Simagas Autodetailing
Abdoul Simaga seems to really hate dirt, grime and all sorts of filth. That’s what you’ll learn if you hire him to clean and detail your car. He goes deep and doesn’t rest until your baby looks sparklingly new. The Ivory Coast native does pop-up mobile detailing in parking lots along City Avenue, but for the best service (and so you don’t have to wait in the very long line), hire him to bring his thoroughly outfitted mobile detailing truck to your home.
Royal Tavern
In mid-2019, the beloved Royal Tavern closed its doors for some long-overdue renovations. The grand reopening of Royal lasted only a few months before the pandemic shut the whole thing down. While most restaurants reopened as soon as they could, this spot took its time, unlocking the doors only late last year. It was worth the wait. Yes, you can still get the famous Royal Burger. But now you can lead it off with chef Nic Macri’s housemade charcuterie and wash it down with a tipple off the revamped cocktail menu. We’ll drink to that. 937 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 10147, royaltavern.com.
Martha King
Martha King was a legacy on the Penn State Mont Alto woodsmen team, for which her dad, Rob King, once competed. He went on to open a tree service in Chadds Ford; she went on to become the team MVP and go to work for him and then, last summer, become the first lumberjill (yes, it’s a real thing) ever to win three U.S. titles in the Stihl Timbersports U.S. Women’s Championship. Chopping wood has taken the 35-year-old around the world — not to mention built up some awesome biceps. “Every day at work is a training session,” she says. instagram.com/sweeterstill_lumberjill.
Joey Chops
Steakhouses are dull. Oh, maybe they’re fine for preening hedge fund bros, reunion dinners and your grandpa, but these days any restaurant should be able to offer more than just thick steaks, cooked mid-rare, dressed in maitre d’ butter and served with some starch and veg. Thankfully, the team at Joey Chops feels the same way, and they’ve put just as much care and consideration into their lobster dumplings, airline chicken Milanese, blue crab deviled eggs and burrata ravioli as they have into the dry-aged ribeye and the New York strip. 245 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, PA 19355, joeychops.com.
Black Girl Joy Bike Ride
Photograph by Linette Messina When West Philly’s Iresha Picot realized some of her friends didn’t know how to ride a bike, she took matters into her own hands, launching this free biweekly recreational cycling group in 2023. Her aim was simple: to get more Black women and girls on bicycles. And it’s worked. A year later, Picot’s “gentle” communal rides have fostered a strong sisterhood of riders of all ages and, yes, spread a lot of joy. You can BYO bike to the meetups or rent an Indego free of charge. Head to Picot’s Instagram for ride schedules. instagram.com/ireshadahoodtherapist.
Adam Elbaum
Yes, this master prestidigitator does corporate events, birthday parties, and bar and bat mitzvahs. But where you really want to see him is in his Queen Village home, where he invites a handful of guests a few times each month for wine, cheese, and an intimate close-up magic show like you’ve never experienced before. He doesn’t charge admission: He asks that you donate an amount of your choosing to designated charities. Reach out via his website if you want an invite. adamelbaum.com.
Hudson Table
Whether your offspring aspire to be the next Top Chef or can’t even make a PB&J, they’ll have fun learning their way around the kitchen at Hudson Table. From parent-and-kiddo classes to after-school workshops (think: holiday treats and Disney-inspired menus) to week-long summer camps structured like a mini culinary school, your kids will pick up some cooking skills (including — gulp — knife work) and confidence. Heck, maybe they’ll cook you dinner for once. 1001 North 2nd Street, unit 1, Philadelphia, PA 19123, hudsontable.com/philadelphia/kids-classes.
Mish Mish
Along with Jeff Goldblum’s filmography and the bathroom jokes in Ulysses, this apricot-adorned spot fits into the highbrow/lowbrow category that makes daily existence more enjoyable. Mish Mish doesn’t take itself too seriously — the wine list has tasting notes like “red silk pajamas” and “gabagoolian” — yet the hospitality is as finely tuned as at any upscale spot. So if you ever need to create the illusion that you’re chill and have great taste, book a table, order some grilled octopus with muhammara, then sit by the Singing Fountain and discuss your hopes and fears and the Jawn Morgan billboards on I-95. 1046 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, mishmishphilly.com.
