By Metro Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s dining scene is kicking off the new year with a wave of exciting restaurant openings. From Michelin-recognized spots to James Beard Award-winning chefs, the city offers plenty of reasons to get out and explore its latest culinary offerings.
Let’s dig into all the deliciousness.
Banshee
Helmed by Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh, this new South Street bistro takes you on a Euro culinary adventure inspired by Spain, France and England in a warm and inviting Scandinavian-style space. Take your pick from small plates, like Barnstable Oysters or Grilled Kyoto Carrot, and larger bites, like roast half chicken and Spanish mackerel. Pair it with beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks or specialty cocktails from the bar, like the vodka-forward Tropical Contact High.
1600 South Street, bansheephl.com
Bomb Bomb Bar
Under the care of Joey Baldino, this new spot draws on nostalgia from Deb and Frank Barbato’s original corner bar. Look out for a revamped drink menu featuring frozen cocktails and pepperoncini martinis, a refreshed back-room dining room and a dinner menu that leans into the seafood Bomb Bomb is known for, such as Lobster Francese, as well as the famed barbecue ribs that have defined the place.
1026 Wolf Street, bombbombbar.com
Casa Oui
This brand-new all-day cafe in Queen Village offers the best of both daytime and nighttime dining, with a full breakfast and brunch menu available through the afternoon and robust dinner offerings in the evening. Bridging the French and Mexican influences of owners C.J. Cheyne and Israel Nocelo, the new spot serves breakfast sandwiches and sumptuous pastries during the day, and at night it rolls out items like steak and ceviche.
705 S. 15th Street, casaoui.toast.site
Cerveau
This new Callowhill spot, Cerveau (the French word for “brain”), challenges you to stretch yours a little bit. The surrealist older cousin to chef Joe Hunter’s previous pizzeria, Pizza Brain, Cerveau is a modern, non-fussy spot to indulge in imaginative pastas, pies and other small bites, like veggie- and seafood-forward starters and Italian-style sandwiches called tramezzini.
990 Spring Garden Street, cerveauphilly.com
dancerobot
James Beard-nominated sushi chef, Jesse Ito, sets a seductive and scrumptious mood at his new Rittenhouse Square izakaya. To start, dancerobot offers a menu of Japanese-inspired takes on American comfort food, featuring Japanese-style pizzas, Wagyu roast beef and hamburg steaks and cheesy mentaiko omelettes, with a late-night konbini menu — inspired by the marvels that are Japanese convenience stores — and weekend brunch to come.
1710 Sansom Street, dancerobotphl.com
DOHŌ
This Mt. Airy takeout-only taqueria was one of the good things to come out of the pandemic. Now, DOHŌ — a portmanteau of “DO” for dough and “Ho” for its Hortter Street home — has graduated from a Latin-Asian fusion ghost kitchen to a full-service sit-down restaurant. Continuing to blend Latin American and East Asian flavors with European technique, DOHŌ trades fluffy bao-tortilla tacos and tempura shrimp bowls for savory pastas and pork belly buns.
18 W. Hortter Street, dohorestaurant.com
Emilia
One of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings of 2026 is chef Greg Vernick’s ambitious take on a neighborhood trattoria in Fishtown called Emilia. The James Beard Award-winner — Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2017 — will turn the reins over to Meredith Medoway, his longtime chef de cuisine at Vernick Food & Drink, as she helms a show-stopping wood-fired grill. Her ever-changing seasonal menu will lean on live-cooking, featuring innovative dishes inspired by Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, including homemade pastas and crudos.
2406 Frankford Avenue, emiliaphilly.com
Fetch Park
Atlanta’s Fetch Park has landed in the City of Brotherly Love, offering pups plenty of leash-free fun — and a bar and cafe for the humans. The concept — which took over the old Bark Social spot on Main Street in Manayunk — offers craft cocktails, local brews, Southern fare, pub grub and other surprises like boozy cereal and a retro diner-themed doggy ice cream parlor. Watching the game on one of the outdoor TVs? Fetch Park’s “woof wardens” are around to keep an eye on your pup.
3720 Main Street, fetchpark.com
Forest & Main Brewing Co.
An Ambler go-to for great beer, Forest & Main Brewing Co. has opened its first Philly location in Fishtown. Like its suburban sibling, the new taproom pours its own brews — a house lager, pilsner and Festbier — some English-style ales and a variety of other drafts, plus a selection of local cider, wine and cocktails. The Fishtown outpost also serves up a menu of creative vegan- and vegetarian-friendly eats by James Beard-nominated chef Dane DeMarco of Gass & Main.
