Clam Tavern in Delco / Photography by Ed Newton
What’s the first place that comes to mind when you’re planning where to eat? It’s probably not Delaware County, home of Wawa’s headquarters and birthplace of Habbersett scrapple. You wouldn’t expect to find a diner serving omelets stuffed with 14-hour smoked pork butt, a fine-dining restaurant serving smoked paprika-dusted octopus, or a town with so many cultural cuisines represented that their motto is “The World in One Place.” And yet, the region’s most misunderstood county has all of that and more.
From Stromboli slingers and clam shacks to Ecuadorean ceviches and Armenian sausages, here are the places worth going, the dishes worth eating, and the colorful characters putting Delaware County on the map.
Small Town, Big Appetite
Your guide to Media’s best-kept dining secrets
Branzino from Ariano
It may seem like an average diner, but the food at The Corner proves otherwise. Grab a seat and watch as the cooks at the griddle stuff coffee-rubbed short rib, 14-hour smoked pork butt, and rib eye with soy citrus marinated onions and pepper relish into over-the-top omelets and whip up stacks of Frisbee-sized pancakes. A lot of restaurants in Media are like this — unassuming neighborhood spots with surprisingly elaborate menus that prove this bustling suburb has outsized taste.
Ariano is a standout for a slow-paced lunch over Negronis or a romantic dinner date. Highlights on the rustic Italian menu include arancini filled with lump crab and fontina cheese, a sautéed branzino served on a bed of broccoli rabe and gigante beans, and all of the wood-fired pizzas.
Inside Ariano’s dining room
Share a cavalcade of Shanghai shumai, chicken skewers, soup dumplings, steamed buns, and crispy scallion pancakes or split a whole Peking duck with the table at Tom’s Dim Sum. The popular Chinatown restaurant’s Media location is perfect for large groups looking to try a little bit of everything.
The La Caprese cocktail from Departure
If you’re not quite ready for dessert, digest while perusing the selection of vinyl records inside Scooped Ice Cream & Gelato. The ice cream parlor is a treasure trove of classics every record lover should have as well as rarer finds that audiophiles vie for — like a promo copy of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World. On your way out, grab a scoop of homemade ice cream (the chocolate caramel sea salt in a waffle cone is a favorite).
And if you thought there was no nightlife in the Delco burbs, think again: Departure Restaurant and Lounge has an airport-themed cocktail menu that will make you feel like you’re jet-setting in first class. The fruity-floral Takeoff made with City Street Vodka, elderflower, lychee, and lime is the perfect nightcap. — Kae Lani Palmisano
The Secret Sauce of Delco’s Clam Tavern
Hospitality, history, and a whole lot of heart.
Nearly two decades later, I can’t tell you how many family birthday dinners we have had at the Clam Tavern, where my son started working as a dishwasher in 2021 and now works behind the bar. “I met him in utero” is how Tony likes to put it to customers before making sure the baked clams on the table came out just right and buying a round of drinks for a couple celebrating their 25th anniversary.
And that’s just the kind of place it is, a place where generations gather for tasty but thoroughly unfussy food and a certain je ne sais quoi factor that most restaurants would kill to have, a combination of comfort, familiarity, and authentically good vibes that can’t be manufactured. Keep reading …
Food Fight: Where Delco Diners Go to Debate
A look at the Facebook group where the battles happen.
Delco has a not-at-all-undeserved reputation as a bellicose community. And Facebook is, of course, a place where people love to go to fight. So it’s not at all surprising that a local Facebook group called Delco Restaurant Review would have its share of beefs and battles among its 42,000 or so members. Keep reading …
Where to Eat in the Philly Area’s Most Diverse Dining Scene
Armenian specialties, 9 a.m. pho, standout barbecue, Lebanese lamb burgers, and food court bulgogi: Upper Darby has it all.
Illustration by Keith Warren Greiman
When you think about Upper Darby, your first thought might go to the shuttered Tower Theater. Or maybe the once-thriving shopping district that was 69th Street. Remember that landmark Sears store? But that was the past. One of the remarkable things about Upper Darby today is the diversity of its restaurant scene, a product of immigration patterns over the past several decades. While the population of Delaware County overall is predominantly white, quite the opposite is true here. One measure of the diversity of Upper Darby is its school district, where more than 100 languages are represented among the student body. The other measure: the Upper Darby restaurant scene. Keep reading …
Why a Beloved Restaurant Traded Philly for Delco
After 12 years in East Passyunk, Fond packed up their menu — chicken liver mousse and all — and set out for the burbs.
Chefs Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki Styer; chicken liver mousse and octopus at Fond.
Fond 3.0 opened in Wallingford in October of 2024. The menu is classic Fond: swordfish with braised kale, bacon and a garlic vichyssoise, pork belly with Okinawan sweet potatoes and an escarole-Dijon jus. But he also does Dutch baby pancakes the size of a fancy church hat at brunch, and a prime rib dinner special on the second Sunday of every month. I ask Lee if he misses the energy of working in the city, and he says yes … but also kinda no. Keep reading …
Delco Legends: Classic Dishes That Define Delco
Grease, grit, and glory: These are the legendary bites that capture the soul of Delco.
Jerry’s Roastbeef and More / Illustration by Keith Warren Greiman
The best meals aren’t always the ones you find in fancy restaurants, where sleek branding and high-concept tasting menus attract social media buzz. Sometimes they’re tucked away in a dive bar kitchen, past discount socks and airbrush art in a farmers’ market, or in a dining room where the hoi polloi congregate for a delightfully greasy lunch. Keep reading …
Inside the Black-Owned Cafe Feeding Delco and Beyond
Everybody Eats Cafe serves up great food for an even greater purpose.
Chef Malik Ali at Everybody Eats Cafe
When the world felt like it was falling apart, Everybody Eats started with a clear mission: Feed people.
Born during the summer of 2020 by a group of Black chefs, the organizations has grown from neighborhood food giveaways to a thriving restaurant in Chester. Everybody Eats Cafe now serves up more than just breakfast sandwiches, cheesesteaks, and fish and grits — they serve the community through mentorship programs, cooking classes, and providing 100 free meals a day, four days a week. Keep reading …
Published as “Delco Dining” in the October 2025 issue of Philadelphia magazine.