Famous 4th Street Delicatessen in Philadelphia is the 1923 Queen Village Jewish deli on the Bainbridge corner, 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand for over-stuffed pastrami sandwiches.
Signature dishes: Pastrami on rye, Matzo ball soup
Must order: Pastrami on rye; matzo ball soup; a chocolate-chip cookie at the door on the way out.
Tip: Cash gets a discount at the register. Halve the triple-decker with a friend; it is two sandwiches in one.
Address: 700 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Mike's BBQ in Philadelphia is the South Philly barbecue counter on 11th since 2018, founded by Mike Strauss and now run by Daniel Grobman, with whole-hog brisket and ribs.
Signature: Brisket, Pork ribs
Order: A sliced brisket plate; pork ribs; the burnt-end sliders if they are running that week.
Tip: Closed Mondays through Wednesdays. Open Thursday to Sunday; brisket sells out by 14:00 on a Sunday.
Dim Sum Garden in Philadelphia is chef Shizhou Da's Shanghai dumpling room, reopened January 2025 on Race Street in Chinatown with a doubled soup-dumpling operation.
Signature: Xiao long bao, Hand-pulled noodles
Order: Xiao long bao by the basket; hand-pulled scallion-pancake noodles; the XL straw soup dumpling for the table.
Tip: Sit at the front window seats to watch the pleating. Cash works but cards land too.
Standard Tap in Philadelphia is the Northern Liberties gastropub since 1999, with a daily chalkboard menu, all-Pennsylvania taps and the chicken pot pie that locals reorder.
Signature: Chicken pot pie, Steak frites
Order: The daily chicken pot pie; steak frites; whichever oysters are on the chalkboard that night.
Tip: The roof deck opens April to October. No reservations; walk up and put your name on the list.
K'Far in Philadelphia is Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook's all-day Israeli bakery and cafe at 19th near Rittenhouse, the morning sibling to Zahav's evening service.
Signature: Borekas, Shakshuka
Order: A bourekas filled with feta and za'atar; shakshuka at brunch; the babka to take home.
Tip: Walk in for the bakery counter at 08:00 before the work crowd lands at 09:30. Pastries sell out by 11.
Honey's Sit 'n Eat in Philadelphia is the Northern Liberties comfort-food counter at 4th and Brown since 2005, with challah French toast, latkes and a hangover-grade weekend brunch.
Signature: Challah French toast, Latkes
Order: Challah French toast; potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce; the brisket-and-egg plate.
Tip: No reservations. Aim for 10:00 weekday or 09:30 Saturday. Cash and cards land equally.
Han Dynasty in Philadelphia is Han Chiang's Sichuan room on Chestnut, the kitchen that ranked the spice scale 1 to 10 and made the city order dan dan noodles by name.
Signature: Dan dan noodles, Dry pot
Order: Dan dan noodles, dry-pot rabbit at heat 7, three-pepper chicken, mapo tofu.
Tip: Order one dish below the heat level you think you can handle. The 10 scale is honest.
