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Parc

Travel to Belle Epoque Paris at this beloved Rittenhouse Square French bistro from famed restaurateur Stephen Starr. You'll find all the regular charming markers: globe lights, cozy red-leather booths, and windows that look out on the street. The next-level bistro fare like onion soup gratinée and steak frites along with a glass from the comprehensive wine list will make you want to linger.

SkyHigh

Celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten takes to the sky at one of Philly's most dramatic restaurant spaces. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide an unforgettable backdrop for celebratory cocktails or a special-occasion meal at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City. It’s a fitting atmosphere to splurge on Osetra caviar, or you could go for something more casual but equally good, such as black truffle and fontina pizza.

Vernick Fish

Sleek interiors meet thoughtful service at this celebratory Logan Square seafood spot. James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Vernick walks the line between innovative and nostalgic with dishes like sardines on sourdough toast and grilled scallops that are masterclasses in careful sourcing and precise preparation, but also wipe-your-plate-clean delicious. If you’re toasting to something special, get one of the hard-to-find spirits or wines from the top-notch drinks program.

Honeysuckle Provisions

West Philadelphia’s pioneering Honeysuckle Provisions is the brainchild of James Beard Award-nominated chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate. Named one of 2023’s Best New Restaurants by Eater and Esquire, the couple’s intimate cafe and grocery store transforms into one of the city’s most exciting tasting menu experiences at night. Expect innovative dishes that celebrate Black foodways like the restaurant’s signature yam bread topped with soft scrambled eggs and black truffle, presented on Tate’s handmade ceramic plates.

a.kitchen

James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin's beloved bistro remains one of the best restaurants in Philly for French small plates and outstanding wine. For more than a decade, the gougeres, chicken liver pate, and smoked duck breast have been getting cozy in a candlelit space on historic Rittenhouse Square. The wine list is not to be missed—it's a Wine Enthusiast favorite and multi-semifinalist for James Beard's outstanding wine category.

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• James Beard Award

  2023

Fiorella Philadelphia

Fiorella is another Italian hit from acclaimed restauranteur and James Beard Award-winning chef Marc Vetri. Located in a historic butcher shop decked with a striking Venetian glass chandelier, the intimate restaurant serves up stellar seasonal pasta that could include cavatelli with ramps and shrimp. Linger with a glass of wine from the all-Italian list or an innovative cocktail like the dirty pasta water martini.

Jean-Georges Philadelphia

All the Jean-Georges Vongerichten signatures that made the global celebrity chef famous, from egg toast with caviar to yellowfin tuna noodles in ginger dressing, are present in the six-course tasting at this fine-dining Philly outpost in the Four Seasons. But there are also local takes on dishes using seasonal ingredients from the Rittenhouse Farmers Market nearby Lancaster Farms Company. It all makes for a high-end experience unique to the city.

Moshulu

One of Philadelphai's most unique dining experiences, Moshulu brings diners aboard the deck of a more-than-century-old ship that's been docked on the Delaware for upscale seafood since 1996. The landmark restaurant, featured in movies like "Rocky" and "The Godfather Part II," serves up standout dishes like an “Admiral’s Plateau” of oysters, crab mac and cheese, and lobster frites.

Buddakan - Philadelphia

Buddakan is Philadelphia royalty. Legendary restaurateur Stephen Starr opened the pan-Asian hotspot in 1998, and nearly three decades later it's just as packed as ever. A giant golden buddha statue in the center of the massive dining room will frame a meal that might include edamame dumplings, lobster fried rice, and shrimp bao buns. Toast your companions with a pick from the excellent sake selection.

Fork - Philadelphia

More than 20 years into its run, James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin’s pioneering restaurant is still a hotspot for elegant, farm-to-table fare. Dig into hyper-seasonal dishes that could include dry-aged, grass-fed steak with bone marrow butter, potatoes, and bibb lettuce in the inviting dining room dressed with colorful murals and lush greenery. Add in a pitch-perfect wine list and exceptional service, and this is a neighborhood destination you’ll want to return to again and again.

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• James Beard Award

  2023

Vetri Cucina - Philadelphia

Vetri Cucina is the restaurant Italian dreams are made of, thanks to James Beard Award-winning chef Marc Vetri. He puts seasonal ingredients front and center in his elegant tasting menus, which could include silky handkerchief pasta with pheasant ragu and rhubarb. Located in a historic townhouse decked with hand-blown Murano glass chandeliers, the setting is an intimate, special-occasion-worthy escape.

Oyster House Philadelphia

This seafood institution in Center City dates back to 1947. Restaurateur Sam Mink is the third generation behind the beloved oyster bar, and locals and tourists alike keep coming back for super-fresh seafood towers, lobster rolls, and crab cakes. Belly up to the raw bar in the center of the space to watch the pros shuck oysters in seconds. Cocktails include a mini menu of oyster shooters and an impressively deep selection of gin.

Bastia

Acclaimed chef Tyler Akin is back with Bastia, his stylish Mediterranean restaurant inside Fishtown’s Anna & Bel hotel. Snag a seat at one of the green marble bar tops or at a cozy table by the fireplace to dig into seafood-forward dishes like sea urchin butter tartine paired with playful cocktails and riffs on classic aperitivi. Either way, the all-day cafe is made for lingering, just like his beloved and now-shuttered Res Ispa was.

Casa Mexico - South Philly Barbacoa

James Beard Award winner Cristina Martinez recently combined her beloved taqueria South Philly Barbacoa with her larger restaurant Casa Mexico, so you have double the incentive to visit. Expect favorites like lamb barbacoa from a yellow cart outside and head indoors for a bigger feast of green mole with chicken, queso fundido with chorizo, and a host of margaritas.

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• James Beard Award

  2024

River Twice

James Beard semifinalist Randy Rucker and his wife-partner Amanda Rucker opened this American gem in 2019 dedicated to spotlighting seasonal ingredients from the region. The intimate dining room feels like an extension of the open kitchen, where a four-course menu changes constantly, from sweet amalia oysters with buttermilk ponzu & trout roe to smoked steelhead trout with maple, celeriac & agretti. The results landed River Twice on the New York Times's list of the best Philadelphia restaurants.