Louie Louie
American restaurant · University City ·
Vibrant French-American bistro with chic decor, cocktails
Vibrant French-American bistro with chic decor, cocktails
"A Crowd West Of The Schuylkill Louie Louie is the only restaurant on this list with brunch, lunch, midday, and dinner menus. So, in a way, it’s an operational clone of Parc. But the all-day set-up is where the similarities end, since you’ll likely hear Brandy playing and the room looks like a Vegas casino restaurant. Expect a crowd that doesn’t care about underwhelming moules frites and Parisian gnocchi. This is a place for people who want more of a clubstaurant than what Rittenhouse Square can ever offer. " - candis mclean
"This European bistro in University City boasts posh vibes complete with beautiful decor, a gorgeous bar, and delectable takes on brunch favorites like French toast, waffles, benedicts, and quiches. A mix of seasonal and classic cocktails and mocktails grace its brunch beverage menu, such as the L’Exceptionale (made with barrel-aged gin, ginger vodka, lemon, and buckwheat honey) and the It’s Thyme (made with grapefruit, thyme, agave, and Earl Grey tea)." - George Banks-Weston
"For date nights or, more likely, when parents are footing the bill, this chic restaurant and lounge at the Inn at Penn hotel is the place to be. Secure a spot on a plush couch for a couple of cocktails and a dozen oysters, or grab a table for a full meal of beef carpaccio followed by rainbow trout amandine." - Caroline Coral
"With black and white marble floors, a towering bar, and every plant imaginable living inside, this French-inspired cocktail bar in University City is a great place to take someone you’re so comfortable with that you don’t go full eyeball emoji face when they ask for the keys to your car. Although the french dip here is fantastic, we suggest choosing something less sauce-focused on a date, like the pan-roasted salmon. The herby boost from the chive vinaigrette might be the secret MVP of this whole place. Well, that or the 90s hip-hop and R&B playlist. RESERVE A TABLE WITH RESERVE A TABLE" - Candis R. McLean
"Inside Louie Louie, at 3611 Walnut Street in the Inn at Penn on the University of Pennsylvania campus, I encountered a ’70s-influenced mashup of color and texture born when founders Sydney and Marty Grims—working with designer Kate Rohrer of Rohe Creative—abandoned an early-1900s art nouveau direction for something more original. The result reads as an energetic, fun, and approachable American bistro with French influence, drawing on Peter Max, Studio 54, and Wes Anderson. Vintage touches include reupholstered furniture and repurposed subway tiles rescued from a Fishtown collector—many intentionally broken and filled with gold filigree—while the floors were the biggest investment and a defining feature: a shimmering mosaic at the entry and bar (a scaled-back choice to avoid mosaicing the whole restaurant), an oak-floored lounge, a black-and-white checkerboard main dining room, and a pink/green/amber/white marble secondary dining room. Globe fixtures arranged like Parisian street lamps and careful lighting design shape the dining ambiance, and a plant-enclosed patio with big front windows gives the place an indoor-outdoor energy that spills onto Walnut Street when the doors open in spring. Louie Louie’s walls and floors are my favorite parts, and it’s easy to see why it won Eater Philly’s 2018 Restaurant Design of the Year." - Rachel Vigoda