• The Black Cat Cafe

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American
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. A non-profit restaurant: all proceeds benefit the local cat rescue, PALS. Offers several vegan menu options, and has vegan cheese, tempeh bacon, and vegan sausage. There are rotating vegan specials. The restaurant is connected to the cat rescue, and adoptable cats can be viewed. Wthin walking-distance of the Starfford Station: take the Paoli/Thorndale line from downtown Philadelphia. Open Wed-Sun 9:00am-3:30pm. Closed Mon & Tue.


16 Reviews

First Review by ecoffin86

Kataleeya

Points +369

Vegan
28 Jun 2025

Solid vegan breakfast options

I liked that much of their breakfast menu was vegan or could be made vegan. I opted for the pancakes with vegan butter and maple syrup (upcharge for the maple syrup but not the vegan butter). I also got a side of tempeh bacon. The tempeh bacon was the only disappointment, but that might just be due to it being tempeh. It was thick and soft, not very bacon like. The pancakes were fabulous however. Thick and fluffy, 2 plate-sized pancakes and I ate almost all of it. Next time I'll try the vegan breakfast burrito or vegan banana French toast.

The parking lot is very small. However there is a small side street nearby (next to the coffee shop and dentist office) where you can park as well.

Proceeds benefit PALS and the waitstaff are volunteers. They did an excellent job! Our server checked on us often.

Keyz2026

Points +5728

Vegan
26 Oct 2024

The Black Cat Philly

The wait time was great. The atmosphere was great and relaxing. The customer service was good. The food was good. The tofu scramble was well seasoned.

Updated from previous review on 2024-10-26

Pros: Food, Customer service , Wait time

Cons: Parking

nanitree

Points +1146

Vegan
18 Mar 2023

Disappointed

Sorry, but when you are excited to have breakfast and want some of everything this just doesn't cut it. The pancake and French toast are acceptable, but the other dish looks like it was leftovers from someone else's meal.

The tofu scramble arrived with two pieces of tofu. TWO!

Updated from previous review on 2023-03-18

Pros: Good cause, Cozy atmosphere, Cat

Cons: Food portion, Food presentation, Expensive

dmillerick

23 May 2023

So sorry that you did not have a good experience. I love this place. Staffed by volunteers who have always gone above and beyond to satisfy me and my dining companions. Profits are given to a cat rescue.

The_Inked_Bird

Points +359

Vegan
26 Dec 2022

Vegan French Toast

Went a couple days ago and got the Vegan Garfield sampler. It comes with one pancake, one piece of French toast, one sausage, one piece of temphe bacon, and a small serving of tofu scramble.

It was nice to be able to sample all the vegan items on the menu in one sitting, but I think I'll just stick to the French toast next time.

Loved the atmosphere and the kittens they had to adopt. Very cool idea

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Cozy

Cons: Expensive

TheTofuTyrant

Points +2183

Vegan
21 Oct 2022

Cutest little spot

I love that there are several vegan options. I ordered the vegan Garfield sampler and it was delicious.

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Cute aesthetic & adoptable cats , Friendly staff

Cons: A bit pricey

morganmcnally

Points +91

Vegan
13 Jun 2022

Good options

They had decent options! Kind of pricey for vegan options, but it’s understandable. Plus they sometimes have kitties that need a home 🥲

Pros: Vegan breakfast, Cats

Cons: Pricey

creativemix

Points +42

Vegan
11 Mar 2022

Disappointed

I was not pleased with the tofu scramble. It was very soggy with an off puting curry flavor, though I love curry spice.

Both of us ordered tofu scramble and we were nauseous all day after eating it.

They charged 5.99 for 3 slices of tempeh bacon.

It was very disturbing too see live black cats in cages. I felt bad for the cats

I will never return there for brunch or any other meal.

Pros: Staff was nice

Cons: Food, Live cats in cages

S.RiegeBurke

20 May 2022

Yeah, their tofu scramble isn't my favorite dish either but I do like their vegan BLT and vegan french toast. As for the cats, they are up for adoption, they don't just cage cats. Also, all of their proceeds go to PALS and they are volunteer-run establishment.

f33l.som3thing

14 Aug 2023

They're up for adoption, they're not a decoration 🤣

gracecan

Points +357

Vegan
06 Oct 2021

Good vegan breakfast

The normal breakfast is pretty good, but if you get a chance to go when they have a buffet brunch (like Mother's day), jump on it. When I went, they brought me plates and plates of vegan food that wasn't at the buffet.

