Marathon

Grilled Salmon with Asparagus & Mashed Potatoes exquisitely prepared!

Really disappointed. I’ve been to the Marathon at 18/​Spruce and had excellent service, drinks and food. Thought that would transfer to this location — not at all.
To sum it up, our server was extremely energetic, but not in a good way. More like a frantic energy. I was there to enjoy a few drinks and dinner with a friend who was visiting (AKA looking to spend money AKA you will get a larger tip if you let us stay longer) and we were rushed out. Server brought boxes for food we were still eating, without asking if we wanted them. A few minutes later he physically put the food in the boxes at the tableside while mumbling something like «I don’t like food sitting on the table.» …we didn’t even want to take it home. Next, when we said we were having another friend join for another round or two of drinks he told us we couldn’t stay at the booth we were at and we needed to go to the bar. What? I point blank asked him if he was kicking us out of the booth and he said «yes!» energetically. There was no one waiting for tables and there were numerous open tables/​booths around the restaurant. I felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to leave immediately. Our friend joined after all this happened, and when the server came over to ask if they wanted a drink, he seemed surprised when we told him we were just going to leave. YOU LITERALLY just told us we couldn’t sit at this table any longer! We then left.
I worked in restaurants for a long time and I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to restaurant service. I was not pleased at all during this visit.
On another note, the food was not that great.

Excellent choice for wholesome inexpensive meal in Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square. Great value, wide variety of menu choices. Nice atmosphere. Will be back on my next visit to Philly.

This place was packed when we arrived with friends for a Sunday brunch in early January. Obviously a popular place so we had a short wait in the wings for our table for four.
The brunch menu is filled with lots of egg dishes, salads and other mainstream choices. My choice of a egg, spinach and cheese quesadilla was an excellent pick. Four hearty wedge pieces from the tortilla were stuffed. Using the salsa and sour cream added a lot to the food. A nice rich brewed coffee was served. So I could have lingered here through the afternoon.
My table mates enjoyed salads, quiche, pancakes and other breakfast fare. We all added a few pounds and so a Philly walk was ordered.
Maybe a little noisy here. Really only gripe. But service was great and considering locale, not pricey.

The food was decent… But we got rushed out on NYE at 1030 when the place was supposed to be open til 11. The people are rude. I know u wanna leave and enjoy your NYE but this is your job. And the fact I spent 150 dollars is disappointing

I went here for breakfast and it was definitely satisfying. I got the eggs Benedict, the portion was large but I tasted a little burntness. Not sure if it was normal or not so I just finished it, at least I didn’t get sick so it was all good. The Matzoh Ball soup was delicious, if only it was hotter. The food was good, portions were perfect, and the service was in point.

Came here today (a Saturday) for a brunch date. I’m sorry to say I didn’t have the best experience. The place was packed! My date and I were seated fairly quickly as we were only 2 people but there were bigger parties that were still waiting to get seated. The restaurant was just way too crowded and it was SUPER loud and cramped. Seriously, I would not recommend coming here because it was impossible to have a conversation with the amount of noise in the restaurant. I felt like I had to yell over the table to be heard.
My date and I both got burgers. I do give the restaurant credit for taking our orders and bring the food quickly. The only problem was the food wasn’t very good. The food LOOKS great (I even looked around at what other people got and their plates looked impressive) but my food didn’t TASTE good at all. My burger had like literally no flavor or seasonings so the meat tasted like cardboard. The food items here were like diner food but a more healthy/​gourmet/​messed up version of diner food. Diner food should not be healthy.
On top of that I had to go to the bathroom and there were only two co-​ed single occupancy toilets. No doubt, there was a line to use the bathroom. The toilet also did not flush well. Talk about bathroom anxiety! What if I clogged one of only two toilets for the line of people waiting? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
Ick, I’m not coming back here again. Prices were reasonable but why bother when there are so many better brunch and lunch places with better food and better atmosphere?
Update: I took what’s left of my burger home and heated it up later. I usually love leftovers because I find the flavor settles in more, but it did not happen with the burger. It still tasted like cardboard.

