Seven Dishes That Define Philadelphia: A Resy Guide

The dish: Cheesesteak

What else did you expect? Philly native Pat Olivieri crafted the first cheesesteak at his hot dog stand in 1930. Nowadays, line up at Pat’s  any time of day (or night — it’s open round the clock) for a taste of the original, made with thinly-sliced beef, Cheez Whiz, and fried onions on a sliced hoagie roll. There’s good reason for its legendary status.

Related: Hit John’s Roast Pork. The James Beard Award-winning shop is a stellar showcase of the city’s meaty sandwiches, offering not only perfectly-seasoned roast pork sandwiches, piled with sauteed spinach and provolone cheese, but one of the city’s best cheesesteaks, too.

The dish: Lamb shoulder

Since 2008, diners have come to this modern Israeli restaurant from all over the country to feast on chef Michael Solomonov’s wood-fired laffa, creamy plates of hummus, and the star of the table, the lamb. Whole lamb shoulder is brined, then smoked over hardwood, braised in pomegranate molasses, and, finally, crisped in a hot oven.

There was a time when, if you wanted to ensure a taste, you would have to call to reserve your order in advance. Nowadays, though, it’s part of the restaurant’s five-course, $72 tasting menu, so every Zahav diner can try what has become one of Philly’s most iconic dishes.

The dish: Joe Beddia’s pizza

Philly is in the midst of a pizza renaissance, with a glut of impressive newcomers joining time-honored city classics. One of the originals, Tacconelli’s has been making brick oven-fired pies for five generations, since before World War II. (To get your hands on a pie, call the shop to reserve your dough the day before.) Chef Kurt Evans opened Down North to help raise awareness and funds to end mass incarceration and recidivism, and his inventive Detroit-style pies are selling out nightly.

But perhaps most notably, Joe Beddia won national attention for his one-room operation, where, starting in 2013, he would make just 40 pizzas a night at Pizzeria Beddia. Nowadays, you can actually book a table and enjoy the same New York-style pies—made with crushed tomatoes and a mix of Galen’s Good Old gouda and fresh mozzarella—along with small plates and natural wine. It’s downright easy compared to the early days.

Dish: Red-gravy Italian

Fact: no city in America does red gravy — what local Italian Americans call tomato sauce — better than Philadelphia. And to get the full experience, head to Ralph’s. Opened since 1900, the family-owned South Philly mainstay is the oldest continuously-operating Italian restaurant in the country. At marble-topped tables surrounded by frescos of the old country, order plates of eggplant Parmigiana, veal scallopini, and linguine with meatballs, made the same way for decades.

For a more modern spin on the classics, check out Fiore in Queen Village, where handmade fettuccine comes with spring ramps and pancetta, and on Sundays, chefs Ed Crochet and Justine MacNeil offer four-course menus highlighting a different region of Italy.

The dish: Khao yum

Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon serves the foods she grew up making with her grandmother and mother — the restaurant’s namesake — in southern Thailand. Hence the dishes at Kalaya are crafted with made-from-scratch curry pastes and sauces, and infused with the hallmark flavors and ingredients of the region: makrut lime, lemongrass, chiles, and plenty of seafood, plus a heat factor that Suntaranon cheerfully refuses to dull for uninitiated palates.

Her menu changes with the seasons, but if khao yum is on offer, order it. The rainbow rice salad is made with turmeric rice surrounded by a vibrant ring of seasonal vegetables infused with dried shrimp, toasted coconut, and a dressing of caramelized palm sugar blended with budu, a fermented fish condiment. Since this is based on Kalaya Suntaranon’s own riff on the recipe, it’s likely you won’t find this dish, exactly as it’s made here, anywhere else.

The dish: Barbacoa tacos

Located in the heart of the Italian Market, the country’s oldest continuously-operating outdoor market, South Philly Barbacoa represents a welcome infusion of flavors that hail from far beyond Italy. (See also: that khao yum at Kalaya, Turkish coffee at Al Zaytouna, and huevos con mole at Mole Poblano, to name a few.)

Christina Martinez has been making her beloved barbacoa tacos, along with her husband Ben Miller, since 2014. What started as a street cart is now a market staple, situated on the corner of 9th and Ellsworth Streets. Line up anytime from 5 a.m. until they sell out on Saturdays and Sundays for tender, slow-cooked lamb folded into handmade corn tortillas, plus pancita and consommé.

The dish: Rutabaga fondue

While Philadelphia’s food scene is long on cheesesteaks and Italian hoagies, we have an impressive vegetarian and vegan scene as well. There’s Laser Wolf, Solomonov and Steve Cook’s Israeli skewer house — with a raft of vegetable-based salatim as precursor to wood-fired eggplant and beets with dukkah; and Goldie, the vegan falafel joint that also sells creamy tahina shakes in flavors like banana and Turkish coffee. Bar Bombon has been serving plant-based Puerto Rican specialities since 2015, and Conscious Cultures’ cave-aged, dairy-free cheeses have garnered national attention.

But Vedge blazed the trail here. For more than a decade now, chefs Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby have been transforming produce often relegated to side dish-status to the main event; this includes entrees like eggplant braciole, smoked mushroom carpaccio, and above all the can’t-miss rutabaga fondue. The creamy, robust dip is paired with house-made soft pretzel and pickled vegetables, and will prompt even the most die-hard carnivore to clear the plate.