Where to Eat and Drink in Philadelphia
“Philadelphia isn't as bad as Philadelphians say it is.” That’s an actual promotional slogan that sat emblazoned on a billboard along the Schuylkill Expressway in the early '70s—a funny, self-deprecating nod to Philly’s predilection for inward-looking misery. This mentality will always have its place here, but proponents of Philly’s current dining culture have more than a bit to brag about. Center City offers endless urban comforts, but it’s the outlying neighborhoods, host to both rising homegrown chefs and a new crop of out-of-town talent, that truly intrigue. Philadelphia food and drink is not as good as Philadelphians say it is: It’s better.
Drew Lazor has been writing about food and drink since 2005. Currently a columnist with the Philadelphia Daily News, Drew has also contributed to NBC News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Saveur, Serious Eats, and Zagat. He is the co-author of Jeremy and Jessica Nolen's New German Cooking, out fall 2014 on Chronicle Books. Check out more of his writing at drewlazor.com and say hi on Twitter (@drewlazor).
1/14The Hot Newcomer: Serpico
Leaving a post as David Chang’s culinary director and partnering with restaurateur Stephen Starr, Peter Serpico is well on his way to permanently shedding that “formerly of Momofuku” descriptor that’s followed him since he arrived in the 215. He’s making his bones—and cooking some, too—at his sleek new venture, turning out plates both luxurious (chawanmushi-style custard crowned with Siberian sturgeon caviar) and quirky (ravioli filled with Cope’s Corn, a Pennsylvania Dutch pantry staple). 604 South St., 215-925-3001, serpicoonsouth.com (Credit: Michael Persico)____
2/14The Old Standby: Kanella
Save for chartering an amphibious aircraft, there are few better ways to tour the Mediterranean than a meal at Kanella. Proud Cypriot chef Konstantinos Pitsillides navigates the myriad of cultures that define cooking on his island, nailing milky manti (Turko-Armenian lamb dumplings), pomegranate-scattered Levantine fattoush, and Yemeni malohwa with equal confidence. Like many Philly restaurants, this sunny corner space is BYOB, so bring a few bottles or swing by the block-away Foodery (324 S. 10th St.) for large-format craft beers. 1001 Spruce St., 215-922-1773, kanellarestaurant.com (Credit: Drew Lazor)
3/14The Tasting Menu: Little Fish
Another BYOB beloved by locals, chef Chadd Jenkins’s Little Fish offers one of the best deals in the city. On Sundays—and only on Sundays—he'll cook you five courses for $33. (Plan on booking a month or more in advance.) As the name indicates, the romantic space is short on square footage but long on lovely seafood preparations. Think small-cup West Coast oysters teased with tamari, octopus jeweled with blackberry and capers, and elegant entrées mingling land and sea creatures like lamb with cobia. 746 S. Sixth St., 267-455-0172, littlefishbyob.com (Credit: Joseph Brugger Photography)
4/14The Quick Lunch: Cheu Noodle Bar
Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh’s noodle fixation is on display at Cheu—literally. Have a gawk at the wall covered in dried ramen, fit together like bricks. The menu, made up of deliberately inauthentic spins on Asian street food, expands come 5 p.m., but stop through before 2 p.m. for lunch winners like smoked pacu ribs with bonito fries (“fish and chips”) and banh mi filled with anything from soft-shelled crab to a Philly favorite, scrapple. 255 S. 10th St., 267-639-4136, cheunoodlebar.com (Credit: Danya Henninger, imagicdigital.com)
5/14The Leisurely Breakfast: Café La Maude
Blanc d’oeuf—much more appealing than “egg whites,” isn’t it? It’s just one of many aurally pleasing aspects in play at Northern Liberties’ La Maude, a friendly and feminine café with a French-Lebanese passport. Lively chatter, in both English and Arabic, dings off the marble tables as chef Nathalie Richan and her staff serve every-which-way eggs, turkey kafta, homemade foul moudamas, and La Colombe coffee to the relaxing masses. 816 N. Fourth St., 267-318-7869, cafelamaude.com
6/14The Hole-in-the-Wall: Pizzeria Beddia
It’s not a “hole in the wall” in the grimy sense—it’s pretty spotless, actually—but Joe Beddia’s standing-room-only pizzeria certainly qualifies for this category based on sheer (lack of) size. The well-traveled pizza-fanatic-turned-shop-owner makes every 16-inch round himself, so bring a little patience and planning (he serves Wednesday to Saturday only) along with your sixer of hoppy beer. Beddia’s obsession with quality—Central Milling organic flour, Jersey Fresh tomatoes, pie-completing shavings of punchy Old Gold from Hidden Hills Dairy—translates to pizza that simply can’t duplicated anywhere else. 115 E. Girard Ave., no phone, pizzeriabeddia.com (Credit: Drew Lazor)
7/14The Ethnic Standout: Sky Cafe
