Following my first visit to Boston two years ago, I penned a column (against my better judgment) bemoaning what a surprisingly good time I had there (against my will).
I was particularly taken with the city’s Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile walking path embedded in Boston’s sidewalks that leads to 16 historic sites. Far from being half-baked, I had to admit this Beantown tourist attraction was “annoyingly great.”
Look at the Freedom Trail being all cute running through this Boston Street. Gawd!
Why didn’t we have anything like this in Philly, I wondered, and could we get our own version in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary?
I was flooded with emails in response from readers who not only agreed with me, but offered route suggestions and names for a potential Philly path. I also received a cryptic message from someone at Visit Philadelphia who said they had some things up their sleeves.
That was more than two years ago and I’d all but given up hope. Then I received an email this month from Jenea Robinson, vice president of communications for Visit Philadelphia.
Vinyl decals resembling ceramic tiles and a brass plaque mark the public pilot version of the Path to Democracy.
“Because you wrote that delightfully, ‘annoyingly accurate’ story about Boston’s Freedom Trail a few years ago, I wanted to make sure you got the first look at Philadelphia’s answer to it: Path to Democracy,” she wrote.
Could it be true? Are we actually getting our own historic trail and did someone really call my work “annoyingly accurate?!?” Be still my craggy, Philly heart!
‘A legacy project’
Still in its early phases, there are currently only six stops on the Path to Democracy as it undergoes public beta testing through Labor Day. The full path, which is slated for next summer, will have 21 stops and is based on a self-guided tour Visit Philly has had on its website for years, said Kyle Stein, senior marketing project manager for Visit Philly.
“This is something we wanted to introduce to people this year and have it be a legacy project for years to come,” he said.
(function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();
In its final iteration, the Path to Democracy will be marked by colorful ceramic tiles, brass directional plaques, and large tile mosaics embedded in the sidewalks that will pay “homage to all of the art across Philadelphia” and particularly, to that of Isaiah Zagar, Stein said.
“Whatever look and feel we went with had to be authentic to Philadelphia,” he said.
For now, Visit Philly is using sturdy, eye-catching vinyl decals that resemble tiles and mosaics to mark the path and stops along it. Zagar’s studio wasn’t consulted on the project, but Stein said Visit Philly would love to work with them going forward.
The vinyl mosaic decal at Christ Church along the Path to Democracy.
The Path to Democracy will not only be unique from Boston’s trail in look but in substance as well. The Freedom Trail traces Revolutionary War history, but Philly’s path will highlight sites and people that have shaped American democracy over the years.
“It’s not just something that happened in 1776,” Stein said. “Democracy is something that is an evolving thing.”
I knew there was only one way to suss out this path and that was to walk it myself. Plus, Stein said feedback from locals is essential during beta testing, and who doesn’t love being essential and opinionated in Philly?
Choose-your-own adventure
I snagged a parking space on Race Street near Second last week, knowing that the sites are all within a four-block radius from Front to Fourth and from Market to Arch Streets.
My first stop wasn’t planned. I just kept my eyes on the ground until something caught them, which happened at the corner of Second and Arch Streets. I spotted a blue vinyl tile that said “We” (written in the script of the Declaration of Independence) and two vinyl directional decals that said “Path to Democracy” with QR codes that led to an accompanying website. One pointed up Arch Street to Third and the other pointed down Second Street to Market.
Vinyl brass-colored decals at Third and Arch Streets in Old City denote that the Path to Democracy can be taken in one of two directions here. In the center is a “We” tile that is found on multiple spots along the path as well.
I decided I’d follow the arrow pointing right up Arch Street. As I walked, I spotted gem-shaped blue-and-red vinyl decals that were peppered like breadcrumbs down the sidewalk and led me straight to the Betsy Ross House.
On the sidewalk outside of the site, I spotted a lovely vinyl mosaic of a needle and thread superimposed upon a multicolored flag. A QR code on it took me to a mobile-friendly webpage about Ross. I listened to a 51-second audio clip about her life and read about the mosaic before me. Also provided on the page was the Betsy Ross House’s address, operating hours, and other useful visitor information.
The vinyl mosaic decal outside of the Betsy Ross House along the Path to Democracy.
At the bottom of the site was a nifty little guide showing me that I was currently a four-minute walk away from Christ Church in one direction and a two-minute walk away from the Arch Street Meeting House in the other.
“All right, this is pretty cool,” I whispered.
Confusing corners
I chose to follow the blue-and-red vinyl decals to the Arch Street Meeting House where a vibrant vinyl mosaic of a dove and the word equality was plastered on the sidewalk. The QR code led to a page about the meetinghouse and to an audio clip about how “Religious radicals founded Philly.”
When I was done, I discovered I’d reached the end of the path, much to my chagrin. I didn’t realize it wasn’t a continuous loop and I had to retrace my steps back past the Betsy Ross House to the next site, Christ Church.
From there, the vinyl decals led me to the southwest corner of Second and Market Streets, where a directional decal with arrows on both ends pointed me toward Front Street on my left and also to Third Street on my right.
“Well this is confusing,” I thought.
I decided to follow the path up Market Street past Third Street to Franklin Court, where I spotted a large vinyl mosaic decal of a key, kite, quill pen, and spectacles.
The Path to Democracy leads to just outside Franklin Court, where this vinyl mosaic decal located.
I headed inside Franklin Court and walked around. I always forget how many privies there are in there (the place had more johns than the Second Continental Congress!).
Franklin Court marked another terminus of the path, so I turned around and headed back down Market Street to Front to check out the other direction of the trail I’d forgone.
Lesser-known sites
On the southeast side of Second Street as it crosses Market, I found a large mosaic decal of a man operating a printing press. Scanning the QR code, the website told me this was once “Printers’ Row,” where many important documents — including the first copies of the Declaration of Independence — were made.
Unlike the other sites along the path, there was nothing already at this one to indicate it was of any importance, aside from an easy-to-miss plaque embedded in a crumbling wall of a vacant building nearby.
A vinyl mosaic decal marks the site of Printer’s Row on Market Street near Second along the Path to Democracy.
I appreciated this more-obscure site being highlighted on the path. Stein said its inclusion in the beta test was very intentional.
“Not every historic site in Philly is one people can enter. We wanted a tried-and-true one, like the Betsy Ross House, and lesser-known ones, like Printers’ Row,” he said.
Following the decals, I reached my final stop at the corner of Front and Market Streets. There, a vinyl mosaic decal of a tree, animals, and human figures was situated on the sidewalk catty-corner to the Chief Tamanend statue at the I-95 on-ramp.
As I listened to the accompanying audio via the QR code, I found myself staring at the statue.
The Path to Democracy highlights the “Chief Tamanend” statue at Front and Market Streets in Old City.
Then, I did something I’ve never done before — I crossed the street and approached it. I stood below Chief Tamanend’s feet, I looked up at him and the eagle on his shoulder, I marveled at the details of his clothing, I read the accompanying bronze plaque.
And I couldn’t believe that it took me this long and this path to do so.
A worthy pursuit
I spent about two hours walking the path, but I backtracked often and took my time. You could feasibly do it in 30-60 minutes.
After my walk, I filled out the pilot program survey via the QR code.
“I want more sites and would love for it to be a circular path you could start at any place and keep going around until you get back where you started, like a Phlash bus loop,” I wrote.
Vinyl decals mark the Path to Democracy on the 300 block of Market Street in Old City during the beta testing phase of the project.
Stein said the goal is to have the path be multidirectional.
“I think in the future we’re considering the best way to actually connect the sites,“ Stein said. ”Printers’ Row and Chief Tamanend was an opportunity to test out a spur. That will be something we may come up against in the future, some sites may not fall within a perfect pathway.”
While I didn’t see anyone else following the path as I was exploring it, Visit Philly’s Robinson told me about 50 people a day have been scanning the QR codes.
Though there are still some kinks to work out, the Path to Democracy shows a lot of promise. Like democracy itself, we don’t know where it will lead, but it’s a worthy pursuit — and one that requires our participation to succeed.
So before Labor Day, go try it out and provide feedback. You could help shape a path in Philly that may be walked for generations to come.
“We just want Philadelphians to be proud of this and be aware of it,” Stein said. “I think that this path is another way for us as Philadelphians to celebrate how great this city and these sites are.”
The Path to Democracy leads to the Arch Street Meeting House, where a vinyl mosaic decal wraps around the site’s historical marker.
My Uber driver could be forgiven for becoming a tad disoriented as we gingerly approached Terra Grill. After all, this newly cobbled stretch of Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties has not appeared on a Philadelphia map since the 19th century, when the massive Schmidt’s Brewery rose here in 1860 on 14-plus acres east of North Second Street.
The legendary brewery is long gone, closed in 1987, demolished in 2000, and replaced in 2007 by developer Bart Blatstein’s original Piazza project, which supercharged gentrification of this once-industrial neighborhood. The mixed-use development quickly sputtered after an ownership change in 2013, just as nearby Fishtown and Kensington began to thrive.
Can Terra Grill help revive the Piazza dream? I’m not convinced a steakhouse alone will do the trick, even if it’s something different for Northern Liberties. (Remember the short-lived “vibe dining” of meat-forward SIN?)
But the development’s current owners, Post Brothers, clearly hope this modern American grill will help restore at least some of the neighborhood’s shine. It’s a $6 million anchor for the Piazza Alta, a new 1,100-unit high-rise complex targeted to families, not just the “frat boys in backwards trucker hats” that Post CEO Michael Pestronk said occupied the Piazza during its decline under their predecessor, Kushner Cos., whose tenure saw falling rents and shuttered retail storefronts.
The exterior of Terra Grill on July 9 in Philadelphia.
The fact that there are people blithely wandering across our car’s path as we approach Terra Grill’s landscaped facade is both confusing and deliberate. Post Brothers has resisted adding road striping to the avenue (a technically private stretch now open to the public) to “prevent it from becoming a speedway.” The unmarked stones are meant to foster a street-facing, Euro-style pedestrian plaza.
Recruiting a nationally known chef for this project in Laurent Tourondel is also part of the strategy to give the neighborhood an upscale, Center City-esque aura — signaling that this once-edgy neighborhood has a new polish on top of its existing gastropubs (Standard Tap, North Third), cutting-edge vegan cooking (Pietramala), brunch spots (Honey’s Sit ‘N Eat, Cafe La Maude) and standout BYOBs (Pera, Apricot Stone). With an apartment boom bringing thousands of new residents and median incomes skyrocketing over the last decade, the affluence and density is suddenly there to potentially support something fancy like Terra Grill, whose entrees hover in the mid-$30s before you even touch the $50-plus prime steaks.
The interior of Terra Grill on July 9 in Philadelphia.
Is it a particularly adventurous place to dine? Not especially. But that may not matter. The restaurant exudes a textbook chophouse vibe, with circular booths clad in cushy black leather, a marble-topped bar, dark wood accents, walls of wine bottles, and hot pans of fresh, salt-speckled Parker House rolls served with little crocks of whipped miso-garlic butter.
There are culinary twists on classic cocktails to spark the meal, like the Quick & Dirty, an entry-level dirty martini washed with tzatziki yogurt and piqued with giardiniera brine, or the Golden Hour white Negroni, infused with red and golden raspberries as a nod to Philly’s Clover Club.
The Crazy Bird and Quick & Dirty cocktails at Terra Grill on July 9.
It’s the bar program’s nod to the kitchen ethos of the French-born Tourondel, a respected chef based out of New York best known for BLT Steak (which he no longer owns) and BLT Fish, which briefly held one Michelin star and is now closed. Tourondel has since evolved into a management chef for hire, having opened 58 restaurants, from Kazakhstan to Panama, over the course of his career. He now operates 12 locations under his company, from Manhattan (L’Amico) to South Beach, where we recently dined on a delicious and stylish rendition of steak and eggs for brunch at LT Steak & Seafood.
Terra Grill is large, with 139 seats inside and 50 on the patio, alongside the chef’s cozier and more casual Roman-inspired Scusi Pizza. But the menu is essentially straight off the Tourondel rack: quality ingredients in familiar dishes treated with a thoughtful flourish or a seasonal touch. In other words, something for everyone.
The grilled octopus at Terra Grill.
I especially enjoyed Tourondel’s octopus starter, coiled into a thick ring with its tentacles pointing out over a hash of crushed fingerling potatoes bright with lemon, olive oil, espelette aioli, and black dots of cured-olive purée. A baked crab cake is meaty and fresh, and fun to eat from the shell that it’s been stuffed back into.
Beside such successes, though, there are some fusion dishes that felt off-key, like the fried calamari with sweet chili dip, or the chimichurri-dabbedshort ribs wrapped in bao buns whose puffy hinges had gone stale. A luxe hot dog encasedin puff pastry with Gruyère and sauerkraut would have been delicious had its Wagyu dog not been so dense and rubbery. (Just as with burgers, a Wagyu pedigree does not make a hot dog better.) A tuna tartare stuffed into a flower-like bloom of shaved watermelon radishes beneath an avocado dome was flavorful and satisfying. But a mizuna salad draped with yuzu-dipped slices of yellowtail was awkward to eat and a waste of good fish.
The prime rib eye with dauphine potato puffs and grilled asparagus at Terra Grill.
The entrees are naturally headlined by the steaks — all high-quality prime grade (except for the Angus filet mignon) and properly cooked over the live flames of a hardwood grill, served simply with the sauce and side of your choice. The 22-ounce rib eye was the ultimate beefy cut of the four options, and also the most expensive at $98. The entry-level skirt steak wasn’t huge for $52 (and oddly, more expensive than the signature dish at Tourondel’s Skirt Steak in Midtown Manhattan), but the 10-ounce flap of black garlic-marinated beef glazed in hoisin was delicious, especially with crispy croquettes of dauphine potato puffs on the side.
The bar at Terra Grill restaurant, 1099 Germantown Ave.
Considering designer Olya Volkova’s attention to fostering the clubby comforts of a swank dining room, it’s a shame the mood is so often squashed by the glaring flash of big TVs behind the central bar. It speaks to a personality conflict this fledgling restaurant is still trying to resolve: Is Terra Grill a special-occasion destination, or a chic weekly hangout for neighbors to watch the Phillies over a $28 burger?
I’d actually come back for that prime beef burger encrusted with seven different kinds of peppercorns and topped with molten raclette cheese — if only they manage not to overcook it next time.
I can also see returning for the excellent branzino, which gets butterflied and crisped skin-side down over the wood fire and served with a seasonal garnish — a lemon-soy salsa verde in spring, and now a summery puttanesca of blistered tomatoes with capers and olives. That fish is a fair deal at $36. However, even the chef conceded the entree of head-on red shrimp was “a little small” when I sent him a picture of my plate with three crustaceans for $36.
The grilled branzino puttanesca at Terra Grill.
The rigatoni in lamb Bolognese is understandably popular with Terra’s regulars, both hearty and flavorful for $28. But it also feels random on a menu that has few other Italian flourishes — even if Tourondel’s adjacent pizzeria, Scusi, is right next door.
With its blond wood, aperitivo hour, and appealing menu of salads and pies (many available by the slice), Scusi could very well be just the affordable counterpart Terra needs. But its thin-crusted Roman pies were so strangely heavy from a blend of grains, including bran, that the dough was leaden and tough. My weighty slice of sausage and pepperoni was also incinerated.
