Cadence Cycling & Multisport Center
Opt for the “Overhaul” if your two-wheeler needs new life, or simply ask for a brake adjustment: The staff at this longtime local fave will give you their best work no matter what. (You’ll probably wind up coming back for a fitting or indoor spinning class, too.) 5000 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128, cadencecycling.com.
13th Street Cocktail Catering
The geniuses at this mobile cocktail biz–who roll up and serve from converted vintage trailers–will whip up your signature drinks and then keg them, so your guests can get sloshed that much quicker. But they can help sober them up, too: They’ll bring live-shuck oysters and can set up a coffee station that could rival La Colombe. 13thstreetcocktails.com.
Antonio’s Deli
The best hoagie in Philly? It’s the one without any meat (yeah, we said it): Antonio’s veggie hoagie tastes like a plate of your nonna’s holiday antipasti jumbled together and stuffed into a roll. 1014 Federal Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, antoniosdeliphilly.com.
Rione
Sick of flimsy triangles of Neapolitan pies? Opt instead for these Roman-style slices, which are squared, shorn with scissors from trays of light-as-air rectangular pies, baked with what could be the best pizza dough in Philly, and topped with classics like potato and rosemary or tomato and spicy soppressata. So good, you’ll think you’re in Italy. 102 South 21st Street, Philadelphia , PA 19103, rionepizza.com.
Wawa
I used to drink fancy coffee – single-drip/hand-roasted/micro-lot concoctions that cost roughly $25 apiece. But eventually, I stopped being patient enough to wait for a latte artist to draw a tree in my almond milk foam. So I went to Wawa, the promised land of self-serve carafes, where a cup costs less than two bucks, where the bar never runs out of stirrers or sugar or creamer, and where the coffee isn’t a caffeine bomb, so I can drink it all day without getting the shakes. There’s something innately comforting about the easy routine of Wawa: press, pour, stir, pay, drink, repeat. I guess I could ask myself if I miss my rose-petal cappuccinos (not particularly), or if I really need to drink four cups of coffee a day (definitely not). But the question I actually find myself asking, as I zip in and out of Wawa in less time than it takes a hipster barista to pull a shot of espresso, is: Why did coffee become so freaking complicated in the first place? – Emily Goulet wawa.com.
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.
Herman’s Coffee
Now that Herman’s exists – roasting its own beans in-house (that “house” being a converted auto repair shop), serving carefully crafted espresso tonics, hosting all sorts of events and food trucks – every other coffee spot in Philly is going to have to try just a little bit harder to stay cool. 1313-17 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia , PA 19147, hermanscoffee.com.
Mama’s Meatballs
Mama’s is one of those places that make you regret ever playing it safe with your career. Because a meatball-centric restaurant is ridiculously simple and downright genius – as long as the meatballs are good. Mama’s meatballs? Specifically, the sharp-provolone- stuffed, pesto-topped Rocky Ball Boa? They’re good. 2673 Haddonfield Road, Pennsauken, NJ 08110, mamasmeatballs.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.
The International
At this quirky new joint from the Johnny Brenda’s crew, you won’t be eating greasy mozzarella sticks and fries. No, this is the International, where you’ll feast on South American chorizo and bite-size Middle Eastern kebabs (pair with the Serbian wine on draft) for what is essentially a culinary world trip without ever leaving Front Street. 1624 North Front Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, facebook.com/theinternationalbarphilly.
Namaste Nourish
We’ll gladly work out for waffles, especially when they’re turmeric-infused. At this pop-up series, yogi Joanna Da Sylva leads the room through an hour of flows while chefs Hava Rose and Ashley Law whip up a plant-based superfood brunch. Avocado toast, date-tahini smoothies and vegan ice cream have all made the menu. namastenourish.com.
V&V Foot Spa
At $50 for 60 minutes, this strip-mall spa massage is crazy cheap – so don’t expect marble tile, fancy amenities, or a ton of attention to your personal preferences. But you’re not here for that; you just want someone to knead your sore muscles to within an inch of their lives, and that’s exactly what you’ll get. 1100 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147, facebook.com/pages/VV-Foot-Massage-Spa/1512813985686041.
Parks on Tap
Nominated by Cory J. Popp, filmmaker and photographer parksontap.com.
Thirsty Dice
Philly will get its first-ever board-game cafe when the delayed Thirsty Dice opens in Fairmount, hopefully sometime this fall. For now, the Thirsty Dice crew hosts monthly pop-ups at Fishtown’s Evil Genius brewery. (The next one’s on August 8th.) They bring the games, and they’ll sit with you and your friends to explain the rules ... and to referee when needed. Because when you’re drinking, who really wants to pull out the instructions? thirstydice.com.
We Found a Way to Work Around the PLCB
While COVID-19 decimated the city’s restaurant scene, it also helped push Philly’s antiquated liquor laws just a bit into the 21st century. Here’s how.
The Lawsuit | The PLCB always acted as the middleman between wine dealers who sold specialty bottles (you know, the natural, biodynamic wine made by small producers) and places where you’d normally buy those bottles (restaurants and bottle shops). So when COVID-19 shut down all Pennsylvania state stores back in March, dealers in Philly were no longer able to sell their product, and independent wine retailers couldn’t restock their shelves. Two dealers, MFW Wine Co. LLC and A6 Wine Co., said “Enough!” and sued the motherfriggin’ PLCB.
While the suit is still moving slowly through the system — the PLCB appealed the ruling of the Commonwealth Court — the implications of PLCB-free wine commerce in the Philly restaurant industry are huge. Because even right now, in 2020, wine delivery is still nonexistent for retailers and restaurants. Right now, there’s still essentially no wholesale discount. Right now, retailers are paying gratuitous fees (and passing the cost on to us). And a lawsuit like this — which, mind you, has a good chance of succeeding — might very well change all of that.
To-Go Cocktails | The problems inherent in working within the PLCB’s convoluted systems were only exacerbated when coronavirus came along and shut down our nightlife scene entirely. Something had to give.
On May 21st, Governor Tom Wolf signed into law a piece of legislation that allowed restaurants and bars that had lost at least 25 percent of their average monthly sales due to the pandemic to sell cocktails to-go. Which means that for the first time since Prohibition, you can walk up to a bar in Philadelphia and order some martinis for the road, and nobody — not even a PLCB officer — can stop you from living your life. The to-go-martini kind of life.
Wine Shops! Finally! | When the PLCB temporarily closed all its stores, these shops stayed open and kept us drinking and drunk during the apocalypse. And they deserve all the attention in the world.
• Vernick Wine, 2029 Walnut Street, Rittenhouse
• Tinys Bottle Shop, 3124 Richmond Street, Port Richmond
• Di Bruno Bros., 9th Street Bottle Shop, 920 South 9th Street, Bella Vista
• Fancy Wine Club at Bloomsday, 414 South 2nd Street, Society Hill
• Le Caveau, 614 South 7th Street, Bella Vista
• Fishtown Social, 1525 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown
• Wine Dive, 1506 South Street, Grad Hospital
• Jet Wine Bar, 1525 South Street, Grad Hospital