The Resy Hit List: Where In Philadelphia You’ll Want to Eat in Feb. 2026

If Jesse Ito is involved, sign us up. The James Beard–nominated chef behind the nearly impossible-to-book Royal Sushi omakase counter just opened his second act: dancerobot. Created with longtime collaborator and Royal Izakaya chef Justin Bacharach, Dancerobot was years in the making — including an epic R&D trip to Japan — and delivers Japanese comfort food for dinner, brunch, and late night in a neon-dotted, Victorian-style bar. The chefs suggest ordering the kare pan (curry doughnut), omurice (creamy omelet over rice), konbini-style egg salad sandwich, katsu curry, hamburg steak, and Hokkaido milk soft serve. Reservations drop 30 days out at noon — and yes, they’re going fast. 

First, Alex Tewfik ate everywhere, as food editor at Philadelphia Magazine. Then he took what he loved most about his favorite restaurants and poured it into Mish Mish. The result remains as cozy and welcoming as ever, with a great playlist, dim lighting, a strong wine list, and shareable dishes that encourage lingering. Chef Zev Flores pairs local ingredients with Middle Eastern flavors in craveable dishes like fried sunchokes with Aleppo pepper glaze or smoked purple beets with grapes, tehina mustard, and dill oil. Fried string cheese is a must-order. You’ll find it under the giant apricot on East Passyunk Avenue, one of Philly’s most food-obsessed stretches.

Uchi arrives in Philadelphia by way of Austin, chef Tyson Cole’s home base. This is a sushi bar built around technique and range, and a flair that has earned it wide praise and offshoots in multiple cities. Expect pristine cuts like bluefin otoro; raw plates such as yellowtail with ponzu, Thai chile, and orange supremes; plus a lineup of crudos and nightly entrées. Chef de cuisine Ford Sonnenberg’s personal favorite is the Denver steak tataki with hollandaise and maitakes. There’s also a 10-course omakase, plus a vegetarian version. For dessert, Uchi’s Fried Milk remains a signature, built from fried pastry cream and vanilla custard with salted fudge and toasted blondie. While we’re normally skeptical of anything from the Lone Star State (looking at you, Dallas Cowboys), this is an import we can get behind.

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. 

Find more info here.

Partners Sathish Varadhan and Balakrishnan Duraisamy are clearly on a growth track with Amma’s South Indian Cuisine. Named for the Tamil word for mother, Amma’s now counts a half-dozen locations across the city and suburbs. The new Chestnut Street outpost features a spacious dining room and bar, making it especially well-suited for groups. Start with crispy onion samosas, fritters, or shredded flatbread, then move on to ghee-roasted goat, tandoori chicken, fragrant biryanis, and crisp dosas, alongside plenty of vegetarian options. With such a broad menu, it’s the kind of place that rewards repeat visits.

Find more info here.

Something exciting has taken over the former Tio Flores space. Banshee comes from Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh, the team behind influential (and much-missed) Cheu Noodle Bar, Bing Bing Dim Sum, and Nunu, along with brothers Kyle and Bryan Donovan, longtime members of those operations. Here, the group pushes its style in a new direction, drawing on Spanish, French, and American influences. The menu moves comfortably from tarte flambée with maitakes to mussels in harissa, roasted chicken with marcona almonds, and patatas bravas. Familiar Asian notes still tie it all together with ingredients like Kyoto carrots, Thai basil, togarashi, and koji butter.

After a fire and major renovation, David Suro’s long-running Tequilas reopened this year – now three concepts in one. The original Tequilas still anchors the front. In back, La Jefa and its Milpa Bar (with a separate Latimer Street entrance) cover it all starting at 8 a.m. — with coffee, breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday. Expect black quesadillas with calamari, fried poblano tacos, and shrimp aguachile — everything with top-notch sauces and lots of vegetarian options. Each space has its own bar menu, but the standout is Milpa, co-created by award-winning bartender Danny Childs, with every drink intensely crafted and served in a different glass. We named it one of Philly’s best dining experiences last year.

Embrace Danish coziness during these chill months at this Philly bar-restaurant, named for the concept itself. It’s just as good to take visiting parents as it is for a first date or birthday celebration — an easy, come-as-you-are kind of place. Sample one of 10 house-brewed beers from Brewery Techne, or explore the substantial zero-proof menu, which includes nonalcoholic beer, sparkling wine, and cocktails like the Amateur Jazz, layered with cinchona bark, lemongrass, lemon verbena, sage, tarragon, rosemary, citrus, and spices. The food menu is built for sharing, with dishes served on boards — think cheese, pretzel bites, baby sweet potatoes, and chicken liver mousse toast.

