The Philadelphia restaurant revival is hot and ready for dinner.

How about lunch? Perhaps not quite yet, as many restaurateurs still hedge their hours and resources against the persistent labor shortage, under-occupied offices, and unpredictable supply chain this lingering pandemic has wrought.

But make no mistake. Once the COVID-19 numbers began waning this spring, and the city removed its mask mandate, demand for reservations boomed at top destinations to the point they cannot always handle the crush of diners clamoring to eat inside like it’s 2019. And though the caviar and truffles are flowing again, the landscape is significantly different — distinctly less formal, with more outdoor spaces and several new names who took the seismic industry changes as an opportunity to pursue their own kitchen dreams. The results have been spectacular.

That moxie was among the most striking things I noticed as I set out to redefine my annual list of Top 10 Philly restaurants, eating my way through dozens of fantastic meals in search of the most magical sparks. The list has four new restaurants this year. And the emergence of stars like Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, Mehmet Ergin of Pera Turkish Cuisine, Michael Millon of Lark, and Dionicio Jimenez, a Vetri and El Rey alum whose ownership debut at Cantina La Martina finally arrived after 24 years behind the scenes, has been inspiring.

I was also impressed by the sustained excellence at some familiar addresses, from Royal Sushi & Izakaya to Vernick Food & Drink, to Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, and Friday Saturday Sunday, which, on its 49th year in business, has become the most complete fine dining destination in Philly under Chad and Hanna Williams.

True to the times, some of our most renowned chefs — Michael Solomonov, Marc Vetri, and Nicholas Elmi — have found a sweet spot with concepts that are more relaxed and focused than the fine-dining places that made them famous. But the magic is undeniably still there, sizzling on shishlik skewers over the coals and salatim platters at Laser Wolf, swirling through a cacio e pepe froth on the Christian Street sidewalk at Fiorella, rattling from my icy cocktail as I survey the winding Schuylkill from the twinkly rooftop terrace of Lark in Bala Cynwyd.

From my vantage, Philly’s dinner scene looks as vibrant and exciting as ever. Next year, if things keep progressing, maybe we can also do lunch.

Note: This Top 10 is unranked. The Inquirer is also not giving bell ratings to restaurants due to the pandemic.

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• New to this year’s Top 10

  Her Place Supper Club

  1740 Sansom St

  

  Amanda Shulman cooked 192 different recipes in the first whirlwind year of Her Place Supper Club, the pop-up dinner party experiment-turned-restaurant sensation that transformed an old pizza shop into one of Philly’s most coveted reservations.

  “Fun menu, fun week, feeling good and alive!” said Shulman, welcoming 24 guests to the 8:30 p.m. seating of a dreamy midsummer feast. Her biweekly changing menus are peppered with her witty narration from the open kitchen.

  Lightly poached shrimp drew a hint of smoke from charred cucumbers. Soft-shells basked in the retro glamour of Louie dressing. Chewy pici noodles in zucchini butter tapped the Vetri alum’s pasta skills. Quail in vermouth sauce with corn and morels showcased her passions for luxury and sauce.

  By the time a lobster salad arrived over pain perdu soaked in a lobster bisque custard (Her Place recipe No. 218 and a wink to Shulman’s stint at Montreal’s Joe Beef), I was thoroughly under her spell.

  I already knew Shulman could cook, and it’s been fun watching her hone an identity through prolific menu explorations — a tightening embrace of French classics, with a persistent Italian flex and Americana nod.

  But it’s been just as rewarding to watch her invest in this intimate space as a launching pad. She rehabbed it with herringbone floors and artichoke green wainscoting, and acquired a liquor license that not only added some cocktails and lovely French wines. It’s given Shulman the financial breathing room to grow, with Julianna Bursack (Vetri, Vernick) orchestrating the service, and four cooks, including sous-chef Maddie Sutton, lightening her formerly solo act in the kitchen.

  “I was on the track to burning out,” Shulman said. “Then I turned 30 and got myself a sous-chef. Happy birthday to me!”

  It was a gift for all of us. One of Philly’s most exciting young talents is now poised to keep flourishing.

