The June Hit List: Bolo, Laurel, Mission Taqueria, and More

Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran of Safran Turney Hospitality continue their reign on 13th Street with the opening of Darling Jack’s. The former Lolita restaurant and adjacent art gallery space has been transformed into a 75-seat bar, restaurant, and chef’s counter serving everyday classics inspired by local neighborhood joints around the world. Their menu ranges from round thin-crust pizzas, fish and chips, and burgers to seasonal pastas, steak frites, and sides like smashed potatoes and charred broccoli.

The spicy paloma and bee sting cocktails are reminiscent of its former Lolita days, while the $15 martini specials keep in line with the times. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the bar and outside, plus brunch is every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Tabachoy is going strong, thanks to chef-owner Chance Anies’ home-cooked Filipino cuisine drawing South Philly locals from his food truck days (also still in operation) and regulars of the former Shank’s and Evelyn’s luncheonette.

This month, weekend brunch marks the return of their beloved silogs (garlic rice, egg any way, and choice of protein) and bistek chistek, plus some fun outdoor grilling menu items like Filipino barbecue skewers and pork barbecue ribs with a banana ketchup sauce. But tried-and-true favorites at this BYOB aren’t going anywhere. Bring a group to share pork adobo with garlic rice (the Filipino national dish), lumpia spring rolls, minced pork sisig with a fried egg, or crispy Lechon kawali with chili vinegar. With warmer nights on deck, don’t skip the ube ice cream, and look out for fun non-alcoholic beverages.

Chef-owner Aaron Randi’s illata is proving that modern American cuisine highlighting seafood and local produce can be the star in a neighborhood restaurant. At his 20-seat BYOB off South Street, his team cooks a variety of cuisines freely, with an open kitchen, and without specific limitations thanks to regionally-sourced ingredients.

The menu leans on his Italian influence but also includes personal and nostalgic dishes like New England fried clams and brown butter tart with a rhubarb jam. Start with housemade sourdough bread and butter, a nod to his days working at Leo in New York City, then snack on marinated mussels with baby turnips and housemade miso chile oil, asparagus with dates and fresh herbs, or chicory salad with anchovy buttermilk dressing. Try the chicken schnitzel with shaved fennel, mustard, and dill as the main and end on a chocolate cream puff with espresso and almonds.

This November, Laurel will celebrate 10 years on Passyunk Avenue — a journey that’s allowed the restaurant to grow alongside the neighborhood, transitioning from tasting menu only to a la carte dining, and improving staff’s work-life balance.

With an expanded menu, first-time diners can book Resys to try out the new format, developed by chef-owner Nick Elmi, general manager Jane Fryer, and chef de cuisine Kevin McWilliams. Expect French and Japanese influences with Mid-Atlantic products (think: lots of seafood) that serve as core year-round standards: tartare, crudos, oysters, and gnocchi. A current favorite starter is the bright, acidic, fresh celery salad quickly blanched and tossed with hazelnuts, dates, shaved ricotta, and celery vinegar, and a dessert program that includes a cheese, chocolate, and coffee option. This month, the bar at Laurel (fka In The Valley) will debut its spritz series (try the “baby kangaroo” with gin, Campari, and blood orange). And outside you can opt for sidewalk seating or a communal garden chef’s table experience perfect for a group hang.

Tired of being told to drive up to North Philly for Hispanic and Latino flavors? So was chef Yun Fuentes, who debuted BOLO in Rittenhouse earlier this spring. Here, Fuentes spotlights familial Caribbean and Latin American dishes — and a growing rum-focused bar program — in a part of the city lacking non-Eurocentric diversity.

The menu is an expansive array across the diaspora: ceviches, piscolabis (snacks), pinchos (skewered meats and vegetables), cuchifritos (fried foods), verduras (vegetables), platillos (main dishes), and postres (desserts). Stand-out plates include plantains offered as thin chips, large flattened crispy plantains, and soft maduros; skirt steak ropa vieja; and chicken chicharron fried in pork lard tossed with garlic mayo and lime. Red snapper is featured in a ceviche trio, as well as elevated as a star entree, broiled then simmered in a sancocho broth with spring vegetables. End the meal with a traditional flan de queso and cafecito.

