Jimmy Rollins Tells Us All About His Philly Dining Picks
The former Phillies superstar has been making reservations at some of the city’s best tables. Here's where he hopes to go next.
Jimmy Rollins bats during the 2026 MLBx All-Star 3-on-3 Challenge at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, July 12, 2026 as part of MLB All-Star Week. / Photograph by Drew Hallowell/MLB Photos via Getty Images
A great thing about All-Star Week is that — since it celebrates baseball’s past, present, and future — it also serves as a kind of stellar alumni weekend. With the Phillies hosting this year, that means some of our favorite 2008 World Series champions are back in town.
This past Sunday, All-Star Week debuted a new event, the MLBx : All-Star 3-on-3, and the team captains were none other than legends Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino.
And while JRoll is back in his old stomping grounds, he’s catching up on some of Philly’s best restaurants. Philadelphia’s restaurant scene was already on the rise when he played here, but with national acclaim drawing diners here from around the country, it’s become a destination in its own right. Judging by his reservations, Rollins knows it.
“[Philadelphia’s] food scene is one of the best, argue with ya momma!” Rollins wrote on Instagram after dinner at Vernick. It’s a place that had been on his list, but this past Friday he finally got to check it off, dining on heirloom tomatoes with whipped Humboldt Fog goat cheese to start, then crispy veal Milanese and crispy buttermilk shrimp.
Two days later, he was at Honeysuckle, which left quite the impression. “I’ll keep it simple … The tasting menu by Chef Omar was mind blowing!!” Rollins wrote, praising “the combination of flavors and the meaning behind them,” as well as the restaurant’s “chill vibes.” His favorite course? The “tri-flavored bowtie barrettes representing black girl joy,” he says, “especially since I’m a girl dad.” Rollins made sure to document every course on Honeysuckle’s deeply personal tasting menu — plus the bread course inspired by the acorn bread in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
When I caught up with Rollins on Sunday, I asked what else had made his culinary itinerary.
Turns out Instagram wasn’t the whole list. The night before we spoke, he took his 3-on-3 team to Rittenhouse Square to dine at Stephen Starr’s Borromini. And on his wish list before he leaves town? Rollins told me he was excited Philly just received two James Beard Awards, and that he especially wanted a seat at Royal Sushi’s omakase. Make it happen, Jesse!
Rollins could have easily made the standard All-Star Week homecoming rounds — who wouldn’t love to see him in line for a cheesesteak in South Philly? Instead, he’s spending his time in the places that remind us that Philly has become a city where the food is as much of a draw as the sports. And Rollins has given us a dining itinerary worth stealing — the only question is whether you’ll have better luck than he does getting a reservation.
