95 Best Restaurants in Pennsylvania, USA

Above the Di Bruno Bros. Rittenhouse location lives Alimentari, a casual Italian restaurant with plenty of seating and enough space for large groups. As its name implies, it's a neighborhood gathering place with ready-to-eat food, with a menu that largely pulls from items that are available in the store below—cheeses, meats, crackers, breads—as well as pizza alla Romana (Roman style) and hot Italian small plates like gnocchi and meatballs. The food pairs perfectly with the extensive wine list, which features draft wine in addition to wine by the bottle and glass; craft-beer options round out the offerings.

This charming Euro-like café does a wide range of sandwiches, salads, and breakfast dishes, but it’s best known for its shakshuka, the soulful tomato-and-egg stew made here in the Tunisian style. This cozy, bright corner spot is popular with locals and offers outdoor seating on the sidewalk during warmer months.

A festive air permeates this eatery on North Queen Street, in part because the locals are thrilled that their favorite food truck (still operating outside the far-off Costco) finally graduated to a brick-and-mortar space. The bold flavors of Peru and Venezuela pop in a variety of bowls and, of course, the Venezuelan arepas, soft cornmeal rounds stuffed with savory fillings such as chimichurri chicken. Mad Chef Brewery operates a tap room on-site, pouring its own brews. 

Cakey doughnuts are the star at this local-to-Philadelphia chain run by chef Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook of the celebrated CookNSolo restaurants. The menu includes both a "fancy" doughnut menu, which has daily and seasonal specials, and a hot doughnut menu with includes staples that are available throughout the year. In addition to doughnuts, the shop is also known for its Korean-style fried chicken and fried-chicken sandwich.

Farmland surrounds this spacious creamery, which serves what many locals consider to be the best ice cream in Lancaster County. Flavors range from classics like cookies 'n cream to creations like honey-lavender; order yours in a waffle cone bowl. A complete coffee selection and a lunch menu of burgers, sandwiches, and salads are also available.

This little roadside spot on the edge of Kitchen Kettle Village serves warm, buttery Pennsylvania Dutch soft pretzels and freshly squeezed lemonade. The traditional salt-flecked variety is superb, but other flavors such as cinnamon-sugar don't disappoint. The pretzel-wrapped hot dogs are a great pick-me-up snack.

Housed in humble digs next to a defunct railroad crossing, John’s doesn’t wow with curb appeal, but wise eaters know the close-to-centenarian grill spot turns out some of Philly’s best sandwiches. Newbies and lifers alike line up in a zigzag along the counter, grabbing outdoor picnic tables after paying for their roast pork, roast beef, or cheesesteak. The namesake sandwich, a Philly Italian signature, is juicy, garlicky, and herbaceous; sharp provolone and sautéed spinach (no broccoli rabe here) are common add-ons. The roast beef and cheesesteak rival the pork in popularity, earning owner John Bucci Jr. loyal fans and national awards. They’re not open late but do start early; staying true to their beginnings feeding Delaware River dock workers, they also do fluffy egg sandwiches layered with pork roll or crispy fried scrapple.

Part of James Beard award–winning chef Michael Solomonov's CookNSolo group, K'Far is an ode to the all-day bakeries that populate Israeli mornings with traditional baked goods, coffee, and Jerusalem bagel sandwiches; lunch also features grain bowls and salads. There are so many options, you could easily visit multiple times a day to try them all.

Adjacent to City Hall, the 9-to-5-ers flock to locally based La Colombe Coffee Roasters for their morning, afternoon, and evening cup of coffee among the hustle and bustle of Center City. The shop is small, but the staff is efficient, which keeps the line moving no matter how busy it may look from the outside. In addition to hot coffee, lattes, and breakfast pastries, the café also serves oat-milk-based draft lattes, draft cold brew, and more.

Lines can get long at this local, family-owned favorite for good reason: the lengthy, rotating list of ice cream flavors, from classic (coffee, black cherry, butter pecan) to creative (lime, banana peanut-butter fluff, cotton candy), means there's something for every taste and mood. The owner was inspired by the fresh, high-quality ingredients used in the rich, creamy ice cream and tropical fruit popsicles of the Mexican state of Michoacán.

A Spruce Hill staple, Manakeesh specializes in the Lebanese flatbreads of the same name. Served warm from the oven, the puffy, round loaves come with both traditional toppings (za’atar, kafta) and nontraditional ones (turkey bacon–egg–cheese, cheesesteak), which speak to the diverse crowd that fills the café-style space. Encased behind glass along the front counter, fresh-baked Lebanese pastries are some of your best bets. Stop in for a snack or a full sit-down, share-many-dishes-style meal.

If good roots can make a pizza place, then Pizza Shackamaxon has it made. Housed in the original location of the much-loved Pizzeria Beddia, Shackamaxon slings pizza by the slice and by the pie. They pride themselves on being a slice-first pizza shop in order to serve the most people possible. You can order whole pies to go, but in-person only (no online orders, and there's no phone for orders). Their staples are plain pizza, pepperoni, and the doughy tomato pie on focaccia.

The pricey, farm-to-table eight-course prix-fixe dinner at this cozy, cult-favorite market and eat-in spot in the heart of Kennett Square requires advance planning, but fortunately Talula's offers its own artisanal cheeses, house-cured meats, and handmade breads and pastas throughout the day, along with a coffee bar and prepared meals for takeout. Breakfast and lunch at the communal table feature seasonal soups, salads, and sandwiches using local ingredients, or you can just pick up the makings for a picnic. The four-hour-long dinner—about 20 people maximum at two tables—is a special treat that is so popular you have to book a year in advance, making it one of the Northeast's top restaurant reservations since 2007.

