Iron Chef Jose Garces has made his Spanish tapas restaurant famous since it opened its doors in 2005 with its its crab-stuffed peppers, garlic shrimp, and calamari linguine mixed with vermicelli, clams, diver scallops and sweet onion cream. In the mood to splurge? Don't miss the $75 lobster paella.
Philadelphians rave about Chef Stephen Starr's swanky Asian eatery and its creative, flavorful grub, particularly when it comes to the peking duck and dip sum donuts that may have you bowing to the Buddha in the back. Tea smoked spareribs, Japanese black cod and tempura shrimp are also noted dishes, along with the chocolate bento box for dessert.
Chef Michael Solomonov and his genius cooking crew whip up innovative cuisine at this Israeli hotspot that is so good—it has become one of the top places to dine in the city. Atypical food finds are created here, like fried cauliflower topped with mint and dill, and tender grilled duck heart served with sweet cherries.
The Cyprus Breakfast—eggs fried in olive oil, served with halloumi and bread, landed on The Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" when Esquire Food Editor Ryan D'Agostino raved about it. Here, Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides caters to adventurous foodies who crave Greek inspired grub, including its dips of the day with grilled pita bread, whole fish, kebabs, goat chops and fried lamb's tongue.
Touted as the place to get a slice of pie in Philly, this neighborhood pizza joint is famous for its tomato pies, which have a Neapolitan crust with fresh whole milk mozzarella, crushed tomato and a touch of olive oil topped with pepperoni, meatball, sausage, pancetta, etc. or nothing at all. The Antipasto plate and calzones are also comfort food faves, as are desserts like fizzy chocolate egg cream and pineapple upside down cake if there's room post-pie.
Slated to reopen in April 2014, this Mexican BYOB restaurant's tiramisu a la Mexicana, guacamole, enchilades verdes con camarones and more have created a bit of a cult following.
Philly diners are, um, fond of this cozy American eatery, which whips up risotto with lobster, hazelnut and truffles, pork belly and sweet potatoes, and more. For dessert, spiced dark chocolate cannolis and chocolate mousse cake are among the delicious sweet treats.
Locals call the pasta at this Italian eatery "perfection." The Vetri family calls its flagship restaurant the place to find the "best pasta in the world." While the cost is steep to dine there ($155 per person for its tasting menu), it seems worth saving up. The Tasting menu is the only dining offering there, so you have to get it, and includes papardelle with cockles and tardive, almond tortellini with white truffle, tortellini pie, chestnut fettuccine with wild boar ragu, and for dessert, chocolate polenta soufflé.
This cozy, British-inspired pub is best known for serving up a mean beer battered fish and chips, helmed by British-born Chef Robert Aikens. But, locals also come for the British Cheese board, roast beef sandwich, crispy pork belly, and curry paprika spiked deviled eggs for dinner. For brunch, eggs benedict and the house blend beef burger are go-tos. And let us not forget the drinks. Aside from a wide variety of beers, they also have a good sampling of cocktails by the glass or by the pitcher—including the Iron Lady—Old Overholt rye, Thatcher's Apple Ginger, angostura, orange bitters, orange peel and Luxardo cherry.