Best of The Hit List Philadelphia
The 10 Restaurants That Defined Philadelphia Dining in 2024
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We asked our contributors to the Resy Hit List to share their top dining experiences in their cities this year — to choose 10 restaurants that define the state of great dining right now. Welcome back our Best of The Hit List for 2024.
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In 2024, Philadelphia chefs again spread their wings. After a period of contraction during the pandemic and then maintenance afterward, it was time to fly once more.
It happened in the form of new restaurants, like Dionicio Jiménez’s La Baja and Jesse Ito’s forthcoming Rittenhouse spot. And sweet pop-ups like Alex Kemp and Amanda Shulman’s Amourette. Philly chefs spent the year taking what we all already love about their restaurants, and finding ways to reach more people.
As with new offerings, like the headline-grabbing delivery operation that Angelo’s launched, or Salvatore’s Counter at Irwin’s. Some top chefs have grown their reach with new cookbooks and collaborative dinners. Others have faced challenges with gumption and poise, because that’s true Philly style.
And so, here are the 10 restaurants defined dining in Philadelphia in 2024. It primes us for an amazing year ahead.
1. My Loup Rittenhouse
There was a reason why even bar seats filled up as soon as My Loup reservations would open. Chef-owners Alex Kemp and Amanda Shulman have nailed a style of dining we all crave today: casual, intentional, fun, rooted in technique. This tribune to French Canadian fare is the kind of place where you can eat roast beef wrapped around fries with your hands while drinking a $300 bottle of Burgundy, or split bouillabaisse for two with a zero-proof spicy paloma spritz. Over the summer, the dynamic duo opened pop-up Amourette in the serene courtyard of the Art Alliance building, just off Rittenhouse Square. It was a delicious moment in time that we miss already — which means we also can’t wait to see what they do next.
2. Dizengoff Center City
Not so long ago, Dizengoff pretty much only sold hummus. We loved it for that. Then somehow owners Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook made it even better. As a full-service restaurant with a swanky bar, Diz was still rocking hummus, but also showed it could flex on Solomonov’s epic vision of Middle Eastern cuisine. The crunchy chicken schnitzel with tehina shook us good, but so did beef-filled Moroccan cigars, lamb neck with sour cherry and pistachios, and of course, the $3 tehina-date ice cream sandwich. And it was but one of a string of wins for CookNSolo: They just opened Jaffa Bar in Kensington, landed their hummus in Whole Foods nationwide, announced a catering partnership with Philly’s Weitzman Museum, and released a new cookbook. The hits keep coming.
3. La Baja Ambler
For his sophomore restaurant, Dionicio Jiménez looked to the Mexican borders for inspiration. The celebrated chef, known for his time working in some of the city’s best kitchens, went in a different direction compared to his first restaurant, Cantina La Martina in Kensington. That one has a bar, a casual vibe, and a menu full of tacos. This one is more classic BYOB, in a small space with big windows and a menu of elegant dishes. Two things we couldn’t get enough of were the burrata over a 15-ingredient black mole and a poblano-infused tres leches cake. Jiménez really gets to show off at La Baja, especially with sauces, purées, and dressings — little touches that send a restaurant into epic territory. And Jiménez was busy this year: He also also opened two locations (Cherry Street Pier and Fishtown) of La Placita, a trolley that serves Latin street food.
4. Alice South Philadelphia
With years of experience in the Garces and Starr universes, we had a feeling that Dave Conn’s debut restaurant would be a winner. We were right. At first look, Alice’s menu might have seemed disjointed, hopping from one cuisine to another, but what came clear is that each dish stands on its own. The whole thing gels. The best way to experience it is through a chef’s tasting. It’s a generous offering that includes naan to start, coal-roasted oysters, latkes, pasta, octopus, steak, and dessert. This is the modern American cuisine that we need: original, delicious, and drawing you back to return again and again.
