The 76 essential Philly-area restaurants

Welcome to The 76 — our new annual list of the most vital restaurants in Philly.

The list is a mix of everything that makes the Philly restaurant scene one of the most vibrant in the country, year after year. It’s the product of decades of expertise and hundreds of meals eaten this year by nearly a dozen Inquirer staffers.

In it you’ll find the fresh (Little Walter’s, just a few months old, has already earned national acclaim) and the legendary (much has changed since the 1960s, but not Villa di Roma); the places where the vibes matter as much as the food, like the Original Clam Tavern; and the ones that have quickly earned the right to be called an institution, like Angelo’s. Of course, we have splurges for the power dining set, like the peerless Vernick Fish, as well as spots where there are no reservations required (or accepted!), as at the ever-more-Instagram-famous Kingston 11.

The 76 places on our new annual list offer some of the very best things to eat in Philadelphia. But more than a “best-of” list, The 76 is a survey of the establishments that define what it means to be part of Philly food culture in 2024. Eating at one of these restaurants isn’t just about the possibility of an indelible bite or a forever memorable meal, but a deeper appreciation of the city itself.

The 76, which is unranked, is also a tool you can turn to whenever the question “where should I eat?” presents itself, with filters that allow you to sort by location, genre, and price.

So pull up a chair — or grab some sidewalk — and dive in.

$$$ | Modern American | Center City

More than a decade in, a.kitchen remains one of the best restaurants in the city where you can always find a seat, and the most dynamic of Ellen Yin’s High Street Hospitality Group. The French-leaning cooking is both forward-thinking and approachable — always seasonal, as in dishes like soft shell crab with an heirloom tomato and cucumber salad; often surprising, with its house charcuterie program; and unfailingly reliable, with mainstays like the a.burger, one of the city’s greatest. Its nationally recognized wine program, with hundreds of labels and a progressive bent (i.e., natural, offbeat, and local), is another Philly best. Better even than a table is the bar (not nearby a.bar, though it is also excellent), staffed by 11-year veteran Paul Pavelka, who charms regulars and newcomers alike on a nightly basis. — Esra Erol

$$$–$$$$ | Steakhouse | Center City

From the moment you slide into a cushy leather booth until you take the last bite of the meringue-encased pineapple upside down Alaska — flambéed before your eyes — Alpen Rose immerses you in the kind of finely calibrated luxury one expects from a steakhouse. Michael Schulson’s well-trained team of servers and chefs deliver on execution and showmanship, best illustrated by the rosy-red beef Wellington that’s wrapped inside perfectly lacquered puff pastry and carved tableside. The dry-aged beef is best rounded out with a chorus of classic accompaniments, like the fluffy clover rolls with honey butter and Parmesan-dusted creamed spinach. You may find equally excellent renditions of such dishes at other Philly steakhouses, but they won’t have the intimacy and splendor of Alpen Rose’s wood-paneled dining room. — Jenn Ladd

$–$$ | Indian | Center City

The towering dosa — that tawny cone of parchment-thin crepe drizzled with ghee sailing through the dining room to virtually every table — is a tribute to Mama, for whom Sathish Varadhan and Balakrishnan Duraisamy’s restaurant is also named: Amma is the Tamil word for “mother.” That dedication to the flavors of home has driven the pair to expand across the Philly area, with four locations and more to come. Beyond the myriad dosas (try the onion rava), there are medhu vadai fritters fragrant with curry leaves, chile-spiced chukka gravy simmered with goat, fluffy idlis with sambar, and Southern-style tandoori chicken bright with ginger. My current obsession is a Tamil comfort, kothu parotta — shreds of flaky flatbread tossed with vegetables, meats, and gravy cooked like biryani, but with bread instead of rice. Add a frothy cup of strong Madras coffee, and you’ll leave buzzing with both caffeine and spice. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Ethiopian | West Philadelphia

West Philly has several excellent Ethiopian spots — Tedla Abraham’s long-standing neighborhood restaurant and bar, Abyssinia, offers doro and kik wots, lamb alicha, and gomen, all served family-style till 2 a.m. — but there’s nothing quite like Amsale Cafe, or its magical injera. The spongy bread’s elasticity and strength make all the difference in soaking up every immaculately spiced plate, including chef Gomege Achamyeleh’s deliriously good rendition of kitfo, a traditional dish made with raw minced beef. Order the meat and vegetarian combos and her husband, co-owner Bellew Asfa, will neatly assemble the two combos into an enormous round platter, perfect for sharing inside this 28-seat BYOB. — Hira Qureshi

$$$ | Italian | Chester County

Tucked into a buzzing stretch of West Chester otherwise lined with pubs and generic New American restaurants, Andiario signals fine dining, with white tablecloths and a careful wine list. But the kitchen accommodations — crates of tomatoes on the windowsill, bunches of fresh oregano drying over the dining room, a larder filled with ferments and preserves — reveal just how dedicated chef Anthony Andiario is to culinary experimentation. With ample portions and rustic plating, you won’t find microgreens or kitchen tweezers here, but the cooking, which is underlined by whole animal butchery, handmade pasta, and bread fresh from its own bakery, is precise and sophisticated, and easily warrants the hour-plus drive from Center City. — Margaret Eby

$ | Pizza | South Philadelphia

Is Danny DiGiampietro’s cash-only Bella Vista takeout the best pizzeria in Philadelphia? Or is it the best sandwich shop? Or cheesesteak slinger? The evidence for “all of the above” is ample, as folks line up for South Philly creations built on DiGiampietro’s own seeded rolls as well as an assortment of pizzas, which run the gamut from thin crusts and grandmas to the thick-crusted, upside-down Sicilians that are many regulars’ go-to order. Add in celeb sightings (Philly sports figures, countless politicians, Bradley Cooper) and a healthy dose of attitudinal South Philly counter service, and it’s the full Downtown experience, best enjoyed on the hood of a car. Before you head over, monitor Instagram for word of sellouts, specials, and the occasional goofy IG story. — Michael Klein

$$ | Gastropub | Fairmount

Nestled in a corner rowhouse so nondescript you could walk right by, this understated Fairmount gastropub turns out bar fare that would make it the envy of any neighborhood. There are a few artfully executed mainstays: the sell-out sausage roll (housemade Mangalica chorizo in a seeded Carangi roll drizzled with queso), the lavishly dressed Caesar salad showered in grated Parm, and the towering pile of wings drenched in sriracha-buffalo sauce. The reason Bad Brother is packed by 5:30 p.m., though, is chef Justin Koenig’s ever-shifting entrees, like a grilled bone-in pork chop served over a peach glaze with confit potato and braised kale, or squares of polenta cake nestled in vegan creamed corn and topped with slabs of smoked trumpet mushrooms that are dead-ringers for crispy bacon. Add to that a long list of intriguing cocktails — a pink peppercorn gimlet, a Fruity Pebbles-infused milk punch, a Tahitian vanilla-spiced “saz-arak” — and you’ll be plotting a return trip before you’ve even signed the check. — Jenn Ladd

$$$ | American | Montgomery County

“Modern farmhouse chic” sums up the look of this American destination in Montgomery County, whose site dates to a mid-18th-century inn reputedly frequented by George Washington. A 2012 sale and extensive revamp helped shed a fusty reputation, and the Blue Bell Inn’s dozen rooms are now many things to many people: a business lunch go-to (just 10 minutes from Ambler and Plymouth Meeting); a magnet for brunch and special-occasion dinners; and an energetic happy hour spot with a spacious lounge that features one of the burbs’ best-stocked raw bars. The menu rises above the predictable salmon-chicken-steak trifecta of fine-ish American dining with touches like a smoky “prosciutto dust” atop the wagyu flank steak, while the Ultimate Blue burger, filled with blue cheese and topped with onion marmalade and bacon aioli, is the IYKYK move. A lower-priced “nosh menu” is the ticket when you just want to sit in the lounge. — Michael Klein

$$$$ | Puerto Rican | Center City

Philly has one of the largest and longest-established Puerto Rican communities outside of San Juan and plenty of neighborhood places for a traditional meal of chuletas, mofongo, and chicharrón. Nowhere puts Boricua flavors on a pedestal quite like Bolo. In a beautiful bi-level space in Rittenhouse Square filled with Puerto Rican art, chef Yun Fuentes celebrates his San Juan roots and Latinx cooking from across the Caribbean with polished takes on everything from bacalaitos to ceviche and vaca frita. Go for one of the set menus, like the traditional lechon asado feast of roast pork with black beans and rice, mofongo, and a garlic orange mojo. Or try one of the seasonal tastings, which explore creative fusions that pay homage to Fuentes’ long career in a variety of other genres, like duck arepas with foie gras or black bean dumplings in chili crunch. Pair it with a tropical drink from the excellent rum bar — a La Floridita or Coco Bolo — then wrap up with a strong cafe Cubano and a dessert of hot buñuelos bathed in dulce de leche. — Craig LaBan