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  • Websiteherplacephilly.com
  • Instagram@herplacesupperclub

• Friday Saturday Sunday

  261 S 21st St

  

  Is there a more complete fine-dining destination in Philly than Friday Saturday Sunday? Nowhere else right now delivers a more singular experience than Chad and Hanna Williams’ gorgeous Rittenhouse Square rowhouse gem. From the stellar cocktails and brief à la carte menu at the intimate bar downstairs, to the elegant upstairs dining room where tufted chairs, a vintage soul playlist and smooth service set the scene for the ever-evolving tasting menus, and dinner never fails to surprise.

  Looking for silverware to devour the quail? Chef Chad’s crew wants you to experience the fingertip-licking pleasure of eating a hot bird straight off the cutting board. And I’d never tasted a quail that glowed with island spice like this, treated like jerk royalty — lacquered, spiced with Scotch Bonnets, allspice and clove, then glazed with burnt orange gastrique as it finished over the coals. Even better: warm coco bread on the side came folded around a quail-infused liver mousse that shimmied with aromatic Caribbean curry.

  That seamless melding of French techniques with a world beat of influences is typical of this team from an array of cultural backgrounds, from crispy sweetbreads with sweet plantains to the chile-spiced sabayon dusted with saskatoon powder over the tartlet of tuna and caviar that launched the meal. Hibiscus granita brightened summer vegetables, while cardamom-scented lamb ribs channeled an earthy savor over celery root puree.

  And then came pastry chef Amanda Rafalski’s exquisite desserts. She infused semifreddo with fragrant bay leaves, spun sherbet from Sugar Cube melons alongside dabs of goat cheese bavarois and tarragon sponge cake. Finally, the fluted crunch and pudding-soft centers of her sublime canelés. Their flavors change seasonally, from coffee and rose to sweet corn or matcha. But, like dinner as a whole at Friday Saturday Sunday, what’s revealed on the plate is pure inspiration.

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  • Websitefridaysaturdaysunday.com
  • Instagram@friday.saturday.sunday
  • Phone(215) 546-4232

• New to this year’s Top 10

  Lark

  611 Righters Ferry Rd, Bala Cynwyd

  

  I took a bracing sip of my boulevardier at Lark, savored a mushroom ravioli glossed with molten foie gras, and gazed out from its seventh-floor dining room onto the Manayunk hills twinkling across the Schuylkill. I had to admit: This lofty new addition to Bala Cynwyd is something special.

  Not just for Main Line dining. But for the entire region, where few restaurants can match the special occasion style, warm service, and refined cooking on the level of Lark, whose terrace fire pits blaze atop the Residence Inn at the Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing.

  It’s no surprise considering the partners, chef Nicholas Elmi (Laurel, Top Chef) and Fia Berisha (Aether, Mistral), who already had a hit with The Landing Kitchen all-day cafe on the ground level. Berisha took a lead in the polished service and engaging design, softening the airy industrial space with forest green velvet, textured wallpaper, molded walnut wood and steel.

  French echoes from Elmi’s Le Bec-Fin days are obvious in the escargot braised in vichyssoise butter, braised leeks reinvented with hazelnut agrodolce, truffles and bottarga, and tweezer-perfect beauties like the scallop crudo shingled with pickled rhubarb.

  But Lark is also a showcase for executive chef Michael Millon (A Mano), whose modern Mediterranean seafood creations convey complex flavors without feeling overwrought. Tender octopus infused with rosemary and citrus mingles with romesco and chickpeas. Fresh sardines melt into a nest of chitarra pasta bolstered with sofrito, and a blast of fennel and anchovy. Crispy-skinned dorade sings with eggplant caponata, Calabrian chilies, and golden raisins.

  There are non-seafood delights, too, from the gnocco frito pastry pillows with prosciutto and ricotta to farro pasta with pork ragù. Grab another of manager Christy Nguyen’s clever cocktails (24-Karat carrot elixir), savor the bespoke Lark Bar made by Éclat Chocolate, and enjoy the view.

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  • Websitelarkpa.com
  • Instagram@lark_pa
  • Phone(484) 434-8766

• New to this year’s Top 10

  Vernick Food & Drink

  2031 Walnut St

  

  What does it take for a restaurant to remain relevant for a decade? It takes more than a perfect roast chicken and blueberry pie for two, although Greg Vernick’s brilliant takes on those elemental cravings opened our eyes to the Cherry Hill native’s skills when he launched Vernick Food & Drink on Walnut Street in 2012.

