The Hit List: New Philadelphia Restaurants To Try Right Now

The Hit List: New Philadelphia Restaurants To Try Right Now image

photo credit: Alison Kessler


We checked out these new restaurants and loved them.


When new restaurants open, we check them out. This means that we subject our stomachs and social lives to the good, the bad, and more often than not, the perfectly fine. But every once in a while, a new restaurant makes us feel like a Shore bro at a tank top sale. When that happens, we add it here, to The Hit List. 

The Hit List is where you’ll find all of the best new restaurants in Philly. As long as it opened within the past several months and we’re still talking about it, it’s on this guide. The latest addition might be a shiny Center City spot where we saw Jalen Hurts on a date, or it might be a lunch counter where a few dollars will get you a meal that’ll rattle around in your brain like a loose penny in a dryer.

Keep tabs on the Hit List and you'll always know just which new restaurants you should be eating at right now. See which of our favorite Hit List spots of the year landed on Philly's Best New Restaurants Of 2024.

​​New to the Hit List (07.15): Out West, Kissho House, Taste Of Dacca and Griddle & Rice

The Hit List, Explained


When new places open, we add them to our Openings guide and plan to visit. If a restaurant is really something special, we add it here, to the Hit List.

New Openings

Hit List

Top 25

THE SPOTS

5127 Walnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19139

$$$$

Bakery/Cafe

West Philadelphia

Perfect For:BreakfastLunchCoffee & A Light BiteGetting Work Done

Coffee shops are not one-matcha-espresso-fits-all. There are some where roasting “experts” come to get a decent espresso, and some where people on a deadline rely on a good playlist and a pillowy cinnamon roll to power them through the morning. Out West in West Philly is both, and a lot more. The tri-level cafe comes from the team behind Down North, and the kitchen leans heavily towards Philly comfort food: for breakfast, peppery lamb scrapple smeared with a harissa strawberry jam and braised brisket sandwiches, and cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks for lunch (which we’ll be back for). Grab a seat, the avocado lemonade, and admire the rotating artwork from Black creators. 

CANDIS R. MCLEAN

While the a la carte experience at Kissho House in Rittenhouse can be hit or miss, the omakase downstairs is not. It’s there, at a sleek, intimate counter, where buttery miso cod and delicious corn mouse layered with ikura and uni steal your attention from your friend’s latest disaster date story (sorry, Tiffany). The 20-piece, $150 omakase is full of the usual theatrics: torched salmon here, tender wagyu with uni there, all effortlessly wrapped up in 90 minutes. For now, skip the small plates and robatayaki upstairs and reserve a seat for caviar on top of toro in the basement.

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CANDIS R. MCLEAN

As Philly’s only part-Indonesian, part-American restaurant, Griddle & Rice doesn’t need much else to stand out. But the Point Breeze counter-service spot also has an excellent menu  that mixes sambal-infused flavors of Indonesian cuisine with the spirit of a traditional American breakfast. Balance the fragrant heat of the nasi uduk with the berry and whipped cream-topped pancakes, or pair the smashed fried chicken smothered in chili-loaded sambal bawang with an egg and cheese sammy. The Indonesian influence extends to the drink menu, where lychee, basil chia seeds, and milo abound, but cookie butter lattes are also available if that’s more your speed. There are only 12 seats in the cheery dining room, but you can–and should–do as the entire neighborhood does and order ahead for pickup.

Alison Kessler

Getting a great Bangladeshi meal in Philly used to be a near-impossible task. But Taste of Dacca on North Broad has made it a whole lot easier. Everything at the warm and friendly halal spot—from the toasty, housemade naan to the velvety lamb in comforting curry—is excellent, and designed for sharing. Starters and mains come with a generous portion of salad and garlic rice, and the vegan menu is just as long as the meat-filled one. Get a tremendous goat curry before a show at The Met, or pick up a tasty weeknight dinner for date night at home. 

CANDIS R. MCLEAN

Like the original in East Passyunk, the new El Chingon is bringing bold color and flavors to Fishtown. The tacos and cemitas (on housemade tortillas and buns) maintain the same high standards—the birria and al pastor versions of both are juicy, deeply savory, and have just a hint of spice. And if you’re looking for something lighter, both the guacamole and elote are fantastic. Soon enough, margaritas will be available to enjoy on the small patio, but until then, it’s an easy place to grab a great Mexican spread without the tequila, or take your haul to go.