$ | Vietnamese | South Philadelphia

Cafe Cuong introduced the city to its now full-blown passion for Vietnamese hoagies in 1989, moving from Dung Kim Nguyen and Chinh Lam’s home into its current Eighth Street storefront some three decades ago. The sons have largely taken over, but the semi-retired Nguyen still makes the secret house mayo and the pickled daikon and carrots. Built with the perfect balance and layering of meats, veggies, herbs, jalapeño rings, and sauce, these sandwiches are the handcrafted standard by which all others are measured. For the classic bánh mí thit nguoi “regular,” delicately crusted Sarcone’s rolls, baked two blocks away, get a light toasting, then are stuffed with Vietnamese cold cuts, liver paté, and mayo. Even better is the BBQ pork shoulder bánh mí or the braised chicken filling, seasoned with a sweet lemongrass marinade. — Craig LaBan

$ | Vietnamese | South Philadelphia

This cozy Vietnamese dining room on West Passyunk Avenue, run by mother-son duo Nhan Vo and Andrew Dinh Vo, is a destination for the city’s best bún bò Huế, a particularly hearty, spicy, and funky lemongrass soup traditional to Central Vietnam, where the family emigrated from; the dac biet version is loaded up with brisket, meaty pig’s foot, and cubes of pig’s blood that amplify the soup’s boldness. Longtime regulars know that Cafe Nhan excels at so much more: It makes a fantastic chicken curry; fragrant pho filled with beef short rib; herb-laced bánh mí packed with house-cured pork belly; and a lemongrass-braised chicken that has become one of Andrew’s signatures since taking over chef duties from his mother. This is also where to get some of Philly’s best chicken wings, brined in fish sauce then fried to a shattering crisp. — Craig LaBan

$$–$$$ | Mexican | River Wards

The arrival of Cantina La Martina has been a boon for Kensington. After two decades of cooking for others, Dionicio Jiménez’s first restaurant has allowed him to express a deeper vision for Mexican cooking from his native Puebla and beyond. The weekend goat barbacoa, slow-cooked in backyard pits, is a reason to come all by itself, but the colorful aguachiles and machete quesadillas stuffed with pastor negro are also fantastic. And then there are other specialties inspired by Jiménez’s passion for insects, like the chamorro pork shank with chicatana adobo, as well as Italian-Mex fusion nods to his time as Vetri Cucina’s pasta chef, like huitlacoche ravioli and chipilín-infused fettuccine with rabbit ragù — all of which tell a uniquely delicious personal story. — Craig LaBan

$ | Sandwich | River Wards

Cara Jo Castellino and Matthew Barrow’s Italian market, which opened in Fishtown in 2016, quickly developed a reputation for being what critic Craig LaBan calls “one of the high practitioners of mindful hoagie art.” Mindful is right: Every item on these sandwiches, created on Liscio’s rolls, is sliced to order, while oil is swiped on the roll side to side, not lengthwise, to minimize sogginess in the roll’s hinge. There’s clever flavor play at work, too, like the sweet-and-salty duo of fig jam and prosciutto on the Fig Pig, and an uncharacteristic boldness to the mayo-less spicy tuna salad on the Aunt Lucy. And who’d think to spread bacon jam on the roll for a turkey and cheddar sandwich? There are other top hoagie shops — and you may have your favorite — but we give the edge to Castellino’s for its studiousness. — Michael Klein

$$ | Chinese | Northeast Philadelphia

A touchstone for Northeast Philly’s growing Chinese community, China Gourmet is Philadelphia’s preeminent Cantonese dim sum hall — perhaps in part because the cavernous space can seat 400 at its lazy Susan-topped round tables. Seven days a week, morning to afternoon, rolling carts crisscross the dining room to offer more than 50 types of dim sum, all prepared according to strict Cantonese culinary orthodoxy. The cha leung — rice rolls wrapped around crispy fried dough and drizzled with sweet soy sauce — is exemplary, while the peppers stuffed with fish cake is an only-in-Philly dish, incorporating that cherished local staple, the long hot. — Jasen Lo

$ | Soul Food | Camden County

This Camden institution is a 2022 James Beard Award Winner and for good reason: Its menu of no-frills Southern platters is homey in all the right ways, with spot-on fried chicken, barbecue ribs that fall right off the bone, and ultra-thin fried catfish cutlets that are simultaneously crisp and tender. The side dishes are stars in their own right: Though founder Corinne Bradley-Powers is a lifelong Camden resident, her baked mac-n-cheese and collard greens recipes wouldn’t feel out of place in a Southern kitchen. Corinne’s is mostly a takeout joint, but if you eat in the all-pink dining room, you’ll be treated to a complimentary piece of warm cornbread. Be warned: Naps are recommended after this one. — Beatrice Forman

$ | Indonesian | South Philadelphia

South Philadelphia has long been home to the city’s Indonesian community, and D’jakarta Cafe, which opened shortly before the pandemic, has become a neighborhood favorite. This corner dining room is a destination for a broad collection of Indonesian specialties, with a focus on the flavors of Jakarta and West Borneo, which differ slightly from the sweeter Java profile showcased at local classic Hardena. Lamb satay skewers glossed in sweet soy and peanut sauce and beef shank rendang, whose coconut milk gravy is infused with orange leaves, lemongrass, and candlenuts, are sure bets. There’s also an extraordinary fried chicken glazed in herbal tamarind sauce and a standout noodle bowl with crispy wontons, roast pork, and tiny fish balls, anchored by chewy house noodles tinted green with bok choy. — Craig LaBan

$ | Chinese | Camden County

Located in a Cherry Hill strip mall, Dim Sum House is currently at the top of the Philly region’s competitive soup-dumpling scene. Prompt service means the dumplings are served piping hot, while the near-translucent wrapper lets the soup delicately held inside shine. Dim Sum House also serves a varied selection of excellent cold appetizers such as beef terige, pork knuckles and ears, marinated duck, and smoked fish, as well as wok-fried chewy rice cakes and udon-style noodles. Finally, there are a few must-try dishes of Fujianese-Taiwanese origin, such as an oyster omelet and salted egg yolk fish. Don’t worry if you over-order — the diligent servers will pack your leftovers for you. — Jasen Lo

$ | Ethiopian |West Philadelphia

Ethiopian fried chicken isn’t really a thing in Ethiopia, but it definitely is in West Philly, thanks to sisters Mebruka Kane and Hayat Ali (who also owns the nearby Alif Brew, which offers traditional Ethiopian coffee service with fresh-roasted beans). Doro Bet, a fast-casual spot just a few blocks west of Clark Park, 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, and there are also falafel wraps and teff-flour fried mushrooms for the vegetarian and vegan set. The tiramisu, built around ladyfingers soaked in excellent Ethiopian coffee, is a particularly lovely way to finish your meal. — Margaret Eby

