Day By Day

Great place for brunch. The wait line on a Sunday is long but definitely worth it. I enjoyed my Florentine Eggs and my friend had the Big Breakfast. Would recommend it to friends and will probably be back!

I came here this past weekend while on a visit to Philadelphia and I must say what a great brunch spot to find! The food was good the service was great and we didn’t have to wait too long. I’ll stop in again when I’m in the area.

We came here because we heard the wait times would be shorter than some other brunch places in the city. The atmosphere was very airy yet cozy. I split the tiramisu-​stuffed challah French toast and the Florentine with a friend. The french toast was on the specials menu and essentially was (very delicious) dessert. Definitely could not have finished it on my own or on its own. The Florentine was a great balance, though lacked a tiny bit of flavor without the extra hot sauce I added (but I like things spicy!). I also sampled my friend’s potato pancake benedict, which was great — the salmon had tons of flavor and the potato pancakes were perfectly crispy. Portion sizes were decent but not too overwhelming. I liked that they experimented with menu items; many things seemed to have an ingredient that made it unique.

When I first walked in the place was a buzz. The staff was so courteous to us and offered many updates to the length of our wait. When we were seated we tried two of their muffins, Jewish Apple (OH MY WORD AMAZING) and chocolate pear (moist chocolate-​y with a mild sweetness from the pear)
We split the tiramisu French toast, side of bacon and rosemary eggs. Everything was cooked well and presented attractively. I wasn’t as impressed as I wanted to be with the French toast. Something was missing for me and the potatoes were a little bland but, I would definitely give them another try. There were so many items of interest on the menu that I have to think that was just a fluke and did I mention that Muffin was AMAZING?! I can’t stress enough how good that muffin was. Go for the muffin, stay for the great service and varied menu.

Day by day has run out of several items on the menu during my visits. It’s BYO and you’ll have to wait unless you check in on their app before your arrival. The food is good, but nothing special.

If you don’t want to wait for a seat, simply get there right when it opens at 9:30 a.m. on the weekends! If you delay but a half-​hour, you’ll be waiting (and clogging the entrance).
Once seated, we were offered a small sampling of their hot chocolate. It tasted like chocolate cake batter. Absolutely delicious but quite rich — just wasn’t sure if I could drink a whole cup of it.
We were also reminded to try a pastry basket which includes a sampling of some of their freshly made favorites; yet, my girlfriend and I knew one thing we had to have — the cinnamon bun. The roll was sweet by itself, not overly seasoned with cinnamon, and covered with a cream-​cheese like frosting. I want one every time I go but will try to branch out.
For my meal, I tried an omelette (mushroom, ham, and gruyère cheese). I made sure to ask if my special came with a side of potatoes and toast. The omelette itself was just what you would expect. However, I’m always looking for good sides. The rosemary potatoes were flavored well and cooked with a bit of crisp on them — definitely my favorite part of the meal.
I left very satisfied but only wishing I had more cinnamon buns and rosemary potatoes for later.

I want to love this place because the food is very good, but the service is lacking. I’ve been here a couple of times during lunch time, and they seem to be one of the few places in the area that don’t realize people going out for lunch might work in an office and have a limited amount of time.
Recently I was here with a friend for a weekday lunch. We placed our orders, got our food after a short wait, and everything was going just fine. Then our server came back to offer dessert, and we ordered coffee. Clearly, we were planning to sit around for a few minutes, but she brought our drinks and then disappeared. Now and again, we would see her and make eye contact and maybe give a little wave, and she would disappear again. I always thought the little wave was a polite alternative to screaming YO CAN I GET SERVICE, but apparently here it means, «Oh, I don’t need anything; I’m just saying hello.»
I decided to ask the hostess what one needs to do to get a check since our server disappeared again. She asked what table was mine, I pointed it out, and she said, «I will take care of it.» Several minutes passed, and in that time she did absolutely nothing.
Finally, our server appeared again and I was able to get her attention by waving my arms. Literally waving my arms. At a human being. As in, I just became That Guy who was a jerk to a server and earned a spot on «Why people in the service industry hate you.» But it was either that or walk out without paying the bill.
She finally brought the check and some attitude.
I will likely not be back. Which is a shame, because the food really is good.

Last stop on my weekend in Philly and we were a little confused what the fuss was about. Satisfying but not amazing. Skimped on the potatoes and some plates were a little on the small side. Service was a little slow but still friendly.

