Your cheat sheet to 110+ new restaurants in 2025 | Let’s Eat
Craig LaBan’s dream dishes, how to get into Mawn, and how to (maybe) snag a Palizzi membership.
If you enjoy trying new restaurants, 2025 should be your dream year. I’ve rounded up at least 110 projected openings throughout the region, in a variety of styles and price points.
Also in this edition:
Craig LaBan’s favorite dishes: Among the gazillion or so things our critic ate last year, here are his 30 most memorable bites.
The hottest restaurant in town: How do you crack the code at Mawn?
Elaine Tait, 1936-2024: We remember the longtime Inquirer food writer/critic.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
The crop of new restaurants for 2025 has everything from high-end Japanese, Mexican, and Korean restaurants to Indian ice cream and pancake doughnuts. I offer first word of Jeffrey Chodorow’s first Philadelphia restaurant (opening at the Bellevue), a branch of James Beard winner Tyson Cole’s Uchi (opening near Rittenhouse), and an all-day bakery-cafe-tavern in Chestnut Hill serving “edgy, eclectic comfort food.” (Has “Chestnut Hill” and “edgy” ever appeared in the same sentence before?) Get comfy and dig into this round-up.
❓Why has the Philadelphia market become so popular among out-of-town restaurant groups? I can explain.
🤔 What do you make of the influx of out-of-towners? Will this make the scene more exciting, or potentially overshadow home-grown restaurants? One hot take: The transplanted chefs and managers may stick around to open their own restaurants here, infusing new energy. Let me know your thoughts.
Craig LaBan showcases more than 30 special dishes that defined Philly’s food story in 2024, from rarefied sushi and unforgettable tasting menu highlights to distinctive burgers, innovative vegetable cookery, ethereal pastas, and a frozen cheese course unlike anything he’s eaten before.
Mawn in South Philadelphia is one of the hottest and toughest reservations in town. Kiki Aranita spills the code to help you crack it.
OpenTable, the oldest and largest online reservation site, is suddenly signing up hip restaurants. Jenn Ladd explains why.
Bye, bucatini. Hello, caramelle and mafaldine. Deputy food editor Margaret Eby indulged in extensive pasta research last year, twirling her fork around dozens of noodles. Read on as she tells you the hot girl pasta shapes of 2025.
Elaine Tait was the heart of The Inquirer’s food coverage for 35 years, reaching millions through more than 3,000 “Dining Out” columns, restaurant reviews, feature stories, and recipes before her 1998 retirement. (Elaine is shown above in 1978 with chef Georges Perrier, at left.) She died last month at 88, and we remember her.
Sean McGranaghan of Winnie’s in Manayunk, incoming president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, died Christmas Day at 48.
Scoops
Sagami, the landmark Japanese restaurant in Collingswood, has a new owner: Alan Su, a longtime acquaintance of chef Shigeru Fukuyoshi, who retired. Su said little would change.
The Kimmel Center has set a Jan. 14 opening for Curtain Call, its all-day café and cocktail lounge in the lobby (300 S. Broad St.), replacing Garces Trading Co. It’s run by new operator Rhubarb Hospitality Collection by Oak View Group. Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Last call will be one hour post-performance at all Ensemble Arts Philly venues, and happy hour will be 4-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Expect word soon on an RHC-run restaurant replacing Volvér.
January tends to be a heightened month for restaurant closings, as restaurateurs take stock of the prior year.
Grace Tavern’s last call after 20 years will be Sunday. “After the [pandemic] shutdown, we never came back with the people, but we have the expenses and loans, so it’s been a battle,” said Fergus “Fergie” Carey, who’s been part of the cozy institution near 23rd and South Streets since its 2004 opening. He said he might sell the building but would also entertain offers to lease it. (Grace’s signature blackened green beans? Do them yourself: Mix Hungarian paprika, kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, dried thyme, and dried oregano in a bowl. Blanch and shock fresh green beans, then dry them. Swirl butter and oil in a hot skillet, drop in the beans, sprinkle on the seasoning, and cook till it blackens.)
Morea and Wrap Shack, side by side on 11th Street near Sansom across from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, are closed. Owner Scott Hochfield cited rising food costs and hiring woes.
