Rex 1516

Man look. ate here on New Years and the everything was really good. waiter bragged about the brunch so I had to see about it and he wasn’t lyin’! No freezer and no microwave in this kitchen. fresh made food from scratch

I am obsessed! I adore this area. I have gone twice for brunch, once with the shrimp and grits, once with the chicken and waffles benedict. Excellent! I also stopped by for a drink one night and the crawfish pot pie was to die for. It is a decent size and I left quite full. Highly recommend, though the area is really small thus get a booking if you are going at a peak dinner time!

My burger was extremely good, and the sweet potato fries were right on par with it. The wings as an appetizer were also amazing. I was disappointed that my Diet Coke came in a glass bottle because I’m a huge believer in free refills. Our server seemed to have an attitude when my friend asked if she could switch out one side for another (which you strictly cannot). We sat outside, and the table was slanted and too small; it seemed like sitting inside would have eliminated those issues though, which would have probably led to 4 stars.

Shrimp & Grits was truly awesome. Also chicken waffles were pretty good as well. The place has a very unique atmosphere, I love all the antique collections inside. But the dessert was not that attractive tho.

Kind of weird .
First off plan to take the subway and walk down or good luck trying to find street parking. There is a lot you can park at however be prepared to spend 15 — 20 dollars. When I first walked in I was greeted by a long cheetah style curtain followed by the hostess that comes out of no where, kind of weird. However, the environment is dark and the tables are so close together that it makes you feel so uncomfortable. Regardless the burger was great as well as the service.

I teetered between a 3 and a 4-​star review but decided to go with a 4 since the service was so very good — Thanks to Action Jackson!
The BF got a burger and enjoyed it. It was well cooked but a burger so there’s only so good you can get. They did have a combo sweet potato and white potato fry option which went over really well.
Started with the Cream of Sunchoke soup — AMAZING. I need to figure out how to replicate this at home. As an entrée I opted for the warm cabbage and kale salad (5 star) and the mussels which were just ok. Not very flavorful although perfectly cooked. The blandness would be a 3 star for sure.
The server was awesome (action Jackson per my bill). Knowledgeable about the menu and the beer list friendly but not pushy. Great at anticipating needs. Took recommendations and upped them (for me and people sitting adjacent). Absolutely the best kind of server — an asset to any restaurant.
I’ll be back for a repeat — burger with a fried egg was highly recommended by the table next to us so I feel like I haven’t given it a fair shake until I dive face first into that.
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I came here for v-​day brunch. It was actually better than I expected, with the exception of there being no bottomless mimosas. The restaurant is small but cozy. We sat near the door which was a little drafty, but they have heavy curtains to block out most of the draft which is great. I ordered the roast pork special with a salad, it was really good. The menu here is tailored to the day so you cant really order outside the menu. The service was great and the bartender makes an amazing negroni.

The service was pretty good. They were very attentive and friendly. The burger deal is one amazing deal. Have burger with fries, shot of whiskey, and a pint of beer for 15 bucks. Seems like evryone got that deal the night I was there. Although the menu is limited i can’t wait to go back for more.

The service and appetizers were good however my entrée was not.
The server was attentive and helpful with suggestions.
We ordered several apps including the crawfish pot pie, Caesar salad, shells and cheese, and cornbread. All were good and I would definitely eat those again. For my entrée I had the BBQ platter which included, sausage, turkey, and brisket. The sausage was the only decent part of the dish. The brisket had absolutely no taste which was very disappointing as that was what I was most looking forward to. Also, both the turkey and brisket were dry.

I took my parents here before we were going to see a play. I walk by this place frequently and always heard good things so figured we would give it a try. I think my parents were a little scared by how fancy the place looks when you walk in. I loved the décor and the old movies playing over the bar were a nice touch.
On to the food… we shared the cornbread to start. This night it had a garlic butter on top. I liked the blend of the sweet cornbread and the savory butter. I could see some people not liking the combo though.
For dinner my mom and I went halves on both the fried chicken and the mushroom bucatini. The fried chicken was good, the meat was moist and the breading was very crispy. My piece was great but my mom’s was a little raw inside. The fried chicken came with collard greens and a mashed red potato patty. I loved the collard greens, a little tangy but not too salty, while the potato was a little bland to me. My mom was the opposite though and liked the potato and wasn’t as thrilled with the collard greens. The star of the dinner was the mushroom bucatini. It had different types of mushrooms in a mushroom cream sauce all over noodles. I actually wish i had ordered this myself so I could have eaten more of it.
For dessert we had the apple crumble with the brown butter ice cream. I had a few bites and it was very tasty. The crumble on top was very hard though so watch your teeth. We were joking about how much noise we were making while eating it.
All in all it was a great dinner and I would come back again just for the mushroom bucatini.

