The Spicy Belly
Jamaican food and Korean food, two cuisines that have no business getting in bed together, somehow made it happen in Manayunk, where Korean-style double-fried wings look right at home next to a basket of smoky, spicy jerk chicken. 3847 Terrace Street, Philadelphia, PA 19128, thespicybelly.com.
Melissa Weller
This James Beard-nominated pastry chef came from New York’s famed Per Se to help open Walnut Street Café. Memories of her apple slab pie will stay with you long after you’ve licked the plate clean. Walnut Street Café: 2929 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, melissaweller.net.
Franklin’s Table
It’s not your typical college food hall. Instead of an omelet station and cereal dispensers, it’s a fast-casualized highlight reel of some of the best restaurant fare in Philly, from Double Knot sushi to Kensington Quarters burgers. 3401 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, shopsatpenn.com/franklins-table.
Tavern on Camac
Piano-bar sing-along (main floor) plus ass-shimmying dance club (upstairs) plus solid restaurant (basement; grab a burger before Ubering home) adds up to a night that’s totally worth the next-morning hangover. 243 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, tavernoncamac.com.
The Market at DelVal
Delaware Valley University’s locavore campus grocery stocks produce from the school’s fields and nearby Shady Brook Farm; it’s also home to a full-service bakery and a deli counter that slings hearty sandwiches. 2100 Lower State Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901, themarketatdelval.com.
Puppy Yoga
Don’t expect to do a lot of working out in this workout. It’s mostly about animal rescue orgs helping puppies find homes – and puppy snuggles. Lots of puppy snuggles. Popping up at studios like Amrita Yoga & Wellness and OpenBox Athletics.
Bob & Barbara’s Lounge
The longest-running drag show in Philly is still fresh (thanks to a rotating cast of Philly favorites and up-and-comers), still under the direction of show founder and iconic hostess Miss Lisa Lisa – and still the best $8 you can spend on a Thursday night. 1509 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, bobandbarbaras.com.
PucciManuli
This shop feels like the set of The Nutcracker, where items like heirloom rocking horses, model boats and life-size stuffed animals (some of which cost thousands of dollars) share space with sweet wooden puzzles, floppy teddies, and goods made by old-school crafters. 35 Cricket Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, puccimanuli.com.
Philadelphia Independents
The goodies here fall into the Brotherly Love vein (hand-drawn neighborhood maps, prints featuring neighborhood-centric designs) without veering into cheesiness. Everything is made in the Philadelphia area, so you're supporting local business when you buy that "Home Sweet Jawn" watercolor print. 35 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, philadelphiaindependents.com.
Tom's Dim Sum
The new Tom's Dim Sum squats under a bridge on 11th Street like some kind of troll's shack in a culinary fairy tale. The treasure here? Soup dumplings as big as toads, thin-skinned, juicy and perfect in their tin basket steamers. 59 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, tomsdimsum.com.
A Mano
Townsend Wentz and his chef, Michael Millon, want people to think that A Mano is just some little neighborhood Italian restaurant. But don't be fooled. A Mano is really a poor man's Vetri — a place where remarkable precision and care are brought to classic Italian pastas and entrées, resulting in something uniquely modern and uniquely Philadelphian. 2244 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130, amanophilly.com.
Sampan
Although Double Knot is getting all the love for being the cool new thing on the block, its next-door sister still kills it at happy hour, doing some of the same dishes you'll find at Double Knot (edamame dumplings, satay, kimchi fried rice) but with fewer crowds. 124 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, sampanphilly.com/#sampan.
Ploome Fitness & Lifestyle Boutique
If you can't make it to this NoLibs Pilates-and-barre studio, its arsenal of at-home mat workouts, accessed via a virtual membership or by joining Ploome's virtual fitness challenge, will kick your butt from wherever you set your laptop down. ploomephilly.com.
Purenergy Studio
You can hop from the TRX bands to the spin studio to an aerial yoga or barre class thanks to Paoli's new one-stop-shop fitness studio. The idea is to keep your mind and muscles busy with lots of workout options, accomplished (and then some) by way of more than 90 stellar classes a week. 21 Plank Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301, purenergystudio.com.
P90X Remix at Gravity Center
It's everything you love about the DVDs—core-crushing ab work, killer cardio, mobility-focused conditioning—in a motivating (read: competitive) group setting at this personal training studio inside the Horsham Athletic Club. Bring your game face, guys. 400 Horsham Road, Horsham, PA 19044, thegravitycenter.com/fitness/p90x-workouts.