1416 Frankford Avenue, forestandmain.com
Gather Food Hall
Gather Food Hall in University City brings five restaurants and a chic bar under one roof. Take a culinary world tour, grabbing doughy desserts and fried chicken from Federal Donuts or Peruvian empanadas and pork belly sandwiches from Mucho Perú. Or hit up family-owned South Philly staple El Mictlan for Mexican fare or quick-service restaurant Bowl’d Masala for Indian-inspired bowls. Straight from FDR Park’s Southeast Asian Market, Sahbyy Food dishes out Cambodian street food, including its famous lemongrass cheesesteaks, while the Bulletin Bar is on drinks with cocktails, beer and wine.
3025 Market Street, gatherfoodhall.com
Huda Burger
From chef Yehuda Sichel’s Rittenhouse Square sandwich shop comes Huda Burger. The casual countertop eatery dishes out chicken sandwiches, curly fries, milkshakes and soft serve from 1-900-Ice-Cream, but the main attraction here is the smashburgers. What makes them so special? It’s the buns. Inspired by Japanese Shokupan, Sichel’s milkbuns are fluffy, mildly sweet and freshly baked, creating the perfect vehicle for their out-of-this-world sandwiches.
1603 Frankford Avenue, hudaburger.com
Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley
Kevin Kelley’s restaurant empire has made its Philadelphia debut with the opening of Kitchen + Kocktails in Midtown Village. Taking over the ground floor of the Cambria Hotel, the restaurant offers Southern comfort food classics, Instagrammable decor and a lively atmosphere. On the menu: tasty plates of fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, jerk lamb chops and a lineup of cocktails for lunch and brunch.
225 S. Broad Street, kitchenkocktailsusa.com/philadelphia-pa
La Santa Bar & Restaurant
La Santa Bar & Restaurant in Hunting Park offers a fully loaded Latin American-Japanese fusion menu that runs the culinary gamut. Grilled skirt steak layered with sweet plantains, mofongo with plump shrimp, juicy filet mignon and traditional paella are just a few of the items. So, where does the Japanese side come in? Sushi. Bonus: The spot is open late.
4301 N. 5th Street, lasantapa.com
Manong
With a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, chef Chance Anies’ new Filipino-American grillhouse is a playful, ’90s fever dream. Meaning “elder brother” in the Filipino dialect of Ilocano, Manong – the fun sibling restaurant to Tabachoy – pays tribute to Anies’ Filipino-American roots and the decade of his youth with a menu spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Said menu mines Filipino flavors and the best parts of your fave chain restaurants to bring you Bloom Shrooms, Balong Burgers, Dynamite Lumpia and more.
1833 Fairmount Avenue, manongphilly.com
Pine Street Grill
It’s not every day that a freshly minted Michelin-starred dynasty opens up a new place. Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp — the couple behind globally acclaimed Rittenhouse Square restaurants Her Supper Club and My Loup — take the culinary party over to Fitler Square for their latest venture: Pine Street Grill. The duo’s spin on an everyday neighborhood spot serves up American and Philly classics (chicken nuggets and soft pretzels for starters), plus a lineup of sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, heavier entrees and desserts — like the cookie skillet (a Her Place favorite).
2227 Pine Street, pinestreetgrill.com
Rhythm & Spirits
This laid-back restaurant and bar bridges contemporary Italian cuisine, sophisticated Spanish influences and live music for a new nightlife experience in the heart of Center City. The menu and vibes reflect co-owner Lee Sanchez’s Italian and Spanish upbringing, with housemade pasta entrees like cacio e pepe and crispy chicken parmesan, and traditional dishes like paella and gambas al aljillo (sauteéd shrimp in saffron garlic butter). Stay tuned: Morning cafe hours are on the way.
1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, rhythmandspirits.com
Rockwell & Rose
Located inside the Curtis Center, the modern-casual steakhouse pays homage to the building’s history, which once housed the iconic publication The Saturday Evening Post, known for its Norman Rockwell illustrations and for debuting Rosie the Riveter. Dressed in a soft palette of pinks and golds, the restaurant — the sibling of P.J. Clarke’s — features a menu of prime cuts, fresh seafood and homemade pastas. For drinks, expect a lineup of classic cocktails representing Rockwell and floral creations symbolizing Rose, as well as beer, cider and wine.
601 Walnut Street, rockwellandrose.com
Scusi Pizza
Making his Philadelphia debut, Michelin-starred chef Laurent Tourondel turns the kitchen into his playground once again at Scusi Pizza, his newly opened casual American restaurant in Northern Liberties. Embodying the beautiful simplicity of a truly great slice, the airy restaurant churns out classic and creative pies, Italian-inspired sandwiches, tasty small plates and house-made soft serve.