I was in town for a conference, and a friend and stumbled upon this place during out limited lunch break. Despite it being the weekend, crowded, and busy with a line out the door, the staff was able to accommodate us. We were sat near instantly, our waitress was very prompt in getting our order put in, and food was served within 15 minutes.
The food was great! I’m a sucker for all day breakfast, and they had all day breakfast. Love it. The atmosphere and décor were cool and laid back. Prices were very appropriate.
Overall, I was very impressed with this place, especially their service. Thanks for making sure we got back in time!

My fiancé and I were recommended to this restaurant by the gentleman working in our hotel. Overall, we had a good experience and the food was excellent. I would definitely go back if I were to be in the area.
The pros:
–We were greeted by the friendly hostess.
–The food was excellent. My fiancé ordered the eggs Benedict and I ordered the bacon, Swiss, & tomato omelette.
–The food came out fairly fast for the amount of people in the restaurant.
–Their menu offers a variety and the prices are fairly reasonable.
The cons:
–The service was extremely slow. It took about 5 – 10 minutes to be greeted.

The restaurant is okay. Came here with a group on the school’s wallet, so I can’t comment on how much the food was. It seemed fairly reasonable. Nothing was all that memorable, service and portions were decent. It’s a bit removed from the group of restaurants by Rittenhouse, so it’s a bit unfortunate that it has a mediocre location.
I do want to note that the banana bread pudding for dessert was very delicious! Would order that again if I ever come back!

I’ll start with the good stuff. The stuffed french toast and blueberry pancakes were scrumptious! The vegetarian chili was also really good and was a nice size. Unfortunately, the preceding facts are pretty much the only redeeming qualities about the restaurant.
The service was slow and our server avoided eye contact with us unless he was already heading to us. The regular scrambled eggs, tofu. scramble, philly cheesesteak style eggs, and potatoes were all very underwhelming. meh.

Came here for brunch with my sister the other day and I was pleasantly surprised! I had only been to the marathon location on market so I didn’t know if I should expect the same. We were pleased to walk in around 10:30 without a wait for a table for brunch. After perusing the menu and swearing we’d get everything because we were hungry, we started off with the fresh brewed ice teas. They were good and well priced!
For my entrée I ordered the salmon, tomato, and goat cheese omelette with a side of turkey sausage. The turkey sausage was bomb. Seriously delicious — I would order 5 sides of that if I could. I really liked my omelette too, although I thought it was a little heavy on the goat cheese. However, the salmon was fresh and the tomatoes were cooked well! I was hoping the home fries that came with my omelette would be a little crispier, but they were soft on the inside and seasoned well! I would recommend for an impromptu brunch spot in center city!

Really don’t go here. The city of Philadelphia produces some of the best food in nation and there are hundreds of restaurants in center city so just skip this one.
Ordered a Bloody Mary and a burger — think it was a relative easy order that shouldn’t get messed up. Wait a long time for the Bloody Mary only to be completely disappointed in the ketchup taste. After not being able to locate our server for the next ten minutes I hunted down another server and ordered a beer.
My burger finally arrived and it was wrong… so it was taken back and five minutes later a new burger arrived. Ate the burger which was alright. Shortly after I finished the burger the beer had arrived. Chugged my beer and couldn’t get out fast enough. At least my server eventually returned to drop the check and removed my Bloody Mary … Only after I asked

It’s changed, and not for the better.
I haven’t been to Marathon for almost 2 years. I went with a couple friends recently and was disappointed with the changes. The food isn’t nearly as good as it used to be. My dish (meatloaf) was less flavorful than in the past and left you with a greasy taste. My friend’s dish arrived with a long hair mixed in with the toppings. They quickly got her a fresh plate/​dish and made it complementary, but overall the food just wasn’t what it used to be. The service was great, however, so that made the trip worthwhile. I don’t think I’ll return to this Marathon.

My girlfriends and I went here for CC sips last week. Great specials! $ 4 beers, $ 4 house wines, and $ 5 well drinks. They also had $ 2.75 disco tots and sweet potato fries. I would’ve given this place 5 stars but our server, Samantha was rude and awkward. I made a reservation and got there before my friends so I sat down first to get a glass of wine. My friends got there so we got drinks and ordered the Marathon Sampler. Immediately after, the server asked us every minute 3 times if we were ready to order our entrees even though we told her we needed more time. The Marathon Sampler was delicious! I got the Marathon burger with Caesar salad as my entrée. Delish and well made. My friends also loved their food (cheesesteak wontons, flatbread, burgers).
Overall, my first experience at Marathon was okay. The service sucked, but the food was good. We’ll be back and definitely make sure we have a better server.

