Rowhome Coffee - Front Street — Restaurant in Philadelphia

My niece has introduced me to yet another great café and this one is in the East Kensington area of Philadelphia.

Have you seen the Instagram reel showcasing a Philly pretzel breakfast sandwich? Well, this was definitely the draw for us visiting Rowhome Coffee.

They have two locations. One is on the Front Street, and the other one is on Pine Street. We visited the one on Front Street.

This one occupies an old pharmacy building. The decor is clean and welcoming. Plenty of seating for meeting up with someone or working remotely.

The menu doesn’t stop at breakfast sandwiches. There are also deli sandwiches, cream cheese and vegan options paired with Philadelphia pretzels. And please note, these are the original Philadelphia pretzels. I often call them the “squished” kind. these are the ones I grew up with from Federal Street. They are cut in half to serve as the bread.

Bring your appetite because one of these sandwiches will fill you for most of the day. I was tempted to get one with cream cheese because it brought back memories of working in Center City. I used to buy a pretzel at the street vendor and dipped it in cream cheese I had in the office refrigerator. But, I knew what that tasted like, so I went for a sausage, egg and cheese on a regular Philadelphia pretzel. REALLY good. Next time I’ll try the everything topping. My niece got the bacon, egg and cheese on a regular pretzel. She only ate half and took home the other half hour later. She was smart! I just kept eating while I was talking. I left very full and very satisfied.

We both got coffee. Mine - black drip with no room and she got their special - Earl Grey Latte. No complaints! She said hers was sweet and good.

I have a feeling we will be dropping in again. If I am in the Pine Street area, I’ll check out that location as well. If you like the “squished” Philadelphia pretzels, I advise that you check out Rowhome Coffee at either...

This place has gone so far down hill - it really makes me sad. I’ve been a regular customer (usually getting 2-3 sandwiches a week - it was a problem, I know) for 7+ months. But sometime in the last 2 months or so they must have lost whoever was working the magic in the kitchen.

Today I ordered an “everything pretzel” and what I got barely had salt - let alone flavor. I wish it would let me share the picture. I used to love the place - I even took my mom here when she came to visit and she said it was so good (at the time) - now I’m embarrassed to spend $11 on that excuse for a sandwich myself let alone take someone else there. The only reason I haven’t stopped going sooner is for the location / convenience on my morning commute - but after today I’m never wasting another dollar here.

Great music and the Baristas are pretty...

Cleanliness does not seem to be a priority here. This includes the floor, seating area, the bar, and the bathroom. Baristas handle coffee filters after register. Food crumbs can be seen everywhere.

Like other reviews have said, the standards of customer service are subpar. They did nothing to make the customers feel welcomed, on the contrary, we were met with judgmental stares. Granted, I believe the issues I experienced during my visit stems from problems in management rather than the individual workers themselves.

The menu needs to be clearer. It was confusing and not very informative. I ordered a cappuccino which somehow tasted diluted and lacked foam. Disappointed about the food. For a 9.75 pretzel sandwich it wasn’t particularly special as the pretzels were stale and the contents weren’t...