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

Lately, we’ve been doubling down on Philly’s pizza scene. Wilder’s domed oven turns out memorable seasonal pies, like one topped with green garlic and mustard greens or another with asparagus and Meyer lemon. But this pretty Rittenhouse restaurant is no one-trick pony. It’s also known for its raw bar, loaded with oysters, crudos, and shellfish plateaus, plus Italian-inspired pastas and entrées. The bar program is just as impressive, with as many spirit-free cocktails as boozy ones, from the Spaghetti Western with mezcal, preserved plum, ginger, lime, and cilantro-spring pea foam to the bubbly, zero-proof Mantra Melody with honey, sarsaparilla, lemon, and bee pollen.

Northeast Philly, the sprawling stretch of the city up 95, has plenty of great food — Georgian plov, dim sum, hot chicken, diner omelets — but not much in the way of special-occasion dining. Macaroni’s is an exception. For four decades, this family-owned Italian restaurant has been a neighborhood standby for date nights and celebrations. Go classically Italian with gnocchi pomodoro and branzino, or treat it like a steakhouse with clams casino and roasted rack of lamb. Then there’s P Square, the indoor-outdoor bar tucked behind the restaurant in a lush, garden-like setting — an unexpected oasis in this busy part of the city.

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The team behind three swanky Forîn cafes brought us this neighborhood restaurant with ‘70s diner vibes. Percy is a one-stop shop for coffee, brunch, lunch, dinner, and fancy drinks. The all-day menu is familiar but tony: ricotta pancakes with cinnamon sugar compound butter, a double smash burger with Cooper Sharp, and a tuna melt with long-hot mayo on pumpernickel. Behind the bar, every wine, beer, and spirit comes from Pennsylvania. We’re into savoring summer flavors with housemade cherry and blueberry wines and fun cocktails like a Blue Hawaiian or a harissa-infused Bloody Mary. We’re even more into Percy’s music-oriented lounge, complete with swivel chairs and a fireplace.

During the day, Beach Plum Farm is a bustling, upscale farmstand, where Shore-goers stop for breakfast or lunch surrounded by gardens and greenery. A few nights each week, though, the farm stays open late for ticketed dinners under the stars. Guests gather at long, beautifully set tables in the fields or greenhouse, depending on the weather, for a multi-course meal built around that week’s harvest — a snapshot of what’s growing, including produce, herbs, fruit from the orchards, and pasture-raised heritage meats. Bring friends and a bottle of wine. The 62-acre working farm is part of Cape Resorts, the group behind Cape May’s historic Congress Hall, and also offers overnight stays in a dozen cottages and renovated barns.

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Restaurant and bakery veterans Paige and Zachary Wernick launched Rougarou Baking as a pop-up inside Scampi before opening their own storefront. Drawing on Creole and Jewish food traditions, the couple turns out pastries so popular they often sell out by mid-morning. Go early for chocolate-cinnamon babka, cardamom buns, jambalaya hand pies, rugelach, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and ginger cookies. The Friday-to-Sunday menu changes weekly, with recent additions ranging from fluffy challah and pecan croissants to a Muffuletta Pithivier made with Heavy Metal Sausage Co. mortadella.

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Fresh off being named the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant, Kalaya continues to prove why it remains at the top of our list. Chef Nok Suntaranon’s southern Thai cooking is as vibrant and deeply flavored as ever, from delicate blue flower dumplings and crispy rice cakes to rich curries and her signature grilled river prawn, dramatically mixed tableside with tomalley and jasmine rice. The lively Fishtown dining room and bar make this a place worth returning to again and again.

With a name like The Buttery, we’re automatically interested. John and Silenia Rhoads’ growing collection of Main Line cafés, which started in Malvern in 2015, has become a go-to for breakfast, lunch, coffee, and, of course, pastries. The team puts a premium on local ingredients, including Passenger Coffee, Highspire Hills eggs, and Birchrun Hills cheese, across menus that work just as well for a quick morning stop as a leisurely lunch. Don’t leave without trying one of the signature pastries, including kouign-amann, canelé, pecan sticky buns, Basque cheesecake, and vegan cranberry oat cookies.

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We love a theme, especially an “Alice in Wonderland” one. Put on your mad hats and head to The Snarky Tea House in charming Doylestown for a very merry unbirthday tea party. In the whimsical, cinematic setting, seasonal tea sandwiches might include blackberry-hoisin grilled chicken in summer or coffee-and-black-pepper steak on sourdough once fall arrives. Scones and mini desserts are always part of the spread. Kids are welcome, too, with their own more easygoing menu — think peanut butter and fluff on white bread and a creamsicle chipwich for dessert.

