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Tag: Weekend Food

  • After 41 years, Center City’s longest-operating Japanese restaurant has closed

    After 41 years, Center City’s longest-operating Japanese restaurant has closed

    At Shiroi Hana last Thursday at noon, plates, bowls, and ramekins filled the dining room tables. But this was not lunchtime at Center City’s longest-operating Japanese restaurant. It was a tag sale.

    Owners Patti and Robert Moon were cleaning out the place in advance of the building’s sale in coming weeks. The kitchen was silent and the sushi bar cleared out.

    Shiroi Hana served its last meal in January after 41 years. “It’s sad. Very sad,” said Patti Moon, who with her husband, Robert, took over in 1998. In 2010, the couple also opened Doma, a Japanese-Korean restaurant, at 1822 Callowhill St.

    An order of delivery sushi from Shiroi Hana, ordered recently.

    The modest Shiroi Hana opened in 1984 at 222 S. 15th St. — across from what was then Bookbinders’ Seafood House — as part of a nationwide group of restaurants owned by Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church. (Many of the restaurants shared the name “Hana,” meaning flower.)

    In the late 1990s, Patti and Robert Moon, in their early 30s, were running Grill Master Deli at 17th and Spruce Streets when they heard that the restaurant was for sale. Given their last name, “for some reason that mattered to [the church],” Patti Moon said. “There were other people trying to buy it, but they gave it to us. We were young. I guess it was luck. It was meant to be.” (Robert Moon said he was not related to the self-proclaimed messiah, who died in 2012.)

    Patti and Robert Moon in 2010, at Doma, their BYOB.

    The restaurant, modest at first but bearing a quiet elegance after the Moons gave it a 1999 makeover, had a small brush with fame under its original ownership. In 1989, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall rolled in with a bodyguard and manager, “gobbled about $100 worth of sushi,” signed autographs for the staff, and left a 25% tip, according to a Philadelphia Daily News account.

    Shiroi Hana was a favorite among Inquirer critics. Shortly after its ’84 opening, Elaine Tait praised an offering called sushi heaven — “a generously and artistically filled lacquer tray crammed with sushi and sashimi” — and proclaimed it “almost too much of a good thing.” It was priced at $20 (about $61 in today’s dollars).

    Patti Moon (left) and Robert Moon with longtime manager Michiko Kadekaru at Shiroi Hana on Feb. 5, 2026.

    Last week, critic Craig LaBan said Shiroi Hana “remained a favored hideaway for an intimate lunch until the end, especially beloved by Elizabeth,” his wife. “My kids grew up eating there, and it was always her choice for lunch with a particular friend because the food was great and they knew just how we liked it, down to the tiniest details. She’ll forever miss their chicken katsu bento box.”

    Patti Moon said they closed because of shifting trends. Japanese dining has increasingly moved toward chef-owned omakase restaurants, she said, a model that is difficult for non-chef operators to sustain. “For a long time, we were lucky,” she said. “Our head chef, Hiroshi Abe, had been there since 1984. He stayed almost 35 years. When he left about three years ago, people noticed. Business wasn’t the same.”

    Manager Michiko Kadekaru looks through mementos from Shiroi Hana with co-owner Robert Moon.

    Longtime manager Michiko Kadekaru — who started in 1990 and became, in Robert Moon’s words, “the heart and soul of the restaurant” — has indicated that she would retire, though the Moons hope that she will continue working for them at Doma.

    “She started in her 30s and now she’s in her 70s,” Patti Moon said. “She was crying on the last day — and so were we.”

  • Roadside bakeries are growing in Chester County: ‘It’s that home-sweet-home comfort food’

    Roadside bakeries are growing in Chester County: ‘It’s that home-sweet-home comfort food’

    When Jacqueline Spain’s now-grown kids were having a bad day, she would sit them down at the kitchen island and bake them something. Now, she has opened up that kitchen island to her community with her roadside home bakery, Devon Road Made.

    “Food is love, love is food,” Spain said, standing in her kitchen recently, bread in the oven and cookies on the counter. “I like to put a lot of heart and soul into it. I feel if you’re going to put good energy into that, people are going to feel that. They’re going to taste it; they’re going to like it.”

    Devon Road Made is one of the newer additions to a trend of microbakeries that are cropping up in Chester County, some with roadside carts and stands dotting residential roads in Paoli, Downingtown, West Chester, and elsewhere.

    The Devon Road Made bakery cart outside the home of David and Jacqueline Spain for folks passing by to buy some home baked goods in Willistown, Pa., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

    Statewide, interest in selling home-baked goods has been growing. Pennsylvania had 361 licensed home bakeries in 2023. That nearly doubled, to 663, in 2025, according to the state agriculture department, which oversees the inspections and licensing of food businesses that operate out of home, rather than commercial, kitchens. There has been a general bakery boom, too, in Philly.

    Chester County appears to be a growing incubator of such little bakeries: It had 28 licensed home bakeries in 2025, compared with 16 in 2023, the department said.

    Before issuing a license, the department inspects the baker’s food production site. Bakers must verify they have zoning approval to have a business on their property, submit ingredient labels, restrict pets or not have them, and have an approved water supply. It costs $35 to register.

    In the few weeks since, Spain, 59, and her husband, David, 60, rolled their bakery cart to the foot of their yard at 60 Devon Rd. in Willistown, the community has indeed seemed to like it. Jacqueline Spain’s cookies and David Spain’s sourdough loaves continually sell out. People knock on their door to ask if things will be restocked. One woman sat at the Spains’ kitchen island, sampling freshly baked cookies, while awaiting her pickup order.

    “Everything we make, she has been making for years,” David Spain said. “That’s kind of part of our DNA. It’s got to taste really good — something that we would only serve our friends and family.”

    David Spain, of Willistown, Pa., and his wife Jacqueline Spain, chat with Inquirer Reporter Brooke Schultz about their Devon Road Made bakery cart at their home on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

    And Chester County seems like a place perfectly ripe for these little bakeries to thrive, several home bakers said: It’s not a wholly rural community, nor is it totally Main Line. There is an affluent clientele (Chester is the wealthiest county by median income in the state) with an interest in homemade, quality ingredients.

    But they do face some headwinds: A number of municipalities restrict such carts through zoning codes, even if the bakers are licensed to sell.

