The Racquet Club of Philadelphia

Have stayed here a few times overnight and have always had a good experience. The club is «Gilded Age» grand in décor and the staff, especially the man at the reception desk, is helpful and friendly. There is a discount for parking at Patriot Parking, just down the street.
The club is in a great location, right next to Walnut St., and is near great shopping and many restaurants. There is a pool as well, but I did not check that out.
A small, cold breakfast is available in the mornings but the restaurant is not open on the weekends.
I always stay here when in town!

This review is for dining at the Racquet Club 1889 Pub & Grille.
I was so lucky to have a chance to chance to dine at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia last evening. Before dining, I got to have a tour of the club, which is a thing to be seen. Their facilities are extensive and extremely well maintained. If you are into squash, racquets, or court tennis, I would highly recommend checking out the club for membership. It really is top notch.
The 1889 Pub & Grille is located in the basement of the club and has a warm, authentic pub feel. The building was constructed on 1907 and just oozes old-​school charm. The menu is small, well planned, and has seasonal changes about once a month. All of their breads and pastas are made in-​house, so be sure to listen to the nightly appetizer and entrée specials.
We were really well taken care of by the Front of House Manager, Carmen, who made sure that our wine glasses were never empty (a personal plus for me.) We started with the shared hummus plate, which was very well done: creamy hummus with pine nuts that really hit the spot. The kitchen also offered us a cheese plate with burrata, pickled kumquats and a blood orange crema — exquisite — dressed with pistachios and mirco greens.
You may have read the Philly Eater article that extolled the virtues of the club’s beet reuben, and believe me it is worth the hype. If you’re a beet girl (c’est moi!) this is the sandwich for you. The balance of ingredients is spot-​on, and the rye bread is fresh and wonderful. My friends had the short rib sliders and the fettuccine special with scallops — no one was disappointed. The only only downside was that we didn’t have room for dessert — I can’t wait to get back to try the vanilla caramel budino. The Executive Chef, Nick, checked in with us several times during the meal. We were so satisfied with our experience and can’t wait to go back.
Please note that the club and dining is members only, so snag yourself and up-​and-​comer and get yourself to the Racquet Club ASAP.

The perfect place to have a wedding reception — It is a beautiful venue! The summer happy hours are amazing also!

An amazing wedding venue if you want a place with historic character and charm. Everyone was so attentive to details that it made the event seamless. The staircase makes for a Grand entrance and the combination of large and small rooms made the transition from cocktail reception to dinner to dancing to after-​party flow so naturally. There are plenty of parking lots and hotels in the area to accommodate guests who don’t stay at the club (which I would also recommend!)

I would venture to say I am most likely not the only Philadelphia transplant who got lured to the racquet club because they made the assumption that there was tennis there. I mean why would there be tennis at a racquet club (sic?) at any rate being new to town I joined as a way of meeting other folks. After a somewhat arduous interview and orientation process I was accepted. I was disappointed that there was not tennis but convinced myself I would learn a new racquet sport. Well, that never happened, but the monthly dues kept coming in the mail despite that. There were weekly social functions and I attended some. The folks there were very welcoming and I did have some interesting conversations. The facility itself and furnishings are old. By that I mean more shabby and less shabby chic. So much so you almost get the impression when you are in the building that you are walking through the halls of a museum. I enjoyed my membership while it lasted but wasn’t there for very long before I decided to opt out and to join a different club that better accomplished my business and social needs.

This place is like a time capsule. My boarding school holds alumni receptions here occasionally and the events are always impeccable. The décor is very old school, with winding hallways and marble floors. Bar and hors d’oeuvres service is friendly and efficient. I’d definitely consider hosting a private event here.

Attended a wedding here this past weekend and it was GORGEOUS.
The ceremony was held in the lobby right where we walked in, chairs were set up (a bit closely to each other for my taste). Before the ceremony, we checked our coats, and had time to socialize and admire the space and sign the guestbook. Even in spite of the high ceilings and general grandiosity of the place, the ceremony and space felt very intimate. No problems hearing the ceremony, but I had a bit of trouble seeing (tip, sit by the aisle or front for a better view!)
Tip: the ceremony might be right where you walk in so, don’t be late or it could be awkward!
After the ceremony, we adjourned to another beautiful room for cocktail hour. Service was impeccable and so was the food. The ceremony chairs were quickly cleared and set up with small tables and chairs.
The bride and groom entered from opposite staircases a la Titanic or Beauty and the Beast. Tiny candles adorned each and every step and it made for gorgeous pictures. Sound was good for the music for their first dance and obligatory father-​daughter, mother-​son dances too.
We were then ushered into the main dining room for dinner. We were wowed by the chandelier and gorgeous room. A couple actually came up to our table to look at the art behind us. That’s how impressive it was. Service was great throughout dinner too and so was the food.
Then it was back to the lobby for the Hora, and some (ok lots of) dancing. The Racquet Club was even able accommodate a large group of people breaking it down to both a DJ and a band. Dessert/​coffee bar was set up seamlessly and deliciously while we danced the night away. Lights were a big bright for dancing, but maybe I’m just used to a more clubby atmosphere.
PS. You know you’re in a fancy place when the bathroom has 1. a couch and 2. a lovely basket full of tampons. Sorry boys, this is what we get for having to wait in all those lines at bars.
At the end of the night, as R. Kelly so eloquently put it, «after the party it’s the afterparty,» so we adjourned to the bridal suite for an impromptu after-​party. Gorgeous room, and a huge sitting space that accommodated at least 30 of us. We struggled with the ice machine and gave up, but servers brought in buckets of ice for us. We were pretty loud and rowdy until well into the night and no one stopped us!
SPARKNOTES: Highly recommend if you’re looking for a classy wedding venue, beautiful pictures, and a great atmosphere, all conveniently located in the heart of the city!