Two slices of pizza at Scusi, located in the Piazza Alta in Northern Liberties.Scusi Pizza next door to Terra Grill.
Having previously enjoyed Tourondel’s Neapolitan-style Sag Pizza in the Hamptons, I know he’s capable of good pies. But Scusi’s troubled crusts reflect one of the perils of having a remote-control chef conducting from out of state.
Even more difficult than executing recipes, though, is finding the soul of a cookie-cutter concept, such that it feels like it fits the fabric of a place. Of course, in a literal blank slate like the Piazza Alta, the right restaurant can help set that tone. I did enjoy much of my food here, including the whimsical finale of a caramel popcorn sundae with a tableside chocolate sauce drizzle.
There are good ingredients in place. And the service is friendly enough (despite some rushed pacing with the starters). But there is still a paint-by-numbers corporate energy to Terra Grill.
The caramel popcorn sundae at Terra Grill.
Maybe its stride will come with more customers: The restaurant was less than half full during my visits. Perhaps they will materialize if the neighborhood gains the kind of momentum its developers hope to conjure — including the promise of an undisclosed local star chef slated to take a prime space across from Terra. Tourondel’s restaurants alonedo not carry the gravity to fully animate this recently revived stretch of Germantown Avenue, but Terra could complement a broaderscene. Just like the chaotic, slow-motion traffic patternsoutside the restaurant’s doors, it feels like a work in progress.
Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday; until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m Saturday and Sunday.
Entrees, $28-$98.
Wheelchair accessible.
A little over half the menu items are gluten-free, with several others being easily modified with care to avoid cross contamination. Fried items are not available.
Menu Highlights: Parker House rolls; fried calamari; lemon chicken parm sandos; grilled octopus; stuffed crab cake; grilled branzino; Terra burger; prime steaks (skirt; strip, rib eye); potato puff dauphine; caramel popcorn sundae.
Drinks: Creative takes on classic cocktails with culinary twists are front and center, including a tzatziki-washed riff on a dirty martini and the rummy Crazy Bird tinged with bitter Campari. The sub-50 label wine list covers multiple styles with a balance of big names (Whispering Angel, Jordan) and lesser-known options (Decibel, Txakoli rosé). There are solid choices by the glass at $20 and under.
The interior of Terra Grill on Thursday, July 9, 2026 in Philadelphia.
Hidden deep in the Orange Crush heart of the Jersey Shore, there’s a beloved dive bar near West Wildwood’s bay that ignores all the common rules of commerce and good cooking. And yet its ceiling is covered in money and its unlikely hit sandwich is a Reuben made with … scallops?!
Not far away in Cape May, a new Italian restaurant is also doing things differently, crafting extraordinary meals from the highest quality ingredients ― with eye-popping prices to match. At the other end of the dining spectrum, there’s a destination-worthy cutlet sandwich in Sea Isle City and a hot new cheesesteak stand on the Wildwood boardwalk where the crowds come in hopes of glimpsing the owner, an alleged former mob boss who’s refashioned himself as a South Philly sandwich king. A very different kind of celebrity in the making — a giant seagull mascot — is aiming to energize a lively new outdoor restaurant and bar in Avalon and give fresh meaning to “Go Birds!”
Such eating adventures across the southern end of the Jersey Shore this summer were an exploration of dining culture extremes, but never dull and frequently delicious.
These 11 places from Cape May to Ocean City are the ones I’ll remember most.
Dollars hanging from the ceiling at Westside Saloon in West Wildwood, N.J.
WEST WILDWOOD
Westside Saloon
Everyone talks about the dollar bills tacked to the ceiling of the Westside Saloon like Monopoly money confetti, the result of a barroom challenge that’s added a distinctive dive bar quirkiness to this venerable tavern on the tiny isle of West Wildwood. To me, however, those bills are the least intriguing aspect of the Westside Saloon, as this watering hole — which dates to Prohibition and was once known as the Bridge Cafe — was renamed in 2003. My eyes are drawn to the crates of ripe fruit stacked near the front door, set to be juiced daily for the lineup of dangerously smooth crush cocktails made with all-natural ingredients — orange, grapefruit, pineapple, watermelon — shaken with vodka (or tequila) and seltzer. “My mother always told me that drinking would get me nowhere,” says the bar’s manager and chef, Billy Scott, 52. “But it’s worked out pretty well for me here. These drinks are my babies. They make people smile, and I’m definitely the King of the Crush now.”
The saloon is owned by the McCoy and Keating families, but Scott, a family friend, is also the culinary mind responsible for the strokes of whimsy — or cheese crimes against seafood, depending on your perspective — that have prompted the Westside Saloon to tout itself as a “five-star dive bar” that’s booming despite an independent streak with its hours (“We open when we feel like it; we close when we feel like it”) and a published phone number that’s never answered because they ripped the phone off the wall 15 years ago. (“It wouldn’t stop ringing.”)
A bartender making crush cocktails at the Westside Saloon in West Wildwood.
That reclusive attitude hasn’t slowed the crowds that wander into this trapezoid-shaped building for one of the 28 seats at the trapezoid-shaped bar (or 40 outdoor seats) to listen to live music and indulge in one of the Shore’s most unusual seafood menus, headlined by the iconic scallop Reuben. It’s an odd combination that by most conventions should not work, but Scott has access to some of the best ingredients on the East Coast through nearby Dock Street Seafood. The plump Jersey scallops offer a meaty alternative to corned beef, with a briny sweetness that harmonizes with the tangy sauerkraut, piquant Swiss cheese, and butter-toasted rye. It’s not Scott’s only seafood and dairy gambit. The stuffed long hot pepper is exploding with fresh crab and provolone, a prosciutto wrap, and a Gorgonzola finish. There’s so much crustacean in the she-crab soup that our spoon nearly stood up straight. (If it had been hotter, it would have been perfect.) Sesame-seared local tuna comes piled over crisped wonton chips for Asian nachos. But Scott’s most audacious creation is the option to order your seafood “blue,” a marinara sauce blended with Gorgonzola that added an unexpectedly appealing cave-aged funk to our bountiful seafood pasta.
Seared tuna nachos at the Westside Saloon in West Wildwood, N.J.
For those averse to seafood spectacles, the Westside’s chicken wings and “volcanic eruption” burger (a cheese-stuffed patty topped with bacon and long hots) also have fans. But what surprised me most was that the saloon makes its own desserts, including a towering key lime pie and an Oreo-encrusted cheesecake we could not stop eating. This won’t be news to anyone who knows how much passion Scott and his crew, who also recently bought a bakery, have put into making this iconoclastic institution so much more than a random dive bar.
“The only thing artificial here are my initials — B.S.,” says Scott. “When you come to the Westside Saloon, everything else is real.”
Westside Saloon, 770 W. Glenwood Ave., West Wildwood, N.J. 08260, no phone; on Facebook
Chef Alfredo Dapi rolls out pasta for pistachio gnocchi in the kitchen at Il Riccio in Cape May, N.J.
CAPE MAY
Il Riccio
There are so many Italian restaurants at the Jersey Shore, I was not particularly excited about the prospect of yet another, especially considering the newcomer most recommended to me this offseason by my local sources was located in a turnstile Cape May address where I’ve reviewed three different restaurants since 2003.
Chef Alfredo Dapi pauses while making pistachio gnocchi in the kitchen at Il Riccio in Cape May.
Number four — Il Riccio — turns out to be anything but ordinary, and not simply because the lofty prices, with dinner entrees ranging from $38 to triple digits, will make you wonder if the food is gilded. In fact, it is. But the shimmering stamps of 24-karat gold hovering above the cacio e pepe risotto are not the prime reason this showstopper dinner indulgence costs $99. That would be the quarter-pound of meltingly rich A5 Wagyu tenderloin from Hokkaido that comes seared on top, as well as the raisiny sweet swirls of reduced Amarone wine, not to mention the coveted seven-year-old aged Acquerello rice that’s cooked to al dente perfection by chef Alfredo Dapi for 19 minutes on the dot, adding the imported butter from Parma and pecorino cheese only at the end to keep it light.
“We wanted a dish that touched all the senses — sweet, salty, sour, and bitter,” says Il Riccio’s gregarious co-owner Luca Cimmarotta, 52, a Tuscan winemaker, olive oil producer, and importer who, since his earlier days as a sommelier for both Aldo Lamberti and Georges Perrier, has always wanted to open an Italian restaurant that made no compromises when it came to quality.
Il Riccio in Cape May, N.J.Pistachio gnocchi at Il Riccio in Cape May, N.J.
That is exactly what he’s done at Il Riccio (“the sea urchin” in Italian), the posh 50-seat BYOB he opened a year ago in a Victorian bungalow beside Collier’s Liquors with his wife, Stefania Chiaro, 46, who works in the kitchen, and their son, Michele Cimmarotta, 21, who charms the dining room as lead server.
Our night, he was offering a wild fresh Holland Dover sole whose beguilingly firm texture, delicate flavor, and roe sack (a bonus!) were expertly deboned tableside, and tasted clearly superior to the more common farm-raised and prefrozen sole found elsewhere for a third of Il Riccio’s $135 price. That includes a side of spaghetti alla chitarra laced with Cimmarotta’s own olive oil and colatura di Alici (Italian fish sauce), and easily feeds two.
Cured ham aficionados will also find rare treasures here, from the acorn-fed Spanish Ibérico ham Cimmarotta slices from a rolling cart in the dining room to the multiple varieties of Italian culatello available with truffled sottocenere cheese. The lunch menu is slightly more affordable, when you can order that risotto minus the Wagyu for $39. You can also still taste the restaurant’s signature baby octopus, a pom-pom of grilled tentacles posed over spicy broccoli rabe. I’d also suggest the soulfully stewed beef braciole stuffed with pecorino. One dish that should not be missed is Dapi’s amazing gnocchi, ethereal dumpling clouds floated across a pool of a creamy Gorgonzola turned pastel green with blended pistachios.
Nutella gelato affogato at Il Riccio in Cape May, N.J.
For dessert, ignore the more ubiquitous options and head straight for the affogato. A silky Nutella gelato is topped tableside with dark and roasty Caffé Toraldo espresso from Naples poured from a gorgeous little red moka pot designed by Dolce & Gabbana. Like everything else at Il Riccio, it brings luxury, design, quality, and flavor all together into a special fine-dining experience that actually delivers exactly what you pay for.
Il Riccio, 311 Mansion St., Cape May, N.J. 08204, 609-554-3165; ilricciocapemay.com
Mediterrano
The demise of the Exit Zero Filling Station has left a kraken squid curry-sized hole in Cape May’s funky fusion dining scene. But its unique location — a soaring dining hall fronted by a former gas station pump turned breezy al fresco patio — has been salvaged and retransformed into a vision of Greece. Cue the potted palms, painted faux-cobblestones, and cerulean blue paint job for the old filling station portico that is now a BYOB called Mediterrano. New owner Florian Furxhiu has used his playbook from Santorini, the popular Greek haunt he owns in Wildwood.
Exterior view of Mediterrano in Cape May, N.J.
A statue of Hebe, the daughter of Zeus, presides over the columned fireplace of this handsomely renovated dining room lined with blooming fake bougainvillea vines, while Santorini’s former co-chef, Caesar Jeromino, and Alban Presheva, newly arrived from Albania, turn out one Greek standard after the next.
Considering their experience, my meal was more inconsistent than I’d hoped for. The Greek meatballs in tomato sauce were unyieldingly dense. The single-serving moussaka built à la minute over a solo eggplant lacked the satisfaction of the traditional large-format casserole.
The big lamb shank, however, was impressively tender, and the butterflied whole branzino, a favorite at Santorini, was as good as ever, its flaky white flesh glazed in lemony butter sauce and capers. I have little doubt Furxhiu’s time-tested team will level up to fine-tune the rest of these dishes as summer progresses. With Ionian-like breezes whistling off the nearby Atlantic through this unique patio and the goddess Hebe casting her magic powers, one can only hope.
The remarkable reinvention of Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino from infamous wiseguy to cheesesteak mogul has been well-documented by my colleague Michael Klein. But the arrival of his popular South Philly sandwich stand at a satellite on the Wildwood boardwalk still begs a clear-eyed review, especially with his partner Joe “Lil Snuff” Perri Jr. perpetually hyping the project on social media. It’s a great story, but does that mean it’s also a tasty lunch?
Cheessteak and pizza at Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino’s new Skinny Joey’s Cheesesteaks during a soft opening of his new location on the boardwalk in Wildwood.
I admit an initial pause of disappointment that the best sandwich from OG Skinny Joey’s — the roast pork sandwich — did not make it to the beach. But the marquee cheesesteaks are consistent with the original, bountifully portioned and ever-cheesy with molten Cooper Sharp on a seeded roll. It’s overall better than I anticipated given the marketing bluster, but not quite elite (I worked through a clump of gristle amid the otherwise tender chopped meat; the coarse-cut, barely cooked onions also need more love).
The gloriously messy Buffalo chicken is the true steak star here. Skinny Joey’s also does pizza in Wildwood, unlike the original, and while the round pies are average, the strombolis are fantastic. They take extra time to make, because they’re baked to order. They’re also perfectly sized to fit into the slender holster of a cardboard cheesesteak box to go. Or, eat it on-site in Skinny Joey’s pleasantly cool indoor dining room, which has the rare boardwalk perk of a private bathroom, plus the opportunity to buy lots of branded merch.
You can get pierogi and all sorts of other Eastern European treats on the boardwalk at Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, famed for its Slavic community. A notable counterpart to be found at the Jersey Shore is the Pierogie Place, which has two separate stands on the Wildwood boardwalk. It has such a loyal following that a customer who sidled up to the register beside my family swore it was always her first stop when she arrived at the Jersey Shore (“we actually come daily”), not to mention when she visits Lincoln Financial Field, where Pierogie Place founders Liz and Bohdan Kulchyckyj also operate a location of their six-year-old comfort food tribute to Ukraine, where they lived for two decades as expats.
The Pierogie Place has two storefronts on the boardwalk in Wildwood. Pictured behind the counter at the 3116 Boardwalk location are employee Anastasiia Oleska (left) and co-owner Liz Kulchyckyj.
The draw are the pierogi (or “vareniki,” as they’re called in Ukraine) offered in a variety of fillings and served with deeply caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream. I enjoyed the potato and farmer’s cheese filling best, with the jalapeño-cheddar stuffing following close behind — even better crowned with a snappy link of kielbasa. The tortellini-like dumplings filled with pork and veal known as pelmeni are also irresistible. But don’t miss dessert of sweet cheese dumplings topped with strawberries, blueberries, or both and a cloud of whipped cream. Mingling with the aroma of salty sea air, this Slavic carnival in a box tastes particularly sweet.
The Pierogie Place, 3116 Boardwalk and 4302 Boardwalk, Wildwood; thepierogieplace.com
STONE HARBOR
Mother’s Market & Bakery
Mother’s Market & Bakery in Stone Harbor is a family affair, operated by Jennie Mopsik (center), her father, Eugene Mopsik (left) and mother, Helen Mopsik.
