As 2024 begins to wind down, I’m on a bit of a frenzy to catch up on a year’s worth of eating out. With Covid-19 firmly in the rearview, dining out didn’t just include exploring Texas for Burgers or showcasing the best food in Austin.
I went to Hawaii for a dream vacation and dream food vacation. I explored the booming food scene in Washington D.C. And just came back from a week in New Orleans.
But today I’m recapping Philadelphia. Specifically three restaurants that deserve stand alone posts let alone inclusion into a Philadelphia food round up. But for now check out these three distinctive restaurants that showcase Philadelphia food.
The Vitals:
the spot: Pizzeria Salvy 1800 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
the eats: Salad and a Slice, whole pizzas, Salzones: calzone sandwiches
the bucks: $$-$$$
the full nelson: Big time Philadelphia Chef slinging pizza and more in a fancy office building
Chef Marc Vetri is an indelible name when it comes to the Philadelphia food scene. His restaurants focus on Italian and land more often than not in the upscale category. If you can afford it, his pastas are incredible.
The Pizza at Pizzeria Salvy ain’t to shabby either. They are pricey though. Prepare for 12″ pizzas to cost $20+. But I found them to be shareable.
I tried the “salzone” which is a calzone meets sandwich. The oversized pizza turnovers swap out classic fillings like pepperoni, cheese and sauce for cheesesteak or in my case a cold cut combo that comes out warm. It was fine but I can’t say I would ever get it again.
The move here: a salad and a slice of pizza. I can’t recall the price but it was very solid deal.
The Vitals:
the spot: Dizengoff 1625 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
the eats: Turkish Hummus
the bucks: $$$
the full nelson: Casual version of the iconic Zahav: ground breaking Israeli fine dining restaurant
Years ago I first encountered Chef Michael Solomonov’s cooking at Zahav: his groundbreaking Israeli fine dining restaurant. Since then, I’ve gotten his cookbook and continued to dream about his exquisite house made pita breads and the hummus flight.
Much like Israeli culture, hummus is much more than what it seems. The flights of hummus at Zahav reflect diversity which in turn is a reflection of the Jewish Diaspora and how they bring culinary traditions from other countries to Israeli kitchens.
The brown butter hummus aka Turkish is just that. Please order it and if you ignore the entrees or the fact that the pita bread isn’t as fresh as it is at Zahav, I will understand.
It ain’t cheap though. For something that seems more casual than Zahav, I spent close to $100 on food and bev all by myself. Dizengoff was walking to distance to my hotel and not needing a reservation was a plus. So consider the easy access if you are debating between a visit to the flagship Zahav or Dizengoff the outlier.
The Vitals:
the spot:Royal Sushi & Izakaya 780 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
the eats: Anything from the Izakaya menu
the bucks: $$-$$$ more affordable with a group
the full nelson: Cheap eats hack into one of the best sushi restaurants in America
I’ve long held the opinion that Los Angeles is the capital of sushi dining in America. While the number of sushi eateries can suggest that may still be the case, the sheer popularity of the cuisine suggests instances of greatness can be found coast to coast.
Philadelphia food writer Craig LaBan has long held Chef Jesse Ito a top chef when it comes to sushi. And after eating the tuna sashimi at Royal Izakaya, he can’t be too far off the mark.
The Omakase at Royal is a fortune. But if I didn’t make trips to Japan every other year, I would consider the $300 price per person(before tax, tip and alcohol) worth it.
But then there is also the matter of actually snagging a seat. With only two seatings a night, getting a table is near impossible. Believe me I looked.
Here is my solution: go to the Izakaya. The bar food/tapas style offerings allow you a glimmer of what Chef Ito can do, certainly when you order the sashimi. After eating tuna in Japan from the world famous Toyoso market, I can tell you with confidence that the fish quality at Royal Izakaya is on the level of Japan.
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