Great brunch at Cafe Ole in Philadelphia's Old City- post by maxyourtravel.com

Cafe Olé is a charming little restaurant with a colorful interior and a cozy atmosphere, great if you're looking for a typical Cafe snack but also a breakfast or brunch in Philly's beautiful, historic Old City.

Finding great local eateries when away from home is a huge part of what travel is all about. Discovery of that spot with not only great tasting food but also an inviting atmosphere adds to the collection of those wonderful experiences we're all after when vacationing. When you can top all of that off with tasting some new, unique dish that you have never heard of - your travel food experience is complete. Those were our exact sentiments about Cafe Ole and their signature dish - Shakshuka.

This restaurant was an on the go find but a fairly well researched one through Yelp. We were looking for a good brunch in Philly's Old City and this counter service Eatery came pretty highly rated.

The interior is small, as is the outside sitting area which makes me think the place probably gets pretty busy at times but that wasn't the case when we stopped by. We picked the outside as that is usually our default choice on a nice day.

It would have been equally fun to sit inside however, since the interior gave a very cozy vibe with its small space surrounded by brightly colored walls with an even more colorful decorative chalk writing. The bulletin pin board full of local tourist attraction and business flyers added to the locally flavored homey atmosphere which was completed by busy but very attentive and polite staff, constantly filling up the counter with a tasty looking dish or beverage.

While there is a decent Deli selection and other typical Cafe food a good assortment of breakfast, brunch items was what caught our eye when looking through the Yelp reviews. So we very quickly zeroed in on what we wanted to order off the menu.

I had the Croissant French Toast stuffed with banana served with syrup on the side. It looked great and it was even better tasting of course. The combination of a crisp croissant with the soft banana and a hint of cinnamon was finger licking good. I ordered it with a side of fruit and a turkey sausage for our son but of course the rest of the fam had to have at least a bite of the croissant as well.

The highlight of our brunch however was the Shakshuka. We were surprised that neither of us and especially the hubby who's a big fan of poached eggs had ever heard of this dish. As the restaurant's menu explained shakshuka is apparently a staple of Middle Eastern kitchen. It's made out of three poached eggs in a seasoned tomato sauce. Cafe Ole adds its own twist to this dish by using a family recipe hailing from Tunisia and serving it with freshly baked rolls which come with a dip made out of olive oil and what I think was goat cheese.

The menu offers six different types of shakshuka including a Standard which is just the traditional eggs and tomato sauce , Moroccan with chicken, Vegan with tofu and the one we ordered - Vegetable with spinach, chickpeas, potatoes and mushrooms surrounded by hummus. The combo of all of those ingredients in the vegetable shakshuka was hard not to salivate over.

The mix of the veggies with the runny poached eggs and perfectly spiced tomato sauce was delicious and a welcome change from your typical poached Eggs Benedict. The hummus just seemed to top all of it off with another delicious flavor. I'm sure ditching the English muffin carbs and trading in Hollandaise for tomato sauce makes this dish a healthier option than Eggs Benedict as well but we of course requested another basket of the wonderful fresh-baked rolls lol. The shakshuka serving was very generous so while it was the hubby's order it was great to share it among us all. My Chai Tea latte was a perfect complement to this delicious brunch combo.

We were stunned by the fact that this yummy poached egg dish has been featured in Middle Eastern end Mediterranean cultures for centuries yet it passed under our radars for so long so it was great to get our overdue introduction to it during our trip to Philly and the discovery of its Old City.

The Cafe's location by the way is also very convenient if you are touring Old City and would like to perhaps visit both the Liberty Bell as well as Philly's historic Elfreth's alley. See below for a map and walking directions as well as photos of both of the aforementioned nearby attractions and if you like this post be sure to check out the rest of my blog at www.maxyourtravel.com for other write ups on our family's travel tips, experiences and reviews.

Google walking directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8RDD9NCDCgmQFG1m8

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