  The ability to retain talent (along with opportunities at his growing collection of restaurants) has been key. The penchant to keep redefining American dining remains uncannily fresh, with seamless hospitality guided by the management team of Ryan Mulholland and James Smith, and a wide-ranging menu fueled by live fires, pristine technique, focused flavors, and an approach that “less is more”.

  Meri Medoway is the latest chef de cuisine to harness the Vernick Way: “Her ability to subtract and focus — not overchef a dish — is her best asset,” says Greg Vernick.

  That’s how a seemingly simple dish like pasta in marinara laced with stracciatella is magnetic, because of Medoway’s deft blend of vine-ripened tomatoes with canned San Marzanos. Her grilled artichoke retains a meaty nub of flesh on its leaves thanks to perfected poaching, plus an irresistible Brie dip that’s a deconstructed ode to her mom’s stuffed artichokes. Smoked onion soubise lends a sly faux-bacon whiff to braised greens with the black bass. The austere beauty of steamed halibut over cauliflower pilaf becomes seductively fragrant with a table-side splash of an earthy Moroccan harissa broth.

  And then? The wonder chicken reminds me that this three-day project (brined, dried, steamed, roasted) is the most luxurious poulet I’ll ever sink my teeth into. It’s like 10 years of other pretty good chickens never really happened — and I’m back to where this story began.

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  • Websitevernickphilly.com
  • Instagram@vernickphilly
  • Phone(267) 639-6644
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• New to this year’s Top 10

  Pera Turkish Cuisine

  944 N 2nd St

  

  A year ago, Mehmet Ergin was still driving an Uber saving up for his kitchen debut. These days the Istanbul-trained chef is back in the kitchen, cruising so well at bustling Pera Turkish Cuisine that he’s plotting to build the biggest doner kebab America has ever seen next summer for the festival that runs in front of his Northern Liberties storefront.

  “I’m going to make a 1,000 pound gyro,” he vows.

  This won’t be some industrial prefab version. Ergin builds the best doner from scratch I’ve tasted since visiting Turkey. He layers pureed lamb and veal breast with whole slices of lamb and I crave it, shaved into cuminy, oregano-scented ribbons atop Pera’s mixed grill (with chicken and lamb shish), or for the Iskender, with warm tomato sauce, yogurt and croutons soaked in clarified paprika butter. A recently added variation called Beyti replaces the Iskender’s gyro with a ground lamb adana wrapped in lavash. So I have a hard time choosing. Everything Ergin’s kitchen turns out is an outstanding example of traditional Turkish cooking.

  You taste it in the beautiful meze plate — hummus, lemony taboule. A long Turkish zirh is needed to chop the ezme of peppers, walnuts and pomegranate into a complex mince of distinct flavors, an example of the no-shortcut techniques that elevates common starters. Smoky atom eggplant salad is a creamy yogurt alternative to baba ghanoush.

  And then there are the deftly fried calamari and zucchini cakes, sumac-dusted liver and onions, charcoal-roasted shrimp, and perfect whole dorades that recall the seafood prowess of Dmitri’s, the long-gone Greek favorite whose exposed brick walls and tiled counter Pera has taken over with a seamless Mediterranean grace. Lift one of Ergin’s buttery fresh baklavas in sweet tribute. This transition has gone well.

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  • Websiteperaphiladelphia.com
  • Instagram@peraphilly
  • Phone(215) 660-9471

• Fiorella

  817 Christian St

  

  Philly knows its noodles. And that’s in no small part thanks to Marc Vetri, whose Italian creations have ranged from the fine dining polish of Vetri Cucina to casual Neapolitan pizzerias and the grilled bistecca luxury of Fiore Rosso, his buzzy new upscale steak house in Bryn Mawr.

  But Vetri’s most compelling place right now? It remains laid-back Fiorella, the dynamic, affordable pasta bar revamp of a historic Italian Market butcher shop that channels the creative possibilities of noodlecraft for 180 diners a night at the tiny chef counter inside and outdoor seats on the lively Christian Street sidewalk.

  Sip a brown butter old fashioned or sparkling barbera blend while you peruse the menu — it’s a quick read. The limited offerings from Fiorella’s bustling open kitchen — four apps, seven pastas, and a few desserts — are chef Matt Rodrigue’s master class in nimble seasonality.

