35 Best Restaurants in Pennsylvania, USA

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.

A broad menu of savory breakfast, lunch, and dinner items—not to mention coffees—draws regulars and visitors to this wood-beamed, stone-walled café. Relax on one of the couches or sit at a table to eat your scrapple, egg, and cheese sandwich, cranberry-almond-chicken salad, or super-rich ice cream.

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.

At this large café opposite Eastern State Penitentiary, the tall windows, high ceilings with exposed ductwork, and dozens of wooden tables create an airy, casual space for trying delicious La Colombe coffee with breakfast, lunch, or a snack. The students, visitors, and families who flock here appreciate the long list of coffee drinks (which can get pricey), all-day breakfasts, and a lunch menu with salads as well as hearty sandwiches. You order at the counter, but food is brought to you. Formerly OCF Coffee House, the café is run by the same people who run Urban Saloon down the street.   

A small sandwich shop and deli, Waterfront Gourmet has a variety of breakfast items, overstuffed sandwiches, salads, coffees, and more light bites for a quick meal. There are even vegan and vegetarian options available, like the veggie panini and avocado toast.