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Welcome to the third wave of Philadelphia dining, an era in which locals are more likely to chat you up about their favorite chorizo tacos, wild-yeasted ales, or tasting menu than anything cheesesteak. Yes, the famous sandwich is still around (eat one if you must) but is slowly losing traction to its distant cousin, the roast pork. This is the Philly sandwich to try, be it a traditional rendition at John’s or DiNic’s in Reading Terminal Market or a new-school take, like the one topped with lacto-fermented broccoli rabe at High Street on Market.
Speaking of Old City’s High Street, its chef/partner, Eli Kulp, represents a group of Philadelphia chefs that has had a massive impact on the dining scene in the last few years: the ex–New Yorkers. Like Kulp, Peter Serpico of Serpico, Eli Collins of Pub and Kitchen, Greg Vernick of Vernick Food & Drink and other talented former 212-ers have shifted their careers here from some of NYC’s finest kitchens and restaurant groups. Even in East Passyunk and Fishtown, white-hot neighborhoods that are dethroning Center City as Philly’s dining nucleus, inflated rents are bargains compared to those in the Big Apple.
The recent influx of out-of-town chefs complements Philly’s homegrown talent. This has always been a scene that has fostered and supported its own, and the last several years have seen young chefs rising through the kitchens of Stephen Starr, Marc Vetri, and Georges Perrier and going on to debut compelling, idiosyncratic, solo projects. Like Pierre Calmels, who left the storied (now closed) Le Bec-Fin to open tiny Bibou in Bella Vista, and his LBF successor, Nicholas Elmi, who won Top Chef after opening Laurel on East Passyunk. (To give you an idea of the depth of talent in the 215, Elmi is the second Philly chef to win Top Chef.) And then there’s Michael Solomonov, a former Vetri capo who went on to found Zahav, the restaurant that ignited America’s passion for Israeli cuisine, and win a James Beard Award. Solo (as he’s affectionately known here) is in conscientious empire-building mode with longtime business partner, Steve Cook, and mentoring a new generation of young chefs. You can still catch him working the bread station at Zahav most nights, between annual research trips to Israel and surfing breaks at the Jersey Shore.
The Israeli, Iraqi, Turkish, and Yemenite recipes on the menu at Zahav are just a handful of the cuisines represented in this multiethnic town. Philadelphia has a long history as a city of immigrants, from Western Europeans in the early 20th century to the Vietnamese, Mexicans, and Africans of today. Chinatown reigns as the city’s hub of hand-pulled noodles, breakneck dim sum, and siphon coffee before it was cool, while Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, and Senegalese hideaways occupy tree-lined storefronts and old banks in West Philly. Vietnamese pho halls and bakeries congregate along Washington Avenue in South Philly, also home to the city’s vibrant Mexican population. In the Italian Market, many of the old businesses have given way to industrious taquerias. You can follow the trail of fresh-pressed tortilla crumbs from Bella Vista down into East Passyunk, a hood where it’s not uncommon to hear Spanish, Vietnamese, and five different dialects of Italian just walking down the street.
An offshoot of Jose Pistola’s in Center City, brother Sancho brought a bigger kitchen for more varied and ambitious dishes. Staples of the menu include ultratraditional inky black bean soup seasoned with avocado leaf and zesty ceviche, while other plates (Korean rib tacos, spicy tuna guacamole) mash up Mexican heritage with a global hipster aesthetic. The fresh-fruit margaritas flow late into the night.
Open since 1980, this Chinatown barbecue stalwart hasn’t missed a beat dishing up delicious plates based around its famously flavorful duck. Egg or rice noodles come in different styles and are simmered with duck, pork, or beef brisket; if you wish, you can customize your soup with both noodles and fat, tender wontons. Other traditional menu picks, besides the house specialty fowl, include scallion pancakes, dumplings, and hearty congees. There is a full liquor license.
Chef Chris Cho grew up around his family's Korean restaurant of the same name, still a staple restaurant in the North Philly neighborhood of Olney. In 2018, he opened his own spot on Spruce Street, where the menu is a mix of classic Korean foods like bibimbap, budae jigae (a rich spicy stew), and japchae (springy, stir-fried sweet potato noodles), and more new-school items inspired by his childhood in Philadelphia's Korean community like General CHO chicken, a play on that Chinese-American staple, General Tso's chicken. Seorabol uses Korean gochujang (a spicy red chili paste) to add a spicy kick to the dish. There's also a full bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails.
