{"id":68482,"date":"2025-12-23T13:21:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/68482\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T13:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:21:15","slug":"phillys-top-10-food-stories-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/68482\/","title":{"rendered":"Philly\u2019s top 10 food stories of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the countdown to the New Year approaches, Billy Penn is counting down the most significant food stories that shaped 2025. From new restaurant openings, to innovations in the delivery scene, to notable food awards \u2014 our list reflects on the past and gives insight on dining spots and trends to look out for in 2026.<\/p>\n

10. Oysters are in\u00a0<\/p>\n

Move over New England. What are Philly\u2019s award-winning chefs doing this year? They\u2019re opening new oyster spots. Out of the handful of James Beard Award winners in our city, CookNSolo\u2019s Michael Solomov and Mawn\u2019s Phila Lorn both opened new oyster-themed restaurants: Jaffe Bar and Sao<\/a>, respectively. What\u2019s more, in addition to leading this year\u2019s Shuckfest<\/a>, Oyster House expanded its presence with a smaller location at PHL. Now anyone traveling through our city can experience a tasty mollusk!<\/p>\n

\"\"Oysters from Jaffa Bar in Fishtown (Photo by Michael Persico)<\/p>\n

9. The African American Market came to FDR Park<\/p>\n

FDR Park is known for its eclectic and delicious markets, from the Mercado Latino to the Southeast Asian Food Market. This year, another one was added to the roster: the African American Market<\/a>.\u00a0 With delicious bites from Black-owned businesses around Philly, the market from organizer Karen Harris is bound to continue to grow and attract talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Karen Harris, founder of the African American Market at FDR Park. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

8. Wonder came sweeping in<\/p>\n

Wonder<\/a>, the food-tech delivery platform, expanded rapidly across the Philadelphia area in 2025, opening more than 10 new locations. Even if you don\u2019t know what Wonder is, you\u2019ve likely gotten one of their mailers or messages in your inbox. The food hall and delivery service from billionaire Mark Lore aims to become the Amazon of food \u2014 with different vendor options and fully integrated kitchens letting you mix and match cuisines. Now that Wonder is here, the next question is going to take some time to answer: Is it here to stay?<\/p>\n

\"\"A variety of the offerings at Wonder. (Courtesy of Wonder)<\/p>\n

7. Gather Food Hall opened with a student-driven mission<\/p>\n

Gather Food Hall<\/a> opened in University City this year with a mission to prop up celebrated Philly food vendors and make meals more accessible for food-insecure college students. The food hall has just six vendors inside, with notable local popups and restaurants like Sahbyy Food, Mucho Pero and El Mictlan. The new food hall, in conjunction with the nonprofit Believe in Students, aims to provide 5,000 free meals in 2026 to students who are struggling with food insecurity.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gather Food Hall will open on Oct. 31 at the Bulletin Building in University City. (Courtesy of Brandywine Realty Trust)<\/p>\n

6. Stephen Starr closed Pod and opened Borromini<\/p>\n

Pod was once one of Philly\u2019s most unique restaurants. The space, which looked like a ship out of \u201c2001: A Space Odyssey,\u201d opened at the turn of the century with a sushi conveyor belt and \u201cpod\u201d booths that changed color via lighting. Over time, however, what once felt new began to feel dated. And now, what\u2019s old is new again. Borromini, a classic and rustically designed Italian space, opened at Rittenhouse Square with a much hyped 100-layer lasagna. While the Inquirer\u2019s Craig LaBan<\/a> dismissed that lasagna as \u201cmuddled mush,\u201d the design and scope of the restaurant shows a yearning for something more classic and comforting.<\/p>\n

