Our favorite hummus | Let’s Eat

We’ve tried dozens of plates of hummus throughout the Philly area, and we think these are the best.

Also in this edition:

— Mike Klein and Kiki Aranita

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Hummus is all over the map, and recipes shift with each chef’s homeland from the Middle East to the Mediterranean. Hummus’ constants are its building blocks: chickpeas, tahini, acid, salt. Philadelphia’s culinary landscape showcases many iterations, and we tried out dozens, from street snack to table anchor. Read on for 14 versions we crave.

Kalaya, Emmett, and the Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday scored nominations for Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, and Outstanding Bar, among others. Thirteen semifinalists were whittled down to 7 finalists.

Carmen’s Table has brought Puerto Rican barbecue — and a grandmother’s dream — to South Jersey. Beatrice Forman finds that the family is working with love and a smoker named Virginia.

Jesse Ito and Justin Bacharach’s Rittenhouse followup to Royal Izakaya was one of last fall’s biggest openings. Kiki Aranita stepped into Craig LaBan’s shoes for the review.

As Yemeni coffee shops spread through the region, Hira Qureshi says they are creating centers for community gathering.

☕University City, home of Haraz and Shibam, will be joined soon by Port Coffee Co., a fast-growing Yemeni brand out of Irving, Texas. It’s setting up at 4013 Walnut St., previously a Metropolitan Bakery outpost.

Citizens Bank Park allows spectators to bring in pretty much whatever food they want for a Phillies game, so long as it’s sealed and fits inside a stadium-approved 12x6x12-inch clear bag. Bea Forman wants to know what you’ve brought in.

From our travels: We feasted on an Italian-style hoagie in the suburbs, plus an award-winning cassoulet in Rittenhouse Square, lobster shells at a revived South Philly staple, and a limited-edition sandwich in Kensington.

Sophie’s BBQ of Havertown is headed to Manayunk for its second location, where it will join Melissa and Kevin Walter’s Love City Brewing as the food provider for their new outpost opening later this spring at 4323 Main St., the former Fat Lady Brewing. Sophie’s chef-owner Greg Herman, an alum of the Lucky Well in Ambler and the General in Lafayette Hill, opened Sophie’s in Ardmore in 2020 before relocating in 2023 to the larger Havertown space, which it shares with Four Birds Distillery. Sophie’s plans to preview dishes at the Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival on April 19.

Little Fish, chef Alex Yoon’s sardine-size BYOB at Sixth and Fitzwater Streets, will shift to a tasting-menu-only format starting April 30. The 16-seater operated à la carte for years before adding a prix-fixe. Yoon said diners had increasingly gravitated to the prix-fixe, and two of Little Fish’s six weekly dinner services were already using that format. By going all in with a set menu, he said, the restaurant more efficiently uses its space. Dinners (seatings at 6 and 8:15 p.m. Monday-Saturday) will be $105pp. They’ll be listed as seven courses, though Yoon said guests will receive more than seven individual items, including opening bites, a toast course, mid-courses, an entrée, a pre-dessert, and dessert. Reservations will appear on OpenTable.

Gallo’s, the long-running seafood restaurant at Pennypack Circle in Northeast Philadelphia, is expanding to the suburbs in late April with Scratch Kitchen by Gallo’s. Owner Jim Harvey and family are taking over the former Farm & Fisherman Tavern at Horsham and Norristown Roads in Horsham, blending Gallo’s menu with the bar menu from its adjacent eatery, Harv’s Burger Bar. Bob DeLange, Harvey’s son-in-law and Gallo’s chef, will run the kitchen, while daughter April DeLange will run the show. No changes are planned to the original Roosevelt Boulevard location, which Harvey bought in 2017 after a long career in hospitality business, including 33 years at Chickie’s & Pete’s.

April’s crop of new restaurants includes not only the new Gallo’s but a pizzeria in Fishtown, a Vietnamese-Cajun hybrid in Rittenhouse, and a Main Line revival.

A cocktail lounge inspired by Japan’s vinyl listening bars is on its way to Swarthmore, and Denali Sagner finds it’s intended as “a communal living room.”

Philly’s martinis are getting dirtier, according to data from Parc and a menu change.

Chinatown gets another option for cheung fun, or rice rolls, and it’s an excellent quick meal.

A new shuttle debuts in Cape May County, catering to its local breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Hop on and hop off, while you imbibe.

OIC Philadelphia, which leads culinary and hospitality workforce programs, has appointed chef Delilah Winder as executive director of its culinary institute. Winder’s soul-food stand Delilah’s ran from 1984 to 2012 at Reading Terminal Market.

The Garces Foundation’s 14th annual benefit, themed “One Delicious Evening, Infinite Impact,” will be a night market-inspired event from 6-9:30 p.m. April 23, at Live! Casino & Hotel, 900 Packer Ave. Founded by chef Jose Garces and Dr. Beatriz Garces, the event will feature bites from dozens of restaurants, including Amada, Bolo, Buena Onda, Hardena, Little Fish, Tabachoy, White Yak, and Wilder, along with Colombian music by Suena Cimarron, folkloric dance, art, and a silent and live auction. The foundation helps Philadelphia’s immigrant community access healthcare, education, and other resources. Tickets are $125; info is here.

Two Locals Brewing in University City has a new food partner. What is the featured cuisine?

A) Brazilian

B) West African

C) Indian

D) Honduran

Find out if you know the answer.

It looks like work is being done on the old Broad Axe Tavern. Any info on what might be going in there? — Mitch H.

The 17th-century stone building housing the Broad Axe Tavern at Butler and Skippack Pikes near Ambler has been empty since the last restaurant closed in 2019. You’ll be disappointed to learn that after years on the market, it’s being renovated as offices, said Vic Meitner, one of the partners. There’s always Phil’s Tavern next door.

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