I was invited to lunch by a vegan friend recently. I suggested she choose the place because, well, she’s somewhat limited in her intake.
I confess that when she offered up P.S. & Co. and said it was vegetarian, I envisioned an ovo-lacto place where I might enjoy a delicious omelet or a killer grilled cheese. Then I Googled the place to get the exact address and saw the vegan label.
Full disclosure: I was less than enthused, but as often happens with this type of restaurant, the skeptical omnivore in me is very pleasantly surprised and quite impressed.
Vegan food has come a long way since it was all tofu all the time. Witness my experience with Luhv Vegan recently.
We arrived at P.S. & Co. (the P.S. stands for “pure sweets,” but we’ll get to that later) and were immediately taken with the bright, beautiful, sun-filled space. The inviting front area boasts a display case filled with all sorts of enticing sweets — cakes, tarts, cookies, scones and breads.
We proceeded to the rear dining room, where a table full of cacti and pineapples adorned the back wall. We later learned that the pineapples were regularly used for juices and other menu items, but they added an attractive aesthetic while awaiting their final destination in the kitchen.
The menu is varied and spans breakfast, lunch and dinner. All items are organic, plant-based, and gluten-free, and the offerings change regularly based on what is seasonally and locally available.
I had the pad thai, which was superb; generously doused with spicy chili oil, the dish delivered a symphony of complementary textures and flavors. Still-crisp lacinto kale, edamame, pickled onions, goji berries, gingered carrots, and brown rice noodles brought a fresh and delicious take on the Thai mainstay.
My friend enjoyed the burrito bowl — a spectacular assortment of forbidden rice, edamame, chimichurri, avocados, black beans, greens, chipotles, greens and grains.
Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers a variety spanning yogurt and chia pudding muesli to breakfast tacos and waffles.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and, in addition to the items we enjoyed, provides a decent array of soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and a chickpea curry.
Weekend brunch expands the menu to include pancakes, latkes and French toast.
Dinner is served nightly from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Starters lean toward Asia, with imperial rolls, summer rolls, Vietnamese noodles, coconut rice, avocado sushi and carrot ginger salad. There are several other options, including nachos, and a cheese board. The main dish menu offers noodle dishes, a couple of “burgers,” tacos, and two pizzas.
Prices range from $7.50 for the smaller breakfast dishes to $22 for the cheese board. Most main courses, both at lunch and dinner, are in the $14 range.
The coffee shop brews organic Greenstreet Coffee and organic rishi teas. P.S. & Co. also has a juice, smoothie and raw elixir bar, with fresh beverages made daily in small batches.
P.S. & Co.’s pastry is quite renowned. One article, which is understandably framed and displayed there, touts the sweets as preferred over traditionally prepared cakes by the omnivorous author. In addition to the regularly offered menu items, they do special order custom cakes for birthdays, events and weddings.
If you go:
1706 Locust St.
Philadelphia
215-985-1706
Monday-Friday hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