\"\"Inside at Borromini. (Courtesy of Borromini)<\/p>\n

5. Philadelphia got its first women\u2019s sports bar<\/p>\n

This year, Marsha\u2019s<\/a>, Philadelphia\u2019s first-ever women\u2019s sports bar, came to South Street. Chivonn Anderson, Marsha\u2019s owner, decided to open the space after going to a sports bar, asking her server to put on the Women\u2019s World Cup and getting denied. The bar is named after LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson, and has set out to champion sports played by women and be a space for the queer community.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chivonn Anderson, the founder of Marsha\u2019s South Street. (Harry Smith\/ Courtesy of Marsha\u2019s)<\/p>\n

4. Philadelphia tried its first Tokyo cheesesteaks<\/p>\n

Kosuke and Tomomi Chujo<\/a>, the owners of Tokyo\u2019s Nihonbashi Philly, the best Eagles bar and cheesesteak spot in Japan. The husband-and-wife team have studied hard to get their recipe right, and they moved mountains to have two special cheesesteak popups<\/a> when they visited the city last spring. The duo have proven their dedication and love for Philadelphia, and the city threw that love right back at them. The first pop-up drew over 1,000 people as residents waited on line for as long as three hours to try two Japanese-inspired options: one with ribeye sukiyaki style, the other with chicken teriyaki and egg.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tomomi and Kosuke Chujo said \u201ccheesesteak\u201d as they smiled for the camera. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Iron Hill Brewery closed all of its locations<\/p>\n

Where were you when you heard that Iron Hill Brewery was shutting down? Even those who weren\u2019t fans of the restaurants may have felt a seismic shift in the Philly dining scene when the chain abruptly announced the closure of all 19 of its restaurants. The call was so out of the blue that many of the staff didn\u2019t even know. Now, many of Iron Hill\u2019s large and spacious storefronts remain empty \u2014 serving as a ghostly reminder of the restaurant\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

\"\"Iron Hill Brewery closed it\u2019s remaining 15 locations overnight, after closing 3 restaurants earlier this month. (Photo by Ben Bennett)<\/p>\n

2. Four James Beard Award nominations and one big win<\/p>\n

This year four Philadelphia restaurants and chefs received nominations for the James Beard Awards, otherwise known as the culinary Oscars: Jesse Ito<\/a> and Amanda Schulman for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, Friday Saturday Sunday\u2019s<\/a> Lover\u2019s Bar for Outstanding Bar, and Phila Lorn<\/a> for Emerging Chef.\u00a0 In the end, Lorn \u2014 who runs Mawn with his wife and partner Rachel Lorn \u2014 was the sole Philly restaurateur to take home the bacon.<\/p>\n

\"\"Phila and Rachel Lorn, owner\u2019s of Mawn and Sao. (Courtesy of Phila Lorn)<\/p>\n

1. The City of Brotherly Love got its first Michelin Guide<\/p>\n

This year, for the first time ever, the Michelin Guide<\/a> came to town, and unveiled its updated 2025 North American Michelin Guide at the Kimmel Center. Three restaurants went home with big wins: Friday Saturday Sunday, Provenance and Her Place Supper Club all got a Red Star. In addition, Pietramala won a Green Star (for sustainable dining) and a bunch of restaurants won Bib Gourmands and Michelin Selected<\/a> awards. Although there were arguably some snubs and omissions, it was exciting to bring Philly\u2019s restaurant scene to the world stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" Friday Saturday Sunday co-owners Chad and Hanna Williams are awarded a Michelin Star at Michelin\u2019s 2025 Northeast Dining Guide Ceremony in the Kimmel Center(Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the countdown to the New Year approaches, Billy Penn is counting down the most significant food stories…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68483,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[36237,36238,564,1515,9811,94,8524,7566,36239,13025,21539,36240,69,71,70,36241,29090,9813,31927],"class_list":["post-68482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-african-american-market","tag-borromini","tag-featured","tag-food","tag-gather-food-hall","tag-history","tag-iron-hill-brewery","tag-james-beard","tag-marshas","tag-mawn","tag-michelin-guide","tag-nihonbashi-philly","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-pod","tag-stephen-starr","tag-wonder","tag-year-in-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}