95 Best Restaurants in Pennsylvania, USA

This waterfront open-air beer garden has made a splash every year since its 2012 debut, offering exciting new eats with each new season—the “chef-in-residence” program, which sees a new chef shaping the culinary approach at the start of each spring season, keeps things fresh. Expect a high-low approach, mixing beer-friendly snacks with more creative fare. A wide range of craft beer, cocktails, and specialty beverages, along with DJs and other live music, make this an appealing stop in the warmer months.

On a residential street in Fairmount, this small, bright small corner café with white-painted walls and large windows makes a good stop for coffee drinks (or tea) and pastries or for tartines, sandwiches, and salads that rise a notch above the usual. Musette has a pleasant neighborhood vibe, but it can get busy on weekends.

Serving Stumptown coffee in a bi-level space, One Shot Coffee is a hidden spot for solid beverages and snacks, set a few blocks back from the hustle and bustle of the Piazza. The menu features café staples like cold brew, drip coffee, flavored lattes, hot tea, and more, in addition to brunch-focused fare like breakfast burritos, egg sandwiches, and croissants. Plus, with an upstairs library, the café is the perfect spot for lounging with a hot beverage.

New cheesesteak restaurants come and go, but two of the oldest—Pat's and Geno's, at 9th and Passyunk—have a long-standing feud worth weighing in on. It comes down to a matter of taste, as both serve equally generous portions of rib-eye steak, grilled onions, and melted provolone, American, or Cheez Whiz on freshly baked Italian rolls. The main differences, as far as we can tell: Pat's meat is chopped, and its shop’s exterior is a bit more understated than Geno's neon extravaganza.

It's rare for Philadelphians to take to outsiders, but Paulie Gee's, an import from New York, has been happily embraced. That's partly because it's one of the very few great pizza shops that offer slices, and partly because it stays open until 2 am on the weekends. There's a full bar, a pool table, and a playlist of '60s and '70s rock, which contributes to the nostalgic, social vibe. 

This is the place to get the best coffee in Manayunk, and the inside is a chill spot to read and take a breather while nibbling on a pastry. The location, right at the edge of the action, makes it a favorite stop for bicyclists.

For a pan-Asian fix, grab a stool at the sushi bar at the futuristic Pod, where you can select your favorite raw fish from a conveyor belt.

Owned by a team of young Venezuelans, the vibrant Puyero offers a fun fast-casual take on their country’s cuisine. The main focus is crispy cornmeal arepas filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, and veggies; they also offer patacones (fried plantain sandwiches), cachacas (thinner cornmeal pancakes), and rotating specials.

This homey café is a popular spot for locals to start their day with a cup of joe from locally roasted beans. The menu offers egg sandwiches and wraps for breakfast and a changing lineup of soups, sandwiches, and salads that are served all day.

Pouring specialty coffee decades before it was cool, Ray’s is renowned for its special syphon brewing system, a complex (and photogenic) technique that relies on the vacuum pressure to produce transcendent java. But this charming family-run café serves simple plates, too, like steamed or pan-fried dumplings, noodle soups, and rotating specials.

ReAnimator stands out in the Philadelphia coffee scene thanks to its sourcing of single-origin beans, dynamic roasting techniques, and smartly designed cafés. Tucked away in the tiny Garden Court area, this West Philadelphia outpost is a calming caffeinated oasis, a clean minimalist shop with a laid-back vibe. This is a great residential area to walk around and admire the houses, and hit ReAnimator to, um, reanimate and keep going. Open until 3 pm, the food selection is locally made breads, pastries, and snacks.

When the cheesesteaks and hoagies start to weigh you down, head to Reap Wellness for creative—and genuinely delicious—smoothies and salads. Former health journalist Adjua Fisher and her husband and chef Zach Rice started REAP as a meal delivery service, but its popularity quickly turned into a storefront that's brought nutritious, creative meals to Fishtown. Favorites include the Sneaky Greens smoothie made with spinach, purslane, mango, ginger, and hemp, or the savory Seaweed Caesar.

Orange-painted walls, diner-style booths, and closely spaced tables add a cheerful, casual vibe to this longtime BYOB comfort-food local favorite near the Parkway museums, one of six locations around the Philadelphia area. The food rises above standard diner fare in lunch options such as creative burgers and a veggie Philly cheesesteak, and breakfast and brunch shine with stuffed brioche French toast, huevos rancheros, and assorted omelets. Some salads and soups offer lighter options, but this is a tough place to keep an eye on calories. The kids' menu lists some favorites at a lower price.   

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.

In the heart of Lititz, this local fave is the perfect spot for fueling up on locally roasted coffee or grabbing a quick nosh. The kitchen serves up a variety of breakfast options, from baked oatmeal to an open-face egg sandwich on ciabatta, while lunch options include quesadillas, salads, and soups. If coffee's not your thing, they've got local kombucha and smoothies.

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. 

A few blocks from Central Market, this one-time farmers' market built in 1888 has been repurposed as a food hall. Whether you're in the mood for sushi or bratwurst or just a cup of coffee, you'll find a wide variety of global cuisines at the 12 stands. Order at the stations of your choice and bring your food out to one of the tables or the central bar. A pizza place operates off one end of the hall.

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.

Owned by a local roaster, Square One serves exceptionally good brewed coffee and espresso that you can pair with a selection of local pastries and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch fare. It's a favorite among regulars who wander in for their first cup of the day and linger to check their email and do some reading.

This old-school diner serves traditional breakfast and lunch fare that runs the gamut from overstuffed omelets to pancakes and French toast and burgers. Don't miss Sulimay's take on scrapple, the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast meat, which is showcased in the Eggs Bensington, a breakfast sandwich that features runny eggs, thick toast, scrapple, and cheddar cheese.

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.

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.

Churning out Italian pastries since 1921, this famed bakery is best known for its filled-to-order cannoli, but its counters are also packed with pizzelles (Italian waffle cookies), biscotti, cakes, and other traditional Italian sweet treats. It's the perfect spot to stop for some traditional edible souvenirs to bring home—think cookie trays and gift boxes—or ship to your favorite cousin in California.

It's possible you might need a break from chocolate, and if you do, you can rest assured that the Tröegs brewery will be the perfect antidote, with its creative menus and multiple draft beers (some you can only get here) available in 4oz., 10oz., and 16oz. sizes. Menu options, which sell out fast, include starters like the pickle plate and tabbouleh salad and mains like fluke crudo, crab lasagna rotolo, red lentil daal, and the meatloaf sandwich---yes, at a brewery. 

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.

Uncle 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.

A rotating selection of more than 20 beers—ranging from lagers and ales to sours, Belgians, and stouts—is available in the two-story taproom and patio space. The pub menu has pub-fare apps like house-made pretzels, cheesesteak eggrolls, and fried pickles, as well as sandwiches (yes, burgers, roast pork, and cheesesteaks) and salads. There are weekly specials like Wednesday $1 wings and Sunday Funday ($2 off drafts and $3 off apps) and events like quiz nights and roof-top parties.