    Alexa Geiser, 28, of Lulu’s Bread & Bakery in West Chester, opened her home bakery in October, originally selling her sourdough first come, first served from her porch. But then the borough told her she was not permitted to sell from her residential porch, and she moved entirely online to sell her bread and the occasional chocolate chip cookie batch.

    Though it’s a bummer — she said it was nice to talk with people stopping by for a peaceful hour on Fridays — she felt supported by the community, who offered their businesses for her to host her pickups.

    “I think people really value homemade goods that people put a lot of effort into, and good quality ingredients,” she said. “I use all organic flours and filtered water and good salt in my bread, which is something I personally value. It’s what I want to give to my customers as well.”

    The Devon Road Made bakery cart outside the home of David and Jacqueline Spain for folks passing by to buy some home baked goods in Willistown, Pa., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

    But the stands are a niche the bakers feel they are filling.

    “I noticed around here, at least where I live specifically, there aren’t really that many,” said Maddy Dutko, of Maddy Makes. “I’ve seen a couple that sell honey or some that sell flowers, but I haven’t really seen any that sell baked goods. I was like, why not? It’s a way for me to connect with people around here. Maybe bring them something that they didn’t know was necessarily in their community.”

    Dutko’s stand, at 623 Sanatoga Rd. in East Coventry Township, is open on the weekends from spring to fall. Dutko sells bread loaves, coffee cakes, cinnamon buns, cookies, and dry mixes for pancakes or cornbread. She tries to keep things fresh and interesting, but also consistent for loyal customers. Dutko, 29, also sells orders online and at markets.

    The physical presence has led to customers hiring her to bake for kids’ birthdays, or people approaching her at markets to tell her they always stop by for a treat when they end their walk on a nearby trail.

    The Devon Road Made bakery cart outside the home of David and Jacqueline Spain for folks passing by to buy some home baked goods in Willistown, Pa., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

    There’s something to be said for products baked with love in someone’s home, Jacqueline Spain said.

    On a recent Friday afternoon in Willistown, the Spains stocked the baskets of their cart with baggies of cookies, breads, and dog treats — a customer request that their daughter, a veterinary nurse, fulfilled. A red open flag commenced their weekend hours of “noon-?” People pulled up onto the lawn to shop.

    “It’s feel-good, it’s warm, it’s friendly, it’s inviting,” Jacqueline Spain said. “It’s that home-sweet-home comfort food.”

  • The best things we ate this week

    The best things we ate this week

    The bloom shroom at Manong

    At Manong, chef Chance Anies’ bustling, casual Filipino steakhouse in Francisville, customers are feasting. They’re going all in and ordering 1-pound burgers on puffy, house-baked Hawaiian buns for themselves. (“I love that. Such a bold move,” Anies says.) The charcoal-grilled chicken — a half-chicken marinated in soy, calamansi, lemongrass, annatto, and butter — is selling well, too.

    Everybody, it seems, orders a bloom shroom. As Manong is Anies’ homage to Outback Steakhouse, he chose to hold the onion for his crunchy, photo-worthy appetizer — one of Manong’s few vegan offerings.

    The kitchen skewers a package of enoki mushrooms at the base to keep them uniform and flat, macerates them in a salt cure for about 20 minutes to get them to sweat, and then dredges them in a mix of cornstarch and ground dehydrated garlic. After a few minutes in the fryer, they get a hit of furikake — nori, brown sugar, chili powder, and dehydrated orange peel. You get a side of what Anies calls “salsa rosada,” a mix of banana ketchup and house-made vegan mayo.

    You know what they say: “No rules, just right.” Manong, 1833 Fairmount Ave., 445-223-2141, manongphilly.com

    — Michael Klein

    The chicken liver mousse at Emmett comes with some awfully convincing mini Eggo waffle dupes.

    Chicken liver mousse at Emmett

    I giggled when the chicken liver mousse at Emmett was placed in front of me. Six doll-sized, rosewater-scented Eggo-like waffles — but most certainly not actual Eggo waffles — are arranged around a silken quenelle of chicken liver mousse. The dish is both adorable and delicious, the mousse simultaneously light and unctuous, covered in a generous rain of crumbled smoked peanuts. Spheres of concord grape jelly add balance and nasturtium leaves bring a tart freshness. It’s a great interpretation of chicken and waffles, and one I can’t wait to go back in for. Emmett, 161 W. Girard Ave., 215-207-0161, emmettphilly.com

    — Kiki Aranita

    The octopus at Apricot Stone.

    Charred octopus from Apricot Stone

    For my 25th birthday, I cracked open a celebratory bottle of Eagles Super Bowl LIX bubbly and tucked into a smorgasbord of Apricot Stone’s shareable plates: crisp pita chips with bowls of nutty muhammara and whipped red pepper-feta dip, flaky cheese boreks, and tabbouleh. The star of the spread, however, were three charred octopus tentacles plated on a bed of lentils with juicy beefsteak tomato slices. The octopus was succulent and meaty, with evenly spaced grill marks that gave it a smoky aftertaste. Combined with the lentils and tomatoes, the dish was bright and transporting: If I closed my eyes, I was feasting on a beach in the Mediterranean, not a table with a clear view of Girard Avenue’s dirty, hardly melted snowdrifts. Apricot Stone, 428 W. Girard Ave., 267-606-6596, apricotstonephilly.com

    — Beatrice Forman

  • My friend assigned me to bring wings for our Super Bowl potluck, but I’m a vegetarian. Can I bring tofu wings?

    My friend assigned me to bring wings for our Super Bowl potluck, but I’m a vegetarian. Can I bring tofu wings?

    The Super Bowl is Sunday, so I’ve asked two reporters — one vegetarian, one not — to help solve this dilemma.

    Evan Weiss, Deputy Features Editor

    The question is…

    My friend assigned me to bring wings for our Super Bowl potluck, but I’m a vegetarian. Can I bring tofu wings?

    Zoe Greenberg, Life & Culture Reporter

    I want to start by saying I’m also a vegetarian, and the idea of tofu wings disturbs me deeply.

    Abigail Covington, Life & Culture Reporter

    Who asked the vegetarian to make the wings? Vegetarians should make nachos or dips.

    Evan Weiss

    Yeah, I think this is on the friend who asked. Why would you ask your vegetarian friend to make wings???

