Pizzeria Beddia
If youre taking out, you cant beat Pizzeria Beddia: no phone, no chairs, no slices, weird hours, and pies from pizza savant Joe Beddia, who uses nothing but the best ingredients. 115 East Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, pizzeriabeddia.wordpress.com.
Chick Invitations
Why wait a few weeks for some Etsy vendor in Moscow to make your monogrammed totes when Robyn Platoni can etch, embroider and foil-stamp her adorable goods in just a few days? 241 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Shopchickphilly.com.
Garage Passyunk
Three words: Metallica pinball machine. (Plus: three Skee-Ball lanes, a rotating lineup of food-truck menus, more than 300 different varieties of canned beer – and none of the awful Shore traffic.) 1231 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147, garagephilly.com/about.
L’Angolo West
Don’t show up toting a bottle with a kangaroo on the label. The well-heeled clientele brings the good stuff; it’s what the excellent veal ravioli, braised duck with pappardelle and pan-seared smoked mozzarella deserve. 26 East Eagle Road, Havertown, PA 19083, langolo-west.com.
White Dog Cafe
If you're the kind of person who forages your own mushrooms while toting a hip flask of sherry, a backpack full of ingredients and a camp stove, you might be able to match this woodsy beauty. But ... you're not, are you? 3420 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, whitedog.com/university-city.html.
Tony Luke's
Readers’ Choice: It was a fight to the finish, as the Philip’s folks worked hard to get out the vote among their devotees. (The even called our office. Often.) But in the end, stalwart Tony Luke’s walked away with Best Cheesesteak honors. 39 East Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, tonylukes.com.
Neuf
Best thing about Neuf: sitting at the bar and snacking on the kitchen's house-baked bread. It's crumbly, crisp-crusted and perfect, served with only parsley pesto and a few olives, because nothing else could improve it. 943 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, neufphilly.com.
Thunderbird Salvage
The tchotchkes here — German handbemalt candles, a Mork & Mindy doll, a taxidermied raccoon, a ceramic turtle ashtray — may be a random mishmash, but they’ll add gravitas to your bookshelves in a way nothing from Target ever could. 2441 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, instagram.com/thunderbirdsalvage.
Shake Shack
Readers' Choice: The surprising thing here isn't that the 2012 New York transplant's dense, decadent shakes won the vote, but just how much of a landslide win the Shack enjoyed against its extremely formidable competitors. 2000 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, shakeshack.com/location/philadelphia.
Inspired Brews
The kombucha case at Whole Foods has nothing on this Old City fermentary's probiotic-packed tea concoctions, with rotating flavors like Elderflower Lemonade and seasonal treats like Gingerbread. (Pleasant shocker: It actually tastes like gingerbread!) 263 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, inspiredbrews.com.
Ellelauri
Everything we want for our summer wardrobe -- easy, colorful knit dresses and the statement necklaces to jazz 'em up, plus flat sandals and cutesy totes -- all packaged up in a pretty little seashore-y shop. 264 West 21st Street, Avalon, NJ 08202, ellelauri.com.
Virtua Center for HealthFitness Washington Township
Luxe locker rooms, three pools, a film-free indoor track, TV-equipped treadmills, a buffet of group fitness classes, and Virtua's neighboring spa to boot: If that's doesn't inspire you to drop a few lbs., nothing will. 239 Hurffville Crosskeys Road, Suite 100, Sewell, NJ 08080, virtua.org/locations/Centers-for-healthfitness/washington-township-fitness.aspx.
Neil's Sharpening Service
It’s tomato season, and there’s nothing worse than having the Brandywine for your BLT mangled by a dull knife. Swing by Chestnut Hill’s Market at the Fareway (and a rotating collection of farmers’ markets), and Neil Jacob will spark that blade back to life. neilssharpeningservice.com.
Indy Hall
If group feedback and hanging with like-minded design-types is what keeps you motivated, nothing can top the energy level at Indy Hall, where it's first-come, first-serve for space and anyone is welcome to join in the events. 22 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, indyhall.org.
Bud & Marilyn's
There is nothing better in the world than cheese curds dipped in batter and deep-fried. And there is no place in the city better to eat fried cheese than at the bar at Marcie Turney and Val Safran's 1970s Midwestern-theme restaurant. (Trust us, we've looked.) 1234 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, budandmarilyns.com.