The 10 Restaurants That Defined Philadelphia Dining in 2025

Frankie Ramirez isn’t cooking your grandfather’s Mexican food. The former Starr chef built Amá’s menu around six of Mexico’s standout culinary regions — from the Yucatán to the Pacific coast and Baja — channeling years of cooking in Philly into his own modern, stylish space. It’s part of the city’s current wave of contemporary Mexican spots (see also Tequilas and La Jefa on this list), and we can’t get enough. Expect south-of-the-border traditions like Oaxacan mole, house-nixtamalized tortillas, and seed-packed salsa macha, alongside fresher twists: labne adding tang to a smoky swordfish taco, or fried huauzontle — a broccoli-adjacent herb — meant to be eaten with your hands, edamame-style. Let your server guide you on cocktails; the bar plays with unusual ingredients like fermented corn and lime-water ice, and they’ll steer you toward the good stuff.

Affordable omakase? Applause, please! In a city packed with chef-driven nigiri counters, Kissho House is a welcome newcomer. Chef-owner Zhengmao “Jeff” Chen serves an 18-course omakase for $150 (or a build-your-own “artisan platter” for $79). He’s worked and trained all over Philly – including Royal Sushi and Hiroki — after moving here from Southeast China decades ago. Chen is a rice fanatic, dialing in temperature and texture depending on the richness or leanness of the fish, and what he sidesteps in fanfare, he more than makes up in astonishingly precise technique, as with a 10-hour eel preparation. The space is split into two experiences: the quieter omakase counter downstairs and a more casual izakaya updsairs, where you’ll find sushi rolls, charcoal-grilled meats and vegetables, and a relaxed vibe that’s just right for a chill evening in Rittenhouse.

Here’s a mission we can get behind: more French food in Philly. Chloe Grigri’s growing Gallic universe — Good King Tavern, Le Caveau, Superfolie — already has that covered, and her newest opening on East Passyunk, leans the most casual. There’s a small market up front and a diner-style counter (read: wine bar) with a few tables in the back. Stop in for a drink and a snack, or settle in with friends and run the whole menu: crispy artichokes, a French ham-and-butter sandwich with crushed chips tucked inside, and more. The star, though, is the now-iconic and much copied full sheet of mini Comté raviole in brown butter — best paired with crisp (private label) rosé or a clarified agave milk punch to cut through all that glorious richness.

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Back when chef Drew DiTomo was cooking at Marc Vetri’s Amis, we loved stopping in for soulful Italian dishes like tripa alla Romana. These days, DiTomo’s in a new neighborhood — Kensington — where he and partners Colin McFadden, Marty West, and Keith Shore have brought that same cozy, comforting spirit to Meetinghouse. The team took over a long-running local bar and turned it into the kind of place we want to eat at in 2025: old-school Philly bones with cheffy food, house-brewed beer (pale, dark, or hoppy), and a dim, candlelit dining room where you’ll happily crush roast beef sandwiches with horseradish, a crisp green salad with Dijon vinaigrette, crab dip, and chocolate pot de crème. It’s no surprise Meetinghouse has been turning heads — with recent nods from Esquire, The New York Times, and The Resy 100.

We love a BYOB. These intimate neighborhood spots helped define Philly dining, and as liquor licenses become the norm, true BYOBs feel rarer — which is why Illata is such a joy. Opened in 2023, its name means “occasion” in Latin, and chef Aaron Randi’s 20-seat room lives up to it with a small, seasonal menu of about a dozen dishes. Go with the right crew (they can seat parties of two to four) and you can cover the whole menu: house sourdough, peak-season vegetables, fresh pasta, and seafood — something Randi, a confident 30-something chef with New York experience, does best. And in a very Philly touch, since they can’t accommodate vegan diners, Illata’s website points guests to their friends at Pietramala — generosity at its finest. 

Before East Passyunk became one of the country’s hottest dining neighborhoods, Le Virtù held it down for nearly two decades. When Cathy Lee and Francis Cratil Cretarola opened it in 2007, they didn’t add another South Philly red-sauce joint — they zeroed in on Italy’s Abruzzo region, turning the restaurant into a destination for handmade pasta (including their famed single-strand maccheroni alla mugnaia), housemade amaro, and one of the prettiest gardens in town. In 2023, chef Andrew Wood stepped in to usher Le Virtù into its next era. Known for the beloved BYOB Russet, which closed in 2019, Wood is now turning out housemade salumi, ricotta-filled pastas and savory crêpes, and braised oxtail. Cozy in winter, trattoria-like in summer — it’s a place that you’ll want to revisit.

Is it three modern Mexican spots? A café, a brunch hang, a couple of bars, and a restaurant? However you try to categorize Tequilas, La Jefa, and Milpa Bar, this revived trio is one big fiesta. Here’s the breakdown: up front, Tequilas, the longtime Rittenhouse staple, recently reopened after a fire. It’s still a white-tablecloth classic, serving refined takes on regional Mexican dishes. With the reopening came two new spots, tucked behind Tequilas: La Jefa, a bright all-day café, and Milpa Bar, a dark, sultry cocktail den. They share a food menu — ceviche, fried tacos, and veg-forward plates — but split when it comes to drinks. At La Jefa, expect day-drinking faves: micheladas, Bloody Marias, and grapefruit-forward sippers. At Milpa Bar, cocktails get more adventurous. Each one is built around lesser-known Mexican ingredients, served in unique glassware, and anchored by crystal-clear ice — thanks in part to James Beard Award winner Danny Childs, who helped craft the lineup.