The Resy Hit List: Where In Philadelphia You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
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There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
Consider it your essential resource for dining in Philadelphia: a monthly-updated guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Philadelphia Not to Miss This Month
- Plan Ahead for the Holidays: Now is the time to book holiday season parties and dinners. We have ideas. Gather six guests for hoagies and pizza in The Hoagie Room at Pizzeria Beddia, or take over Middle Child Clubhouse’s Thousand Island Lounge for sandwiches, bottomless fries, and Nintendo 64 with eight to 20 people. Ambra hosts private Italian dinners for six to 12, while Via Locusta’s Pasta Room seats 11. Wilder has private and semi-private spaces for groups of 24 to 43, and Queen Village café and wine bar Bloomsday has a private room for 24 seated or 35 standing. For larger celebrations, Barclay Prime’s steakhouse private room seats 40, Osteria’s glass-enclosed Greenhouse seats 65, and Rex at the Royal offers Southern-inspired dining and space for up to 100. Or head to Assembly Rooftop Lounge, where semi-private fire pit pods accommodate seven to 30 guests above the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
- Peep This: You’ve got a few weeks left to catch the changing leaves around the Philly region. Head up to New Hope for peak fall vibes, shopping along the main drag, and dinner at a historic countryside inn. The 200-year-old Carversville Inn recently reopened with a French-inspired brasserie, while just across the river in New Jersey, Sergeantsville Inn serves modern American fare from Sean Gray, formerly of Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko. Nearby, the recently restored Stockton Inn has James Beard Award nominee Bob Truitt in the kitchen and Death & Co. alum Brian Miller behind the cocktail program.
- Give Thanks for Good Food: Why limit Thanksgiving to one night when you can celebrate all week? Philly restaurants are on board. Kiddo’s Friendsgiving on Nov. 18 benefits Neighborhood Gardens Trust, with bottle specials from Pray Tell Wines. Osteria’s Carbs Before Turkey pasta-making class on Nov. 24 offers hands-on practice making three pasta shapes. And City Winery’s Gather & Give Thanks dinner on Nov. 28 features an elegant four-course Thanksgiving-inspired meal paired with four glasses of wine. Beyond Turkey Day, Sor Ynéz is throwing a birthday dinner party for its namesake, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, with an open mic and live mariachi on Nov. 12, while Bloomsday hosts a sparkling wine tasting and dinner on Dec. 8. Newsroom Philly, the Northern Liberties speakeasy that you enter through a vintage soda machine, will transform into a North Pole bar — with themed aerial performances on weekends — from Nov. 18 through the holidays.
- Welcome Starr Restaurants: It’s an exciting time at Resy as we welcome Parc, Borromini, The Dandelion Pub, and Barclay Prime to the platform. These restaurants represent some of the most coveted tables in town — from the lively steakhouse scene at Barclay Prime to one of Philly’s hottest new Italian restaurants, Borromini. Parc, Starr’s beloved French bistro overlooking Rittenhouse Square, has become a crown jewel of the restaurant group that helped put Philly dining on the map. It was recently praised for having “the best free restaurant bread in America,” and we’ve got a behind-the-scenes look at the baking operation.
New to the Hit List (Nov. 2026)
The Blue Warbler, Cilantro Mediterranean Cuisine, David’s Mai Lai Wah, The Little Hen, Parc, Roxanne.
1. Scampi Queen Village
Liz Grothe has never been one to sit still. As Scampi joins Resy, her acclaimed Italian restaurant is also entering a new era with an expanded à la carte menu, a bar program in partnership with Camuna Cellars, and the twinkle-lit Scampi Garden for outdoor dining. You can still book the tasting menu that put Scampi on the map, but now it’s just as easy to stop by for Caesar toast, an Oklahoma onion burger, a bowl of pasta, tiramisu, and one of the playful new cocktails. It’s the same irreverent spirit, now with more flexibility.
2. The Blue Warbler Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill, perhaps Philly’s cutest neighborhood, is a fitting home for The Blue Warbler, a new all-day café and bar. Former journalist Fred Mogul recruited a team of hospitality veterans, including chefs Daniel Berret (formerly of The COOP and Chestnut Hill Brewing Company) and Renee Rowlett (formerly of Picnic). In a sunny dining room inside a 1926 building and a garden enclosed by stone walls and greenery, they’re serving a flexible, vegan-forward menu with plenty of meat and fish options, too. That could mean a rosemary chickpea flour pancake for breakfast, a tuna melt for lunch, or halloumi-stuffed dates, an Impossible kofta kebab, and smoked eggplant schnitzel for dinner. There’s coffee in the morning and cocktails — plus a substantial mocktail list — at night.
3. Macaroni’s Northeast Philly
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.
4. Percy Diner & Bar Fishtown
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 French onion soup. Behind the bar, every wine, beer, and spirit comes from Pennsylvania. We’re into savoring summer flavors with housemade cherry and ube 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.
