50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia

Dinner at Suraya in Fishtown. Photograph by Michael Persico

1. Suraya

Arak cocktails, Lebanese omelets, kouign-amann, and the smell of sumac, lemon and char. Dining in Philly didn’t always look or taste like this, but thanks to Suraya, it does now. 1528 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown.

Fishtown | Lebanese
1528 Frankford Avenue, 215-302-1900
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2. Friday Saturday Sunday

Friday Saturday Sunday’s transformation from neighborhood landmark to one of the most polished, stunning city restaurants has been complete for years now, but it still never fails to surprise.

Rittenhouse | New American
261 South 21st Street, 215-546-4232
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3. Vernick Food & Drink

Greg Vernick has two restaurants, a coffee shop and a wine shop to his name (literally) now, but this original remains an unparalleled showcase for his adoration of modern American cuisine.

Rittenhouse | New American
2031 Walnut Street, 267-639-6644
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4. Hiroki

There are moments at Hiroki that feel like meditation. And there are moments that feel almost alien — your brain unable to process how some fish, a little rice, and a swipe of horseradish can taste so pure and rich and complete. Dinner at this indulgent omakase sushi bar is, quite literally, a perfect meal.

Fishtown | Sushi
1355 North Front Street, 215-422-3222
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Chef Hiroki Fujiyama. Photograph by Michael Persico

5. Laurel

With each menu iteration, Nick Elmi’s stalwart becomes more or less French, Asian, American, Mediterranean, Philadelphian. The one constant? The talent that elevates Laurel to the top tier.

East Passyunk | New American
1617 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-271-8299
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6. Vetri Cucina

Even if Marc Vetri’s venerable restaurant was the only spot in Philly, we’d have more creativity, more variety and more talent than some cities have in their entire lists of trattorias and ristorantes.

Midtown Village | Italian
1312 Spruce Street, 215-732-3478
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7. Res Ipsa Cafe

The breakfast sandwich is legendary. But the real strength of Res Ipsa Cafe happens after dark — when it morphs into a candle-lit restaurant serving remarkable pastas and that famous charred octopus.

Rittenhouse | Italian
2218 Walnut Street, 267-519-0329
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8. Zahav

Michael Solomonov is now the head of a restaurant group and a bona fide celebrity. But all these years later, Zahav is still the best expression of the love that drove him to show the world just how good Israeli food can be.

Society Hill | Israeli
237 St. James Place, 215-625-8800
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The bar at Suraya. Photograph by Michael Persico

9. Serpico

You come here for black bass swimming in brown butter dashi or the duck leg with hoisin on a potato roll. No matter what you order, you’ll leave in awe of Peter Serpico’s vision of American cuisine.

Bella Vista | American
604 South Street, 215-925-3001
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10. Hungry Pigeon

Partners Scott Schroeder and Pat O’Malley cook and bake what they want here. And though it recently switched to dinner-only during the week, this remains one of Philly’s most honest and comforting restaurants.

Queen Village | American
743 South 4th Street, 215-278-2736
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11. Palizzi Social Club

South Philly is full of places to eat nonna Italian food. But Palizzi is a pure distillation of all of them. It’s a clubhouse built entirely of nostalgia and red sauce, and it’s yours to play in — provided you have a membership card.

East Passyunk | Italian
1408 South 12th Street, No Phone
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Pork and peaches at Andiario. Photograph by Will Figg

12. Andiario

In a restaurant scene that lives and dies by every plate of pasta, it was brave for Anthony Andiario to add one more to the mix. All he had to do to stand out was make the best tonnarelli, the best fusi, the best ricotta gnudi with pears and fonduta that you’ve ever tasted. And he succeeded.

West Chester| Italian
106 West Gay Street, 484-887-0919
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13. South Philly Barbacoa

Different addresses, different rooms … it doesn’t matter where Cristina Martinez is; her food is some of the most heartfelt you’ll find on the planet.

Bella Vista| Mexican
1140 South 9th Street, 267-746-7658
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14. Vedge

It’s no longer revolutionary to say that this city has some of the best vegetarian food in the country. What is surprising is that the restaurant that started it all has remained on the cutting edge of meatless eating for years.