This charming new prepared foods shop in Stone Harbor checks a longtime bucket list wish for Jennie Mopsik to work alongside her parents in the Shore town where they’ve long summered together, and where she now lives year-round. This storefront market with patio seating was inspired by the home entertaining she saw her parents, Eugene and Helen Mopsik, refine over the years. So, while the shelves are stocked with well-chosen products, from top-notch pasta to Samaki smoked fish and frozen pierogi brought in from Port Richmond’s Czerw’s Polish Kielbasa, the real gems here are the specials cooked daily by her dad, a retired photographer who became known as the “Philly Loxsmith” in his tenure at Biederman’s, where he rediscovered a love of cooking. At Mother’s you’ll find him whipping up homey daily soups (cream of asparagus, gazpacho, matzo ball), fresh quiches, muffins, and excellent grab-and-go salads, including his legendary whitefish salad and a farmer’s cheese spread blended with labneh, shallots, and dill that’s my new favorite bagel schmear (not to mention Helen’s favorite happy hour snack). Jennie Mopsik is involved with the baking, too, but her talent and former business for flower arranging is also on display with custom hand-tied bouquets and orchid arrangements that she says will bloom all summer long.
Mother’s Market & Bakery, 8307 Third Ave., 1st Flr., Stone Harbor, N.J. 08247; on Instagram
Hanging candied bacon served over grits and Gully’s Blooming Potato at Gully’s in Avalon, N.J.
AVALON
Gully’s
When I was little, the notion of a human-size seagull flapping its wings at my table might have scared me right out of my swim trunks. But the team behind Gully’s is betting on the “sassy but good-natured” energy of its friendly weekend-only mascot, Gully, along with competitive Monday minnow races and updated American pub fare to bring some “old-school beachy vibes” to their makeover of the pergola-wrapped al fresco resto-bar in Avalon that was previously Black Cactus. And … it just might work?
Gully’s is more affordable than its predecessor and the diner-plus menu has a lower success bar to clear. But the food is also a notch better than it has to be, with fresh figs scattered over balsamic and a creamy hunk of burrata with prosciutto, a well-built chicken Caesar wrap, plump shrimp for the feta-dusted Mediterranean salad, and “skinny” crushes made with fresh juice and seltzer (not soda) to wash it down.
The Orange Crush and Super Spritz cocktails at Gully’s in Avalon, N.J.
A bland and creamy “peri peri” chicken entree was one disappointment for a sauce that should have been spicy. But stick with the menu’s less challenging top half and you should be fine, especially with a tray of spiralized “blooming potato” chips and a clothesline of candied bacon that dangles over a tasty plate of grits — not an original idea, but delicious. They’re so good, I was thinking Gully’s mascot should actually be a human-size piece of bacon just as our outdoor table was suddenly attacked by a relentless swarm of dune gnats. The service team stepped up when a cheerful manager appeared to offer guests some bug spray. (“BYO-bug spray next time?” he joked.) Of course, seagulls eat bugs, too, so Gully the mascot may, in fact, be just the hero we’ve been waiting for. Go Birds!
The exterior of Johnny Cutlets in Sea Isle City, N.J.
SEA ISLE CITY
Johnny Cutlets
The old Steve’s Grilled Cheese is out. The crispy new swagger of Johnny Cutlets is in. And this smartly revamped Sea Isle City shop is already making a serious bid to join the elite ranks of the Jersey Shore’s sandwich derby. The cutlets are the main event, hand-breaded with two kinds of crumbs, Parmesan and herbes de Provence for a soft herbal note, then fried daily at a lower-than-usual temperature to try to maintain the juicy tenderness of a home-cooked cutlet. I was impressed, especially with its South Philly-style signature served with sharp provolone, broccoli rabe, and a long hot pepper draped over the top of a seeded Aversa’s roll. The Drunken Johnny with vodka sauce and the MJ with fresh mozz and balsamic are also popular cutlet options, but don’t sleep on Johnny’s steaks. They’re more manageably portioned than the overstuffed, overly cheesed steaks currently trending on social media, but I admired the balance of quality ingredients here.
Chef Shawn (no last name given), fries cutlets at Johnny Cutlets in Sea Isle City, NJ.The MJ features a chicken cutlet with mozzarella, arugula, cherry tomatoes, hot honey, and balsamic glaze at Johnny Cutlets in Sea Isle City, N.J.
This project is a collaboration between Steve’s former owners, twins Stephen and Fred Freda, and their new partner, “Johnny Cutlets” Markulics, who concluded that fried chicken and cheesesteaks have more “healthy living” appeal than grilled cheese. That’s probably not a scientific conclusion. But if early sales are an indication — selling up to 400 sandwiches a day — the theory wins a popularity contest. It’s just as likely that rebranding with Markulics front and center was also key. An AI-generated portrait of the vividly tattooed body shop owner, whose look Stephen Freda affectionately characterizes as “a friendly, semiscary face,” became the shop’s logo and sign, along with the bold catch phrase, “famous ‘cause I say so.” It’s a bravado this feisty little sandwich shop might actually live up to.
Johnny Cutlets, 27 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243, 609-486-6003; johnnycutletssic.com
Dylan Bear, owner of Alex’s Pizza, at 1214 Boardwalk, Ocean City, N.J.
OCEAN CITY
Alex’s Pizza
A smash burger with onions and cheese is one of the specialties at the new boardwalk location in Ocean City for Alex’s Pizza from Roxborough.
The best part of opening a Jersey Shore branch of a classic Philly pizzeria is that you have a built-in loyal clientele. The bad news is that loyal clientele. They know your pies better than anyone, and if it doesn’t measure up then … well, meet Michele B., a lifelong Roxborough resident seated beside me who grew up eating at Alex’s Pizza, a standby at Pechin and Leverington since the 1960s. She traveled to the Ocean City location specifically to taste a slice of her youth, and while these thin-crusted rounds looked the part, with a signature swirl of red sauce spiraled across the top, there wasn’t nearly enough of it: “It’s too dry!” said Michele bluntly. “Not enough sauce.” To his credit, the manager of this new boardwalk venture was eager for feedback, since he’d never eaten at the Roxborough original himself. An experimental pie with sauerkraut and hot dogs had more pizzazz, albeit a niche audience (me). But Alex’s does one thing especially well: smash burgers. The patties on my double stack were swiftly griddled to an impressively crisp and lacy skirt, then layered with onions and oozy cheese that trapped all of its juices. While Alex’s may indeed one day offer an upgrade to the multitude of boardwalk pizza mediocrity, the local burger competition is considerably more scarce. And this one’s worth the trip.
Alex’s Pizza, 1214 Boardwalk, Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-862-0062; alexspizzaocnj.com
Kyma
The Beach Baklava yogurt topped with chunks of the Greek pastry, chocolate sauce, and pistachios is one of the highlights at Kyma, a new Greek yogurt cafe in Ocean City.
When it comes to island refreshments, Greece has a historic head start of a few thousand years on the Jersey Shore. So I was excited that the Siganos family behind Ocean City’s classic Greek diner, Yianni’s Cafe, opened a frozen treat destination nearby on Asbury Avenue with something different from the norm. Kyma serves Greek-style frozen yogurt that carries a refreshing tartness absent in most standard soft-serve, but its elaborately composed bowls are what caught my eye, especially the “Beach Baklava,” a swirling tower of frozen yogurt drizzled with chocolate, pistachios, berries, and flaky hunks of baklava pastry. There’s another bowl scattered with crunchy kataifi, almonds, and honey and another trendy Dubai-themed bowl drenched in green pistachio sauce and chocolate. There are some more familiar offerings — smoothies, açaí bowls — for maximum audience appeal. But the other prime bonus for me is the bold punch of one of the world’s original iced coffees: frappé, a Greek specialty invented in 1957 that whips instant Nescafé with sugar, water, and milk into a stiff peak that gets shaken with ice into a powerfully caffeinated foam.
Kyma, 838 B Asbury Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226, 609-545-2290; kymaoc.com
Island Grill
Crab imperial is one of the classic standards at Island Grill in Ocean City.
The last time I visited Island Grill in 2021, the chowder and coconut shrimp were being delivered by Peanut the robot, on lease by the restaurant’s owners to cope with a severe pandemic labor shortage. Peanut is gone from Island Grill now, even if food service robots are now everywhere else. But this standby on the island’s northern end is once again humming full steam ahead for walk-in crowds that pack the nautical-themed space, now in its 30th year cooking fresh seafood from its retail market. The vast menu offers classics like fried or broiled fish platters from its extensive fresh catch board, fish tacos, and a broiled crab imperial glazed in zesty sauce that showcased the bounty of sweet meat. What’s also laudable about Island Grill is an extensive selection of gluten-free offerings that are carefully made to avoid cross contamination, from the pecan-crusted salmon to a gf key lime pie and twin crab cakes that were so good my celiac daughter questioned whether she’d received the wrong order. She had not. The kitchen also offers traditional crab cakes, but the gluten-free variety is convincingly bound with rice.
Island Grill, 100 Atlantic Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226, 609-391-9616; ocnjislandgrill.com
If you’re a regular visitor to the Jersey Shore, catching up with your longtime favorite foods, chefs, and restaurants can often tell a wider story about what’s been happening in your favorite beach towns. The economic pressure of rising real estate prices has made the arrival of a sweet little BYOB like Joy & Salt on Long Beach Island a test case for the future of the small operator. The saga of ongoing attempts to revitalize Atlantic City’s Tennessee Avenue development? It just got a fresh boost from the comeback of a talented local chef. A new gem for stellar soul food, a growing audience for deep-crusted pizza, the rise of fancy iced coffee (with everything but the taste of coffee), and sage advice on how to choose the right pasta shape all added a tasty helping of color to this week’s fresh batch of restaurant reports from LBI to Margate.
The burrata with fresh basil and plain cheese pie at Queen City Crust in Beach Haven, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
I also delve into the Ventnorian controversy over a classic sub shop that’s been remade into an artisan sourdough bakery and touched a nerve with locals who fear their community is becoming too bourgeois. Then again, when something is as good as Florida Cuts is, perhaps it’s not simply change for the sake of trends but actual progress.
Next week: new options from Cape May to Ocean City.
The outside of Queen City Crust in Beach Haven, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
LONG BEACH ISLAND
Joy & Salt Cafe
With a temporary sign, and an understated location at an intersection near the ocean where drivers slingshot on and off the causeway to Long Beach Island, you could easily miss Joy & Salt Cafe. But it’s worth a stop at this low-key newcomer to Ship Bottom, a collaboration between two veteran chefs hoping to claim one of the few remaining corners of the island and make what partner Jordan Miller says is “a last-ditch effort for the charm of an old-school BYOB.”
Miller and his business partner and co-chef, Jimi Savianeso, make up for the understated location with genuine hospitality and hands-on scratch cooking. The duo met cooking on the line years ago at local favorite Black-Eyed Susans. With years of fine dining experience behind them, they are opting for a more casual approach to this diner-space and channeling good local ingredients into food they simply like to eat.
James Savianeso, chef and co-owner of Joy & Salt Cafe, working in the kitchen in Ship Bottom, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.The grilled ahi tuna sandwich at Joy & Salt Cafe in Ship Bottom, N.J., on June 18, 2026.
That could mean a flavorful chowder made from just-dug whole clams, a slice of locally fished grilled tuna on brioche glossed in house-made Japanese barbecue sauce, or a bountiful chilled shrimp cocktail tossed in a saucy Mexican-style marinade (the secret? fresh tomato juice and orange soda). The duo routinely cook fresh-off-the-boat seafood specials for dinner sourced from the nearby docks, but the menu’s default is a homey Italian touch that comes natural to Savianeso, whose North Jersey upbringing imbues his red sauce and sausage and peppers with a nonna-esque magic. That is especially evident at lunch, where Savianeso’s chicken cutlet parm drenched in super-creamy vodka sauce may well become LBI’s sandwich of the summer.
Joy & Salt Cafe, 816 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, N.J. 08008; 609-342-0794; joysaltkitchen.com
Ellis’ Chicken & Crab Cakes
Takeout can be tricky when determined diners are waiting in lines up to two hours for a seat at one of the Tide Table Group’s roster of popular restaurants on Long Beach Island (Parker’s Garage, Bird & Betty’s, Black Whale, Ship Bottom Shellfish) and in Manahawkin (Mud City Crab House, the Old Causeway Steak & Oyster House). They’ve addressed that conundrum with the creation of Ellis’ Chicken & Crab Cakes, a convenient destination for some of their greatest hits, collected in the fast-casual confines of a crisply rehabbed former antiques shop in Beach Haven that doubles as a boardinghouse for many of the company’s summer workers.
The name offers a good clue as to the specialties: the fried chicken is the same crackle-crusted, buttermilk fried bird from Parker’s Garage. The crab cakes comes in two styles, the somewhat bready OG cakes from Mud City or the baked variation from Parker’s which I far preferred, not only because they’re gluten-free, with tapioca starch for binding, but because they’re made from sweet lump crab bound with a béarnaise sauce flavored with tarragon and Old Bay. The super-plump peel-and-eat shrimp offer a worthy, non-fried option. But this kitchen’s best assets are all about the crisp. Don’t leave without a side of deep-fried green tomato tots covered in creamy drizzles of zesty pimento cheese.
Ellis’ Chicken & Crab Cakes, 208 N. Bay Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008; 609-342-1100; ellislbi.com
Queen City Crust
Jersey Shore pizza has been trending toward thicker crusts in recent years, rising from the cardboard-thin rounds that have long been the boardwalk prototype to heartier, pan-baked pies with flavorful slow-fermented doughs and borders that snap with crispy cheese edges. Bakeria 1010 and Squares & Fare are two outstanding examples I’ve enjoyed in Ocean City and Somers Point, respectively. Long Beach Island has also gotten into the Detroit-style pie action with Queen City Crust, a former pop-up sensation that is now in its third year as a standalone storefront in Beach Haven.
Hot honey pepperoni pie Queen City Crust in Beach Haven, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
Owner Troy Sambalino, who spends his offseason running the service pass at Jean-Georges in Manhattan, says the Detroit style, which involves a slower, lower-temp prebake followed by a hot flash to finish pies to order, is ideal for beach locations with the technical limitations of a standard oven. But he still manages to crank out 200 pies on a busy Friday night, good enough to earn him the No. 1 spot in a 2025 ranking of 55 Shore pizzerias by NJ.com.
Sambalino has a patient approach to his dough, which, after a two-day cold ferment, has both an impressively airy interior and a bottom that forms a delicate crisp against the olive oil-lined pan. Mozzarella and tangy cheddar are his cheese combo of choice, with the cheddar tucked near the edges forming a toasty crisp. One 10-by-13-inch pan can easily feed two to four people, but I appreciate that Queen City also sells its pies by the slice so you can taste a variety of toppings. From the cup-and-char pepperoni drizzled with hot honey to sausage with crunchy banana peppers, basil-topped puddles of milky burrata laced with bright tomato sauce, or a fusion pie of breaded chicken bits streaked with spicy Asian barbecue sauce, these pies offer hearty satisfaction when your teeth sink into their crusts.