$ | Puerto Rican | River Wards

This neighborhood sports bar and restaurant in Norris Square offers a greatest hits medley of Puerto Rican street food, from arañitas — shredded plantains fried together like a thick latke — served with crisp chicharrón, to the jibarito, an oversized steak sandwich invented by the diaspora in Chicago that uses two tostones as bread. The plantain is most definitely king here, with the menu’s highlight being hors d’oeuvre-sized cups of fried plantains stuffed with garlicky shrimp, steak and cheese, or more chicharrón. The atmosphere is relaxed, to say the least; reggaetón plays from a jukebox in the back corner while patrons sip milkshake-thick piña coladas in to-go cups and opine about the Eagles’ preseason over golden bacalaitos that — yes — are larger than Jason Kelce’s head. — Beatrice Forman

$$ | Mexican | South Philadelphia

Baking has always powered El Chingón, from the swirl-topped sesame cemita rolls that help Carlos Aparicio recreate his favorite overstuffed Puebla sandwiches (get the clásica with Milanesa), to the daily concha roll flavors stuffed with ganache for dessert (love the canela-scented corn pinole!), or even the sourdough tang that infuses flour tortillas for the fantastic Árabes tacos sliced off a trompo spit. It is Aparicio’s creative spirit, however, that makes this cheerful all-day cafe and BYOB 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 with pickled plum salsa over tortillas tinted green with cilantro. The ever-changing ice creams, flavored with burnt tortillas or mezcal with orange zest, offer vivid surprises that keep me eager to return. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Chinese | Center City

On a busy night at EMei, a veritable river of fish roll into this contemporary dining room on robot-driven carts that weave around porthole-pierced walls to giant tables brimming with international students. The plump sea bass cooked by chef Yongcheng Zhao, crisped into the popular “squirrel fish” with deep-fried filets crosshatched like pine cones beneath sweet and sour sauce, or steaming in pans of crimson “spicy sauce” beneath chilies and cilantro, focuses diners completely on a Szechuan feast with few peers in Philly. The shredded beef with hot peppers, West Lake beef soup, and tender salt-and-pepper squid are also outstanding. No dish showcases the skill of this kitchen, however, like Zhao’s mapo tofu. The region’s best rendition of this classic melds both the boldest and most nuanced traits of Szechuan cooking into one magnetic, nose-tingling tureen. Bonus: Most of EMei’s menu can also be made gluten-free. — Craig LaBan

$ | Italian | River Wards

When Fiore uprooted from South Philadelphia and moved to East Kensington, chefs Ed Crochet and Justine MacNeil eliminated dinner service, changing the restaurant to a daytime cafe. Fans worried that the shift would destroy the soul of the Italian joint that they loved, but those fears were overblown: While the new 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 when that city is Philly. The menu rotates often, but on a recent visit, some favorite entries included a spiced pork ragù over capunti, gnocchi with preserved lemon and pesto, and a peppery eggplant Parmesan sandwich barely contained by a garlic buttered roll. Finish your lunch (or, hey, breakfast, since pasta is served starting at 8 a.m.) with a scoop of the gelato — if you’re too full, they offer pints to go. — Margaret Eby

$$$–$$$$ | Modern American | Center City

This intimate townhouse restaurant off Rittenhouse Square is still basking in the glow of being named America’s “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation in 2023. But owners Hanna and Chad Williams haven’t let up: They refreshed the upstairs space with plush butterscotch-colored velvet banquettes, fewer seats, and better lighting for diners indulging in the eight-course tasting menu. The seasonally changing plates also continue to thrill, melding Euro techniques with Caribbean, Southern, and soul food influences for stunning dishes like tortellini stuffed with Benton’s country ham over collards splashed with smoky potlikker, or jerk-spiced quail with fresh coco bread. The downstairs bar, reserved for walk-ins only, remains a gem for à la carte favorites (octopus and beans!) and the most original cocktails in town. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Vietnamese | South Philadelphia

For chef Thanh Nguyen, showing “the world what real Vietnamese food is” has meant producing a repertoire of vividly flavored regional specialties while leading the way for a new guard of Philly’s Vietnamese restaurateurs. A basket of tiny water fern dumplings cradling shrimp and pork cracklins is an essential starter, along with the beef carpaccio topped with crunchy shallots and passion fruit vinaigrette. The Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm vermicelli platter with blood sausage, pork patties, and the fermented pop of shrimp paste dip is another Hanoi-inspired stunner. Flounder with vermicelli and herbs is my favorite entree, but Nguyen’s sizzling catfish, fragrant with turmeric, dill, and a pineapple-anchovy sauce, is a sleeper hit. Gabriella’s also happens to make the best shaking beef in town. And now this former BYOB has teamed up with Five Saints distilling for cocktails infused with perilla leaves, shrimp salt, and Vietnamese coffee, which prove Nguyen’s vision of Vietnamese food has evolved beyond a series of already memorable dishes into an even more complete experience. — Craig LaBan

$$$ | Brazilian | Montgomery County

Formally attired gauchos patrol the handsomely appointed dining room of this Brazilian churrascaria in King of Prussia, showing up tableside bearing knives and sizzling skewers of grilled meats whenever you flip your service disc from red to green. The salad bar, which differentiates Gaucho’s Prime from countless chains, is a showstopper, loaded down with not just the usual veggie fixings, but salads, Brazilian sides, smoked fish, breads, and an entire board full of sliced meats and cheeses, along with a few varieties of soup. The bar list is uncommonly deep, too, with 10 different caipirinhas to start. — Michael Klein

$ | Portuguese | River Wards

Sunny in both disposition and physical footprint, Gilda — named for chef-owner Brian Mattera’s grandmother, it’s pronounced Jill-Dah — is the quintessential cafe for 2024 . The drinks skew fun (the Mazagran consists of cold brew, honey, fresh lemon, and mint), while the distinctive Portuguese fare can fit the bill from filling breakfast (see: the Antonio sandwich, with housemade linguiça) to breezy lunch (tinned sardines, or the piri piri chicken) to craveable treat (the rightly famed pastéis de nata, along with whatever else might be lurking in the pastry case). Of course, these days no cafe is worth its weight in Instagram followers without two other things: hype merch and a persistent line. — Matt Buchanan

$/$$$$ | Modern American | South Philadelphia

Whether you crave a lieberwurst sandwich on housemade bread, fresh country pâté to go, or a blowout multicourse dinner, Heavy Metal Sausage Co. has you covered. No culinary corner handcrafts more — or with nerdier ambition — than this South Philly storefront run by chef Patrick Alfiero and Melissa Pellegrino. A dozen deli meats, from smoked turkey to finocchiona, are used for the distinctive sandwiches (try the Poppe with zungenblutwurst and leek relish on marbled rye). The trattoria dinners, meanwhile, have evolved into some of the most adventurous meal tickets in town, with two seatings for a dozen diners to savor creative plates inspired by local ingredients spun through an Italian lens and ever-changing themes. A recent all-goat menu, which bounded from a charcuterie platter with goat mortadella to a goat tartare with chiles and peaches, pasta with braised goat ragù, and goat’s milk gelato for dessert, was among the year’s most memorable meals. — Craig LaBan

$/$$$$ | Modern American | West Philadelphia

This Afrocentric cafe-market from Cybille St. Aude-Tate and Omar Tate is many special things at once. It’s an affordable outpost for black-eyed pea scrapple breakfast sandwiches, “Dolla” hoagies with smoked pickled turnips for lunch, Haitian chanm chanm buns, and a perfect chicken-biscuit sandwich dusted in house “Hot Cheetos” dust. Omar’s “UNTITLED” dinner series, however, is an experience unlike any in the city, with tasting menus that tell narratives about Black life and foodways through poetry, art, and reliably great flavors. From a handmade ramen homage to Omar’s childhood dollar store noodles to schmaltz-fried Cornish hens or beef tartare tinted black with squid ink (a nod to the black face used in Clorindy, Broadway’s first Black cast musical), the concepts are both deep and delicious. Pure originality is an elusive virtue, and Honeysuckle has that on lock. — Craig LaBan

Note: Shortly after the initial publication of The 76, Honeysuckle Provisions announced that it will close until Feb. 1, 2025, when it will reopen as an “expanded version” called Honeysuckle.

