My friends and I were out in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood recently, looking for a place to have dinner but without a reservation. After a quick discussion of nearby spots, we decided on The Little Lion.

Located in a repurposed bank building, The Little Lion serves classic comfort food with a Southern twist. We were seated quickly, and our waiter came by shortly after to take drink orders and go over the nightly specials. I opted for a blood orange Paloma cocktail to start my meal. With so many tempting menu items, our group of four decided to split several small plates in order to taste a little bit of everything.

From the small plates section of the menu we ordered the fried green tomatoes accompanied with tomato bacon jam and ranch, BBQ chicken sliders and char-grilled oysters. While each dish was packed with flavor, my favorite was the sliders. Instead of a salad, we ordered roasted carrots with frisee & goat cheese and charred Brussels sprouts — both tasty fall dishes. To round out our meal, we ordered fried chicken and waffles from the special menu. Each dish rang true to the restaurant’s Southern-inspired comfort food approach. I was far too full to indulge in the tempting desserts.

The staff at The Little Lion is very attentive without being intrusive. Our water glasses were constantly filled and our waiter checked in multiple times during the meal. It’s a great restaurant for a cozy meal in Old City.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director