Kanella | Washington Sq, Philadelphia, PA

Heath-Paul | Kanella

I heard about you all the way in Denver. You’re one of Esquire’s 59 Best Breakfasts. You’ve been on my mind for a year now. I couldn’t wait to meet you, and finally, to-day, we embraced.

Rumors of your French Press found their way to me. Choosing between this and the Greek Coffee (which I’d never had before) was difficult, but, really, is it ever wrong to go with a French Press full of Counter Culture Beans?

Center City always feels so different from the rest of Philadelphia; I even dressed a little differently than my normal white t-shirt and fancy jeans (ie: the jeans that don’t yet have holes in them). Here, the servers come to you in starchy white shirts and pressed black pants, complete with all-black Chuck Taylor’s. He politely recounted to-day’s specials and took our coffee order, which, I deliberated over a little longer than normal.

Minimalist French Press

To-day’s flatbread special was irresistible in its description, and the table behind us highly recommended it. And while I almost never order the specials of the day outside of regular trips to Morning Glory, I couldn’t say no this exquisite presentation and palette of flavor.

My appreciation of decor runs the spectrum of kitschy-kitsch to ultra-minimalist. Kanella nears the latter. The inside is simple – white, a few flowers in the windows, an exposed brick wall. It works here. No flair is needed. The food speaks for itself. So does service. So does the coffee.

Flatbread Special

The menu was trimmed with little extras — sides of fish, balaclava, falafel. What we had was plenty, but we couldn’t wait to come back for more. We’ll try the little treats on the side while indulging in hundreds of milligrams of thick black coffee; parking be damned.

Fifty-nine breakfast(es) listed. Three down, three thumbs up and fifty-six to go.

Kanella, we’ll be back at the expense of some of the others.

Advertisement