$$$–$$$$ | Modern American | Mount Airy

It’s hard to imagine a better setting for Northwest Philadelphia’s best restaurant than a 324-year-old home clad in Wissahickon schist inside and out, with an herb garden hedging the brick patio out back. Chef-owner David Jansen’s menu is ever-changing, but you can count on top-notch cooking, generously portioned entrees, and elegantly plated dishes: Think a savory bonbon composed of tuna rolled in thin-sliced avocado and topped with paprika-spiced tempura crunch and needle-thin red pepper threads, or grilled branzino draped over a butter-poached lobster-asparagus salad with a sweet corn purée. Silken sauces — the French-leaning sort you’d expect from a student of Jean-Marie Lacroix — are one of Jansen’s hallmarks, as are the desserts. There’s the chocolate love cake (complete with a ganache silhouette of Robert Indiana’s sculpture), but pastry chef Patrick Conroy’s seasonal “chouxffin” — a craquelin-topped cream puff that in summer was swimming in a sweet-tart strawberry glaze — is equally irresistible. — Jenn Ladd

$ | Sandwich | South Philadelphia

For most of its 94 years, John’s Roast Pork was an off-the-radar lunch shack by South Philly’s railyards and docks, rightfully known for its namesake sandwich — a two-fisted Italian roast pork drenched in garlicky juices on a seeded roll served “Italiano” style, with aged provolone and spinach. It was third-generation operator John Bucci Jr. who, two decades ago, turned it into a nationally renowned cheesesteak pilgrimage site (and James Beard America’s Classic). It serves an elite classic steak, with a healthy portion of fresh beef griddled to a ribbon-chopped sear with caramelized onions and molten flows of cheese (Cooper Sharp or provolone; Whiz is not available) packed into a roll that can contain the juice. Try it Milano-style, with grilled tomatoes, and take in the skyline view from one of its picnic tables. John’s chicken steak, cooked from fresh breasts, and the gravy-soaked meatballs are also excellent. Ironically, as John’s became a cheesesteak touchstone, its stellar pork sandwich has become a sleeper hit. — Craig LaBan

$$$ | Seafood | Bucks County

There’s a rising buzz about the revival of Bristol’s historic downtown, with stylish newcomers like Drift on Mill, wood-fired pizza at Itri, an artisan cheese shop in the Forager, and the Mill Street Tasting Room for Dad’s Hat rye. But this contemporary seafood BYOB from caterer Jules Soto has been a dining anchor since it opened eight years ago in an industrial space with an open kitchen. The focus on sustainably sourced seafood is the hook, with international influences informing hits like hamachi crudo with salsa negra, avocado toast with blackened shrimp, Thai curried mussels, and whole branzino over eggplant puree garnished with tabbouleh. An expansion to double the space and Jules at the Courtyard, a more casual sibling across the street with a food truck and al fresco seating, proves Bristol — and Jules — aren’t done growing yet. — Craig LaBan

$$$–$$$$ | French | Camden County

The elegance of classic French cuisine shines on at this Collingswood BYOB, where Richard “Todd” Cusack draws diners with the turning crank of his duck press and the three-course “voyage” tasting for two, which includes the tableside flambé theatrics of crêpes Suzette. There are rabbit rillettes and foie gras, beef Wellington, and Bordelaise-splashed escargots made to a recipe handed down from Pierre Calmels, the former owner of Bibou, where Cusack was his sous chef. This is the region’s most faithful descendant of the Le Bec-Fin lineage (where Calmels was one of the final chefs and Cusack also worked), but June’s menu isn’t stuck in the Escoffier past, with modern expressions like crudos, vegan dishes, and summer scallops with Jersey corn risotto. Along with gracious service, this intimate gem has evolved into one of the area’s loveliest restaurants for a celebratory meal rooted in classic Gallic style. — Craig LaBan

$$$ | Thai | River Wards

Is there a more exciting restaurant in Philadelphia than Kalaya? Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, the James Beard-winning chef, cookbook author, and Chef’s Table subject, makes the case for Southern Thai flavors in the soaring, palm-fringed space of a converted Fishtown warehouse that she opened with the partners behind Suraya and Pizzeria Beddia. Her signature dumplings, shaped into blue flowers and tiny birds, are musts to start, as are the crisply fried mustard chive gui chai cakes. If the uncompromising heat starts to settle in between the chile-fired duck laab and deeply earthy goat and lamb curry, balance your meal with a grilled chicken brushed in sweet coconut-tamarind glaze or a lemongrass-tanged soup (tom yum or poh taek). There are new tasting menu options now, too, that provide perfect examples of how to order a balanced Kalaya meal. Grab a tropical cocktail kissed with galangal, then head for a giant orb of shaved ice drizzled with Thai iced tea and guava syrup, which is like diving into a snowbank for dessert. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Malaysian | South Philadelphia

Ange Branca’s reboot of Kampar in a bi-level space in Bella Vista is a celebration of traditional Malaysian street foods and Hakka cuisine. The second-floor kongsi (Malay social club) has an inventive bar program to accompany banana leaf bundles of nasi lemak rice, best with beef rendang and spicy achat pickles. There are handmade noodles, like the taro dumplings called suen poon che, which get stir-fried with wagyu beef, as well as flaky roti canai and whole fish roasted with house-made sambal in the wood-fired oven. Kampar also makes one of Philly’s most distinctive burgers, the Ramly, wrapped with sambal and cabbage inside a sheer egg crepe — get it with a side of crispy chips drizzled in curry. — Craig LaBan

$–$$ | West African | West Philadelphia

The original Kilimandjaro opened in 2005 in a strip mall on Chestnut Street, and swiftly cemented owner Youma Ba as a West Philly staple. After a four-year break, it’s back in a brand-new space, with all the warmth and charm of the original, filled with bright pops of color. You’re likely to be greeted in the 60-seat dining room by Ba herself, working the register and doling out plates of plantains and couscous. Kilimandjaro’s atmosphere is casual, but the food is as serious an example of Senegalese flavors as you’ll find anywhere in the city. The menu is small, with just eight options for either lunch or dinner, but everything hits. The whole fried tilapia and the Poulet Senegal are particularly good choices, both marinated in spices that give a slow build of heat throughout the meal and beg to be washed down with a fresh ginger juice. — Margaret Eby

$$ | Korean | Olney - Oak Lane

This 42-year-old landmark looms large not because it’s offering the most comprehensive Korean menu or the finest selection of meats — for that, head to SALT in North Wales — it’s because it nails every aspect of the tabletop-grill experience, with generous servings of meat expertly prepared by friendly staff; an appetizing array of banchan, including a peppery watercress salad and gochujang-slicked dried squid; and a deep bench of good beers and chilled sojus. Sheet metal vent hoods dangle over each table in the orange-tinted dining room, signaling you’re in for a char-grilled treat: spicy slabs of marinated beef galbi, tender bites of hanger steak, and juicy slices of pork, all cooked over glowing coals and served with crisp romaine leaves for bundling. Even if you just order barbecue, you’ll know why Philly’s culinary cognoscenti drive across town to eat here. — Jenn Ladd

$–$$ | Jamaican | Southwest Philadelphia

Abbygale Bloomfield’s Instagram sensation, with its countless food videos and 344,000 followers (and more by the day) is not just social-media hype — it delivers big, unforgettable flavors. Menu staples such as smoky jerk chicken, earthy curry goat, and the tender, glossy oxtail justify the trip to Woodland Avenue, but as soon as you notice the jerk fry General Tso’s chicken on the ‘gram, you’ll find yourself back in line for your turn to emerge from the storefront with a most delicious treasure: a styrofoam box heavy with saucy fried chicken and rice. — Esra Erol