Restaurant report
TingTing’s Cafe. Dan Tsao, whose Szechuan restaurant EMei is one of Chinatown’s culinary stars (and is included in The Inquirer’s 76 guide), is behind this comfy BYOB in the former MoreSugar space at 11th and Cherry Streets.
Tsao says he and culinary director Wei Wen are inspired by the flavors of Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng, the territory’s affordable diners that serve Western-influenced Cantonese dishes.
“We’re aiming to strike a balance between staying true to HK influences and giving ourselves the creative freedom to reimagine things a bit,” he said. Wen has cooked French, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese food over his 28-year career; he spent six years as an executive chef at Susanna Foo.
The all-day menu is gloriously all over the place: wings ($9.95), grilled hamachi collar ($12.95), loaded sweet potato fries ($10.95), curry beef stew ($14.95), curry chicken cutlet over rice ($14.95), fried pork chop bao ($12.95), spaghetti with beef and peppers in a black pepper mushroom sauce ($16.95, shown above), and one of the most luxuriant burgers around: a double-smash ($14.95) with cheese and tempura bacon, plus a side of fries. There’s a breakfast-like three-egg omelet stuffed with char siu and scallions and drizzled with a soy glaze, served over a mound of white rice (shown below, $12.95).
TingTing’s Cafe, 125 N. 11th St. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesday. Wheelchair accessible.
Briefly noted
Little Water, which opened in late October at 261 S. 20th St., starts lunch on Jan. 14. Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Dining room is reservable on OpenTable, while walk-ins can sit at or around the bar and raw bar. Sample dishes: fried oyster BLT with pickled green tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, and smoked bacon, as well as redfish on the half-shell, seasoned with fennel pollen and lemon and served with smoked potato salad garnished with caperberries and fresh horseradish.
Rival Bros Coffee’s Washington Square West location is open at the Jessup House (1134 Sansom St.). Like the Brewerytown location, this one has an expanded menu with sandwiches, salads, etc., and hours from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends.
Dreamworld Bakes, Kensington’s latest bakery, specializes in sparkly cakes, glittering brownies, and savory breakfast pastries. Jenn Ladd chatted up Ashley Huston, whose custom-cake business first blossomed during the pandemic.
Center City District Restaurant Week has gathered 100 restaurants for $20 lunches and $40 and $60 dinners from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1. Dear Daphni is the sole newcomer on the list.
Jezabel Careaga will teach alfajor-making at a Jan. 23 class at her shop, Jezabel’s (206-208 S. 45th St.). Starts at 6 p.m. The $80pp tab, bookable on Resy, includes post-class tea sandwiches and In Pursuit of Tea infusions to accompany the Argentine cookies filled with dulce de leche.
Ember & Ash (1520 E. Passyunk Ave.) will add Lunar New Year-inspired dishes from Jan. 27-31. Chef Scott Calhoun will cook dishes close to the heart of his wife, Lulu, including her grandmother’s dumplings, noodles, and turnip cakes. The Calhouns also will host Dan Tsao of Chinatown’s EMei for a one-night fusion feast (seatings start at 5:30 p.m.) that’s $75pp plus tax/tip and bookable on Resy.
Kampar (611 S. Seventh St.) will mark Lunar New Year with a $138pp four-course tasting menu, offered Jan. 29-Feb. 1, including Poon Choi, a classic feast consisting of nine dishes presented as one big dish. Details are here.
❓Pop quiz
A Pennsylvania winery is using a different vessel for one of its red wines. Is it:
A) a paint can
B) a milk carton
C) one of those obscenely large Stanley bottles
D) a box
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
What’s up with memberships to Palizzi Social Club? I was late to the party when it opened, and now it appears they won’t be issuing new ones. Any intel? — John S.
Good news. Owner/president/chef Joey Baldino told me that the board of the retro-chic South Philly club is meeting in April to potentially authorize new members and that the rolls could open in May. Stay tuned. In the meantime, Palizzi-ites should not try selling a membership card, as one guy did a few years ago.
📮 Have a question about food in Philly? E-mail your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.