Where The Roots’ Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter likes to eat in Philly

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter’s new book is called The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are. It’s a story about growing up in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 1980s, and how The Roots rapper found a path through visual art and music to thrive despite the cycles of violence that took its toll on family members and friends.

These days, Trotter lives in North Jersey, which is a better commute to his job at 30 Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, where The Roots are the house band on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The distance from his hometown helped give him “a clarity and a different perspective” as he sat down to write The Upcycled Self, Trotter says.

“Once a Philadelphia mindset, always a Philadelphia mindset …. I have that perfect distance to figuratively take a step back, but close enough to be anywhere in Philadelphia in an hour and a half.”

Some of the places he gets back to are his favorite restaurants in Philly, starting with a pair of celebrated eateries.

“One of my favorite places to eat is Suraya in Fishtown,” he says. “I like Suraya a lot. I love the Thai spot where the owner used to have a place in South Philly, Kalaya (It moved to Fishtown last year and expanded).

» READ MORE: Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter’s memoir has two main characters. Himself and Philadelphia.

“That whole restaurant group is one of the best teams in Philly,” Trotter says, referring to Defined Hospitality whose operations include Kalaya, Suraya, Pizzeria Beddia, and R&D in Fishtown, as well as El Techo and Condesa in Center City. “And then there’s the Israeli restaurant down on Dock Street, Zahav. Suraya, Kalaya, and Zahav: Those are my three favorite restaurants in Philly.”

For a less-upscale lunchtime experience, Trotter heads back to the neighborhood where he came of age.

“I’m from South Philly. If I’m going for a sandwich or a pizza, no cheesesteak is beating Angelo’s on Ninth Street. Why they have the one-up is the bakery. They make those rolls in house.

“That sets their sandwiches apart. They do them lightly sesame seeded. In a city that has been all Amoroso rolls, which has sort of been THE LAW — people who go against the grain that way and win are few and far between. I think they’ve figured it out.”

At different points in his life, Trotter has been a vegetarian and a vegan. “I’ve done it all,” he says. Currently, though, he’s a meat eater. “If you put an Angelo’s cheesesteak in front of me right now, would I eat it? Absolutely.”