Midtown Village | Vegetarian
1221 Locust Street, 215-320-7500
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Bar snacks at Forsythia. Photograph by Michael Persico

15. Forsythia

The consummate modernist, chef Chris Kearse made an unusual choice to open a French restaurant full of foie gras, roasted chicken and rabbit cassoulet. His menu is a textbook example of how to do French food properly today — with perfect technique, international influence and zero stuffiness.

Old City | French
233 Chestnut Street, 215-644-9395
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16. Royal Izakaya

It’s hard to say which half of this clandestine place is more fun: the loud front room, with its canned sake, crowded bar, and amazing little Japanese sausages, or the quiet back, where chef Jesse Ito’s omakase sushi dinners draw crowds from all over the city and beyond.

Queen Village | Japanese
780 South 2nd Street, 267-909-9002
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Dandelion greens and roasted red pepper pizza at Pizzeria Beddia. Photograph by Ian Shiver

17. Pizzeria Beddia

Want to know one of the most surprising things about Joe ­Beddia’s follow-up to the original Pizzeria Beddia? It’s that this place, which arguably does some of the best pizzas in America, can also make a simple bowl of beans swimming in olive oil memorable.

Fishtown | Pizza
1313 North Lee Street, 267-928-2256
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18. Bibou

The prix fixe at Bibou is a brilliant catalog of modern French flavors — a tour through the history and technical genius of a cuisine that is both sophisticated and approachable, comforting and sublime. Chef Pierre Calmels has been doing this for years now, and he brings every minute of practice to bear on every plate that leaves his tiny Bella Vista kitchen.

Bella Vista | French
1009 South 8th Street, 215-965-8290
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19. Vernick Fish

There are two chefs operating restaurants in the new Comcast building. Greg Vernick may be the lesser-known name, but his is the better product. His vision of Jersey Shore seafood is upscale and polished, complex, global and local all at the same time.

Center City | Seafood
1 North 19th Street, 215-419-5000
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Tom yum goong at Kalaya. Photograph by Michael Persico

20. Kalaya

Nok Suntaranon and My-Le Vuong run one of the purest expressions of a BYOB we’ve seen in years (a tiny dining room, exciting cooking, personality galore), with a menu that glorifies traditional Thai food in ways we’ve never seen before.

Bella Vista | Thai
764 South 9th Street, 215-385-3777
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21. Fiore Fine Foods

Quick breakfasts, sit-down dinners, coffee on the run and pastries on the side — Fiore thrives on the friction between authenticity and modernity in a world where people want both, all day long.

Queen Village | Italian
757 South Front Street, 215-339-0509
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22. Stina Pizzeria

The true strength of Stina’s menu is in the Mediterranean/­Middle Eastern options. The borek will blow your mind. The giant manti dumplings are the comfort food you didn’t know you needed. And while the wood-fired pizzas are good, the pide — ­footballs of dough filled with egg and cheese — are the true standouts.

West Passyunk | Mediterranean
1705 Snyder Avenue, 215-337-3455
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23. Zeppoli

In summer, the backyard patio is one of the coolest places around. In winter, the dining room is cozy. No matter the season, Joey Baldino’s heartfelt cooking proves how deep the flavors of Italian simplicity can go.

Collingswood | Italian
618 Collings Avenue, 856-854-2670
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24. Noord Eetcafé

The menu reads like a poem about comfort, all pork croquettes, fried potatoes and baked apples. Owner Joncarl Lachman opened Noord as a place Philly could return to every year, but what we got is a place we want to go back to every night.

East Passyunk | Northern European
1046 Tasker Street, 267-909-9704
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Chicken t’bit at K’far Cafe. Photograph by Michael Persico

25. K’Far Cafe

James Beard winner Camille Cogswell heads up this all-day cafe from CookNSolo where daylight crowds swarm over the bakery cases, snatching up her chocolate rugelach and Jerusalem-style bagels. At night, there’s table service and candles, labneh toasts with smoked trout, and lamb with pistachios. And all of it rests on the ample strength of Cogswell’s talents.

