Nicck Townsend
He'll explain his vision for your face and train your brows to grow exactly how he wants them. Service Area: Main Line, Philly, South Jersey, 00000, .
Wit or Witout
It's been years even decades since someone was brave enough to enter into the Philly cheesesteak wars. But 2009 saw the opening of Wit or Witout, where Mayfair native Nicole DiZio not only tossed her name into the ring, but opened her modern red-and-gray shop in one of the key battlefields: the Northeast. And boy, did she do it right. Moist and meaty top round is sliced, grilled, slathered with melted American, Whiz or provolone, and layered on a substantial, chewy hoagie roll, creating a beefy sandwich that isn't overloaded with cheese. Watch out, boys (yeah, we're talkin' to you, Steve, Jim, Joey and Pat): There's a new girl in town. 7352 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136, witorwitout.com.
Philadelphia Department of Public Health Vector Control program
Who would have guessed that a city-run agency knows how to oust a rat better than most? phila.gov/health/environment/vectorcontrol.html.
The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Know how you can tell that a nonpartisan organization is actually nonpartisan? They’ve booked CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta and former Trump confidant Steve Bannon in one season. wacphila.org.
George Sabatino, Stateside
Follow the Stateside maestro's Instagram feed and you'll see a creative chef at play. Eat his food and you'll know how he's made Stateside one of the most enjoyable dining destinations in the entire city. 1536 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147, statesidephilly.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.
Commonplace Reader
In 2019, Liz Young took an old house that had been converted to a retail space, filled it top to bottom with books, sprinkled in oodles of homespun charm, and created a little spot of small-town magic. Downstairs, a warren of rooms holds fiction and nonfiction, while the second story has two rooms dedicated to kids, with cozy floor pillows that invite lounging. (One tiny closet has been transformed into a Harry Potter reading nook!) Young and her staff host book clubs (often on the shop’s front porch), author events and writing groups, too. 49 South Main Street, Yardley, PA 19067, commonplace-reader.com.
Blk Ivy Thrift
Kimberly McGlonn’s fashion-as-activism vision is fully realized at the new Blk Ivy Thrift. Her thrift-and-vintage shop, housed in her former Grant BLVD space (which found new digs on Penn’s campus), stocks styles from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s that were often worn by Black creatives and civil rights champions. Retro-hued knit dresses, button-front cardigans and classic true-blue denim are just a few of the finds that define McGlonn’s entirely original retail concept. 3605 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, blkivythrift.com.
Laser Wolf
A spread from Laser Wolf. Photograph by Michael Persico Laser Wolf is the restaurant scene’s way of writing science fiction — our boldest vision of the future of dining out. Before the pandemic, it was a place that existed entirely outside the customary definitions of casual/fine dining, one to which crowds flocked to smear kale baba ganoush on the best pita anywhere and devour merguez sausage and chicken shishlik off the kitchen’s blazing grills. It tasted fancy but felt like a nonstop party — complete with shots of arak and ice-cream sundaes for dessert. And after everything changed? Laser Wolf shifted gears and became the go-to spot for procuring the best backyard grilling kits for the summer. 1301 North Howard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, laserwolfphilly.com/index.html.
Tiny Tildie's
If you: a) have a baby, b) know someone who’s having one, or c) just like looking at ridiculously adorable — and yes, tiny — things, head to this nearly year-old sister shop of Tildie’s Toy Box. It’s stocked with clothing and accessories for newborns up to size 3T (from brands like Posh Peanut and Quincy Mae, and expanding to size 6T in the fall), plus toys (we’re obsessed with Blabla’s hand-knitted dolls) and gear (like Mushie’s pastel silicone sippy cups and utensils). Need a baby-shower gift ASAP? They offer gratis gift-wrapping. 1833 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, tildiestoybox.com/tiny-tildies.
Honeysuckle Provisions
Honeysuckle Provisions is the cafe that’ll have you searching for a reason to stop by four times a week. It could be for sandwiches like the Haitian, with tasso ham, fried Haitian pork, a layer of brie and Creole mustard, topped with vinegary pikliz. Maybe it’s for the house-made guava croissants, or the hand-size pop-tarts and some fresh sorrel juice or Kreyol limeade. No matter the reason, their commitment to supporting local farmers and staying true to the shop’s Afro-centric roots makes this one of the best new openings West Philly has seen in a long time. 310 South 48th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143, honeysuckleprovisions.com.
Double Knot
When you open in a former Midtown Village porn theater and have a mysterious basement dining room and a menu that reads like the scattered, Adderall-fueled scrawlings of a culinary obsessive, you have to be pretty goddamn amazing to snag the Best New Restaurant slot. And Double Knot is exactly that amazing. A cool and casual coffee shop/lunch spot with a great happy hour up top and a candlelit warren downstairs offering sushi, robatayaki, scrapple bao and Japanese fried chicken nuggets, this is one of those restaurants that Philadelphia has been waiting for years to call its own. 120 South 13th Street, Midtown Village, Philadelphia, PA 19107, doubleknotphilly.com.
Paesano's Philly Style
We've been waiting for someone to come along and give all the best parts of a sandwich good bread, melty cheese, that bitter/spicy/meaty contrast a face-lift. Which is why Paesano's stole our hearts (and stomachs). There's the Arista, for which a whole suckling pig is house-roasted, pulled, and served on Liscio's bread with broccoli rabe; the Gustaio, in which house-made lamb sausage is slathered with a sweet-cherry mostarda, gorgonzola and roasted fennel before being wrapped up in a buttery pita; and the namesake Paesano: slow-roasted beef layered on a substantial hoagie roll with gorgonzola, roasted tomatoes, pepperoncinis and house-made cole slaw. 1017 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, paesanosphillystyle.com.
Irwin’s
Remember how excited you were when BOK Bar first opened, with its cool unfinished vibe and expansive views? Well, this is just like that — only with excellent cocktails, Mediterranean small plates and table service. 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, irwinsupstairs.com.
Its 25 Bars
Finally, a music venue figured out how to not have us stand in line for 20 minutes to pay $13 for a domestic beer. The answer was quite simple: Have lots of bars. 858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, Themetphilly.com.