European Republic

I was so disappointed last night. I understand the restaurant was closing in 30 mins when we got there but they could of fully cooked my chicken tenders instead of rushing it. I couldn’t bring it back because I waited to get home to eat it and when I took a bite out of it you can tell that it was undercooked. I’ve had krunchy chicken by spring garden and it was always good. They didn’t even have the shrimps my boyfriend wanted but instead used different shrimps. Major disappointment.

Good fries and dips. Wraps are mostly arugula which is disappointing. Not many vegetarian options. Horrible customer service. I used to come here all the time when they first opened here in 2012 and it was great. Now wraps are stale and employees are rude and disrespectful. I won’t be back.

After spending nearly $ 9.00 on food and drink, I asked the man at the counter for a cup of water and he tried to charge me 75¢.
When I pointed out that I was already a customer, not some rando walking in off of South Street, he said that it’s cheaper than a bottle of water.
Good food, poor customer service.

Haven’t eaten here before and found it to be nothing to write home about I wasn’t inclined to review it. But today I learned that the owner of this place called my friend a racial slur meaning that the food and the establishment are crap. Do not patronize this racist establishment

I wish I could give negative stars. This is my first rating and it is sad that it has to be a negative one.
I rarely say anything negative but this place made me upset because they weren’t clear about their total price. I’ve been here twice because my friend lives near by. The lady (the wife) never gives out receipt. There is price listed on the board but then when I got total amount it didn’t add up right so I calculated and they charged $ 3 and sum change more. At first I didn’t really mind because I’m not going to be cheap about it so I let it slide. We visited again, they did the samething again. I didn’t want to argue over $ 3 so I convinced my friend not to go there anymore.
They are not being honest, that is what makes me mad and I didn’t want people to go through what we went through so I got on Unilocal with a sense of duty to make sure people are aware of their monkey business.
Better yet, I wouldn’t be this upset if their food was good… Taste badddd, soggy fries, not even authentic halal food, wings are just okay, their dipping sauces are okay.
If you go their just keep in mind they will try to over charge you.

Guys, I really like this place. Like really, really like this place.
I go frequently, since it’s only a block from my house. I always get the spicy grilled chicken goat cheese wrap, which is a wrap with grilled chicken, a spicy jalapeño sauce, and goat cheese. It’s so delicious. A combo comes with fries (really good ones) and a drink. Pro tip: You don’t have to get a fountain drink, you can get a can of soda or a bottle of water. You get a dipping sauce with the fries. I love the curry sauce, but I’ve tried the garlic and some others as well.
And the best part? This will only set you back about $ 7.

Great fritz. I had the lamb over rice with a side of salad. Everything just went together so smoothly.

I go here a lot because the food is actually pretty good when it’s made correctly and I’m local to it.
I usually get a wrap but the platters over rice are good too. Normally, the food is fresh but sometimes you’ll get bad produce on a wrap, overcooked chicken, or stale wrap. What irks me the most is that the place is NOT consistent. 60% of the time, my order is wrong even though I repeat it because I know someone is going to screw it up. Always leaving off the cheese!!!
Lots of potential because when the food is good, it’s GOOD. Also, very good prices — the combos are a great deal. They’ve been here around a year, the original owner has left, and I think they are still getting their act together.

Lamb and chicken combo over rice was awful, salty orange rice with zero visible seasoning (cardamom pods, etc.), Ranch dressing over spring mix and 4 1-​inch strips of chicken and lamb all in a container less than half full. I’m glad I live a block away because I walked back and got a refund.
Searching for the nearest lunch cart now…

I’m going to cut straight to the chase here, it’s all about the frites at this place. I’ve tried the wraps and they’re not bad, but they’re nothing to write home about, but for the love of all that is sacred, order the frites with the European ketchup. They have set a new bar in the field of fries and ketchup.
My only problem is that sometimes the service is a little half-​assed. I’ve had experiences where they’ve gotten a little chintzy on a triple order of the frites, and I’ve had the frites served a little cold before. Granted they still taste amazing, but come on! Don’t take your best product and ruin it with sub par service!
Side note: if you’re thinking «Should we get the cheesecake?» Do it. Trust me.

The boyfriend & I stopped by here because we were hungry, on South Street, happened to pass by and I wanted fries. =D
I love that they have so many different kinds of sauce to offer! Their fries were good too. Not too oily.
The boyfriend got a wrap & said that was good too.
I will be back for the fries & many dipping sauce!

