Philadelphia Food Recommendations

Earlier this summer I traveled to Philadelphia for a quick weekend away with my friend Dina. She lives in New Jersey and I'm in DC, so Philly is the perfect half-way spot. We've been there before together so we already had a few ideas of what we wanted to do--and let's be honest, eat.

I wanted to jot down my favorite food places in Philly. I've been to each of these at least once, and some I visit every time I'm in Philly. It's hard to squeeze in as much deliciousness in a weekend as I want, but a girl can try! Here are my top suggestions.

Dinner

• Morimoto, 723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
• Some of the best, freshest sushi you’ll find. Chef Morimoto was an Iron Chef in both the American and original Japanese versions. They restaurant is beautiful and chic, and they have a lot of non-sushi items too if you’re not into raw fish. Last time I was here I had the wasabi black cod, and Dina had the 28-day aged steak. Both plates were licked clean.
• Barbuzzo, 110 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
• Tiny Mediterranean small-plates restaurant. The portions were pretty big so take what they say is a serving size with a grain of salt. The peach and fig salad was delicious, as were the branzino, and the cavolfiore pizza. The restaurant is tiny though, so make a reservation.

Brunch

• El Ray, 2013 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
• Yummy Mexican food. I especially like their brunch options like huevos rancheros and breakfast burrito, but their lunch looked great too.
• Reading Terminal Market, 51 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
• A smorgasbord of deliciousness. It's a bustling market that has tons of local vendors selling everything from fresh cheese and meats, to scratch-made sauces, to sweets. There are several food stalls and a busy seating area where you have to fight for seats during peak times. It's worth it though. I had a fancy grilled cheese at Meltkraft. The Brielle is brie, cranberry chutney, caramelized onions , and pine nuts on brioche. Yum!

• Continental Mid-Town, 51 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
• The food was good—nothing crazy, but unexpectedly good. But what’s super fun about the restaurant is that you can sit in a swing and eat! The design of the place is really amazing.
  

Dessert

• Capogiro Gelato, 117 S 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
• Super creamy, delicious gelato. I really enjoy the chocolate banana, the amaretto, and any weirdo flavors they have that day (tomato and basil was an awesome one; cilantro is refreshing).

Note: many of my recommendations are from the Starr restaurant group. I really love everyone I’ve been to (including the Dandelion, that isn’t on this list but is a solid choice too). He has fun concepts that really resonate with me.