Philadelphia’s New Restaurant Openings

If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in Philly, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the new restaurant openings that seem like they have the most potential—although keep in mind, for the ones we haven’t tried, we make no promises. Go forth and be a pioneer.

August

Enswell, a new concept backed by Rival Bros., is a café by day and cocktail bar by night. Stop by the Rittenhouse spot for a morning of espressos and pastries, or a night of coffee-infused cocktails and small plates, like tagliatelle pomodoro. Full brunch is planned for September. 

Tapster is a self-service bar in Center City with 54 wines, cocktails, and beers on tap. Although bartenders are nonexistent here, they do have lots of TVs, indoor wooden swing sets, and massive tables where you can catch up with two (or 20) friends. 

If you’re looking for a new neighborhood bar in Kensington, Meetinghouse just opened in the old Memphis Taproom space. There’s lots of beers, $11 well-drink cocktails, and a hearty menu of hot roast beef sandwiches, broiled fish in white wine sauce, and turkey cutlets. 

The Lucky Well in Spring Arts has reworked its space into a mini food court. In addition to great barbecue, you can now also grab wood-fired Vietnamese dishes from Nuớng, Navajo fry bread from Shiprock, and Italian small plates like orecchiette pesto from Sauce Boy. 

Töska Restaurant & Brewery is a large spot in Mt. Airy specializing in Albanian cuisine and craft beers. Head there for a lineup of short rib poutine, corn ribs, and wood-fired pizzas topped with sujuk, smoked gouda, and chili crisps.   

July

The Northeast has a new hot chicken place that’s just down the street from Asad’s. But instead of lining up outside, Nanu’s has a large dining room with Philly-inspired murals on the walls and a food menu that ranges from crispy chicken tenders and hot honey sliders to mac and cheese and cheesecake milkshakes. 

Located in Ogontz, Pleasure Platters is a seafood restaurant serving lobster bisque, crab legs covered in cajun spice, and creamy shrimp alfredo. It’s takeout only (with limited delivery available in the immediate area). 

The next time you’re in Old City and crave fried snapper, jollof rice, or grilled goat, head to Eatwell. You can bring your favorite bottle of Riesling to the Nigerian BYOB, or grab traditional staples like their zobo drink made with hibiscus. 

A cozy bar with neon lighting is not a rare thing—a bar with a kitchen that stays open until midnight is. Poison Heart in Spring Garden has just that. Plus, a menu full of oysters, patty melts, and a whole lot of cocktails. 

Frankford Tiki Bar is a summer pop up with live music, a long list of frozen drinks served in pineapples, and decor that reminds you of the island vacation you should be on. When it comes to the food, Heffe Tacos is right next door,so, you can grab an order of al pastor and guacamole and be back in time for the DJ’s next set. 

Beloved brunch spot Cafe Life has moved to a new location in Spring Garden. And in line with their motto of “Brunch all day, brunch every day,” you can expect to see favorites like cannoli french toast, chicken caesar tostadas, and cheesy breakfast poutine on the menu. Stop by from 8am-3pm for something fluffy, eggy, or sweet to start your day.  

Alice is an American restaurant in Bella Vista (it occupies the former Monsu space) that has a seasonal menu of dishes ranging from a cucumber and oyster aguachile and a dry-aged burger on a challah bun to pork chops topped with Calabrian chili and lemon. 

This live music venue and cocktail bar in Rittenhouse is covered with neon, has lots of booths for groups, and is a dark place to sip on a Manhattan while watching a dueling piano show. The menu includes small plates like cacio y pepe flatbread, baked potato pierogi, and octopus escabeche. 

June

Located in the historic Morris House Hotel, The Morris is a Washington Square steakhouse serving everything from 30-day aged cuts and 10 oz. burgers with caramelized onion aioli to comforting starters like rabbit pot pie.

Chinatown has a new Nashville hot chicken spot. At Screamin’ Rooster you’ll get 16-hour marinated chicken that’s been deep fried and served with waffles, on a toasty brioche bun, or as crispy tenders with fries.

Marc Vetri has another restaurant in Center City. This one is centered on one of life’s greatest treasures: pizza. Located at the bottom of the Comcast Technology Center, they have standard pies like margherita, and specialties topped with clams, garlic, cheese, parsley, roasted peppers, and lemon. 

Elma is a tasting-menu only BYOB in Fishtown. For $100 per person, you’ll get a six-course menu—full of locally-sourced produce—with dishes like tuna with cippolini and shiso, white asparagus served with Castelfranco radicchio, and lamb tossed with chickpeas and herbs.

