The March Hit List: Middle Child Clubhouse, Osteria, NoChe, and More

Middle Child Clubhouse has found its niche as a casual yet chef-driven neighborhood hangout in Fishtown. Diners return often for quintessential Philly food done well. (Their Thousand Island Lounge at $30 a head is a perfect microcosm of this ethos.) These days, a daytime menu offers beloved luncheonette sandwiches like latke with smoked lox salad on top and the B.E.C known for its thick cloud-like fluffy scrambled eggs. Come back for a $12 burger, scallop crudo, or a brick chicken that’s half-deboned and easy to share. Pasta specials will become a mainstay so expect to see lobster à la vodka cannelloni complete with a lobster tail on the menu. And perhaps most exciting of all, stay tuned for a new soft serve machine with 1-900-ICE-CREAM base flavors, floats, sundae carts, and swirls.

Named for its North of Chestnut location, this revived second-floor bar-restaurant with plush velvet furniture, and beautiful chandeliers is perfect for a romantic night out. The original venue was a Center City bar and nightclub from 2004 to 2014. Now, it’s an homage to tailor-made cocktails and the art deco era, helmed by people of color. Stop by for a round before or after dinner. Try the “Eastside” gin cocktail with cucumber and citrus, or the “Journey,” which starts as a Manhattan and becomes a boulevardier with Campari and a large rock. Plus, there are plenty of snacks to share with friends from the Italian and Spanish menu, like spicy chorizo and manchego arancini, cheese and charcuterie boards, or even caviar.

There’s a refreshing new energy at North Broad’s Osteria thanks to chef-owner Jeff Michaud — part of the original opening team of Osteria back in 2008, who bought back the restaurant in 2021. Today, the 16-year-old northern Italian restaurant boasts a free-flow kitchen and wood-fire grill serving a large indoor dining room, an extensive covered outdoor patio, and a private space for chef’s counter seating and monthly cooking classes. Regulars will appreciate the preservation of longtime staples like chicken liver rigatoni, smoked pork ribs, broccolini Caesar, and octopus. Meanwhile, updated starters show off the kiss of a grill: housemade focaccia, baked ricotta, vegetable antipasto, and Lombarda pizza. Pastas eat light as a second course and reflect Michaud’s many visits throughout the region – try the casoncelli Bresciani stuffed pasta with honeynut squash that swims in silky brown butter and sage sauce, or the long strands of fazzoletti smothered with guinea hen ragu and sweet caramelized pears.

Make a Resy for Mar. 15 when former Osteria chefs Joey Baldino, Scott Calhoun, Brad Daniels, Lauren Derent, and former somm Steve Wildly host a reunion dinner.

Nine years on Passyunk Avenue has brought loyal regulars who stop in for cheesesteak bao, caterpillar bread, and pork soup dumplings made fresh almost daily. Chef Ben Puchowitz’s menu is deeply influenced by Cantonese dim sum, which is heavy on handmade dumplings and stuffed breads, but there are no hard rules about sticking to tradition here, often integrating flavors from other food cultures, too. For example, the Jewish chicken wonton noodle soup balances classic Cantonese broth, noodles, and wontons with Jewish inspiration: topped with dill, schmaltz, and Bubbie’s egg crepe. Then there’s the coconut rice tamale, where sushi rice is fortified with shrimp and coconut sauce and steamed inside a corn husk. The rice is then topped with a bright green curry sauce and citrusy shrimp and avocado salsa. Another surprising mashup is the matzo turnip cake, which replicates the setup of a breakfast hash brown.

Open since 2014, this bourbon bar concept shows you don’t need to eat at a steakhouse to expect nice cuts of steak and well-cooked seafood. Under executive chef Thomas Harkins, Pat LaFrieda meats get creative, seasonal interpretations just as much as asparagus, peas, and morels. Fan favorites include the 18-ounce bone-in New York strip and cowboy steak for two; salmon with sambal-maple glaze, sweet potato succotash, and miso butter; and roast chicken with salsa verde. With tons of development happening in Center City, lunch returns just in time this month, and stay tuned for the annual bourbon bash later this year, which benefits DonorChoose.org for Philly-area schools.

Bistro-style dining is the vibe here. Brunch hits include the jacked-up hygge home fries, pretzel beignets with housemade pretzel dough, and a newly added avocado toast on Mighty Bread with housemade hot sauce. The dinner boards change often but fan favorites include crispy brussels sprouts and beef carpaccio on focaccia. Other highlights are Calkins Creek cheddar cheese curds, Manchurian cauliflower tempura fried and tossed with coconut and curry spicy mayo, and the vegan roasted cauliflower entree. Sustainability remains a priority with composting on-site and team training on the cross-utilization of citrus peels, rinds, and juices for the bar. Don’t miss out on a pint of doppelbock, porter, or Kölsch while you relax and unwind.