    Zoe Greenberg

    The problem with tofu for this is that the texture and the flavor (nothing) is completely wrong.

    But I do love buffalo cauliflower wings. Personally I would say that’s OK to bring.

    Abigail Covington

    However, if you regularly eat chicken wings, you will be disappointed by cauliflower wings. So, if you can stand to make a batch of both, maybe consider it. The meat-eaters will be very grateful. Not that you owe them anything.

    Zoe Greenberg

    Ah, true. You don’t have to make the chicken wings from scratch do you?!

    That’s a horrifying prospect, too.

    Abigail Covington

    Just buy them! But is that still asking too much of a vegetarian?

    Evan Weiss

    Yes!

    I’m not a vegetarian, but I can’t imagine asking a vegetarian friend to bring meat! I would never ask a nondrinking friend to bring wine.

    Zoe Greenberg

    Maybe they truly meant, “Wings, as interpreted by a vegetarian.”

    Abigail Covington

    I think the vegetarian has every right to assume that’s what they meant. But please, like Zoe said, not tofu.

    Zoe Greenberg

    Please.

    Evan Weiss

    If the party host really needs meaty wings, we have a guide for that.

    Zoe Greenberg

    We also have a vegan wings guide, but honestly they’re gonna be better if you make them yourself.

    Abigail Covington

    Do everyone a favor and just bring nachos. They’re better than wings anyway.

  • A South Philly garage is reborn as a date-night destination for oysters, cocktails, and polished vibes

    A South Philly garage is reborn as a date-night destination for oysters, cocktails, and polished vibes

    My chatty Uber driver was born and raised in South Philly and so, as we threaded our way through the cozy rowhouse blocks east of South Broad Street, he reveled in reciting the personal histories behind every deli, seafood market, corner taproom, and red-gravy pasta joint we passed. But even he seemed to be momentarily flummoxed as we pulled up to Tesiny, on the 700 block of Dickinson Street.

    A century-old corner brick building that for much of its life was an auto-repair shop had been completely transformed. Its garage doors were replaced with broad paned windows that glowed amber with the inviting tableau of a bustling restaurant inside. Diners clinked glasses of pink martinis. Chefs were illuminated by the flicker of a live-fire grill in the central open kitchen, where oysters were being shucked at the U-shaped counter, to be dispatched on icy plateaus to date-night duos across the room.

    Large seafood plateau with shrimp cocktail, clams ceviche with peach and jalapeño, three types of oysters, scallop crudo with melon water, and bluefin tuna with corn vinaigrette. Sauces are cilantro tarragon aioli and rosé mignonette, at Tesiny.

    The long bar near the entrance, deftly lit to illuminate its soigné design touches — the rich walnut wood accents, the purple-and-white tiled floor, the smooth curves of a backbar stocked with uncommon sherries — radiated a magnetic glamour.

    “Let me know how it is!” he said, as I exited the Uber. I promised a full report.

    In a dynamic old city constantly reinventing itself, we could do far worse than watching an industrial space be reborn as such a lovely restaurant. More specifically, you should be so fortunate to have Lauren Biederman be the one to do it.

    The exterior of Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.
    The bar at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    Biederman, 30, is a bright talent who knows how to turn her quirky hunches into success. She’s best known as the area’s lox-and-caviar queen, after pursuing a “weird idea that popped into my head while driving” — that what Philly really needed was an old New York-style boutique market for hand-cut smoked salmon, fresh bialys, and brunch boards. In fact, we did. Five years after opening Biederman’s in the Italian Market, she’s now also serving caviar bumps from a kiosk beside the Four Seasons Hotel and about to open another Biederman’s near Rittenhouse Square, where Jewish prepared foods will be sold alongside the smoked fish.

    But Biederman was a restaurant person before her retail success. The Vermont native worked at Oloroso, where she found her passion for wine, then got into bartending, working at Zahav and several Schulson Collective restaurants, including Osteria, where she met Devon Reyes-Brannan, 30, now her longtime boyfriend and partner at Tesiny. (The name, pronounced “TESS-iny,” is a reference to her late grandmother’s address in Connecticut. The two shared a love of seafood.)

    Co-owners Lauren Biederman and Devon Reyes-Brannan at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    Biederman designed the room and nailed the elegantly sultry mood, with the dark brown ceiling and light floors keeping it cozy while the mellow soundtrack shifts throughout service from Sinatra to Sadé, then to hip-hop beats for the livelier later hours. Good spacing between tables keeps conversation possible.

    There’s an admittedly amorphous, on-trend quality to Tesiny — the raw bar, craft cocktails, and a chef’s-counter grill turning out shareable plates that resist easy classification as appetizers or entrees — that could just have easily landed in a buzzier restaurant district like Fishtown or Rittenhouse Square. But there’s an extra pulse of intimacy in finding this polished 50-seat oasis in the heart of residential Dickinson Narrows, a hotly debated neighborhood within a neighborhood just east of East Passyunk. It’s upscale, averaging $80 per person for food and drinks, but already resonating as a destination, with up to 100 diners on busy nights.

    The Iberico pork at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.
    Chef Michael Valent works in the open kitchen at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    It succeeds on its posh vibes, but also the skill of its players to strike the right tone, from the well-informed (but never pushy) servers to chef Michael Valent, 36, with whom Biederman worked at Zahav. There’s nary a noodle on his menu — a rarity in this neighborhood.

    Valent instead deftly draws on an array of multicultural influences without the food ever feeling overly contrived, largely due to the breadth of his experience, including time in Boston, New Orleans, and Philly (at the French-themed Good King Tavern, Superfolie, and Supérette). One moment you’re savoring a tuna crudo dusted with coconut and aji chile spice. The next you’re savoring a tender grilled Ibérico pork collar with silky pureed squash and smoky collards that recall Valent’s stint in New Orleans working for Donald Link at Cochon. Another favorite, a crispy-skinned branzino fillet over a Basque-style pipérade of Jimmy Nardello peppers, is an inviting jaunt to the Mediterranean.

