Lion Sports Bar in Chinatown has Happy Hour daily and during the late-night hours (10pm-12am) on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There’s also free karaoke on Wednesday nights, if the Phillies game, wings, and fries aren’t enough entertainment for you.  

In a fast-paced city, in-and-out Mexican food is required. Tacoteca, a halal spot in Logan Square, agrees. The menu is full of tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, and loaded nachos and fries. Plus, it has all the guacamole, queso, and Jarritos sidekicks.

New Dim Sum Kingdom opened right next to Dim Sum Garden in Chinatown, and now it’s a spring roll showdown. And like their next door neighbor, they’re cash only and have lots of dim sum, noodle dishes, and hot pot. But here, there’s also peking duck and fresh smoothies.  

There’s a new Vietnamese breakfast spot in Point Breeze, and it’s brought to you by the team behind the other Vietnamese breakfast spot, TBD in Graduate Hospital. You’ll run into familiar dishes, like the banana cakes with chocolate chips, creative bánh mì, and an extensive coffee menu—just in a larger, 40-seat space. 

We checked out Hannah K Cafe and added it to the Hit List.

Once a popular Filipino pop-up, Baby’s now has a brick-and-mortar location in Brewerytown. You can expect a cafe menu of breakfast sandwiches, housemade calamansi donuts and ube hand pies, and lechon sisig bowls. When it comes to the coffee program, it’ll all be roasted locally by Càphê Roasters. Keep an eye out for their supper club with a multi-course tasting menu.

We checked out Baby's and added it to the Hit List.

Wim Cafe has become Forîn. It’s the third location for the spot known for casual all-day cafes. But instead of swapping the menu completely, they’re keeping Wim’s Indonesian twists. Expect curry tofu baguettes, ube sugar cookies, banana chai, and warming mocha matchas at the South Street restaurant.

From the team behind Emei, this Hong Kong-style cafe in Chinatown has classic dishes like curry chicken cutlets, BBQ unagi over a towering scrambled egg, and custard tarts. But there are also eight pastas on the menu, ranging from seafood udon to spicy kimchi bacon spaghetti. 

Emmett is a Mediterranean spot in Fishtown with a menu that features foie merguez, smoked hamachi with coconut, and agnolotti with black walnut muhammara. They also serve seasonal cocktails, have an NA beverage program, and will keep the bar reserved for walk-ins.

We checked out Emmett and added it to the Hit List.

Roxanne returns to serving up experimental cuisine, now in Headhouse Square. In this iteration, you can choose between an a la carte menu or do their $140 per person, eight-course tasting option. Prepare for cheeseburgers with red rock cheese, salads shaped into a bouquet, and more.

We checked out Roxanne and added it to the Hit List.

One of our favorite places to get hoagies, tomato pie, and roast porks has a new location. Head inside the Market at the Fareway in Chestnut Hill to eat your weight in cured meats on seeded rolls and everything else in sight. 

The next time you need a towering birthday cake, a slice of strawberry matcha cake, or a breakfast bun with sausage and egg, head to DreamWorld Bakes in Kensington. Open Thursday through Sunday, you can grab all things sweet and a piping hot espresso to boot.

Dara is a Thai place in Midtown Village made for anyone craving gui chai, green papaya salad, and river prawn soup. It’s open daily for lunch and closes at 10:30pm—for when you need a late night stir fry fix. 

We checked out Dara and added it to the Hit List.

Another spot that guarantees you a brief residency on the sidewalk is Revival BBQ in Fishtown. At this window-only restaurant, you’ll find a brisket cheesesteak, smoked gouda mac and cheese, crab and bacon jalapeno poppers, and vegan options like a jackfruit sandwich.

We checked out Revival BBQ. Read our thoughts here.

Shake Shack's location in Fishtown has all the familiar and reliable breakfast, lunch, or dinner options: burgers, crinkly fries, and shakes. 

Midtown Village gains a Szechuan hotpot place just in time for soup season. The chain has the usual suspects like sliced brisket and chicken, noodles, a dipping sauce station, and bubbly chili broths. But there are also jumbo bucket teas, fried pork starters, and fried rice sides. 

