Rittenhouse & Fittler Square
- Friday Saturday Sunday:
Exactly what you want out of a New American tasting menu: course after course of "How did they do that?"
[21st and Spruce, $$$$, ★] - Vernick Food & Drink: Exceptional. Get the crab toast.
[21st and Walnut, $$$, ★] - Trattoria Carina: Italian food in a fantastic location. Best
in the summer, when there's plentiful outdoor seating.
[22nd and Spruce, $$$] - Musette Rittenhouse: Branch of my favorite coffee shop.
[20th and Locust, $$, ★] - Huda: Milk-Bun sandwiches. Great junk food option.
[18th and Ludlow, $$] - My Loup: Nominally French, but it's really whever Chef Amanda Shulman
decides they're into on that given day. Significant raw bar options.
[20th and Walnut, $$$] - Sally: Sourdough pizza, natural wine, outdoor seating.
[23rd and Spruce, $$$] - Bar Bombón: Vegan versions of Latin American food's greatest hits. Bar
Bombón's main attraction is its (very cute) bar, which sports
an impressive collection of Latin Amercan liquor.
[18th and Moravian, $$] - a.kitchen: Another restaurant in the Ellen Yin empire. Great
cocktails available in the attached bar.
[18th and Walnut, $$$] - Ambrosia: Adorable Italian BYOB tucked between two old
brick buildings by the river. Probably not run by the mob, unlike many Italian BYOs.
[18th and Locust, $$$] - Bolo: Inventive takes on traditional Latin-American food, and rum-centric drinks. Service was poor the day I went, but they'd just been nominated for a James Beard award, so I'll allow it.
[20th and Locust, $$$] - Masala Kitchen: Kati rolls. Open late.
[20th and Chestnut, $] - 1 Tippling Place: Cocktail bar with a nondescript entrance.
[20th and Chestnut, $$$] - Andra Hem: "Scandanavian inspired" cocktail bar. Very neatly done
space.
[16th and Chancellor, $$$] - SouthGate: Korean-American Gastropub. Weird combo, but it really works.
[18th and Lombard, $$] - Monks Cafe: Imported Beer. Fries. Mussels. You get the picture.
[16th and Spruce, $$]
Old City
- Zahav: It's really good, but it made a name for itself back when Israeli food was harder to come by.
[22nd and Walnut, $$$$] - Forsythia: Modern French. Truly inventive and fun menu backed
up by fantastic service.
[2nd and Chestnut, $$$, ★] - Fork: Had a candied watermelon salad here in 2016 that I still think about.
[3rd and Market, $$$]
Logan Square & Fairmount
- Musette: Delightful cafe with great coffee, pastries, and
tartines. Also a hub for the local cycling community, if you're into that sort of thing.
If I'm not at the office, I'm probably at Musette.
[25th and Aspen, $$, ★] - Bad Brother: Gastropub, emphasis on the gastro.
[24th and Aspen, $$, ★]
Graduate Hospital & Point Breeze
- Illata: Somehow still extremely underrated.
[22nd and Greys Ferry, $$$, ★] - PHS Pop Up Garden: a
beer garden (emphasis on the garden) run by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. My preferred outdoor bar
in center city.
[15th and South, $$] - Loco Pez: Mexican Bar. I like this place out of proportion to how it actually is.
[20th and Bainbridge, $$] - Pub and Kitchen: Solid gastropub with an eclectic set of appetizers and small plates.
[20th and Lombard, $$] - American Sardine Bar: Gastropub with an extremely
eclectic set of appetizers and small plates.
[18th and Federal, $$] - Jet Wine Bar: Casual wine bar with a surplus of outdoor seating.
[15th and South, $$]
Washington Square West
-
Double Knot: The Sushi offering of the Schulson restaurant
group. Intimidatingly large menu, shared with Sampan next door.
[13th and Sansom, $$$] -
Sampan: The Modern Pan-Asian offering of the Schulson restaurant group. Intimidatingly large menu, shared with Double Knot next door.
[13th and Sansom, $$$] -
Kiddo: Outstanding "Vegetable-forward" restaurant. Not vegetarian, not vegan, but a secret third thing. One half of the chef/owner duo
is formerly of Musette, so you know it's good.
[11th and Pine, $$$, ★] -
Vedge: Vegan fine-dining enjoyable by non-vegans
[12th and Locust, $$$] - Grandma's: Thai Tapas, I guess? A somewhat unusual but very good Thai place.
