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Inside the 76: Great restaurants that don't need reservations

by Staff Reports
Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
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Cafe Cuong (South Philadelphia)

TIM TAI / Staff Photographer

Cafe Cuong introduced the city to Vietnamese hoagies in 1989. With a perfect balance of meats, veggies, herbs, jalapeño rings, and sauce, these sandwiches are the standard by which all others are measured. Read more. — Craig LaBan 

Castellino’s Italian Market (River Wards)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Every item on these sandwiches, created on Liscio’s rolls, is sliced to order. There’s clever flavor play at work, too, like the sweet-and-salty duo of fig jam and prosciutto on the Fig Pig. Read more. — Michael Klein

D’jakarta Cafe (South Philadelphia)

Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

This corner dining room is a destination for a broad collection of Indonesian specialties. Lamb satay skewers glossed in sweet soy and peanut sauce and beef shank rendang with coconut milk gravy are sure bets. Read more. — Craig LaBan

Doro Bet (West Philadelphia)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Doro Bet serves up beautifully crispy, teff-coated fried chicken, spiced with either berbere or milder lemon turmeric. The teff means that all the chicken served is gluten-free. Read more. — Margaret Eby

El Chingón (South Philadelphia)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

This all-day cafe is Philly’s most exhilarating Mexican kitchen, with a steady flow of elegant aguachiles (smoked bay scallops and hominy) and seasonal wonders, from chiles en nogada to crispy soft-shell crabs. Read more. — Craig LaBan

Fiore Fine Foods (River Wards)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

While Fiore dishes up excellent Italian pastries and coffee (don't sleep on the maritozzi and the shakerato), the real star is the handmade pasta, some of the best in the city — no small feat in Philly. Read more. — Margaret Eby

Gilda (River Wards)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Sunny in disposition and footprint, Gilda is the quintessential cafe for 2024. The drinks skew fun, while the distinctive Portuguese fare can fit the bill from filling breakfast to breezy lunch to craveable treat. Read more. — Matt Buchanan

John's Roast Pork (South Philadelphia)

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

It serves an elite classic steak, with a fresh beef griddled to a ribbon-chopped sear with caramelized onions and molten cheese packed into a roll that can contain the juice. Its pork sandwich is a sleeper hit. Read more. — Craig LaBan

Kingston 11 (Southwest Philadelphia)

CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

Menu staples such as smoky jerk chicken, earthy curry goat, and the tender, glossy oxtail justify the trip to Woodland Avenue. Once you notice the jerk fry General Tso’s chicken, you’ll find yourself back in line. Read more. — Esra Erol

Lè Mandingue (Southwest Philadelphia)

Caean Couto / For The Inquirer

Lè Mandingue stands out for its sweeping West African menu, with dishes such as Jollof rice, pepper soup, yassa chicken, stewed sweet potato greens, cassava greens with smoked turkey, fried snapper, and fufu. Read more. — Jason Lo

Octopus Cart (Center City)

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Its charcoal-fired grill sends seductive plumes of smoke across 20th and Market Streets, where devoted customers wait half an hour or more for whatever $20 Mediterranean platter is being cooked that day. Read more. — Craig LaBan

Pho Ga Thanh Thanh (Oak Lane)

MONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

The focus remains true to tradition: entrancing bowls of star anise-scented broth laced with noodles and onions, a bouquet of add-in herbs, and platters of chopped-up chicken on the bone with gently poached innards. Read more. — Craig LaBan

Pizza West Chester (Chester County)

Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

Owner and pizzaiolo Speer Madanat has a clear vision for pies: a well-done, blistered crust, with an assertive, Jersey tomato-based sauce, two different mozzarellas with a sprinkling of Grana Padano at the end. Read more— Matt Buchanan

Puyero Venezuelan Flavor (Center City)

Caean Couto / For The Inquirer

After the Phillies celebrated their 2022 World Series Game 3 victory, only one post-game meal would suffice for Venezuelan natives Ranger Suárez and José Alvarado: cachapas, arepas, and other classics from Puyero. Read more. — Emily Bloch