TOP 10

How do you measure the vitality of a dining scene? Philadelphia restaurants have been checking the boxes in a big way over the past year, winning more national accolades than any other city at the 2023 James Beard Foundation awards, expanding at a rapid clip, creatively adapting to persistent labor challenges.

But the real test for me comes each year when it’s time to compile my Top 10 list of restaurants. Choosing so few places to reflect the most essential restaurant energy hubs in such a dynamic region is always difficult. This year was harder than ever. I aim to capture the big picture of great dining here, from casual to upscale, and balance the long-standing beacons of sustained excellence with the most vital sources of fresh inspiration. That means the final mix inevitably changes annually. That was especially the case with this list.

I set out on a two-month eating frenzy to take the current pulse of Philly dining in live time, putting 40 contenders to the test. By the time I dabbed the last crumbs of khachapuri, halibut tail, and amba-scented eggplant from my lips, 10 places resonated with delicious magic for me most, from East Passyunk to West Chester and Northeast Philly. Only three — Friday Saturday Sunday, Laser Wolf, Royal Sushi & Izakaya — are holdovers from my 2022 list.

That doesn’t mean the rest of last year’s lineup slipped. This simply has been one of the best years for newcomers. And there are also so many other exciting food stories to tell, from continued growth in our Mexican universe (El Chingón) to the rise of Georgian cuisine (Gamarjoba) and the evolution of familiar names that redefined their business models and reinvigorated their craft, from Hearthside’s turn to tasting menus to Laurel’s shift in the other direction moving back to à la carte. Andiario cooked its way back into the Top 10 after a yearlong hiatus. And then there was Kalaya’s big move from its original BYOB into the super-sized, full-service Fishtown sensation that’s Philly’s most thrilling dining experience right now.

I also wanted to emphasize more realistic access to dining opportunities. That’s why nearly impossible-to-reserve spots like Her Place and Jesse Ito’s omakase counter were set aside in favor of walk-in-friendly alternatives like My Loup and the more affordable izakaya side of Ito’s Royal Sushi & Izakaya.

You’ll definitely still need to plan ahead accordingly for a coveted seat at these other stars, whether you reserve or try to walk in. But they’re absolutely worth it.

Note: This Top 10 is unranked.

1/10

• Kalaya

  4 W Palmer St

  

  Too often, a special small restaurant can lose some magic by moving to a larger space. Kalaya, thankfully, is not one of those. In fact, it’s hard to find a spotlight big enough to contain the talent and vision of Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, whose bold Southern Thai flavors have come into full bloom in the gorgeously airy, palm-fringed space she opened in a converted Fishtown warehouse in partnership with the team behind Suraya.

  There’s now an entire team dedicated to making the exquisite dumplings shaped into blue flowers and tiny birds. There’s a full bar turning out tropical cocktails kissed with galangal, and beer slushies to cool the chile heat. Suntaranon now also has a charcoal grill to roast the majestic river prawns for her goong phao platter mixed tableside into jasmine rice with tangy-sweet nam pla waan, tamarind sauce, and rich orange fat from the heads; or the lemongrass-marinated chickens glazed with curried coconut milk. The larger staff has allowed Suntaranon to grow her menu, too, expanding her labor-intensive house curry program (the fragrant green curry with shrimp and purple noodles is a wonder of delicate spice). There are also more options to balance the prickly heat of the ground duck laap or intensely earthy goat-lamb curry with, say, crispy gui chai garlic chive cakes dipped in sweet soy, or the stellar tamarind-glazed pork chop served over the aromatic crunch of fresh culantro leaves.

  Even the desserts at Kalaya 2.0 have had a huge glow uped-up big: The orbs of shaved ice streaked with colorful sauces harbor stuffings of banana panna cotta or lime cheesecake are like treasure hunts through yuzu-flavored snow. The drama of Philly’s most exciting restaurant right now proves that, at least for Suntaranon, bigger is definitely better.