    The branzino at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    The raw bar is always a smart place to start. The trio of ever-rotating East Coast oysters, from Canadian Eel Lakes to Sunken Meadows from Massachusetts, comes with a classic mignonette that benefits from being composed à la minute every time, so the shallots retain their bite (rather than pickle) in the rosé vinegar and still-fragrant fresh-cracked peppercorns. The shrimp cocktail was notably tender and flavorful from a citrus-scented poach. And the crudos were also tasty, although I preferred the juicier early version of the scallop crudo, bathed in jalapeño-spiced honeydew-cucumber water, to the more sparely dressed current setup, with smoked olive oil and Korean chile flakes.

    A starter of creamy crab salad laced with chorizo oil conveniently cradled in endive spears was solid, but also perhaps a bit boring in a passed-hors d’oeuvres kind of way. It reflected an occasional finger-food aesthetic here, a propensity to lend familiar favorites extra polish for elevated, no-fuss nibbling; that never, however, came with any culinary shortcuts.

    The tidiness impulse is especially clear with Tesiny’s labor-intensive chicken lollipops. Drumsticks of Green Circle chicken are “Frenched” to offer a clean bone handle for the poultry mallets that are double-crisped in rice flour, like Korean fried chicken. Glazed in an orange hot sauce made with Fresno chilies and infused with seafood trim (shrimp shells and scallop “feet”), the lollipops are visually appealing. But for a dish that also wants to evoke Buffalo wings, the sauce’s subtle flavors aren’t quite punchy enough for the maximum impact.

    The chicken lollipops at Tesiny are double-fried and glazed in a chile-tomato sauce that’s also infused with seafood trim.
    The broiled oysters at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    Restraint was not the issue with my favorite seafood starter here: a platter of charbroiled Indian Cove oysters that arrive in a pool of Calabrian chile butter, which requires at least one order of Mighty Bread sourdough to mop up from the shells. Whatever crusts are left over, you can swipe through the silky white bean purée that sits beneath the tender grilled octopus topped with harissa-spiced olives and fennel.

    Valent’s winter green salad was also remarkably and unexpectedly delicious, its crunchy Little Gem and frisée greens dressed in a citrusy Champagne vinaigrette balanced by toasted almonds and the nutty Alpine richness of shaved Comté.

    The bar at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    What to order from Tesiny’s gorgeous bar to accompany all this food? The well-crafted cocktails, many infused with fortified wines, are the most popular place to start. I especially enjoyed Not a Fender, a briny pink riff on a Gibson martini made with pickled red onions, olive oil-washed gin, and a splash of manzanilla sherry. And Tesiny’s thoughtful nonalcoholic offerings were so appealing that we ordered the blood orange-thyme fizz topped with creamsicle foam — and loved it — after spotting another couple order it across the chef’s counter.

    The pink Gibson: Olive-oil washed vodka and gin, pickled red onion brine, manzanilla sherry.
    The Return of Saturn cocktail and Fizz mocktial at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    To pair with the handful of larger plates clustered at the bottom of the menu, it’s worth exploring the wines, an interest of both Biederman (who’s passed her Level 3 Wine and Spirits Education Trust exam) and Reyes-Brannan, a front-house veteran from Tria and Laser Wolf. Reyes-Brannan is partial to the food-friendly acidity of high-altitude wines from Europe, but he’s also been an enthusiastic ambassador for a Mexican version of nebbiolo from Casa Jipi. Lighter and juicier than Italian iterations, it’s a fine match for the juicy Wagyu culotte steak topped with cornmeal-fried oysters. It works equally well with the earthy grilled mushrooms that came dusted with chimichurri over a plate of warm polenta (recently updated to farro risotto).

    The nebbiolo was also a good match for Tesiny’s single best bite: a 5-ounce burger special called the Lil’ Kahuna, made from the trim of bluefin tuna belly and Ibérico pork shoulder. It’s a remarkably meaty patty with a subtle shade of rich tuna on the finish that shows off Valent’s ability to experiment with something new. It’s limited to just eight or so per night, which means it’s worth coming early. The effort also bodes well as Tesiny prepares to grow its menu and take some chances with larger plates for two, perhaps as soon as this spring.

    The Lil’ Kahuna burger from Tesiny, a blend of bluefin tuna and Ibérico pork.

    Dessert for two here is already a thing. And you’ll likely be dueling spoons for the espresso-chocolate mousse that Valent serves like a sundae topped with a wave of whipped cream, caramel cocoa nibs, and real maraschino cherries. Order a raisiny sweet pour of Pedro Ximénez from the impressive list of fortified wines — another quirky passion of Biederman’s, rooted in her days of studying abroad in Mallorca and her time at Oloroso.

    Is Philly ready for a renaissance of Bual Madeira and vintage Kopke Port? If Lauren Biederman has a hunch, I wouldn’t bet against her. Tesiny is more proof she has a vision worth paying attention to.

    The Chocolate Coffee Mousse at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.

    Tesiny

    719 Dickinson St., 267-467-4343; tesiny.com

    Dinner Wednesday through Saturday, 5-10 p.m.

    Sharing plates, $15-$38

    Wheelchair accessible

    Menu highlights: raw bar (raw oysters, shrimp cocktail, tuna crudo); broiled oysters; winter salad; chicken lollipops; charred branzino; Ibérico pork; grilled mushrooms; Lil’ Kahuna tuna burger special; chocolate-coffee mousse.

    At least 75% of the menu is gluten-free or can be modified.

    Drinks: Creative and well-crafted takes on classic cocktails, frequently made with fortified wines, are the main draw. The wine program is deliberate in its focus on oyster-friendly Euro classics (Sardininian vermentino; muscadet), with an appealing collection of sparklers (try Red Tail Ridge from the Finger Lakes). Finish with a pour of vintage port or Madeira from one of the city’s better collections of fortified wines.

    The logo on the door at Tesiny on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Philadelphia.
  • Dirty Franks bans 24-year-olds and under after a deluge of high-tech fake IDs

    Dirty Franks bans 24-year-olds and under after a deluge of high-tech fake IDs

    A fake ID featuring a photo of Ben Franklin was the last straw.

    “It legitimately scanned,” said Jody Sweitzer, owner of the iconic Philly dive Dirty Franks.

    Elaborate fake IDs and the influx of underage people using them to crowd into the Center City bar has led Sweitzer to impose a new rule: To enter, customers must be at least 25.

    The new policy went into effect about two weeks ago.

