Hip: Restaurants and Dining
There is plenty of action in Philadelphia's exploding, nationally noted restaurant scene
Though it’s best known for cheesesteaks, hoagies and soft pretzels, Philadelphia is one of the best dining-out towns in America, according to Esquire magazine restaurant critic John Mariani.
In South Philadelphia, family-owned Italian trattorias dot the landscape of row home-lined streets, and in Chinatown, wall-to-wall Asian restaurants keep the sidewalks bustling with visitors. On Walnut Street’s Restaurant Row, upscale eateries and outdoor cafes line the pavement, while in Northern Liberties and University City, casual upstarts have made these developing neighborhoods epicenters of eating.
Some of the most satisfying meals are dished out in the city’s affordable Bring-Your-Own-Bottle establishments (that’s BYOB for short), where passionate chefs who honed their skills in other great kitchens set out to make a name for themselves. Django, Chlöe and Matyson, in particular, have generated lots of buzz with their creative food and cozy settings.
But Philadelphians can be equally satisfied with a juicy cheesesteak from Pat’s, Geno’s or Jim’s, or with a hoagie — the local version of the Italian hero or submarine sandwich.