$–$$ | Mexican | Camden County

South Philly gets most of the attention when it comes to great Mexican food, but Federal Street in East Camden, where chef Ernesto Ventura grew up, is a thriving corridor, too. That’s where he and his wife, chef Karla Torres, opened their cheerful black- and pink-trimmed BYOB in a former pizzeria just minutes from the Ben Franklin Bridge. The cooking from this couple, both alums of Schulson kitchens, focuses on flavor-memories from Torres’ upbringing in Mexico City with sizzling alambre skillets, crispy gordita pockets stuffed with carnitas, pig’s head pozole, Zacatecas green mole, and refreshing house tepache. Ventura’s Poblano-style Árabes tacos with tamarind salsa and the smoky short rib barbacoa served over singed agave leaves are also essentials. — Craig LaBan

$$$–$$$$ | Mediterranean | Montgomery County

Taking in a sunset from the rooftop terrace while cozying up by a fire with a nightcap — say, the Outdoorsman, with mushroom-infused rye and oolong tea — is reason enough to visit this Main Line gem overlooking the banks of the Schuylkill. But the vivid cooking from Top Chef alum Nicholas Elmi and chef Michael Millon would be a powerful lure in even the dreariest setting. The Mediterranean-leaning menu, which “coaxes big flavors from seemingly minimalist presentations,” highlights fastidiously prepared seafood and lush pastas — think ricotta cavatelli with yellow corn, forest mushrooms, and serrano chili — in equal measure in one of the region’s most stunning spaces. — Esra Erol

$ | West African | Southwest Philadelphia

Greater Philadelphia boasts one of the largest Liberian diasporas in the country. While excellent Liberian — and other West African — restaurants are plentiful on Woodland Avenue in Southwest Philly, where the tantalizing aroma of grilled meats wafts from various storefronts, Lè Mandingue stands out in part for its sweeping menu, which includes dishes from all over West Africa, such as Jollof rice, pepper soup, yassa chicken, stewed sweet potato greens, cassava greens with smoked turkey, fried snapper, and fufu. The signature lamb dibi, which is cut into bony, bite-sized pieces, is crafted to “slow you down and make you take your take time while you’re talking and drinking tea,” says chef-owner Fanta Fofana, who has expanded Lè Mandingue to multiple locations throughout the region. — Jasen Lo

$$ | Middle Eastern | Camden County

Genial host and owner Tony Massoud works every table in Li Beirut’s breezy dining room while wife Patricia Massoud cooks the cuisine of her youth at their bustling Lebanese BYOB on the ground floor of a century-old house in Collingswood. It’s impossible to order incorrectly here, no matter what’s in the colorful ceramic bowls of mezze or on the platters of charcoal-grilled dishes — but you’d be ordering especially right if you wind up with the lamb chops or kafta kebab sausages. Or, instead of having to choose at all, you could just get the Taste of Lebanon, a prix-fixe extravaganza that allows you to run the menu and enjoy one of the best values in the region. — Michael Klein

$$$ | BYOB | South Philadelphia

One of the pioneers of Philly’s BYOB scene and, true to its name, one of the smallest, Little Fish is going strong after nearly three decades. Current chef-owner Alex Yoon makes the most of his 16 seats by showcasing pristine seafood with a five-course tasting option that’s strongest with dishes that weave in modern Asian accents reflecting his Korean American heritage and the Vietnamese roots of current chef de cuisine Jacob Trinh. The scallop toast, with sweet raw scallops shingled over sesame toast beneath a warm gloss of chili oil, is the restaurant’s signature. Several recent plates were also memorable, including a black cod with miso-corn soubise and a crispy-skinned striper beside a refreshing salad of green papaya and squid. The service team has perfected the casual sophistication of the BYO genre (not to mention all those wine buckets in such tight quarters!), so it’s little wonder the appeal of this Bella Vista institution remains as fresh as its seafood. — Craig LaBan

$$–$$$ | Polish | River Wards

From the neon pierogi glowing golden in the window to the campfire aroma of the wood-fired hearth, Michael Brenfleck’s homage to Polish flavors at Little Walter’s in East Kensington is clearly a departure from the traditional Polska kitchens that were once ubiquitous in nearby Port Richmond (and are now best represented by Dinner House). The ownership debut for this Allentown native, who spent years cooking Mexican (La Calaca Feliz) and Mediterranean (Spice Finch), is a heartfelt reflection on family flavors updated with handcraft, seasonality, and creative touches, from the hauntingly smoked kielbasa to pierogi filled with farmer’s cheese and mushrooms. The wood-fired range lends a rustic note to rye-crusted chicken cutlets cooked in cast-iron pans and a deep savor to rotisserie pork rubbed in caraway and mustard “Shabasky” spice. A robust pickling program bolsters the bar, where pickle juice martinis, house krupnik, and the Urbanista, a bison grass vodka riff on the Citywide (alongside Żubr lager), keeps this next-gen Polish party rolling. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Cambodian | South Philadelphia

Phila and Rachel Lorn’s intimate Bella Vista BYOB has become one of the city’s hottest reservations because of its delicious tributes to the Cambodian cooking of Phila’s family. The pan-Asian menu goes well beyond its description as “a noodle shop with no rules” to present crispy soft-shell shrimp glazed in fish sauce caramel, refreshing Burmese salads, stellar whole fish in hot ginger-scallion oil, and an “All-Star seafood rice” jeweled with uni, crab, scallops, and roe. The most memorable dishes, though, lean toward Phila’s Khmer roots, from the banh chow crepe salad with “Sunday fish sauce” to steak and prahok, oysters with minty rau răm and Cambodian black pepper mignonette, and specials like the prawn crudo in chili oil, which show this kitchen is still evolving in the most exciting way. — Craig LaBan

$/$$$ | Modern American | River Wards

A blinking neon martini glass and coffee mug sign, a poster of Princess Diana in her iconic Eagles varsity jacket, and a conspicuously positioned pool table lean into ad-man-turned-sandwich-guy Matt Cahn’s penchant for inventive twists on classics and aspirations to create a timeless brand. But it’s the clever takes on American standards coming out of Middle Child Clubhouse’s kitchen — as well as sandwiches from the original Middle Child — that have everyone hanging around for hours. From crudos with smoked pineapple nuoc cham to strawberry swirl piña coladas to fluffy malted milk pancakes topped with a smiley knob of whipped citrus butter, a stop any time of day — or night — will leave you rethinking what Americana-centered dining can be. — Hira Qureshi

$$$ | French | Center City

There can be any number of hot restaurants in a given moment, but if there is a restaurant of this particular moment, it is the one-year-old My Loup from chefs Alex Kemp and Amanda Shulman. The dining room thrums with the exuberance of a restaurant that hasn’t just hit its stride, but knows it. A gorgeously curated raw bar — pickled shrimp, immaculately shucked oysters — sets off an ever-changing menu of potent French-limned cooking by way of Montreal, from the famed gastropod-studded Escar-roll to the foie gras tart and the table-bowing côte de boeuf for two. Desserts — the chocolate cake, the sundae — do not err, nor do its wine list or cocktails, which trend toward canon, but in the least boring way possible. Sibling restaurant and perpetual dinner party Her Place may feel more special or even more uniquely Philly, but this is the room you want to be in right now, week after week — at least, if you can afford it. — Matt Buchanan

$ | Mediterranean | Center City

Center City is full of food carts, but the Octopus Cart is one of a kind. A business district lunch standby for more than 30 years, its charcoal-fired grill sends seductive plumes of smoke across the intersection of 20th and Market Streets, where devoted customers wait half an hour or more for whatever $20 Mediterranean platter is being cooked that day by Konstadinos “Gus” Christis (who also sometimes goes by “Kostas”). No, he doesn’t serve octopus; the name is a tribute to his Greek heritage. The specialty here is the char-kissed chicken breasts tinged red with paprika and saffron that, on my visit, came tangled with house-extruded turmeric spaghetti in garlic sauce. And that was just the base. Add deep-green falafel (my vote for Philly’s best), apple-cabbage slaw, blanched asparagus and yes, a handful of ripe cherries, and you’ve got appetizer, entree, and dessert all piled into a 2½-pound mound of shareable garlicky goodness. Total chaos in a clamshell? Perhaps. But what a singular feast. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Turkish | Northern Liberties