Queen City Crust, 13504 Long Beach Blvd., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008; 609-661-7769; queencitycrust.com
Guapo’s Coffee House
As I steadily caffeinated during my restaurant research missions up-and-down the Jersey Shore, my encounters with confectionary-sounding coffee drinks that included “dulce de leche, “dot cake,” and “banana bread” in the titles made it clear that running a cafe in 2026 is as much about thinking like a pastry chef as a barista.
The Salty Dog iced coffee at Guapo’s Coffee House in Beach Haven blends salted caramel-sweetend espresso with whipped cream turned blue with spirulina. It’s become a viral hit.
In general, I’m not a dessert coffee fan. But the reason I returned multiple times to Guapo’s in Long Beach Island is because their specialty drinks still taste like they also actually include coffee. Even owner Sammy Jo Alvarez’s most viral and colorful drink, the Salty Dog (named for her pup Guapo), still delivers a toasty undertow of the house blend of Ethiopian and Colombian beans, roasted to a medium hue by Yellow Dog Roasters in nearby Manahawkin. The secret to making creatively flavored drinks that still have coffee integrity, says Alvarez, a longtime local bartender before launching her roof deck-topped cafe in Beach Haven four years ago, is balance and focusing on natural ingredients. All the add-in ingredients here are made in-house, from the sea salted caramel syrup to the top layer of fresh whipped cream (aka “cold foam”) that she turns sky blue with organic spirulina. “Basically, it looks like a day at the beach inside a cup — and people love it.”
Guapo’s Coffee House, 106 N. Bay Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008, 609-661-3504; guaposcoffee.com
The gochujang carbonara and Oaxacan meatballs at the Iron Room in Atlantic City, N.J. The Iron Room is hidden behind a door at Bar 32.
ATLANTIC CITY
Nana’s Good Eats
If there’s a 20 minute-plus wait for your food at Nana’s Good Eats, it’s for a good reason: nothing hits the fryer before you order from this cheerful soul food hub, located on the pedestrian pavilion of Atlantic City’s Tanger Outlet mall. The wait is absolutely worth it, because Nana’s serves up some of the most delicious fried whiting I’ve had in recent memory, a huge portion of plump and lemon-scented fresh fillets sealed inside a delicate cornmeal crust, just as owner Samantha Prescott’s grandpa Dennis McDowell, a professional chef, taught her as a little girl. (“Most parents lead with how to tie your shoe, but my grandpa started by teaching me how to stir a pot of grits so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.”) Prescott’s cooking chops are also evident in her succulent fried jumbo shrimp, as well as every side I sampled. The mac and cheese retained the almost fluffy texture of perfectly cooked cavatappi while a balanced five-cheese sauce remained creamy, not broken or greasy. The tender braised collards were infused with the whiff of smoked turkey wings and a perky finishing tang.
The OG banana pudding at Nana’s Good Eats in Atlantic City, N.J.Owners Rahman and Samantha Prescott at Nana’s Good Eats in Atlantic City, N.J.
Prescott’s talent as an entrepreneur, meanwhile, answers all that savory goodness with the sweet indulgence of her first endeavor, Nana’s Good Puddin’. Prescott brought the customization concept of Cold Stone ice cream to the world of pudding in a popular dessert business she opened in 2020 in the Hamilton Mall, which she has since closed and merged into the Atlantic City Good Eats location. The build-your-own options here are vast, with 30 different base puddings (from classic flavors to white chocolate, pistachio, or Oreo cream), crunchy cookie add-ins and various different crumbles. I chose the OG banana pudding and was impressed by its banana-flavored intensity, but also by the meticulous manner in which it was constructed to order, with multiple layers of creamy pudding, crunch and vanilla wafer cookies being patiently added until, at last, it was finally handed over and I dove in spoon first.
Nana’s Good Eats, 122 N. Michigan Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401; on Facebook
The Iron Room
Do you believe in do-overs? The reboot of chef Kevin Cronin’s Iron Room, Atlantic City’s favorite hidden gastropub — now in its third incarnation and second location — might be the spark that finally gives the Tennessee Avenue development some momentum. First, you have to find it. True to its speakeasy roots (the original Iron Room was located behind a liquor store) this restaurant is tucked into an enclosed back alley patio accessed through the rear door of another establishment, Bar 32 Chocolate & Cocktails. A tall green wall on one side of the 50-seat al fresco space faces an awning-covered bar where some of the best cocktails I sipped this summer — a smooth but potent Manhattan; the mezcal-washed Storm Queen — are served in antique crystal coupes inherited from Cronin’s grandmother while a retro acoustic soundtrack sets a mellow mood.
The Oaxacan meatballs at the Iron Room on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Atlantic City, NJ. The Iron Room is hidden behind a door at Bar 32.
The small plates emerging from the shipping container kitchen are pure fusion fun, with bold flavors that resurrect some established Iron Room hits, including a thick-cut hunk of candied Nueski’s bacon, truffled udon mac and cheese, and a tamari-charred hanger steak fanned over brussels sprouts. Cronin’s new creations are equally bold. The spicy Oaxacan chorizo meatballs glazed in red salsa and shavings of Bar 32 chocolate were a favorite, along with the barbecue sauced boneless Korean-fried chicken and a rich pasta carbonara blushing with Korean gochujang spice. I would have loved the shrimp toast had the top layer of crustacean paste not been turned an unappetizing gray by the addition of black garlic. Next time, I’d consider preordering one of the menu’s large-format specials: a spatchcocked whole barbecue chicken with sides; a “big ass whole snapper” with tostones, or the Ron Swanson special (a rib eye, deviled eggs, and a flight of Lagavulin) that was also an old Iron Room “iykyk” draw. Hopefully, this time it will take.
The Iron Room, 121 S. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City (enter through Bar32 Chocolate, and head to back alley through back door); instagram.com/ironroom_ac
Bar 32 Chocolate & Cocktails
There’s no dessert served at the Iron Room by design. The separate and independent bar that fronts it has that course covered. Nicole Callazzo’s revamp of the project formerly known as Made Atlantic City Chocolate Bar has kept the original concept’s ambitious bean-to-bar chocolate production in place as the anchor for the chocolate-themed sweets menu. While there are more sophisticated chocolatiers in the region, the quality of Callazzo’s small batch chocolates made from ethically sourced cacao, which can take up to five days to make, is satisfying in a straightforward way. You can sample a little bit of several specialties on a tiered platter, which brings multiple shades of chocolate bars, double fudge brownies, chocolate mousse, and various bonbons. Try it while sipping a martini infused with the bar’s own 60% cocoa chocolate. The baked-to-order brown butter cookie skillet is also a popular choice here, if you have an extra 15 minutes to wait. But I’d return especially for one of the Bar 32 whiskey flights, which pair three different pours of Michter’s (or Whistle Pig) whiskey with different chocolates for $40. Considering the quality of the spirits, it’s a fair deal.
Bar 32 Chocolate & Cocktails, 121 S. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401, 609-248-6960; bar32chocolate.com
“A little bit of everything” at Bar 32 on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Atlantic City, NJ. Bar 32 offers bean-to-bar chocolate, handmade desserts, and craft cocktails.
Moments at Scannicchio’s
Some places are all about the food. Others revel in quirky ambiance. You can get a bit of both at this Atlantic City sibling to Scannicchio’s, one of my favorite old-school Italian haunts in South Philly. The AC experience offers the split personality of two adjoined spaces: the charming intimacy of a dark corner barroom lit with Christmas lights, and a bright sports bar lounge next door where a DJ spins retro hits for a handful of dancers while spillover dinner crowds sup at high-tops in the glow of large TVs.
The corner dining room of Moments at Scanniccho’s in Atlantic City is darker and more intimate than the neighboring lounge.
A tender and massive double-cut pork chop Siciliana buried beneath a zesty gravy of cherry peppers, onions, olives, and mushrooms was the hands-down highlight of our meal. The big menu also showcases several familiar favorites from the South Philly original (clams casino, a stuffed artichoke, the sausage and figs app), although it was not cooked with the same consistency and finesse. Even so, we enjoyed the experience. And I’ll especially treasure the moment our larger-than-life server (who had a bear hug for every one of the restaurant’s many regulars) offered a memorable logic for his general preference of pasta shape with entrees: “Why should I waste calories twirling spaghetti when I can just get straight to it with penne? Stab and eat! Stab and eat!” Such wisdom alone is worth the visit.
Moments at Scannicchio’s, 2647 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401, 609-344-5338; momentsatscannicchios.com
The halibut entree at Rustico in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
VENTNOR
Rustico
Few restaurant couples have been able to create evocative dining experiences in small BYOB spaces through DIY design as deftly as Tanya and Petar Petrov. A veritable lemon grove on the ceiling of their debut Italian hit last year, Martina’s, conjured a glimpse of the Amalfi Coast on Atlantic Avenue. This year, they’ve turned to a closer source of marine inspiration — the bay beside their Ventnor home — for the makeover of Petar’s former Cafe Velo into Rustico, a naturalistic dinner cove that wraps diners in plastered wall montages of foraged driftwood, sea moss, and rocks. The menu is still decidedly Italian. While some Ventnorians have complained to me about menu overlap between the two restaurants, the fact that waiting lists can exceed 300 names for those hoping to get into 48-seat Martina’s means there is a legitimate demand for 80 more seats at Rustico (plus 28 more outside), where devotees can order the tried-and-true arancini, linguine with vongole, and chicken Parm.
The octopus dish at Rustico in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.The inside of Rustico in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
The chicken Parm was the least compelling thing we ate at Rustico. An unconventional starter of grilled octopus curled over a platform of sweet potato turned out to be delicious, the potato’s soft sweetness contrasting the texture of the meat while balancing the savory tomato sauce. That dish is a legacy of Cafe Velo’s early days, when the tiny kitchen would cross-utilize ingredients between the popular breakfast and dinner menus. Rustico, which expanded both its dining rooms and kitchen, has capacity now to undertake ambitious specials like broiled lobster and linguine feasts for two (very limited nightly). A soulful short rib and shiitake ragù was a hearty winner over fresh pappardelle made by Haddon Township’s Severino, whose owner is the Petrovs’ neighbor.
Fresh seafood also remains a strength, with entrees like blackened ahi tuna with red bliss potato hash and hollandaise. A moist and meaty halibut set over two-toned purees of cauliflower and carrot was also fantastic, a special-turned-standby from chef de cuisine Lorenzo Hernandez. Of course, I ordered at the very moment this kitchen ran out of halibut. Luckily, Petar had a spare portion in the fridge at nearby Martina’s, and he retrieved it just in time for this busy kitchen not to miss a beat: “That’s the beauty of having two restaurants so close,” says Petar. “Stuff happens!”
Rustico, 6525 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor City, N.J. 08406, 609-727-0499;rusticoventnor.com
The inside of Florida Cuts in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
Florida Cuts
Cookie Till of Steve & Cookie’s bought the half-century-old Florida Cold Cuts & Liquors deli in 2022 and began to reshape it to her vision. What was a gradual makeover the first few years, most notably upgrading the sandwiches and bottle selection, became a wholesale change this spring when Till removed “cold” from the name and replaced the classic sub shop format with an artisan sourdough bakery turning out a lineup of grab-and-go sandwiches built on two kinds of focaccia and sesame-speckled semolina baguettes. The longtime tuna salad and Italian hoagie crowd is not pleased: “Cookie really took a good thing … and turned it into something nobody needed,” a reader wrote me in a direct message on social media.
The ham and butter baguette at Florida Cuts in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
I loved the old corner shop’s house-baked tavern ham sandwiches as much as anyone, but I disagree. What makes a smart restaurateur like Till so invaluable is her willingness and wherewithal to take risks to do things differently. Till has a track record of creating top-notch progressive concepts people simply didn’t realize they needed until she made it happen, from a craft coffee shop in Ventnor No. 7311 to an interactive organic farm with a philanthropic mission at Reed’s Farm. There are plenty of places to get a classic sub on Absecon Island, but there is nothing like the new Florida Cuts, where lead baker Santina Renzi (a longtime key contributor at Her Place Supper Club), consultant Jon Taus, and sourdough specialist Victoria McHugh are working with Till’s partner Kim Richmond to create stellar loaves made from flour milled from local grains that result in bread with integrity and flavor. They’re used for original sandwiches that are largely outstanding, from the minimalist focaccia laced with mortadella, ricotta, and pistachios (all crackly crust and lush stuffing richness), to the freshly house-roasted turkey layered with Steve & Cookie’s signature “ugly tomato salad,” Gorgonzola, and crispy shallots. The tuna salad fragrant with lemon zest and crunchy peperoncini rings is a sleeper hit, while the ham and butter on a sesame semolina loaf can compete with Philly’s best.
Owner Cookie Till at Florida Cuts in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.The soft-serve sundae with Steve& Cookie’s blueberry pie at Florida Cuts in Ventnor City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
My one disappointment was the cutlet sandwich, which didn’t have nearly enough Caesar salad inside. But there were so many consolations: a fridge case stuffed with local farmstead cheeses; focaccia flatbread topped with butter-poached clams; warm rounds of fresh-baked sesame tahini cookies; shelves stocked with quality spirits and affordable natural wines. There’s also soft-serve now, offered as a sundae layered with Cookie’s famous blueberry pie. Now I definitely need that, even if I didn’t know it before I walked in the door.
Florida Cuts, 7301 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor City, N.J. 08406; floridacuts.com
MARGATE
Tideline
The scene at Tideline on the bay behind Margate City, where full restaurant service is offered on deck to 30 moored boats and 12 Jet Skis at a time, could make anyone have yacht envy. But this splashy yearling from the family behind Tomatoes — an unabashed gesture to the city’s ever more ritzy denizens — has room on its multifloor 240-seat bar complex for everyone else to linger, nibble, imbibe, and observe. One of the area’s most spectacular bay perches for sunset views is an undeniable bonus. Given the swanky setting, the food from chef Carlo Marsini’s kitchen is a notch better than it has to be, from the generously stuffed truffled cheesesteaks and chicken Italiano cutlet sandwiches to the shot glasses stuffed with fried soft-shell crab halves dunked into an avocado green crema sparked with poblanos.
The lobster Cobb salad at Tideline in Margate City, N.J., on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
I’d definitely return for the generous lobster Cobb salad and a Dockside cocktail of watermelon juice spiked with Tito’s. But don’t get too ambitious. The items we ordered from the large plate section, chicken kebabs and a $32 coffee-rubbed pork chop, were incinerated by the grill chef. The drink menu has a danger zone, too, with a cocktail called Liquid Asset. It’s made with trendy Clase Azul Gold tequila and a chile pepper but what’s spicy is the price tag of $1.1 million. That’s because this drink comes with a 39-foot speed boat. That may be the stuff yacht club dreams are made of for some, even if there’ve been no takers yet. But unsurprisingly, this land-loving mezcal fan wasn’t even tempted.
Tideline, 9317 Amherst Ave., Margate City, N.J. 08402; 609-350-6717; tidelinemargate.com
For years, I and many others have looked forward to this week in Philadelphia, to be here in the city where our Declaration of Independence was written as our nation marks its 250th anniversary.
But Mother Nature had other plans: She reminded us that we are not as independent as we’d like to think.