  Yes, two menu standbys should anchor every visit: cacio e pepe that coats your lips with an ivory froth of peppery cheese as you slurp its strands of tonnarelli; and rigatoni cradling sausage ragù made to the former Fiorella butcher shop’s family recipe.

  But it’s the ever-cycling specials that keep me perpetually intrigued, from corzetti pasta coins glazed in tangy summer sorrel pesto to the gnocchi sardi tossed with an oceanic puttanesca studded with simmered monkfish. Spinach pasta ribbons are wrapped in a rotolo swirl around asparagus and buffalo mozzarella with woodsy morels. But they come and go within weeks. There’s always something new, like the fusilli in yuzu butter with corn and lobster (a salute to Rodrigue’s Maine roots); or chicken liver-stuffed caramelles with apple and sage for fall; or intricately pleated culurgiones with sweet potato and foie gras for a taste of holiday elegance. At tiny but mighty Fiorella, Philly’s pasta passion always finds its match.

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  • Websitefiorellaphilly.com
  • Instagram@fiorellaphilly
  • Phone(215) 305-9222

• Royal Sushi & Izakaya

  780 S 2nd St

  

  For the first 18 months of the pandemic, Jesse Ito paused his coveted sushi tastings at the back of Royal Izakaya. Instead, he poured more attention into polishing the tavern up front, the low-lit barroom for walk-ins only where Japanese classics come with extensive collections of sake, Japanese whisky, and inventive cocktails. And that menu remains fresh under chef de cuisine Justin Bacharach, who’s recently added tsukune skewers of ground chicken and bacon and some irresistible spare ribs kissed with an umeboshi plum glaze.

  But Ito is now back slinging twice-nightly omakases to even smaller groups — just eight lucky seats. And he’s delivering a meal so special, its 17 hand-molded bites of Japanese fish and perfect rice literally sent shivers down my spine. And it’s not just the rarities of torched kinkidai, creamy neon flying squid, or all the toro, uni and caviar you’d expect from a $175 splurge.

  Ito is even better than he was before the pandemic as he continues to refine a personal style that builds intricately layered flavors in one bite, often subtly hidden between the fish and rice. Like the butter-poached clam belly mince that adds a chowdery richness beneath snappy geoduck clam dotted with ginger-scallion paste. Or the dab of spot prawn tartare seasoned with shiro dashi that hides between a sweet raw shrimp and creamy orange uni.

  It’s no wonder wannabe diners lurk in standby lines 300 people deep on the Resy app waiting for cancellations to shake free. (They do.) It’s also no surprise that when the set omakase is over, many also order the $100 add-on of duck fat milk toast lavished with toro, caviar, uni and gold leaf. It’s the most extravagant splurge Philly has to offer. But with such extraordinary ingredients in Jesse Ito’s hands, more is always more.

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  • Websiteroyalizakaya.com
  • Instagram@royal_izakaya
  • Phone(267) 909-9002

• New to this year’s Top 10

  Cantina La Martina

  2800 D St.

  

  Cantina La Martina would be a remarkable new restaurant no matter where it landed, because Dionicio Jimenez, an unsung hero of Philly’s food scene for a quarter century at El Rey, Xochitl, and Vetri, has made his ownership debut at age 47. And he’s delivering some of the most thrilling Mexican flavors in the city.

  Inside its handsome barroom and the fenced-in oasis of its back patio, diners sip citrusy margaritas and nibble refreshing aguachiles of shrimp with hoja santa and tuna over habanero-spiced coconut milk. Barbacoa-style goat comes atop meaty ayocote beans, while tacos (a lunch specialty) cradle sublime carnitas, cheesy steak Volcanes or roasted octopus and cauliflower in salsa diabla.

  For dinner, Jimenez offers bold entrées like the tlayuda surf-and-turf with bone marrow, steak, shrimp, and chapulines, and an adobo-braised Chamorro pork shank with masa dumplings, the only dish in Philly that can be ordered “with or without ants.” (The chicatanas add crunch and anise!)

  And then there is El Machete, an 18-inch long quesadilla shaped like the blade. I loved it with pork pastor negro, a variation marinated with the charred chile paste of Oaxacan mole negro.