5. Parc Rittenhouse Square
Stephen Starr’s Parc was an instant icon when it opened in 2008. Decked out with vintage pieces from Paris — including wooden doors and a zinc bar — this French brasserie feels like it’s been there forever. If you’ve ever dined at one of the sidewalk tables overlooking Rittenhouse Square or in the dimly lit dining room, you know why. Every meal starts with what is arguably the city’s best bread service — cranberry-walnut, baguette, and wheat rye sourdough with butter. Parc’s bakery produces 2,900 baguettes a week, plus thousands more loaves, buns, and rolls for the restaurant group. On the menu, you’ll find French classics from trout amandine and beef bourguignon to profiteroles and tarte Tatin for dessert. Book early; waits for a table can stretch for hours on a beautiful day.
6. The Little Hen Haddonfield
We’ll take any reason to head over the bridge to dine in one of South Jersey’s charming food towns. The Little Hen in Haddonfield is a great one. After decades cooking at Philly’s beloved Rose Tattoo, chef Alan Lichtenstein bought this tiny French BYOB in 2021 at age 68 — the first restaurant of his own. The 18-seat dining room has an open kitchen, hen sculptures throughout, and a menu of French classics without much fuss. Start with crispy frog legs and lemon-garlic aioli, escargot in hazelnut butter, or deviled eggs topped with smoked trout roe (aka oeufs sur oeufs). Then settle in for duck frites, steak with Dijon-brandy sauce, or coq au vin. Bring a bottle of French wine.
7. Cilantro Mediterranean Cuisine Queen Village
Egyptian cuisine gets the spotlight at Cilantro Mediterranean Cuisine, where husband-and-wife duo Dalia Soliman and Mohamed Alazzazy share the flavors of their homeland. Soliman, whose experience includes time cooking at Amis Trattoria and XIX at the Bellevue, specializes in Egyptian favorites like koshary, a hearty mix of rice, chickpeas, lentils, pasta, spicy tomato sauce, and crispy fried onions, and hawawshi, spiced ground beef stuffed into pita quarters. She also nails Middle Eastern and Mediterranean staples like tabbouli, tender falafel, and shawarma. Don’t skip the kunafa — shredded phyllo dough with sweet cheese — for dessert.
Find more info here.
8. Roxanne Queen Village
Alexandra Holt, a chef who’s cooked in top kitchens in the U.S. and abroad, launched her unconventional supper club in 2022 as a one-woman show. Her playful, boundary-pushing cooking wowed diners, and she expanded to a larger Queen Village location in 2024. At Roxanne, expect surprises like a raw cheesesteak tartlet covered by American cheese sauce and a dessert cheeseburger (yes, you read that right!) served with a chocolate sundae drenched in housemade fudge. But there’s serious cooking behind the whimsy, too, from a fresh baked baguette with French butter to Moulard duck with steamed strawberry and Stilton. Choose between a tasting menu or à la carte dining.
9. The Buttery Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, Malvern
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.
Find more info here.
10. Gabriella’s Vietnam East Passyunk
Alert: You have one month left to experience Thanh Nguyen’s Vietnamese cooking in its current East Passyunk home. Gabriella’s chef-owner is searching for a new space following the sale of the restaurant’s building, so now is the time to book. Nguyen grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, where her family owned a seafood market, and now sources ingredients from area farmers markets to create dishes rooted in the food of home. Order the delicate water fern dumplings, charred and tender shaken beef, catfish hot pot, or bún đậu mắm tôm. Bonus: It’s BYOB.
11. The Snarky Tea House Doylestown
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 salted maple pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.
12. Other Half Brewing Fishtown
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 Greenest City IPA or an Ivy City Festbier. On the food side, the triple smash burger feels like the move.
Find more info here.
13. Marina’s Fishtown
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.
Find more info here.
14. DanDan Rittenhouse, Ardmore, Wayne
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.
15. BAR ilu Kensington
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.
Find more info here.
16. Tesiny Passyunk Square
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 tonnato and sesame, squid skewers with squid ink aioli and sumac, 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.
17. Lucky Duck Northern Liberties
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.
18. David’s Mai Lai Wah Chinatown
Night owls rejoice: After going takeout-only in 2020, Chinatown’s longtime late-night dining destination has reopened for sit-down service, with a few changes. It’s open until 2:15 a.m., with a renovated, neon-dotted dining room and a new cocktail bar. First opened in 1982 by Hong Kong native David Chan, David’s Mai Lai Wah is known for its salt-and-pepper chicken wings, fried pork dumplings, squid in a variety of sauces, and other Hong Kong and Cantonese dishes. Chan’s daughter and son-in-law, who are now running the restaurant, have introduced a revamped cocktail menu featuring a yuzu margarita, a ginger-infused Old Fashioned, and an espresso martini made with Vietnamese coffee.
Find more info here.
19. Schmaltz Point Breeze
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.
Find more info here.
20. Terra Grill Northern Liberties
Michelin-starred French chef Laurent Tourondel makes his Philly debut with Terra Grill, a swanky Northern Liberties restaurant with half-moon booths and steakhouse vibes, but a choose-your-own-adventure menu. Start with fancy snacks like a crunchy Gruyère-wrapped wagyu hot dog, Parker House rolls with miso garlic butter, or the short rib steamed buns. Then go big with charred octopus, a shareable 22-ounce prime rib eye, and fried potato puffs. Terra works equally well for a special occasion or a chill Friday night dinner, with good cocktails, terrific service, and brunch on the weekends.
