03/26/2023
After finishing a great private tour with us you'll be hungry, so...
Tripadvisor recognizes Philadelphia as a great restaurant city, highlighting mostly female owned/run restaurants...
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If you’ve been following The WeekEnder, you know that we love to experience the world through our taste buds. So this weekend, we’re making a delicious escape to Philadelphia to eat our way through a city that is known for its buzzing food scene.
“People call Philadelphia ‘The City of Brotherly Love,’ and I want to add to that. I call it ‘The City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love…of Food,” says Jeff Lek “JL” Jupiter, a social media star who is passionate about promoting under-the-radar restaurants to his loyal (and hungry) followers on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
When many people think of Philly food, they think of the humble cheesesteak—but in recent years, the landscape has exploded. “Philadelphia’s food scene is one of the best in the country. You can find a restaurant of almost any kind here—Ethiopian, Korean, Latin, Italian,” says Ellen Yin, a food-world icon who opened the groundbreaking Fork 25 years ago and now has a growing empire with her company, High Street Hospitality Group.
This is from The WeekEnder series: local insider guides for new destinations a short drive from New York City, delivered to your inbox twice a month. Sign up here!
JL and Ellen are just two of the plugged-in locals who we are going to introduce you to in this food-themed issue of the WeekEnder. You’ll also meet James Beard-nominated chef Adam Diltz, whose Elwood Restaurant showcases Philly’s historic foodways. Then there’s Tonii Hicks, an up-and-comer who is currently the guest chef at Volvér. These insiders will spill their secret addresses, from bucket-list destinations to hole-in-the-wall street-food spots that are blazing new paths. Now, let’s eat.
-Laura Begley Bloom, New York's Senior WeekEnder Writer
Ellen Yin: Celebrating Women Restaurateurs
Yin in blazer and black collar shirt smiling in front of wine bottles
Ellen Yin
Restaurateur Ellen Yin has been called “the woman who first transformed Philadelphia’s dining scene.” She is the force behind trendsetters like Fork (hyper-seasonal, ingredient-driven cuisine), High Street (an artisanal bakery and chic cafe), High Street Hoagies (reinventing the humble hoagie), and a.kitchen (a rustic French-American restaurant). “The phrase ‘farm-to-table’ didn’t even exist when I first opened Fork 25 years ago,” she says. “But we’ve always been about responsible sourcing and eating locally and trying to support local agriculture.”
These days, Ellen is dedicated to supporting the next generation of chefs through projects like Sisterly Love Collective, which empowers and advances women in food and hospitality. So it’s no surprise that her list of favorite places in Philly is focused on female trailblazers.
Skillet cornbread and bacon cheeseburger
Rex at the Royal
Gabriella’s Vietnam in South Philadelphia - “Chef Thanh Nguyen is the place for modern Vietnamese cuisine, with wraps, dumplings, charcuterie, and more. Two of my favorites: bánh xèo and winter flounder. It’s fun to eat here because it’s very communal, with family-style dining.”
Machine Shop in South Philadelphia - “During the pandemic, Emily Riddell expanded her bakery in the Bok Building, which is one of the coolest places in Philly—a creative reuse of a former school that’s home to vintage stores, plant shops, artists, you name it. Now, the Machine Shop has a seating area and the space feels very industrial and cool. Don’t miss Emily’s laminated pastries: They’re gorgeous.”
Kalaya in Fishtown - “I admire owner Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon so much. She grew her small neighborhood Thai restaurant into a gorgeous, 150-seater in Fishtown and didn’t skip a beat. It’s elegant and it also has a great beverage program. If you like Thai, Asian, or spicy food, you'll love it.”
Left: Restaurant with wood floors and dining tables; Right: Tray of pastries like croissants and cookies
Gabriella’s Vietnam (L), Machine Shop (R)
South Philly Barbacoa in the Italian Market - “Owner Cristina Martinez just won a James Beard Award. I love the lamb and the tacos, and I just love eating here.”
Rex at the Royal on South Street - “Jill Weber is an archaeologist and just restored the old Royal Theater, where Rex is located. She has an incredible knowledge of natural wine and serves finds from unexpected areas like Georgia and Syria. I love what she’s doing.”