The bright and cheerful one-room ice cream shop matches the happy feelings that accompany a cup, cone, or ice cream sandwich from Weckerly's. Local dairy, fruit, herbs, and eggs are the base for the shop's creamy and decadent flavors, which change to match the season (with the exception of a few staples).

When the Reading Company opened its train shed in 1892, it was the only one in the country with a market tucked away in its cellar. The trains are long gone, but the food remains. And while disagreeing over the best cheesesteak is a popular pastime in Philly, pretty much everyone can agree on pancakes at the Dutch Eating Place, the roast pork sandwich at DiNic's, whoopie pies at the Flying Monkey, and double chocolate-chip cookies at Famous 4th Street. Recent years have seen worthy newcomers to the entrenched mix: German deli Wursthaus Schmitz, Valley Shepherd Creamery's grilled cheese counter, and La Divisa Meats, for example. Get here early to beat the lunch rush. Seventy-five-minute tours every Wednesday and Saturday highlight the market's history and offerings (call 215/545–8007 to make a reservation).

A photo-ready interior invites guests to La Colombe's world headquarters, a sprawling space covered in artsy graffiti and crusty brick walls, that offers food, drinks, and ample space for hanging out. Communal tables stream down the center of the space, so grab your spot before you order at the counter: savory scones, sandwiches on excellent baguettes, sweet pastries, and coffee, of course. Ask for a Black & Tan (half Pure Black cold-brew, half nitro-draught latte) and no one will know you’re not a local.

The menu at this popular Center City location includes a huge selection of crisp dosas as well as other regional specialties like mutton (prepared several different ways), chicken kurma (a curried chicken dish), biryani (rice dish), and plenty of vegetarian options. Tiffin specials, which include a couple of dishes, plus a drink and dessert, make for a good lunch, and the chai and filter coffee are both excellent pick-me-ups.

When you're ready for an atmospheric break, stop by Anthony's Italian Coffee House in the heart of the Italian Market. Here, to the strains of Frank Sinatra, you can sample a fresh panino with prosciutto and mozzarella or indulge in homemade cannoli or gelato imported from Italy. Enjoy your espresso on the umbrella-covered 9th Street patio when the weather permits.

Meander off Route 340 a few turns up a bucolic side road to reach this farmhouse full of baked goods and canned goodies. Fresh coffee is here to go with pies, sticky buns, and muffins, as well as 12 kinds of whoopie pies and a locals-favorite shoofly pie. Shelves are lined with local preserves and pickles ripe for the picking. A play area and some petting animals keep the kids happy.

Converted from a private club with blacked-out windows, this Dublin-style pub has been packing them in for rivers of Irish draft and kitchen specialties. Guinness-battered fish-and-chips could have been produced on the "auld sod," and the malt vinegar to sprinkle over it all does little to dampen the crisp crust. The first-floor bar is noisy and spirited—show up before happy hour to snag a seat—but the mood gets a bit quieter as you climb the steps to the dining room or walk downstairs to the basement bar.

Since 1936, this little roadside stand has been selling burgers, dogs, cheesesteaks, and homemade ice cream. Order your food at the counter and take it out to the tree-shaded picnic tables along the creek.

It's all about the ice cream, hot fudge, and homemade whipped cream at this charming ice cream parlor. They scoop Philly's own Bassetts Ice Cream (the country's oldest ice cream brand), make fabulous sundaes, and stay open late in the summer. The bakery is pretty standard.

Philadelphia chef-darling Jose Garces's beachy, fast-casual spot in the City of Brotherly Love serves Baja Peninsula–inspired fare ordered at the counter and eaten in or taken away. Tacos, burritos, and margaritas rule the menu, but Buena Bowls such as the adobo chicken and red chile short rib are good choices, too, as are the happy–hour specials.

Feeding Philly since the 1940s, Campo's is a respected name in the city's sandwich and cheesesteak game. Serving a variety of those traditional Philly favorites, Campo's also offers plenty of other hoagies, hot and cold sandwiches, and even a few vegan options.

A traditional sports bar, this popular spot is worth dropping in for a casual bite or drink, as this multilevel, multiroom tavern has been serving pub grub since the 1780s. The menu has all the pub food you could want, but be sure to try the wings; they are dry-rubbed and fried to order and come hot, mild, or "3rd degree."

A surprisingly hip spot for quaint Chestnut Hill, Char and Stave serves excellent coffee and coffee drinks, while doubling as a spirits bar that's open late. Some of their drinks feature both coffee and alcohol, and they sell the coffee beans and their own spirits to go as well.

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.

A go-to spot for many who work in Center City, the Concourse on the bottom floor of the Comcast Center is a dining hall made up of Philadelphia favorites in addition to nationwide food brands. From sushi to Italian pastries, there are plenty of options for a quick meal or snack beneath the towering Comcast Center.

If you want to avoid the neon-lit tourist-center of cheesesteaks and go where the locals go, head to Cosmi's. It's a true Philadelphia corner deli, where all the meat is cut to order and the person taking your order will let you know if they think you're ordering incorrectly; we suggest trying a cheesesteak on a seeded roll with Cooper sharp cheese and fried onions to taste what the hype is all about.