30 reasons why Queen Village is the hottest food neighborhood in Philly right now

Philadelphia’s restaurant hotbeds are Fishtown, Kensington, and the perennially popular Rittenhouse Square.

But for the last year or so, I’d argue that Philadelphia’s hottest food neighborhood is Queen Village, home of mainstays such as Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Famous 4th St. Deli, Southwark, Bridget Foy’s, and Fitz on Fourth.

By my count, 30 new restaurants and food retailers have opened or will open in the coming weeks in and around the neighborhood, whose formal boundaries are Lombard Street to Washington Avenue and Front to Sixth Streets.

The newcomers span cuisines and price points. There are two ramen specialists; three Mexican restaurants (two side by side on Lombard Street); BYOBs representing Peruvian, Tunisian, Korean, Venezuelan, and Kazakh cooking; a chocolatier; a bakery and gelato shop under one roof; and a special-occasion restaurant behind a door secured with a combination lock. And because this is Philadelphia, three Italian restaurants.

Why Queen Village? Much of the activity is on or near South Street, which is enjoying a resurgence. One catalyst has been the spring reopening of its top destination eatery, Jim’s Steaks, which was rebuilt and expanded after a 2022 fire.

» READ MORE: What to do on South Street

A few of the 30 are technically a block outside Queen Village’s boundaries, but nonetheless are integral parts of the neighborhood scene. Also worth noting is the historic re-creation of A Man Full of Trouble Tavern, opening soon just a few blocks north in Society Hill at 127 Spruce St.

Adoro, 769 E. Passyunk Ave.

Chef Florin Matranxhi, born to a restaurant family in Albania, spent time at Center City’s La Viola and La Verona before taking over the corner of East Passyunk Avenue and Catharine Street with his own low-key, white-tablecloth Italian BYOB. Along with modest-priced standards (figure low-$20s for chicken Parm and chicken marsala) are shrimp risotto, filled pastas, and fish specials. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Capri, 757 S. Front St.

The six Parllaku brothers, Albanian-born restaurateurs, each has a son, so that explains “six cousins, one table” as the tagline of this polished Italian-Mediterranean bar-restaurant. They bought the building (which previously housed Fiore Fine Foods), redid the second floor as private dining, and added a pergola for seasonal outdoor dining. The front-of-the-house face is Arjan Parllaku, who worked with his father, Enver, helping to run La Fontana Della Citta near Rittenhouse Square. Entrees are mostly in the $20s for pasta into the low $40s for short rib and rack of lamb. Open for dinner daily from mid-afternoon, and for brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday to Sunday.

ESO Ramen Workshop, 526 S. Fourth St.

This is the temporary, six-seat incarnation of favorite Neighborhood Ramen while owners Jesse Pryor and Lindsay Steigerwald await their visas for a planned relocation to Japan. ESO — as in “esoteric” — operates first come, first served from noon to 2:30 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. No photos are allowed inside. Slurp and leave.

Jerk Fry City, 602 South St.

Abbygale Bloomfield of Southwest Philadelphia’s vaunted Kingston 11 has brought her Jamaican cooking to South Street with a takeout shop offering jerk fried chicken, jerk cheesesteaks, and dishes like oxtail rasta pasta. It opens at 1 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday and stays open late.

Momoka Ramen, 705 E. Passyunk Ave.

The casual ramen shop from Northeast Philadelphia has expanded into the glass-mosaic-clad building near Fifth and Bainbridge Streets that previously housed Algorithm Vegan Grill. Get a seat, pick up a laminated menu, and use a marker to choose your ramen build. Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday, daily for dinner.

Orale Venezuela, 775 S. Front St.

Venezuelan-born Jesus Contreras and Marilyn Gutierrez Rivera’s BYOB in the former Catahoula space specializes in Venezuelan cuisine, but Mexican also shares the menu. Breakfast (from 10 a.m.) includes empanadas and pastelitos andinos, while you can score dishes like parrillada mixto, patacón, and tacos (on corn or flour tortillas) the rest of the day. Recommendation: the capachas with shredded beef, a sweet/savory/cheesy flavor bomb. There’s a patio in season. Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Provenance, 408 S. Second St.

Chef Nich Bazik’s ambitious French-inspired atelier on Headhouse Square delivers nearly two dozen intricate courses in handsome quarters tucked behind a door secured by a keypad. Open by reservation.

Samuel Gritz Public House, 629 S. Second St.

The crew from the Institute — Charlie Collazo, Neil Campbell, and Frank Bell III — have reworked the Irish Times at Second and Bainbridge Streets into a quaint corner barroom that spans several levels. The signature is the burger, which is topped with Gorgonzola and bacon on a potato bun. Note the late-night happy hours starting at 10 p.m. Open from 4 p.m. to late daily, plus weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Silk Way, 507 S. Sixth St.

Kazakhstan is at the crossroads of central Asia, and Olzhas Karymsakov’s menu pays tribute to the food of his native land (he’s the son of a restaurateur). You will find homespun takes on plov, lagman, and beshbarmak in a simple but cozy dining room. Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Birdhouse Gelato and The Underbite Bites, 806 S. Sixth St.

A gelateria and bakery sharing core values — ethical sourcing, fair pay, ecological consciousness — will jointly operate inside the former Dessert. It’s due to open in early December.

Good Good Chocolates, 746 S. Fourth St.

Eight-plus years after launching her artisanal chocolate brand, Lisa Schoenbeck opens her shop Nov. 23. It’s a 300-square-foot showroom for her chocolate bars, bonbons, chocolate truffles, pate de fruits, etc., while the rest is set up for production, previously housed at MaKen Studios North in Kensington.

Loretta’s, 410 S. Second St.

