Where to Eat in Northeast Philly
This article was originally published by Philadelphia Magazine. Read the full story there.
Bishos
Masterful falafel and more
In a city that thinks it knows dishes like hummus and falafel back to front, a journey to Bishos might seem like a tough sell. One bite of the bright green, moist falafel and tahini-heavy hummus, though, and you’ll see why it’s a requirement. In addition to excellent and freshly made versions of more common dishes like baba ghanoush and foul, Bishos serves wraps made with tender, flaky saj bread (like something between fresh flour tortillas and buttery naan), baked in-house and filled with spiced beef and lamb shawarma, garlicky tomiya, fresh tomatoes and pickles. Wash it all down with the lemonana, a slushee packed with fresh lime and mint, for the most refreshing sip in town. 7950 Oxford Avenue.
The Guardhouse Café
Grilled cheese, kelp salad, great wi-fi
In a sunny stand-alone building just inside the gates of the Frankford Arsenal office park north of Bridesburg, you’ll find the Guardhouse Café — a chef-driven operation with a menu that ranges from croque madame and almond butter and brûlée banana on cinnamon brioche to fried maitake mushrooms, kelp salad, and big-ass grilled cheese sandwiches. Whichever way you go, you’ll be pleased with the sunny surroundings and very strong wi-fi connection. 2275 Bridge Street.
Kim’s BBQ
Come hungry — and bring friends
The first thing you’ll notice at Kim’s BBQ is the smell of charcoal. This long-standing Korean barbecue spot still uses charcoal grills to grill your kalbi, pork belly and (if you really know what you’re doing) tomahawk steak, and the friendly staffers cooking for you know exactly what they’re doing with those grills. Your table will be loaded down with pea leaf salad, rice and lettuce for wrapping your meat, and a variety of kimchi and pickles to clear your palate in between bites. Go with at least four people for maximum eating capacity (and variety), and don’t forget to ask for refills of any banchan you polish off. 5955 North 5th Street.
Fritay Lakay
Frying makes everything better
Fritay is a Haitian style of cooking that refers to any number of fried items. So let that be a lesson when ordering at Fritay Lakay: Anything from the fryer is going to be really good. The rotating selection of patties filled with beef, chicken and fish is a solid choice, as is the griot — a classic dish made with fried pork chunks. And whatever you do, don’t skip the pikliz — a kind of coleslaw made with spicy Scotch bonnet peppers that will balance out the richness of all the fried food. 6334 Rising Sun Avenue.
Gaeta’s Tomato Pies
Tomato pies that are worth the drive
Gaeta’s logo includes a very cute, very happy-looking tomato, tragically destined for the saucepot. Here, the tomato pies are baked fresh several times a day, served with a crisp crust and oregano-topped, sweet-salty tomato sauce. Gaeta’s pies are available at local grocers around Philadelphia, but that option should only be reserved for emergencies. It’s absolutely worth it to make the trip for the fresh pies, still slightly warm, and the kindness of the bakery staff. We promise you’ll leave looking just as happy as the tomato on that logo. 7616 Castor Avenue.
Chamas de Minas
The bakery is what matters
One side of Chamas de Minas is a Brazilian steakhouse. The other — and your destination, in this case — is a Brazilian bakery that serves a parade of treats like cuca de banana (a banana-topped cake soaked in syrup), coconut-topped buns, and the real star, a flan so tender and bitter with caramelized sugar that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Take your baked goods to go, or eat them at one of the bakery’s many tables with a cup of strong coffee. 8500 Bustleton Avenue.
China Gourmet
Food so good, you’ll want to move in
China Gourmet isn’t just one of the biggest Chinese restaurants in the city; it’s also one of the best, with a huge variety of daily dim sum served from roving carts as well as a large Cantonese seafood menu featuring various creatures pulled to order fresh from their tanks. But even after traditional daylight dim sum hours, the menu at China Gourmet is worth a special trip. The Peking duck is one of the best in the city, as are salty clams in black bean sauce and the addictive fried salt and pepper squid studded with scallions and fried shallots. 2842 St. Vincent Street.
Southampton Spa
Russian baths and borscht — don't question it
When I tell you that the dining room at the Southampton Spa is a fluorescently lit indoor swimming pool, your first thought might not be that you’d like to eat dumplings there. But trust me: When it comes to transportive dining experiences, there’s no competition. Southampton is a Russian-style spa, which means the borscht is hot pink, the cold plunge is punishing, and the saunas are kept so hot that any jewelry you forget to remove will scald you. For $55, you get a white terry-cloth bathrobe, a locker key, and the privilege of rotating between steam room, cold plunge and sauna until your body starts to feel heavy. That heaviness means two things: first, that you’re experiencing relaxation (remember relaxation?), and second, that it’s time to eat. Claim a table in the pool room and order a pot of tea, a Greek salad topped with savory Turkish pastirma (similar to pastrami), a bowl of borscht, and a platter of meat dumplings. The pelmeni are tender and slippery, just like you, and once you’ve eaten, it’s time to return to the torturous, delicious hot and cold of the spa rooms. Just be careful: You’ll think an hour has passed when really, it’s been all afternoon. 141 2nd Street Pike, Southampton.
This article was originally published by Philadelphia Magazine. Read the full story there.