  Read More
  • Websitekalayaphilly.com
  • Instagram@kalayaphilly
  • Phone(215) 545-2535
Advertisement

• Friday Saturday Sunday

  261 S 21st St

  

  One of Philadelphia’s longest-running restaurants got the ultimate present for its 50th birthday: Friday Saturday Sunday this year was named the most Outstanding Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation. That excellence is no secret to those who’ve followed the inspired revival of this restaurant renaissance classic as current owners Chad and Hanna Williams transformed the intimate Rittenhouse townhouse restaurant into Philly’s most complete fine-dining oasis.

  Part of their secret has been balancing its neighborhood spirit with the special occasion destination it’s become. For devoted regulars, the walk-in-only ground floor bar remains a coveted refuge to sip luminous cocktails like the Assassin’s Handbook while nibbling à la carte plates of octopus and beans and smoked herring spaghetti. The cushy upstairs dining room, meanwhile, remains a posh hideaway for a tasting menu adventure.

  Those eight-course $155 tastings have evolved gently, but always with seasonal surprises and a worldly repertoire of inspirations, from spiced coconut sabayon for the halibut to ethereal beet agnolotti with grilled blackberries, the signature sweetbreads with sweet plantains, and chawanmushi topped with tomatoes, corn, and Berbere-spiced crunch. Some creations are so exceptional, like the jerk quail with coco bread, this kitchen was understandably reluctant to remove it. But forward motion is inevitable for a restaurant whose reputation continues to grow. A luxurious upgrade to the dining room is planned for early 2023, while chef Chad, fresh off a reconnaissance trip to Europe, continuously refines the menu. One poetic new touch: a dashi fortified an hour before service with roasted vegetables from every course is poured like tea before dessert. It’s a deeply savory brew that harmonizes all the plates before it into a few luminous sips with a clear message. Friday Saturday Sunday’s powers of seduction have only grown more convincing with age.

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

• My Loup

  2005 Walnut St

  

  Philadelphians have watched Amanda Shulman evolve at light speed into super chef stardom at Her Place Supper Club as the 24-seat tasting room became, in just two years, one of the hardest reservations in town.

  The arrival of My Loup is the ultimate reply for those who crave more access to Shulman’s delicious universe — this time a high-energy collaboration with her French-Canadian husband and accomplished co-chef, Alex Kemp. About 20% of their 56-seater near Rittenhouse Square is set aside for walk-ins, and the long bar leads to a clubby dining room lined with tufted green banquettes and bookshelves that feels like a dinner party fueled by raw bar platters and cocktails.

  Kemp’s native Montréal, where they both worked in the Joe Beef orbit, inspires the rollicking menu, rooted in French classics tweaked with edgy Québecois wit and Philly seasonality. Delicately fried zucchini flowers come stuffed with smoked brandade. Lovage pesto elevates chilled mussels, while soft-shell crabs are accessorized with buttermilk and trout roe. A soft-serve swirl of corn custard and blueberry sorbet was a beautiful summer gift.

  My Loup is at its best when the kitchen cooks spontaneously (try the $100 four-course $ option) with large-format specials like an epic halibut tail special in Escoffier-rich sauce Américaine scattered with lobster and peas. Or a butter-basted côte de boeuf that’s now Philly’s most magnetic steak for two. Even the roast chicken is memorable here. Foraged chanterelles in foie gras sauce and schmaltz-wilted greens came with our golden dry-aged bird, which was cooked crispy skin side down from raw for 27 minutes from the moment it was ordered.

  “Yes, it’s cooked to order and it’s chaotic — but worth it,” says Kemp.

  Read More
  • Websitemyloupphl.com
  • Instagram@myloup.phl
  • Phone(267) 660-0005
Advertisement

• El Chingón

  1524 S 10th St

  

  A generation of veteran Mexican-born chefs have been transforming Philly’s dining scene, launching tributes to their homeland with personal projects after decades of working for others. This year, Carlos Aparicio, who hails from the tiny Puebla town of San Mateo Ozolco, added yet another distinctive layer of excellence to that story line with El Chingón, an irresistible all-day cafe and BYOB near East Passyunk.

  Given Aparicio’s history launching the bread program at Parc and then with pizza at Zavino, it’s no surprise that baking powers El Chingón’s concept. His particular obsession is the cemita sandwich, a swirl-topped sesame roll that’s a Puebla specialty piled high with all manner of stuffings. Try the clásica, a towering masterpiece of freshly breaded chicken milanesa layered with avocado, citrusy pápalo, smoky chipotles, and a cascading white fistful of shredded quesillo cheese.

