European Republic: Banana Pudding

A sticker that says "I brake for banana pudding" should grace my car bumper, because it's no secret that I love the stuff. A reader alerted me a while back* that European Republic in Old City has banana pudding on their menu.

What? Land of twenty-plus wraps and Belgian frites with twenty-plus dipping sauces?

Curious as to how good banana pudding could be at such a place (I had strong doubts), I hopped on over one afternoon for a midday snack.
Out of the cooler came a filled-to-the-top plastic container of banana pudding with banana-flavored pudding instead of vanilla pudding, and no banana slices. Wrong and wrong! The Nilla wafers were soft, but this is the norm unless the dessert is eaten immediately after assembling, or there is ingenious staking of wafers to avoid pudding-soak.
Even with bad banana pudding, I'm not yet discounting the European Republic for a quick lunch. Banana pudding is not their mainstay, after all. Maybe one day I'll get back for a wrap and frites. I just won't be braking for their banana pudding.

*Thanks to all who take the time to share through blog comments, email, and Twitter. It may take eons before I get around to places, but they do go on to my to-do list.

European Republic
213 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-627-5500