The Centennial Cafe

CLOSED. Because it’s not clear from this Unilocal page, I just wanted to point out that the Centennial Café is permanently closed.

This café has a sign outside, «voted best breakfast in the park» and it may very well be. We stopped in on a Saturday when the zoo was too crowded, and the pancakes and French toast were very good.
It’s a simple menu, and I’d stick with the classics. And it’s modest in décor and setting, with plastic utensils that look like silver etc. But the service was very friendly, and kid-​friendly too. My wife had taken our little one outside to stretch his legs while waiting for food prep. And the waitress went out and signaled when everything was set.
We’d go back, as it makes for good pre or post game at the zoo or the please touch museum.
Beware of weird opening hours.

This was a very pleasant surprise. A reasonably priced, good quality breakfast in a really cool old house with lots of interesting history, BUT I felt like we were eating on an airplane because it is all disposable plates, cups and silverware — you know the kind (other than the coffee cups) that look real until you pick them up and then you wonder if the knife can actually cut anything. Anyway — they have a sign outside «Voted Best Breakfast in the Park» — so my guess is the good Park authorities said they had to use disposables, or it is a better business model. Back to the food — it was very good and VERY plentiful. We got egg white omelets and they were almost big enough for two — good sides as well. Sourdough bread or rye — both good, fresh quality. The waitress was very attentive and helpful. This is a place we’ll visit again, but I have a question — when did they have a poll for Best Breakfast Eateries in Fairmount Park? Hey, are there any other breakfast restaurants in Fairmount Park??? Then there is the venue — The Ohio House — built for the Centennial Exposition and located on States Drive (get it?). Well if you don’t, go there, have a good meal, and learn about USA history & Philly’s awesome role back in 1876.

We finally made it here after talking about it for a year. If you want fresh food for a good price, this is your place. We had the farmers omelette and the western omelette. Both were a good size and filling. The waitress provided good customer service and was attentive. Just enough not to be annoying. The water wasn’t very good, so I ordered a cranberry juice. No complaints here. Go and enjoy.

We stopped in for lunch after going to Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. We got there about 45 minutes before they were closing. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The Mandarin oranges on my wife’s salad tasted off, so we asked for a new one and they did so right away. My chicken sandwich on toasted sourdough was delicious. It’s in a charming old house with high ceilings. It’s very casual, so don’t expect a fine dining experience. But a nice place to grab a bite if you’re in Fairmount Park.

A great place. After visiting the Japanese House and Garden we decided to try this place with all my family. The service was superb. The food was incredible good (especially the Challah French Toast with berries compote). The Tavern ham Melt and the omelet were good as well. The prices are reasonable and the ambiance on West Fairmount Park is the best location to have a brunch.

A great hidden secret of the area. The restaurant building itself is an old house from 1876 with a ton of history. There are only three seating areas so I assume it may be hard to get a table at times. The staff was beyond friendly. They were very engaging and were very prompt. While the menu is slightly limited, the food was excellent. I had the scrambled eggs and lox, and the salmon was very fresh. Their muffins and cakes were also nice and fresh. It was $ 9.50 for my meal alone, but it was definitely worth it.

BEWARE!!! My husband and friends had a horrible experience here. We sat outside and our entire meal was served in paper cups, plastic utensils and Styrofoam plates. That alone I feel is a reason not to eat here. Who can cut food with plastic utensils? The server seemed stressed and confused our order multiple times. 3 people got either a different order or something screwed up on their breakfast plates. I ordered a salad and it was the last thing to come out. And then to top it all off we got a bill and paid for the meal and while we were at our cars the server came running out explaining she had given us the wrong check and our NEW check (which was correct) but considerable higher in price. Sorry lady, if you can’t get things right its generally NOT the customer who has to pay. Food was just okay anyway. This is a place I would never go back to.

