The Down Town Club

I came here for a holiday party the other night. I was stunned by how beautiful the space was. How did I not know this existed? Everything was clean, and beautiful needed minimal decorations to really shine. Service was on-​top-​of-​things, and very kind. The food was beautiful, and delicious, and abundant as Cescaphe has a reputation of doing.
The one place where I take away a star is the acoustics. The room has horrible acoustics. It would really behoove them to work some fabric panels onto the tray walls, or work some carpet in… or something? It was really difficult to hear speakers. I could imagine a wedding here to be tricky as the sound bounces around.
All in all, if I have a reason to come back here, I’ll be there with bells on… but if I were looking for a place to have an event, I’d want somebody to mention this to me…

Such a beautiful venue. The ballroom we were in sat about ten tables, approximately a hundred people. The bar area had a great view of independence hall and the river. Food was amazing. I didn’t have high expectations attending this event but was blown away by the options. Could definitely see a fun and intimate wedding reception here.

Our daughter’s wedding was this past Saturday (4÷18÷15) at The Downtown Club, a Cescaphe venue. Our expectations were very high based on word of mouth.
We’re pleased to report that our experience at the Downtown Club not only met but far exceeded our expectations. The staff was extremely attentive and polished. Many of our guests expressed how extremely impressed they were by the V.I.P treatment they received from the moment they stepped off the elevator and were greeted with a glass of champagne through the cocktail hour and by the attentiveness of the wait staff during dinner.
The venue for those who hadn’t previewed it (like we had) were blown away by the panoramic view of Olde City Philadelphia.
But they appeared to be most impressed by the food. As if the quantity of the offerings at the cocktail hour alone wasn’t enough, the quality received universal praise from our guests. The dinner entries that followed were delicious (and in the case of the fillet mignon) perfectly prepared to individual taste.
Finally the individual attention that our family received from the maitre d’ Rick and our head server Diana was exceptional.
The entire experience had many guests thank us for including them in what was one of the best weddings eve.
Steve Buttil, father of the bride.

Jaw dropping venue! Celebrated New Year’s Eve at this gorgeous place. Event was organized by Dinner En Blanc Philadelphia Team and Cescaphe Event Group.
Let me start by saying that every single setting was planned carefully in details. I’m all about the vintage and the classic — so it seemed that this was a perfect venue for my taste. There were three rooms to celebrate ringing in the New Year’s in a French themed way. One of them had features of Moulin Rouge where it had a bar, a banquet and a cabaret by the Bearded Ladies. The other one was based on the Palace of Versailles where there were a few tables to sit, another bar and banquet, and an amazing live band. These two rooms had DJs after 12 am until 2am. I don’t recall the other room’s name but I believe it was the main one as soon as you enter in. I’m missing a couple of other details here for sure. but honestly, it’s too much to even describe. Bottom line, there was the opportunity for one to check out different venues, food and entertainment.
They served a variety of culinary French delights. I wish I’ve had a large stomach to fit in all of the deliciousness that was available. NOTE: I got there hungry! Service was above and beyond outstanding. We had a champagne toast at midnight and enjoyed watching the fireworks at Penn’s Landing.
This was a themed party and I had a blast — imagine to have a wedding here. Must be the perfect place! I hope this party will be happening again to ring in 2016. Kudos to the organizers! Everything was on point!

Precaution — ** I had my wedding here so will be biased**
I wish I experienced this place as a guest but as a bride that had a wedding here, I hear nothing but compliments on how awesome the food and service was.
The venue is owned and managed by Cescaphe and they’ve been very reputable in the market for their excellent services. My maitre d was Sal and I seriously don’t know what I would have done without him!
The venue itself is beautiful. It was newly renovated by Cescaphe but still kept the charm of the building. The moldings, high ceilings, chandeliers and marble floors are so beautiful, and the space alone is breath taking. Add the view of historic Philadelphia and the Ben Franklin bridge, superb.
The layout of the venue will vary based on how the bride/​groom want to hold their wedding. My cocktail hour/​dessert room was in the main left side of the room where the bar was (not oak room — separate back cocktail area). The ballroom was where I had my cake cutting and I think it all relies on the DJ to announce each major formality to grab the attention of all of your guest.
If I had the opportunity to come back as a guest, I totally would. Looking at the wedding photos, everything looked amazing like a fairy tale.

Attended a wedding ceremony here. There was Valet parking, the facilities were great. the food was exceptional! It was catered by Cescaphe. Amazing how they got the appetizers, entrees and desserts out to over 200 people.
Highly recommended Cescaphe!
Only negative was that there was a lot of cold air coming into the Ballroom, a lot of the guests went into the other room because it was uncomfortable.

