We’re finally getting a switch up on the food this time! No more competitive Italian dishes trying to prove that they are worth the over priced bill. We are also lucky enough that we don’t have to get to lost in the neighborhood to find this next location. Located on Chestnut and 12th lies an, “authentic Sichuan and Asian Fusion” restaurant, Spice 28. This was a restaurant I’ve had on my list for awhile and would always pass by and smell the delicious food on my walk into Center City. So this past week I finally decided to get myself a seat and enjoy the change in the local cuisine.

Vibe

I went during lunch hours, so around 1:30pm – 2pm, so it was super busy. I always give grace during these hours just because it’s the middle of the week and not many people frequent going out to eat during work hours. However, I can confirm that when I’ve walked past it during dinner hours it looked busy between the bar having no seats left and tables being packed. It has a different vibe then the other restaurants I’ve been to thus far and I’m so for it. Spice 28 has a futuristic modern vibe, no boring white subway brick with exposed piping, but instead under lighting of blues and greens as well as funky wood panelling walls. You can find interior pictures on Google, it didn’t feel right to take any myself since it felt pretty intimate with the small amount of people present.

Food & Drink

Okay so I won’t lie, I got a pretty basic order, I feel like if you can’t mess up the basics you’re more than halfway there as a restaurant. Back home at my local Asian restaurant we get miso, potstickers, edamame, sushi, and a whole bunch of other goodies. So I picked from what I know: Edamame, pork potstickers, and veggie spring rolls. They also had lots of other incredible dishes that sounded good but I wanted to focus on their lunch specials. Oh! I also ordered from their little mocktail menu and got a thai strawberry tea. Also to talk on their lunch specials really quick, you can take a look at the photo below for more specifics but it runs Monday to Saturday between designated hours and provides a lot of options. My total for everything was pretty cheap so if you’re on a budget I would recommend taking advantage of these specials!

To start with my drink, I absolutely loved it. It wasn’t too sweet and I was super stoked to find out that it wasn’t carbonated! For some reason a lot of mocktails in the area throw in sparkling water or some sort of lemon lime soda. But honestly most mocktails can go without it because I’m not looking for the carbonation to take up 95% of the taste. Along with the sweet hint of strawberry came an aftertaste of fresh basil topped nicely with a squeeze or two of lime.

Now for my meal, everything came out slowly one at a time which I really liked. I didn’t feel rushed and was able to pace myself. First item to come out was my pot stickers, which I believe they had pork and veggie to choose from. When I took my first bite it was hot, cozy, and cooked perfectly. The crunchy golden outside complimented the nostalgic warm pork filling to give you that classic pan fried potsticker experience. The sauce that came with it, which I would assume was your standard gyoza dipping, paired perfectly to give you a little spice to keep you coming back for another posticker. Next was the edamame, not much to say since it’s pretty to the point but this was also another dish that came out hot. The edamame was soft and easy to pull it out of the shell and the best topping to go with it is chunky salt to give you that extra melting flavor on your tongue. It kind of gives into the salty chip craving, except it’s a little healthier for you! Lastly was the veggie spring roll which I was kind of nervous about because for some reason when I’ve gotten them at other places they tended to be super big. Luckily these were a good individual size so they were easier to enjoy. Similar to the potstickers, the veggies rolls has a mouthwatering crunchy shell that combined perfectly with the hot soft interior. The veggie roll dipping sauce, which I’m assuming was a sweet chili sauce, rounded out the plate to have a smoky kick to it. Something else I also wanted to note that I really loved, the inside of veggie role looked so colorful with the orange and greens and I absolutely love when a dish not only tastes good but looks fun.

Service

Service was pretty good! Not much to write home about or highlight but the basics, Server was attentive, quick, and felt casual. Quick side not, one thing that actually feels weird and rushed is when servers try to stack as many plates as then can. For some reason it makes me feel anxious that they’ll drop one and it feels like it’s all just doing too much. At Spice 28, my server took one plate at a time and moved with swiftness that felt uninterrupted.

Reservations

I didn’t make any reservations since I know it is pretty open during lunch hours, even as I was leaving there was still people coming in but I thought it wasn’t necessary for the time I wanted to go! As I look through their website and general google search, I actually can’t find a place to reserve online although when leaving yesterday I did see a “reserved” sign at a table near the window. So if you’re looking to guarantee a seat, you might have to call in!

In Conclusion…

This will definitely be my go to if I ever get any Asian food cravings! I’ve been looking for a place for awhile but the ones I would go to ended up being quite a distance, or if you live in Philly it’s the awkward distance where you don’t want to walk to it but it would also be way overpriced to order delivery so you just don’t end up eating from there ever. However, for a change of pace, I would love to experience this place at the bar or during a happy hour with friends! The last thing I’ll say, this isn’t a boujee dress up and get a 5 star meal restaurant. This is definitely like a comfort food, night in or quick stop for food during happy hour place. I feel like a lot of restaurants in Philly kind of feel the need to have this experience that’s top of the line expensive and immersive. But sometimes it’s nice to sit in a quiet restaurant with good food!

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Have a wonderful day 🩵