Mark Bee, the local restaurateur behind favorite gastropub North Third, bought the Silk City Diner in 2006, polished off its grease-coated, 1950s-era pink Formica counter, and started serving updated comfort food. Menu items include a fierce plate of buttermilk fried chicken, deep-fried veggie wings, a very good bowl of mac and cheese (baked with a garlic-bread crust), and some lighter fare (salads and roasted veggies) should you want to go next door to the bar and lounge and dance 'til dawn beneath the disco ball.
It doesn't enjoy the same notoriety as other shops, but connoisseurs know the friendly Sonny's slings a mean version of the iconic cheesesteak. This small shop has a limited menu, but they also serve burgers, grilled cheese, and chicken sandwiches.
The first thing you'll see is the large rotisserie, trumpeting the ubiquitous gyro—tasty slices of meat are stuffed inside a large fresh pita, with tangy yogurt and some exemplary fresh veggies. Other Greek specialties, such as stuffed grape leaves, moussaka, and, of course, souvlaki, round out the menu. No pomp and circumstance here, just casual taverna fare and service that's often indifferent. But they must be doing something right—Souvlaki has been going strong since 1977, definitely a record on this mercurial street. A new, slightly upscale bistro recently debuted upstairs.
If you're looking for a more relaxed scene, head a couple of blocks south of Rittenhouse Square to find local beers and approachable cocktails paired with Korean-inspired bar food like a Seoul hot chicken sandwich, dolsot bibimbap, and crispy Brussels sprouts. Friday and Saturday nights are busy, so it's best to call ahead or make a reservation and, if possible, take advantage of the outdoor seating in nice weather.
Co-owners Chris D'Ambro and Marina de Oliveira run this beloved neighborhood restaurant that has one of the city's best bars. The menu features seasonal produce prepared using Italian techniques; the house-made pastas are always a good bet, and their burger is among the best in the city. The intimate bar is as romantic as it is comfortable. On Monday, their sommelier takes over for a wine-focused bar night and there's a limited food-menu and a by-the-glass menu featuring reserve bottles.
This Montreal-style bagel shop has 12 locations in and around Philadelphia. This location operates the self-proclaimed \"Spreadquarters\" with views of the Schuylkill River and a menu of fresh Spread bagels and bagel sandwiches.
This neighborhood gastropub is a Northern Liberties fixture, popular with the young professionals who populate this neighborhood, and for good reason. The frequently changing menu, presented unpretentiously on a chalkboard, is much more ambitious—and much tastier—than you'd expect from average bar food, and since you're in a bar, you can wash down the shellfish, terrines, local-veggie-forward salads, and wild game with one of the local microbrews on tap. Sunday brunch (think Bloody Marys and fresh oysters) is always busy.
A newer addition to East Passyunk's array of restaurants, this hybrid French wine bar and bottle shop has a food menu that's perfect for nearly any time of day, and a small market selection for takeaway. Sip a glass of biodynamic French wine while you nibble a jambon beurre sandwich, or snag an outdoor table and a martini for some people-watching along the Avenue. The space has lots of seating and though it does get busy in the evenings, if you loiter a little with your glass of wine, a table is sure to open up.
Suya Suya's owner-chef Dera Nd-Ezuma was raised in Nigeria before moving to South Jersey as a teenager. His restaurant highlights Nigerian and West African dishes like its namesake suya (a spiced and grilled beef) and jollof rice (rice, tomatoes, onions, and spices) in a fast-casual environment—similar setup to a Chipotle or Sweetgreen—where guests can build their own bowls or enjoy suya and other proteins folded into tacos.
This jumping joint satisfies the margarita-and-nachos crowd as well as those seeking more authentic Mexican flavors. A lively spot with colorfully painted walls as well as sidewalk seating, it's most fun to share the smaller bites—braised brisket tacos, mushroom quesadilla, tortilla soup—but the enchiladas are also excellent.
A bustling bubble tea parlor with a young, cool clientele, Tea Do offers a wide-spanning selection of boba-laden beverages, including milk bubble tea, black- and green- tea-based drinks, and blended fruit smoothies. There are also light pan-Asian snacks, like onigiri, edamame, and shumai.