I went here for a late lunch, and it seemed like we were bothering the employees.
I got the daily special which is a wrap, fries and a drink.
The wrap was sub-​par. They made mine wrong, so I had to wait while they made another one. When I got my wrap it was dry and the tomatoes tasted old.
And I got their mango chutney for the fries which was really gross, something was off about it.
2 stars because their fries are amazing.

I’m sure it was just a fluke, but I felt very uncomfortable patronizing European Republic. We tried to go 15 minutes after the sign on the door said it’d be open, not open. No problem, we come back later. We did and no problem ordering, no wait or anything, but the menu was too long for me. I would have been happier with a pick one from each category style menu. I don’t see this as a major problem though. We sit down and wait for the food, then it gets very uncomfortable.
Crooked paintings, walls painted glossy red shine light in your eyes, dirty floors, fifteen or so ratty chair (two to four of each style). It seems very sloppily put together, less dive bar more we don’t want you here. On top of all that there was a woman very civilly sitting at a table quietly eating. Next to her, close by, but at a bar stool, sat a man who she was obviously with (our best guess was that he was her baby’s daddy and he was in the doghouse?) My problem with him was that he stared way way too long at me and my female dining partner. To the point that it scared us both. If yelling «STRANGER DANGER» in your late 20s was ever appropriate this was the time and place.
Our food came out, I knew this because I heard a grunt and saw eye contact from someone behind the counter. No problem, I’ll come get it (although as your only customers you must be too busy to bring it to us.) The seafood bisque was water based and thin. If you’re unaware why this is upsetting read the fifth word of this short article:
The wraps were dry. The fries were by no means special and in fact far inferior of that of German, English or Dutch fries I’ve had in their respected countries. I think TGIFridays buys the same cut as European Republic. Maybe the bag they came in said «Special Fries» on it? The sauces were all mayonnaise based, as was mentioned by a previous reviewer. There are so many great spots to eat on South street that I just didn’t see the magic in this one. I hope for the best in all small businesses, so I hope someone else can enjoy the European Republic for me. They have a great location, I just hope they don’t blow it!

So, french fries and I have this thing. I try and try, but can’t seem to stay away. They are fresh and hot and crunchy and creamy and comforting and why SHOULD I stay away, I say. So after taking a long walk after the Washington St Night Market in order to burn off the calories from the delicious eats, I stumbled upon European Republic and knew it had to happen.
ER is a very small, unassuming business. You walk in to the counter space, and I peeked to see just a few tables for eating in (it’s possible there are more, I did not take a long peek). The guy working the counter was friendly enough to answer my questions about what I should order, and I settled on the spicy chicken and goat cheese wrap. The wrap was definitely tasty, but not mindblowing. I was also a little bummed that my requested tomatoes were not added to the sandwich; and I got the feeling that the wrap was premade. I did like the thin wrap that they use; I liked the low carby feeling. The daily combos were a good deal, and I liked that you could pick your own sandwich instead of a pre-​picked daily sandwich.
The fries that everyone raves about were just as good as promised though. They were fried to order, and perfectly cooked and crispy/​creamy. I decided on the lemon dill dipping sauce, which was really good. I would get it again, but not after trying a few more first.
For the price and for delivering on their premise, this place lived up to my expectations. If I lived in the area I would totally go more often, but I wouldn’t travel to come here. Oh, and there is a charge for using credit, but I believe it’s pretty small.

European Republic is the place to go for a good, freshly made, cheap wrap. Note I said good — not amazing. The flatbread used is a bit dry and tends to break easily so I have never made it through a wrap without that awkward moment when your sandwich is ¹⁄₃ in your mouth, ¹⁄₃ in your hands, and ¹⁄₃ on the table/​floor/​pants/​the cat. Luckily I bring these home to eat.
The fries (frites, whatever) are amazing and what every fry should aspire to be, especially when they are fresh out of the fryer and freshly salted. I’m less impressed with the dipping sauces, though the European Ketchup is pretty tasty.
Service seems fine, but I’ve only ever been in here when it’s slow. I imagine it can get annoying with a crowd since the space between the counter and the wall is pretty slim. I got the wrong dipping sauces once, but I’m not going to go postal over it or anything.
Bonus: you can get a ½ wrap if you really just want a little cheap snack that doesn’t come out of a bag.
Less of a bonus: ER does take credit cards, but all transactions get an added charge.