Amid a 100-degree-plus heatwave, which was forecasted to continue through Saturday, numerous Seminquincentennial events were canceled. Yet locals and visitors persisted — with that consummate underdog Philadelphia spirit — and found small ways to come together to celebrate our ongoing American experiment.
I first got the feeling things weren’t going to go as planned as I walked the streets while out reporting on the Red, White & Blue To-Do Thursday and noticed something missing — people.
The crowds along the Red, White & Blue To-Do parade route were light and the audiences at WXPN’s music series — which featured 28 musicians playing at 11 historic venues — were even lighter. I was one of a dozen or so people in attendance at the Arch Street Meeting House for a free performance by the legendary poet and recording artist Ursula Rucker.
Students from Dance4Life School of the Arts in Delaware perform during the Red, White, & Blue To-Do Pomp & Parade on Thursday.
Not since the pandemic have I seen the sidewalks of Philadelphia as empty as they were Thursday, especially as the hours passed and the Salute to Service concert with Queen Latifah was canceled on Independence Mall.
To the smart alecks on my social media feeds who responded to my observation with comments like “It’s 100 degrees! Of course they are empty you raging soup fork” — I know it was hot, spork, I was out there.
I don’t blame anyone for not going outside in 103 temps, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad for Philly, for those who did brave the heat, and for the visitors who came here to enjoy the festivities.
And I know it must have been heartbreaking for officials to make the call to cancel Friday’s Salute to Independence Parade, which was to be the country’s largest Semiquincentennial parade featuring more than 240 elements and marching bands from across the country.
Floats that were to be in the Salute to Independence Parade are pulled through Old City.
People planned for years for the 250th. It was supposed to be the biggest week here since Pope Francis’ visit in 2015. We weren’t going to flub this Independence Day celebration up like the Bicentennial; Philly was going to bring it this time.
But this time, it wasn’t our fault. The one factor nobody can control, Mother Nature, decided to control us.
‘Rough and gritty experiences’
In May of 1776 it was so hot in Philadelphia that John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail: “The Affairs of America, are in so critical a State, such great Events are struggling for Birth, that I must not quit this station at this Time. Yet I dread the melting Heats of a Philadelphia Summer, and know not how my frail Constitution will endure it.“
Not only did Adams’ frail constitution endure the heat, which dropped to 76 degrees by July 4, 1776, the other Founding Fathers and the people of this fledgling nation braved far worse to declare this country’s independence and create a new and monumental Constitution. Neither the people nor the product were perfect — and they still aren’t today — but they aspired to be something bigger and better.
The sun sets behind the Philadelphia skyline.
In Philadelphia, we still believe in things bigger than ourselves. Sure, a large majority of the time it’s the Eagles, but not always.
We believe in each other. I see it everyday in small interactions between strangers. We believe in truth, even when it’s painful. I saw it as volunteers put up handwritten signs Thursday to replace the ones removed at the President’s House. And we believe we are capable of big things. I saw it in the planning of our 250th events.
It wasn’t just officials who were invested in the Semiquincentennial, more than 10,000 Philadelphians volunteered to undergo training and be “Phambassadors” for the 250th events and the World Cup. These may be divisive times, but it was clear we, the people, still wanted to come together.
Even after Friday’s parade was canceled, people persisted and came together in informal gatherings, because that’s what we do. Marching bands, color guards, and dance troupes from across the country held informal pop-up performances at air-conditioned locations across the Historic District and colonial reenactors staged an unscheduled parade near the Liberty Bell.
With the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade cancelled reenactors muster near Independence Hall.
Just because Mother Nature decided to show her hand and remind us who’s boss — which she is totally within her right to do (thanks so much for not hitting us with an astroid!) — doesn’t mean it was all for nothing. We still had those small moments with each other, and while they’re not as flashy as the big ones, in the whole of existence, they’re still pretty unlikely and special too.
I had one of those moments during Rucker’s show at the Arch Street Meeting House. It felt like a gift to be part of such a small audience as I listened to her beautifully explore what it means to be a human and a Philadelphian.
Philly legend and poet Ursula Rucker performs with Miles Orion for a crowd of about a dozen people at the Arch Street Meetinghouse Thursday as part of WXPN’s Red, White & Blue To-Do Music Series.
“At the core I love us,” she said. “We show mutual aid. We don’t judge. We have rough and gritty experiences.”
This heat wave — temperatures were forecast to reach 104 Friday and just short of 100 Saturday, with a 60% chance of storms at night — is one of those rough and gritty experiences Philly will get through. The cancellation of events, while disappointing, is about mutual aid and concern, not just for those who would attend the celebrations, but for those who have to work them too.
Instead of cursing Mother Nature for ruining our big birthday party, maybe Philly and the country can take heed and make a new declaration that we’ll become a leader in reducing factors that lead to global warming.
I know, a girl can dream, but respect and deference to the one thing that truly governs us all seems like a pretty self-evident truth.
The fire pits are ablaze by dusk at Hollow Pines, a sprawling compound with an outdoor bar, bocce courts, and a massive A-frame lodge where craft cocktails, duckpin bowling, and updated comfort food with a Jersey twist have been drawing guests by the hundreds to West Creek.
The vibe at this ambitious newcomer off Route 9 from the Tide Table Group, which opened in February, conjures a funhouse in the woods more than a beachside resort, even if it’s only half a mile from the bay just south of Manahawkin. It’s also part of a larger trend: the biggest new restaurant openings at the Jersey Shore this year are on the mainland rather than the barrier islands, where real estate prices have skyrocketed.
Veronica Smith of Barnegat (left) and Makayla Williams of Absecon enjoy drinks at Hollow Pines in West Creek, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
“There’s only so much land on the islands, and the property value there is higher if you subdivide and put residential on it,” says Hollow Pines co-owner Billy Mehl. “Plus, the short season [on the islands] makes it harder to recoup the cost.”
The logic is similar farther south in Somers Point, where two mega-openings — the 400-seat Pablo and 250-seat Webster’s Tavern — aim to draw the growing year-round population as well as thirsty summer tourists pouring across the bridge from the dry island of Ocean City.
“You should see our after-church crowd! We sell a lot of Bloody Marys and it’s terrific,” says Webster’s owner Chris Webb, noting the construction of hundreds of new homes nearby as a reason for optimism beyond the summer season. “Somers Point is on fire right now.”
Of course, bigger is not necessarily better. New menus up and down the Shore have trended more conservative this summer, toward the safe bets of American tavern classics (wings, chicken Caesar wraps, and burgers), hedging for mainstream tastes at even a taco-themed fusion concept like Pablo. So, while I was sure to check out these large new players — results were mixed — I also explored some flavorful highlights from the international communities that have also settled on the mainland across from Atlantic City, from a stellar new chilaquiles specialist to the kebab combo platter of my dreams.
If you prefer to eat closer to the beach, do not fret. This is just the first part of my annual shore guide. I still have exciting dining dispatches from the barrier island towns coming the following weeks, with reports from more than 20 places from Cape May to LBI. But first, here’s a look at some of the rapidly growing options for food and fun before you even cross a bridge.
Nicholas Bisbee of Tuckerton, lead bartender and head trainer, chats with customers at the upstairs bar at Hollow Pines in West Creek, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
PINELANDS
Hollow Pines
It took eight years and nearly $8 million for the Tide Table Group to finally complete Hollow Pines, a multipurpose destination built on five acres of marshland just beyond the edge of the Pinelands National Reserve. The owners envisioned a place for big groups to linger and play, not just eat and run. And its indoor-outdoor spaces offer a variety of activities to that effect, from cornhole beside a separate outdoor bar serving Spaghett beer cocktails, composed shots, and other drinks, to a lively four-lane duckpin bowling alley on the ground floor of a roomy split-level tavern hall lined with TVs and a more intimate mezzanine dining room tucked upstairs.
The outside bar and outdoor entertainment give patrons a reason to linger and play at Hollow Pines in West Creek, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.The inside main seating and bar area at Hollow Pines in West Creek, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
With Tide Table’s track record for good dining experiences at restaurants such as Mud City Crab House in Manahawkin and Parker’s Garage in Beach Haven, it’s no surprise the food and drink programs here are thoughtfully crafted. There’s a wide selection of upscale comfort foods from chef Al Cuff, from a pull-apart hot dog wrapped in a horseshoe of puff pastry to rich crab chowder and tomato bisque and a homey, double-crusted pot pie filled with an herbal chicken velouté.
Some ideas were a bit too cute, like the salad heavily dressed with sour cream-and-onion dressing topped with potato chips. But the pasta is homemade in the pappardelle tossed with a hearty ragù of braised short rib. There’s plenty of lobster bits in the risotto to add some glamour to the salmon, and the oysters broiled in zesty Calabrian chili butter are decidedly local Briny Pinys. Jersey duck for the cassoulet and venison for the lasagna are appealing nods to the state’s sportsman traditions.
The S’more’s doughnut dessert at Hollow Pines in West Creek, N.J., on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
All this is fueled by a drink program that bubbles with local beers and whimsical cocktails, from an ice-cold tomato water martini (Nona’s Freezer Door) to the smoke bubble-topped rosemary gin drink (the Controlled Burn) appropriately named for a sipper at the edge of a national preserve. For dessert, I’m all about channeling the summer campfire vibe with the S’mores doughnut, a freshly fried fritter topped with molten marshmallow fluff that flows into a chocolate sauce studded with chips. It was both delicious and still on theme. Hollow Pines offers a nice reminder that New Jersey summers can be just as tasty in the forest as at the beach. Hollow Pines, 475 Main St, West Creek, N.J. 08092; 609-891-2558; hollowpinesnj.com
The chilaquiles divorciados dish, paired with a passionfruit drink, rests on a table at Chilaqueria Los Girasoles in Pleasantville, N.J. on Friday, June 19, 2026.
PLEASANTVILLE
Chilaqueria Los Girasoles
While the Shore has no shortage of Americanized Mexican food, you can find more traditional flavors just six miles north of Somers Point in Pleasantville, which has become a vibrant hub for multiple Latin American communities. At least a dozen Mexican restaurants operate within its city limits, and one of the newest, Chilaqueria Los Girasoles, is already one of my favorites. As the name suggests, chilaquiles is the focal point, with nine varieties of salsa combos used to sauté tortilla chips until they achieve the perfect balance of crunch and softness (they’ll even ask your preference). The traditional choices of salsa roja and salsa verde are so good, I’d recommend Los Girasoles’ unique pairing of the two for side-by-side fields of tangy green and earthy red on one plate, to be topped with protein of your choice. Try a hearty helping of eggs and steak, or salted cecina beef, then plan for a good nap when you’re done. The sweet and spicy mole poblano variation, made from a mole base shipped from Puebla, is also fantastic.
Raquel Soto, Miguel Cerón, and Sandra Aguilar at Chilaqueria Los Girasoles in.Pleasantville, N.J., on Friday, June 19, 2026.
As unique as this concept is (even in Mexico such a focus on chilaquiles is rare), this year-old project in a brightly rehabbed former Subway, owned by Sandra Aguilar, her husband, chef Miguel Cerón, and his cousin, co-chef Raquel Soto, is also an evocative tribute to their home state of Hidalgo. Their occasional weekend special of lamb barbacoa is outstanding, and I cannot stop thinking about their Hidalgo-style torta. A soft roll is stuffed with a thin slice of breaded top round beef, tender from its zesty marinade, then layered with stretchy quesillo cheese, creamy avocado slices, and a warm salsa of lightly cooked tomatoes and onions that gives this sandwich the perfect moistness. For dessert, don’t miss the fresh and delicate crêpes Cerón perfected while working in a previous job at a breakfast diner. Chilaqueria Los Girasoles, 310 S New Rd, Pleasantville, N.J. 08232, 609-241-0269; chilaquerialosgirasoles.com
Pollos Asados PLV
Since fire-roasted chicken is in the name, it’s no surprise that the juicy birds turning on a rotisserie spit, seasoned with a Chiapas-style marinade, are the big draw to Pedro Rincon’s restaurant in downtown Pleasantville. It’s been so popular that he’s moving July 1 from his current location (114 N. Main St.) to a larger space next door at 104 N. Main St. Few meals I’ve eaten at the Shore were more satisfying than a whole bird here served simply cut up into pieces in a Styrofoam box with a bundle of fresh-pressed tortillas, two squeeze bottles of vibrant salsas, and belly-filling sides of refried black beans and rice.
Chiapas-style chickens roast on the spit at Pollos Asados PLV in Pleasantville.
But Rincon’s kitchen has other worthy gems you absolutely should not miss, from the platters of extra-large seven-inch-wide tacos (I loved the juicy al pastor) to the paddle-sized bundles of Chiapanecas quesadillas, whose pliant tortillas are made with a blend of corn and flour. The long envelopes are big enough to share and come stuffed with quesillo cheese and a variety of fillings, from nopales to chicken. But the real quesadilla star here is the deshebrada de res, a stew of tender shredded beef so full of flavor, I just about ate the whole darn thing. Pollos Asados PLV, 104 N. Main St. (after July 1), Pleasantville, N.J. 08232, 609-640-6347; pollosasadosplv.com
Staff serve guests at Ruhani Kitchen in Egg Harbor Township on Friday, June 19, 2026.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP
Ruhani Kitchen
Chef Syed Abbas is best known for The Nizam’s, the well-regarded Indian restaurant in Egg Harbor Township that he owned for 15 years before selling it in 2022. The New Delhi-born chef says he needed a break for health reasons, and over the next three years traveled extensively through the Middle East. He worked for free in several kitchens in Dubai, shadowing chefs in Turkey, and gathering inspiration for a new concept back in New Jersey that would draw on dishes from across the region while also reflecting his family’s Persian roots. Ruhani Kitchen, which opened in December in the same narrow white roadhouse where he’d launched the first version of Nizam’s, is the result — and it is a delight.
The space has been completely rehabbed with vibrant blue walls, imported rugs, and comfortable furniture. The menu offers a greatest-hits list of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes from Lebanon to Afghanistan, and though the range is so broad that some nuances may not always be in perfect register, Abbas’ skill as a chef always shines through in the quality halal ingredients and satisfying flavors. The mixed app platter is a perfect place to start, from smoky baba ghanoush to tangy-sweet muhammara and vibrant green falafel made with fava beans.
Chef Syed Abbas at his restaurant, Ruhani Kitchen, in Egg Harbor Township on Friday, June 19, 2026.The fasooli baida spicy white bean soup with a side of rice rests on a table Ruhani Kitchen in Egg Harbor Township on Friday, June 19, 2026.
But the main courses are where Ruhani most impresses, especially with the Sultan’s platter, a generous medley of grilled meats — lamb and chicken kebabs tenderized with yogurt and fragrant seven spice; succulent shell-on shrimp; adana kebabs of both ground chicken and lamb scented with cumin and sumac — that can easily feed a crowd. Abbas’ talent with lamb shanks is also worth noting, served either Afghan-style plain over a pilaf enriched with lamb juices and sweet carrot laces, or Persian-style in creamy saffron sauce. I also couldn’t stop eating Ruhani’s take on the spicy white bean and tomato stew known as fasooli baida. The only thing off-key at Ruhani were the desserts, including a non-traditional knafeh that was strangely soupy. But even the ever-confident Abbas knows his limitations with sweets: “I cannot be good at everything.” Ruhani Kitchen, 6666 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, N.J. 08234, 609-855-9719;ruhanikitchen.com
General Tso’s chicken is made gluten-free at China Sea of Absecon.