David and Annette Suro opened Tequila's way back in 1986, when the local culinary consciousness wasn't quite as familiar with mole poblano and chiles rellenos as it is now. Fortunately, the space was evocative enough (painted Day of the Dead figures, a long hardwood bar, Mexican glassware, colorful ceramics) to get the curious and unfamiliar in the door. The restaurant recently underwent a full renovation, and the menu and space have been updated to stay at the forefront of the city's restaurant scene. In the back, find La Jefa, an all-day café and bar with an excellent cocktail program.
Stop here for delicious ice cream served in small, pricey scoops—including many nondairy options—and some indulgent sundae concoctions. The fun part is playing video games displayed on two screens mounted on a wall across a narrow alley, while inside, four joysticks allow up to four players to go head-to-head. In wintertime, you can enjoy homemade hot chocolate with a scoop of ice cream in it.
Exceptional Japanese cuisine and creative sushi attracts neighborhood foodies as well as visitors to owner and chef Kenneth Sze's Tuna Bar. Fresh specialties made from locally sourced seafood and other ingredients include favorites such as hand rolls, seaweed salad, and shrimp tempura, along with some unique house specialties that showcase a delectable mix of Japanese flavors and textures. Order one of the specialty combination plates—the \"Big Tuna\" or \"Little Tuna\"—and let the chef choose for you. The extensive sake and wine list is worth sampling, as are the craft cocktails. Sushi-making classes are also available (check the website for details).
Specializing in Southern specialties cooked on a charcoal grill, this Headhouse Square restaurant's extensive menu offerings include fried chicken, barbecue smoked ribs, shrimp and grits, and grilled swordfish. This fun, lively hot spot also has a busy bar, including a robust wine list and American whiskey selection, with mixologists pouring craft cocktails. Live blues and jazz music is performed on most nights, so check the website for upcoming bands and musical artists.
Aaron and Elizabeth Ultimo launched a specialty coffee chain in 2009, offering expert espresso, pour-over brewing, and single-origin beans well before these were staples. The couple has since added two more shops, a bakery, and a roastery to the roster, while their relaxed flagship shop in the Newbold neighborhood of South Philly keeps on keeping on, perhaps because of the comfortable space and friendly staff.
\nUncle Bobbie's is the most literary-salonlike coffee shop in the city, with numerous author and reading events. Focused squarely on African American literature and history, intellectual studies, as well as mainstream biographies and such, the books, all new, are both for sale and displayed in a way that makes you wish you had a library of shiny books.
This Gotham ice cream superpower now has three locations in the City of Brotherly Love (there's also one in Rittenhouse Square and Fishtown). It's a great spot to satisfy your sweet tooth with classic ice cream flavors like cookies and cream and mint chip or more inventive options like Earl Grey and honeycomb; there are vegan flavors, too, as well as chocolate chip cookies, cookie sandwiches, sundaes, and milkshakes.
Less a restaurant than a roving dinner party spread among several rooms in a tony Center City brownstone, Vedge is a true celebration of vegetables, many of them sourced from nearby farms. This is not to say you won’t find tofu or seitan, but they’ll be starring as themselves, in landscapes of gorgeous produce touched by spices, smoke, and fermentation. The ethereal desserts are can’t-miss.
Philadelphia's foremost practitioner of Italian cooking, Marc Vetri, can still be found at his eponymous ristorante just off Broad Street. In this lovely, sepia-toned town house (the original home of the late Le Bec-Fin) you can expect exquisite but superexpensive custom-built tasting menus (no à la carte) that may involve freshly milled alt-grain pastas, quivering buffalo-milk mozzarella flown in from Campania, and long-standing classics like the golden onion crepe and roasted suckling goat. Don't try to eat here if you haven't made reservations. As an alternative, try booking one of Vetri's popular interactive classes or special dinners in the upstairs dining room.
The Phanthavong family has long served the soulful cuisine of its native Laos to the West Philly community, starting with a spartan street tent that blossomed into this homey, friendly BYOB restaurant. Don't miss the truly heartwarming Lao soups—the King's soup being a winner—or the house-made pork sausages and yellow curry fried rice. The Laotian scene has increased, especially in South Philly, but Vientiane infuses Thai flavors as well. Still cash-only, they also have a location in Kensington.
This Pakistani eatery specializes in lahore chargha, a fiery fried chicken dish, for which it is very popular because people in Philly seek out the fried and delicious. But that's not the only dish worth having—enjoy a tasty variety of flavorful halal meat skewers in the tandoor, curries, homemade and hot-from-the-oven naan and roti breads, and vegetarian offerings.
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