Whenever I swipe a pita through the gorgeous meze platter at Pera, dabbing at the creamy smoke of the atom eggplant puree, or the tangy pepper-tomato spice of hand-chopped ezme, I’m reminded why this walk-in-only BYOB, its boisterous brick walls festooned with ceramic plates looking out onto a prime Northern Liberties corner, is always packed. Chef Mehmet Ergin’s menu is the area’s finest example of classic Turkish cooking, distinguished by the chef’s touch and close attention to techniques that render dishes with extra depth and flavor. There are the mücver zucchini patties and tender calamari, but I crave the intricately layered house doner kebab — a wonder of butchery for a specialty too often outsourced — Iskender style over butter-crisped pitas beneath a flow of tomato sauce and yogurt. Anything off Pera’s grill is great, especially the whole dorado. As for desserts, from the syrup-splashed hot kunefe to the densely creamy kazandibi burnt-milk pudding, I find them impossible to turn down. — Craig LaBan

$ | Vietnamese | Olney - Oak Lane

No soup in town distills the essence of chicken — fresh-killed and patiently steeped with Vietnamese spices — as intensely as the pho ga created by Hoa “Chicken Lady” Le. Her daughter, Elizabeth Nguyen, has grown the family business with two bustling locations, on Washington Avenue, and in a North Philly strip mall (beside H Mart) that’s a sleek template for planned expansion. 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. No matter whether you go for the whole bird or take the boneless white meat route, Thanh Thanh’s signature dip is the crucial flourish, a dish of lime juice with black pepper, habaneros, and lime leaves that lends every bite a supercharged zing. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Vegetarian | Northern Liberties

Pietramala is a cozy vegan BYOB, with such a tight menu — usually no more than 10 plates — that you can comfortably order the whole thing with a group of four and not feel overwhelmed. Yet you’ll never have the same meal twice: Chef Ian Graye’s incredibly inventive cooking, which treats produce with the full range of culinary techniques (charring, fermenting, compressing) pushes vegetables to acrobatic heights, and he’s always attempting new feats. (You also won’t find meat substitutes here.) Hits from a meal in June were a delicate carta de musica flatbread layered with cashew ricotta, pea shoots, charred pea pods, and nasturtiums, as well as a broccoli, green garlic, and aged tofu play on risotto so rich and nuanced, you’d swear a whole hunk of Parmesan and a cup of cream went into it. Desserts are the only thing where the experimentation can sometimes yield unwelcome results — a celery ice cream was intensely vegetal — but the whole experience merits the gamble. — Margaret Eby

$ | Pizza | Chester County

What might come off as austerity at Pizza West Chester — three choices of 16-inch pie, limited hours, no seating, no slices, no toppings, no phone, no website — is simply a matter of clarity. Owner and pizzaiolo Speer Madanat has a clear vision for his pies: a well-done, blistered crust, with an assertive, Jersey tomato-based sauce, two different mozzarellas with a sprinkling of umami-packed Grana Padano at the end. His fanaticism in executing that vision across every single pie results in what are likely the very best pizzas in a region with no shortage of contenders. — Matt Buchanan

$$$ | Seafood | Center City

Oyster House is the last of Center City’s great fish houses, a genre that once dominated Philadelphia. Tradition is safe with third-generation owner Sam Mink, who oversees the white room hung with antique oyster plates and a lively raw bar where regulars spoon through creamy chowder and, in winter, sherried snapper soup; slurp the best-shucked oysters in town with crisp martinis; and feast on steamy lobster clambakes and the quirky Ye Olde Philly lunch delight of fried oysters and chicken salad. Oyster House’s continued allure with younger generations, though, relies on its ability to evolve, with a stellar happy hour, support for the nascent local oyster industry, and a kitchen that can also deliver compelling modern plates. A Szechuan-inspired tuna tartare and branzino with chile-corn sauce were recent highlights, while the classic butterscotch pudding — a dessert dating to this location’s 1976 debut — proves some classics don’t need updating. — Craig LaBan

$ | Deli | Camden County

The sass and schmaltz of old-time New York Jewish delis live on in a bright Cherry Hill strip mall under fourth-generation pastrami-slinger Russ Cowan, whose acolytes have followed him into South Jersey from his previous long stop at Famous 4th St. Delicatessen. Quality and quantity coexist in the overstuffed sandwiches of house-made meats (pastrami, corned beef); softball-size matzo balls; portioned-for-two breakfast and lunch platters; and big-as-your-head desserts, all schlepped to the table by waiters who care. It’s the complete experience: lox, stock, and (pickle) barrel. — Michael Klein

$ | Market | Center City

This nationally recognized and historic market beneath the former Reading Railroad train shed is the Philly region in a delicious nutshell. Its aisles upon aisles of stands — a collection of fresh-food vendors from Pennsylvania Dutch country and prepared foods from a wide variety of communities — include seating areas to enjoy your culinary spoils, although snagging a table can be a sport in its own right.

Come for the Filipino hand pies and longsilog breakfast platters with garlic rice at Tambayan, or a coffee-flavored scoop of Guatemalan ripple at Bassetts, the nation’s oldest ice cream company. There are sandwiches galore, from juicy roast pork with broccoli rabe at DiNic’s to steamy pastrami on rye cut to order at Hershel’s East Side Deli. Chicken fans can get it fried soul food-style at Ma Lessie’s or slow-roasted the Amish way at Dienner’s Bar-B-Q. There are stellar gluten-free options with pupusas from Central American-themed El Merkury, cheese curds and poutine from Fox & Sons Fancy Corn Dogs, and the Pakistani-Indian steam table at Nanee’s Kitchen. Check out the creative twists on Georgian khachapuri cheese boats at Saami Somi then prepare to wait in the line at Little Thai Market: Its grilled-to-order salmon platter with coconut curry is one of the most coveted dishes in the market. — Michael Klein and Craig LaBan

$$ | Georgian | Northeast Philadelphia

The best of Philly’s Georgian spots, this Northeast Philly restaurant and beer garden has become a destination for specialties from this Eurasian country in the Caucasus Mountains. Start with the cold eggplant rolls stuffed with walnut sauce, then go for the excellent khachapuri Adjaruli, a cheese boat topped with an egg yolk that’s mixed-in tableside for added richness. The chicken and lula kebabs are reliably juicy, while the purse-shaped khinkali dumplings are bursting with broth and meat (go for the lamb). There are powerful flavors here, too: The ostri beef stew is subtly layered with aromatic fenugreek and cast-iron pans bring shqmeruli cornish hens basking in garlicky milk. Pair it all with Georgian wines, shots of chacha brandy, and lagers in frosty mugs, then head to the front rooms featuring live music on weekends, and dance the Europop night away beneath spinning disco balls. — Craig LaBan

$$–$$$ | Modern American | Delaware County

With more than 100 seats between its blond wood dining room, greenhouse, and outdoor tables, Philip Breen’s stylish makeover of an old-school Ridley Park tavern has become a draw for southern Delaware County, where there are too few options for ambitious date-night destinations. Current chef George Sabatino has refined the modern American menu with airy house focaccia and dishes that burst with seasonal produce: Summer’s bounty resulted in perfect gazpacho with shrimp and gem salad in Green Goddess dressing; fall’s harvest brought butternut squash and sage brown butter for the gnudi, short rib with lentils and “pot roast root veggies,” and semifreddo for dessert with apples and amaranth. Excellent pastas recall Sabatino’s history at Barbuzzo, including a cauliflower-creamed bucatini and rigatoni with soulful pork sugo, while the rum Old Fashioned with Zacapa 23 is another good reason to linger there any night. — Craig LaBan

Note: Shortly after the publication of The 76, Rosemary announced a significant change in its direction; its new culinary approach is no longer reflective of when the restaurant was selected for the list.