ABSECON
China Sea of Absecon
China Sea is a survivor on the Shore’s dining scene, an unassuming standby that has thrived for 31 years in an Absecon strip mall. Founders Lily Lin and her husband, chef Chei Lin, delivered consistently good Cantonese food with a special distinction: an expansive selection of gluten-free options. Chinese food can be tricky for diners with gluten intolerance because of the heavy use of soy sauce and fryers that are commonly contaminated by wheat flour. But once chef Lin discovered his own restrictions with gluten, he developed an entire repertoire of modified dishes that are rarely seen elsewhere, including what my daughter Alice, who has celiac disease, declared as the best gluten-free General Tso’s chicken she’s ever tasted. Tender nuggets of meat are encased in delicate crusts crisped in a dedicated wok and tossed in a vivid orange sauce with a hint of heat that was flavorful without being cloyingly sweet. I consider it one of the best General Tso’s of any sort that I’ve tasted. But that wasn’t all. There were excellent gluten-free versions of plump shrimp in peppery Hunan sauce, perfectly deep-fried chicken “wing dings” in a crackly salt-baked crust, and impressively tender beef with peppers that hummed with a mellow savory balance.
An entirely gluten-free Cantonese feast is served at China Sea of Absecon, including, clockwise from top left, fried rice, beef chow fun, General Tso’s chicken, pepper steak and Hunan shrimp.
Such consistently good flavors bode well for continuity at China Sea, which has been in a gentle transition since the Lins retired in September and sold to Lily’s niece, Melissa Xie, and her husband, chef Billy Zheng. The couple, who both previously worked as poker dealers in Atlantic City’s nearby casinos, have plans to introduce more traditional seafood dishes from Zheng’s home province of Fujian, where the former pro chef mastered lobster in ginger-scallion sauce, a spicier rendition of Singapore noodles than what the standard menu currently serves, and whole fish. Xie promises that China Sea’s classics will remain, but I’d definitely return to explore some of this kitchen’s new moves: “My husband [Billy] is very famous for his cooking within our [local Chinese] community,” she says, “but we have to be careful to keep everything else the same because we have customers who come from all over.” China Sea of Absecon, 662 White Horse Pike, Absecon, N.J. 08201; 609-569-1995; chinaseaofabsecon.com
Jersey Cow Ice Cream
Bordeaux cherry chip ice cream is one of the highlight flavors at the Jersey Cow Ice Cream chain.
The Jersey Shore has plenty of options for your daily scoop. But here comes Jersey Cow, a fast-growing mini-chain of retro-style takeout windows with modern touch-screen menus that’s expanded over four years from the original location in Northfield, to Absecon, Brigantine, and now Margate, where the frozen treat competition is already fierce. If my visit to the Absecon storefront is any indication, Jersey Cow has come to play, especially in the hand-dipped category, where the ice cream is made from high-fat milk that allows them to achieve more vivid flavors with less sugar. The Chocolate Therapy is fudgy and intense, while the Bordeaux Cherry Chip (so named for the premium variety of dark cherries) has a more fruit-forward punch than the typical maraschino version. I wasn’t a fan of the icy vegan salted caramel, and Jersey Cow is still outsourcing its soft-serve base. But I’ll go back for any of their originals, especially some of the unique Asian flavors featured on the rotating specials — ube, black sesame, mango sticky rice, or red bean served atop a pandan green waffle — inspired by co-owner Maureen Gaw’s upbringing in Myanmar. Jersey Cow Ice Cream, 610 Mill Rd., Absecon, N.J. 08201, 609-796-2525; details on Northfield, Brigantine, and Margate locations noted on website, jerseycow-icecream.com
The exterior of Webster’s on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Somers Point.
SOMER’S POINT
Webster’s Tavern
Some people come to the Shore to relax on the beach, dig holes in the sand, body surf, and read. For those suffering from screen-time withdrawal, Webster’s Tavern is there for you. “An elite TV program,” as I’ve heard it described, has helped pack the big parking lot of the former Windjammer turned giant sports bar in Somer’s Point. So many customers are willing to wait up to an hour for a chicken wing feast bathed in the pulsing glow of 38 TVs that owner Chris Webb has concluded “we’re going to add more [TVs], including one on the kitchen wall.”
The early days of Webster’s operations have exhibited some predictable hiccups as the tavern’s traffic rocketed to 750 customers a day within a couple weeks of opening in early June. The rushed pacing resulted in a multi-course meal that lasted barely as long as our 45-minute wait. The margarita was oversalted and sloppily mixed. (The pineapple-tinis, crushes, espresso martinis, and mud slides are apparently the safer move here). I appreciated the inclusion of local beers from Slack Tide and Somers Point Brewing on a list otherwise heavy with national brands and hard seltzers.
The something-for-everyone menu typical of the corporate restaurant world Webb comes from (he was a vice president at P.J. Whelihan’s) was uneven to say the least. The French onion soup and sheet pan nachos were solid, as was the classic tavern burger, which landed with a perfect medium rare on a branded brioche bun (a fair quality value for $17). But the house-breaded chicken wings were dry and chewy. The seafood mac ’n’ cheese was skimpy on the seafood. The chicken lettuce wraps were tepid and drowned in too much sweet soy marinade. The fried shrimp were oddly mealy. I take heart in hearing that Webb has already made some smart early corrections, switching to house-breaded shrimp since my visit. It’s a good sign to know that this personable and veteran restaurant executive is ever-present on the ground of his first solo project and that he is paying as much attention to the food as he is the number of TVs. Webster’s Tavern, 18 MacArthur Blvd., Somers Point, N.J. 08244, 609-657-3470;websterstavernsp.com
Pablo
Who is Pablo? That name was atop the list of every local I surveyed before my visit to the beach. It’s easy to see the curiosity factor at play: cars are often spilling out of the lot and parked on both sides of East Maryland Avenue beside the massive black hacienda of a restaurant and night spot called Pablo in Somers Point. The Zest Restaurant Group opened Pablo this summer after pouring $2 million into a renovation of the short-lived former Mexiquila. The Zest group, known for its stylish Cape May restaurants Port, Fish House, and Tacos Caballito Tequileria, has similarly transformed this rambling property (originally Clancy’s By the Bay) into a multi-room, four-bar, 400-seat extravaganza. There’s a moody lounge at the rear anchored by a DJ spinning house music, boosted by live musicians and pyrotechnics, an airy greenhouse dining room on the other side with skylights and garage doors that roll-up to a patio bar where they’ve re-created a beach. Fresh-juice cocktails fuel this fiesta, accounting for about 75% of the sales from the 1,200 or so guests that come through on a busy evening, says co-owner Ross Hammer, who concedes Pablo is a made-up name for the restaurant’s cheetah logo. (“Sorry, I’m Miguel,” said a passing server when I asked him for Pablo’s whereabouts.)
The exterior of Pablo on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Somers Point.
Pablo’s menu is a more affordable than its upscale-yet-underwhelming predecessor and conscientious to accommodate dietary restrictions. I only wish the kitchen put as much energy into making better-tasting food. Our meal was full of tepid overcooked meats, dry rice, stadium-grade nachos welded together with cheap cheese, and a parade of fusion tacos so disappointing that it was an all-out Taco-pocolypse, whose brightest bite was a tortilla topped with a cheeseburger. By that point, I realized that the wait — Hammer says it averages two to three hours for a seat in this no reservations dining room — is not worth it. Go to Pleasantville (see above) or pretty much anywhere else for your tacos, then return to Pablo for a tequila-spiked espresso martini, if you’re so determined, and boogie the night away on its ersatz beach. Pablo, 101 E. Maryland Ave., Somers Point, N.J. 08244, 609-469-6991; pablosomerspoint.com
There are fire bowls ablaze atop the columns flanking the front door of Mi Vida. At our table, a steak is, too, as the server who delivered the big chop known as “El Chingón” lit a cup of Mexican whiskey, then poured its blue flames up and down the arching bone of this 40-ounce mega-steak. The fire wasn’t hot enough to risk igniting the faux branches of the “tree of life” that rises over the tables near the bar — nor did it spark extra flavor on the steak. But pyrotechnics and dramatic decor are as much a part of the experience as the food at this ambitious newcomer in National Real Estate Development’s $400 million East Market development.
Mi Vida, which opened in March as the first Philly project from Knead Hospitality + Design, a James Beard-nominated restaurant group based in Washington, aims to conjure Mexico through splashydesign, the accents of hot pink lava meant to evoke the volcanic landscape, the tree rising from the ashes with branches dangling folk art flowers a symbol of resilience (and cue for Instagram selfies). Even the big bar that lines this theatrically lit 286-seat spacetucked off Ludlow Street is fringed with a tassel-like rope sculpture woven from agave fibers, appropriate for a bar offering more than 150 tequilas and mezcals.
The entrance to Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.A 40-ounce ribeye, dubbed “El Chingón” is doused tableside with flaming Mexican whiskey at Mi Vida in East Market.
I only wish the food was as richly nuanced as the restaurant’s moody design. The menu of classic Mexican flavors with modern touches, designed in part by Knead’s culinary director, Roberto Santibañez, and recently updated by corporate chef (and current Top Chef contestant) Jonathan Dearden, is the same produced at all three other Mi Vida locations spread between D.C. and Virginia Beach.
But this crew cannot even make a decent guacamole. Every order I scooped into over multiple visits was half-mashed into spoon-size chunks of unripe avocados so pale and lacking in natural creamy sweetness, it was like eating a bowl of slippery green potatoes.
The inside of Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.Guacamole with blue cheese, grapes, and smoked almonds at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
I’d normally resist a seemingly random topping like blue cheese, grapes, and smoked almonds, but it was an admittedly tasty distraction from the guacamole travesty lurking below.
“Is everything yum, yum, yummy?” said our server, with perfect timing and an earnest chain restaurant perkiness I could not bring myself to disappoint with the truth.
Fresh guacamole is obviously basic, but it’s also something that relies on finesse and a consistent touch. A bad miss on something so elemental is a red flag. Jason Berry, Knead’s principal and cofounder, surely knows this, having previously been the chief operating officer of Rosa Mexicano, the tableside guac-pioneering restaurant group that, beginning in the 1980s, helped redirect Mexican chain culture away from the Tex-Mex clichés of Chi-Chi’s to more elegant spaces showcasing regional dishes such as mole. Mi Vida has successfully built on that model in the past with its own spin, albeit skipping the tableside show for kitchen-made guacamole, ironically, in the service of consistency.
Booth seating with mural paintings on the walls at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Berry launched Knead 11 years ago with his husband, designer Michael Reginbogin. They now have 17 restaurants in all, a diverse concept portfolio including Southern/Korean (Succotash), an American diner (Gatsby), and a Jewish deli (Beresovsky’s). The duo have Philly history, as Berry graduated from Wharton in 2002 and Reginbogin worked for Stephen Starr at Washington Square. This sprawling new, L-shaped space with a 50-seat enclosed patio nestled inside the ambitious East Market development logically offered a tempting opportunity for this expansion-minded duo to return, especially with its close proximity to visitors from the Convention Center and several nearby hotels.
Much has also changed in Philly since the pair left nearly a quarter century ago. In particular, we’ve seen a dramatic growth in quality Mexican options driven by immigration, from the many Poblano taquerias of South Philly to creative BYOBs like El Chingón and El Mictlan, and thrilling new modern Mexican fine-dining destinations such as Amà and Tequilas-La Jefa. I don’t see Mi Vida competing directly with those places so much as a more mass-market concept like Starr’s El Vez less than three blocks away, which, based on a recent revisit, has held up remarkably well over its 23 years.
Mi Vida has a darker, sexier vibe, and the virtue of a large space that can handle groups. But its kitchen has a way to go before it can compete.
A platter of taco dorados, huevos rellenos, croquetas, naranjas enchiladas, empanadas de mariscos, and chicarrones at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.Seafood Empanadas at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday., May 21, 2026.
There were some bright spots. The appetizer sampler brought an appealing platter of deviled eggs piped with fillings turned nutty green by pumpkin seed pipián, esquites croquettes, and seafood empanadas that were delicately crisped and bursting with a stuffing of sweet lump crab, ideal against the fruity heat of a mango-habanero salsa. A generous helping of chicharrónes piled overtop like crunchy clouds gave me hope this kitchen was ready to dive deep into true Mexican street food.
It’s clear this kitchen is capable. The carnitas tacos were a vision of simplicity perfected, stuffed with juicy shreds of slow-braised pork, dusted with cilantro and onions, topped with a pale green drizzle of avocado salsa and the snap of more crushed chicharrónes. The beer-battered cod tacos were solid, though overwhelmed by an unwieldy slaw cut into chunky ribbons bigger than the tortillas themselves. A plate of chicken-stuffed tacos dorados was more successful, showcasing the contrasting salsas of a bracingly tart verde blending tomatillos and serranos and the smoky brown spice drawn from earthy pasilla de Oaxaca chilies.
Tacos Dorados at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday., May 21, 2026.
But then came the gimmick of a smash cheeseburger taco, an overcooked patty welded to its tortilla on the plancha before it’s dressed in shredduce and a “pickle de gallo.” I went in hopeful, as someone passionate about both burgers and tacos, but the burger was so dry and overcooked it was a loveless marriage.
There were some creative ideas that were absolutely delicious, especially those with vegetarian alternatives on traditionally meaty dishes, like the enchiladas stuffed with a coriander-scented mushroom, kale, and cauliflower blend that was complemented by a tomatoey salsa ranchera vibrant with ginger, guajillo chilies, and herbal epazote. The aguachiles, however, seemed to be driven more by the impact of colors than flavor, the strikingly black broth for one aguachile opting for the bland shortcut of activated charcoal for its pigment rather than the more traditional recipe of charred chilies and onions. The choice of beets in another aguachile overshadowed the taste of tuna.
Aguachile tropical at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Mi Vida’s version of Oaxacan mole negro hit all the right notes — spicy, rich, subtly sweet, and layered with complexity. But why go to the trouble to make one of the world’s most time-consuming preparations only to pair it with enchiladas stuffed with brisket braised in smoky chipotle tinga sauce, a completely different and competing flavor? A great mole should be the star of the show.
It wasn’t the only time this kitchen outsmarted itself with presentation. Covering the entire fajita skillet with molten cheese might sound novel, but the pasilla-marinated rib eye reposing atop that queso was robbed of the honor of arriving to our table with the ASMR sizzle of meat on metal. The steak itself was also a letdown, too fatty and with too little meat for $69. For that matter, the big tomahawk chop that arrived at our table as a flaming centerpiece for four was plentiful, but at $149, did not deliver a deep and lasting savor compared to other large format steak splurges I’ve ordered recently.
Two other potential showstopping dishes stumbled on execution. A huge red snapper was deboned and cubed into masa-crisped nuggets that arrived cradled in the curve of its deep-fried skeleton beside a sweet-and-sour tamarind chili dip. The risky move of a double-fry method, however, left the fish overcooked. And “chewy” does not even begin to describe the texture of the big chamorro, a 1½ pound mallet of pork shank slow-braised in adobo broth then dropped in the fryer to crisp on the pickup. What finally arrived was so leathery and dark, I can’t even imagine what the first attempt looked like, given the chef had abandoned it for a second try, according to a manager who explained our plate’s delay.
