Vegan
Delivery
Take-out
Southern American

Offers a small menu of comfort foods like the daily plate with soymeats and greens, plus sandwiches, dairy-free desserts, and smoothies. Simple space. Black-owned. Open Tue-Sat 12:00pm-8:00pm, Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm.


Venue map for The Nile Cafe
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28 Reviews

First Review by philadread

theknightwhosaysne

Points +126

Vegan
06 Aug 2024

great takeout soul food

We dined in here after a hike at the Wissahickon. You order at the counter and they bring it out. Very casual for dining, would be best to do takeout, there's even a small park around the corner (Wick House?) with some tables. Jerk drumsticks were the highlight! All the soy chikn we tried were great-- esp enjoyed the BBQ. Lots of gluten free options which they said were marked Wheat but they changed recipe to not include soy sauce recently!! Reminds me of an actual barbecue with baked bean flavor. Cabbage was great and tasted like turmeric curry. Great plantains! Also enjoyed the collards and okra. Water quality was great, looks like they also sell large purified water jugs. Enjoyed a decadent oatmeal raisin pecan cookie after! Friendly service, and nice to see Black owners and clientele. Only real con was having to eat in plastic. I decided to bring the containers home to not waste them.

Updated from previous review on 2024-08-06

Pros: flavor, selection, location

Cons: all plastic dishes & utensils, bare dining space

Loveiseternal77

06 Aug 2024

My absolute favorite restaurant of all time! Glad you enjoyed it ❤️

PaulCaracciolo

Points +269

Vegan
15 Apr 2024

Outstanding

I went with the jerk drumsticks and loved the texture, taste/seasoning. The sides were a nice compliment as well. Really thankful for HappyCow or I likely would not have discovered this place.

Pros: Food, Wait time (very short), Price

Keyz2026

Points +3254

Vegan
08 Apr 2024

Vegan Philly

The customer service was great. The atmosphere was relaxing 😌. The food was delicious 😋.

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-08

Pros: Food, Atmosphere , Customer service

Elizak

Points +63

Vegan
02 Feb 2024

Delicious food for a good price

We got the combo platter (2 entrees and 2 sides) for 17 bucks, and it was a good size for lunch for two people. (We got jerk chicken, chicken and gravy, plantains, and collared greens- all yummy, the collared greens were the best part.) We also got a slice of cookies n cream cake to share, and it was sooo good.

Definitely a simple establishment, but the food came out quickly, there are lots of plants, and fun music in the background- it was a very pleasant, quick lunch!

Updated from previous review on 2024-02-02

Pros: Nice staff, Good price, Delicious food

Cons: They use single use plastic Tupperware + utensils

The_Inked_Bird

Points +359

Vegan
27 Nov 2022

Taste of the gods

The jerk chicken is insanely good and so were the plantains. I've missed good collards since going vegan and these were so good!

nanitree

Points +1079

Vegan
16 Feb 2022

Tasty comfort food

The Nile Café is a great place to go for tasty comfort food. We’ve only done takeout here due to the pandemic and I have enjoyed pretty much everything we’ve ordered. I will say that I am not a spicy food person, so the drumstick option was a little too hot for me. Everything else is delicious and I recommend eating at The Nile Café!

jakoobi

Points +36

Vegan
17 Dec 2021

omg pls go here besties

it's so good bro like the fish stew and collard greens is my fav thing and omg just so yummy

Updated from previous review on 2021-12-17

Pros: vegan restaurant, big yum, hell yeah

ShirleyRitter

Points +22

Vegan
27 Oct 2021

Chikn n Gravy

I travel for work and rely on happy cow for vegan option. The Nile Cafe located across from a big church in Germantown did not disappoint. I had chikn n gravy with okra corn and tomatoes along with a side of cabbage. So delicious!

Pros: Vegan menu, Good prices, Friendly

Cons: Signage a little hard to see in window

yup

Points +112

Vegan
22 Oct 2021

So amazing

I don't normally like okra in any other application than fried okra, but their okra corn tomato was excellent. Their collards were excellent as well (I'm from the south so I have high standards for collards). All of the veg meats i tried were amazing (jerk chicken, bbq chicken, ginger chicken). Had to take dessert back with me because i was stuffed, but I'm glad i did!

Pros: Veg meats done well, Collards, other veg sides, The dessert!

FalafelFiend

Points +83

Vegan
30 Sep 2021

Absolutely delicious

Great food, fast service. I'll be thinking about this meal until I can go back and have it again. Reasonably priced, too.

lime.skyblue

Points +536

Vegan
27 Jul 2021

Beautiful Space + Soul Food Made With Care.

The Nile Café is a beautiful shop & eatery about a 20 minute drive outside of Philadelphia's city center. The staff workers at the shop and eatery are so kind, and every time I ate a meal here, I sensed the intention and care that the chefs placed into their cooking.

Nile Cafe specializes in soul food, which is the name for food that is traditionally prepared and eaten by the African American community in the Southern United States.

I usually made my own platter of food: brown rice, pepper steak / chicken with gravy, and collard greens.

The next time I visit Philly (Philadelphia), I know I'll return to The Nile Cafe for another meal.