–Strawberry mango smoothie
–Vegetarian chili
–Baby kale and quinoa salad
The chili seemed lacking in tomato and spice. It only came with one leaf of cilantro too. The salad was good, it could have used some parmesean. But maybe it was trying to be vegan?
Best part of meal: smoothie. It was quite thick though.

I’ve come here for drinks and brunch as well, and both times I feel like I was more impressed with the ambiance than the place itself. For drinks we were sat at the bar and had decent conversation, but the bartender was not very attentive, and sadly drinks were just poured ok, and for about $ 10 – 12 a pop, I expected more.
For brunch, the girls and I came in to mend a bachelorette party hangover and were sat right away and thought, fabulous! Sadly our loaded grilled cheeses (bacon, avocado, egg, cheese on sour dough bread) took an ETERNITY!!! I literally had 2 cups of coffee and still nothing. Our waiter checked on us only one time and we had to flag him down to give us our check as well as to take it. Yes, I get that brunch is busy, but we got there when there was no wait at 10 am, and ordered really simple items… all three of us actually ordered the SAME thing!
Thankfully prices are not crazy, very reasonable for brunch at about $ 10 a plate, we sadly were not even able to order a mimosa because our waiter was too busy, but alas, we did have a good sandwich with really fabulous potatoes. I would return, because the food was delicious, but most likely when I’m not starving.

As bustling as the streets of Rittenhouse on a Saturday morning, Marathon appears to be a reliable weekend brunch spot. The place was packed but we only had to wait a couple minutes for a table. We were seated by the window for perfect people watching.
Initial impressions on service were so-​so but our server turned out to be friendly and quick. We were on a bit of a tight schedule so I appreciated the fact that we could have a nice brunch without waiting around all day.
Breakfast options are served all day to the best of my knowledge. I stuck with the eggs, bacon, and multi-​grain toast for my entrée. Sounds basic but I wanted so good energy for the rest of the day. Everything was good and the bacon had a nice sweetness to it. Multi-​grain toast was good too. Chris had the Philly Cheesesteak omelette which was good.
After finishing our meal and 2 cups of coffee we were on our way. While I wouldn’t call Marathon exciting or unique, it served it’s purpose for what we wanted at that time.

I think this is one of my ‘go-​to’ locations. Food is good and I am just absolutely addicted to the Tomato Basil soup, Calamari, and the Marathon Burger…
I ordered food from here a few times and this gal «Jo» honestly made the delivery experience ‘above and beyond’. I didn’t think that was possible but the extremely nice attitude and personality she had on the phone to just making sure my order was on point and making sure I had all the things I needed in my order — I have to say, she made me love this place even more.

Our visit to Marathon occurred after attending a Unilocal Event at the Icon at 1616 Walnut. While there was plenty of food at the event, we made it a point to just sample the various offerings so that there’d be enough to go around. At the end, we were still hungry.
After walking a few blocks, we happened upon Marathon. Peering in the windows, we decided to give it a shot given it’s large open layout, with plenty of windows. A late dinner and a little people watching was just what we wanted. The place was nearly empty, and it wasn’t until after we sat down that we were told that they were closing soon.
The menu had a wide selection of food. Our waiter was quick to tell us of the items that they were out of. Ordering off the the regular menu, I had a Center City Sandwich, which consisted of fresh mozzarella, Roma tomato, roasted peppers, basil pesto, arugula, and balsamic reduction on a baguette. The sandwich came with french fries. Arlene had a chicken salad sandwich with provalone, avocado, lettuce and tomato on a baguette, along with a bowl of chicken soup. Both sandwiches were delicious, although I preferred the taste of Arlene’s sandwich over mine. In fact, Arlene enjoyed the taste of her sandwich over mine.
This restaurant would have received a 4-​star rating, but it was hard to be comfortable with people rushing around trying to close the place for the night. It would have been more-​acceptable to us had they offered to make the food to go, rather than to leave us with the impression we were holding up their closing after the food was served. We ended up eating half of our meal, and asking for the rest to be boxed up.
Since we enjoyed the openness of the restaurant, the location and much of what was on the menu, we’ll give it another try on a day when we can get there for lunch.