1099 Germantown Avenue, scusipizza.com
Seaforest Bake Shop
Baker Suerim Lee brings a new labor of love to Graduate Hospital with Seaforest Bakeshop. Suerim (whose name means “seaforest” in Korean) highlights the flavors of her culture — and a few family recipes — with menu items like gochujang and scallion cheesy rolls, kimchi ricotta hand pies, sweet potato cheesecakes, Bulgogi-style mushroom pocket pies, peanut and sesame cookies and more. Not to be missed: the ever-changing, all-vegetarian menu is made from scratch.
625 S. 16th Street, seaforestbakeshop.com
Secondhand Ranch
This new Fishtown concept slings Western-themed cocktails while you hunt through racks of vintage clothes and goods. Half saloon, half thrift shop, the Wild West spot gives a second life to salvaged goodies, while patrons knock back frosty brews; flavor-infused shots; and cocktails like the Cowboy Mule (a Moscow Mule with whiskey, tequila or mezcal), the Spicy Saddle (a marg-like pineapple and jalapeño creation), and the Gold Rush. What’s on the menu so far? Hot dogs and hot peanuts.
1148 Frankford Avenue, secondhandranch.com
Sweet 45
Fantasy becomes reality with Sweet 45, an ice cream shop-meets-listening room from Nashirah Felder (better known as DJ Na$h). By day, you can enjoy scoops of mango water ice, ice cream topped with fried plantains and caramel and more while listening to picks from the shop’s vinyl collection — curated, of course, by the founder of the popular Interna$hional Bounce party series herself. By night, DJs transform the scoop shop into Philly’s buzziest new nightlife destination.
2000 N. Front Street, instagram.com/sweet45philly
The Bread Room
A bakery by day and a pastry workshop by night, The Bread Room is James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin’s latest gift to Philly’s dining scene. Helmed by High Street’s executive chef Christina McKeough and head baker Kyle Wood, the warm and rustic Old City spot features artisanal breads, homemade baked goods and savory sandwiches. The Bread Room hosts evening baking classes, private events and, soon, a visiting baker series.
834 Chestnut Street, thebreadroomphl.com
Tria Events
This new wine-focused venue and immersive classroom opened in October as an extension of Tria’s pioneering legacy of bringing exceptional wine experiences to the masses. Located steps from their original Rittenhouse Square location, Tria Events sits in a historic rowhouse that can accommodate up to 32 guests for classroom-style tastings and 45 people for standing receptions. Wine director Lauren Harris leads nuanced tastings on everything from California cabernet and Piedmont nebbiolo to indulgent explorations of Alpine wines and cheese.
1726 Sansom Street, triaphilly.com
Trung Nguyên Legend
Trung Nguyên Legend — an international Vietnamese coffee brand known for high-quality products and cultural experiences — has opened a new cafe. The menu features a wide selection of authentic Vietnamese coffees, globally inspired brews (yuzu coffee, tiramisu lattes), macrobiotic drinks and teas and culturally inspired eats like bánh mìs and grilled pork rice noodles. There are a few ground rules … downstairs is casual: mainly intended for to-go coffees; upstairs is prime real estate: the open-air rooftop terrace, with comfy tables and twinkling lights, is the only place where customers can order signature Zen, Ottoman and Legend coffee services.
113-117 Washington Avenue, trungnguyenlegendphilly.com
Uchi Philadelphia
Acclaimed Austin-based restaurateur Tyson Cole brings his renowned upscale sushi restaurant to Philly. Uchi’s Philadelphia opening is a big deal in terms of prestige (Cole has snatched up every accolade there is, including a James Beard Award) and size. Its sleek Rittenhouse Square dining room seats 127 diners, plus more at the sushi bar. Featuring an à la carte menu of premium fish with creative accouterments like flounder topped with candied quinoa (hirame usuzukuri), the restaurant also offers 10-course traditional omakase and vegetarian tasting menus as well as a somakase tasting menu.
1620 Sansom Street, uchi.uchirestaurants.com
WineDive
WineDive has risen from the ashes — after its South Street predecessor and namesake was prematurely lost to a 2022 fire — and this cozy, new iteration transforms a Rittenhouse Square nailery into the stuff of retro, wine-fueled dreams. With low lighting and moody dark wood paneling, the cool and unpretentious dive gives off vibes somewhere between “Old Hollywood” and “Atlantic City.” Open until 2 a.m., it boasts a 20-bottle-long wine list (and $5 house wines all day, every day), doing justice to its name.
1534 Sansom Street, winedive.com