Long-Running Baltimore Avenue Brunch Spot Lands on South Street With Second Location

The Gold Standard Cafe, a long-running West Philly breakfast, lunch, and brunch spot, just expanded into Center City. The second location of Gold Standard is up and running at 1318 South Street, in the corner spot on South at alley street Clarion, with a menu of bagels, eggs, pancakes, salads, and sandwiches, including several vegan options. The address had been Cafe V, and then briefly Vincent Anthony Ristorante.

Gold Standard first opened at 47th and Chester streets in 1979, according to the University City Review. It moved around and then closed for a while before owners Vince Whittacre and Roger Harman reopened it at the current address — a Victorian house at 4800 Baltimore Avenue — in 2009. They sold to Alice Park and Joseph Oh in 2015.

The Ohs weren’t looking to expand or head into Center City, but when the opportunity came up it felt like a good fit.

“When we first heard ‘South Street,’ we were thinking the tourist part of the street, below 9th, with all those eclectic shops and bars,” Oh says. “But when we looked at 13th, we saw it’s much more of a neighborhood atmosphere. We like that kind of community location — on Baltimore Avenue, we have a lot of regulars.”

Justin Blasi

The new restaurant, which opened Thursday, July 11, serves 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The day starts with omelets, croissants, waffles, tofu scrambles, and other breakfast staples. Vegan eggs and cheese are on the menu, plus vegan pancakes.

For lunch, look for dishes like parmesan chicken wings, spicy buffalo seitan wings, beef, turkey, and black bean burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, BLTs and vegan clubs, falafel wraps, and several salads.

• Gold Standard Cafe [official]