    The fake ID that successfully scanned when checked for legitimacy and caused Dirty Franks to institute an 25-year-old age minimum.

    Sweitzer said the age minimum is temporary. “Until we can actually acquire a system that’s capable of determining what’s a fake ID,” she said. “[After that,] we’ll go back to 21 and over.”

    For years, Dirty Franks has routinely scanned patrons’ drivers licenses and ID cards at the front door, but Sweitzer cited a rise of falsified documentation — as well as customers vaping and even a few who brought in their own booze — as giving her cause for concern that her business could be thrown into jeopardy.

    “I want to stay open,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

    In online forums and in conversation, older Dirty Franks patrons had recently reported that, on weekends especially, the bar at 13th and Pine Streets was so packed with young patrons that the college-age crowd pushed out a lot of regulars.

    Bartender Patty waits on customers at Dirty Franks, at 347 S. 13th St., in 2021.

    Sweitzer said she and the bar’s staff noticed the uptick in younger patrons with scannable IDs with official holograms after the pandemic. Often, she said, those customers would post photos and TikToks of themselves at the bar at 347 S. 13th St. — leading to Franks’ rising popularity among the younger set. (Historically, the bar has attracted plenty of postgrads, creative types, and a deep bench of mixed-age regulars.)

    “We’ve always been a dive bar,” Sweitzer said. “Anyone who calls us a college bar is vastly misguided.”

    Philly’s ultimate dive bar map

    She said that the surge in volume resulted in an overall sales bump at first, but that it leveled off shortly thereafter. “It was quantity over quality,” she said. “So [revenue] stayed the same. You just had to work harder.”

    Jody Sweitzer, co-owner of Dirty Franks, offers remarks during their annual customers celebration on March 1, 2020.

    Late last year, Sweitzer contacted the Tavern Association in Harrisburg and asked if she could change the age limit, something she had heard another Philly bar had done in the past. She learned that she was OK to make house rules.

    Then the ID featuring a 24-year-old Ben Franklin came along. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Sweitzer said, adding that she’s spoken with scanner manufacturers but hasn’t yet found a higher-tech alternative.

    “If you can find a scanner that can’t be fooled,” Sweitzer said, “I will buy it.”

    Those affected by the age policy are less than thrilled. Nate Weinberg, 22, and a recent Temple graduate who has enjoyed visiting Franks, found the policy change “kind of peculiar.”

    “I know a lot of people are not happy,” he said. “I never witnessed any issues the times that I had been there.”

    Dirty Franks

    The new age limit, however, seems to have gone over well with Franks regulars, who say they now enjoy a roomier bar and are excited to have a place to sit again.

    Lance Saunders, a longtime patron, said he is in favor of the change.

    “Hell yeah,” said Saunders, 41, “I am a Dirty Franks faithful and I appreciate whatever Jody and her team has to do to make the staff and valued regulars feel welcome in their own damn bar.”

  • Look for this term when picking a chardonnay that’s fresher and brighter

    Look for this term when picking a chardonnay that’s fresher and brighter

    While it may not be in the average American’s vocabulary, the wine trade term “unoaked” — found on this wine’s label — is now formally recognized as a word by most dictionaries. It refers to wines or spirits that do not come into contact with wood in the winemaking process and therefore do not feature the constellation of sensory traits that are traditionally imparted to wine through either fermentation or aging in oak barrels.

    Oaky wines feature the distinctive tastes and smells of toasted oak — a nutty, caramelized quality reminiscent of vanilla, bourbon, and dessert spices. While oakiness is present in the vast majority of premium red wines, it doesn’t stand out as vividly as it does in white wines, so is rarely mentioned by the winery. As a result, the word unoaked is almost invariably used as a white wine descriptor, since in this category it has both a useful descriptive meaning and positive connotations from a marketing perspective. Chardonnay is the main white grape whose wines become more desirable when they are oaked, so it is also the main style where customers may be actively seeking an unoaked version.

    This unoaked chardonnay from California is an atypical example in that it is both lighter bodied and fresher tasting than the winery’s premium, barrel-fermented offering. Made entirely in stainless steel tanks, it is also decidedly more refreshing, with more prominent snappy acidity. Its flavor profile is of fresh-picked orchard fruits like golden apples and ripe green pears, with a juicy touch of cantaloupe.

    Joel Gott Unoaked Chardonnay

    Joel Gott “Unoaked” chardonnay

    California; 13.8% alcohol

    PLCB Item #4010 — on sale for $14.99 through March 1 (regularly $16.99)

    Also available at: Canal’s of Berlin Discount Liquor Mart in Berlin, N.J. ($11.99; canalsofberlin.com), Wine Warehouse in Mantua ($12.98; mantua.winewarehousenj.com), Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken ($13.99; canalsliquors.com).

  • A first look at Side Eye, the French-ish bar opening (finally!) in Queen Village

    A first look at Side Eye, the French-ish bar opening (finally!) in Queen Village

    Sixth and Bainbridge’s French scene is coming back with the new Side Eye, an all-day bar opening Saturday in the mid-19th-century building that housed the late, great Bistrot La Minette.

    Owner Hank Allingham has shifted away from La Minette’s tightly focused French bistro style in favor of what he calls “French-ish” food alongside beer, $13 cocktails, and European wines.

    Side Eye owner Hank Allingham (left) with lead bartender Ryan Foster inside the bistro.

    Side Eye is meant to be flexible — “the kind of neighborhood spot you can use for most situations,” Allingham said. “You can come for a date-night dinner, eat alone at the bar, or watch a game.”

    This is the ownership debut of Allingham, who grew up locally and spent his previous career working in restaurant finance and operations for companies such as Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, Conn., and P.J. Clarke’s in New York and Philadelphia.

    The exterior of Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St.

    When it came time to open his own place, he and his wife, Kat, wanted to be in South Philadelphia and searched broadly between South Street and Snyder Avenue.

    “I know this isn’t technically ‘South Philly,’ but Queen Village is beautiful and incredibly historic,” he said. “A lot of the facades — including this one — are really special, and from a curb-appeal standpoint, it’s hard to complain.”

    A bourbon old fashioned, hot penicillin, and vieux pommier at Side Eye.