5. Royal Sushi Omakase Queen Village
The whole sushi-loving world wants to book a seat at Jesse Ito’s Royal Sushi. Tough luck. With only eight seats at his omakase counter, the $300 experience has become the toughest reservation in town (and beyond). Ito has earned eight Beard nominations for his incredibly well-sourced, sliced, and prepared sushi. And has clearly inspired an omakase boom in town, including Ogawa and Yanaga, likely inspired by Ito’s success. That’s nearly as exciting as the news that the partners behind Royal Sushi & Izakaya are gearing up to open a new spot in Rittenhouse that will serve Japanese comfort food. No word yet on whether it will offer fancy sushi too, but we can hope.
6. Lacroix Rittenhouse Square
Ever since Eric Leveillee was cooking at Whetstone Tavern, a casual Queen Village spot, we knew he was destined for greatness. Now, as Lacroix’s busy executive chef, he’s one of Philly’s most respected talents. Leveillee is also a cookbook devotee, a technique hound, and a mentor, and known for labor-intensive dishes that are stunningly beautiful — with flavor to match, like hand-cut potato risotto topped with caviar. Lacroix has long had to maintain its crown as one of the city’s most luxurious restaurants and under Leveillee, it is resplendent. Doubly so because the chef made public this year his personal struggles with addiction and family tragedy. The candor only makes us prouder to call him one of our own.
7. Kalaya Fishtown
As if chef Nok Suntaranon hadn’t earned enough attention for her 2023 Beard Award, she recently appeared on Netflix’s incredibly popular “Chef’s Table” and released her debut cookbook, “Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen.” And yet the superstar doesn’t seem to let up. On any given night, you’ll see her touching tables in her Fishtown dining room, introducing new dishes based on her travels, and collaborating with celebrated peers. (This year included work with Jesse Ito on a seven-course Japanese-Thai dinner and Shola Olunloyo of Studiokitchen on Friendsgiving.) The sprawling menu means you’ll always be returning to Kalaya to capture the whole menu, but you can never go wrong starting with blue flower dumplings, crispy rice cakes, and any of the curries.
8. Irwin’s South Philadelphia
Michael Vincent Ferreri has been on our radar for a while now. First at Res Ipsa and now at Irwin’s on top of Bok Building. He’s a master of Sicilian cuisine, with all of its incongruous and yet satisfying flavors. Go with a group to Irwin’s and you can sample quite a bit of the menu, from small plates like eggplant caponata to handmade pasta to entrees: agrodolce chicken, lamb with bitter greens, and a whole fish. This year, Ferreri launched Salvatore’s Counter, an exclusive, once-a-week experience that may cement his place among Philly’s dining greats. For $180 each, two to four people get up-close-and-personal with the kitchen for a never-repeated 10-course meal that may include guest’s childhood food memories, chef’s family recipes, ultra-seasonal ingredients, and dishes that highlight his remarkable technique.
9. Angelo’s Pizzeria South Philly Italian Market
There’s no resting on laurels for Danny DiGiampietro, owner of Angelo’s. He serves arguably the best cheesesteaks, hoagies, and pizza in town. (The bread alone, don’t get us started.) This year, he grew his reach in strategic and fun ways. You can now order Angelo’s for delivery from a new ghost kitchen on Girard Avenue. Then came the partnership that brought DiGiampietro’s signature bread to a new cheesesteak stall at Reading Terminal Market. And let us not forget the strangely cute friendship between DiGiampietro and hometown hero Bradley Cooper that yielded a food truck and, rumor has it, will result in a New York cheesesteak shop called Danny & Coop’s. What greater glory could Philly ask for?
Find more info here.
10. Jezabel’s University City
Jezabel Careaga is a woman of talent and grace. We love her Philly spirit as much as we love her empanadas, medialunas (Argentine croissants), and dulce de leche-filled alfajores. The Argentine chef-artisan-leader was on the cusp of opening a second location in Fitler Square late last year when misguided neighbors quashed the plan (their loss). She kept her calm and put her energy into her welcoming University City bakery, restaurant, and market with engaging events. Jezebel’s pops up at farmers markets across town, including Schuylkill River Park Farm Market and Headhouse Farmers Market. Word is that Careaga is planning a new weekend lunch offering, inspired by treasured Sunday lunches with her family back in Argentina. A sumptuous lunch followed by a sobremesa, cozy time spent lingering tea and dessert, is the sort of pleasure we’ve come to expect from Careaga.
Explore our picks from coast to coast:
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