Philly’s bakeries and a Scandinavian cocktail lounge make Food & Wine’s Global Tastemakers Awards
Food & Wine's list of Global Tastemakers includes such local bakeries as Beiler's, Isgro, Machine Shop, and Merzbacher's. Andra Hem also found its way on the radar.
In a curious combination of sourdough and smörgås, Philadelphia’s bakery scene and Center City’s Scandinavian lounge Andra Hem have made Food & Wine’s Global Tastemakers Awards this year.
Andra Hem, which opened in late 2022 at 16th and Chancellor Streets, is ranked 14th on F&W’s list of 15 U.S. bars, chosen not just for their cocktails but for “a beautiful blend of ambiance, hospitality, and maybe even some notable pub grub.” New York bars made the top three on the list.
“Andra Hem is a proper drinks lounge, pure and simple,” the blurb reads. “The aesthetic is clean yet warm; formal yet approachable. The Lambhattan [$18] is a curious standout take on the classic American whiskey drink spiced up with lamb-washed bourbon. It sounds bizarre, yet works oh so well.”
The Swedish meatballs are not baaad, either.
Food & Wine places Philadelphia’s bakeries at 10th worldwide, praising Beiler’s Doughnuts, whose home base is Reading Terminal Market; Merzbacher’s Bakery in Germantown; and Isgro Pastries and Machine Shop, both in South Philadelphia: “If you’ve never sunk your teeth into one of [Beiler’s] Doughnuts’ decadent peanut butter jelly hand-rolled donuts or had an everything Philly Muffin (a square-shaped sourdough English muffin topped with everything seasoning) from Merzbacher’s, then you have definitely not discovered all of Philadelphia’s national treasures. Isgro Pastries, one of the city’s most beloved and longstanding Italian bakeries, was just nominated for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Bakery category. At Machine Shop, 2022 F&W Best New Chef Emily Riddell makes her mark as a lamination savant.”
Sixers Buddy Hield recently stopped by Beiler’s Doughnuts at Reading Terminal Market, where he packaged orders, helped customers, and ate a doughnut, as part of the team’s Mic’d at the Market series.
Food & Wine says it asked more than 180 food and travel journalists to vote on their favorites, including restaurants and bars, cities, hotels, airports, airlines, and cruises, which then went to a judging panel.
The winners will be in Food & Wine’s May issue, on the street April 19.