Rittenhouse | Israeli
110 South 19th Street, 267-800-7200
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26. Fork

With every new chef who comes through the kitchen (currently, it’s Jeremy Hansen), Fork reinvents itself. Locality, sustainability, and global inspiration are the guardrails that keep this place on the road. But within that, the possibilities are endless.

Old City | New American
306 Market Street, 215-625-9425
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27. The Good King Tavern

The stuffy fine-dining French restaurant is one of the most enduring myths of the food world. Philly’s reality is much more like TGK, with its steak frites, white burgundy by the bottle and easy vibe.

Bella Vista | French
614 South 7th Street, 215-625-3700
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28.  Little Fish

The way to truly get Little Fish is to walk in with a bottle of wine and the sure knowledge that whatever you eat tonight will be a singular dining experience, never to be repeated.

Queen Village | Seafood
746 South 6th Street, 267-455-0172
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29. Royal Boucherie

Royal Boucherie would be at home in any city — a cozy, loud French spot where everything from the cocktails to the charcuterie is created with both modernity and classical technique. Lucky for us, we got this joint — one of the most comfortable dining rooms in Philly.

Old City | French
52 South 2nd Street, (267) 606-6313
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30. Hardena

There are neighborhood restaurants that are thinly disguised art projects by chefs, and then there are those that exist to serve the community. The great thing about Hardena — besides the beef rendang — is that it’s absolutely the latter.

Point Breeze | Indonesian
1754 South Hicks Street, 215-271-9442
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Middle Child. Photo by Michael Persico

31. Middle Child

Middle Child seems like a retro luncheonette, but the toast and jam is Japanese milk bread with whipped ricotta, the Phoagie is a vegan marvel, and the So Long Sal is a wonder of the sandwich arts.

Washington Square West | Luncheonette
248 South 11th Street, 267-930-8344
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32. Cadence

We often don’t pay enough attention to restaurants that aren’t flashy. Cadence is a soft-spoken masterpiece where the herb dumplings with seafood ragu and the pork loin with a mole sauce speak for themselves.

Kensington | Modern American
161 West Girard Avenue, 215-419-7537
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Dorade with garlic fried rice and eggs at Sarvida. Photograph by Michael Persico

33. Sarvida

Here, chef Lou Boquila does Filipino home cooking in a BYO setting. There’s soft scrambled egg tortang talong, chicharrones with cheese, and roasted chicken with lemongrass and calamansi. If modern Filipino food is having a moment, then Sarvida is leading the way in Philly.

Fishtown | Filipino
300 East Girard Avenue, 267-273-1234
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34. Saté Kampar

The best compliment you can give a restaurant is to wonder: How did we ever get by without it? Ange Branca turned the concept of Malaysian street food — meat on sticks, coconuts, sticky rice and pulled milk tea — into one of the best restaurants in the city.

East Passyunk | Malaysian
1837 East Passyunk Avenue, 267-324-3860
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35. Hearthside

Hearthside presents as another open-kitchen faux-rustic New American restaurant. But sit down, and you’ll find a wickedly talented kitchen putting an inspired twist on almost every dish.

Collingswood | New American
801 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ, 856-240-1164
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36. Townsend

Townsend is a grown-up restaurant. There’s nothing ironic about it. It’s a place for a martini at the bar and escargots with black truffles. It’s a place to dine, and these days, restaurants like that are becoming more rare.

Rittenhouse | French
2121 Walnut Street, 267-639-3203
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37. Double Knot

Upstairs, it’s a cool bar that does a booming happy hour. Downstairs, it’s like an escape hatch from the real world, with flickering candles and tables full of people eating gyoza, crab udon and unagi donburi like they’re getting away with something.

Midtown Village | Japanese
120 South 13th Street, 215-631-3868
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Lao curry (khao poon) at Stock Rittenhouse. Photograph by Michael Persico

38. Stock Rittenhouse

With its customizable menu, hybrid counter/table-service setup, and fast-casual heart balanced against its serious commitment to Southeast Asian traditions, this is the future of chef-driven dining in Philly.