Day By Day catered our wedding reception, and the experience was beyond delightful. The planner Stephen, made the experience of preparing the reception a great time in itself. Along with the chefs and assistants, who were also very cordial during the event.
Our guests expressed such a liking to all of the food served, that I am more than pleased to reiterate.
The Spice rubbed salmon happened to be my favorite. Just the right amount of spice topped with a tasty yogurt dill sauce, and served right on time.

Long wait but totally worth it! Delicious food, and the coffee is great (dark and strong).
My girlfriend and I went for brunch. I got the potato pancakes with smoked salmon and eggs Benedict and it was perfect. I would definitely return, and if you don’t mind waiting (it was 45min for us), this is a solid choice in the area.

I looove brunch, and Day by Day sure knows how to do it! I enjoyed my salmon potato latke benedict very much. It reminds me of a dish that I invented myself with smoked salmon. I love eggs benedict, but I love it even more with the salmon. The side salad adds a balanced touch. My only advice is making the poached eggs slightly runnier. Mine was a little bit stiffer than I would have liked, as I prefer my eggs to sauce over the benedict, hehe.
On the other hand, my friends got the sweet potato hash, one of the new brunch specials. I really enjoyed the unique flavors of this. Bits of sweet potato, sausage, and unique spices. It reminds me of the Sweet Potato Benny at Café La Maude. Very cool if you’re feeling adventurous =]

I know everyone’s all about the classic Philly brunch spots like Sabrinas, Green Eggs, Café Lift, etc., but Day by Day is slowly beating out its competition in my book! Mostly because I live on the same street. But the food is also really good! The coffee is rich and bottomless, and the banana bread french toast is one of my favorites — if you like dense. sweet banana bread, this is the dish for you! It’s crispy on the outside, hot and bready on in the inside, and seriously made to perfection. If you’re more of a savory bunch person, their omelets are great also! My parents love eating here when they visit because its close by and got a homey feel, and they always opt for the salmon and and spinach/​tomato omelets. I’d advise making a reservation or be prepared for a bit of a wait!

What a great find! A friend and I met at Day By Day for lunch last winter. The exterior is very unassuming, and though we have both walked by it a million times, neither of us ever realized this little gem was there! The dining room is also much larger than I was expecting, and it was crowded with your typical weekday business crowd.
Our server was a lovely, enthusiastic woman that gave us several suggestions on the menu before making our selections. In addition to the standard menu, there are specials on a chalk board. To start, I had a cup of the turkey chili soup. It was very thick and flavorful — as a chili should. My friend had a wrap that was large enough to take half to go. My sandwich was also wonderful.
Everything from Day By Day was made fresh and was delicious. I would love to go back and try their brunch!

Where to begin… The experience was nice. I enjoy checking out new places. I really wanted some French toast and the place that we were suggested was super packed so we looked for another place close by. We came across day by day.
There wasn’t a wait when I got there but in order to be seat your entire party must be present so keep that in mind if you’re going to have a large party. It seemed like some people called ahead or something but they use an app of some sort to text you when your table is ready. Anyway, when my boyfriend finally found a park we were able to be seated. They have pastries that offer via appetizers but I notice a decent amount of them were sitting on a counter behind the register uncovered. Noted not to get any of the uncovered pastries lol. They do have a case where they keep some pastries I would trust those before the others.
Okay back to the experience… They have a large black board that gives you information on the specials and flavored for that day. So my French toast that I had to have came in peach flavor. Also I think they had a pumpkin one but I’m not really into the pumpkin flavor much. My boyfriend ordered what we called playing it safe breakfast meal, eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes and a choice of bread. He didn’t want his bread so I decided to get a biscuit for myself. I
Ordered the peach challah (sp) French toast and a side of Rosemary potatoes.
Everything comes out pancakes are HUGE. French toast is good if you don’t like peach sauce on your French toast ask for the peach topping on the side. Potatoes were bland they needed some salt or something. The biscuit was a harder type of biscuit than what I like I’m a fluffy biscuit chick.
The food was ok nothing that I would have to have again. But I did notice while eating someone had brought in a bottle of wine to drink and they also I have champagne. Not sure what the rules are so ask if you’re interested. I don’t have any issues with the place just wanted to share my experience.

Day By Day has a diner like feel, but the food is much better than the average diner. I’ve been here a couple of times and ended up leaving with a smile on my face each time.
The chalah french toast is a standout which is served in a variety of ways. You also can’t go wrong with the bread basket or eggs benedict. But you can NOT leave Day By Day without trying the cinnamon buns. They are heavenly. You might even want to order some to go, but don’t wait until your meal is over to do so. By the time you finish your meal you might find that the buns are sold out.

