Han Dynasty
Yes, you read that right. Han Dynasty has some of the best cocktails in Philly right now thanks to Lê of Hop Sing Laundromat, who swooped in and upgraded the bar menu with a handful of new, truly inventive elixirs. You’ll have almost as much fun sipping on the green matcha and vanilla Phat Phuc as you will ordering it. 123 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, handynasty.net.
Vanilya
It’s true: The best bagels in the city don’t come from a bagel shop. Baker Bonnie Sarana Noll makes a limited batch fresh each morning at her cozy dessert cafe, and they’ve got those New York qualities (chewy on the inside, crisp and bubbly on the outside) that we could never quite replicate in Philly – until now. 1611 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148, vanilyabakery.com.
Phila Massages
There’s a reason Philly’s top fitness instructors flood these studios. Well, two reasons: First, the staffers know athletes’ bodies better than anyone else in town, which means they can loosen muscles and target trigger points with alarming precision. And second, the $250 annual membership – which can score you up to 50 percent off services – makes it much easier on the wallet to keep coming back. 4368 Cresson Street, b, Philadelphia, PA 19127, philamassages.com.
Jennifer Zavala Catering
Top Chef alum Jennifer Zavala will come to your house and cook a delicious medical-grade-marijuana-infused meal for you and your friends, something she does regularly for those who are sick. The food is delicious, and Zavala – of illegal South Philly tamale-truck fame (Google it) – is as entertaining as the drugs themselves. Email for more info.
Pad Porter
File this one under Services You Never Knew You Desperately Needed. Via start-up Pad Porter, Wharton grad Nonya Collier and her crew handle pretty much every moving task you could ever hope to outsource: booking the movers; packing and unpacking; stocking your new fridge; cleaning the old place; even waiting for the Comcast guy. Services are arranged �_ la carte, with prices starting at a (totally worth it) $25 an hour. padporter.co.
Philadelphia Vintage and Consignment Shoppe
It's got limited hours, many garments are encased in plastic, and there isn't much priced under $100. Which makes finding treasures from some of the most iconic names in fashion (Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Dior), plucked from the closets of the most famous people in the world (Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston), all the more special. 111 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, facebook.com/philadelphiavintage.
Bundy
As an authorized Apple dealer, Bundy -- in business for nearly a century -- does vigorous in-house testing on the rehabbed iPads it gets from a reliable source, and each purchase comes with a free 90-day warranty. But the "open box" items, which have only been used for demo or floor-model purposes, are the real steal: On a recent trip, we spotted a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2014 priced $400 below nearly identical newer models. 1809 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, bundycomputer.com.
The United States Mint
The fascinating (and totally free!) self-guided tour gives you a bird's-eye view of the actual, live coin-making process from 40 feet above the factory floor where some 715 million quarters were produced last year. It's the perfect Independence Mall destination for those of us who aren't tourists. 151 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA 19106, usmint.gov/mint_tours/?action=philadelphia.
Short Range Missiles at Hop Sing Laundromat
High-end liquor at ridiculously low prices (starting as cheap as $3.50), served alone and unadorned at a spot famous for mixed drinks? This is basically the bar's gift to its regulars (and those comfortable with drinking shots before the sun goes down), so find yourself some nice shoes, leave the cell phone in your pocket (it's the owner's biggest rule), and go take advantage between 5 and 7 p.m. (sometimes 8 p.m.). 1029 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, hopsinglaundromat.com.
Rumor
Not every bar needs to have a bartender who can make a perfect old-fashioned, a bouncer who's the city's poet laureate, or regulars hoping to be the next Franzen. Sometimes it's about which bar is packed -- and we do mean packed -- every weekend night with the city's most tanned and tight young guys and girls on the prowl. 1500 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, rumorphilly.com.
Cafe Canela
In the heart of Little Cambodia, Rosa Navarro's homey cafe marches to a different drum than the rest of South Philly's Mexican joints, specializing in thick homemade flour tortillas whose puffy blisters push halfway toward Indian naan. Add in the eight-salsa DIY condiment station (try the chili-whispering pineapple variety), and it's a lock. 2201 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, .
VegPhilly
Whether you're looking to get your hands on some veggie sausage or a slice of vegan cheesecake, this website has you covered. It's a handy online map of veg-friendly spots around the city, with candid user restaurant reviews—which rate the atmosphere and food and name a favorite dish—making eating vegan easier than ever. vegphilly.com.
Talking Headz
The stylists at this edgy Cedar Park salon cut hair while it's dry, which allows them to follow your mane's natural shape, lets you check out the new 'do in real time, and gets you in and out in 30 minutes. These knockout styles also come at a remarkably affordable price: about $25 per cut. 4922 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143, talkingheadzhairsalon.com/main.html.
Zeppoli
Chef Joey Baldinos love letter to jumped-up classic Italian is a wonder on many levels. The food is brilliant (particularly the antipasti, with flavors so vivid it should come with a passport stamp). The service is smooth; the Sicilian focus is smart. But whats most amazing is that in a city so dedicated to Italian food, you occasionally have to go across the bridge to find it done this well. 618 Collings Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08107, zeppolirestaurant.com.
Robert's
In 2007, New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni declared that Roberts, a spot inside the Penthouse gentlemens club, had some of the very best steaks in New York City. Well, Roberts has now expanded to Atlantic City, and the steaks here reach that rarely achieved level known as utter perfection. And no, you dont have to go to a strip club to enjoy them. But you do have to go to the Taj. 100 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08041, robertsatlanticcity.com.