Lolita
Every woman of style has her little secrets: This hot pink boutique in Greenville, Delaware, should be yours. Michelle Carini and Jill Berger the women of style who opened the place have fostered an easy L.A. vibe, with tees and tanks and flirty dresses galore, from labels you can't find just anywhere: Wildfox, LnA, Daftbird, Tucker and Parker. Cool jewelry and shoes, too. 4021 Kennett Pike, Greenville, DE 19807, boutiquelolita.com.
Studio Kids
Not only will this Main Line tot salon save your kid from the horror of mom-made-bowl-cut photos later in life; it's got the cutest selection of kid clothes in the back of the shop for you to browse while Mini-Me gets coiffed-and an excellent selection of toys in the front, should he need a slight bribe to Just. Sit. Still. 511 Old Lancaster Road, Berwyn, PA 19312, mysalononline.com/studiokids.
The Franklin Fountain
The 19th--century atmosphere (right down to the cash register, which was actually made in 1914) and the young, spiffy counter help in bow ties add panache, but it's those achingly delicious handmade flavors from chocolate and vanilla bean to Hydrox cookie and Teaberry gum that make this purveyor of sundry sundaes so much more than an ode to the corner malt shop. 116 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, franklinfountain.com.
DiCostanzas Italian Sandwiches
It's probably not on your beaten path, this sandwich shop with a Boothwyn address (GPS tip: actually not in Boothwyn more like Upper Chichester), but you won't regret the detour. Salty prosciutto, capicola, ham and salami add up to an Italian hoagie so gratifying that the owners have made a business actually shipping them to fans around the country. 1930 Market Street, Boothwyn, PA 19061, .
Dope Botanicals
The brainchild of sisters Nakia and Taahirah Stith, Dope Botanicals is what they call an “a ‘plant’ecary” — a hip urban apothecary carrying tinctures, tonics and teas made from organic and ethically foraged herbs. Don’t know where to start? Opt for an herbal consult with the Stiths, or have them make you a custom smoothie or adaptogenic latte — like the stress-reducing, mood-stabilizing “Happy Pill” — at the shop’s blend bar. 257 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, mydopebotanicals.com.
Bke Beau
It's you, amplified. Exactly how it should be. 892 Country Line Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, bekebeau.com.
Mawn
This self-described noodle house with “no rules” twists and merges Southeast Asian classics — banh chow chopped up and bathing in fish sauce, khao soi silky with Neighborhood Ramen’s homemade noodles, galangal-marinated rib-eye skewers marked by chef Phila Lorn’s own Cambodian roots. Mawn knows exactly who and what it is without anything to prove. The sour-sweet-savory dishes will zap you out of your bullshit day and into the moment, psychedelic Cambodian rock will make the small space come alive, and you won’t be able to remember what 9th Street was like without this BYOB. 764 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, mawnphilly.com.
Delco Steaks
We know we’re about to start a major Philly-vs.-Delco conflict by bestowing this coveted title on a joint that’s not only in Delco but is named after the goddamned place. But we just call ’em as we taste ’em. Since March 2020, people have been jamming the phone lines on a nightly basis for the Delco, a decadent two-foot-long masterful monstrosity of pulled prime rib eye packed into a seeded roll from South Philly’s Carangi Baking Company. They’re so popular that the shop had to find an additional rib-eye provider after the Chambersburg farm it was buying from couldn’t keep up with the orders. 2567 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA 19008, delcosteaks.com.
Rabbit Recycling
This city’s recycling program isn’t great, and that’s even after we stopped secretly burning our recyclables. Rabbit Recycling aims to fix that, by collecting and — novel concept — actually recycling or reusing the items they collect — and they collect a lot. Sometimes that means painstakingly removing the plastic caps from dozens of milk cartons; other times, it’s pulling the foil from contact-lens packages. The best part? You can swing by their shop and snag bottle caps or boxes or whatever else you may need. 1518 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, rabbitrecycling.com.
Cooke and Berlinger
When it's time to say "Happy birthday" or most importantly "I was a big jerk and I'm so, so sorry," sit down with Peter and Mark (respectively) at their relaxed upstairs jewelry salon in Haverford Square. This is no standard retail space; it's like shopping in your friend's living room (with proffered beverages and all). And if you don't see something you like amid their stunning inventory, they'll find it or have it made. (That includes creating a mate for that one lost earring.) There's also a beautifully curated array of gifts for home, men, women and children. 379 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, cookeandberlinger.com.
Saté Kampar
This cool, new and very popular addition to the East Passyunk restaurant scene offers excellent Malaysian food and a killer coffee service. The one thing it doesn't have? A bar. So the pro move here is to bring a bottle of vodka, ask for a tall glass of ice and a shot of Ribena (a black-currant cordial that, when drunk straight, tastes like the decorative soaps in your grandmother's bathroom), and then just thank us later. Because nothing goes better with a plate of goat satay and some coconut-sweet chicken kurma than this DIY cocktail. 1837 East Passyunk Avenue, East Passyunk, Philadelphia, PA 19148, facebook.com/SateKampar.
Boot & Saddle
What does Philly bluegrass sound like? How about experimental klezmer jazz? Find out at Broad Street's country-saloon-turned-musical-oasis. 1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, bootandsaddlephilly.com.
Rex 1516
How do you improve huevos rancheros? Easy: Add crawfish etouffee. 1516 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, rex1516.com.
Jeff Michaud, Osteria
Why? Because he started cooking at 13. Because he did time in Aspen before coming to work for Marc Vetri at his eponymous Philly restaurant and then, when Michaud decided that he needed to learn more about Italian cooking, just up and moved to Lombardy, where he spent three years walking the earth like Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu working his way up from butcher's boy at a small family shop to executive chef at an inn at the foot of the Alps. Then he came home again and opened Osteria for Vetri, where he currently does amazing things to pizzas, pastas and rabbits. 640 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, osteriaphilly.com.
Bufad
How to improve eggs Benedict: Swap out the English muffin for a wood-fired Roman-style potato pizza. 1240 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, bufadpizza.com.