Its a gorgeous building restored and quaint. Very welcoming server and brewed fresh coffee for me and my client.
I drove past the building an noticed a sign in the lawn saying they had breakfast. I promised myself to come back to this place since I am a sucker for old buildings that have been restored. Whether they are inhabited or not ;)
Very warm with high ceiling, walls adorned with various things such as china tea cups and plates, nostalgia and painting, but not over done like some places. TALL ceilings, hard wood floors, out door seating and porch seating.
The kitchen was adorably miniature in comparison to a lot of places. Because this is a restored building, there is only but so much they can do as far as expanding the kitchen and keeping up with code. With THAT being said, there is NOT a dish washing machine, so everything is served with ‘Fancy’ plastic plates and utensils, as well as paper and plastic cups. This didn’t deter me in the slightest.
The atmosphere was quiet and filled with a sweet, aromatic scent from the pastries upon entering, in combination with the food that their single chef had been prepping in the morning from scratch.
Our server was very sweet and welcoming, the menu is small, but with enough choices to satisfy.
A regular dish of 2 eggs with hash browns and toast, was $ 6. A few more $‘s than a local diner, but with the ambiance and being able to have breakfast in such a wonderful place, was worth it.
This will be a weekly place for me to go with my client.

Happened to pass this place on the road and thought it looked interesting for brunch
Signs say «bird watch and eat.» «.in a historical building…»
Menu is kinda sparse and not really a ‘brunch’ menu per se
I ordered the Caprese (mozerella, tomato and lettuce with dressing) sandwich which was just «ok»
My guest ordered the BBQ brisket sandwich which she stated was good but messy
She referred to this restaurant as a «glorified cafeteria» (ie: kinda pricy for what it is and the food comes served on cafeteria trays!)

i would like to write a zero but i can’t. the only reason it has a star is that i liked one of the servers.
i went for mothers day brunch because my mom always wanted to eat there so i made reservations.
The food was served cold and the salmon was ice cold and they told me that the fish was to be served at room temp which i personally never heard of. they had none of the burners on under the food. i asked the waiter to warm my fish and she brought me the same cold fish trying to say she put it in the broiler.
i made a suggestion that they should have eggs made to order next year and the manager and another server told me it was impossible to do and flagged me off. (I know from experience lots of small restaurants and culinary art schools make eggs to order). the restaurant has only twelve tables.
After setting for a while and barely eating because we didn’t have much time to go somewhere else, they practically ran us out the restaurant. they brought me three checks with out me even asking for one and the server kept coming back to ask if i wanted a check. i wouldn’t go back they may be better when it is not a buffet

The staff is engaged and delightful. The location is convenient to the Please Touch Museum, the Mann Music Center and the Philadelphia Zoo. The café itself is clean, welcoming and charmingly historic. I have eaten there several times and most recently noticed an «upgrade» in food quality. I was lucky enough to be invited to a party under the tent and was excited to find that the tent was available for rent in season. The food at the party was anything but standard fare, the food was amazing and plentiful. Need to find an excuse to celebrate next season.
Bottom line, I Will Go Back In a Philadelphia Heartbeat
CeCe

You can tell the people who work here love their job. They are friendly, engaging and thoughtful. I write this after waiting 20 minutes for my lunch before being told they were out of my selection. I started writing my Unilocal review in my head immediately. Yet over the next 30 minutes the staff was so friendly, comped part of our meal, and seemed genuinely concerned that my family and have a good time, I pretty much forgot about the initial wait and confusion. The menu is basic café food, and was overall very good. The all day breakfast menu looked great too. If you are looking for a simple, relaxed food surrounded by parks and museums in Fairmont, definitely give this place a try.

Visiting from out of town and looking for a unique café for breakfast and to do some computer work, I happened upon this gem (with Unilocal’s help). Warm, welcoming atmosphere and employees and great food.

We came here last weekend for brunch and I have to say was pleased for the most part. Good food, AMAZING house. The historical ambiance alone was enough to keep us happy. I would love to see what it’s like in the winter with everything covered in snow. Must be beautiful. Friendly, attentive service. Overall, a very nice experience!