Traditionally an Italian enclave, today’s Deep South Philly runs on much more than braciole and broccoli rabe. It’s also heavily populated by Latinos and Asians, many of whom have set up humble, hunger-blasting shops of their own. Seek out Sky Café, a family-run Indonesian jewel that charges so little for its soul-affirming meals you might feel obligated to ask the counter to check its math. Slurp soto medan, a deeply satisfying chicken-coconut rice noodle soup that’ll linger with you for hours (longer if it’s chilly), or dip into daring dishes like offal-based satay, glazed-and-grilled enaknya (stingray). 1540 Ritner St., 215-271-1983, skycafe215.com (Credit: Drew Lazor)
8/14The Midnight Snack: Prima Pizza Taqueria Mexicana and Little Pete’s
If you want to chat with pro cooks recapping hellish dinner shifts over lengua and campechanos, pay a late-night visit to the Italian Market’s Prima Pizza, a taqueria whose name functions as a kind of cloaking device. Or do like the rest of the Center City revelers and line up outside the 24-hour Little Pete’s (pictured), where omelettes, reubens, and clubs are served with gratis sides of sweet ‘n’ sour short-order sass. Prima Pizza Taqueria Mexicana, 1104 S. Ninth St., 215-339-5000, no website; Little Pete’s, 219 S. 17th St., 215-545-5508, no website (Credit: Drew Lazor)
9/14The Can't-Miss Street Cart: Poi Dog Snack Shop
With the peripatetic Poi Dog Snack Shop, Kiki Aranita and Chris Vacca render the thousands of miles separating Philly and Hawaii irrelevant. Aranita, who grew up in Oahu, has transferred proper plate lunches—Kalua pork, mochi nori fried chicken, and (of course) Spam musubi—to her new, not-close-to-tropical environs. Poi Dog’s following is grateful for it. Various locations; check Twitter (@poidogphilly) or facebook.com/poidogphilly for schedule and menu (Credit: Jeffrey Aranita)
10/14The Wild Card: Noord Eetcafe
A native who found success in Chicago with Vincent and Home Bistro, Joncarl Lachman’s come home to open Noord, an East Passyunk Avenue BYOB. Here, the infectiously jolly Lachman, just as big a presence in the dining room as he is in his open kitchen, celebrates his heritage with big plates of bitterballen and Konijn in het Zuur, a sort of Dutch choucroute starring rabbit braised in vinegar. But the menu also sneaks north to Scandinavia, with fish delicately smoked and pickled on the premises. 1046 Tasker St., 267-909-9704, noordphilly.com (Credit: Bob Moysan)
11/14The Shot-and-a-Beer Dive: El Bar
A couple blocks removed from the high-energy Fishtown crossroads of Frankford and Girard, and directly beneath the rattling Market-Frankford Line sits El Bar, luring a mixed crowd with cheap drinks, competitive billiards and a Dirty Harry pinball machine. It’s not a place for dinner, but if you arrive before 7 p.m. you can order a “Kensington Happy Meal”—five bucks gets you two plastic-basket hot dogs, a PBR tallboy, chips, and a toy you didn’t know you needed. 1356 N. Front St., 215-634-6430, no website
12/14The Mixologists’ Lab: Vernick Food & Drink
With respect to the league-leading Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company (112 S. 18th St.) and the gorgeous, cloistered Hop Sing Laundromat (1029 Race St.), some of Philly’s most consistent craft cocktails can be found at a restaurant. Call on Vincent Stipo and his staff at Center City’s Vernick Food & Drink. Their CL Smooth—El Dorado rum, Cocchi Americano, grapefruit, and a touch of peaty Islay scotch—might have you begging for them to create a complementary Pete Rock. 2013 Walnut St., 267-639-6644, vernickphilly.com (Credit: Neal Santos, nealsantos.com)
13/14The Great Cup of Coffee: Reanimator
Drexel classmates Mark Corpus and Mark Capriotti started messing around with green beans in Corpus’ basement in 2010. Three years later, they run their own commercial roastery in Kensington, plus a welcoming new cafe, situated at the tangly confluence of one-way Fishtown streets known as “The Forks.” Reanimator, named for H.P. Lovecraft’s story about shaking corpses out of stasis, does just that for its clientele, providing carefully vetted single-origin options out of Ethiopia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and more. 1523 E. Susquehanna Ave., 215-425-5805, reanimatorcoffee.com (Credit: Drew Lazor)
14/14Sleep It Off: AKA Rittenhouse Square
Designed for extended stays, Rittenhouse’s AKA branch is an attractive option for a visit of any length, thanks to its polished amenities and near-unbeatable location. Get started in the a.m. with breakfast and Counter Culture java in a.kitchen, the ground-floor restaurant. If you prefer your joe spiked, stake out a stool in the adjoining a.bar and order a Fair Trade, a stiff Negroni riff made with local Rival Bros. cold-brew coffee. 135 S. 18th St., 215-825-7000, stayaka.com (Credit: courtesy AKA Rittenhouse Square)
