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. 

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.

Grab extra napkins and prepare to get messy. The smears of frosting and caramel-tacky fingers are worth it for just about everything from this Brewerytown bakery. The bright counter-service spot serves syrupy Earl Grey buns, miso cashew and white chocolate cookies with gooey centers, and towering, royal wedding-worthy cakes (shocker: they also sell them by the slice). There are no tables inside, but it’s not about where you’ll sit to eat your stunning treats—it’s about where you are in line. 

Imagine a ravenous morning. Maybe your head is pounding from a one-night stand with tequila. Maybe you thought a quickie hot dog dinner would sustain you. But you thought wrong, and you need sustenance. Head to Hannah K in Point Breeze for the hearty and delicious shaking beef and eggs banh mí, custom-loaded summer rolls, and banana-stuffed short stacks. It’s from the team behind TBD, so you can expect the same mix of American classics with Vietnamese twists—think cheesy grits topped with lemongrass shrimp—and signature staples like thit ko hash and fragrant crispy fried rice. Stop imagining and just get there—they open every day at 8am. Tequila need not be involved.  

In a surprise to no one, the team behind Good King Tavern and Superfolié are doing the whole drink-well-and-eat-light thing right again. This time, it’s at Supérette, the vintage-inspired, Paris-meets-Passyunk wine bar, bottle shop, and café mashup. You’ll want to take a few bottles and the black olive tapenade to go, but they also make a mean tequila highball and parsley sauce-soaked octopus and merguez that you’ll flirt-fight your date over. Snag a sunshine yellow booth and a couple martinis, scoop luxuriously buttery cheese, and pretend you’re hanging in your French friend’s apartment. 

Adoro in Queen Village hits all the requisite marks of a great Italian BYOB: saucy seafood apps, a chicken parm that’s too big for the plate, and oil paintings of the old country on its walls. There are white tablecloths and daily desserts displayed on a silver platter, but this is an easy place to walk into any day of the week wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Families from the neighborhood are already regulars, masterfully maneuvering their reds around giant housemade pastas and bowls of garlicky clams in white wine sauce. As long as you steer clear of the tough veal al adoro, you’ll be in for a satisfying meal, and will almost certainly leave with leftovers of the creamy, deliciously salty penne alla vodka.

If you’re looking for the genuine Sichuan hot pot article, head to Feng Hot Pot in Midtown Village. They have three broths: spicy beef tallow (it’s fiery), mushroom, and tomato soup with a fantastic sour tang. You’ll always find guests busy on self-ordering tablets, sipping from their soju bucket (it reminds of a citrusy beer sangria), or keeping their chopsticks in constant motion—the options are endless and the quality is excellent. But it’s not just the caliber of short rib and sweet potato noodles that's the draw here. It’s that unlike other hot pot places, you can take it all to-go. 

In a sea of other buzzy cafes, Baby’s is a colorful, cozy, bibingka-filled standout. The long-awaited Filipino shop and market started as a pop-up, but now serves its fresh juices, calamansi donuts and ube handpies, and crispy jowa and lumpia from its permanent home in Brewerytown. Order each of those, plus their once-in-a-lifetime pandan cookies, and get comfortable at the communal table upstairs. The coffee program is no slouch either (and beans are sourced from Càphê Roasters), so crash on one of the velvet loveseats with a strawberry matcha latte and enjoy some of the best modern Filipino in town.

Emmett, the long-awaited Mediterranean-meets-Middle Eastern restaurant in Fishtown, is Philly’s most exciting opening of the year (we know it’s only March). Neighborhood locals have already made the sexy candlelit space a regular hang, and the service is fine-tuned thanks to the chef’s previous pop-ups and the industry veterans running the show. You can go à la carte or make a few selections from the $95 tasting menu (which is a steal of a deal—portions are large and they seem to just keep coming). Either way, there are a few dishes you cannot skip: the creamy, horseradish-flooded wagyu in a buttery rye tartlet; the calabrian-spiced tuna on a crispy za’atar cracker; and the glazed lamb belly paired with a tangy labneh. It takes extra time and money, but the duck with caramelly dates is one of the best mallards in town. There’s not a bad dish to be had (we checked), so set your reservation reminder now. 

Dara means “star” in Thai, and as it turns out, this casual Midtown Village BYOB may be one. In some ways, it’s like other Thai spots in town: papaya salad, crispy duck, and pad thai on the menu.  But it’s especially useful for their generously portioned (read: huge) $16 lunch special and a laidback group dinner. A few dishes that have our undivided attention are the delicate and flaky chicken puff, pineapple fried rice with plump grilled shrimp, and panang curry that’s spicy without inducing sweat. There are constellations on the wall and a glowing moon behind the counter—it feels like they know the families and pre-night-out friends in the dining room will appreciate those warm, considerate touches just as much as the hint of coconut in the crispy duck curry (our favorite). And they do. 

You can save your Neighborhood Ramen going away present (for now). The team is still serving its pristine handmade noodles and exceptional slow-cooked broth, now in a tiny shop just off South Street in Queen Village. There are only six seats and two menu items: gyokai tsukemen on Thursdays (noodles served alongside a rich broth for dipping) and gyokai tonkotsu on Fridays and Saturdays (noodles and pork belly served inside the soup). To dine on Thursdays, you have to make a reservation, in person, but on Fridays and Saturdays, it’s all first come, first serve (so be prepared to wait). The hassle is completely worth it for a warm bowl of rich, creamy broth with a flawless balance of fish and pork flavor and tender slices of pork. You can add on a soy-marinated egg, but it’s the addition of ahijen that infuses a layered, curry-like flavor to the entire mix. Their move to Japan is imminent, so don’t wait for it to be cold and rainy—this is ramen you’ll want every day of the week.

We never thought we’d be here—having eaten our second bird of the week and seriously considering going for lucky number three. But this new banquet-style Chinatown spot serving $105 duck is just that good. Get the poultry showcase for the thinly sliced magic: a chef rolls out a trolley, sounds a gong, and serves golden-roasted duck for four, along with delightfully crispy skin with sugar to dip it in. Like the duck, everything from the pan-fried noodles and beef fried rice to the lightly-battered garlic shrimp is meant to be passed around the massive tables with a group. But only the duck will make you consider a bird-a-day lifestyle.