1 – Vetri Cucina: Vetri Cucina is simply the most perfect dining experience I’ve ever had. The food is orgasmic, perfect in preparation, balance, flavor, texture, and presentation. The wine pairing is astounding. Each glass comes with an explanation that sounds nearly impossible. You’ll hear things like this and not really know how to react: “This is a bottle of wine that is made in only small quantities by a monastery a top a mountain on the Italian side of the Italian Alps by a group of 12 monks that have taken an oath of poverty and silence. They only make 500 cases each year and sell the wine to support their monastic work. In order to get a bottle you have to trek to the top of the mountain with a guide and carry the wine down by hand as there are no roads that can support cars to the top of the mountain.” The pacing is perfect. You tell your waiter what your preferences are and then the chef simply surprises you with a tasting experience that spans nearly a dozen small dishes. The evening out will cost you and entire paycheck for many people. It’s not a cheap experience. But, it’s well worth it.
2 – Vernick Food & Drink: Vernick has taken seemingly simple dishes and poured hours of obsessive dedication into every minute of their preparation. They have a dizzying array of toasts, basically reinventing the form. Their locally sourced Amish chicken, sourced from a cooperative of farms that raise their chickens under very strict and humane guidelines, goes under a brine for 12 hours, before it is steamed at a really low temperature for about two hours to keep it nice and moist without putting any aggressive heat into the protein. Then butter is injected under the skin and it is finished in a wood-fired oven at a super high temperature to char the skin. The reason for all this preparation is clear from the first bite. The chicken comes out really crackly and crispy, but super moist on the inside. It is quite possibly the best chicken you’ll ever have. There isn’t a bad dish on the menu and the best part is that it’s one of the most reasonably priced high end meals in the city.
3 – Angelo’s: What can be said about Angelo’s Pizza on South Street that wasn’t said by Josh in his top 10 list of Philly restaurants on this website. Angelo’s has the best pizza in the city, some of the best sandwiches anywhere and is simply the one of the best restaurants in all of Philadelphia. Don’t let its unassuming local pizza shop look fool you, this place creates absolute delicacies.
4 – Zahav: Zahav was named outstanding restaurant at the 2019 James Beard Awards ceremony in Chicago. It was the only winner from Philadelphia, and the first time Philly received the outstanding restaurant award, and the award was well deserved. This modern take on classic Israeli food boasts one of the best tasting menus in the city. The “Tayim” tasting menu is also one of the best values in the entire city, if not the entire East Coast. For $48 per person, your table will be loaded with salatim appetizers, hummus and laffa, a coal-grilled entree and dessert. Don’t be surprised if you have enough left over for a full meal the next day. Bar seats are saved for walk ins and they are known for their great cocktails and wine selection in addition to the full menu service you can get at the bar. The decor is a true stand out in a city that prides itself on restaurant ambiance.
5 – Fiore Fine Foods: This wood fired Italian restaurant in Queen Village is reinventing Italian dishes with some of the most unique dishes around. You won’t find spaghetti and meatballs here. Instead your taste buds will be delighted with interesting dishes like black tea smoked duck with marcona almonds and dried cherries, pistachio cornetti, Calabrian chile aioli on focaccia and sea scallops marinated in citrus and black garlic.
6 – Bistro Romano: Enter this cave like restaurant and dine in their underground wine cellar on some of the best homemade pasta in town. Here they make their pasta by hand. This is about as close to classic Italian as you’re going to get outside of Italy itself. Their House-made ricotta with broccoli rabe & pepper pesto, and garlic focaccia or their truffle burrata with peas, smoked bacon, black truffle, crispy leeks are two of the best appetizers in town. Their pastas are fantastic. It’s hard to pick between their squid ink macaroni made Ligurian style with bay scallops, shrimp, roasted peppers, and tomato; their gnocchi with white & black truffle cream, prosciutto cotto; or their lobster ravioli with Maine lobster, sherry cream, and roasted tomatoes. If you can’t decide they have a very reasonable 5 course tasting menu for $60 and a 5 course wine pairing can be added for $30.
7 – Stina Pizzeria: A fascinating combination of Middle Eastern flavors and wood fired pizza. Their Spicy Soppressata with honey and their delicious house cheese blend is a must try. Their Fungi Pizza with mushrooms and truffles, roasted garlic, and thyme is another great pizza as well.
8 – Xochitl: There is no better Mexican food in all of Philadelphia. The meals are based on homemade recipes, but wonderfully inventive as well. This cozy Headhouse Square staple (pronounced So-cheet), specializes in modern takes on simple Mexican standards. Make sure to get some of their homemade ceviche or custom guacamole, made right at your table, to start.
9 – Buddakan: A legendary Philadelphia restaurant specializing in upscale, modern, Asian fusion cuisine. The atmosphere is as stunning as you’ll find and exactly what you’ve come to expect from famed restauranteur, Stephen Starr. Their edamame dumplings are the best I’ve ever had.
10 – North 3rd: This local dive-bar hang out is decorated like a Tim Burton movie. However, the owner and chef is a former top chef in the city that used to work at some of the city’s most famous restaurants. He got tired of dealing with the pretentious upscale crowds and decided to open up North 3rd, a local hang out away from the center of the city in Northern Liberties, where he could throw his talents behind simple food like wings and sandwiches. His Famous North 3rd Wings are quite possibly the best buffalo wings in America.
11 – The Love: This newcomer to the Rittenhouse dining scene provides an elevated dining experience in a casual atmosphere. They do a fantastic brunch and have some great lunch menu items. Their seasonal pasta dishes, a rotating special of incredible pastas, really steals the show though. Try your best but you’ll have trouble choosing between things like: Ricotta Ravioli with nutmeg scented spinach, onion top sauce, calabrian chile, garlic crumb; Spaghetti and Lobster made with rich lobster bisque and celery; and Ricotta Cavatelli with sweet fresh peas, smokey bacon, herb breadcrumbs, spring onion sauce.
12 – Nam Phuong: This is the Vietnamese restaurant where immigrants from Vietnam regularly eat. It’s about as close to a true Vietnamese experience as you’re going to find in a city like Philadelphia. The food is incredible and very true to it’s classic Vietnamese roots. This is more than just a place to get Pho. Their long menu contains classic Vietnamese dishes that are hard to find outside of the country itself. Try their Vietnamese pancake made with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp called bánh xèo. Or, step outside your comfort zone and get bún bò Huế, a rich and spicy beef soup, a delicacy from the ancient imperial city of Huế. Try their smoothies made with durian, iced honeydew green tea, or better yet, Vietnamese iced tea or coffee, which they make at the table.
13 – Parc: This classic French cafe and restaurant sitting across from Rittenhouse Square has been a staple of the Rittenhouse dining scene for decades. Here you will find the city’s best French Onion Soup, a fantastic brunch, excellent French style sandwiches, some classic French dishes and the city’s best people watching from their outdoor seating.
14 – Little Nonna’s: Little Nonna’s firefly lit backyard dining experience is the type perfect small scale, homemade style Italian dining experience you usually only get from an Italian Grandma. Homemade pastas abound with both classic home cooked dishes as well as interesting takes on old world favorites. Their Sunday Gravy special is served family style for $24 per person. You’ll get slowly braised beef shortrib, B+V+P meatball, hot fennel sausage & broccoli rabe in 4 hour san marzano marinara served over that evening’s special macaroni & meats on the side, nonna style.
15 – Amada: This Spanish Tapas restaurant boasts the greatest cheese plate in the city. Everything on their menu is fantastic. The small plates are great for sharing, especially with large groups. But, the cheese plate is good enough to make a special trip for. Everything is just paired so perfectly.