The Resy Hit List: Where In Philadelphia You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

Celebrated chef and cookbook author Roberto Santibañez recently opened Mi Vida, bringing his signature Mexican cooking — already a hit in New York and Washington, D.C. — to Center City. We like the $45 family-style option, which moves through the menu with enchiladas, guacamole, queso, empanadas, tacos, your choice of salmon or carne asada, plus rice, beans, and churros, with vegetarian swaps available. Santibañez previously served as culinary director for Rosa Mexicano, so expect plenty of polish and a sense of fun throughout.

Now that El Chingón is bookable on Resy, you can skip the wait for chef Juan Carlos Aparicio’s award-winning cemitas and tacos, stacked with fillings like braised beef, pork al pastor, and fried chicken cutlets. Aparicio first made his mark with the bread program at Parc, and here he leans into his Mexican heritage with a menu that goes well beyond handhelds. Expect ceviches and aguachiles, multiple takes on guacamole, and small plates like warm crab tostadas, plus brunch dishes like concha French toast layered with chocolate, tahini, and salted dulce de leche.

One of the most exciting openings of 2026, Emilia marks celebrated restaurateur Greg Vernick’s first venture outside Center City. With chef de cuisine Meredith Medoway cooking over a charcoal- and oak wood-fired grill, the Italian restaurant is already booking weeks in advance. The menu draws on travels through Italy — from Vernick’s food tours with Jeff Michaud of Osteria to Medoway’s time living in Modena. Expect tortellini en brodo or rigatoni in chicken ragù bianco inspired by an R&D trip to Rome. Pastas are handmade, proteins and vegetables are fire-kissed, and spritzes flow in the 20-seat lounge, where walk-ins can sometimes snag a seat.

When it comes to chill places to drink and meet up with friends, Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico are unmatched. The duo behind Grace & Proper and Sonny’s Cocktail Joint (and formerly neighborhood favorite Hawthornes), with their longtime business partner Susan Freeman, are experts at crafting new bars that feel like they’ve been there forever. Wine Dive — yes, a wine-focused dive bar — recently reopened in a new location. They’re calling it “Old Hollywood meets Atlantic City,” which feels fitting for a place lined with tufted banquettes, 20 top-notch wines by-the-glass, chicken cutlets, loaded baked potatoes, and cheeky soft serve flavors like “McDonald’s apple pie.” It’s walk-in only and open until 2 a.m. 

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With a name like Murph’s Bar, you think you know what you’re getting into, but stay with us. This former hunting lodge — complete with a separate “ladies entrance” and a bar topped in pennies — reads like a classic Irish pub until you look at the menu. That’s where chef Francesco Bellastelli comes in, turning out garganelli arrabbiata, cappelletti Bolognese, and tagliatelle with black truffle. A Puglia native, Bellastelli is quietly serving some of the best Italian pasta in Philly, tucked inside a no-frills bar on Girard Avenue. It’s an unlikely pairing born from friendship with the owners, and it works.

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Last summer, Ember & Ash shifted its format to lean more into New American gastropub fare, and now owner Scott Calhoun has taken it a step further by bringing on chef de cuisine Kevin McWilliams. One of Philly’s top talents, McWilliams previously held the same role at Laurel, the acclaimed restaurant from Nick Elmi. He’s already putting his stamp on the menu with influences from coastal France and Spain, while keeping the restaurant’s signature open fire at the center, in dishes like lamb ribs with burnt shallot and grilled octopus with fingerlings. It’s the kind of place that works just as well for a casual weeknight as it does for a celebration, especially with a group — or a seat at the lively bar.

Named for Civil Rights era Mississippi restaurant server Booker Wright, Booker’s has been a neighborhood mainstay since Saba Tedla opened it in 2017. Now owned by Cheri and Tracey Syphax, the Baltimore Avenue restaurant is known for Southern-leaning comfort food and a full bar. Think hot chicken sliders, vegan jambalaya, blackened catfish, and bread pudding. Brunch is especially popular, thanks to dishes like fried chicken and shrimp and waffles with strawberry butter, plus cheesecake French toast. It also happens to be one of our favorite spots for outdoor dining — as mentioned above.

The Main Line town that seems to have it all — great shopping, live music, and good food — is also home to Ripplewood. This whiskey bar punches above its weight, with playful takes on classics like pretzel-style Parker House rolls with truffle butter, plus a menu that pulls from all over, with dishes like soup dumpling lasagna and mahi tacos with plantain crust. Take note of the daily happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m., when Manhattans and old fashioneds are $8 and cheese-covered Ripp Fries with brisket and jalapeño go for $7. And if you’re feeling fancy, the group’s cocktail bar Izzy’s is right next door.