I visited this establishment because the Wine Club at my university was hosting a wine tasting in their Reading Room. With the lush red walls, ornate window trims and tall curtains, I felt like I had stepped back to a different era, when time flowed at a slower pace and everyone moved with sophistication. When I got there, the wines and cheeses were already laid out so I didn’t get to experience any of the service first hand but I am impressed by the ambience and history of the establishment. More than anything else, I love how relaxed the place made me feel, which is what such a venue should be judged on, I reckon.

The Racquet Club is definitely a step back in time, but unlike the NYCAthletic Club, it did not seem to have a ‘dress code’ that is
archaic (no sneakers, no use of cell phones, no jeans, etcetc).
I’m not sure they were exactly ‘prepared’ for me-​I belong to the
LAAC which has a reciprocal arrangement and I was able to
get a good rate-​but LA and Philadelphia are far apart (duh).
Aside from a problem with the lock to my room and a door handle
for the exit which had come off (well it is an old club) I enjoyed myself.
The pool was empty and so i could swim without a problem and
the happy hour on Wednesday night had the best selection of
’free goodies’ that I’ve ever seen. It was fun to watch the local
bankers, lawyers and stock brokers stand around and gab with
each other-​mostly men, very conservative, I of course did not
fit in-​but who cares. I dress deliberately and my garb attracted
one of the waiters who was really very nice, as was the front
desk clerk, Philip, who had spent time in Hollywood so he
knew how to appreciate my west coast ‘charm.’ I had a
good time and the location, using public transportation
can’t be beat. As for the ‘free breakfast…’ I was not impressed.
But since I had had plenty of ‘free’ vegies, pizza slices and
other goodies from the happy hour the night before I did
not feel ‘cheated.’

I hosted my wedding here. The way the rooms lay out worked perfectly! My family and I loved it! Everyone had a wonderful time. The caterer is great too! The hotel rooms are good. Nice and big. A little sparsley furnished, but the furniture is nice. Could use a little decoration or paint or something to make them nicer and more finished. But a great place to stay in the city inexpensively. The real winner is the lobby, reading room, dinning room and the bars downstairs.

One of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen, let alone stayed in. I booked a suite a month in advance for a reunion with 5 of my girlfriends. My boyfriend is a university club member but he obviously didn’t come, so I was a little worried it would be a problem since my only connection was through a member who would not be present. I had absolutely no problems and the service was more than I could have hoped for. Check out the pool which is open from 9AM-​5PM on the weekends… I went for a swim Sunday morning at 9am and no one was there, so it was completely relaxing. They offer a complimentary breakfast which is sort of funny because its a mini fridge on the same floor as the rooms with limitless Sarah Lee muffins, fruit cups and yogurts. Some people reviewing this club were offended or expected a better offering, but my friends and I were grateful for this little extra at 4pm when we were all hankering for a snack, or even at 2am back from the bars when we didn’t need one… Excellent stay.

A wonderful, beautiful and historic gem in Center City, Philadelphia. It is probably one of the best places in the summer time to meet young professionals (they have a ~$ 300 summer membership where you can try out the club all summer long while attending weekly Wednesday happy hours).
You feel like you’ve walked back in time when walking through the doors (and if you like racquet sports that won’t hurt either). Great spot all around. Very reasonable membership rates for those under 30.