Rittenhouse | Southeast Asian
1935 Chestnut Street, 215-988-9480
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39. Alpen Rose

The Schulson Collective is all about big spectacles. But Alpen Rose is different: a cloistered 40 seats, a handful of staff, a short bar, that’s it. Well, that and expert steaks that are dry-aged in-house. It’s a personal, surprisingly casual (if still VERY pricey) experience that you won’t get anywhere else.

Midtown Village | Steakhouse
116 South 13th Street, 215-600-0709
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40. Parc

There was never a point where onion soup wasn’t delicious. Where duck à l’orange and trout amandine weren’t brilliant combinations. Tastes may be fickle, but talent isn’t, and Parc has been doing what it does well for so long now that it keeps rebounding into the hearts of diners.

Rittenhouse | French
227 South 18th Street, 215-545-2262
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Dry-aged rib eye at Alpen Rose. Photograph by Michael Persico

41. Cheu Fishtown

Because Fishtown just wouldn’t be Fishtown without a place to get fried chicken bao, brisket ramen, dan dan Brussels sprouts, and potato latkes okonomiyaki with Kewpie mayo and kimchi.

Fishtown | Asian
1416 Frankford Avenue, 267-758-2269
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42. Blue Corn

People come to Blue Corn for green tacos, margaritas, brunch eggs, and an authentic taste of Mexico City-style food. It’s a small place, but it manages to offer something for everyone and enough surprises to keep people coming back for more.

Bella Vista | Mexican
1940 South 9th Street, 215-925-1010
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43. Le Virtù

Le Virtù’s commitment to the flavors and history of Italy’s Abruzzo region (plus its warm approach to service, evolving menus and killer events) has kept it vital in a city that’s not exactly lacking in Italian food.

East Passyunk | Italian
1927 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-271-5626
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44. Abe Fisher

Can ancient cuisines meld with modern ones, and can the history of a people manifest in its food? The modern Jewish cuisine being served at this CookNSolo eatery — the veal schnitzel tacos, the Manischewitz steak sauce — is our answer.

Rittenhouse | Jewish
1623 Sansom Street, 215-867-0088
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45. Poi Dog

Whether it’s the ukulele music, the massive plate lunches, the Okinawan doughnuts or the poke bowls, Poi Dog is, quite simply, the happiest restaurant in Philly.

Rittenhouse | Hawaiian
102 South 21st Street, 215-279-7015
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Hoagies at Angelo’s. Photograph by Michael Persico

46. Angelo’s

The sandwiches are massive and built on housemade bread, and honestly, everyone can stop arguing about who has the best pizza in the city now, because Angelo’s is it.

Bella Vista | Takeout
736 South 9th Street, no phone
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47. Kanella Grill

You might come here for kebabs and discover the dolmades. You might come for the falafel and find that Kanella makes its own gyro meat and hot sauce, or has octopus on the menu that you never noticed before, or really excellent baklava. What’s remarkable is that such a small place with such a seemingly simple menu can be so full of surprises. What’s not surprising at all is how often you’ll want to go back.

Washington Square West | Cypriot-Greek
1001 Spruce Street, 267-928-2085
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48. Mr. Martino’s Trattoria

Old-Philly Italian is slowly vanishing. But our culinary past is well preserved here, enshrined in a menu of fat ravioli, octopus with white beans, and spaghetti with calamari.

East Passyunk | Italian
1646 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-755-0663
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49. Irwin’s

A couple years back, Bok Bar — with its sweeping views and stunning rooftop location — was the city’s darling: an undeniably hip, summery spot that made Philly feel like it was right on the edge of being truly cool. Now, with Irwin’s, we can feel the same way all year ’round, with the added benefit of small plates, comfortable, mismatched chairs, graffiti on the walls and Middle Eastern-influenced cocktails drunk by candlelight.

East Passyunk | Middle Eastern
800 Mifflin Street, inside the Bok Building, 215-693-6206
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50. Musi

Musi has a menu of comfort foods and creative surprises: soft pretzels with jam and cheese, a bagna cauda potato salad. There’s something so Philly about it — so BYO and DIY, with so much street-kid swagger — that this little joint gets elevated to a place the whole city can be proud of.

Pennsport | New American
100 Morris Street, 215-377-9466
More about Musi | Return to ranked list

50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia, Mapped

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