Philly’s 76 most iconic foods | Let’s Eat
Inquirer Food Fest is coming back, get set for the 2026 Beard Awards, and we’ll show you where to watch the FIFA games in Philly.
What are the Philadelphia region’s most iconic foods? We ranked 76 of them.
But first:
🚨Inquirer Food Fest will return Nov. 14 with a new format and a hot lineup of chefs and experiences. Read up on the details and snag your early-bird discount now.
🏅The 2026 James Beard Awards are Monday night. Follow along on Inquirer.com as the seven Philadelphia finalists walk the red carpet and hope for glory.
Also in this edition:
La Famiglia: At age 50, the Old City Italian destination is still sharp.
FIFA watching: 19 great bars where it’s game on.
Restaurant news: NYC’s Mixteca is coming to Philly, Punch Buggy Brewing Co. opens in Chester County, and we have closings to report. Read on.
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The Inquirer Food team got the assignment: Choose the 76 dishes that define Philadelphia — the flavors, traditions, and creations that have shaped the culinary scene over the centuries. This week, we’re counting down, , day by day. The top 10 will appear Friday.
A sampling so far:
🦀 #71: Galette de crabe from Le Bec-Fin
🥗 #69: Milan salad from Jimmy’s Milan
🥖 #41: The bread basket from Parc
🥟 #39: Dumplings at Kalaya
🫕 #36: Rutabaga fondue from Vedge
Tune in all week as we count down to number one.
Where to watch the Philadelphia FIFA matches (aside from “Philadelphia Stadium,” né Lincoln Financial Field)? Beatrice Forman offers a roundup of 19 bars in the city and suburbs.
Vedge in Center City is offering what it says is the world’s first tasting course dedicated to bean-to-bar chocolate — and it’s all vegan. “It’s like a little bow that wraps up the end of a meal,” co-owner Kate Jacoby told Beatrice Forman.
Craig LaBan kicks it old-school for a visit to La Famiglia in Old City, which opened in 1976 on Front Street near Market. (At its front door right now is a project to cap I-95 to create a park. Fifty years ago, there was no I-95.) Craig came away from his review meals dazzled at the gilded room, enthralled by the legendary wine cellar, and impressed with the kitchen that still cooks on all burners.
International cheesesteak news
American cheese has disappeared from the shelves of Costco Japan, throwing Nihonbashi Philly, Tokyo’s Philly cheesesteak outpost, for a loop. Kiki Aranita has the report.
There’s better news out of South Korea. When Henry Jeong opened Wiir Philadelphia in Seoul in 2022, he said his cheesesteaks were “garbage.” Now Jeong’s restaurant is thriving, all thanks to traditional hoagie rolls he learned to make during a trip to Philly.
That sandwich shown above is the K-Town cheesesteak from Double Down Kitchen, which is soft-opening now at Ridge Hall in Ambler under Binoy Cherian and Nathan Baynes. It’s a luscious but zingy combo of ribeye, kimchi, grilled onions, four cheeses (Cooper, mozzarella, provolone, mild cheddar), and gochujang aioli on a seeded roll from Corropolese Bakery. They also do steaks with Indian and Middle Eastern spins.
Where have we gone to sup this week? To Rittenhouse for Northeastern Chinese specialties, to Queen Village for cheese-stuffed soft-shell crab parm, to the Wildwood boardwalk for stromboli, and to Cherry Hill for this corned beef and chopped liver on rye.
Scoops
Mixteca, a cantina out of New York backed by James Beard Award-winning bartenders, will join East Kensington’s burgeoning restaurant scene next month. It’s taking the former Martha space for an indoor-outdoor experience.
ANEU Kitchens, which deals in healthful comfort food, just signed a lease for part of the former Di Bruno Bros. space at the Ardmore Farmers Market in Suburban Square. Owner Meridith Coyle plans to open what will be her fourth location by July 1. As Brooke Schultz reported last week, ANEU also has a location on the way to Wayne, making it No. 5. Speaking of the farmers market: The Asian-fusion food stall Aziatisch just closed after 13 years, while lease negotiations continue for three new vendors, says broker Doug Green of MSC.
Restaurant report
Punch Buggy Brewing Co.’s long-awaited brewery in Spring City opens Saturday. Patrick Coyne’s first location opened seven years ago in North Philadelphia. He told Brooke Schultz that he’s learned something about Chester Countians since he moved there two years ago: They especially like sours and dark beers.
Barra Rossa, which opened at 10th and Walnut Streets in 2013 as Stella Rossa, has closed with the end of its lease. Owner Dave Magrogan said the building, owned by Jefferson Hospital, needed a complete overhaul. With the end of the season at the nearby Walnut Street Theatre, it was “the logical time to close,” he said. Magrogan’s first partner there was gift-store magnate Bernie Spain — “a great negotiator, businessman and mentor,” he said. “He was the reason I kept it open after his passing [in 2021], out of respect for him and our partnerships. A young and hungry operator will do well there.”
Sura Indian Bistro has left 1726 Chestnut St., and co-owner Patti Revathi says the partners are looking for a new location. Sura opened in April 2024 as a rebrand of Ancient Spirits & Grille, which had occupied the three-story space since 2021.
Briefly noted
Reading Terminal Market has transformed the 1100 block of Filbert Street into a pedestrian-only plaza featuring more than 15 local vendors, live entertainment, a bar, and expanded seating. Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through early August. Stephanie Farr has more here.
Philly VegFest returns Saturday for its sixth annual celebration of vegan food, plant-based living, and food justice. The free festival runs noon-7 p.m. at Girard College (2101 S. College Ave.) with more than 50 food and retail vendors, music, speakers, film screenings, a vegan beer and cider garden, and family activities. Headliners include former NBA star and vegan advocate John Salley, filmmaker John “Bad Ass Vegan” Lewis, physician Milton Mills, and wellness coach Gigi the Vegan Jones. Details are here.
Cocktail bar R&D’s new pop-up series, “South Goes North,” imports South Philly dive bars to Fishtown one Sunday a month from 6-10 p.m. Joining R&D beverage director Aaron Deary will be The Jim (this Sunday), South Philadelphia Tap Room (July 12), and 12 Steps Down (Aug. 9).
Medium Rare, the syndicated steakhouse in Fishtown, offers a comp Father’s Day brunch to first-time fathers on June 21. Proof of a 2026 birth date, such as a copy of birth certificate or similar documentation, is required. Booking is via OpenTable.
Good pots and pans don’t come cheap. Here’s how to make yours last.
❓Pop quiz
What led actor-singer Nick Jonas to Bardea Food & Drink in Wilmington over the weekend?
A) His train got stuck there and he was hungry.
B) He was taping a TV show.
C) He was meeting a producer and wanted to stay under the radar.
D) He had just toured the Delaware History Museum.
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
Do you know anything about a chain called Chicken Salad Chick? — Emily R.
There’s a franchise idea for everyone nowadays. Chicken Salad Chick is a fast-casual brand, founded in Auburn, Ga., in 2008, whose menu is based on a dozen varieties of chicken salad. With 45 store openings in 2025 alone, it’s now pushing into the Northeast U.S. Two Philly-area locations are in the works now. One is under construction at Airport Center, just outside of Allentown (late July-early August), and a second is being teed up for Providence Town Center in Collegeville (“Q3 or Q4,” the company told me). In other niche franchise news, the region’s first Graze Craze, which sells custom charcuterie boards created by Grazologists™, just opened in Blue Bell Village, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell.
📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
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