Center City District Restaurant Week has already announced details for 2025, and the first iteration of the culinary event is set to start on Jan. 19.
The two-week escapade involves dozens of restaurants offering $40 or $60 dinners and two-course lunches for $20. For an additional price, diners can also sip on different cocktail pairings with Jim Beam Black and Roku Gin. Reservations are currently available on OpenTable.
“Center City District Restaurant Week is more than just a prix-fixe dining promotion; it’s an excellent way to open up our celebrated fine dining scene to a wider audience,” said Prema Katari Gupta, CCD President and CEO in a statement.
On top of the menus, to get diners participating in Center City District Restaurant Week, the area is offering discounted parking for $10 or less from 4:45 p.m. through 1 a.m. at select Interpark, Bexpark by Brandywine, LAZ and Philadelphia Parking Authority locations. Locals can find more information on the event’s official website along with instructions on QR codes or how to reserve your spot ahead of time.
Some highlighted spots participating this year include Aki Nom Nom (Asian), Bolo (Latin American), Estia Restaurant (Greek), Forsythia (French), Loch Bar (seafood), Monster Vegan (vegan), Osteria (Italian), Rex at the Royal (Southern), Sura Indian Bistro (Indian), Village Whiskey (American), Condesa (Mexican) and more. A full list of participating restaurants and their menus can be found online.
Front and back of house workers are another vital component to the ongoing success of CCDRW. In the spirit of that notion, CCD has requested participating restaurants to nominate members of their staff for the chance to win a $500 “tip”, the release also notes. Five winners will be selected at random, with all nominees receiving a small gift as a token of appreciation. Winners will be announced once CCDRW ends, so as always, CCD encourages all diners to tip their servers and wait staff as generously as possible.
“I want to thank every chef, line cook, busser, server, dishwasher, hostess and bartender for their roles in making Restaurant Week an experience that people from around the region look forward to every year,” Gupta continued.
Fiscally, the event also brings quite a spike in activity to the area. As a release notes, from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, 2024, weekdays saw an average increase of 32% more non-resident workers between 4 to 10 p.m. and 34% more non-resident workers all day than the weeks before and after Restaurant Week.
“Center City continues to be the region’s premier destination for shopping, entertainment, and most notably, dining. Restaurant Week helps to spotlight the chefs and restaurateurs who work tirelessly to uphold that reputation and gives thousands of people the opportunity to try their best dishes at a discounted rate,” said Michelle Shannon, CCD Vice President of Marketing and Communications in a statement. “With the holidays approaching, restaurant gift cards make excellent gifts for family and friends.”
And finally, locals can also win something with the occasion: By entering in the promotion’s “Dinner for a Year” contest, four Philadelphians can also win a free dinner every month for a year. Additional info is available on the official site.
Tax, gratuity and other beverages are not included in the prix-fixe menu discount. To find out more information on the 2025 Center City District Restaurant Week, visit centercityphila.org