  Inconsistent service during its most crowded hours remains a weak link for this young restaurant. But Jimenez is on a mission, and dishes like El Machete can beckon a thousand cars from across the region in search of distinctive culinary treasure. Bringing diners to this Kensington corner is a potential game changer for a disinvested neighborhood beleaguered by poverty and the opioid epidemic. No single restaurant, of course, can shoulder those burdens alone. But this is the kind of place that, along with its exceptional Mexican cooking, can help tip momentum to make a broader impact.

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  • Websitecantinalamartinaphilly.com
  • Instagram@cantina.la.martina.philly
  • Phone(267) 519-2142
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• Laser Wolf

  1301 N Howard St

  

  The hottest restaurant in New York City? It’s a branch of Philly’s Laser Wolf, the grill house sibling of Zahav, whose Williamsburg hotel perch with views of Manhattan has become such a crush, several Brooklynites have traveled south instead to taste the original.

  Not that a reservation at this Kensington corner from CookNSolo is any easier. But locals know walk-ins are available for early birds eager to sip an arak cocktail at the bar, where the salatim platters, silky hummus, and pitas transport you to Tel Aviv. Or at least, Tel Aviv as interpreted by executive chef Andrew Henshaw, who’s created more than 40 salatim over the past two years to harness the Philly seasons into nightly salads that burst with bold flavors. Cardamom-scented tomato matbucha. Zucchini and corn spiced with schug. Smoky kale baba ghanoush. Charred pineapples and celery with amba-pickled pineapple puree.

  It may be surprising that laid-back Laser Wolf, not the more famous, upscale Zahav, is the concept that caught on from owners Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Laser’s casual vibe and set list of sharing salads with an assortment of grilled meats, feels more current. Its straightforward approach also reflects a maturing culinary evolution for Solomonov, who savors complex flavors in simply presented foods.

  With Henshaw’s crew tending the coals, the payoff is clear in juicy chicken skewers bright with tropical guava, in crispy trout brushed with red chermoula, in Persian lamb and beef kebabs tart with sumac and dill. Even the shatteringly crisp french fries and chicken wings shining with smoky date molasses are stunning.

  And then comes the fun-factor dessert, a brown sugar soft-serve drizzled with pomegranate-date molasses, sesame crunchies and the nutty sweetness of a tehina magic shell. No wonder one of Philly’s best is a hit in New York, too.

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  • Websitelaserwolfphilly.com
  • Instagram@laserwolf_philly
  • Phone(267) 499-4660

• Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen

  994 Harding Hwy, Newfield, NJ

  

  There’s a rare magic that transpires between the outdoor picnic tables and shucking counter inside Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen. This sunflower yellow roadside stand set amid the South Jersey farmland near Vineland has become the prime showcase for Mid-Atlantic oysters and other agricultural treasures.

  Chef-partner Melissa McGrath effortlessly channels the seasons, as evidenced by her “Summer Sweeties,” an icy tray of Sweet Amalias from co-owner Lisa Calvo’s oyster farm on the Cape May Peninsula, named for her daughter. Zesty tomato gazpacho came splashed across one half while sweet-and-spicy melon salsa topped the other. A selection of oysters from other farms, like Laughing Gulls, showcase the brinier waters near Barnegat Light. You can also order oysters baked or fried on a roll, which I recommend, because sandwiches are among McGrath’s talents, whether it’s a clam roll, the exceptional Italian hoagie, or a double burger with patties from Sickler’s Circle View Farm, one of the myriad local growers that inspire the chalkboard menus.

  The warm months are the busy season, as beach traffic brings a steady flow of customers craving the BLTs dripping with heirloom tomatoes and basil aioli. But Sweet Amalia has many worthy draws from March through December, with market shelves showcasing local cheeses and wines from nearby Hawk Haven, special pig roasts, beer dinners with oyster stout (naturally!) and a weekly dinner series in spring and fall at the country tables inside.

  The Sweeties take on the warmth of fall with fennel cream and broccoli rabe from Formisano Farms nearby. And cooler weather also means the return of McGrath’s oyster pies, whose flaky pastries are stuffed with a creamy chowder of Skater Boys, the fast-growing oysters named for Calvo’s son, Gabriel. (“He always surfed his own wave,” says Calvo. “Likewise, Skater Boys do their own thing.”) The secret to the magic at this exceptional roadside oyster stand, it seems, is that it’s personal.

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  • Websitesweetamalia.com/market
  • Instagram@sweetamaliamarket
  • Phone(856) 839-2478