The mushroom bucatini is the best pasta dish I’ve had in philly! unbelievable taste! probably not cooked by humans. Alien creation. Yummmmmm!
Our server was very funny and friendly. His recommendations were great! Inexpensive beer/​wine selection

My long awaited visit to Rex 1516 was very much well worth it! Cranky and starving from having walked from Olde City, we were fortunate to be seated at the bar in the back since we did not have a reservation.
Service: Terrific! The bartender was fabulous and watching him was like watching live art. Incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff who engaged with us and made us feel like home. We loved the staff.
Atmosphere: Cozy, but dark and mysterious. There are tables near the entrance and the bar in the back. Right before the kitchen is a bench with a TV directly above it. I can’t remember the music, but they had The Maltese Falcon playing on a loop which was delightful since it’s my favorite Bogart and Lorre film. There wasn’t an air of snobbiness and felt very welcoming.
Food: GREAT burger and highly recommended. The catfish pâté was also on special and worth trying. Make sure you have room for the dessert which also delivered with their warm apple crisp which was delicious (coming from someone who does NOT do apple desserts!).
Overall a wonderful experience from beginning to end!

We were looking for a brunch spot on Sunday morning and figured wd give Rex 1516 a try since it had been about a year since our last visit. When we walked by I wasn’t really sure if they were open yet as there wasn’t anyone sitting at the any of the tables around 11:45 AM. Then I saw a group walking in so I figured I’d just follow them. The group of 6 asked for a table and were asked by the hostess if they made a reservation. They hadn’t so she told them that they really didn’t have any availability unless they just wanted to sit at the bar. There was not a SINGLE table seated. They chose not to stay and we figured we’d get the same treatment as we also didn’t make a reservation. We were able to snag a table (the restaurant was still completely empty at this point) right next to the bar in a two top that happened to be right in the way of where all the servers needed to get to for their side work. We were immediately helped by a few different servers and put in our food and drink orders. While we were waiting another group came looking for a table and were told the same story. They chose to take the bar seating. Another couple came in and were also shoved into the bar. Meanwhile, not a single table in the main part of the restaurant was seated and we kept seeing people who didn’t have reservations get turned away. I was pretty shocked that the restaurant would turn away business when it was clearly employing a large number of waitstaff who were more than ready to serve the brunch crowd.
Now off of my tangent. With regards to the food and drinks, things were a little hit or miss. I ordered the basil which was WAY too sweet, but my husband enjoyed his bloody mary, with the exception of the floppy piece of okra that came with the drink, which I think was supposed to be a pickle but maybe it had been sitting too long? For our entrees I had the shrimp and grits and my husband had the biscuits gravy. I really enjoyed the shrimp and grits, which was the perfect balance of sweet creamy grits, with salty cheesy sauce, acidic tomatoes and pork belly, and spicy blackened shrimp, topped with a a fried egg. My husband was disappointed with his biscuits and gravy entrée though. While he enjoyed the biscuits (they were like an everything bagel biscuit) the gravy was a bit bland and the overeasy egg he chose was more overhard and swimming in butter or oil.
I think the main reason I’m giving them two stars is for the shrimp and grits, which was delicious, the service (once we were seated) was really attentive, and the atmosphere is really comforting and cozy in an old-​timey French country kind of way. Otherwise, as someone who has a LOT of student loans relating to business school, turning away perfectly good customers to save tables for people who might make reservations seems insane. I don’t know if I’ll be back or not. Maybe for dinner and we’ll be sure to make a reservation haha

Rex has a gluten free menu and its longer than 3 items!!! My friend and I had a ton of fun here. The service was great. The music got interesting towards the end of the night.

If you like Southern comfort food, this is your spot. Even the drink menu is crafted with such attention to detail that I forgot I was well north of the Mason-​Dixon.
The Deep South, centered around rooibos-​infused vodka and honey, was as pleasant as any front-​porch rocking chair.
As for the appetizers, the crawfish pot pie was INCREDIBLE, possibly the best thing I’ve eaten all year, and the pulled pork shells & cheese were delightful too.
The barbecue platter was great, too, featuring brisket and andouille sausage, along with three types of barbecue sauce to span the tastes of the American South.
Seriously, go. Now.

