Junk Be Gone
Demolition debris. Old furniture. Yard waste. Broken computers. Dead appliances. Trash, broken crap, whatever: Junk Be Gone will pick it up, get it out, donate what they can, recycle what's left over — and they'll do it on a weekend, in the evening, sometimes on the same day you call. They even sweep up after they're done. 4452 Carwithan Street, Philadelphia, PA 19136, junkremovalphilly.com.
Rumor
Not every bar needs to have a bartender who can make a perfect old-fashioned, a bouncer who's the city's poet laureate, or regulars hoping to be the next Franzen. Sometimes it's about which bar is packed -- and we do mean packed -- every weekend night with the city's most tanned and tight young guys and girls on the prowl. 1500 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, rumorphilly.com.
Zeppoli
Chef Joey Baldinos love letter to jumped-up classic Italian is a wonder on many levels. The food is brilliant (particularly the antipasti, with flavors so vivid it should come with a passport stamp). The service is smooth; the Sicilian focus is smart. But whats most amazing is that in a city so dedicated to Italian food, you occasionally have to go across the bridge to find it done this well. 618 Collings Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08107, zeppolirestaurant.com.
Little Baby's Non-Dairy Ice Cream
The siren call of the ice-cream cone isn't any less enticing just because your body can't cope with lactose. Thanks to the nearly two dozen almond- and coconut-milk-based ice-cream options here—from chocolate salt malt to lime-toasted coconut to chocolate teriyaki (!)—you can finally answer it, fret-free. Multiple locations | , 00000, littlebabysicecream.com.
Healthy Bites
America just got its first taste of oh-so-pretty personal chef Katie Cavuto Boyle on The Next Food Network Star, but we've been loving her ever since she started whipping up tasty dishes in our very own kitchens and delivering good-for-us meals right to our doors. Whether you crave delish turkey takeout, need to shed a few pounds, or simply require a starlet chef to show you the ropes, Katie's is the number to keep on speed dial. Call or see website for consultation, 00000, healthybitesdelivery.com.
Bucky Body Center
Noted plastic surgeon Louis Bucky saw how the newest, über-effective technologies — micro-suction, compression, lasers, cryo — could optimize the work he’s done on patients; assist with recovery, maintenance, and the effects of aging; and offer solutions to problems people were presenting. (Hi, excessive sweating.) So he opened this innovative center in 2020 that’s more wellness-focused than a med spa but can still do something about that stubborn tummy pooch and cellulite. 1915 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, buckybodycenter.com.
Skytop Lodge
This longtime, recently renovated Poconos resort has a bit of it all: guided nature hikes, lawn bowling, axe-throwing, waterfall bike trips, morning yoga, afternoon tea and cookies, Saturday-night dance-offs, fine dining, firearms classes, kayaking, arts-and-crafts classes, fishing, a ropes course, paintball, archery … phew! Or, yes, you can just sit by the outdoor heated pool all day. 1 Skytop Lodge Road, Skytop, PA 18357, skytop.com.
Lemonana at Bishos
Photograph by Michael Persico A sip of Bishos’s lemonana is a shock to the system in the best possible way. At this Palestinian restaurant in Northeast Philly, the classic Middle Eastern beverage is mixed daily, tart from fresh lemon juice and packed with mint. It’s spun in a slushy machine and doled out like soft-serve ice cream in to-go cups that you’ll clutch and sip to the very last drop. 7950 Oxford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, mybishos.com.
A Four Foot Prune
An ALF cake pan, a 1950s RCA Victor record player, retro dishes alongside Troll dolls … you never know what you’ll find at this whimsical vintage shop in Old City. We follow their Instagram just to get a daily dose of quirk, whether it’s in the form of mod glass canisters or pop-culture ephemera. As for its name? Savvy Muppet fans already know. 142 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, afourfootprune.com.
Queen of Wands Tarot
What Jenna Matlin is not: a hocus-pocus street psychic charging $100 to fix “curses” found during $5 tarot card readings. What Jenna Matlin is: an intuitive woman with a master’s in organizational psychology who dispenses insightful life advice, balances chakras, and even provides spiritually guided business consulting. And you don’t have to travel: All her sessions can be done via phone or webcam. Queenofwandstarot.net.
PhilaPets
Got a weekend trip? After-work event? Impromptu beach day? Don’t let your four-legged friend hold you back. PhilaPets dispatches a dedicated expert (the same person every time) to visit Fido multiple times a day and shower him with love, attention and pee breaks. (They’ll also water your plants and collect the mail.) Booking can be done online, and real-time updates are communicated via app. Services greater Center City. philapets.com.
Suraya
It was one of last year’s most eagerly anticipated openings: a gigantic Lebanese bakery, market and all-day cafe in the middle of Fishtown. Dinner service was rolled out a few months later, and it made the place even better, with excellent cocktails and a menu of deceptively simple Middle Eastern staples (labneh, muhammarra, kebabs) done with remarkable attention to detail. There’s no restaurant like it anywhere else in Philly, and no place more representative of what it’s like to eat in this city in 2018. 1528 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125, surayaphilly.com.
Philadelphia Film Socieity's Aquisition of the Ritz at the Bourse
We don’t normally give Best of Philly to the same business or organization twice in the same issue, but, well, when the Ritz at the Bourse closed in January 2020, film lovers shed a collective tear or 12. So we have high hopes now that the film-snobby Philadelphia Film Society has recently taken over the space, bringing the best of independent films back to the block. 400 Ranstead Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, filmadelphia.org.
Whetstone Tavern
Chef Jeremy Nolen clearly put as much thought into what went on his kids' menu as he did his grown-up one. The result: a list of little-one favorites (burgers, mac and cheese) made from scratch with quality ingredients. We suggest nudging your kids to order pappardelle with butter and cheese — it's creamy and simple in the best of ways — while secretly hoping they don't finish the whole plate. 700 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, whetstonetavern.com.
InLiquid
No way you're doling out Dali dollars for a new addition to your gallery wall? InLiquid's warehouse and e-store should be your first stop for pieces by Philly's most talented artists, so you can own that painting before it becomes auction-worthy. Put the annual June sale, Art for the Cash Poor, in your calendar. 1400 North American Street, #314, Philadelphia, PA 19122, inliquid.org.