So I’ve been here twice and really am not too impressed by the food. First time I came in for the eggs benedict, which was just OK. Also tried some other dishes when my friends ordered them such as the baked egg, nothing special to me. One thing that is notable might be the pastries. They were very tasty, especially the cinnamon bun. I’d do without the frosting because that’s too sweet for my taste.
The second time I came in, I tried the sweet potato and chorizo hash. I was definitely disappointed with this dish. The sweet potato was soggy and lacked flavor. Worst of all, the chorizo was way too salty, also made the sweet potatoes salty. Ice coffee was nothing but super watered down coffee. I wanted to try their panda cake, saw it at the counter, but I feel like I might be disappointed with that as well.
I particularly liked the interior because it was roomy with plenty of lighting, makes less of a wait at times. Also liked the giant chalkboard of special menu items and outdoor seatings available.

Day by Day has been on our brunch to-​eat list for quite some time. Dining Partner and I decided to try it on Sunday morning just after they opened at 9:30am. The restaurant wasn’t full yet, but large groups began to congregate at the front door after we were seated at a table outside. We spotted a very attractive cinnamon bun in the front display case and had to try it. Take my advice, get THE CINNAMON BUN. It was warm, fluffy, fresh, and covered with cream cheese icing. I would have eaten at least 3 by myself if I didn’t have a conscience. Instead of filling up on cinnamon buns I had the breakfast sandwich (a croissant with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese). Dining Partner had the challah french toast, which was incredibly fluffy and delicious. Great food, good service, get there early!

(To the tune of Maroon 5’s «Sugar»)
I’m hungry baby. I’m broken down.
I need some breakfast, breakfast,
I need it now.
Maybe hungover…
I’m feeling weak.
Hope there’s a short wait, I’m begging
I’m on my knees.
I don’t wanna be needing your grub
I just wanna be eating your grub
And it’s killing me when there’s a wait…
Cause I really don’t care where I sit
I just wanna eat there, where I sit
I just gotta get one little taste…
Syrup
Yes please.
Won’t you drizzle some on French toast, please.
I’m right here, and I need…
Little toast, some shakshouka please.
Yeah, you show me good pastries
Sausage is «alright»
Need a bit more bacon in my life…
Syrupppp
Yes, please.
Come and drizzle it on my French toast, please…
Day by Day: Your lines are intimidating. I don’t think I’d venture here with a group larger than 4, and even that could be a bit… However, what awaits inside (or, outside on lovely days) is a carby paradise full of breakfast treats, savory eats, and stuff that’s sweet. I went with the shakshouka and a side of sausage, while my sister enjoyed the banana bread French toast (which is vegan!) You would never know this French toast was vegan, though, as it was so incredibly decadent and delicious. The sausage was the only part of the meal that wasn’t stand-​out, it tasted (and looked) like links that were made at my home and kind of underdone… Oh well, can’t win em all. However, I would go back in a heartbeat to enjoy some more of their offerings. A variety of rotating French toasts has piqued my interest.

The wait was short even though business was booming! I can’t even spell or pronounce what I had to eat but it was delicious! The server was genuinely kind and just a great guy. I’d highly recommend me mend coming here for brunch.

Our daughter is living in Center City while at Grad school and she loves Day By Day. We came in for brunch on a Sunday to giver her a break from studying. We arrived around 1:00 PM and we were told we had a 20-​minute wait. No problem, they took our name and told us they would text us when our table was ready. It was a chilly but sunny Sunday, so we walked around a bit and explored the neighborhood.
We were seated in about 30 minutes, which again was OK. Fortunately none of us were overly hangry. We did an advance look at the menu and specials and we were ready to order upon being seated. Unfortunately, they were sold out of my daughter’s favorite item, the Sweet Potato and Chorizo hash. That threw a cat amongst the pigeons, as my wife and daughter had to frantically review the menu to place our orders. We settled on the Challah French French Toast Special and Potato Pancake Benedict.
The Challah French Toast was stuffed with bananas and peanut butter with bacon and a caramel sauce. It was surprisingly not too sweet and we didn’t use any syrup. It had some great flavors but I wish there was just a little more bacon. It was filling but still very good. The Potato Pancake Benedict was excellent. My daughter substituted Canadian bacon for the salmon. We really liked this dish and it was savory and light.
Day-​by-​Day serves La Colombe coffee with free refills. Our server was fantastic and attentive. The entire staff was very pleasant and efficient our check was about $ 45.00 for 3 dishes, 1 coffee and an orange juice, which is reasonable for the quality of food. Day-​by-​Day lived up to the hype and the wait.