22spots.com

"We can Love Bookie's again, thanks to David Cunningham's updated menu, which kept the snapper soup and added tuna tartare, and Floss Barber's $4.5 million makeover. The prime attractions at this reborn landmark are the raw shellfish, the colossal baked crabcake with spicy rémoulade. Perfect fried shrimp, and lobsters plucked from the showcase tank."
       - Philadelphia Magazine

When you think of Philadelphia and its strong sense of history, you understand the importance of this classic 1865 landmark. The good news is that Old Original Bookbinder's isn't old anymore. The restaurant was closed between December 31, 2001 and February 21, 2005 for an amazing makeover that successfully maintained the original Bookbinder's look and feel. It's really a brand new restaurant in almost every respect and they even added a sushi bar, and most importantly added a talented young chef in David Cunningham. And after all these years, there is still a Taxin at the helm, and John Taxin has been instrumental in keeping the Bookbinder tradition alive and well having followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, John Taxin Sr., and his father, Albert Taxin.

For Bookbinder aficionados, The President's Room is still intact, and the art and antiques that were so much a part of this restaurant are still on display. There is a spectacular open kitchen, a new oyster bar and perhaps the world's largest circular lobster tank that holds up to three-hundred pounds of lobster.

Chef Cunningham is ever mindful of so many of the Bookbinder classics (the snapper soup, steamed lobsters, and of course the strawberry shortcake) and has added his own touch on several favorites such as the bouillabaisse, seafood cobb salad and yellowfin tuna tartare. Of course, it's still about fresh local seafood and prime cuts of meat. Some things never change.

The politicians, athletes and celebrities remain an integral part of the Bookbinder experience, and a visit to 125 Walnut Street in Old City reminds you that the Philadelphia restaurant scene wouldn't be same without a Bookbinder's. The Old Original is officially back and it's better than ever!

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