4 Best Restaurants in East Passyunk, Queen Village, Bella Vista, and South Philadelphia, Philadelphia

The sheer volume of Mexican restaurants on South 9th Street can be daunting—many are excellent, but how do you pick? The family-run Blue Corn consistently delivers, serving Pueblan cuisine with personality like tacos al pastor (taco made with spit-grilled pork) and queso fundido (hot melted cheese with spicy chorizo) alongside harder-to-find specialties like huaraches (crispy masa–pinto bean flatbreads) or whole fish stuffed with the corn truffle huitlacoche. Warm service and killer cocktails round out the experience. Note that it is cash only.

Championing craft beer well before it was cool, this laid-back Newbold tavern set the bar for Philly’s gastropub boom way back in 2003. SPTR’s ever-rotating 14 tap selections, plus cask ales and a nice bottle selection, hit local, national, and international notes that nicely accompany a menu that reaches well beyond the expected pub grub with creative snacks, sandwiches, and seasonal specials conceived to celebrate local and organic products and produce. The kitchen pays ample mind to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests, too; it’s this accommodating spirit that makes a neighborhood bar.

Spend a morning tucking into pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and bottomless coffee at this little neighborhood spot and you'll find yourself ready to move to South Philly. Those in the know line up to wait for an outside table, but the wait is worth it for the hot, buttery pancakes, fluffy eggs, and the Pennsylvania delicacy known as scrapple (somewhere between a breakfast sausage and a hash) that help nurse your hangover or feed your kids.

Housed in a former warehouse, this local brewery is a welcoming all-day destination for South Philadelphians; it's an ideal stop for large groups, and it's kid-friendly. The menu items, which all pair well with the dozen beers on tap, range from wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches (try the roast Italian pork or the double smashburger) to shareable plates like honey whipped ricotta served with crostini and fresh naan, fried mozzarella, or chicken wings.