$ | Middle Eastern | West Philadelphia

Unanimous among neighborhood residents, college students, the local Muslim community, and everyone in between is that the chicken shish tawook — best known simply as the chicken maroosh — is not just the reason to go to this West Philly mainstay, but possibly the best sandwich in all of Philadelphia. Owner Saad Alrayes does his customers right by packing juicy pieces of grilled chicken, tomato slices, sautéed onions, and snappy pickles into a long hoagie roll — the namesake “maroosh way” — generously drizzled with creamy garlic sauce. You won’t go wrong adding a side of fries, and maybe some grape leaves too. — Hira Qureshi

$$ | Japanese | Camden County

Sagami, the ground-breaking Japanese restaurant founded in Collingswood by James Beard-nominated chef Shigeru Fukuyoshi and his wife, Chizuko Fukuyoshi, in 1974 was struck by tragedy in the summer of 2024 with the death of Chizuko, the restaurant’s “heart and soul.” After a brief hiatus, it has returned, and it still carries the torch of classic Japanese cooking as it has for the last 50 years. In a dim, low-ceilinged — and always packed — space that is seemingly preserved in amber, Fukuyoshi churns out not just sushi that literally set the standard for the region, but canonical representations of a wide range of dishes that are increasingly difficult to find unsullied by trends, like nasu shigiyaki (fried eggplant with miso), zaru soba (cold soba noodles), unaju (broiled eel, delivered on a pillow of rice in an immaculate lacquered wood box), and tempura. A true classic, in every sense of the word. — Matt Buchanan

$ | Mexican | South Philadelphia

Mexican fusion has a long history in this country, and this city is far from the only one to offer Mexican pizza, but its manifestation here — a product of the culinary history of South Philly — may be the most definitive. Of all of the major practitioners in the city, its highest expression is found at San Lucas, the two-decade-old pizzeria run by husband and wife Valentin Palillero and Eva Mendez. (The single best Mexican pizza in the city, however, is likely the birria pie at nearby Rosario’s, which recently expanded northward.) San Lucas’ pizzas transcend through a superior crust and the vibrancy of its ingredients: A piquant guajillo sauce underlines a deeply savory al pastor pie covered in a blizzard of fresh cilantro, while the slivers of Nickelodeon-green avocados crowning the Ranchera, a serious pie with chorizo, ham, bacon, and refried beans, are so vivid they seem to glow. — Matt Buchanan

$$ | Chinese | Center City

A Chinatown institution that opened in 1980, Sang Kee is Philadelphia’s Hong Kongese restaurant of record. Despite being named after a dish from Beijing, it’s better known for serving classic Cantonese fixings. The egg noodle soup — accompanied by roasted duck, thinly wrapped wontons, and beef brisket — is unsurpassed in the crowded field of Chinatown soup noodles. The stock is scented with chenpi, sun-dried mandarin orange peel, and star anise, which, along with the savory rendered duck fat gravy, makes it nothing short of restorative. Nearly 45 years in, Sang Kee is not complacent. Its special menu remains innovative, while it continues to cater to everyone, including Chinatown residents, suburban visitors, and out-of-town travelers making the trek from the nearby convention center. — Jasen Lo

$$ | Italian | South Philadelphia

Neighborhood Italian restaurants are thick on the ground in Philly, but people from all over the city hop on the Broad Street line for Scannicchio’s. It’s the kind of unassuming, friendly “post-red gravy” BYOB that you wish was on your block, perfect for a low-key weeknight celebration or for catching up with an old friend over a heap of penne. It hits the classics without breaking a sweat, serving excellent clams casino, fantastic meatballs, and a bone-in veal Parmesan that’s the right amount of crispy-to-saucy. With love and respect to the Villa and Dante’s set, the food here is more delicious than any of the older red sauce stalwarts farther north. Servings are appropriately mountainous, and the red gravy is simmered for hours with pig’s feet and bone marrow, giving it a pleasing richness. The waiters have no qualms about correcting your order if they feel like you’re going astray — “it’s July, get the Caprese,” one advised us, and he was right. — Margaret Eby

$ | Cambodian | South Philadelphia

There’s a reason the Cambodian ambassador to the United States recently brought their counterparts from six other Southeast Asian countries from Washington, D.C., to Philly’s Washington Avenue for lunch. That’s because Sophie’s Kitchen, a BYOB run by chef Sophia Neth and husband Danny Duk, is turning out some of the best traditional Cambodian cooking on the East Coast in a charming bi-level space that has ceilings illuminated by a purple glow, turning fans, Khmer art, and plants blooming from every corner. An order of prahok kteah — the classic dip of ground pork jazzed with aromatic spice and fermented mudfish paste served with crudité — is non-negotiable. But don’t forget the crunchy, sour and chile-pounded threads of green papaya salad (bok lahong); stir-fries fragrant with lemongrass (cha kroeung) or sweet chunks of kabocha (cha l’pau); one of the iconic sour lemongrass soups like somlaw machu kroeung; or the crispy chicken wings encrusted with lemongrass paste. — Craig LaBan

$ | Market | South Philadelphia

The aroma of lemongrass beef sticks sizzling over charcoal grills will lead you to this open-air, warm-weather market in South Philly’s FDR Park, which began in the 1980s with a Lao couple making papaya salad and chicken wings and has since expanded into a major weekend destination for food and community, with nearly 80 vendors drawing some 200,000 visitors between spring and the season’s closing.

The Southeast Asian Market is one of the most vibrant examples of Philadelphia’s immigrant experience, serving as one of the few public food spaces for members of the Lao and Cambodian communities, many of them refugees, along with vendors from Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It is a feast for the senses, from the pok! pok! sounds of pestles pounding papaya salads with chilies and salted crabs, to the scent of sausage-stuffed chicken wings on the grill. There are piles of crunchy-sweet deep-fried bananas and the hum of motors crushing sugarcane into refreshing cups of sweet juice. Grab a heaping plate of stir-fried lort cha noodles from the “Stir Fry Lady,” a Cambodian-flavored cheesesteak with fried pepper chips at Sahbyy, and a grilled bamboo stuffed with sweet purple sticky rice for dessert, then settle in for an al fresco feast. — Michael Klein and Craig LaBan

$ | Diner | River Wards

This Fishtown staple’s got everything you love about a diner, including nostalgic tchotchkes and saucy servers. But add (sausage) gravy in the form of chef-owner Chad Todd’s down-to-earth insistence on community sourcing and execution. He uses Czerw’s kielbasa in the Port Richmond scramble, Kenzinger in the corned beef, LeBus brioche in the French toast, wild blueberries in the Pine Barrens pancakes, and Fiore gelato in the milkshakes. You can order strictly traditional diner fare, but you might regret sidestepping Sulimay’s signatures, including the Fishtown scrapple sammy (two sunny-side-up eggs riding high on panko-battered squares of spicy housemade whitefish scrapple and thick slices of heirloom tomatoes) and the Big Mick, reserved for burger nights: two saucer-sized patties of Gauker Farms beef topped with LTO, house bread and butter pickles, yellow American cheese (“no deviations!”), and comeback sauce on a Merzbacher’s sweet potato bun. — Jenn Ladd

$$ | Filipino | South Philadelphia

With just a handful of tables, a neon dancing pig on the wall, and a counter that’s always packed, Tabachoy serves up a great aura with chef-owner Chance Anies’ spin on Filipino food. There are solid versions of classics like lumpia, pork adobo, and sisig, but Anies shines brightest at this BYOB with his personal riffs on dishes, like the coconut-braised broccoli rabe, the sausage-flecked pancit, and the increasingly hyped Tabachoy Caesar, which subs in napa cabbage mixed with shaved duck egg yolk, chili oil, and a dressing infused with bagoong (fermented Filipino fish paste). Just make sure to save room for dessert, like the pleasingly purple ube soft-serve sundae, dished up with coconut caramel, and a pandan-infused Basque-style cheesecake wrapped in banana leaf. — Margaret Eby

$$ | Seafood | Delaware County

A candy-stripe lighthouse on the roof guides you to this modest Delco corner bar with a clapboard facade and porthole window in the front door. The 1960s kitsch — complete with an aquarium running the length of the dining room — is only the cover for Tony “the Clam” Blanche’s sterling suburban seafood destination, with food that’s as lively as the salt-of-the-earth staff serving it. Chuckle at the 1962 menu with its $1.50 price tag for a basket of steamed clams and 40-cent clam chowder, then feel some relief that by 2024 standards, the prices remain reasonable. Whatever you order, you really can’t go wrong here, be it fried or broiled. Just get the clams. — Michael Klein

