Restaurant of the Week: White Dog Café, Philadelphia, PA
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island 
on 05. 4.06
Located in the “university” section of Philadelphia in three adjacent Victorian brownstones, the White Dog Café “pleases palates while raising consciousness.” Everything from the grill menu to the brunch menu sounds delicious and they have a children’s menu too. Not only is their food organic and sustainable but their mission is a four-fold: serving customers, serving the community, serving the earth and serving each other. The cuisine is contemporary American, although it also incorporates influences such as Native American and Southeast Asian. Judy Wicks, Owner and Founder of the Café, also started a non-profit organization called the White Dog Café Foundation. Their mission is to create, strengthen and connect locally owned Philadelphia businesses and farms that are committed to working together with natural resources, committed to providing meaningful and fair wage jobs and supporting a healthy community. The Foundation currently has two programs that they operate: Fair Food and the Sustainable Business Network. The Café itself is powered 100% by the wind and they carefully prepare food so as to reduce waste. Scraps are given to local pig farmers and excess food is given to Philabundance, a local group that distributes food to those in need. All employees are encouraged to join the White Dog Café Green Team, an employee organized group working to serve the earth. Their website is a great place to explore and we love the tagline “Bone Appetit!” ::The White Dog Café
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I will just happen to be staying at the University City Sheraton, which is very near the White Dog Cafe, on my way to Romania in the Peace Corps. I will definitely have to check this place out!
great atmosphere too. They have funny little victorian portraits of pups.
Amazing and wonderful idea. I was thinking about my first (and last) visit to Rainforest Cafe and how sad it was none of the profits were turned back over to the rainforests they use to bring customers into their restaurants. Heck, the children's menu only offers fries. How about a banana? Doesn't that say gorilla to a child? Sad, sad, sad.
White Dog is quite magical. Perhaps the inspiration lingers from one of the previous tenants, the founder of Theosophy Madame Blavatsky.
Try the roasted red pepper risotto, mmm
mmm good!
My wife and I have eaten at the White Dog many, many times. Excellent food, excellent service...excellent cause!
My freshman dorm at Penn was down the street from the White Dog. I don't remember it being all that special.