    The location at 623 S. Sixth St. was, in fact, a dream home for the Allinghams’ restaurant. Shortly after moving back to Philadelphia, the couple dined at Bistrot La Minette before its closing in mid-2024. “We remember saying to each other, ‘If only this space ever became available,’” Allingham said. “Then it did.”

    The opening, initially targeted to December, has been a case of hurry up and wait. “The holidays just sort of slowed the world down, frankly. When we got approval on Dec. 17, I was fairly certain we were going to be waiting awhile just because of the timing.”

    The Side Eye team (from left): Abbey Smith, front of house manager, Ryan Foster, lead bartender, Finn Connors, chef, and Hank Allingham, owner.

    Side Eye is named in memory of the couple’s dog Sheba, who would at first give the side eye to anyone she didn’t know. She died in 2021.

    The cozy room includes a 20-seat bar (relocated to the opposite wall), with an additional 12 seats along a rail. There are 40 seats in the dining room, a rear dining room with 16 additional seats, and a seasonal patio.

    In the kitchen is executive chef Finn Connors, most recently at Sally in Fitler Square, with earlier experience at Wilder and Osteria. Connors makes nearly everything in house, including breads, pastries, pastas, and desserts.

    Tagliolini at Side Eye.

    Dishes include tagliolini tossed with café de Paris butter; peppercorn burger finished with jus and Fromager d’Affinois on a seeded bun; French onion soup with 12-month Comté; triple-cooked frites; moules marinières with baguette, crab fat, nori, witbier, and crème fraîche; and stuffed cabbage filled with braised short rib, mushroom duxelles, and tomato Bordelaise. Desserts include a classic crème caramel, served warm and finished with salt.

    Menus will shift throughout the day from lunch into dinner. Ninety minutes before closing, the kitchen will pare things back and add a late-night menu with snacks such as a raw bar with oysters on the half shell and shrimp cocktail.

    Side Eye owner Hank Allingham prepping tables inside the bistro.

    The beverage program, overseen by Messina Social Club alumnus Ryan Foster, includes eight cocktails priced at $13, eight draft beers, and a French-leaning wine list highlighting small producers.

    Side Eye eventually will be selling wine to go, with bottles displayed along the outer portions of the back bar, in a retail-style presentation similar to the one at South Philadelphia favorite Fountain Porter. The to-go selection, largely separate from the by-the-glass list, will rotate regularly, beginning with six reds, six whites, a few sparklings, skin-contact wines, and a rosé.

    Among the beers will be Budweiser served in frozen mugs.

    Budweiser?

    “Because we like it,” Allingham said.

    Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St. Hours on opening weekend: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 5 to 11 p.m. Sunday. Hours starting Feb. 9: noon to midnight Monday through Thursday, noon to 1 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Fifty percent of Feb. 7’s proceeds will be donated to People’s Kitchen.

    The exterior of Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St.
  • A Main Line town leads the charge of new Philly-area restaurants for February

    A Main Line town leads the charge of new Philly-area restaurants for February

    February’s crop of restaurant openings includes two restaurants’ expansions to Narberth, a reopened brewery in South Jersey, a chic restaurant/lounge in Center City, an intriguing wine bar/bottle shop in Chestnut Hill, and two French newcomers.

    Restaurants can take awhile and owners are often hesitant to pinpoint an opening date. I’ve listed the targeted day where possible; for the rest, check social media.

    Duo Restaurant & Bar (90 Haddon Ave., Westmont): Brothers Artan and Arber Murtaj and Andi and Tony Lelaj, who own the Old World-style Italian Il Villaggio in Cherry Hill, are taking over Haddon Avenue’s former Keg & Kitchen with a pub serving a bar menu supplemented with seafood.

    Eclipse Brewing (25 E. Park Ave., Merchantville): Last August, food trucker Megan Hilbert of Red’s Rolling Restaurant became one of the youngest brewery owners in New Jersey when she bought this 9-year-old Camden County brewery, open as of Friday.

    Lassan Indian Traditional (232 Woodbine Ave., Narberth): The second location of the well-regarded Lafayette Hill Indian BYOB takes over the long-ago Margot space in Narberth.

    LeoFigs, 2201 Frankford Ave., as seen in January 2026.

    LeoFigs (2201 Frankford Ave.): Justice and Shannon Figueras promise the delivery of their long-awaited bar/restaurant, with an urban winery in the basement, at Frankford and Susquehanna in Fishtown. The food menu will be built around comfort-leaning small plates.

    The bubbly selection at Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill.

    Lovat Square (184 E. Evergreen Ave.): Damien Graef and Robyn Semien (also owners of Brooklyn wine shop Bibber & Bell) are taking over Chestnut Hill’s former Top of the Hill Market/Mimi’s Café property for a multiphased project: first a wine shop with indoor seating, then a courtyard with a full dinner menu, followed later by a cocktail bar/restaurant component. Opens Feb. 12

    Malooga (203 Haverford Ave., Narberth): The Old City Yemeni restaurant is expanding to Narberth with lunch and dinner service plus a bakery, with expanded indoor/outdoor seating and space for groups.

    Mi Vida (34 S. 11th St.): Washington, D.C.-based restaurant group Knead Hospitality + Design is bringing its upscale Mexican concept to East Market, next to MOM’s Organic Market. Target opening is Feb. 18.

    MOTW Coffee & Pastries (2101 Market St): Mahmood Islam and Samina Akbar are behind this franchise of Muslims of the World Coffee, offering a third-space experience at the Murano.

    Napa Kitchen & Wine (3747 Equus Blvd., Newtown Square): A California-inspired restaurant rooted in Midlothian, Va., opens in Ellis Preserve with an extensive domestic and international wine list in a polished setting. Opens Feb. 9.

    Ocho Supper Club (210 W. Rittenhouse Square): Chef RJ Smith’s Afro-Caribbean fine-dining supper club starts a six-month residency at the Rittenhouse Hotel, tied to the Scarpetta-to-Ruxton transition, serving tasting menus through July. Now open.

    Piccolina (301 Chestnut St.): A low-lit Italian restaurant and cocktail bar at the Society Hill Hotel from Michael Pasquarello (Cafe Lift, La Chinesca, Prohibition Taproom). Targeting next week

    Pretzel Day Pretzels (1501 S. Fifth St.): James and Annie Mueller’s pretzel-delivery operation is becoming a takeout shop in the former Milk + Sugar space in Southwark. Expect classic soft pretzels plus German-style variations (including Swabian-style) and stuffed options.