We checked out Feng Hotpot and added it to the Hit List.

The chef behind popular pop-up dinner series Couch Cafe now has a brick-and-mortar in Queen Village. Scampi, located in the old Neighborhood Ramen space, serves a five-course $115 Italian tasting menu with dishes like caesar toast, smoked trout culurgiones, and tiramisu. Don’t forget to BYOB.

We checked out Scampi and added it to our Hit List.

The Schulson Collective has done it again, this time with a Mediterranean restaurant on the first floor of The Harper in Rittenhouse Square. Dear Daphni will be serving a menu of Turkish dumplings, chicken thigh kebabs, Tunisian lamb shank, and a classic vegetable mezze spread that comes with each entree. 

We checked out Dear Daphni. Read our thoughts here.

This Midtown Village Mediterranean-fusion restaurant comes from the team behind Uptown Beer Garden, Tradesman’s, and Tinsel, and has a menu full of dishes like hummus, shrimp orecchiette, and herb-crusted lamb chops. Plus, there’s a 24-seat bar serving up martinis and baklava old fashioneds. 

Social media darling and elaborate cake connoisseur New June Bakery now has a storefront in Brewerytown. Head to the bright pink bakery for an over-the-top sheet cake, batch of star anise, orange and saffron sugar cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, and more. 

We checked out New June Bakery and added it to the Hit List.

Doom, just down the street from Yards in Callowhill, is a heavy-metal influenced bar from a former Royal Izakaya manager. It’s serving wings, nachos, and quite a few vegan options.

We checked out Doom Bar. Read our thoughts here.

Another New York-based spot has come to Philly. Cellar Dog in Center City is part-live jazz club, and part-billiards, board games, and foosball hall. There’s a bar where you can get drinks before a show, or after destroying your friend in chess.

In Passyunk Square, you’ll find this pizza shop that makes dough from house-milled farro and wheat. There are eight thin-crust pizzas on the menu that range from $14-$18. Try a traditional plain cheese pizza, or live a little, and try a pie topped with duck prosciutto or mushrooms and truffle.  

We checked out Agricola and added it to the Hit List.

We love Ogawa in Old City for its exquisite seafood. Head upstairs to its Japanese-American cocktail bar for modern takes on classic cocktails, and snacks and small plates like a wagyu hotdog and miso glazed wings. The space is tiny so reservations are encouraged.

We checked out Almanac and added it to our Hit List.

This Middle Eastern bakery in Queen Village is serving savory pastries, like olive and cheese borekas, along with sweets, like a tahini, maple, and pecan babka, Thursday through Sunday. Based on Instagram, they’re all gorgeous.

We checked out Majdal and added it to our Hit List.

Loretta’s in Society Hill has all the markings of a daytime neighborhood spot: a handful of round cafe tables and a menu full of coffees, teas, and sweet and savory pastries. From the team behind Bloomsday, stop here for chorizo, egg, and cheese hand pies, glazed donuts, and all the apple galettes you can handle.

We checked out Loretta's and added it to our Hit List.

Downtime Bakery in Mt. Airy has a spread of sourdough baguettes, batards, and bagels, along with chickpea fritter focaccia sandwiches and canalés. They have a cafe menu, so you can enjoy a sweet potato and salted vanilla meringue tart with your coffee.

We checked out Downtime Bakery. Read our thoughts here.

Uncle Gus’ Steaks is the newest vendor at Reading Terminal Market—it replaced Carmen’s—and comes from a Philly-food supergroup: the owners of DiNic’s, Pearl’s Oyster Bar, and Angelo’s. It’s serving cheesesteaks on Angelo’s beloved rolls, along with a few beverages. 

We checked out Uncle Gus’ Steaks. Read our thoughts here.

Essen Bakery on East Passyunk, one of our favorite places for baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, now has a new, larger location in Fishtown. The menu has all of the hits: chocolate babka, Jewish apple cake, za’atar croissant sandwiches, and iced coffee and juices to wash it down with.