I came here twice — once for breakfast and once for dinner. For dinner, I was lucky enough to come on a Wednesday and they had their city wide special — burger, beer and a shot for 15 bucks. The burger is ok, but definitely an awesome deal.
For brunch, got the chicken and waffles benedict. It’s one of my go-to’s for brunch and it was really good. One of the best in the city (I do think that hawthornes still probably beats them though).
Great spot and has outdoor seating — perfect for a nice day/​night.

ONE BURGER — ONE SHOT — ONE BEER! Need I say more?
Thank God I came here on a Wednesday and got this special!
I went to Rex 1516 and fell in LOVE!!! I had their burger special so I can’t tell you exactly what was on it but it was probably top five best burgers I’ve ever tried.
First off, this whole special was $ 15 and it came with your choice of side (I had sweet potato fries — so good!) + a shot (I think it was whiskey) + a beer. Need I say more? The beer was good, the burger was delicious — it had some sort of white sauce with carrot bits and something else in it + chips — just know that I devoured it within seconds. The sweet potato fries — bangingggg! Soft and just so good. They also gave you a side of ketchup + this white sauce which again was so good. I have no other words but «good» or «delicious» for this place haha.
As for the establishment — since it’s summer and we stay in doors most of the days because of work we decided to eat in their seating area outside. I did catch a glimpse of the inside of their restaurant and it looked very nice and intimate. As for the service, their waiter was so accommodating and friendly!
Bottomline:
I can’t comment on the other entrees but seriously come here on Tuesday or Wednesday for their burger special! It was so good and really makes me want to go back and try anything else on their menu!

Rex 1516 whisks you away from the busy & bloated South Street and tucks you into a dark and calming Southern hideaway.
My mom and I had dinner here last week and enjoyed our experience from start to finish.
We didn’t order much, so I will certainly be back to sample other parts of the menu that piqued my interest (Southern Ramen, Collard Greens, Fried Chicken, etc.)
We started with the Escargot, which was rich and bright with flavor from the various cheeses, the Absinthe butter, and the garlic.
I’ve heard how great the hamburger is, so we both ordered hamburgers for our main meal. It was juicy, perfectly cooked, and assembled with care. The toppings (bacon, pimento cheese, red onion, etc.) only add to the flavor and were not just thoughtlessly thrown onto the patty. It was a really damn good burger.
Service was overall pretty good. Our server was happy to offer wine pairing suggestions (and even brought samples of some reds to try for our choice with our burger — which ultimately led to us ordering more wine, so good for him!) Intentional or not, the meal was paced bordering on slow. Not necessarily a complaint, but considering the restaurant was about half full, I wonder if service suffers when it’s very busy.
I see Rex 1516 has updated it’s menu to reflect the summer season, so I’m eager to go back and try out some other menu items!

Hands down!!! I love this place! First dinner and will surely come back!!! I love the Farmers Market cheese spread!!! I cannot recall when was the last time I had a super filling fantastic cheese plate. This one i very much enjoyed. The old bay biscuits are very hot, soft and moist. It pairs well with the somewhat spicy pimiento cheese and to cut the spice of it I added the apple butter for the perfect balance sweetness. I also enjoyed the goat cheese it is like butter to me. I love it!!! We actually asked if we can have more bread as we devoured the biscuits already. I was getting impatient. When they brought the baguette I was very impress because they took their time to even grill the baguettes. Love the attention to detail.
My husband loved the burger. He said every bite he has pimiento cheese which is awesome. I loved my mac n cheese. Sooo chesesy and very creamy too!!!

I’m a huge brunch fan! Eggs on eggs on eggs. A spicy bloody mary helps, too.
Came here on a whim since Honey’s down the street had a long wait. (Their loss, but my win!) Didn’t have a reservation, so we sat at the bar right next to the large-​screen TV showing some soap opera/​telenovela. (Kinda awkward, considering there were kids at the restaurant. Use your imagination, but the actors and actresses were wearing robes during most of the show). It’s not a large place, so next time, I’ll have to make sure I reserve!
Brunch time means bloody mary time. Their bloody mary (spicy okra included) was good, but nothing spectacular. Menu offered various options, and I really loved the huevos rancheros and my side order of sweet potatoes. For a Southern twist, it had crawfish étouffée! You can order eggs anyway you like it, so I ordered sunny side up. Skillet comes in hot, and it’s an interesting take on the Mexican dish. It was delicious! For $ 11, it was a great value. I would highly recommend the huevos rancheros.
Since I had a good experience with brunch, I’ll have to come here for dinner to explore the menu! (I’m also curious to what show they play during the dinner hours.)