Philadelphia restaurants are thriving. New restaurants have drawn gourmets to Rittenhouse Row, Old City and up-and-coming neighborhoods; long-time favorites are expanding; BYOBs are popping corks; and celebrity chefs are flocking to Philadelphia. The icing on the cake was a recent article in the New York Times that stated, “Philadelphia may be on the middle of the map, but it shoots for the top in the kitchen.”
Famous Philadelphia Restaurateurs
While there are many fine restaurateurs in Philadelphia, three stand out with at least three top spots on the scene: Stephen Starr, Neil Stein and Georges Perrier. All have been extremely influential in the restaurant renaissance of Philadelphia.
In the past seven years, Starr’s enterprise has grown to include Alma de Cuba, Blue Angel, Buddakan, Continental, Jones, Morimoto, Pod and Tangerine. Stein’s restaurants include Avenue B, Bleu, Rouge and Striped Bass. Perrier, who’s first restaurant Le Bec-Fin was the ignition to the restaurant boom in Philadelphia, also has two other restaurants in the area, Le Perrier and Brasserie Perrier.
New Restaurants
Internationally acclaimed Chef Jean-Marie LaCroix, a leader of the Philadelphia culinary scene for two decades, recently came out of retirement to open LaCroix at The Rittenhouse. The restaurant, in the AAA Five Diamond Rittenhouse Hotel on one of the city’s prettiest parks, strives to bring the greenery of Rittenhouse Square into the dining room. The menu focuses on refined contemporary cuisine featuring seasonal, regional ingredients.
Stephen Starr, a prolific restaurateur known for his trend-setting restaurants, recently opened Jones. The atmosphere is fun, with its corduroy and Izod-clad servers and nostalgic décor. The menu, which allows diners to reminisce over macaroni and cheese, and Duncan Hines chocolate cake and milk, takes you back to the 1970s.
Cozy neighborhood restaurants are opening weekly in the Rittenhouse Square area (Magazine and Salt), University City (Pod, Penne and Rx) and in up-and-coming neighborhoods (Pigalle and Abbaye in Northern Liberties, and Trust in B3 – three blocks below Broad), thanks in part to the blossoming restaurant scene.
Favorites Thriving
Chef Georges Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin recently completed a $500,000 renovation, which was topped-off by regaining the Mobile Travel Guide’s coveted five-star status. The elegant French restaurant is one of only 14 five-star restaurants in the nation.
Beau Monde, a Breton creperie that sparkles like a tiny gem, is expanding, as is Maggiano’s Little Italy, a Southern Italian family-style restaurant across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Restaurants that allow diners to bring their own alcohol, called BYOBs (“Bring Your Own Bottle”), are thriving. Many intimate spaces are run by husband/wife teams, including D’Jango, a tiny restaurant that bakes bread in a flowerpot and serves an unforgettable cheese plate; Pif, a petite French restaurant featuring fresh ingredients from the nearby Italian Market; and Chloe, a cheerful, neighborhood restaurant with a dash of romantic candlelight. Rx serves American cuisine in a former drugstore with apothecary antiques on display.
BYOB popularity has spilled over into restaurants with liquor licenses and some are starting to offer BYOB nights. Philadelphia Fish & Company allows diners to bring wine on Tuesdays and Italian steakhouse Davio’s invites guests to bring their favorite wines on Fridays.
Celebrity Chefs
In addition to Philadelphia’s celebrity chefs such as Georges Perrier and Jean-Marie LaCroix, the city’s successful restaurant scene is attracting well-known chefs from across the U.S.A.
TV Food Network’s “Iron Chef” Japanese Masaharu Morimoto of Nobu fame, opened Morimoto with restaurateur Stephen Starr. The restaurant, with its upscale, glowing Asian décor and open sushi bar, has attracted a devoted following.
Chef Roy Yamaguchi opened Roy’s to much acclaim. The airy, bright-colored restaurant specializes in Hawaiian fusion cuisine prepared in a dramatic open kitchen.
Chef Douglas Rodriguez and restaurateur Stephen Starr created Alma de Cuba, a Cuban restaurant that is winning awards for its seductive Latin décor and flavors.
Novelty is the second restaurant by chef Bruce Cooper, Jake’s was his first. Housed in a renovated novelty toy factory, the stylish urban atmosphere, combined with the creative American cuisine, creates a unique dining experience.
City Tavern’s Proprieter/Chef, Walter Staib recently won the “five-star diamond chef and restaurant award” from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences for the third year in a row. City Tavern, a recreated 18th-century tavern serves fine food in an historic setting.
Prominent Restaurant Neighborhoods
While restaurants thrive throughout the city and region, there are several Center City neighborhoods known for their wealth of dining options. Rittenhouse Row (S. 18th Street between Walnut and Spruce streets) has many restaurants with Parisian-style cafes. Restaurateur Neil Stein owns several of the restaurants, including Bleu and Rouge.
Stein’s influence travels around the corner to Walnut Street, which is affectionately called “Restaurant Row.” On the row, Stein’s Striped Bass is flanked by Susanna Foo’s Chinese Cuisine, and Chef Georges Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin and Brasserie Perrier, among others.
Two restaurants on “Restaurant Row” reside in buildings that were formerly banks, Circa and Striped Bass. The cathedral ceilings give them a sophisticated and timeless feel. Striped Bass features mullioned windows, towering palms between marble columns and lush floral arrangements, and specializes in serving innovative, seafood dishes. Circa specializes in American cuisine and has hallmarks that include bank vault dining, a cigar menu and a 45-foot-long antique mahogany bar.
Old City, between Front and Fourth streets and Arch and Chestnut streets, is home to many notable restaurants, including five-year-old Fork, Starr’s Continental and Tangerine, as well as Bluzette, Novelty and WarmDaddy’s. Lucy’s Hat Shop Restaurant and Lounge, located in a converted women’s hat shop, features continental cuisine in an inviting atmosphere.
Ethnic eateries in neighborhoods from Chinatown to Germantown to the Italian Market also complement Philadelphia’s restaurant scene.
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