[13th and Walnut, $$] -
Middle Child: Sandwiches. Always packed, always a wait, always worth it.
[11th and Locust, $$] -
Oloroso: Spanish tapas.
[11th and Walnut, $$$] -
Caribou Cafe: Stereotypical French. The vibes are better than the food, but if you want to feel
like you're in a Tintin book, look no further than Caribou Cafe.
[12th and Walnut, $$]
Chinatown
-
Sang Kee: A veritable Chinatown institution.
[9th and Vine, $$] -
Cilly Chicken Rice: My (very welcome) introduction to Hainanese chicken rice.
Big fan!
[10th and Race, $$]
Queen Village and Bella Vista
-
Provenance: French-Korean Fusion. Successful Michelin-bait.
[2nd and Pine, $$$$, ★] -
Sakana: Incredible omakase with an extremely unassuming storefront.
[6th and South, $$$$, ★] -
Little Fish: Whatever you do, don't leave without eating the Scallop Toast.
[6th and Fitzwater, $$$, ★] -
Fiorella: Pasta bar, located in beautiful space formerly home to
a century-old sausage shop.
[8th and Christian, $$$] -
Paesano's: Italian sandwiches. Get the roast pork.
[9th and Carpenter, $$] -
Kampar: Only good Malaysian food in the city.
[7th and Kater, $$$] -
Cry Baby Pasta: Pasta with attitude.
[3rd and Bainbridge, $$$] -
4th Street Deli: Historic and preserved Jewish
deli. The food rivals that of the great NYC delis, but the prices do too.
[4th and Bainbridge, $$$] -
Tabachoy: Tiny and casual Filipino BYOB in Bella Vista. Small
menu, big portions.
[10th and Carpenter, $$] - Good King Tavern: French tavern food that doesn't take itself too seriously.
[7th and Kater, $$] -
Ba Le Bakery: Vietnamese bakery, serving the best Banh Mi in Philly.
[6th and Washington, $$] -
South Philly Barbacoa: I don't have anything new to say about this place, just go.
[9th and Ellsworth, $$] -
Ratchada: Thai, but also some Laotion options snuck in.
[11th and Washington, $$]
East Passyunk
-
River Twice: Seafood-centric tasting menu,
very relaxed and welcoming for the (high) price point.
[East Passyunk and Tasker, $$$$] -
Mighty Bread Company: Bakery and Cafe. I prefer Metropolitan for bread,
but the kitchen offerings rival Musette's. It can get loud inside, so don't miss the courtyard.
[12th and Gerritt, $$] -
Jojo's Cafe: Great Banh Mi.
[Broad and Passyunk, $$]
University City & West Philly
- Local 44: My favorite bar in West Philly. Far enough west that it's mostly free of undergrads.
[44th and Spruce, $$, ★] - Vientianne Café: Thai and Laotian food. Best Laotian I've managed to
find in Philly. Laab salad is great.
[47th and Baltimore, $$] - White Dog Café: The only place within a 15 minute walk of Penn that's good enough to take visitors to.
[34th and Sansom, $$$]
Fishtown and Northern Liberties
-
Suraya: Serving the food of The Levant. Suraya will forever
live in Zahav's shadow, which is a shame because it's cheaper and just as good.
[Frankford Ave and Marlborough, $$$, ★] -
Pietramala: The best vegan fine dining option in the city.
[2nd and Fairmount, $$$, ★] -
Kalaya: Plenty of ink has been spilled about Kalaya. It's as good as they say. Nothing is as spicy as your server's warnings will make it sound.
[Frankford Ave and W. Palmer, $$$, ★]
North Philly
-
Honeysuckle: Afro-centric fine dining. Some exciting stuff going on here.
[Mt Vernon and North Broad, $$$$]
💀: Former Philly Restuarants
- Abe Fisher: Inventive takes on the traditional cuisine of the
Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora.
[17th and Sansom, $$$, ★, Closed in 2023] -
Laurel: One of only two New American restaurants in Philly to truly wow me.
Worth a trip just to see the restroom. I will not elaborate on this, please go and see for yourself.
[East Passyunk and Tasker, $$$$, ★, Closed in 2025] -
Neighborhood Ramen: Casual sit-down ramen. Not that many options, but they're good at what they do.
[3rd and Bainbridge, $$, Closed in 2024]