Abe Fisher
At Abe Fisher’s happy hour, everything is $7. The chicken liver mousse with pastrami onion jam, the pickled mackerel dip, the boozy cocktails, the fine wines – all just $7. Well, except for those off-menu smoked short-rib sandwiches. Those are just $5. 1315 Walnut Street Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19107, abefisherphilly.com.
Guisados Don Roman
These homemade Mexican stews have always been tough to find in Philly, even in our city’s deepest Mexican enclaves. Then came Roman Figueroa and Raquel Rodriguez’s little kitchen on South 7th, where everything is deliciously authentic, from the soulful pork ribs to the tortillas you’ll use to eat them. 1629 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, guisados-don-roman.business.site.
El Merkury
Other than its touchscreen ordering kiosks and friendly counter service, El Merkury doesn’t look or act like your typical fast-casual restaurant. No grain bowls, no assembly lines, no smoothies. But authentic Central American street food is both fast and casual, and if pupusas and churros aren’t part of your diet at least once a week, you’re lunching all wrong. 2104 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia , PA 19103, elmerkury.com.
Res Ipsa
Start with a fluffy egg frittata topped with fresh asiago and herbed long hot spread, mounted on a house-made English muffin. Pay $2 more to add breakfast sausage spiced with fennel and cardamom. 2218 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, resipsaphilly.com.
El Sabor De Mi Tierra
Tacos in pizza form, served with lime wedges and salsa: The Mexican pies at this no-frills South Philly restaurant are everything you want to eat when it’s 1 a.m. and you have all sorts of liquor in you. 2413 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, ordertortasandpizzaelsabordemitierra.com.
The Bar(n)
Sometimes you want a trendy bells-and-whistles bar (see below for that), and sometimes you want a low-key neighborhood joint with $2 draft beers, plenty of fried food, a busy pool table, and a crowd of friendly regulars who would never dream of spending their Friday night in a boozy ball pit. 4901 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143, facebook.com/TheBarn4901.
Little Water Distillery
There’s something extremely satisfying about drinking liquor distilled in Atlantic City. Something about A.C.’s days as the anti-Prohibition capital of America and its penchant for booze in general makes it just feel… right. And it doesn’t hurt that the rum makes for a very good daiquiri. 807 Baltic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, littlewaterdistillery.com.
Hop Sing Laundromat
The Chinatown cocktail joint’s mysterious owner, known simply as Lê loves to ban people from his bar, and the not-welcome-back list is currently hovering at nearly 3,000. Among the infractions that can get you ousted: snapping photos, talking on your phone, or under-tipping your bartender or server. You’ve been warned. 1029 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, hopsinglaundromat.com.
Tai Lake
The menu is mostly fried sea creatures, the bar serves tropical drinks, the dining room is frequented by chefs, bartenders, and Philly’s most fantastic night owls, and it’s open till 3 a.m. on weekends. 134 North 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, tailakeseafoodrest.com.
Sansom Street Donut Run
The only things that could get us out of bed and exercising at 9 a.m. on the weekend? Fresh FedNuts and coffee, both of which are served after a three-mile loop through the city. The group meets at Philadelphia Runner on the first Saturday of every month. 1601 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, philadelphiarunner.com.
Broad Street Run
Nominated by Cecily Tynan, meteorologist at 6 ABC broadstreetrun.com.
Art Museum steps
Yes, it’s obvious. And yes, you have to dodge hordes of hyperactive children and hawkers slinging overpriced Gatorade. But the best place for an alfresco sweat session in this city will always be the Art Museum steps, 72 tiny limestone mountains that will kill your calves and tone your butt. At the bottom, you roll your eyes at the selfie-taking out-of-towners. On the way up, you curse the goddamn class trips blocking your ascent. But once you’ve made it, you turn around – legs aching, lungs burning – and look back over the city and feel like you’ve conquered it. And that will never not be a rush. So go practice yoga on some fancy rooftop, or do your Pilates in the park. As for me, I’ll be running the Art Museum steps with the tourists. See you at the top. – Gina Tomaine
IV Therapy at City Hydration
Cost of a healing B-vitamin IV infusion after a night of heavy drinking: $179. Not dry-heaving in the office bathroom: priceless. 1315 Walnut St Suite 1403, Philadelphia, PA 19107, cityhydration.com.
Torque
Three workouts under one roof – spin, barre and TRX – means you’ll never want to leave; $2 for child care in an on-site playroom stocked with toys means you’ll never have an excuse not to go. 328 North Lewis Road, Royersford, PA 19468, thetorquemovement.com.