JosueGerena

Points +48

Vegan
05 Sep 2021

Decent food for a good cause

My wife and I were very excited to try this place due to the proceeds going towards a good cause and the menu. We must’ve came on the wrong day. We saw our waiter only once and only received service when we waved down a person serving another table. Never received a refill on our drinks. The vegan sampler was underwhelming and had very little flavor. My wife order was wrong, sent back, and was still wrong. The pancakes and French toast were very good though, but the server couldn’t confirm if they put vegan butter or not, so I didn’t take a chance. We’re chalking up to a busy Sunday morning. Great cause even if the execution left something to be desired.

Pros: Good cause, Ambience with cats looking for a home, French toast

Cons: Service, Bland food

f33l.som3thing

Points +111

Vegan
10 Jul 2021

I wish it would let me rate 5 stars

Everything clearly labeled. Almost everything is available either vegan or gluten free. Took my partner & friend with celiacs here and we loved it. Absolutely delicious and supports the kitty cats!!! 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛ Also they have ice cream at night!

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Lots of gluten free options

A.Potter

Points +104

Vegan
27 Dec 2020

Vegan options to support kitties

I love the fact that their proceeds go to supporting their rescue. They have regular vegan options (like French toast, tofu scramble, blt) and occasional specials (like vegan pot pie). They can be a bit slow sometimes (I think their register is kind of old school or just doesn’t work well) but we don’t go here a ton, an again, for cats, so just need a little patience.🙂

carrielittlepage

Points +32

Vegan
19 Sep 2020

Vegan Breakfast is AMAZING!

Please support this awesome restaurant. Not only to all the proceeds go to the PALS animal rescue, but they actually have cats in the front area for adoption! They have wonderful vegan options and their breakfast is amazing! They also just started an ice cream parlor from 200-900pm everyday with vegan ice cream sundaes, milkshakes and more! Also, homemade vegan burgers for dinner.. I could go on and on, just go!

Pros: Only vegan breakfast in the area, Proceeds go completely to an animal rescue, Had vegan ice cream!

AimeeTheresa

Points +297

Vegan
27 Oct 2019

Good options

There are a few vegan options and they are pretty tasty. The vegan breakfast burrito and the vegan French toast are delicious. They have non dairy milk options for coffee. It’s a good place to go with non vegan friends and all the proceeds go to PALS. All the staff are volunteers. We talked to the owner and she was interested in providing more vegan desserts if the demand changes. Also the only bread that is vegan is the sour dough.

Pros: Nice list of options , Proceeds go to help the shelter, Good place for mixed groups

Cons: Only sour dough bread is vegan

GlobeTrotter18

Points +853

Vegan
01 Sep 2019

Kitty cafe for cat lovers.

Great place to go with vegan and vegetarian. Good options for all. All the staff is volunteers. Food is tasty but most of the meal was not served hot. The salad was are plentiful.

Pros: Menu well marked with vegan options

Cons: Pricey and portions are small. Limited gluten free, and vegan options

nicluc09

Points +161

Vegan
03 Aug 2019

Good food and helped the kitties!

Super friendly staff, clear vegan options and helped kitties all in one place! Really enjoyed the experience and it made for a great start to our day.

Pros: Vegan options , All profits go to animals, Friendly staff

ecoffin86

Points +36

Vegan
28 Jan 2019

Great brunch spot!

I can’t believe this place has been around for 6 years and I have never heard about it! I was very surprised to see clearly marked vegan items on the menu, since the surrounding area is pretty lacking in vegan options for eating out. I had the vegan BLT and it was good. Everyone who works there is super-friendly and accommodating. Plus, it’s nice that all the money is going to a good cause. I am sure if more vegans started coming to this place, they would add a lot more vegan options. I will definitely be returning here! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because Happy Cow only allows you to give 5 stars to all-vegan places.

Pros: Clearly marked vegan items , No wait , Friendly staff




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