Rex at the Royal

4.6

305 Reviews

$31 to $50

Southern

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Romantic
Innovative
Good for special occasions

REX at The Royal provides guests with transformed southern fare, a full bar, daytime cafe and curated bottle-shop housed in the historical Royal Theatre, known as a staple in the rich cultural history of the City of Philadelphia for its role as a hub for Black culture and artistry, including film-making and live music, during the 20th century. REX at The Royal, now operating out of the newly-renovated theatre, maintains key tenets of the historical site including a stage for live music performances, as well as sweeping arches and other details sustained from the original design.
REX at The Royal cuisine pays homage to the great early 20th-century African-American chefs who adapted traditional southern fare to Philadelphia’s urban landscape. The concept’s foundation lies in the Lowcountry cuisine of the Southeast Atlantic coast, influenced as it was by the grains and traditions of the African diaspora melded with the local agriculture and fisheries.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Southern, Burgers, Creole / Cajun / Southern
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:00 am Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
Phone number
(267) 319-1366
Website
http://rexphl.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Aaron Paik

Location
1524 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Neighborhood
South Street
Cross street
15th Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Lombard South SEPTA Station.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

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Popular dishes

Oysters on the Half Shell$19.00
half dozen east coast oysters, house hot sauce, pickled cucumber mignonette
Jumbo Gulf Shrimp Cocktail$15.00
poached gulf shrimp, cocktail sauce
Local Catch Crudo$17.00
leche de tigre, radish, chow chow, benne seed
Lobster Salad$21.00
scallion buttermilk ranch, shaved fennel, pickled corn, celery, crackers
Seafood Plateau$69.00
half dozen oysters, shrimp cocktail, local catch crudo, lobster salad

Appetizers

Land

Grit Cakes$10.00
marsh hen mills grits, mozzarella, tomato gravy, herb salad
Fried Green Tomatoes$11.00
cornmeal dusted green tomatoes, house pimento cheese
Grilled Asparagus$15.00
ramp ricotta, farm egg, lemon

Sea

Crab Fondue$21.00
three cheese fondue, crab meat, house-made philly pretzels, apple salad
She Crab Soup$12.00
crab roe bisque, cornbread croutons, sherry
Crawfish Pot Pie$21.00
three cheese spicy crawfish etouffee, crimini mushrooms, house made pie crust
Fried Oysters$11.00
long hot comeback sauce, chervil, sourdough toast

Salad

Beet Salad$11.00
artisanal lettuce mix, spinach, marinated baby beets, grilled asian pears, caputo brothers ricotta salata, cider mustard vinaigrette, candied pecans
Southern Caesar Salad$12.00
romaine, buttermilk caesar dressing, parmigiano, cornbread croutons

Mains

Accra Burger$19.00
curried marsh hen mills black eyed pea fritter, root vegetables, crispy red onions, butter lettuce, Sambal sauce, brioche bun
Rex Burger$22.00
all beef burger, crispy red onions, spicy pimento cheese, butter lettuce, smoked bacon, brioche bun
Hoppin' John$19.00
marsh hen mills black-eyed peas and carolina gold rice, pickled carrots, onions, tomatoes, celery, peppers, okra
Shrimp and Grits$31.00
fresh shrimp, marsh hen mills speckled grits, andouille sausage tomato-shellfish gravy, carrots, onion, celery, peppers
Fish Fry$28.00
pan-fried local catch, red rice middlins, spring peas, mint
Frogmore Stew$32.00
fish, mussels, shrimp, andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, spicy old bay brodo, grilled sourdough
Chicken and Dumplings$29.00
grilled chicken breast, smoked leg, sweet potato dumplings, hen of the wood mushrooms, caramelized onions, pepper jus
Bone in Pork Chop$39.00
14oz duroc bone-in pork chop, sweet and sour braised collards, rhubarb butter, grain mustard sauce
Prime Smoked Brisket$31.00
slow smoked beef brisket, bbq sea island red peas, chipotle molasses bbq sauce, jalapeno coleslaw, pickled spring vegetables

Sides

Braised Collard Greens$8.00
smoked turkey, sweet and sour
Skillet Mac and Cheese$13.00
cooper sharp cheese, smoked provolone, gruyere, cavatappi, garlic, breadcrumbs
Buttermilk Biscuits$7.00
pepper jam, honey butter
Skillet Cornbread$9.00
jimmy red cornmeal, honey butter
House Cut Fries$8.00
Sweet Potato Fries$8.00

What 305 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on all time ratings