CANDIS R. MCLEAN

A sit-down pizza and pasta spot isn’t really a thing in University City—someone probably thought the only way undergrads and doctors want to eat is on the go. But Corio, with its laidback dining space, pop music playing from the speakers, and a menu of Italian-American dishes, is here to dispel that theory. The Neapolitan-style pizza features light and airy crusts (our favorite is the creamy potato and green garlic), the gemelli perfectly blends pepper and parmesan, and the saucy wings have a delicious heat thanks to the hot honey with Calabrian chili. It’s an easygoing place that works well for both lunch and dinner, surrounded by drinks and a few bucatini-obsessed friends. Plus, the front of the house operates as a takeout shop, if you insist on proving the original theory correct. 

CANDIS R. MCLEAN

The former head chef from Fishtown's LMNO moved into his own stunning space down the street, and he brought his love for mole with him. The sleek and buzzy Mexican restaurant has seating for nearly every occasion—there’s bar seating for a sotol cocktail, an airy main dining room packed with groups of friends, and there’s even an area with retractable walls, perfect for pretending you’re near the Cabo coastline when the night breeze hits you. The menu, for now, can be hit-or-meh, but the smoky, 72-hour brined chicken and citrusy rock shrimp tostadas topped with tangy chamoy sauce are early standouts. Toss in the best churros in the city, and you have a truly transportive experience (even when the el train rumbles through your Mexican fantasy). 

Nicole Guglielmo

Rittenhouse’s La Jefa opened with a lot of anticipation—after all, it’s the sibling of the beautiful (and much-beloved) Tequila’s. But this all-day cafe stands out on its own thanks to its Mexican-inspired breakfast and baked goods. The sit-down menu is full of hits: chilaquiles with pickled ayocote folded into a perfect omelette, an oat and fruit bowl punched up by turmeric milk, and a zesty zucchini sandwich topped with cilantro pesto and pepper relish. You’ll want to lounge for an hour or two in the airy, tile-filled dining room, but if you have to take your totomoxtle latte to go, be sure to grab a blackberry concha, too (the pastries here are knockouts). Dinner service in the sexy second dining area hasn’t started yet, but we can’t wait to see if La Jefa is this good come nighttime.

8.3

Nicole Guglielmo

West Philly’s Honeysuckle has been closed for a year, and we suffered from kreyol limeade and Haitian sandwich separation anxiety. But the wait was worth it for the expanded Afrocentric dinner menu served up in a sophisticated new Spring Garden space. There’s ramp-wrapped red drum with scallop foam, spaghetti with crawfish tossed in a savory West African XO sauce, and a juicy, $65 burger decked out in gold flakes, truffle, and caviar. Unlike the old digs, there’s a full bar and plenty of seating in the bright, wood-filled space. Keep in mind that for now, service tends to run long (we're talking a slow marathon rather than a sprint). But you should still make a reservation ASAP. You’ll probably see us there, developing a new dependence on something delicious.

RESERVE A TABLE WITH

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Sapphire Reserve

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CANDIS R. MCLEAN

Perfect For:KidsWalk-Ins

When Cuzzy’s closed, it left an ice-cream-cone-shaped hole in our hearts. But residents of Bella Vista and Queen Village can rejoice—Irv’s Ice Cream is slinging scoops of creative flavors on Passyunk Ave. The housemade classics are great too, but it’s the horchata, lemon cream, and cookie monster that has locals lining up down the block. Head over after dinner at Royal, or anytime you need the creamiest thing in the neighborhood (and a break from John’s).

Irv's Ice Cream image

Alison Kessler

You know that urge to take a picture of the sunset every time the sky looks camera-ready? That’s the feeling you’ll get when you walk into Dreamworld Bakes. The Kensington shop makes gorgeous sweet and salty baked goods–glistening brownies here, a flowery slice of cardamom cake there, and a buttery breakfast bun with sausage and scrambled egg to boot. Come in with friends, grab a seat in the corner, and eat your way through the menu. Or take a mixed box home where there’s no judgment for licking chai mousse off your fingers and keeping the three-kinds-of-chocolate cookie all to yourself. 

CANDIS R. MCLEAN

You know what they say: Jack of all trades, master of none. But somehow, Saigon Grace Cafe on South Street serves grilled pork bánh mì, churro pancakes, and birria ramen with beefy tacos—and it's all pretty good. The quaint all-day cafe won’t rush you out, which makes Saigon Grace Cafe just as useful for a working lunch over salted foam iced coffee and a bulgogi rice bowl as it does for a pancakes-and-eggs Sunday brunch. If you're really just getting one thing, make it a bánh mì. But don't take that as a sign to shy away from the rest of the non-Vietnamese dishes.

8.0

Alison Kessler

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