Barbecue fans rejoice: The Lucky Well is expanding to University City this summer, with its popular Memphis-style meats and sides. In the meantime, you can dine in, sip a Kentucky Tea whiskey cocktail, and enjoy live music at Spring Arts — or celebrate their 10-year anniversary in downtown Ambler at the Arts & Music Festival on June 16.

Chef Chad Rosenthal likes to connect regional farm-fresh produce whenever possible with popular Southern fare to create ultimate comfort foods. Expect everything grilled, rubbed, or smoked here: from the chopped salad and charred broccoli to Saint Louis pork ribs, Texas beef brisket, sesame ginger pork belly burnt ends, and herb-brined buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. The sides are just as crave-worthy: Cornbread with honey butter, pork and miso collard greens, and Memphis mustard slaw. But the real secret to their recipes is their dry rub made from 15 different spices. Bring a group and plan for leftovers the next morning.

Since 2016, Mission Taqueria has been serving Mexican street food in a lively top-floor skylight-filled dining room. Chef Alejandro Sanchez now leads the kitchen with an exciting showcase of serious cooking techniques informed by his fine-dining days, but also his roots in Brownsville, Texas and Tamaulipas, Mexico — like tatemado (wood-burning grill).

The all-day menu is playful but focused on modern Mexican cuisine that offers something for everyone with plenty of dairy- and gluten-free plates. Try the tempura batter fried mahi-mahi tacos, smoky carnitas, and Mission salad with smoked grapes, grilled corn, queso fresco, coal-roasted golden beets, pepitas, and hibiscus chicharrón. This summer, expect more fresh juices (also available in mocktails and cocktails), more refreshing ceviches, and creative cocktails like Tequila and Coke with eucalyptus, mint, and mezcal or the strawberry sangria with pink peppercorn and Thai basil.

Tucked away on a sleepy corner of a cobblestone street in Old City is 20-year-old Italian BYOB, Radicchio Cafe.

You won’t find tourists here. Instead, longtime regulars and newcomers frequent the homey restaurant for a three-course meal, daily specials, and every major milestone in between. The nostalgic menu remains unchanged and stems from traditional dishes across Italy. Get the burrata special, Caesar salad, or grilled octopus with tomatoes and vinaigrette as a starter. Move on to whole branzino with seasonal vegetables, veal marsala, lamb ragu, or farfalle delizia (bow-tie pasta with shrimp, scallops, and sun-dried tomatoes in a pink cream sauce) for your main. Then end with a limoncello cake for dessert. A bottle of Chablis or cabernet sauvignon makes for an optimal pairing, especially when dining alfresco.

No reservations, walk-ins only.

Chef-partners Alex Kemp Roussy and Amanda Shulman have been dreaming of opening their own restaurant together since working together at Momofuku Ko in New York years ago. Now, that restaurant is My Loup — an all-the-time spot perfect for just grabbing a drink or a special occasion meal.

Here, the menu is a playful mix between French, Canadian, and American-ish and changes frequently based on what’s available from fishermen and farmers to keep dishes bright, indulgent, and generous. Start with a raw bar seafood plateau (ask about the razor clam luge shot) or pork sausage and broccoli rabe meatball filled with melted provolone, and then share apps like the open-faced Italian hoagie with sliced beef tongue and chopped muffuletta toppings on housemade focaccia or foie gras with strawberries and pull-apart potato rolls. Larger plate favorites include braised rabbit for two with buttered noodles and mustard sauce, a fried soft-shell crab with asparagus and Hollandaise, and côte de boeuf with salad, fries, and beef jus gravy boat. Don’t leave without trying the Montreal or mai tai from the cocktail list.

Saloon on Seventh Street has been mastering Italian and American classics for over 50 years, making it one of the oldest family-owned restaurants in the city. Eating in the vintage dining rooms surrounded by antique art, dark oak panel walls, and shiny brass fixtures makes every meal a special occasion.

Start your summer evening with a watermelon jalapeño margarita or brown sugar apricot Manhattan before moving on to wine. Caesar salad, octopus salad, and white bean stew with sausage and broccoli rabe are all excellent starters. Known for pasta (available gluten-free) and steaks, opt for linguine pescatore, penne a la vodka, herb truffle butter filet steak with port wine sauce, and mashed potatoes, or keep it light with Dover sole in lemon cream sauce as a main entree. Never say no to the dessert tray, trust us.

Call ​215-627-1811 for reservations.