$$ | Latin American | Feltonville

A celebrated pillar of the community for more than 30 years, Tierra Colombiana plays host to regulars, whose tables are topped by a complimentary basket of pillowy buttered bread right off the griddle; politicians making speeches and courting voters; and night-life lovers, who clink mojitos and margaritas and populate its longstanding Latin nightclub after hours. The expansive menu at this truly all-day restaurant offers staples from across Latin America, courtesy of the ostensibly Colombian restaurant’s Ecuadorian-born owner, Jorge Mosquera, who purchased the former Cuban restaurant in 1989 . Mind the tamal Colombiano, made of white masa and a mix of meats and veggies tucked inside a banana leaf; chaulafan, an Ecuadorian fried rice dish; pargo rojo en salsa de coco, or red snapper cooked in a savory coconut sauce; and gallo pinto, the Central American rice and beans classic. Just save room for the flan and coffee service. — Emily Bloch

$$$ | Vegetarian | Center City

Some of the stars on Vedge’s menu — the smoky campfire carrot, the subtly spicy dan dan noodles, or the rutabaga fondue with perfectly tart-and-snappy pickles — have been there for years, but they’re welcome sights every time you encounter this menu full of vegetable-based innovations. This restaurant’s combination of consistency and delight over more than a decade in operation is especially impressive given the owners’ other ventures — most recently, the charming West Chester market & prix fixe Ground Provisions. A place that will make your guests ask, as mine did, “Wait ... all this is vegan?” you don’t need a plant-based diet to appreciate the restaurant’s many charms, including an excellent bar program and a killer dessert list from chef Kate Jacoby. The vegan lemon curd on a recent visit could easily go toe-to-toe with any egg-based version — and win. — Margaret Eby

$$$$ | Seafood | Center City

A cushy seat beneath the glowing pendant lights of chef Greg Vernick’s sleek modern fish hall in the Comcast Technology Center has become the table of choice for power diners who desire something more dynamic than the usual steakhouse. That’s because this sequel to the chef’s beloved original, Vernick Food & Drink, is so much better, with a stellar raw bar basking in global flavors (yellowtail crudo with watermelon aguachile); tuna rice bowls dressed in XO vinaigrette and kimchi; and massive fried shrimp po’boys for lunch. Dinner is exceptional for seafood luxuries, too, like house spaghetti with crab, pea leaves, and nori, or meaty whole turbots roasted in copper pans then fileted tableside with a piccata sauce glaze. The service is reliably meticulous, as is the bar, which serves all those CEOs, celebs, and visiting luminaries Philly’s priciest cocktails — but delivers with fresh ideas and gold-plated quality. — Craig LaBan

$$$$ | Italian | Center City

After 25 years, the classic pasta split — spinach gnocchi in sage brown butter and truffled almond tortelloni — is no less magnetic. “It’s so beautiful I almost don’t want to eat it,” cooed the movie mogul celebrating an anniversary at the table beside us before devouring it along with a greatest-hits album of Vetri Cucina favorites, including a salt-baked branzino. The standbys alone, including the truffled sweet onion crepe, smoked baby goat with polenta, and molten pistachio cake, would be enough to keep this elegant Spruce Street townhouse on a list of fine-dining splurges, bolstered by smooth, veteran service and top-notch Italian wines. While newer menu items can be less consistent, I’m glad Vetri’s kitchen keeps pushing, because they score more often than not, especially with seasonal pastas like crab-filled culurgiones, masa orecchioni with wild boar mole ragù, or the butterfly-shaped scarpinocc with artichoke crema. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Southeast Asian | West Philadelphia

This Cedar Park standby, decorated with shimmery Lao tapestries and ornate masks, is the original of two locations owned by this mother-daughter duo. (The second, a bistro in Kensington, is a neighborhood favorite). Both deliver bold renditions of Lao cuisine, from the khao poon “king soup” and soulful tom saap braised beef hot pot to crunchy rice naam salad with lettuce wraps. I can’t resist the snappy lemongrass-infused links of grilled house sai gawk sausage served with sticky rice, or the shredded papaya salads pounded with a chili-fired lime juice dressing. Definitely go for the optional salt-fermented crabs to give that papaya salad a tidal glow. Double bonus: The Panthavong family also makes some of the most flavorful Thai food in Philly, and is excellent with gluten-free options. — Craig LaBan

$$ | Italian | South Philadelphia

Smack in the middle of the Italian Market, Villa di Roma is the eternal answer to “where should we take these out-of-towners to dinner?” It’s also a favorite of locals thanks to its red-sauce charms and a relaxed atmosphere where getting a little rowdy is encouraged. Come here not for frills — the menus are paper and oft tomato-spattered, and the wine is an afterthought — but for the feeling that not much has changed in this joint since it arrived in Philly in the 1960s. Villa di Roma has an array of the classics over many shapes of pasta, but the point here is more the scene, less the food. The exceptions are the eggplant Parmesan; the top-tier, billiard-sized meatballs swimming in sauce; and the tiramisu, rich with cream and laced with chocolate and espresso, which blows fancier nouveau versions of the dessert out of the water. — Margaret Eby

$$ | Himalayan | Roxborough - Manayunk

The momos — whether they’re the tongue-tingling chili variety, the carefully pleated Himalayan dumplings, or the moneybag-shaped fried firecrackers dressed in a tangy sauce — merit a trek to this Tibetan BYOB, appropriately nestled high on the hills of Roxborough. But chef-owner Treley Parshingtsang has many other tricks up her sleeve, including a spicy glass noodle salad, coins of handmade Tibetan sausage that melt in your mouth, Shangri-La-style zucchini in a sweet-and-sour sauce, and thenthuk: hand-pulled noodles swimming in a gingery, tomato-infused beef broth. The experience is enriched by the soft-spoken, attentive service in the cozy golden dining room adorned with candle-lit windows. — Jenn Ladd

$$$$ | Middle Eastern | Center City

The parade of excellence that emanates from Zahav’s kitchen starts with the tried-and-true salatim (the tehina-coated beets and Moroccan carrots reliably make converts of the root vegetable-averse), a cavernous bowl of hummus, and puffy, oil-slicked laffa bread. More than 16 years in, you might think the Zahav experience could get stale, but after that classic first course, the kitchen dishes out one magical surprise after the next: local figs with slices of veal, dehydrated watermelon with pickled rind, warm dates stuffed with Marcona almonds, duck kofta cupped around cinnamon sticks. It’s all peppered into a feast of showstoppers that includes savory smoked trout with spicy grilled cukes, dry-aged duck with a duck fat pilaf so mesmerizing it rivals the trademark crispy Persian rice, and a delicate, kataifi-sprinkled labneh cheesecake that will vanish in moments. You’ll see many of these moves — grilled meats, airy hummus, detailed service — at other CookNSolo spots, of course, but the perpetual inventiveness and flawless execution make Zahav the brightest gem in the bunch. — Jenn Ladd

$$$ | Italian | Camden County

This 35-seat Sicilian-focused BYOB in Collingswood is run by chef-owner Joey Baldino, the force behind the food at Palizzi Social Club. But where the Palizzi feels, well, clubby, thanks to its checkerboard tile floors, leather bar seats, and members-only rule, Zeppoli is brighter and more spare, though often equally packed. The $55 prix fixe has to be one of the best deals in the greater Philadelphia area, with three dishes included, but add-ons allowed — encouraged, even. The delicate tagliatelle al limone comes with either prosciutto or a shaving of bottarga, balancing the buttery citrus sauce with a pop of salt, while the spaghetti vongole is some of the best anywhere. The restaurant gets its name from the fresh-from-the-fryer Italian doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar and served in puddles of chocolate that cap off the meal, and you’d be remiss if you didn’t tag them on at the end. — Margaret Eby