I’ve tried calling ahead and it’s no dice. They are number one perplexed how you got their digits… Oh I’m a ninja like that. number two it doesn’t make them hustle any faster I still had to wait. It’s still worth the wait. Everything is freshly prepared.
p. s. If you want some 4^th grade giggles read the menu while you wait it is littered with spelling errors. I kinda want to fix them and barter for fries.

Two words: European Ketchup!
I’m a fan of European Republic’s Old City location and going back in the day to their Huntington, Long Island establisment.
It was at the new South Street European Republic that I discovered my new love, their European Ketchup. I used to be all about the caviar dip for the frites. But now that I am avoiding seafood, I decided to try the European Ketchup.
I see why I ignored it all this time. It sounds like ketchup with some spices in it. You can get ketchup for free at any restaurant including European Republic. But as it involved no obvious meat or fish I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. It is somewhat similar to In-N-Out’s burger spread.
I have also tried their Jalapeño Cheddar. Pretty good with a nice spice but no European Ketchup.
A small frites with European Ketchup is a great snack for any trip to South Street.

The fries are perfect. They’re pretty freakin perfect. European Republic’s Belgian style hand-​cut frites are perfect from their, perfectly crispy, perfectly salted outsides to their perfectly creamy potatoey insides. Perfect. The guys working there asked me how they were, «Perfect!» I yelled. You get what I’m saying here.
As I may have mentioned a million time, I’m pro dipping sauces, and the many dipping sauces available for said frites are great: European ketchup, European Sauce, roasted eggplant, Jamaican Curry… just to name-​drop some dipping sauces…
That you can have for yourself a nice freshy wrap, small cone of fries, and a drink for $ 6.95 is a nice deally… and look at me, I am not a person who generally orders a wrap. I have nothing against a wrap, or flat breads or tortillas… Heaven knows that I am burrito crazy, I tell you… Still I’m not one who’s gonna be caught musing, «You know, I could really go for a wrap.» Anyway, European Republic’s wrap stylins are fit for a nice light lunch.
But back to the fries… They’re perfecto. A welcome addition to the neighborhood. And speaking of the neighborhood, now there’s a stretch o’ South Street that has some seriously good fries happenin (between 6^th & 8^th Sts)… Brauhaus’ frites with curry ketchup, Hot Diggity’s dope fries, and now I gots European Republic’s perfect potatoes too…
I don’t know about the rest of yez, Philadelphia, but I’m ready to begin referring to this as «The French Fry District,» or, «The Good Fries District,» or perhaps something catchier… that says great fries abound. I’ll work on that before tour buses or duck boats go quackin it, or whatever.

This location just opened up recently. I had never been to the Olde City location, but my boyfriend and I decided to try it out for dinner. If you love your condiments like we do, this is the place to go!
The staff was very friendly, the place was clean. Their selection of homemade dipping sauces is amazing. Since it was our first time there, they gave us a variety to try with a sample of fries. Roasted Eggplant and European Ketchup were our favorites, but we also had Lemon Dill, Jamaican Curry, Avocado and Jalapeño.
We got an order of fries, and split a Caesar salad and a crispy chicken wrap with Honey Dijon sauce. The salad was good, although it was just lettuce with the dressing, no extra veggies or anything. The dressing was delicious though, a very unique Caeser taste. The wrap used for the sandwich was a little more dry than I am used to, but the combo of the chicken, sauce, lettuce and tomato was great. The fries were wonderful! You could tell they were fresh cut fries and not the crappy frozen kind. Huge, fresh, hot and crispy.
Also, our meal for 2 was $ 20 and was plenty to fill us both up! This is a great place for a meal or just to grab an order of fries.

This location just opened up, and I’m sure it will be a repeat success of the Old City shop. Enjoy a healthy wrap, a glass of lemonade, and if you’re not on a diet, indulge those fries (fresh cut — and I literally saw them cut them!).
This location has better seating/​layout than Old City, since the seating is in the back away from the street, and people can order at the counter/​pickup without walking past diners.
I love European Republic because they’re unpretentious and good at what they do – good choices for wraps/​food, good fries and great sauces, and it’s fast food that doesn’t make you feel bad about it. Glad they moved to the neighborhood.