Dim Sum Garden ★ 4.5
Dim Sum Garden in Philadelphia is chef Shizhou Da's Chinatown soup-dumpling room on Race Street, with a basket of xiao long bao for 8 dollars and noodle plates under 12.
Try: Xiao long bao
Banh Mi Cali in Philadelphia is the Chinatown banh mi counter at 9th and Arch, a six-dollar Vietnamese baguette sandwich that is the city's best one-bill lunch.
Address: 900 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Dim Sum Garden in Philadelphia is chef Shizhou Da's Chinatown soup-dumpling room on Race Street, with a basket of xiao long bao for 8 dollars and noodle plates under 12.
Try: Xiao long bao
Kabobeesh in Philadelphia is the University City halal Pakistani-Indian counter on Chestnut, with charcoal kebabs and biryani plates for 12 dollars and a quick service window.
Try: Chicken biryani
Tony Luke's in Philadelphia is the 1992 South Philly counter on Oregon Ave with a 12-dollar roast pork Italian, the locals' answer to the cheesesteak tourist queue.
Try: Roast pork Italian
Sarcone's Bakery in Philadelphia is the 1918 Italian Market brick-oven bakery on South 9th, with tomato pie by the square for 4 dollars and a queue every morning.
Try: Tomato pie by the square
Beiler's Doughnuts in Philadelphia is the Pennsylvania Dutch Reading Terminal Market bakery since 1984, with hand-cut yeasted doughnuts for 3 dollars and the longest morning queue.
Try: Hand-cut yeasted doughnut
Center City Pretzel Co. in Philadelphia is the South Philly pretzel bakery on Washington Avenue, baking hand-twisted figure-eight pretzels round the clock for a dollar each.
Try: Soft pretzel with mustard