Biederman’s Specialty Foods in Bella Vista - “I love gravlax and smoked fish, and Lauren Biederman’s shop is the only place where you can get bagels, spreads, and caviar at this level in the same place. It’s simple, yet so good.“
Jezabel’s in West Philadelphia - “Chef Jezabel Careaga’s empanadas are homemade and really delicious.”
Jeff Lek "JL” Jupiter: Discovering the Secret Spots
JL smiling, wearing black shirt, jean jacket, and gold necklace, while standing in front of brick building
Jeff Lek "JL” Jupiter
While Jeff Lek "JL” Jupiter has no professional food background, he is a voracious eater—and his viral videos can transform a restaurant’s business overnight. “I love to discover mom-and-pop shops. Philly has a lot of hidden gems, but people sometimes don't want to give up the goods, so I do my own research and find them myself,” says JL.
Here are his picks for a weekend of good dining at some of the best under-the-radar spots in the city.
Indoor market with various vendors and people sitting at plastic tables
Reading Terminal Market
Southeast Asian Market in FDR Park - “This is a hidden secret. It’s a makeshift market with affordable, dope food like papaya salad, fried bananas, and stuffed chicken wings (a must-try). I want instant gratification, so I go to whichever line is the shortest. It opens for the season on April 1.”
Saad Halal in University City - “This started as a food truck and now has a bricks-and-mortar location. It has one of the most amazing sandwiches you can eat in Philadelphia that’s not a cheesesteak or a hoagie: a chicken maroosh sandwich with grilled chicken, a garlic white spread, and pickles.”
Juana Tamale in South Philadelphia - “The owner Jennifer Zavala started cooking at a kitchen inside of a theater, and every weekend she would make birria tacos that are insanely delicious. Now she has her own storefront.”
Left: Woven tray of finger foods; Right: Three tacos with meat and melted cheese
Southeast Asian Market (L), Juana Tamale (R)
Cluck and Gills in Germantown - “All they do is serve fish and chicken. Don't miss the fried shrimp platter and the crab fries topped with real crab. And the crab fries are made with real crab. They have the streets buzzing.”
Max’s Steaks in North Philadelphia - “Everyone knows Pat’s and Geno’s for cheesesteaks, but that’s not where the locals eat. Max’s is an institution—a staple to the community. The cheesesteak is gargantuan and juicy and they fix it how you like it. The neighborhood classic way to eat it is with mayo, fried onions, ketchup, mustard, hot peppers, pickles, salt, and pepper.”
Freddy & Tony’s in Fairhill - “It’s Puerto Rican food and about as authentic as you can get: pernil with arroz con gandules, roasted chicken, empanadas. It’s legendary in the Philly area.”
Reading Terminal Market in Center City - “I love this place. It has over 80 merchants and lots of history. It has the oldest ice cream shop in the United States, great cheesesteaks, an Amish market, and Hershels Deli, which does a mean pastrami sandwich.”
Adam Diltz: Food With Meaning
Diltz plating a dish in the kitchen around other staff
Adam Diltz
Part-chef, part-historian, Adam Diltz grew up hunting, fishing, and pulling turnips from his great grandfather’s farm. Later, he stumbled upon Dr. William Woys Weaver’s book, Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking, which sparked a curiosity about the cuisine rooted in the country culture of his childhood. At Elwood, a one-of–a-kind Fishtown restaurant that has become a darling of the food world, Adam’s recipes are a nod to this city’s culinary roots—from Native American to Dutch to Creole—including dishes that used to be all the rage back in the day, like turtle soup, catfish and waffles, and ham pot pie. Get there now to try shad, a rare fish that’s in season for just a few weeks; it used to be popular with the Native Americans and colonists.
What Adam loves about Philly: “It’s a place where you can take a risk—where you can find restaurateurs who are doing things that have meaning and feeling,” he says. So check out some of the worthy spots on Adam’s hit list.
Several types of skewered meats
Sophie's Kitchen
Vientiane Bistro in Kensington - “It’s a BYOB with Laotian cuisine. The woman who runs it, Sunny, does a great brisket pho, and I always love to get the fried fish special.”
Sophie's Kitchen in South Philadelphia - “This Southeast Asian spot in South Philly is run by a husband and wife team and is the place for fried quails, fried frog legs, curries, and mussels with coconut. It’s really good.”
Las Cazuelas in Northern Liberties - “My buddy Freddy runs it. He was doing birria tacos before anyone else. I also love his sopasitos (corn patties topped with refried beans) and ceviches.”
