Little Sicily II
It’s a regular pizza place – slices, steaks, beer fridge, the whole deal. But look to the left of the register and you’ll find a small sign labeled “Spicy Food Menu.” That’s your ticket to the wonderful world of Indo- Philadelphian eats: fiery chicken cheesesteaks with onions and cilantro, grilled veggie hoagies spiked with hot pepper and ginger, masala fries. Heat-seekers, take note: When you order something “extra-spicy” here, you get exactly that. 1600 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19148, .
Omoi Zakka Shop
Some of the office accessories at Omoi Zakka Shop. Photograph courtesy Omoi Zakka Shop The supplies here are often ingenious (pen holders that clip onto notebooks, an ergonomic package cutter), clearly high-quality (Blackwing pencils, a goat-leather all-purpose carrying sleeve), and always display-worthy (brass rulers, soft leather journals). But mostly, they’re fun (see: cat-shaped paper clips, Pac-Man sticky notes). Because if you haven’t embraced the fact that your home office is possibly your permanent office, it’s time. 41 South 3rd Street; 1608 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; 19103, omoionline.com.
PHL Pride Collective
Just when you thought change couldn’t come any faster in the city’s ever-evolving LGBTQIA community, PHL Pride Collective told everyone to hold their beer. After last year’s dismantling of the original (and arguably antiquated) Philly Pride Presents, this diverse group of community activists organized one of the most intersectional, inclusive and overall-badass Pride celebrations ever. Those trying to reimagine their problematic programming (looking at you, Mummers) should take notes from them ASAP. phlpridecollective.org.
The Rosenbach Museum & Library
Once you’ve watched the entirety of Game of Thrones and Succession for the 23rd time, proceed directly to this thoroughly unplugged Rittenhouse wonderland. Here, you can attend Great Gatsby-themed parties, calligraphy workshops, lofty discussions, and an annual festival in June celebrating Ulysses wherein all sorts of local VIPs, scholars and dignitaries read passages from the novel. Come Halloween season, a variety of events will be centered on Dracula — the Rosenbach has Bram Stoker’s original notes in its vast collection. 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rosenbach.org.
Bucky Body Center
Noted plastic surgeon Louis Bucky saw how the newest, über-effective technologies — micro-suction, compression, lasers, cryo — could optimize the work he’s done on patients; assist with recovery, maintenance, and the effects of aging; and offer solutions to problems people were presenting. (Hi, excessive sweating.) So he opened this innovative center in 2020 that’s more wellness-focused than a med spa but can still do something about that stubborn tummy pooch and cellulite. 1915 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, buckybodycenter.com.
Brickbat Books
Sometimes all you need is a cozy spot in which to sit with a book. Brickbat provides both those things — plus records! — in excess at its low-key haunt. Its walls envelop you in new and used reads, many with eye-catching covers. Of note: The shop only accepts secondhand titles in the best condition from genres like poetry, nonfiction and genre fiction, so rather than a dog-eared James Patterson paperback, you might find a collection of journalist Martha Gellhorn’s novellas, or works by big names in lit fic like Don DeLillo. 709 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, brickbatbooks.blogspot.com.
Sonny's Cocktail Joint
When Sonny’s replaced confused eatery the Cambridge, it quickly became one of our favorite cocktail, well, joints in the city, in part because of its utter lack of pretension, its fun spirit, and one of the better back yards of any bar around. It closed in 2022 after a fire but reopened earlier this year magically better than ever, and not just because they serve a hot dog tower (!) next to classy but never fussy drinks. (Editor's Note: After Best of Philly went to print, Sonny's was forced to close again due to flooding. Please hurry back!) 1508 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, sonnyscocktailjoint.com.
Rooster Soup Co.
Pop into CookNSolo’s modern luncheonette because the tuna melt and smoked matzo ball soup are endlessly satisfying. Pop in because Rooster’s new chef, George Sabatino, is doing really cool things with local meats and produce. And definitely pop in because 100 percent of the restaurant’s profits go to Broad Street Ministry’s Hospitality Collaborative, an organization that feeds Philly’s hungry and food-insecure. Editor’s note: Rooster Soup Co. has undergone major changes since we announced this award. George Sabatino is no longer the chef, the concept is Jewish deli–style luncheonette, and the restaurant is called simply The Rooster. 1526 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19102, roostersoupcompany.com.
Mish Mish
Along with Jeff Goldblum’s filmography and the bathroom jokes in Ulysses, this apricot-adorned spot fits into the highbrow/lowbrow category that makes daily existence more enjoyable. Mish Mish doesn’t take itself too seriously — the wine list has tasting notes like “red silk pajamas” and “gabagoolian” — yet the hospitality is as finely tuned as at any upscale spot. So if you ever need to create the illusion that you’re chill and have great taste, book a table, order some grilled octopus with muhammara, then sit by the Singing Fountain and discuss your hopes and fears and the Jawn Morgan billboards on I-95. 1046 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, mishmishphilly.com.