  But Aparicio and his sisters’ inspired homage to Puebla goes well beyond. El Chingón offers a trio of superb tacos shaved off the trompo spit, from pork Árabes wrapped in sourdough flour tortillas to puya-spiced al pastor and skirt steak arrachera in recado negro. There are seasonal delights like colorful chiles en nogada when the late-summer walnuts are fresh, and weekend specials like spicy menudo stew to cure morning hangovers. The vibrant aguachiles should also not be missed, including a stunning beef carpaccio as well as a heart of palm version that’s one of many vegan options here, including a mushroom-based pastor and soulful pozole.

  But no meal at El Chingón is complete without a fresh concha for dessert. Stuffed with Nutella pastry cream and strawberries, it offers a fistful of crackly sweet pinole topping, brioche puff, silky cream and fruit — a multidimensional taste of one chef’s past, present, and future all in one sweet bite.

  Read More
  • Websiteelchingonphilly.com
  • Instagram@elchingonphilly
  • Phone(267) 239-2131

• Gamarjoba

  13033 Bustleton Ave

  

  These are high times for khachapuri in Philadelphia, as the famed Georgian cheese bread sailed into its Center City spotlight during the past year. You can now order an impressive variety in the boat-shaped Adjaruli style at sleek Saami Somi in the Reading Terminal Market. Even more variations are available at Sakartvelo, a bi-level BYOB on Chestnut Street from the owners of Georgian Bread.

  But a trip to Northeast Philly, the epicenter of the region’s post-Soviet émigré community, has never been more essential than since the emergence of Gamarjoba, whose liquor license and expansive new beer garden veranda represent an exciting next step for Philly’s Georgian scene. Hundreds of diners can pack the airy, enclosed hall (a.k.a. “the balcony”), sipping chacha brandy and Sapereravi while feasting on kebabs, fenugreek-scented stews, and juicy khinkali dumplings. And all manner of khachapuris, too, from delicately crusted Ajdarulis topped with egg yolks and butter mixed-in tableside, to cheesy Imeruli rounds and double-crusted Kubdaris stuffed with cuminy minced beef.

  Chef David Tsutsumia’s kitchen has an exceptional touch with a range of delicacies that help define Georgian cuisine as one of the world’s most distinctive. From the colorful phkali platter of chilled vegetable purees thickened with walnuts, to Cornish hens in garlic cream, ostri beef stew scented with currylike khmeli suneli and khinkali filled with a variety of juicy meats (try the lamb!), the flavors are hauntingly good. I also dream of the marinated grilled meats, the lamb chops, ground lula kebabs scented with barberries and sumac, and thick-cut lamb cubes get cooked over coals low and slow, scattered with raw onions and served with red and green tkemali for plum sauce for dipping.

  Gamarjoba means “hello” in Georgian. Now it’s time to learn, “I’ll be back soon!”

  Read More
  • Websitegamarjoba.us
  • Instagram@gamarjoba_restaurant
  • Phone(215) 677-6070

• Hearthside

  801 Haddon Ave, Collingswood, NJ

  

  The staff at Hearthside was about to sputter on its usual five-day workweek. But after a busy Christmas and an exhausted line cook’s resignation, owner Dominic Piperno knew it was time for a change. Returning to the pre-COVID pace of his hit Collingswood restaurant had been too taxing. So in spring, he and his wife, Lindsay, pulled back to four nights a week and moved to a tasting menu format to be more focused and be more efficient.

  It’s been a game changer for a sustainable work-life balance, as his staff regained a day for family time and rest. There have been downsides to limiting the menu and raising the cost with six-course tastings that range between $85 and $150. But walk-in seating outside with à la carte options offers a smart compromise.