    Merriment at the bar at Savu, 208 S. 13th St.

    Savú (208 S. 13th St.): Kevin Dolce’s Hi-Def Hospitality has converted the former Cockatoo into a modern, bi-level dining and late-night lounge with a New American menu from chef Maulana Muhammad; it just soft-opened for dinner Thursday through Sunday and weekend brunch.

    Bar-adjacent seating at Side Eye.

    Side Eye (623 S. Sixth St.): Hank Allingham’s all-day neighborhood bar takes over for Bistrot La Minette with “French-ish” food from chef Finn Connors, plus cocktails, European-leaning wines, beer, and a late-night menu. Opens 5 p.m. Feb. 7 with 50% of the night’s proceeds going to the People’s Kitchen.

    Soufiane at the Morris (225 S. Eighth St): Soufiane Boutiliss and Christophe Mathon (Sofi Corner Café) say there’s a 90% chance of a February opening for their new spot at the Morris House Hotel off Washington Square. It’s billed as an elegant-but-approachable restaurant inspired by classic French bouillons/brasseries, with a menu spanning small plates and full entrées alongside Moroccan-influenced tagines. Expect evening service indoors, daytime service outdoors.

    South Sichuan II (1537 Spring Garden St.): A second location for the popular Point Breeze Sichuan takeout/delivery specialist, near Community College of Philadelphia; this one will offer more seating.

    Zsa’s Ice Cream (6616 Germantown Ave.): The Mount Airy shop’s end-of-2025 “grand closing” proved short-lived after a sale to local pastry chef Liz Yee. Reopened Feb. 7.

    Looking ahead

    March openings are in the offing for the much-hyped PopUp Bagels in Ardmore, as well as the long-delayed Terra Grill (a stylish room in Northern Liberties’ Piazza Alta) and ILU (the low-lit Spanish tapas bar) in Kensington.

  • 12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs

    12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs

    Some of the region’s most romantic meals aren’t happening at buzzy hotspots or white-tablecloth institutions. They unfold in neighborhood fixtures you may have overlooked, suburban newcomers still flying under the radar, or dining rooms better known to locals than Instagram. Here are a dozen such places — newer openings and longtime standbys where intimacy comes from lighting, pacing, service, and the feeling that the room is yours for the night. — Michael Klein

    Abyssinia

    The promise of romance sparks when a combo platter hits your table at this time-honored West Philly restaurant with a not-so-secret bar upstairs. Maybe you and your lover’s fingers graze as you tear the same piece of spongy injera, or your hands touch while scooping up a pile of doro wot, a delectably spicy and berbere-laden chicken stew. First called Red Sea when it opened in 1983, Abyssinia is considered Philly’s first Ethiopian restaurant and has an unofficial rep as nothing more than a neighborhood spot or the place for a large-yet-affordable group dinner. That doesn’t mean it isn’t without its own brand of first (or fifth, or 500th) date magic: The waitstaff is small, which means you’ll have more than enough time to run through the get-to-know-you questions and stare into each other’s eyes before your platter arrives, distracting you with garlicky beef tibs or aromatic misir wot. If things are going well, head to Upstairs at Abyssinia, the charming second-floor cocktail bar formerly known as Fiume with a rotating schedule of live music and comedy shows. — Beatrice Forman

    229 S. 45th St., 215-387-2424, instagram.com/abyssiniabarrestaurant

    Casablanca Mediterranean Grill

    One moment, you’re standing in the Italian Market, the next you’ve been transported to a Middle Eastern living room tented with richly embroidered fabrics, a flickering hearth, and kilim-draped couches beside low tables with brass trays. The name suggests Morocco, but the Baruki brothers, Walid and Talal, draw on their Lebanese and Syrian background for a pan-Mediterranean experience. The prix-fixe menu required on weekends and during special events is ideal for couples and friendly double-daters who like to relax and share, grazing first on a trio of mezze (cumin-y slow-roasted eggplant is the star) before diving into the generous entrees. Tender Moroccan roast chicken with lemon and green olives was my favorite (order it mild, with a side of fresh harissa spice), while the Syrian-style mujadara of bulgur wheat, lentils, and caramelized onions is a vegan winner. Uncork a bottle of Lebanese red wine from the full bar, settle into your pouf, and linger over some a la carte menu extras (like the silky signature hummus with spiced ground beef) until complimentary baklava and sweet mint tea arrive to send you dreamily back into the South Philly night. — Craig LaBan

    Casablanca Mediterranean Grill, 947 Federal St., 267-324-5165; casablanca-grill.com

    Coco Thai Bistro

    The atmosphere inside this Narberth BYOB is a cross between a tropical greenhouse and Anthropologie’s home decor section. Plants line the walls and wrap around the staircase of the two-story dining room, with monstera leaves and elephant ears folding over tables and chairs. A hefty dose of twinkle lights adds to the atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see older couples alongside high school sweethearts celebrating their one-month anniversary. There’s a solid menu that combines homestyle Thai curries with street food. Think fried grouper fillets to dip in a chili and garlic sauce, or pad kra tiem (a garlic-pepper stir fry). Corkage is just $5, so you can splurge on dessert: tang yuan, or rice balls stuffed with black sesame paste, served in a bowl of warm ginger tea. It’s like a wintery version of mochi. — Beatrice Forman

    231 Haverford Ave., Narberth, 610-667-7634, cocobistro.com

    Jolene’s

    This chic, modern West Chester bistro from 3 West Hospitality (who also own the less-upscale Slow Hand, Square Bar, Jitters, and Brickette Lounge) blends French-leaning food with a strong cocktail and wine list in a moody, unstuffy dining room with a semiprivate adjacent bar. The downtown location makes it easy to turn dinner into a longer night, with a walk afterward or a second stop nearby. It’s romantic in a social, lively way — ideal for date nights that start with dinner and stretch into drinks and conversation. — Michael Klein