In Collingswood, a small town with an outsized dining scene, Tony and Patricia Massoud opened Li Beirut as a tribute to loved ones in their Lebanese hometown. The welcoming restaurant is built for sharing. Start with dips — silky labneh, hummus, nutty muhammara, and baba ghanoush — then move on to grape leaves, warm garlicky white beans, and charred, tender filet kebab. For dessert, order pistachio baklava and Ghazal Beirut, a playful halva cotton candy. It’s also notably vegan-friendly and offers well-priced bottles of wine. Worth noting: This place is vegan-friendly and offers reasonably priced bottles of wine. 

Tucked into a South Philly strip mall, Sky Cafe has been serving Indonesian food since 2010. The menu is long, but helpfully organized into sections like noodles and rice, with photos that make it easier for first-timers to decide. Start with the fried soy-garlic chicken wings, fried wontons, or saucy pork skewers, then move on to nasi lemak — a banana leaf-wrapped rice packet with coconut-braised beef rendang, chicken, or seafood — or egg noodles with chicken, barbecue pork, and meatballs. It’s the kind of place that calls for repeat visits.

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As Philly’s dining scene has filled out with elegant, high-profile restaurants, neighborhood standbys like Sidecar have kept doing what they do best: taking care of locals in search of a reliably good meal. Despite some changes in ownership, it has held that role in Graduate Hospital since 2005. This is the kind of place where one person can order a double smash burger loaded up on a brioche bun while another goes for monkfish piccata with sautéed kale and artichoke hearts. Kids will be happy with a hot dog and fries or Detroit-style pizza topped with pepperoni or Buffalo chicken. It’s flexible in the best way, with lunch, dinner, happy hour, and weekend brunch all in the mix.

Yehuda Sichel perfected house-baked milk buns at his sandwich destination, Huda, in Rittenhouse. There, the former Abe Fisher chef stacks uber-crunchy spicy chicken, fall-apart brisket, burgers, and grilled swordfish on the sweet, pillowy, Japanese-style buns. Now he’s doubling down on smash burgers with a new storefront in Fishtown, as one dows. At Huda Burger, crispy-edged smash burgers overflow from sesame-seeded milk buns, curly fries come with housemade dipping sauce, and soft serve ice cream means you can have a black-and-white milkshake with this classic meal. Avoiding gluten? Get your burger over a salad or fries.

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Just a few minutes from Chestnut Hill, Wyndmoor has a charming little business strip anchored by Enza, a sleek Italian spot from the team behind the former Center City restaurants Zavino and Tredici Enoteca. The bubbly pizza is an easy choice, but don’t skip the shrimp scampi over saffron bucatini in a creamy, garlicky sauce. Roasted cauliflower with pistachio pesto and lemon yogurt is another crowd-pleaser. Speaking of crowds, Enza is especially good for families, with small pizzas and pasta options for kids, and it’s also open for Sunday brunch.

When Mana opened last year, social media lit up with photos of its “carrot bloom” dessert — carrot cake shaped like actual carrots set over chocolate “dirt” — and the “lychee bloom,” a bouquet-like arrangement that’s actually fried shrimp mousse. We appreciate a photogenic moment as much as anyone, but don’t overlook the rest of the menu. The BYOB from Tom Lau and chef Mana Shi is also drawing attention for sweet-and-sour braised pork ribs dusted with pistachios, rainbow soup dumplings, and deeply flavored curry duck.

Back before Philly was packed with strong brunch options, you went to a diner — or, if you were feeling fancy, Sabrina’s Cafe. Now with six locations, the longtime standby is celebrating 25 years. For decades, it’s been the place where everyone leaves happy, whether that means a veggie omelet, chicken and waffles, or bagels and lox. To mark the anniversary, go for the stuffed brioche French toast with banana cream cheese, caramelized banana custard, and banana cinnamon cream.

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Madis Coffee is serious about its beans, roasting carefully sourced blends fresh for service in its three cafes and brewing them with reverse osmosis water calibrated for balanced pH and minerals. Come for the coffee, but don’t stop there. Order a cruffin — a croissant-muffin hybrid — filled with raspberry jam, or a sandwich on a fresh baguette with crispy potatoes on the side. The bright, airy spaces make easy settings for coffee meetings, laptop workdays, or relaxed brunches. At the Old City location, be sure to peek at the Tiffany glass “The Dream Garden” mural in the Curtis Center lobby just outside the cafe — one of Philly’s most underrated attractions.

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