We are reciprocal club members, therefore we decided to give it a try. Overall I would say it is a decent place to stay in Philly: great central location, close to subway and walking distance to much in the city.
It’s a beautiful, historic club with an impressive lobby and wonderful furnishings and décor all around. Our room was comfortable — not large, but not small, with a queen bed, desk and chair, large walk-​in closet. The smallest part was the bathroom, which was a bit of a challenge as the sink was the smallest sink I have ever seen in a hotel room, resulting in often splashing water all over the floor when trying to wash my face. There was no shelving around the sink or on the walls near the sink to place anything, which made getting ready a but interesting. But it was very clean and certainly sufficient for most of our needs. The windown heating/​AC unit in the bedroom must not have been used in awhile, as it emitted a terrible odor the first time we turned it on (as November in Philly is quite chilly!). Once it had been running a second and third time, this odor disappeared.
The manager and front desk staff for the most part were helpful and friendly, providing suggestions as we asked for them. Tom was particularly helpful, which we so appreciated! The bar area was great, open until 11pm and the bartender was friendly and accomodating.
My only real concern about staying at the club is that they offer an extremely meager and disappointing «continental breakfast» with an overnight stay. Now, you might say that one shouldn’t complain about a free breakfast. But this one warrants complaint. And since part of the reason we chose to stay here was because they offered breakfast with the room, we were even more disappointed with what we found. Coffee, tea and juice were all offered, which was great. They also apparently had some fresh cut fruit, but this was gone before I got there. Beyond that they had store bought yogurt cups and prepackaged Sara Lee muffins. Sorry, but that is just not acceptable. I mentioned something to the manager and his response was that they made cut backs due to the poor economy. Understandable — we’re all making cost-​cutting decisions in this market. However, put out some bread and/​or bagels along with a toaster. Find some way to offer pastries that are actually appealing. Don’t put out prepackaged commercial items and call it a continential breakfast. We’ve stayed at many other reciprocal clubs and never have we encountered this kind of breakfast let-​down. I think there has to be a way to balance an economical approach to breakfast and providing a quality experience for your guests, which The Racquet Club did not acheive.
Enough rambling about the breakfast. As long as you know what you’re getting into in that area, I think it’s a good place to stay. I don’t know that we’ll revisit it again, as I believe there are other options in the area for a similar price and we may want to see how those stack up in comparison.

The Ranquet club sits off to the side, & if you don’t pay attention, walk right by it. It has been around for SO long, & I was fortunate to go here, to attend a wedding for some close family friends in late summer wedding I knew where it was, so I was naturally the GPS, before everyone got the digital kind. They have 2 entrances and when you walk in, it is Ginormous, huge lobby, marble, a fabulous sweeping staircase’s the wedding party & family stood for photo ops. They has candles lit on the corners. One room, had a bar & hors d’oeuvres while more pictures were taken. The open lobby people just walked around. quite nice, cept it was HOT!!!
Afterwards, as the reception begun, led us to the main room, which had these huge long windows. Look, it was hot summer day, & the air did not work, at all. If it wasn’t for us sitting near a window, think most people would have passed out or stripped. I know my brother was getting ready to do one of the two.(he had on a 3 PC suit) 90 degrees + weather-​inside.
The food was great, service was good, too! But Damn was it Hot, how are you having a wedding reception, no air at all ??? !! Absurd. But besides the Devil being inside the ranquet club-​waving to us, it was a a good time! Once the windows opened, there wasa breeze-​better then the hell inside-​stifling!

After moving to Philly I was looking to join a club that would offer me some sort of get away. What I found with the rcop was something much much more! This 100 plus year old racquet club has everything a person could want. A beautiful gym, 3 squash courts and 1 doubles squash courts, a rackets court (only 8 in the country very unique game, and a court tennis court (which any racket sport player must try).
They have a full bar, lunch counter guest rooms, and are constintely putting on events for the members.
If you are looking for a truly great city gem and a great group of people I suggest checking it out and at very least inquire about the summer happy hour best deal in Philly to try it out!

The Racquet Club provided an elegant and truly memorable venue for my St. Paddy’s Day, 2007, wedding reception. It is definitely not some random hotel ballroom. The marble lobby and sweeping staircases provide a dramatic entrance and backdrop for dancing. The multi-​room setup with the dining room and lounges adjacent to the lobby worked like a dream for a mixed crowd. The folks who wanted to dance could be out on the floor with the noise, while the rich lounge with bar, leather couches and fireplace was great for people who wanted to more quiet, mellow ambiance. The presence of a small (and shockingly well-​ventilated) smoking room was a welcome surprise to the applicable guests who would have otherwise been outside in a windy sleet storm!
The venue caterer, Jeffrey Miller, served up delicious meals (see my detailed review of them on Unilocal). The staff at The Racquet Club was pleasant and helpful, going out of their way to fight the sleet storm, keep the sidewalks clear and assist people up the stairs. They also turned a thankfully blind eye to some minor wedding guest misbehaviors!
In summary, this is a gorgeous place to host a memorable event.

The Racquet Club is a very elegant facility and a great choice for wedding reception. Two full bars, a huge dining room, and a dramatic foyer. The drinks were stiff and plentiful, the waitstaff was professional, and the food was outstanding. They even have little alcoves along the hallways where people were making out after having a few too many. My only gripe is that the ladies room was so far away.