Dining Guide

“It’s a good night for this town,” celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern said of Philadelphia just before announcing Friday Saturday Sunday as the winner of the outstanding restaurant category at the 2023 James Beard Awards.

Chad and Hanna Williams’ win kicked off another round of ovations for Philly chefs, as Ellen Yin and Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon had already clocked medals for outstanding restaurateur and best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region, a category that included two other Philly nominees. The awards weekend also included a cocktail book win for Philly bartender Toby Maloney.

The James Beard Awards bestowed some long overdue national recognition for the city’s world-class culinary excellence, and represented a cross section of the diverse culture and cuisines that make Philly the most exciting restaurant destination in the United States.

All parts of our dining scene, from neighborhood BYOBs, to sandwich shops, and suburban diners that were often unsung, are now part of the celebration.

But that also means that everyone else now knows what we in Philly already know.

There is so much attention for Suntaranon’s unmatched and transportive Thai flavors, Kalaya’s new location in Fishtown is packed on most nights. But at least you can get a seat. Amanda Shulman’s 25-seat dinner party concept Her Place Supper Club, which earned her an emerging chef nomination by the James Beard Foundation, has become notorious for its tough-to-snag reservations. Our restaurant critic Craig LaBan puts it (and several other new restaurants) on his list of “impossibles.”

Still, the national spotlight is great fuel for chefs and owners to take on more thoughtful and ambitious restaurant concepts, innovative cocktail programs, and community-driven collaborations. Their successes lay the groundwork for chefs to bring the international flavors of their backgrounds, including Filipino, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Georgian, to the city and suburbs.

We are bringing this same energy to this year’s Inquirer 2023 Dining Guide. Through the Top 10 list, and some of the best bites, plus some imaginative martinis, we’re proving that what we’re seeing in Philly now will influence the national conversation about food in the years to come. Just watch. —Jamila Robinson