The female-led team behind the neighboring Bloomsday (and Green Engine Coffee) — Kelsey Bush, Sara May, and D’Onna Stubblefield — are days away from the soft-opening of this café/bakery offering sweet and savory viennoiserie-style pastries, seasonal breakfast and lunch items, and coffees on Headhouse Square.

Majdal Bakery, 618 S. Fifth St.

Saturday will be the brick-and-mortar debut of this Levantine bakery from Kenan Rabah, who emigrated from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights in 2015, started at Lost Bread Co. in 2019, and rose to head baker before leaving in January to go the pop-up route with a line of tarts and breads. Examples: börek, potato fatayer (a sort of potato pie), sfiha (topped flatbreads), and talami (a sweet spiced flatbread). There will be limited seating. Initial hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.

Nikki Lopez, 306 South St.

Live-music venue from New York scenesters Nikki Lopez and Matthew Paneth on the former site of Dobbs. They promise cheap drinks and a food menu consisting of hot dogs. Opening is TBD.

Roxanne, 607 S. Second St.

Alex Holt, who made waves in the Italian Market with her quirky tasting menus, is moving into Queen & Rook’s former space with a bigger footprint. Holt, running events in the new space but sold out for the rest of the year, will open for regular reservations in 2025.

Scampi, 617 S. Third St.

Liz Grothe, who hit the radar through her Couch Cafe pop-ups, is setting up a supper-club-style BYOB in the former Neighborhood Ramen space with a fixed-price menu featuring monthly focuses on various regions of Italy, seen through the lens of her Oklahoma upbringing. Opening target is Dec. 1.

Alma de Mexico, 124 Lombard St.

Chefs Maria Teresa Calles, Jorge Abad Baltazar, and Manuel Ferrer are behind this cozy, festive BYOB known for home-style cooking, including tlacoyos, burritos on spinach tortillas, and weekend barbacoa. It’s open from lunch till late weekdays, and from 9 a.m. till late weekends; closed Tuesdays.

Bon Kif Grill, 627 South St.

Hamid Taleb owns restaurants in his native Tunisia, but during the pandemic he operated a trucking company in the United States. He opened this cheery cafe on South Street about a year ago. Everything is scratch-made, and he has an on-site baker making the plump, square pitas. Menu favorites include creamy hummus, shawarma, and lamb chops, all halal. It’s open late, but start times vary (9 a.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday and Saturday, but not till 2 p.m. Friday).

Braza’s BBQ Chicken, 326 South St.

The Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken and salchi-papas are staples at Juan Placencia’s storefront, but for a change of pace, try the tallarin a la huancaina, sort of a creamy Peruvian spaghetti. BYOB — beer is best. It’s open noon till late daily.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, 308 South St.

You get your dumplings over a counter at any other restaurant, but here they’re served Automat-style — hot or cold — at this quick-service chain (founded in Manhattan). There is seating at small tables on the ground floor and a dining room upstairs. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, till 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday.

Jim’s South Street, 400 South St.

Jim’s, easily the most popular eatery on South Street, came back after a fire in April, and it’s twice its original size, having subsumed Eye’s Gallery next door. Eye’s mosaics, created by Isaiah Zagar, are part of the furnishings. It opens at 11 a.m. and stays open till 1 a.m. (till 3 on weekends).

Nam Chon, 228 South St.

The “grand opening” sign still hangs behind the counter at this homey year-old Korean BYOB, where the Yi family offers free banchan and the menu highlights includes cheese tteokbokki, brisket kimchi jjigae, and beef bibimbap. It’s open from noon till late every day but Tuesday.

Queen & Rook Game Cafe, 123 South St.

Edward Garcia and Jeannie Wong have relocated and expanded their game cafe in the former Pietro’s pizzeria, around the corner from their original location. It’s equal parts restaurant, bar, and retail game and puzzle store. Open 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Ramiz, 218 South St.

The $15 weekday early bird dinner (4 to 6 p.m.) is the draw at this modern, white-tablecloth Turkish/Mediterranean bar-restaurant, which owner Sal Kucuk refashioned recently from Leziz. (He owns His & Hers, a restaurant/hookah lounge, next door.) It opens at 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, at 2 p.m. on weekends, and stays open late.

Room 148, 148 South St.

This chill date-night destination in the old Las Bugambilias spot is known for its Taco Tuesday promotions and DJs on Friday and Saturday. It opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, and stays open till midnight every night but Friday and Saturday, when it’s open till 2 a.m.

Shiso, 604 South St.

There’s a secret weapon behind the counter at this smart-looking ramen and sushi bar-restaurant in the former Serpico: sushi chef Yonten Gyamtso, an alum of Umami Steak & Sushi Bar, who works from a menu but will gladly go off-script if asked (sit at the sushi counter for the true experience). It opens at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and wraps things up at 9, but opens at 11:30 a.m. and keeps later hours Friday to Sunday.

Taco Man, 942 S. Fifth St.

El Rancho Viejo has given way to this all-day Mexican spot, where Joel Orellana Hernandez’s from-scratch food (asada, carnitas, and especially the lengua tacos) generates solid word-of-mouth praise. He starts for breakfast (7 a.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. weekends) and closes the door at 10 p.m. on weeknights, 11:30 p.m. weekends.

Tamalex Bar & Grill, 122 Lombard St.

The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan enjoyed this family-owned cantina near Headhouse Square, a more-polished offshoot of the humble Italian Market original, with plenty of seating for larger parties and “beach resort”-style cocktails up at the bar.

Wim Cafe, 226 South St.

The chic Yowie hotel hosts this bright cafe serving a morning-till-midafternoon menu of coffees and light food. Closed Monday.