    29 E. Gay St., West Chester, 484-999-3656, joleneswc.com

    La Belle Epoque

    Named after France’s golden age, La Belle Epoque has been a Media staple for more than 20 years, serving Burgundy-style French cuisine in a quaint dining room that looks not unlike an Emily in Paris backdrop. The restaurant has an extensive wine list with bottles that hit seemingly every region of France — rosé from the Rhône Valley, riesling from Alsace, and sauvignon blanc from Bordeaux — alongside a menu of hearty bistro entrees. There’s the classic steak frites and filet mignon with potatoes, but the way to really impress your date is to try something a tad more adventurous, like escargots de Bourgogne (chewy snails served in the shell with a garlic-butter sauce), pan-roasted duck in a sweet pomegranate and red wine reduction, or bucatini topped with chanterelles and a dollop of caviar. Planning to go the distance with your boo? Make plans to return in the summer for Dining Under the Stars, Media’s yearly open streets program that adds an extra layer of romance. — Beatrice Forman

    38 W. State St., Media, 610-566-6808, labellebistro.com

    L’Olivo Trattoria

    This new Northern Italian-leaning trattoria brings a sense of warmth and familiarity to Exton’s Eagleview Town Center, where chef Francis Pascal and wife Nui (Birchunville Store Cafe and Butterscotch Pastry Shop) have jazzed up the former Suburban Restaurant & Beer Garden. There’s a hushed air of formality in the dining room, while those seeking more energy opt for the bar or adjacent lounge seating. Pay close attention to the pastas, notably the luscious creste di gallo napped in ricotta and lemon zest, and the signature perciatelli Nui Nui, which Pascal created for his Thailand-born wife: hollow, bucatini-like perciatelli tossed in a rich Thai red curry sauce with coconut milk, lemongrass, and chunks of Maine lobster. Italian labels predominate the wine list, although the cocktail shakers get quite the workout, too. — Michael Klein

    L’Olivo Trattoria, 570 Wellington Square (Eagleview Town Center), Exton, 610-340-8115, lolivotrattoria.com

    Malbec Argentinian Steakhouse

    At first glance, this Argentinian steakhouse doesn’t exactly scream “romantic”: The cowprint pillows, framed photos of cowboys, and signature large hunks of steak are not for couples seeking an upscale-steakhouse level of fancy. But what Malbec excels at is the details: flan is served in the shape of a heart, a staff who will gladly pipe “felicidades” in caramel sauce on the plate for anniversary or engagement dinners, a showstopping paradilla platter intended for two. The last combines a marbled short rib with skirt steak, chorizo, and blood sausage (debatedly an aphrodisiac) spiced with onions and a hint of cinnamon. Less carnivorous couples can opt for the seafood paella for two, which comes in a cast-iron skillet piled high with saffron rice, calamari, shrimp, and mussels. Naturally, the wine list features more than a dozen Argentinian malbecs, including one of the world’s first white varieties. — Beatrice Forman

    400 S. Second St., 215-515-3899; malbecsteakhouse.com

    Mary

    Serial entrepreneur Chad Rosenthal’s latest spot in downtown Ambler is a compact BYOB whose bar serves as intimate side-by-side seating while the two- and four-tops along the walls give adequate privacy. Count on steady, unpretentious service and Rosenthal’s tight but creative menu — usually just a few starters (like a grilled cheese tartine and coq au vin chicken wings) and four entrees (steak frites au poivre and a showstopping burger with melted provolone over slow-simmered onions and banana peppers). — Michael Klein

    Mary, 47 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 267-468-7580, maryambler.com

    Northridge at Woolverton Inn

    Up a winding country road and through the trees, corporate career-changers Mary and Mario Passalacqua have restored the 1830s stone barn adjacent to their country inn into a restaurant and event space that’s minutes from downtown Stockton and the Delaware River. Beneath a cathedral ceiling is Northridge’s intimate dining room, complete with a fireplace, rustic charm, warm lighting, and enough room between tables to keep conversations private. It’s BYOB, though they sell wines from nearby Federal Twist Vineyards. Chef Lance Knowling’s prix-fixe menu — two courses, but opt for a third so you can linger longer — leans toward seasonal American comfort food, including steaks. Note that Sunday supper is à la carte and usually includes Kansas City-style barbecue ribs. — Michael Klein

    Northridge at Woolverton Inn, 6 Woolverton Rd., Stockton, N.J., 609-397-0802, northridgebarn.com

    Revell Hall

    Chef Joey Sergentaki and partners are breathing new life into the former Cafe Gallery/Riverview in downtown Burlington. Their High Street restaurant balances historic character with a polished dining room located peacefully away from the industrial-chic, concrete-topped cocktail bar, which can get noisy at happy hour. The menu is built for sharing — seafood, meats, and globally influenced dishes that encourage tasting across the table. By day, the Delaware River views are spectacular, while in the evening the dining room glows beneath globe lighting. — Michael Klein

    Revell Hall, 219 High St., Burlington, N.J., 609-232-7555, revellhall.com

    Spring Mill Cafe

    Set in a 19th-century farmhouse just a short drive from Conshohocken’s office parks, this country-French BYOB has been one of the Philadelphia area’s most quietly romantic spots since chef Michele Haines opened in 1978. Low ceilings, candlelight, and small, well-spaced tables encourage conversation, while the menu — now overseen by son Ezra — features comfort classics like pâté, rabbit, and slow-cooked meats. Count on friendly, unhurried service. In warmer months, the garden patio adds another layer of charm, especially at dusk. Spring Mill isn’t flashy or trendy. It’s romantic in the old-fashioned sense, built around the feeling that time has slowed down for the night. — Michael Klein

    164 Barren Hill Rd., Conshohocken, 610-828-2550, springmill.com

    Stina

    Maybe it’s the quirky, eclectic gold-framed art carefully jigsawed onto the warm brick walls. Maybe it’s Melina Mercouri’s husky voice wafting through the speakers, entangled with the strains of a bouzouki. Or maybe it’s the warmth that emanates from Stina’s live-fire brick oven. But put all of these things together and wrap them up with plates of tender grilled octopus, shatteringly crisp spanakopita, and beef-filled dolmades (all generously portioned but not too big for two to share) and you have magic. Stina is an impossibly charming BYOB, a perfect venue to huddle at a small table with your love. You may also feel the love of its married owners, chef Bobby Saritsoglou and Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou (for whom the restaurant is named). Their love for one another and for their community is felt in every carefully considered crevice of the restaurant. — Kiki Aranita

    1705 Snyder Ave., 215-337-3455, stinaphiladelphia.com