Left: Birria taco being dipped in juice; Right: Several ice cream sundae cups with churros
Las Cazuelas (L), El Merkury (R)
El Merkury in Center City - “She has a restaurant on Chestnut Street and another one in Reading Market. Her pupusas and her churros are awesome.”
Sulimay’s in Fishtown - “An old-school Fishtown diner with scrapple and whitefish. His eggs Bensington are to die for.”
Tai Lake in Chinatown - “It’s the best Chinese in Chinatown, with a focus on seafood—think sea snails and black bean sauce.”
Tonii Hicks: Authentic Local Spots
Hicks smiling and wearing black shirt with "Chef Tonii Hicks" written on it, while sitting on chair
Tonii Hicks
“We’re way more than the cheesesteak: Philly is such a huge melting pot of cultures, with Cambodian food, Southern food, Black American food, and Chinese food,” says James Beard fellow Tonii Hicks, a culinary wunderkind who you’ll want to have on your radar. Tonii got her start through the Careers through Culinary Arts Program, an organization that provides underserved teens a pathway to success. Now this up-and-comer is making waves in the dining scene as a private chef with pop-ups around the city, including her current stint as guest chef at Volvér, a fine-dining restaurant in the Kimmel Center. She's also involved in several projects dedicated to ending food insecurity in Philly. Here are a few of Tonii’s top spots.
Hand holding up hoagie sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onions
Honeysuckle Provisions
Honeysuckle Provisions in West Philly - “A really good café and grocery store with a big focus on Black and Afro-centric food. They serve something called the ‘Dolla hoagie’ because in Philly, we used to eat one-dollar hoagies at the corner store. It comes with turkey or fermented turnips, benne-seed mayo, and bread made in-house.”
Uncle Bobbie’s in Germantown - “Amazing pastries, coffee, plus a great selection of books to read.”
Left: Red mug stacked on top of white mug with "Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books" written on them; Right: Wooden bar with "Never grow up" neon sign
Uncle Bobbie’s (L), Middle Child Clubhouse (R)
Middle Child Clubhouse in Fishtown - “A really chill, retro spot with a creative menu of upscale bar food like a cornflake-crusted tofu sandwich, fennel salad topped with pear mostarda, and snickerdoodle crème brûlée. Their cocktails are really good, especially the espresso-tinis.”
Lokal Artisan Foods in various locations - “You can find owner Charisse McGill at different festivals and events in the area, like the year-round Cherry Street Pier and Spruce Street Harbor Park in the summer. Her French Toast Bites are a delicious street-food snack that you can eat for breakfast or late at night, and Charisse also has her own beer, spice, and coffee.”
Where to stay
Left: Bedroom with tall ceilings, contemporary furniture, and neutral colors; Right: Living space with gray carpet and couch, white fireplace, and sink area
Lokal Hotel (L), AKA Rittenhouse Square (R)
Here are some of our insiders’ picks for the best places to stay.
For Instagrammers: Lokal Hotel in Fishtown and Old City - “I love this new concept,” says Ellen Yin. Lokal is a non-hotel, meaning: It’s similar to an Airbnb, but better, with high technology and “invisible service” from local owners who have curated everything to a T. There’s an open and airy design, with rooms named for notable Philly figures like Ben and Betsy (as in Franklin and Ross).
For foodies: Wm. Mulherin’s Sons Hotel in Fishtown - An 1890 whiskey factory has been converted into this rustic guesthouse with four rooms for rent and a wood-fired Italian restaurant downstairs. “It’s an eclectic spot and a great place to experience Fishtown, a cool neighborhood with lots of innovators and great eats,” says JL Jupiter.
For living like a local: AKA Rittenhouse Square in Center City - Right on Philadelphia’s most glamorous square, this landmark building has residences with full kitchens—perfect for long-term stays. “I’m biased because we operate a.kitchen, which is located here,” says Ellen.
For history buffs: Guild House Hotel in Center City - This space used to be home to the New Century Guild, a landmark group that was founded in 1882 to support working women. Now it has been transformed into a luxury boutique hotel set in Philly’s historic district. “Each room has its own story,” says Ellen. “It’s a beautifully executed project.”
Visit Philly Discover Philadelphia
Philadelphia is a melting pot of flavors, making it a great pick for a foodie getaway. Here, Philly experts show you how to eat like a local.
