Cafe Ayla is a small byob Thai restaurant cafe that recently opened at the corner of Sixth and Morris Streets, a few blocks off of East Passyunk. This husband and wife owned restaurant by Nina Thivarath and Christian Reneau was named after the couple’s adorable newborn, who you will often find in the restaurant with her parents. The couple are involved in every process of the wonderful decoration and delicious menu. We’ve visited the cafe during Christmas season and witnessed the festive decorations and warm welcome. We ate up the drunken noodles and enjoyed their crispy duck served with Th ..read more

Cafe Vinh Long is a family-owned Vietnamese cafe located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia. This authentic coffee shop has been a staple along the 7th st business corridor for nearly 20 years. The neighborhood has changed plenty throughout the decades, but the made-to-order Vietnamese hoagie (banh mi) and coffee (ca phe) has remained the same as when the shop first opened. The owners brought the recipes and coffee extraction method from South Vietnam when they arrived in Philadelphia in the late 80’s. They opened Cafe Vinh Long (originally named Minh Chau) at a time w ..read more

Charcuterie and cheese are amongst the best things in life. We’ve listed some of our favorite spots in Philadelphia for charcuterie boards below. (The cheese list will be much longer.) Tria 1137 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tria has three locations in the city, all worth checking out. The mostarda on the charcuterie board really makes it. Get the charcuterie board, some featured cheese, and your choice of wine or beer. Royal Boucherie 52 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 Chef Nick Elmi puts together a delicately thorough charcuterie board with items like foie gras terrine, pate, wild boar ..read more

Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a program that empowers underserved youth through the culinary arts by providing job training, life skills, and work opportunities. C-CAP partners with 150 public high schools throughout the country to support 15,000 students nationwide each year to develop their interest and skills for careers in the culinary and hospitality industry. Every year for the past five years, C-CAP Philadelphia has hosted an Ignite Benefit to raise donation for the program. We were fortunate enough to attend this year’s benefit at the Crystal Tea Room to enjoy the gr ..read more

The best cheesesteak in Philadelphia debate is a tiresome and endless one. Every Philadelphian has their personal favorite spot and every other person will tell you that Geno’s and Pat’s are tourist traps. We are not going to resolve the great cheesesteak debate today, but we will attempt to address the Dalessandro’s versus Chubby’s one once and for all. Dalessandro’s and Chubby’s come up regularly when you ask a local for the best cheesesteak recommendation. Usually, Dalessandro’s is mentioned and someone will quickly tell you to check out the underrated Chubby’s across the street. The two sh ..read more

We are not so bold as to declare Angelo’s Pizzeria the best in Philadelphia, but isn’t it? Angelo’s Pizzeria served their famous thick-crusted cheesy upside-down in Haddonfield for years before moving to South Philly earlier this year. Angelo’s Pizzeria is currently located in Bella Vista in South Philly. They open noon-9pm daily, are closed Mondays, and have no phone you can reach. You cannot order in advance and must line up after they open to place your order. You can follow them on social media for updates in case they sell out early. Otherwise, it’s total gamble. But trust us, it’s a wor ..read more

Wander Inn in South Philly is hosting a Halloween party on October 31st with pet and human costume contests, Jell-O shots, trick-or-treats, and more. If you’re still looking for things to do this holiday, join this neighborhood party for some of the best wings and whiskey city-wide. Wander Inn hosts various events throughout the year, with many seasonal parties. Wander Inn was once the name of a popular watering hole in Point Breeze where American Sardine Bar now stands. Currently, Wander Inn refers to the neighborhood bar at 3rd and Porter st in Whitman. Jonn Klein of The Dive and Watkins Dr ..read more

Musi BYOB, which opened earlier this year in the Pennsport neighborhood of South Philly, won a spot on Eater’s national list of the best new restaurants in America.  Musi is an intimate BYOB restaurant in South Philadelphia where chef Ari Miller pioneers relationship-based cuisine, focusing on the farmers, foragers, and makers supplying the goods for his peak-season and flavor-packed plates. Chef Ari Miller is an alum of Zahav and High Street on Market. Named for chef Ari Miller’s legendary fishmonger in Tel Aviv, Musi serves relationship-based cuisine. Each plate is intentional and re ..read more

Philadelphia is not a barbecue town. That is not to say that we do not have some amazing barbecue joints. South Philadelphia Smokhaus, once lauded as one of the best barbecue spot in Philadelphia, closed after a short stint in the Bok Building in South Philly. The shop was a brainchild of Eric Daelhousen, along with Robert Passio of Reading Terminal Market’s Giunta’s Prime. Smokhaus’ closure was a great loss to Philadelphia and its emerging, yet struggling barbecue scene.           View this post on Instagram                   Missing the burn ..read more