743 South Fourth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Contact | 215.278.2736
The Hungry Pigeon, nestled within a block of fabric stores in downtown Philadelphia, is a laid back morning-to-night cafe that offers serious comfort food in a lighthearted tenor.
The smartly well-rounded breakfast, lunch and dinner menus evolve with the season, but ultimately, this place exudes weekend brunch vibes. On our Saturday visit, a small crowd had spilled out onto the sidewalk while waiting for tables. Aromas of coffee and pastries filled its southeast corner on the intersection of Fitzwater and South 4th.
Lucky for us, a table for three was available as we walked in. At the peak of brunch time, the place was bustling with packed tables, folks coming in for pastries, a bar churning out coffee and staff hard at work.
For the best embodiment of what Hungry Pigeon can do, the egg and cheese sandwich with all the works is the automatic order. The $7 creation becomes $16 with the addition of a massive block of hashbrown, thick slab of bacon and a protein choice of ham, chicken sausage or pork roll. All worthwhile.
You might be thinking that a BEC at a New York deli could be had at a couple bucks. But despite its typically greasy components and it’s impressive size, this breakfast sandwich astutely minimizes the heaviness. Taking one of these down is easier than it looks and causes less remorse than from your standard deli sandwich.
And for serious value, the $5 side of biscuits and gravy could’ve stood as an entree on its own in both quantity and complex flavors.
Luckily those two items appear to be a little more evergreen on the ever-morphing menu that also usually includes salads, eggs and granola.
From the food alone, you can tell this is a hard-working bunch. Their offerings are thought out and provide just what you need at different times of day, from early morning to late at night, seven days a week.
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