Eleven Eleven is an 18-seat BYO in Queen Village that puts brunch front and center. The menu includes a lineup of hotcakes like Funfetti and chocolate chip, omelets, and more filling mains like chicken and waffles. 

El Fuerte is the newest brunch spot in Pennsport. It also combines two things that this city loves: Mexican food and BYOs. You can expect omelets packed with chorizo, pico de gallo, and jalapeños, and fluffier options like red velvet pancakes in the 32-seater. 

Cake & Joe, the Pennsport bakery and cafe, has expanded from their South Philly location to Fishtown. You can expect a similar menu at the outpost—brunch and lunch options, like a French shrimp omelet, a selection of mousse cakes, and plenty of coffee and espresso.      

LUHV has a popular vegan deli inside Reading Terminal Market. They’ve opened another Philly location in Point Breeze. Try smoked seitan, tofu puree egg, and soy cheese on a bagel for breakfast, a chickpea “tuna” salad hoagie for lunch, and grab a cinnamony coffee cake for later.

Post Haste is a Kensington cocktail bar. Their Cosmopolitan blends locally-sourced cranberry, kumquat superjuice, lemongrass syrup, vodka, and Faccia Brutto Aperitivo. When it comes to the menu, they have dishes like Philly Beignets stuffed with roast pork, garlic roasted broccoli, and fondue. 

Walnut Garden is a pop-up cocktail, beer, and wine garden in Rittenhouse with plenty of picnic tables and an ice cream shack. The food menu is full of small bites like spicy tuna tartare, cold sesame udon, and a crispy scallion pancake.

May

Tuesday through Sunday, head to South Street for salmon jerk egg rolls, burgers, and wings at this casual BYOB. The Black-owned American restaurant stays open until 10pm on the weekends. 

My Loup is another buzzy Rittenhouse spot from the team behind Her Place Supper Club. The modern French restaurant has an extensive wine list and casual dishes like cold roast beef au poivre with fries and lamb shoulder with favas and mint.    

Illata is a small BYOB in Fitler Square focused on local seafood and seasonal produce. Menu highlights include marinated mussels with miso and chili oil and rigatoni amatriciana.

Kichi Omakase is a Japanese restaurant in Midtown Village with a 14-course, $100 omakase. The menu will rotate, but you can expect things like fatty tuna topped with foie gras, tender wagyu beef, and bluefin tuna coated in truffle mushrooms. 

Darling Jack’s is the newest Midtown Village restaurant from the team behind Barbuzzo, Bud & Marilyn’s and Little Nonna’s. The 75-seat American restaurant features tavern-style pizza, along with larger dishes like clams and spaghetti and short rib.

Cloud Cups is a Black-owned gelato shop in Fishtown. The menu includes classic flavors like vanilla and strawberry, and more creative scoops in flavors like French toast stracciatella, Lucky Charms, honey lavender, and berry mascarpone. 

April

Bolo is a bi-level Latin American and Caribbean fusion restaurant and bar that just popped up in Rittenhouse. Backed by the team behind MilkBoy, it has a menu full of grilled shrimp and chicken skewers, mashed plantains, mofongo, and arepas de coco. Pair it all with daiquiris, piña coladas, and other rum-heavy cocktails at the bar. 

Dock Street Brewery has opened a tasting room in Fishtown. They have eight beers on tap including a rye IPA, an amber ale, and a Russian imperial stout. There’s also a handful of cocktails, ciders, and wines, along with Mediterranean small plates like pita and tzatziki.

Fringe Bar, located inside a historical pumping station on the Delaware Waterfront, offers a large industrial space to listen to everything from jazz ensembles and funk bands to cabaret while sipping on something bubbly. The pub menu includes small plates like wings, tuna crudo, and Chesapeake crab dip, plus entrees like steak and potatoes and creole smothered shrimp. There’s a handful of cocktails—including an espresso martini on draft—and a long wine and beer list. 

Because Philly can never have enough sandwich spots, West Passyunk’s Nipotina is a welcome sight. From the P’unk Burger team, the hand-crafted sandwich shop offers breakfast sandwiches ‘til 11am, and a rotation of cheesesteaks, chicken cutlet, deli, and vegan sandwiches through dinner time.  