Nok Suntaranon
She’s the chef Philly needed before we even knew we needed someone like her. In the Before Times, she opened Kalaya, a heartfelt Thai BYOB where the kitchen scratch-made everything on an unapologetically authentic menu. In the dining room, she was an undeniable presence, seeming to know everyone who’d ever eaten a meal there and exactly what they needed most. And then, when the plague came, rather than retreating or folding, she kept Kalaya open to serve local industry workers for free. In a moment that sometimes seems woefully short on heroes, she is ours.
Spirits Up!
After weeks of protests, a new group founded by Germantown activist and artist Sudan Green sought to heal the Black community through yoga and meditation events in poignant locations, like where the Frank Rizzo statue once stood in front of the Municipal Services Building and, on Juneteenth, in West Philly’s Malcolm X Park. The events were free, came with gratis yoga mats, and were taught by notable local instructors, including Jean-Jacques Gabriel and Adriana Adelé. Future plans include a brick-and-mortar location and sponsored teacher training for Black yogis. spiritsup.life.
The Triyo Fitness Triplets
Trainers Malik, Ahmad and Khalil Jones. Photograph by Jonathan Pushnik The enthusiasm and joyfulness of 24-year-old Black identical triplet brothers Malik, Ahmad and Khalil Jones is infectious — they just love working out and helping you work out. (They’re also steeped in Philly’s boutique workout scene: In addition to running their own fledgling fitness company, Malik teaches at Unite Fitness, Ahmad teaches at Barry’s, and Khalil is an instructor at Rumble.) Their classes are some of the hardest in the city, and in the wake of Philly’s Black Lives Matter protests, the three seamlessly shifted their Instagram feed from playful synchronized dance videos to serious snippets on practicing meaningful allyship and becoming anti-racist. triyofitness.com.
WatchBox by Govberg Jewelers
Anyone who knows anything about watches already has this on his home screen: Govberg’s year-old app, a global trading platform for pre-owned luxury timepieces and a virtual database for your personal collection. It’s centered in the company’s 20,000-square-foot Bala Cynwyd location, which recently got an $8.5 million reno and now functions as an appointment-only hub for buying and selling pre-owned pieces (like a $595,000 Patek Philippe or a Greubel Forsey for $695,000), complete with a Wall Street-esque trading floor. govbergwatches.com/watchbox/watchbox-by-govberg.
Fishtown Flea
Leave it to Amy and Leo Voloshin (the impossibly hip duo behind Philly’s powerhouse print-design firm Printfresh) to pack 30 of the city’s best indie artisans – vintage vendors, jewelry designers, ceramists, stationers, artists and more – into rotating locations around Fishtown. In-the-know shoppers (3,000 of them came to the first one, but you can expect up to 5,000 at the next) can discover the coolest makers on the scene, then pretend they knew about them all along. Catch the next one on September 8th behind Suraya restaurant. Frankford Ave btwn Girard Ave and Oxford St., Philadelphia, PA 19125, fishtownflea.us.
Vetri Cucina
Twenty years ago, Marc Vetri came onto the scene with an Italian restaurant for the ages. He taught us about the magic of braised goat, and he spooned puffy clouds of Swiss chard onto our plates and convinced us they were gnocchi. He proved to us that Italian food can look a certain way – a way we weren’t yet acquainted with, but a way we should get used to. Now, practically every restaurant in Philly braises goat and makes homemade pasta. But for whatever reason, none do it quite like Marc. 1312 Spruce Street , Philadephia, PA 19107, vetricucina.com.
Katie Dubree Designs
Take one look at the portfolio of this Philly-based artist, and you’ll see why she’s the go-to pro for some of the area’s top interior designers. Dubree specializes in decorative finishes, meaning she’ll take your empty interior walls and transform them with her arsenal of artistry: real (or faux) Venetian plaster and Roman clay applications, pearlized strié, all-over stencils, faux finishes like copper or antique brass, and sweeping hand-painted murals. Who says wall art needs to fit in a frame? katiedubreedesigns.com.