7 Philly Food Pop-Ups to Know About Right Now
You'd have to spend every minute of your day on Instagram to keep track of Philly's most exciting pop-ups. Use this guide instead.
Photograph courtesy of Tabachoy
The best thing about pop-ups in Philadelphia is also the worst thing about pop-ups in Philadelphia: There are a ton of them. Even for the team here at Foobooz, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all, even as theoretical professionals.
Fear not. The good news is that the spirit of collaboration — the one that allows pop-up dining experiences to flourish in Philly — means even by choosing one pop-up to keep up with, you’ll inevitably be introduced to many more. In our experience, many of the folks behind these businesses are friends, and they tend to collaborate on events, show up at lots of the same spots, and generally be excited to introduce hungry people to their other favorite nomadic food experiences. But you still need an entry point, and so we present to you seven of our favorite pop-ups to help you dial into the very delicious, very exciting world of Philly’s informal food businesses.
Tabachoy
Co-owners Chance and Maria Anies run this super-popular Filipino food cart that’s been popping up all over Philly since 2019. They’ve signed a lease on a permanent location in South Philly, but the cart continues to roam all over the city (they’re often in Clark Park and at Wissahickon Brewing Co.). One of their most famous dishes is the “bistek chistek,” a Filipino-leaning take on a cheesesteak with soy- and citrus-marinated flank steak. But the menu is consistently packed with chicken and pork adobo bowls, plus vegan options, as well as the occasional lumpia or fried chicken special.
Amy’s Pastelillos
Amy Rivera-Nassar’s pop-up is anchored by her Puerto Rican pastelillos, which she stuffs with rich, savory fillings like ground beef picadillo, soy chorizo potato, and guava-infused BBQ pork (our favorites). She also regularly adds sides like simple-but-delicious arroz con gandules, tres leches cake — and, at Christmastime, coquito that will make you forget about eggnog altogether.
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Tutu Mary’s
Tattooed Moms is a Philly stalwart, so if they’re letting someone pop up in their house, we trust them 100 percent. It’s with that in mind that we found Tutu Mary’s, a vegan Hawaiian pop-up serving comforting Sunday lunch plates out of the South Street bar. For $13, you get a scoop of rice topped with savory furikake, plus Hawaiian-style macaroni salad, kimchi from Fishtown Ferments, and crisp chunks of vegan mochiko chicken. Coming for the lunch plate is kind of like going to church on Sundays, only delicious.
Paffuto PHL
Paffuto, which translates to “chubby” in Italian, is appropriately and charmingly named. A recent pop-up featured panzerotti (a southern Italian pocket stuffed with sausage from Heavy Metal Sausage Co.), bomboloni filled with blackberry pastry cream, and a juicy summer caprese hoagie with optional add-ons of prosciutto or anchovies. These stuffed-to-their-gills treats always offer a new angle on Italian food, which is tough to pull off in Philly.
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Sri’s Company
We once picked up takeout from Sri’s Company pop-up that had an entire crab claw sticking out of the plastic takeout container. That’s just how it goes with Melissa Fernando’s Sri Lankan food — it’s always fun and over the top, surprising and completely indulgent. Sri’s Company serves the kind of rich curries and stews that you’ll want to eat in the car before you get home just so you don’t have to share them with anyone else. We don’t blame you.
Angie’s Viet Cuisine
Lyhn Pham’s food is inspired by her parents, Vietnam war refugees who always wanted to open a restaurant. She started running pop-ups back in August of 2021. These days, she serves up dumplings, pork belly bites, grilled skewers, and mini bao buns at farmers’ markets and breweries across the city. Stay tuned for a pick-up window coming in the fall of 2022.
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Cozinha
Brian Oliveira and Brian Mattera run Happy Hour Hospitality, a catering company that they’ve operated since 2018, but in 2021 they launched Cozinha, a Portuguese pop-up serving natas in flavors like blueberry and lemon, strawberry and rhubarb, and raspberry. They also do savory food, including salt cod fritters, caldo verde, and empanadas. Keep up with their Instagram to see where they’ll be next — sometimes that means Herman’s Coffee, sometimes it’s a farmers’ market.