The bar at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.The Piñada at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday., May 21, 2026.
We used that time to explore the drink list, which ably quenches any margarita cravings (try the apricot-tamarind variation called La Fiesta Dorada), and resort vibes cocktails such as the rummy Piñada in a pineapple-shaped glass. The impressive agave spirits list offers copitas for the serious sipper, such as my favorite, Fortaleza, or smoky Siembra Ancestral Blanco produced by Philly’s Suro family, along with several excellent mezcales, raicillas, sotol, and bacanora.
By the time you get to dessert, tres leches and churros hit all the usual sweet notes. One pleasant surprise is the volcán de helados, Mi Vida’s take on the now trending sundae, covering cajeta, chocolate, and vanilla ice creams with guava sauce, pecan brownie bits, and pumpkin seed brittle that was a festive way to finish off an otherwise mundane meal.
Based on Knead’s well-established success and significant investment, I can only hope this Mi Vida is just going through the growing pains of building a team in a new city. I have little doubt it will eventually find its niche as an easy destination for visitors and business groups. But with a Mexican dining scene in Philly that demands more than corporate flash to be impressed, this kitchen will need to level up considerably before it can become more than that.
The Volcan de helados sundae with ice cream and pepita brittle at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday., May 21, 2026.
Lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Dinner Sunday through Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 4-11 p.m.; Saturday, 3-11 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tacos and enchiladas, $13.75-$21; entrees, $19.50-$69.
Wheelchair accessible.
About 80% of menu is gluten-free. There is also a dedicated gluten-free fryer to avoid cross contamination.
Menu Highlights “Un Poco de Todo” app sampler (deviled eggs; esquites croquetas, chicharrones); crab empanadas; enchiladas rancheras and suizas; carnitas tacos; volcán de helados.
Drinks An array of the usual margarita variations and colorful cocktails with a Mexican twist keep the meal festive. Check out the collection of 100-plus tequilas and nearly 50 mezcales.
A dining table at Mi Vida in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Chance Anies grew up at the tables of America’s chain restaurants. His mom’s career as a manager opening locations for TGI Friday’s, Olive Garden, Dave & Buster’s and others meant he and his siblings spent some of their most important life events in the glow of neon flair illuminating bottomless breadstick bowls and blooming onions.
“There was something magical about growing up there,“ says Anies, 34. “There was always something for everybody, for anyone who walked in the door, including kids. They were also affordable. And what I’ve found over the years is that middle-class dining like that has been dying.”
Manong, which opened three months ago in the former Tela’s space at 19th and Fairmount Avenue, is filled with references to the mid-tier chains of his youth. From the longhorn skull emblazoned on the sign at its front door, to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game being played for free by guests in the corner, to actual neon signs from both Applebee’s and Outback alight in its two bathrooms, the cues are here for what Anies calls his chain-inspired Filipino-American steakhouse. There’s even the signature Bloom Shroom, a fantastic fungi riff on the blooming onion, whose deep-fried thatch of enoki mushrooms is irresistible — at least, when it isn’t overcooked or oversalted, as it was on my first visit.
The Bloom Shroom at Manong on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Philadelphia.
This kitchen has largely been more reliable than that, and nailed the shroom on a following visit, when its broom-like sweep of crunchy-earthy mushrooms threads lived-up to their potential. It was also clear after my visits here that catchy labels trying to characterize Anies’ sequel restaurant to Tabachoy, his Filipino BYOB hit in Bella Vista, really don’t do its concept justice. For one thing, it’s not a steakhouse, considering Manong didn’t even have a steak on the menu (beyond grilled beef skewers) for its first three months, when an intriguing hanger steak with fish sauce and pickled onions replaced the prime rib.
Chef Chance Anies posed for a portrait at Manong on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Philadelphia.
The swap was a pragmatic concession to keep the menu on the more affordable side, a prime characteristic of chain restaurant culture Anies says inspires him. With check averages around $50 to $60, including drinks, dinner at Manong costs more than going to Longhorn. But it succeeds in hitting a more accessible sweet spot than most of Philly’s pricier destination restaurants without sacrificing the quality of from-scratch food. There’s a balancing act of handcraft and value here most chain restaurants simply can’t touch.
The dynamite lumpia at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.
There’s also a level of personality, bold flavors, and storytelling to the food at Manong that is the antithesis of the sanitized corporate restaurant. This menu is a unique reflection of Anies’ childhood and life experiences as a Filipino-American — including his previous careers as an English teacher, medical researcher and food truck operator — that also diverges with its whimsy and creativity from the more traditionally-framed Filipino flavors anchoring Tabachoy.
There’s an equivalent to mozzarella sticks at Manong, the dynamite lumpia, but they’re wrapped inside crispy spring roll wrappers and laced with tender pork and minced jalapeños alongside a sweet chili dip. Manong also offers one of the most distinctive new cheeseburgers in the city, a half-pound patty that spans the width of four small pandesal rolls that are still attached, like King’s Hawaiian bread.
The connected rolls can easily be divided into shareable sliders, but avoid the urge to supersize it into a full one-pound of meat because it throws all the proportions off. The standard serving maximizes its many Filipino flourishes, from the light sweetness on the fresh-baked bread to the tropical backnotes of the house banana ketchup, the calamansi-tanged slaw, and a mayo shaded by bangus (tinned milkfish), whose oily fillets are buzzed into an umami-rich spread that Anies says carries a Pinoy schmear of “je ne sais quoi.”
The 1/2lb balong burger at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.
The 75-seat Manong, which means “elder brother” in Ilocano, the Filipino dialect of Anies’ father’s family, is close to three times as big as Tabachoy, a 28-seater in Bella Vista so snug you need to access the bathroom through an alley door at the rear of the building. But Anies has made good use of this sunny, high-ceilinged corner space, warming its interior with rustic walnut accents and adding convivial booth seating to both its window walls and a central banquette.
The exterior of Manong on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in Philadelphia.
With room for large parties, including a back alcove beneath mounted horns and a vintage truck grill with illuminated headlights, plus 13 seats at the bar, there were more groups of people simultaneously celebrating at Manong than any restaurant I’ve visited in recent memory. Conjuring that kind of joy, and for such a broad cross-section of customers, is one aspect of “everyone’s family” magic that Anies has successfully channeled.
Customers enjoying drinks and food at the bar at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.The interior of Manong on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in Philadelphia.
A drink program overseen by beverage manager Eli Ezer helps buoy the festive mood with a variety of fun, colorful drinks that also offer thematic twists, like the sky blue Otso Otso, a riff on a spicy margarita infused with green peppercorn, lemongrass, and calamansi, or an espresso martini with the added taste of sweet corn (a combo with roots in the Philippines), or a Pinoy version of the City Wide, pairing San Miguel Lite with a shot of Kasama rum.
The Otso Otso cocktail at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.The Pandan latte at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.
It’s no surprise this room has a serious noise problem, and will eventually require some significant investment to sound-proof its hard surfaces. It recently opened for new daytime cafe hours to pump out purple ube and pandan lattes with Herman’s Coffee, along with a limited selection of pastries, and plans to expand the daytime menu with breakfast sandwiches for a brunch debut this spring. There’s also a retail bottle shop where a fridge case full of Red Horse beer, natural wines, and sakes add yet another reason to visit.
For now, however, Manong’s dinner is more than a worthy enough draw on its own. Aside from the bloom shroom, all of the skewers are winners, including the juicy grilled chicken thighs glazed in Filipino barbeque sauce and tagalog beef sticks that evoke Japanese negamaki with thin-sliced flank steak bundles on the skewer rolled around crunchy scallions in a calamansi soy-garlic glaze.
Anies aims to evoke the rich chain restaurant pastas of his youth with the “creamy pasta” entree, but it’s infinitely more interesting here with basil fettuccine tangled in a sauce creamed with coconut and Parmesan, flavor-boosted with ginger, garlic, and thin slices of pork belly. The “super duper creamy” version may be tempting, but once again, like that burger, the “more” option was less appealing. When we opted for the bonus of trout roe and shrimp on my second visit, it came in an overly thickened cream sauce that bordered on sludge.
The squash at Manong on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Philadelphia.
One of Manong’s most creative dishes is its singular option for vegans, kalabasa pyanggang, a koginut squash marinated in a garlicky paste of charred coconut husks that’s served with a sweet vinegar lemongrass drizzle over a rich coconut milk sauce scattered with pepita seeds.
I would have loved the grilled swordfish with green mango-bitter melon salad if it had been fully cooked. That’s one fish I don’t enjoy medium-rare. But Manong has its roasted half-chicken down, a juicy lemongrass-infused bird glazed in tart calamansi vinegar and orange annato butter — at $28, a relative bargain in an era of high-priced chicken entrees
The kitchen’s pork dishes are also exceptional, including a traditional lechon liempo pork belly whose superbly tender chunks of meat are set beneath shattering amber sheets of crispy pig skin, atop a silky swoosh of creamy liver sauce.
The lechon liempo at Manong is slow-roasted pork belly topped with crispy skin over a sauce of pureed chicken liver.The pork & beans at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.
Perhaps my favorite dish at Manong is the “pork & beans”, a multi-cultural mash-up of a juicy grilled pork chop encrusted with green peppercorns and smothered with sweet and zesty mung beans. Think of the canned Heinz baked beans classic, but with a Filipino swagger of cane vinegar, the sweetness of brown sugar, and red yeast rice (typically used in Chinese char siu bbq), and firmer beans that possess a nutty snap of extra texture.
“Is it American? Is it Filipino? It’s neither, but also both,” says Anies, summing up not only this dish, but so much of the menu at Manong, where steaming sides of garlic rice, coconut-creamed spinach, and whipped potato salad studded with more crunchy garlic, corn, and shear potato skin chicharrones create a spirited fusion feast like no other.
Add some calamansi or mango water ice for dessert sandwiched on those fresh pandesal rolls, or the deep purple richness of its ube ice cream, and Manong’s Filipino fusion takes on a distinctly Philly vibe, too. Anies’ chain restaurant childhood may have been the impetus for the affordable and fun spirit of Manong, but he’s created something here that feels like an original.
The ube and mango ice cream sandwich at Manong in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, March. 5, 2026.
Manong
1833 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130, 445-223-2141; manongphilly.com
Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 5-11 p.m. Cafe open for coffee and pastries Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner entrees, $19-$35.
About 30% of the menu is gluten-free, including the bloom shroom, cooked in a gluten-free fryer.
Drinks: The cocktail list delivers affordability and style, with a series of classic templates transformed colorful tropical twists, from the sky blue Otso Otso infused with green peppercorn and lemongrass, to a backnote of corn in the espresso martini and Filipino rum mixed with coconut and purple sweet potato for the Ube Halaya. The beer list features both local brews and Filipino imports, including the smooth but potent Red Horse. There’s also a selection of natural wines by the 6 oz. carafe. In addition, a retail bottle shop has a fine selection of natural wines and sakes to go.
If you weren’t paying attention, you could easily drive past the nondescript storefront beside the Giant supermarket in King of Prussia’s Henderson Square. But there, glowing red from the strip-mall space wedged between a yoga studio and a dental office, is a sign with a name that caused me to hit the brakes: Peter Chang.
Chang is something of a legend in the Washington, D.C. area, especially after being profiled in 2010 by the New Yorker’s Calvin Trillin in an article — “Where’s Chang?” — that detailed a local cult following for the talented Chinese chef, despite (or perhaps because of) his perpetual moves from one Sichuan kitchen to the next. By 2011, however, Chang finally put down roots with his name attached to a restaurant inthe DMV, starting in Charlottesville, Va. It became the first of a rapidly growing family empire that has since expanded to 20 restaurants of varying concepts across the Mid-Atlantic, from Chang Chang in Dupont Circle to Baltimore’s Nihao. The run that has earned this onetime chef at the Chinese Embassy multiple nominations from the James Beard Foundation, including a finalist nod for national Outstanding Chef in 2022.
Now, having debuted in the Philadelphia region withnot one but two new restaurants — Peter Chang in KOP and Mama Chang in Colmar — the once-elusive Chang is virtually everywhere.
Peter Chang posed for a portrait at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa The exterior of Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa
I popped the steaming hot balloon of his wife Lisa Chang’s signature bubble scallion pancake, then hungrily grazed across the nine cubbies of the dim-sum sampler box, savoring the clean white snap of a crystal shrimp dumpling, the hoisin-dabbed crunch of a meaty Peking duck spring roll, and the fragrant spice of a wonton swirled with the house chili oil. I immediately concluded Chang’s arrival to Philly is a very good thing.
Figuring out where, exactly, these new restaurants sit within the context of the Philadelphia region’s already rich Chinese dining landscape is separate question.
The dim sum platter box at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa.
Chang has long been referred to by fans (and even the company’s own website) as a Sichuan chef since many of his dishes buzz with the lip-numbing “málà” hum of Sichuan peppercorns and earthy cumin perfume typical of Sichuan cooking. But he is, in fact, from the province of Hubei, a Central Chinese crossroads threaded by train lines and the Yangtze River, where the cuisines of neighboring provinces like Sichuan and Hunan have been influential, but where the flavors of those traditional dishes are also interpreted in distinct ways.
Chang’s take on dan dan noodles, for example, is simultaneously lighter, brighter, and more potently spiced than others I’ve tried in other local Sichuan restaurants — the usual ground meat subbed out for vegetarian diced tofu, then scattered with crushed peanuts and umami sparks of preserved olives and mustard greens. His black pepper shrimp, dramatically presented in a beautiful blue and yellow hot pot, is a delicious personal fusion of multiple regional styles; the bold-yet-balanced sauce blends Sichuan kung pao with the pungent tingle of Hunan black pepper and splashes of Maggi and Worcestershire sauces, which Chang’s daughter and business partner, Lydia Chang, says is a typical move in Cantonese kitchens.
The Szechuan dan dan noodles with tofu is a spicy vegetarian offering at both Peter Chang and Mama Chang.The black pepper shrimp at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa
The group’s flagship concept, Peter Chang, of which there are currently 15 locations, opened in a modest King of Prussia BYOB last summer, while the much larger Mama Chang debuted in October with a liquor license in a 400-seat Colmar space previously occupied by Golden City, a Chinese standby for 39 years.
In theory, the two are different concepts, with Peter Chang presenting a broad array of classic Chinese dishes, many of them presented in tapas-style small dishes, while Mama Chang, originally opened in Fairfax, Va., was created to showcase the Hubei-style home cooking and larger family-style portions inspired by Chang’s mother, Ronger Wang. In practice, the two Philadelphia-area restaurants share almost identical menus while the company figures out what each audience will respond to most.
The restaurant group has typically favored suburban locations in part because of their access to easy parking, but also for the opportunity to offer diverse communities unfamiliar with traditional Chinese cooking a taste of something different, says Lydia. In the case of this region, however, there’s already been a major demographic shift of Chinese families moving to Philly’s northern and western suburbs over the past two decades. Restaurants like Mama Wong, the original locations for Han Dynasty in Exton and Royersford, and Margaret Kuo’s Kitchen have successfully found their audiences without having to make too many compromises.