Erin Matson
Chadds Ford native and Unionville High grad Erin Matson was named the head coach of UNC’s field hockey team — at the ripe old age of 22. During her Tar Heel playing career, she became the all-time leading scorer in ACC and NCAA Tournament history, was a five-time ACC Player of the Year, and won four national titles. Sports Illustrated calls her “the Michael Jordan of American college field hockey.” Asked about his daughter’s precocious achievement, her father Brian noted, “She’s always been hanging out with people older than she is.”
Kate Scott
Calm, cool, and quick with a catchphrase (Bang-bang Georges Niang!), Kate Scott — who took over for Sixers play-by-play legend Marc Zumoff to start the 2021-’22 season — is already our favorite Philly sports voice. Lots of others are taking note, too: Scott’s been tabbed to call the Women’s World Cup this summer and Seattle Seahawks pre-season games this fall. If you haven’t already, watch her on Zumoff’s Fresh 24 podcast discussing the hate directed at pioneering women broadcasters like her — and see if you don’t appreciate her even more.
Rat's
It's on the other side of sad-sack Trenton, in a not-so-romantic warehouse wasteland. But this tiny Claude Monet-inspired French village and 35-acre sculpture park, the formal whimsy of Johnson and Johnson heir J. Seward Johnson (and named for Wind in the Willows character Ratty, the quintessential host), boasts a decor that's Frida Kahlo meets Swiss chalet, with bright colors, arched wood beams and fireplaces. The food is beautifully done eclectic French, but the sell here is the sculpture park and its moodily lighted paths. Its goofiness (dancing twigs!) strikes just the right note of postprandial surprise and how-did-this-place-get-here? delight exactly the stuff, in fact, of romance. 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619, ratsrestaurant.org.
Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
ALCO canned cocktails. Photograph courtesy New Liberty Distillery Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits founder Marat Mamedov says he noticed the rise of malt-based seltzers, knew canned cocktails would be the next big trend, and started canning a Moscow Mule. Made with the distillery’s Brazilian-ginger-root-infused vodka, the effervescent drink is not too sweet and totally refreshing — a tough balance to strike in a can.
“When you have a clean canvas to work with, which the vodka offers, you can let the other flavors shine through in a bigger manner without off-putting notes,” says Mamedov.
ALCO, one arm of Kensington-based New Liberty Distillery, canned classics like vodka soda and gin and tonic with the brand’s own spirits plus fresh ingredients — tonic from century-old soft-drink company Natrona Bottling Company and real lemon and lime juices.
Others in Philly didn’t go so far as to can their concoctions, but they found creative ways to get them into eager drinkers’ hands this past year (well, while to-go cocktails were still legal), including Paul MacDonald at Friday Saturday Sunday and Eddie Adams, head bartender at Bar Hygge. Drawing on the ingenuity that makes them stand-out drink-makers even when we’re not in the midst of a global pandemic, both bartenders figured out how to keep the cocktails coming.
Adams made a steady stream of seasonal punch, which he offered in single-serving pouches or large-format glass bottles. Those came with a bottle of club soda plus a special mix of raw sugar, salt, lavender and coriander so you could rim your glass at home — a fancy touch in not-so-fancy times.
At FSS, MacDonald didn’t limit himself to any specific cocktail but instead bottled (or poured into a single-serving plastic cup) pretty much everything on the menu, except, he says, for the swizzles, which rely on packed-down pellet ice, and the egg-white drinks, which depend on that freshly shaken texture. “Fulfilling off-menu or bartender’s-pick requests has always been a big part of our cocktail program, so I did my best to keep that up when possible,” MacDonald says.
A grateful, slightly tipsy city salutes these libation innovations (and hopes the politicians in Harrisburg get their heads out of the cooler long enough to sign a permanent to-go-cocktail bill).
Paint Nite
You wouldn't think a couple of hours with a drink and a paintbrush would be such a hilarious experiment in bonding, or such an oddly satisfying creative release, but there you have it. The increasingly popular Paint Nite franchise, which sends local artists and teachers to bars all over the city every single night, is a happy respite from the ubiquitous sauv-blanc-and-pommes-frites routine. You might even go home with a painting you're proud of. (Okay, probably not. But still.) paintnite.com/pages/home/index.
All + None
Philly-based queer personal trainer Anna Claire (AC) Loper was on a mission to find new workout shorts — ones that were lined, supportive and gender-neutral. Fed up with lackluster options, Loper created All + None, an activewear brand with size-inclusive and non-gendered pieces — a compressive bodysuit, a full-coverage muscle tee, and the boxing shorts Loper envisioned — meant to make all bodies feel good, especially when they’re moving. shopallandnone.com.