Absolute perfection! I may have attended the same wedding and reception as Sam R. ⁵⁄₁₈ comments because my reaction was the same. WOW is an understatement.
To look down from the 11^th floor venue on Independence Mall while the happy couple exchanges vows was amazing. The staff could not have been more attentive or accommodating to special requests.
To the managers of this venue: Do not change anything. Staff, food, decorations, bar were truly as good as it gets.

I was here for a wedding & this venue is awesome. The cocktail hour was magnificent ! The drinks were great & the food was awesome. The backdrop is absolutely magnificent for wedding photos. I would def recommend this place as a venue !
The staff here were great and were incredibly attentive & helpful throughout the evening. I had to leave early however but, I heard dessert was awesome !

Awesome wedding venue all around!
The view of Independence Hall can be picture perfect and a great backdrop for your shots. The staff knows what it takes to meet your expectations and proceeds to exceed them in every way. The food is top notch and will leave you full and happy. Be careful because there are some areas in the dining hall where the sound doesn’t quite carry as well, however, that wasn’t an issue at all once the music started.
Bottom line: If you are here as a guest or for your own special event, rest assured you’ll have a good time and be taken care of well.

Add more stars! We just had our wedding at DownTown Club, and it was the best decision we could have made! It is stunning venue, with big windows overlooking the city, beautiful lighting, a rustic bar & cocktail lounge. The food could not have been any better. Mary, our organizer, was friendly, organized, helpful and so easy and pleasant to work with. We really had such a good experience with the DownTown Club, and the rates were very reasonable. For the price, we could not believe all that was included, and the quality of it. Thank you for making our wedding so beautiful!

I had the honor of attending a farewell party for one of the best managers I ever had at a very specific jewelry company which used to be well-​respected but has since gone to the dumps. It was nice to know that when this company still had valued its’ employees, we would have lavish events at beautiful establishments such as this.
Now onto the review of The Downtown Club… I remember I was just a ‘junior’ at the company, and was rather bright-​eyed as the elevator made its way to the top floor where we were all treated equally to an amazing view of the nighttime sky of the city. Quite the sight to behold. From coat-​check to the open bar, the service was top notch.
I can imagine this would be a lovely venue for a wedding, and it looks from some of the other reviews, people made this wise decision and were just as impressed.
Founded in 1897, it will continue to reign on Independence Square as one of Philadephia’s most spectacular venues to hold your special event.

Had my wedding reception here on 1÷28÷12 and it was AMAZING! The wedding coordinator (Mary) was organized, experienced, extremely kind, helpful, knowledgeable, patient… I can’t say enough. Worth every penny and more! If you really want your wedding to me memorable book your reception here, no exaggeration, it is incredible!

Great venue
Has an old Hollywood glam factor to it.
cocktail hour is strong and the dessert room is amazing. Terrific staff
my only complaint is probably where the cake cutting takes place (near the kitchen?!) and the bar is kinda far from the dance floor so the crowd gets spread out but otherwise great

I was here for a wedding — an amazing, glamorous wedding. The food was amazing. The cocktail hour featured a true international cheese display, brie en croute, a sushi station, a Mexican station, and much, much more. The dinner was just as impressive — everyone at my table was raving about the food. As a vegetarian, I was especially impressed! Instead of the typical pasta dish they serve to vegetarians at events, they have an actual entrée prepared: samosas (kinda… even better, really!) with grilled vegetables. It was, hands down, the most delicious vegetarian entrée I’ve ever had at a group event. The service was top notch, and the building is gorgeous.

My husband and I went attended a wedding here and it was an amazingly beautiful venue. The architecture is rich and perfect for a wedding reception. The Down Town Club, as least for the wedding, occupied the top floor of this building right across the street from the Liberty Bell. It’s a great location, right center in the city with all the excitement going on. Luckily, our wedding including the parking fee and the garage was right next door. As you walk in the lobby make sure to look up and appreciate all the details of the ceiling and the huge Ben Franklin statute in the entrance. We had a tasty cocktail hour overlooking a great view of the city. The butler served food was served with white gloves by friendly staff. The actual reception room was also beautiful and everything was so tastefully done, I’m not sure to credit the venue or the bride for picking it all out. Sometimes at weddings there are seats where you can’t hear the speeches but the room here offered a good space to be able to hear without echoes. The music also sounded great and wasn’t too crazy bouncing off the walls and making it hard to hear people at your table. There was a dessert room later on with a huge variety of cakes, cookies, and coffee. I think this venue is perfectly classy/​elegant for a formal wedding. I would recommend it for its beauty and atmosphere.