Have your Cake in Chestnut Hill

We recently made it over to one of our favorite areas in Philly. Chestnut Hill is far enough from the downtown chaos, but close enough to know you're in a little piece of what makes Philly a historic, exciting and eclectic city. The cobblestone streets, variety of small businesses, fine dining establishments and cute coffee shops give it a small town feel with a modern twist. We were in the mood for a cozy, relaxed BYOB Friday night and some fresh, delicious food...Cake of Chestnut Hill is it! We've read some pretty mixed reviews, but you can never base anything on one person's single experience. Most people write reviews to complain about a bad experience anyway, doesn't mean there aren't some good ones. Fortunately for us we had a nice experience at Cake on a very busy Friday night and we're here to share it.

First of all the place is gorgeous on the outside and inside as it's set in a greenhouse. It gives the place a very unique and relaxing atmosphere. The ambience is casual, but also intimate. It would be a great place to bring someone on a first date or romantic dinner. There's no need to overdress. On a Fall evening, some nice jeans, a stylish top, boots and a heavy sweater or jacket would do just fine. The great shops and bars on Germantown Ave. make it a perfect area to take a little pre or post dinner walk. So, ladies, we don't recommend any crazy high heels. ;)

On to the food....what can we really say? Their menu has some great healthy and fresh choices. It was so difficult to choose. Everything is very fairly priced too. We ordered the following and loved it all:

To start: Mediterranean Olives, Oranges & Panini Bread...and the Cheese Platter

Entree: The Steak was delicious!

 The most unique macaroni and cheese dish we've ever had.

Desserts: Dark Chocolate Decadance Flourless Cake and Chocolate Pecan Tart 

While the food was delicious, the service was average. Our waiter was attentive, but he was a little short and rushed, which we understood as he was obviously busy. Once parties started to clear out he relaxed a bit. Well, actually, he relaxed a lot. The place closes at 9pm but they didn't mind us finishing up our dessert, wine and conversation a good hour after they had closed! 

The only real negatives we encountered are their hours and the street parking. They only take reservations for dinner, but dinner is only available on Thurs. and Friday nights from 6pm-9pm. We've read that Cake has a great brunch and breakfast, but the place is small and can easily get overcrowded. If they opened their hours up a bit more or took reservations at other times perhaps it would alleviate some of the chaos at those times. We recommend that if you've never been to Cake, make a reservation and try it out for dinner your first time. You could always just go to pick up some amazing desserts from their bakery. :)