This place was such a huge disappointment. I’ve been wanting to go because it looks nice, and it’s a cute place. That is until you walk in and realize that they serve the coffee in paper cups and the food on plastic plates with plastic knives and forks. Plus the coffee came out luke warm.
Then on top of that the service was terrible. There were 6 of us, and they brought the food out about 10 – 15 mins apart. Those of us who had food tried to wait, but then our food was getting cold, so we started eating and we were about halfway done by the time the last plate came out.
Then they just got a lot of little things wrong. One of us got scrambled eggs instead of fried. We had to ask for them to bring something to put on the toast like butter or jam, and that took forever. We ordered glasses of water that never came. The pancakes were good, but the eggs with toast was just very ordinary. The toast was soggy. How do you mess up breakfast? Or just toast for that matter?
I’m never going back here!

This place has new owners and now serves «average» food. I ate there today, and my $ 9.00 sandwich was AWFUL. The bread was dry and old and so was the turkey. None of the ingredients in the sandwich were fresh. My coconut brownie was dried out and at least 2 weeks old, but they still over-​charged me for it.
The place was empty! After tasting that sandwich, I see why. It’s NOTHING like it used to be. There were 2 people in the place, and they both either worked there or owned the place. On top of that, the woman that worked there wasn’t very friendly.
I won’t return to Centennial unless they get a total revamp. If they don’t, I give them until December before the place is shut down.

This is a destination.
Relatively new to the breakfast/​brunch café scene. this place deserves your attention.
Food was quick, and delicious. Plenty of parking and options on the menu. If you like Sabrinas, Honeys, et al, go here. If you like great coffee, friendly service, eclectic & diverse menu set in beautiful Fairmount Park? Go Here.
Despite being in the dearth of winter, todays visit was great. Cant wait to see this place in warmer weather, with its outdoor seating on the patio in the midst of Fairmount Park.
The «Ohio State House» is located an ear shot from the Please Touch Museum (former Memorial Hall). This historical site (one of two buildings remaining from the Centennial Exposition) is a unique setting for this café, and a short drive from CC or burbs.
My thought after leaving? The Centennial Café DESERVES to survive. Go, and you will be happy.

This is such a cute place and I’m kind of surprised that it’s surviving since there’s not much around.
I went for brunch today with my cousin. She ordered a ham and cheese omelet and sourdough toast ($ 7.95) and i ordered a «Centennial Rotondo» ($ 8.95) from their Specials menu. It was a tortilla with cheddar, eggs, avocado, sour cream, salsa, and bacon (I subbed mushrooms). Something different from my normal straight-​off-​the-​menu omelets.
We were one of the only tables in the place (granted, it was noon on a Tuesday). It was a cute place. A historic building, the Ohio House, it looks like someone just rounded up some mismatched tables and placed them wherever there was space. I liked it. It was cheery and comfy and all decorated for the holidays.
The service seemed to take a little longer than it should have but that could easily have been because I was hungry.
Brunch showed up. Her omelet had a generous amount of ham. It was fluffy but didn’t seem very big. My Spanish egg concoction was good but also on the small side. The food was piled on the tortilla so that I couldn’t easily close it but it just wasn’t big overall.
A good place and I might stop in again sometime but there are so many brunch places I’ve yet to sink my teeth into!

We didn’t know what to expect at first given that this café occupies a government-​owned historical building in Fairmount Park. We were a little worried that it would be a lame concession run by some faceless food service.
What a nice surprise! We walked in to see and smell good food. The employees were friendly, but not in a phony ingratiating manner. The atmosphere is pretty and relaxed, with tall ceilings and seating dispersed throughout a couple different rooms with tall windows and historical artwork.
There was some confusion/​delay about seating as it seemed there was no official host or hostess. Considering that there were no mobs of people to fight with in line for a mediocre brunch in CC, this was of little import.
The food was good to better with the eggs being fluffy and cooked to perfection. The omelettes had fresh mushrooms and other fresh vegetables.
The coffee was fantastic.
A nice slow breakfast for the two of us came to $ 26. I think this is pretty reasonable, if not quite a bargain, considering the alternatives for weekend brunch (see: long long lines, mediocre food, crappy service, cramped accomodations).