this dish did not stop to think how messy it would be to eat it. It was literally a pile of fries shredded in strings. The manager came around and asked us if we liked our food, we mentioned that we didn’t like the fries so he did take it away and replaced it with another dish without charging us for the fries. A+ for the service and accommodation to make you happy. Of note for this place is the tuna tacos. This dish was the best of the night (raw tuna with a type of vegetable as the «tortilla»). It is a cold dish, came with marinated tomatoes in balsamic vinaigrette. I must mention that the tomatoes were SO DELICIOUS. I LOVED IT, we actually replaced the messy fries with another dish of tuna tacos. Turned out that I ate most of the tomatoes on this dish as my date was complaining that he only got one of them on the second time around (YIKES!) LOL.
Overall, this restaurant is just an OK restaurant compared to the availability offered in Philadelphia. This restaurant is pretty big in size tho, so the one positive thing is you probably never really have to wait for seating here.

Das Essen war sehr gut. Die cheese-​steaks sind absolut zu empfehlen, scheint né Spezialität in Philly zu sein. Freundliche Bedienung.
Zu empfehlen…