4.5Food
4.5Service
4.7Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

305 Reviews

KK
KandK VIP
Philadelphia125 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 10, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was wonderful!
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AJ
AJ215
Philadelphia4 reviews
3.0
Dined on December 3, 2022
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Spent almost $700 at the bar and had a manager or owner treat my friend rudely.
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c
csj33
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on December 3, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful all around experience! Beautiful large room, background music was nice and in background, server and sommelier were outstanding, food portions were large and delicious - we have a home in SC and so know Lowcountry cuisine, this was the real deal and very well done. Even when there was a goof on one of the entrees, server handled it perfectly and kitchen rapidly produced the replacement.
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RT
ReginaldT
Brazil1 review
5.0
Dined on December 1, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Pleasurable experience @ the Rex at the royal restaurant
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P
Phillyfooddad
Philadelphia4 reviews
4.0
Dined on November 27, 2022
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The space is beautiful. The service was very attentive and quick to offer suggestions from the vast beer list. We ordered a majority of the menu, and the food was wonderful. Unfortunately, the Frogmore stew was missing a component, but the staff was quick to fire the missing piece, and offer us a credit for a portion of the meal. I will certainly be back.
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MS
MichaelS
Philadelphia5 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 26, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food. Great drinks. Great service. We’ve been twice. It’s now one of our favorites and we’ll definitely be back.
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K
Kathleen VIP
Philadelphia18 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 23, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food and service. Fall menu items were a wonderful addition to the menu.
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r
richarda
Philadelphia4 reviews
3.0
Dined on November 22, 2022
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Sides came out 10-15 minutes after mains. And the food was just average overall…a disappointing experience.
1 person found this helpful
OT
OpenTable Diner
Philadelphia7 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 20, 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food, customer service and ambiance!
Is this helpful?
CB
CeeBee
Washington DC2 reviews
2.0
Dined on November 19, 2022
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
We made a reservation on open table and mentioned that the dinner was a special occasion. Our party of four arrived together and on time for an 8pm reservation. We were led to a table outside the dining room and seated next to a large, very brightly lit beer and wine fridge. The type you see in pizzerias and delis. The view from my seat was a cinder block wall stairwell. About 10 minutes later, the waiter took our drink order, and when the drinks were served, we asked if there was a table available in the dining room. The waiter said they were "very busy" and there probably just weren't any seats in the dining room for "walk ins". We told him that we had a reservation, and then he said he'd check with the manager. A few minutes later he returned and told us that they had a table for us in the dining room. As we were led across the entire dining room we passed two empty four tops before we reached our table just outside what appeared to be the only bathroom in the restaurant. There was a continuous flow of people walking in and out spilling light and sound from the bathroom into the dining room during our entire meal. The final "are you kidding me right now moment" was when the hostess interrupted our meal to inform us that we needed to check our coats because they were in the way of people passing our table on the way to the bathroom! Everyone enjoyed most of their food and cocktails. The "best of philly" crab fondue was cold, and the shrimp and grits were gluey with an overpowering andouille sausage flavor. We never take out our frustration with the management or disappointment with the kitchen on the wait staff and tipped generously as we always do. We spent over $350 on our evening at Rex. I usually don't write reviews of restaurants just because I didn't enjoy my food, but management's lack of concern or apology about our experience was so insulting that I must. Would not recommend Rex at the Royal for any occasion.
3 people found this helpful

FAQs

Rex at the Royal offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (267) 319-1366.

Rex at the Royal is rated 4.6 stars by 305 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Order delivery or takeout

1524 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Additional information

Cross street
15th Street
Neighborhood
South Street
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:00 am Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Southern, Burgers, Creole / Cajun / Southern
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Lombard South SEPTA Station.
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Aaron Paik
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://rexphl.com/
Phone number
(267) 319-1366

Featured in

Philadelphia’s 12 most drop-dead gorgeous restaurants

Rex at the Royal

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Philadelphia’s 12 most drop-dead gorgeous restaurants

Frogmore Stew

Crab Fondue

Crawfish Pot Pie

Raw Bar

Oysters on the Half Shell$19.00

Jumbo Gulf Shrimp Cocktail$15.00

Local Catch Crudo$17.00

Lobster Salad$21.00

Seafood Plateau$69.00

Appetizers

Land

Grit Cakes$10.00

Fried Green Tomatoes$11.00

Grilled Asparagus$15.00

Sea

Crab Fondue$21.00

She Crab Soup$12.00

Crawfish Pot Pie$21.00

Fried Oysters$11.00

Salad

Beet Salad$11.00

Southern Caesar Salad$12.00

Mains

Accra Burger$19.00

Rex Burger$22.00

Hoppin' John$19.00

Shrimp and Grits$31.00

Fish Fry$28.00

Frogmore Stew$32.00

Chicken and Dumplings$29.00

Bone in Pork Chop$39.00

Prime Smoked Brisket$31.00

Sides

Braised Collard Greens$8.00

Skillet Mac and Cheese$13.00

Buttermilk Biscuits$7.00

Skillet Cornbread$9.00

House Cut Fries$8.00

Sweet Potato Fries$8.00

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does Rex at the Royal offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Rex at the Royal restaurant rated?

Is Rex at the Royal currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Featured in

Philadelphia’s 12 most drop-dead gorgeous restaurants