  And the payoff has been worth it. With more time to collaborate with sous-chef Thomas Anastasia on new dishes for each biweekly menu, instead of the hamster wheel of 24 standing items, Hearthside feels rejuvenated and fresh. The modern American plates are more refined and ultra-seasonal. In summer, fried green tomatoes and sweet crab rolled into a course of fregola topped with roasted corn and smoked ricotta, a deconstructed elotes with an Italian twist. Grilled octopus drizzled with salsa macha perched atop citrusy papaya-mango salad. Roast duck breast came alongside a warm grilled apricot wrapped in sheer duck prosciutto. Pastry chef Kelly Bradley’s reinvented ice cream truck confection was a fresher, better strawberry dream. Subsequent themed menus showcased roasted porchetta. A two-pound ribeye for steak house night. Hand-cranked pasta with king crab. And then the wood-roasted delicata squash and plum tarts of fall.

  The challenge of reinvention has been just what Piperno and Hearthside needed: “I’ve found myself in the kitchen again, and we’ve found a new rhythm.”

  Read More
  • Websitehearthsidebyob.com
  • Instagram@hearthsidebyob
  • Phone(856) 240-1164

• Royal Sushi & Izakaya

  780 S 2nd St

  

  Philly’s most extraordinary sushi experience might as well be a private club. It now costs $230 to sit down for Jesse Ito’s gilded omakase at the back of Royal Sushi & Izakaya, and its 16 nightly seats are almost entirely pre-booked by regulars. That makes me appreciate the accessible izakaya portion of this Queen Village favorite all the more. As many as 200 diners a night can bop through this low-lit tavern, all 60 seats reserved for walk-ins. Arguably, it has Philly’s best collection of Japanese booze, with impressively informed servers who know the sakes they pour.

  The menu offers a singular combination of traditional and modern Japanese cooking. The izakaya’s sushi program is focused on pristine chirashi and rolls — like the fatty tuna rounds of negi toro or ikura-jeweled Aka-Taka. But hot food is the izakaya’s strength. You’ll find classics from Jesse’s semiretired chef dad, Matt Ito, like the spinach gomaae glazed in black sesame and sublimely minimalist salt-broiled mackerel. Chef Justin Bacharach brings the contemporary touch with miso-marinated lamb ribs, Sweet Amalia oysters broiled with nori butter, and a Taiyaki sundae with fish-shaped pancakes alongside jidori yolk vanilla ice cream glazed in strawberry red bean sauce.

  The smartest izakaya moves, though, benefit from the deluxe omakase — or at least the leftovers. For just $36, you can get a kabuto-age platter of fried heads and collars from all the rare Japanese fish for Ito’s tasting — a hands-on treasure hunt for sake-marinated flesh. Then there’s the Industry Chirashi, a steady takeout special only available for inside dining weekends after 9 p.m., a plastic pint tub of seasoned rice festooned with a dozen precious scraps — madai, saba and mirugai clam — for just $20. Delicious irony, perhaps? Philly’s biggest splurge is also responsible for one of its best deals.

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

• Laser Wolf

  1301 N Howard St

  

  There are many delicious corners of the ever-expanding CookNSolo universe, from the tasting menu of Zahav (and its new walk-in patio for hummus and nibbles) to the boreka paradise of K’far. But as even chef-owner Michael Solomonov concedes: “Laser Wolf is the restaurant we all want to eat in on our days off.”

  That’s because Kensington’s Laser Wolf, unlike its newer Brooklyn counterpart, still feels like a neighborhood restaurant, its airy warehouse space with roll-up doors and picnic tables alive with the aroma of skewered meats roasting in the open kitchen and a joyful energy that feels like a party. Reservations are tough here, too. But with 20 seats around the bar and chef’s counter for walk-ins (try early, late or midweek), chances of sating a craving for an arak-spiked cocktail with a koobideh kebab and hummus ringed by seasonal salatim are strong.

  Chef Andrew Henshaw’s constantly changing array of a dozen salads to anchor every meal is always satisfying, from shawarma-spiced cauliflower to lutenitsa and zucchini lit with schug. More intriguing: this modern take on an Israeli grill house named for the butcher in Fiddler on the Roof, which initially emphasized its meats, has taken cues from guests to recently focus more on fish and vegetables. I’m still savoring the hiramasa crudo with corn tzatziki and the grill-crisped dorade with chermoula. The smoked cabbage steak is a recent Solomonov obsession. But my new favorite is the deconstructed sabich sandwich, a luscious slice of eggplant dusted in fragrant amba powder grilled to a crisp then topped with crunchy tart fried green tomatoes, Aleppo chili crunch and tahini infused with more of amba’s tangy-sweet fermented mango. “I was half-asleep,” Henshaw recalls, “when it just popped into my brain.” Another delicious corner of the CookNSolo universe revealed!