A husband-and-wife team run the Italian restaurant in Philly’s storied (and stunning) Divine Lorraine building, but this is no mom-and-pop operation. Plush round banquettes, crisp white tablecloths, and elaborate chandeliers fill the large, airy dining room. The wine list highlights Italian varietals from regions like Sicily and Sardinia. And Joe and Angela Cicala are not only deeply connected to Italy, but travel there frequently for inspiration. It shows. Joe brings that inspiration to dishes like Neapolitan-style meatballs, fried ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms, Amalfi-style fettuccine with eggplant and San Marzano tomatoes, and char-grilled whole Mediterranean dorade. Angela handles desserts, which change seasonally, but don’t miss “The Green Gold”: pistachio gelato with Trapanese sea salt and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil. Go here for a delicious splurge.

Since opening in 2022 on East Passyunk, Carlos Aparicio’s El Chingón has been a go-to for top-tier Mexican sandwiches and tacos. Now, the former Vetri and Starr chef has brought the magic to Fishtown, taking over the old Heffe Tacos space with a bright, casual stand on a prime Frankford Avenue corner. The menu mirrors the South Philly original — cemitas, tacos, and all the hits — with seating at picnic tables or a street-facing counter. The twist? Jardin de Agave, a pop-up bar tucked around back in partnership with Bluebird Distilling, serving frozen margaritas in a string-lit, semi-enclosed space that feels miles from Philly. 

No reservations. Find more info here.

In a pioneering suburban effort, Brandon Beringer and Nora Wilson bring a delicious plant-based sensibility to bucolic West Chester, and it’s now available to book on Resy, so we’re psyched. Meals center around a $79 six-course tasting menu, which is built around the growing seasons of this corner of Chester County, and relies on close relationships with local farmers and producers. Dishes here are very much about being their own vegetable-focused thing, as with a charcoal-grilled white sweet potato glazed with habañada pepper, or ravioli filled with truffled potatoes and leeks. The full bar keeps a focused list of old and new world wines, local beers, cocktails, and zero-proof options.

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.

Find more info here.

Chef George Sabatino is back in his own restaurant — which is reason to celebrate. Longtime Philly diners know him from Fork, Barbuzzo, Stateside, and his first solo spot, Aldine. He’s one of the most respected chefs in town, known for spotlighting seasonal, local ingredients to create elegant dishes. At Fleur’s, that translates to sea scallop gratin with green chile butter, cabbage a l’orange, and pork and pistachio terrine with plum preserves. Situated in a former Kensington furniture store, this 140-seat French restaurant has a central raw bar and chef’s counter in the main dining room. Co-owners Josh Mann (Starr, Defined Hospitality) and Graham Gernsheimer (Vetri, Loco Pez) bring serious hospitality and bartending chops to this big operation.

You probably know Lauren Biederman from her namesake appetizing shop in the Italian Market — a go-to for bagel lovers and smoked fish obsessives, offering everything from gravlax and kippered salmon to golden osetra caviar (four ounces for $425). Now, she’s leveled up with a liquor license and a new oyster bar on Dickinson Street. Chef Michael Valent (formerly of Zahav and The Good King Tavern) turns out small plates made for sharing: think broiled oysters with Calabrian chile butter, or crispy potatoes topped with whitefish aioli and trout roe (or caviar, if you’re feeling flush). Those luxe fish eggs make a cameo on the cocktail list, too — try them stuffed into an olive, or keep it classic with the blue cheese version in an olive oil-washed martini. 

Calling all seafood lovers: Tai Lake in Chinatown has been the go-to for ultra-fresh Cantonese-style crab, lobster, fish, and more since 1988. It’s deliciously old-school — your dinner waits in tanks up front, and lazy Susans make it easy to share across linen-draped tables. A recent Inquirer review raved about the whole lobster with sticky rice, crispy flounder, Dungeness crab, spicy clams with pork, congee, and steamed oysters in black bean sauce. It’s BYOB with no corkage, or you can order from the bar. And if someone in your group isn’t into seafood, Peking duck (brought in from Siu Kee across the street) is the answer. 

Find more info here.

Mother-and-son duo Nhan Vo and Andrew Dinh Vo proudly describe their Vietnamese restaurant as a “hole in the wall.” Maybe so, but since 2014, it has gone big on flavor — and found a devoted following not only locally but beyond — in its signature bún bò Huế, Central Vietnam’s lemongrassy noodle soup that’s similar to phở, with more spice and funk. The pork blood cubes are a popular add-in. You can also get traditional phở here, plus a variety of banh mi, ultra-crunchy chicken wings (perfect for game day!), summer rolls stuffed with meat, veggies, and noodles, and marinated, grilled pork over rice. 

Find more info here.