Chefs Joe and Angela Cicala have mastered Italian hospitality, serving rustic, southern Italian cuisine inside the historic Divine Lorraine Hotel. Seasonality dictates the menu here, with researched historic dishes dating back hundreds of years from small southern Italian villages. There’s also a throughline philosophy to treat Pennsylvania and mid-Atlantic products as if they were a province of Southern Italy, combining local ingredients with traditional preparations. Start the evening with antipasti misto — a tablescape of salumi cheese, marinated vegetables, a raw bar, and hot appetizers. Then share the lasagna with Bolognese ragu and bechamel black truffle sauce, and leave room for piccolo pasticceria, a tray of mini bite-sized pastries on a tiered plate. Outdoor pizzas, afternoon wine-tasting classes, #aperitivohour Tuesday through Friday 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and a zeppole pop-up celebrating The Feast of Saint Joseph on Mar. 19 are reasons to return.

Renata’s Kitchen has served West Philly for 10 years, most recently operating from larger digs outside of the newly revamped trolley portal gardens on 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

Known for its lengthy daytime menu, dinner service focuses on fresh and vibrant dishes from Palestinian-Israeli chef Yasser Aiq. Middle Eastern cuisine is highlighted along with nods from chef Aiq’s time spent in kitchens across Paris and here in Philly, where he was a former chef at Parc. The vegetarian-friendly nature of Middle Eastern cuisine means plenty of fresh and healthful dishes to try. Start with fried cauliflower with tahini lemon dressing, available for lunch and dinner, or Moroccan carrots, lightly blanched to retain their sweetness and tossed with housemade harissa, lemon, and spices. The slowly simmered chicken mohammar marinated in harissa is a standout, served with Yukon gold potatoes, and best eaten with grilled pita. For dessert, try the kanafe nablus, an Akkawi cheese-filled katayfe pastry smothered in sweet syrup (fun fact: the cheese is from chef Aiq’s hometown of Akka).

An exciting addition to the city’s blossoming sushi scene, Hiroki is an immersive Japanese dining concept bringing the aesthetics of old Kyoto to quiet Lee Street in Fishtown.

Tradition, technique, and omotenashi — emphasizing harmony and attention to detail — are executive chef Hiroki Fujiyama’s focal points as the 20-course omakase menu begins with several native dishes from local produce and vegetables, followed by a seasonal multi-course nigiri tasting. Try a curated sake pairing, or order from an international wine list, plus Japanese whisky, gin, and shochu. Popular plates include the seared scale-on amadai red tilefish, requiring 24 hours of brining and drying, while the Saikyo miso soup, a traditional “good luck soup” served on New Year’s Day, is a kitchen favorite and a personal connection of chef Fujiyama’s memories from Kyoto.

This cozy BYOB on 13th and Wharton streets is a favorite among local south Philadelphians and it’s easy to see why: A three-course meal of home-style Italian food runs about $100 for two, a price that seems like a relic in this era of inflation. Add on longtime staff and a straightforward hit menu of seafood, pastas, and rustic appetizers, and it’s a no-brainer to become a regular here.

The menu is short but full of hard-to-pick choices and nightly specials. There’s crusty table bread from Faragelli’s bakery around the corner to start the meal, while artichoke hearts lightly sauteed in a white wine and garlic broth practically melt in your mouth. The Caesar salad is a must, as is the burrata plate with roasted bell peppers, prosciutto, and fig glaze. For entrees, try the brothy scallop risotto, accompanied by diced butternut squash and flavored with nutmeg and other warm spices. The pappardelle is a beef Bolognese sauce with grated Parmigiano — simple but hits the spot. For this family-run joint only open since 2018, it’s amazing to see the 38-seater become a neighborhood staple.

Call 215-465-2200 for reservations.

While Italian “eats and treats” are nothing new to Philadelphians, Daniel Griffiths and Jacob Loeffler of Paffuto are elevating them on the pop-up stage around town. On Mar. 13, catch Paffuto at Liberty Kitchen for one night (two seatings) of “After Dark” family-style dinners. Expect antipasti, hors d’oeuvres, polenta, salads, and entrees to pass around.

Since launching in 2022, the momentum and cult following have led to often sold-out ticketed dinners and twice-monthly pop-ups — all while holding full-time jobs at Tabachoy. Their ambition hasn’t slowed down and the goal remains to make Italian flavors and the food they grew up eating with their family approachable. The difference is in techniques, fine-dining experience, and industry connections that show off their range and capacity: from panzerotti (stay tuned for its comeback) and hoagies, to rustic pastas and multi-course dinners including dessert for over 100 guests. While pop-ups provide them with an independent outlet, there’s more to come: chef collaborations and residencies, a possible brick-and-mortar space with daily service, and the addition of team member Samuel Kalkut, of Chicago’s BOKA.

Follow @PaffutoPhilly for tickets and upcoming events.