See how the area’s Chinese population grew between 1980 and 2021.
About 40% of Peter Chang’s King of Prussia customers are of Chinese descent, Lydia says. But in Colmar, that number drops to 20%, she says, and preferences for Americanized Chinese food remain strong. (“We try to be flexible,” she says, noting some Americanized standards like chicken lo mein and shrimp fried rice are still available.) The value of Peking duck combo meals and a $33 all-you-can-eat brunch and dim sum on weekends have been a draw.
There are so many distinctive dishes at both locations, however, I‘d encourage diners to skip the impulse to order General Tso’s and try the Wuxi sweet-and-sour chicken, whose larger chunks and lighter batter feature a sauce with a punchy dose of garlic. The various dim sum here are also a great place to start, whether as the sampler or ordered in individual gems such as the firecracker cilantro fish roll, a shiitake-bok choy dumpling wrapped in a kale-infused dough, or the vibrant take on galicky cucumber salad, which glows pale green with a dressing of pureed jalapeños and scallions.
The jade tofu soup with duck is a signature dish at both Peter Chang and Mama Chang.The fried branzino at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa.
Sticking with Chang’s green trend, try the jade tofu duck soup, whose verdant broth is tinted with kale puree but also meaty with duck stock thanks to all the carcasses left over from the restaurant’s brisk Peking duck trade. Chang’s birds are cooked the classic way: inflated twice with a pump to separate the skin from the flesh, massaged with five-spice salt, scalded in a bath of baking soda, then roasted with a vinegar-and-corn syrup glaze until the tawny skin snaps like a candied cracker, to be wrapped tableside in pliant house-steamed pancakes with shaved scallion and a sweet dab of hoisin.
The duck is a sure crowd-pleaser, as is the meaty branzino in sweet-and-sour sauce, whose deep-fried fillets are crosshatched like a pine cone in a show of the kitchen’s technical proficiency with classic dishes. Another personal favorite, the dragon eggplant in garlic sauce, showcases more impressive knifework, using a series of angular cuts in thesuoyi style that lets it expand, Slinky-like, through a saucy glaze that balances sweetness, tang, and spice.
Dragon eggplant with garlic sauce at Peter Chang in King of Prussia showcases an intricate knife-cutting technique that allows the eggplant to remain in tact.The dining room at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa
Chang has a special fondness for spice, says his daughter, and that’s particularly evident in dishes that employ a double-cooked “dry fry” method, in which ingredients are pre-cooked or crisped in batter, then refried in the wok with shimmering aromatic spice. The eggplant fries are one delicious example, but so is the bamboo fish: crispy flounder fingers seared inside a crust that crackles from the addition of cooking wine and cornstarch, and radiates the heat of chilies and herbal fresh cilantro. House-steeped chili oil infused with cardamom and star anise, which takes days to make, transforms shredded tofu skin salad into irresistibly snappy noodles. Pickled fresh chilies are key to the soybean beef pot, a rarely seen rustic specialty that arrives simmering in a clay vessel. The hand-pulled noodles on Mama Chang’s menu employ chewy, hand-pulled Xi’an “belt” noodles as a springboard for garlic, ground Sichuan peppercorn powder, and coarse pepper flake garnishes that actually sizzle with aromatic steam when hot chili oil is drizzled over the base sauce of vinegar and soy.
But no dish brings a wallop of earthy flavor quite like the massive serving of double lamb shanks, an Uyghur-style dish I could not get enough of, whose tender meat comes falling off the bone, absolutely encrusted in cumin and pickled chilies.
The cumin spicy lamb shank at Peter Chang King of Prussia on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in King of Prussia, Pa
It’s not all spice bombs. Some of the best offerings at both places reflect subtler flavors. One is the “farmer’s stir-fry,” which incorporates rough-chopped celery, bell peppers, and tofu skin scrambled into eggs, a nod to what Peter’s mom used to whip together from their family farm.
Another classic, the Yangzhou-style Lion’s Head meatballs are the height of comfort perfected through a knowing touch. These massive, cloud-like orbs of pork, impossibly fluffy in mild brown gravy, are the result of careful handiwork — both on the mince and the whipping, incorporating the meat into a high percentage of fat that simply melts away over the course of a slow braise in rich sauce scented with sesame oil and soy. I’ve had this dish multiple times in Chinatown, but never such an airy rendition. Served in a hot pot topped with a ceramic Buddha, it’s the kind of nostalgic dish that bridges the elegance, say, of an embassy banquet with the homespun feeling the restaurant group would like Mama Chang to eventually embrace more fully in Colmar.
I’ll be curious to observe as these two locations evolve, especially once the wider public realizes one of America’s most decorated Chinese chefs has finally landed in our region. As is, they’re both already worthy additions to the suburban dining scene. Once Chang and his family find their footing and dive deeper into their culinary mission, there’s potential for the pair of restaurants to become a wider draw.
Fluffy pork Lions Head meatballs are typical of the home-style Chinese cooking featured at Mama Chang in Colmar, Pa.
Peter Chang KOP
Henderson Square, 314 S. Henderson Rd., Suite C, King of Prussia, 717-431-0488, peterchangkop.com
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Larger plates, $16-$40.
Wheelchair accessible.
Not ideal for gluten-free dining.
BYOB
Menu highlights: Dim sum box platter (firecracker cilantro fish roll; Peking duck roll; chili oil pork and shrimp wonton; garlic cucumber salad); scallion bubble pancake; tofu skin salad with chili oil; dan dan noodles with tofu; spicy dry fried eggplant; farmer’s stir fry; dry fried bamboo fish; twice-cooked pork belly; dragon eggplant with garlic sauce; Peking duck; soy bean beef pot; cumin lamb shank; fried branzino with sweet and sour sauce.
You won’t find chef Joey Baldino flexing tweezers with microgreens or dotting plates with fluid gels at the Bomb Bomb Bar and Grill.
That’s because Baldino, who also owns the popular Palizzi Social Club near 12th and Reed and Collingswood’s Zeppoli, occupies a unique place in Philadelphia’s pantheon of chefs as the preservationist-in-chief for the classic-but-fading flavors of Italian South Philly.
Baldino has managed one of the trickiest tasks possible — to retainthe essential character of a down-to-earth neighborhood bar while also making it his own, giving more depth to the seafood and drinks, and infusing it with sustainable new appeal for newcomers and longstanding regulars alike.
At the Bomb Bomb, where the tiny back dining room is draped with red-checked tablecloths, a plastic marlin hangs on the wall, and Louis Prima tunes fill the air (along with Nina Simone, the Ramones, and vintage Herb Alpert brass), this humble son of East Passyunk is at his best in summoning his ancestors with, among other things, one of the best “mussels red” I’ve ever had. A shot of Calabrian chile paste and white wine give his fra diavolo sauce an irresistibly zesty ba-da-boom. His reinterpration of a venerable standby like lobster francese is even more proof of his golden old-soul touch: He infuses the meat with the zing of Goodfellas-style thin-shaved garlic before crisping it inside a delicate egg-wash crust, then floating it atop a lemony puddle of butter sauce laced with the briny crunch of caper leaves beneath the bright orange lid of its shell.
The outside of Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .Joey Baldino has managed to retain the character of a down-to-earth neighborhood bar while also making it his own.
“It’s time to bib up now!’” says longtime Bomb Bomb server Linda DeCero, sidling up behind us to tie on the disposable plastic bibs for our seafood feast to come, a plump and meaty steamed Dungeness crab for two scented with juniper, orange, and bay beside a votive-warmed basin of drawn butter.
As one of several options for the prix fixe menu here, it’s a different kind of crustacean indulgence than the homey spaghetti with crab gravy the Bomb Bomb was originally known for. That was when it was owned by the Barbato family, which not only gave this storied corner taproom its name (a nod to a pair of 1936 firebombings allegedly committed by a jealous competitor), but also kept it rolling with baked ribs and “That’s Amore” kitsch for 73 years until it was sold to Baldino in early 2025.
The steamed Dungeness crab for two is one of the highlights of the Italian seafood menu at Bomb Bomb Bar.Bomb Bomb Bar chefs Max Hachey (left) and Joey Baldino in the South Philadelphia landmark during a friends and family dinner on Sept. 29, 2025.
Baldino, who took nine months to open his lightly renovated version of the bar, has managed the transition with aplomb. Just ask the two cheerful sisters at the table beside us, who came from South Jersey to toast their late father’s birthday with a celebratory dinner and sundae at his longtime favorite tavern: “He’d love what they’ve done to the place!” one told me as we waited outside in the rain for our rides after the meal.
Baldino, 47, is uniquely suited for the task, having grown up eating steamed crabs out of a wooden bowl at his grandfather Al Mazza’s very similar bar at 12th and Reed — part of a generation of Italian bars like Strolli’s and South Philly Bar & Grill that have almost all now disappeared. He’s kept the Bomb Bomb’sclassic format of the neighborhood corner tappie intact, with room for 16 walk-ins in the small barroom up front, where you can nibble on sublimely juicy roast pork sandwiches and sip Vespers spiked with peperoncini brine while the Flyers skate across TVs behind the bar.
Meanwhile, the intimate 26-seat rear dining room, accessed through the onetime “Ladies Entrance,” is a boisterous reservation-only hideaway for three seatings nightly of a prix fixe seafood menu meant to evoke the Christmas Eve dinners of Baldino’s youth.
The pork sandwich with long hots at the Bomb Bomb Bar.The inside bar area of Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
At $62 a person — with a choice of five sharing dishes for two people or six items for four people plus a pasta and a side — the price is fair considering the quality and quantity of the cooking. There are plenty of options for add-ons, specials, and drinks to turn dinner here into a splurge.
The antipasto for $18 is one add-on you probably shouldn’t miss for its bounty of house-pickled veggies, salumi, and cheese. And if the bagna cauda special is on offer, that’s another worthy vegetable-centric starter culled from Baldino’s daily shopping rounds through the Italian Market — grilled eggplants and zucchini, blanched cabbage rolls, and imported chicory shoots. They are perfect for dipping in a warm crock of buttery anchovy-garlic cream while your table sips through its first round of cocktail classics with Italian twists.
There’s a Bloody Mary sparked with Calabrian chilies and shredded provolone, a frozen Roman Coke spiked with amaro, a prickly pear riff on a margarita, and a crispy house pilsner made for the Bomb Bomb by Human Robot. I lean more into the affordable Italian wines when it comes to the heart of the prix fixe menu; a fizzy dry Lambrusco, the peachy almond notes of a Grechetto, and some light-hearted reds (a juicy Nebbiolo for $14) won’t overwhelm the seafood.
As for the food itself, you almost can’t lose — unless you have an aversion to an occasional excessive use of breadcrumbs on standbys like the shrimp oreganata or bacony clams casino. I preferred the cockles in brothier “clams white” form, steamed in Carlo Rossi Chablis (the official jug wine of South Philly) over a bowl of toast to finish last, having soaked in all that garlicky juice. The Bomb Bomb’s shrimp cocktail is also exceptionally flavorful from a gentle poach in a white wine court bouillon perfumed with orange and thyme.
The fried calamari at the Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
The fried calamari (also available on the limited tavern menu, like the shrimp cocktail) are the epitome of a bar classic done right, tenderized in cream before they’re crisped in seasoned semolina and tossed in a spicy confetti of red and green cherry peppers. But if you want to taste a deep cut from the Baldino family’s Seven Fishes repertoire, Mom’s stuffed calamari — the toothpick-sealed squid tubes stuffed with ground tentacles and Parmesan breadcrumbs that become incredibly tender after a two-hour simmer in tomato sauce — will absolutely take you there.
The stuffed squid is something of an homage to the Barbatos, who made a different version of the recipe. Similarly, Baldino’s baked St. Louis-cut spare ribs, exclusive to the bar menu, are a slightly cheffier, orange-scented riff on a popular mainstay during the family’s tenure. I appreciated both menu items for the continuity they offered between the two owners.
Two other luxurious seafood dishes shouldn’t be ignored. The baked crab cakes created by chef Max Hachey (last at Friday Saturday Sunday) were a celebration of sweet meat bound up with onion cream, roasted garlic aioli, and crushed crackers — easily one of my new favorites in the city. And the lobster-and-shells genre has also been taken to a clever new level here, inspired by the flavors of a stromboli: Al dente pasta cradles butter-poached lobster in a blush sauce enriched with melted mozz and zingy ground pepperoni.
Crab cakes at the Bomb Bomb, the classic Italian seafood joint revived by chef-owner Joey Baldino in deep South Philly.The carbonara at the Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
As a testament to Baldino’s confident grasp of the South Philly Italian canon, he feels no need to resort to any red-gravy meatball clichés on the pasta side of the menu. His carbonara is the stuff of creamy noodle dreams, its egg-and-bacon glaze still frothy even though it’s blended with three kinds of cheese, including an alpine twinge of toma. The black ink spaghetti is a dark-horse noodle champ — quite literally, because its simple, garlicky shine of aglio-e-olio sauce is turned jet black with sepia ink. And Baldino’s Italian tuna pasta might be the most overlooked gem of them all, a comforting yet elegant deconstruction of tuna noodle casserole.
There are always other off-menu treats lingering in back to keep the dinner intriguing, like grilled langostini glistening with bottarga butter in a fragrant nod to the Sicilian flavors of Zeppoli. The frequent special of garlicky T-bone steak basted with olive oil-soaked rosemary branches is so good, I wonder if there’s a retro Italian chophouse lingering in Baldino’s future, too.
Keeping the Bomb Bomb’s distinctive red-neon sign glowing bright over the corner of Warnock and Wolf Streets, now beckoning to an enthusiastic new generation, is more than enough of an achievement. So order yourself a vanilla ice cream sundae drizzled with house chocolate sauce, brown-butter caramel, and a fried banana — a sweet tribute to a long gone shake shop that Baldino also loved — and lift a toast to the ancestors. Italian South Philly’s culinary preservationist-in-chief has scored once again.
A porterhouse steak and grilled langostini with bottarga butter are two notable recent specials at the Bomb Bomb Bar & Grill.
Dinner seatings in rear dining room by reservation only Thursday through Monday, at 5, 7, and 9 p.m. Bar is open to walk-ins only Thursday through Monday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Lunch served Saturday and Sunday, noon-3 p.m.
Not wheelchair accessible. There are two steps at the front entrance and bathrooms are not accessible.
Gluten-free pasta is available and much of the menu can be modified to be gluten-free, including the antipasto, lobster francese, streamed seafood, and ribs.
Menu highlights: clams casino; crab cake, lobster francese; shrimp oreganata; mussels fra diavolo; fried calamari; lobster and shells; Dungeness crab; spaghetti alla carbonara; herbed tomatoes; porterhouse special. Bar menu: porchetta sandwich; shrimp agrodolce; vanilla sundae.
Drinks: The full bar showcases simple but booze-forward cocktails with a zesty Italian twist, like the Vesper spiked with peperoncini brine and a Bloody Mary sparked with Calabrian chilies, frozen drinks such as the bubbly limoncello Scroppino.
The exterior of Bomb Bomb Bar in South Philadelphia on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