ElyseFranco

Points +48

Vegan
18 Jun 2021

Serious comfort food

I’ve never had soul food but I imagine this is what it would taste like! Super flavorful, 11/10, will order again

Pros: Lots of choices, Some gluten free items

Cons: None!

Shaggy

Points +192

Vegan
08 Apr 2021

Great place

I've been here a few times, and it's always a great experience. If I lived near by, I'd be back all the time.
There's usually some interesting community event going on inside.
The building has these large front and back doors that they keep open if the weather is nice. So that gives it this really pleasant airy atmosphere

Anyway, they have really great food. And they have vegan pistachio ice cream!

Pros: Pistachio ice cream, Good food

SuzT

Points +937

Vegetarian
05 Dec 2020

Delicious!

Jerk chicken and collards were amazing! Definitely a go to spot for comfort food.

HaleyJordan

Points +47

Vegan
22 Jun 2020

SO good!!!!

The jerk chicken was incredible and the succotash was so good!!

MichaelSavegan

Points +2214

Vegan
03 Mar 2020

Really nice

Had a great meal of Chik’n wings, rice and collards.

Sort of a community center for a lot of activities. Order at a window and they bring the food out to you.

Friendly Jamaican vibe.

Pros: Great food

dweebnature

Points +33

Vegan
27 Aug 2019

Full of flavor, amazing vegan options.

Had never tried this place, was so happy to find that all their options are vegan! Tried the ginger chicken with brown rice and collard greens, they were delicious! Amazing use of flavor, nothing too overwhelming. Also had amazing cake that I’m begging my friends to get me for my birthday lol

Pros: All vegan!! , Amazing flavor, Friendly service

Cons: A bit warm inside (no big deal)

HappyOtter

Points +297

Vegan
25 Jan 2019

Amazing spices and chill atmosphere

Simple order at the counter menu, and the lunch plates are excellent. Good spices, lovely texture, and a variety of flavours and sides.

There's a small shop and filtered water refill station inside as well.

Ghetto_Vegan

Points +26

Vegan
25 Dec 2018

Best cake

Best vegan vanilla cake I've ever had. Vanilla buttercream icing on top and in between two moist layers of cake, sheer perfection.

Linda♡

Points +171

Mostly Veg
24 Dec 2018

Flavorful Vegan Food

They have a variety of food on their menu including sandwiches and desserts, all vegan. I called in to order a combo of 1 entree and 2 sides. What I got was BBQ chicken with cabbage and okra tomato corn. Because the menu didn't use alternative spellings like chic'n, I asked whether it was vegan and it was. The food was ready for pick up when I arrived, and I paid with a credit card. All three dishes were flavorful. I would have liked it more if the spice was stronger, but it was still good. Chicken, made of soy, was chewy.

Pros: Lots of vegan entrees, sides, and desserts

Livenow!

Points +29

Vegan
03 Nov 2018

Glad to find this gem!

Sought this place out because I was nearby for an appointment. SO glad I did. I got a double entree, sides, and a piece of cake to go. Their food is delicious and the portions are generous. I wish they weren't 2 hrs from home, but, I'll be sure to stop by next time I'm in the area!!

Pros: Great tasting soul food, Friendly, quick staff, Inexpensive

k1alligood

Points +48

Vegan
07 Mar 2018

Delicious food in a casual atmosphere

The food was great, though for some reason the lemon chicken reminded me of Chinese takeout! Really good meal with large portions. Dessert was also excellent (mocha chocolate cake).

LocdVegan

Points +97

Vegan
27 Oct 2017

Conscious soul food

Tasty traditional soul food with a vegan twist. Their duck is my favorite!

Pros: Comfort food

devondevon2

Points +11

Mostly Veg
25 Aug 2017

Great!!

The pepper steak and lemon chicken are both awesome! The regular sized platters are always so filling and the service and entertainment are top notch!

Pros: - Lots of options to try - Great customer service

ciarakehoe

Points +33

Vegan
11 Apr 2015

Yum

I ate here after quite a workout, and I was hungry! Everything was vegan, delicious, and they have a bunch of vegan ice "cream" that you can eat in or take home in larger qualities.

s144799

Points +140

Vegan
05 Apr 2013

Veg only restaurant, but food not great

I went to the Nile Cafe sometime in Fall 2012. Things may have changed since then as they were reopening after closed for a while when I went.

The food wasn't great. Everything is vegan at the restaurant. They have ice cream and possibly other veg desserts (I don't remember exactly). I remember a couple good items, but the rest I threw out because it wasn't edible. There are other great veg restaurants in the area, as the Philadelphia area is one of the best veg places in the country or even the world. Veg food can be just as good as non-veg, but this restaurant doesn't display this.

The staff seemed very nice, however. Also, the Nile Cafe mainly sells water to put into a water cooler.

Pros: Friendly staff, All veg

Cons: Food not great

lfusfeld

Points +260

Vegan
10 Jan 2009

Great!

This place is almost all vegan. The only non-vegan item is whey powder available for smoothies. The food is delish and the prices are reasonable. I'm a fan, though the location is not convenient for me.

Pros: great food

Cons: location




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