March

Northern Liberties now has a place where you can grab a classic cocktail like an espresso martini, or something new, like a tequila, jalapeno, and strawberry. Bar 1010's food menu includes salads, small plates, and a long list of pizzas topped with things like caramelized onion puree, mozzarella, roasted potatoes, and Austrian gruyere.

The menu at Mt. Airy’s Bar Lizette is French, German, and Alsatian, and includes hearty dishes like croquettes with gruyere, chicken schnitzel, and beignets. There’s also a long list of French wines and cocktails featuring Dolin Blanc and Absentroux.

Equal parts sports bar and fine dining restaurant, Bankroll has opened in the historic Boyd Theater in Center City. There are 350 seats, lots of big screens to watch the Eagles, Sixers, and Phillies, and a long cocktail list in case you’re forced to watch the Flyers. When it comes to food, you can expect raw bar options like oysters and tuna tartare, mains like whole fish and a variety of steaks, and pastas. 

Mawn is a Cambodian noodle house with shareable small and large plates like soft-shell shrimp, whole dorade topped with ginger and scallions, and pohok with cold cabbage and chili. The BYOB occupies the former Kalaya space in Bella Vista.

From the team behind the Good King Tavern and Le Caveau, this Rittenhouse wine bar offers 70+ choices of wine by the bottle and selections of rotating reds, whites, bubbly, and oranges by the glass. When it comes to food, you can expect small plates like beef tartare, tuna crudo, charred eggplant yogurt, and other dishes curated by the Good King Tavern head chef. 

Gilda is a Portugese-inspired café and market located in Fishtown serving Elixr coffee and teas, hand-rolled pastéis de natas, small plates like salt cod fritters, and sandwiches.

February

Forîn is an all-day cafe and wine bar on Frankford Avenue in Kensington, just minutes from it's sister shop, Forîn Café (on Coral Street). They're serving everything from pastries and breakfast sandwiches in the morning to wine, cocktails, and European small plates at night.

Kook Burger & Bar offers something from down the shore without having to hop on the Atlantic City Expressway to get it. The Brigantine, NJ shop has opened a sports bar on Market Street in Center City. There are over a dozen TV screens and a long bar to watch a game while biting into a burger on a pretzel bun and chili cheese fries.  

Named after the Dutch word for “satisfying,” this  East Passyunk BYOB from the chef/owner of The Dutch has a menu featuring crispy skin rainbow trout, rabbit rillette, and duck leg confit. 

Open seven days a week, this gastropub in Midtown Village comes from the team behind Oloroso and A Mano. Whether you’re there for lunch or dinner, you can expect classic pub options like wings and burgers, and larger choices like steak frites, grilled branzino with root vegetables, and gnocchi bolognese.

JANUARY

How many taco places does Philly need? The limit does not exist. Unlike the typical tacos covered in cheese and salsa, though, this new South Philly taqueria puts a Korean spin on Mexican staples. They’re serving things like Korean beef birria tacos, cheesesteaks, and burritos, gochujang fried chicken sandwiches topped with pickled cucumbers and soy, and watermelon agua frescas. 

One of the best bagel shops in Philly now has a bialy spot at Reading Terminal Market in Center City. The bialys (essentially bagel's little brother) come in classic varieties like poppy seed and onion, but you can also get creative with the za’atar-dipped with an egg, pastrami and melted swiss, and pumpkin pie.  

This pasta shop and deli is where you can get an Italian hoagie or cutlet sandwich for lunch and a family-sized crab ravioli platter for Sunday dinner. Head to the Queen Village shop when you’ve got an empty stomach and want to fill it with carbs and something cheesy. 

The casual counter-service spot opened its 10th location in Fishtown. They’re serving bento boxes, noodle stir fry and rice dishes, Chinese churro chips covered in cinnamon sugar, and vegan options like spicy orange tofu. 

This popular brewing company now has its own taproom in Fishtown. They have a dozen $7 draft pours, including oat pilsners, sour IPAs, and Irish-style red ales that you can sip on during quizzo on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Passyunk Ave. has a new place for Vietnamese go-to's like bubble tea, pho, spring rolls, and BBQ pork bahn mi. Open at 8am, it’s a place where you can grab your morning coffee before heading to the office, or gyoza, beef yakitori, and a bowl of ramen for dinner. 

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is a Japanese spot serving dishes via conveyor belt just off Rittenhouse Square. The two-level, Tetris-themed chain restaurant circulates dishes like sushi rolls, nigiri, and dumplings to grab directly from the table, or you can order from the full menu via a tableside tablet.