satellite cafe

satellite cafe
701 s. 50th street
(215) 729 1211

type of cuisine: tea and grub
culinary excellence: 7
vegan friendliness: 9
*recommended*

is conducting a survey of philadelphia coffee shops when i have to prepare for a lecture...

a) a really good idea
b) a gift to bloggers everywhere
c) a smart and satisfying way to ensure maximum work production in a comfortable setting
d) a pitiful method of procrastination disguised as a smart and satisfying way to ensure maximum work production in a comfortable setting

this little anarchist cafe in west philly offers an extensive selection of organic loose teas and a vegan-friendly menu of wraps and snacks. the vibe is make-shift warehouse punk with coffee can light fixtures, mosaic table tops, organic produce satchels hanging from the rafters and plenty of tattooed locals wearing mismatched clothes. in fact, i think i was the only one in the whole place without an extreme piercing, dreads or a bandaid on my face. this is not the place to go if you are looking to get some work done. the garden area is pleasant but the seats are a little uncomfortable and the few comfy chairs in the back are not well lit. plus, it's hard to read dense psychoanalytic theory with aggressive rock music in the background. as for the food, i took a vegan bike shop roll-up and a tofu-tahini wrap for luca to go. the former was quite nice, though the spinach tortilla was a little burnt. the insides were melted cream cheese (probably tofutti), roasted red peppers and sundried tomato pesto. yummy and filling. i didn't think the tofu wrap was that great, mainly cause the the tofu was so soft and the sunflour seeds gave it a weird crunch. loved the greek mountain tea though.