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

• Laurel

  1617 E Passyunk Ave

  

  How to remain relevant after 10 years near the top? For Nicholas Elmi’s Laurel, that meant zigging back to à la carte while other high-end Philadelphia restaurants zagged into the post-pandemic efficiency of prix fixe menus. This is version 3.0 for Laurel, the gastro-atelier Elmi launched after winning Top Chef a decade ago, before shifting into tasting menus in 2016.

  But the tastings in recent years had become overwrought.

  “I kept trying to outsmart myself,” Elmi said, confirming my own impressions. He now has a bright talent in chef de cuisine Kevin McWilliams to help transform Laurel again.

  The space underwent its own makeover into a more casual modern bistro, exposing whitewashed brick, adding smoked mirrors, and black leather chairs. Check averages dropped dramatically, from $210 to $120, but nearly double the number of diners, including more neighborhood visitors, means greater accessibility has compensated.

  The key to its success has been the culinary symbiosis between Elmi and McWilliams, a River Twice alum. The new approach has unlocked their creativity and helped focus on refining just a few elements per plate. Pristine Jersey fluke crudo fans over the fruity essence of dehydrated strawberries and cherry vinegar. Ribboned squash tangles with the richness of toasted pistachio puree and coconut that pops with citrusy beads of finger lime. Gorgeous scallops bask in oyster cream, while pickled mussels over dabs of paprika aioli hide beneath shiso leaves. The juicy flesh of a butter-roasted poussin, meanwhile, levitates between the dappled leaves of bitter Castelfranco radicchio and plumes of enoki soaking in chicken jus and ponzu. Pure poultry intensity.

  Add a stellar bar and seamless service overseen by general manager Jane Fryer, and Laurel 3.0 has become a rare combination: a polished veteran restaurant that suddenly feels new.

  Read More
  • Websiterestaurantlaurel.com
  • Instagram@laurelepx
  • Phone(215) 271-8299
Advertisement

• Andiario

  106 W Gay St, West Chester

  

  What’s for dinner? It is always a mystery until you sit down at Andiario. But I know a few things for certain — if you’re lucky enough to score a prized reservation at West Chester’s Italian-inspired locavore gem, your four-course meal will be kissed by the wood-fired hearth. It will beguile you with exceptional pasta. And chef Anthony Andiario’s command of the region’s seasonal bounty is so profound that the flavors will resonate long after the fleeting moment of those foraged golden chanterelles, perfect heirloom tomatoes, or flock of plump guinea hens have come and gone.

  Cooking seasonally has become commonplace. But few chefs have the kind of intimate, fluid dialogue with a dozen of the region’s best farmers as Andiario does. He doesn’t preprint or promote his ever-changing menus because the ingredients are often still ripening in the fields right up until the Wednesday morning they launch for the week. Like the dense costata romanesco zucchini from Campo Rosso Farm that were fire-roasted and flash pickled with wild Italian mint for the hand-creased spaccatelli noodles. Or the new growth tenerumi vines of cucuzza squash tempura-fried to a delightful crunch that launched our meal. The small farm Andiario tends at home with partner Maria van Schaijik is also blooming, providing fresh borlotti beans and deep green tomato leaf oil for an inventive seafood salad scattered with feathery plumes of chilled poached skate.

  The couple are now also pasturing steers to supplement the house ingredients, along with crusty loaves from their La Baguette Magique bakery, like the chanterelles-infused levain that elevated the smoky guinea hen with mushrooms to legendary status. Served with the grace of an experienced staff atop ceramics, hand-carved wood and blown glass from nearby artisans, dinner at Andiario is always the epitome of local excellence.

  Read More
  • Websiteandiario.com
  • Instagram@anthonyandiario
  • Phone(484) 887-0919