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This Brooklyn import is perfectly positioned near some of Philly’s busiest entertainment venues, including The Fillmore, Punch Line Philly, and Brooklyn Bowl. Other Half Brewing has a long bar lined with big TVs, a patio, and a beer garden dotted with Adirondack chairs, making it an easy stop before or after a show. Kids are welcome, and dogs can join in the beer garden. Since this is an active brewery, sample a few pours from the draft list, like the hazy Green City IPA or a kölsch. On the food side, the triple smash burger feels like the move.

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One of Philly’s newest pizza shops, Marina’s, recently turned heads with its $55 caviar slice, but this place is about more than novelty. Owner Mason Lesser grew up in the pizza business, working since age 14 in his Naples-born grandfather’s pizzerias across the Delaware Valley. Using his grandfather’s 60-year-old starter and fermenting the dough for 48 hours, Lesser turns out picture-perfect New York-style 18-inch pies. Sold by the slice — a rarity among Philly’s better pizza shops — or as whole pies, the menu ranges from margherita and four cheese to the signature Riviera with pepperoni cups, hot honey, and stracciatella, plus the Tie Dye with pesto, tomato, and vodka sauce. Round things out with a spicy Caesar, garlic knots, cannoli, or tiramisu.

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DanDan may be best known for its namesake noodle dish — lo mein-style noodles tossed with sesame paste, soy sauce, chile oil, minced pork, and scallions — but there’s plenty more to explore at this Sichuan and Taiwanese favorite. Across three locations in and around Philly, the menu runs from hot and cold noodles to spicy rib eye served bubbling in a clay pot, soft-shell shrimp, Taiwanese three-cup chicken, and plenty of meat-free options. The stylish dining rooms work just as well for a casual weeknight dinner as a night out with friends, and the full bar offers cocktails like a five-spice old fashioned and a lychee martini made with locally produced Stateside vodka.

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A group of Philly bar veterans — behind spots including Lloyd Whiskey Bar, Vintage, Garage, and The Goat — have teamed up for BAR ilu. Inside a beautifully renovated former Kensington dive bar, chef Andrew Butler turns out Spanish tapas like tortilla Española, tuna empanadas, head-on gambas al ajillo, ham and salt cod croquetas, melon with ham, and plenty of olives for snacking. The bar gets playful with vermouth topped with orange foam, a manzanilla gintonic, fresh-pressed Granny Smith apple soda for the N.A. crowd, and sherry on tap. The Spanish influence comes from co-owner Patrick Iselin, who travels regularly between Philadelphia and Madrid, and named BAR ilu after his grandmother.

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Lauren Biederman’s South Philly oyster bar continues to evolve with chef Kevin McWilliams, former chef de cuisine at Laurel, now leading the kitchen. If Biederman’s name is familiar, it’s because of her namesake Italian Market appetizing shop, known for bagels, smoked fish, and caviar. At Tesiny, try tuna crudo with pickled rhubarb and green strawberry vinegar, squid skewers with squid ink aioli and sumac, crab with corn, cardamom, and lime, or rainbow trout with crème fraîche and Jimmy Nardello peppers. Don’t overlook the hanger steak with brown butter, Worcestershire, and Dijon — a delicious break from the parade of seafood.

First, they gave us Libertee Grounds, an indoor mini-golf bar built for first dates and group outings. Then, the same crew opened Lucky Duck, a riverside tavern on the Delaware River waterfront. Go for the North Jersey-style extra-crispy pizza, also sold by the slice from a late-night pizza window on weekends, when the bar stays open until 1 a.m. A new Saturday and Sunday brunch service brings everything from a protein bowl with chicken sausage to biscuits and gravy, plus a shareable “Table Cake” with duck-shaped butter, maple syrup, and salted cornflakes.

At El Mictlan, Chelo Manzanarez specializes in the cuisine of Mexico’s West Coast in a friendly BYOB setting. Go for classics like guacamole, barbacoa tacos, and burritos, but don’t miss the more distinctive dishes. There’s Acapulco-style ceviche with shrimp, octopus, tuna, and snails, plus a family recipe for red mole Colorado served over corn tortilla enchiladas with salsa from Guerrero. For entrées, Italian flavors tag in with cilantro cream risotto topped with roasted poblanos, corn, crispy prosciutto, Parmesan, and microgreens.

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With a name like Schmaltz, you know you’re in for rich, comforting food. Open for counter-service breakfast and lunch, the kitchen is led by chef Sam Chertock, who previously cooked at K’Far, Zahav, and Vernick Food & Drink. Look for latkes tucked into egg-and-cheese sandwiches, rendered chicken fat — schmaltz in Yiddish — spread on house-baked English muffins, farmer’s cheese blintzes with homemade jam, plus lighter options like a chicken salad sandwich on rye. Take it to go or settle in at one of the handful of tables with coffee from nearby Herman’s, including espresso drinks and cold brew.

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