10 Summery Peach Dishes to Eat in Philly Right Now
It's peak season for these juicy fruits, whether enveloped in flaky pastry, tossed in a fresh salad, or caramelized on the grill.
Photo courtesty of Time
The dog days of summer might feel like a long, hot, humid prelude to fall — and luckily, we have peak-season summer fruit like peaches to see us through. We recommend devouring fresh, juicy local peaches, ideally over the sink, as often as possible during this fleeting time — and seeing what the professionals are doing with these fuzzy blushing beauties at restaurants around the city. Here are some of our favorite peach preparations on restaurant menus in Philly right now.
Photo courtesy of Cake Life
Cake Life, Fishtown
Peaches are all over the Frankford Avenue sweet shop’s bakery case. Pop in for a peaches and cream pop tart — that’s fresh peach compote and sweet cream cheese in a flaky pastry pocket — or a decadent slice of bourbon-soaked vanilla cake with caramelized peaches, mascarpone, and cream cheese frosting.
Time, Midtown Village
At Time, grilled peaches and a sweet corn-peach-basil relish brighten up a dish of duck breast, crispy rillettes, and Swiss chard — perfect for dinner with a cocktail and strains of live jazz in the background.
Photo courtesy of Bloomsday
Kensington Quarters, Fishtown
KQ might be a meat-centric restaurant, but chef Matt Harper takes care to show produce some love with his super-seasonal, beautifully composed salads and veggie dishes — like this simple, elegant peach and cucumber salad with green goddess dressing, radishes, sourdough crisps, and a shower of Doe Run’s savory St. Malachi cheese.
Cotoletta, Fitler Square
Beth Amadio’s cutlet-centric spot is known for its way with pounded, breaded, and crisp-fried meats and veggies — but what to order for dessert? Right now, she’s marinating fresh peach halves with brown sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon before throwing them on the grill for a few minutes for the perfect summer dessert. They’re served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato and a drizzle of blueberry sauce.
Lainey Mae’s Peaches and Pralines at Weckerly’s | Photo by Megan Kelly
Weckerly’s Ice Cream, Fishtown
The folks at Weckerly’s have figured out how to get the flavor of Three Springs’ juicy, ripe peaches into their ice cream without adding too much liquid: cook it down into an intensely peach-y fruit butter, which is then blended into a specially formulated ice cream base. Try it a scoop of Lainey Mae’s Peaches & Pralines — brown sugar peach ice cream with a peach butter swirl, candied pecans, and thyme caramel — at their Girard Avenue shop.
Bloomsday, Society Hill
If it’s ripe, delicious, and in season, Bloomsday will put it on toast (they’re right across from the Headhouse Square farmers’ market, after all). The peach-blue cheese toast they’re serving right now combines the best of two of those farms with juicy peaches from Three Springs Fruit Farm and slices of Birchrun Blue, the fudgy, delicate, blue cheese from Chester County’s Birchrun Hills Farm, plus a little fennel and balsamic vinegar.
Photo courtesy of Stina
Stina, South Philly
Borek — flaky, stuffed filo pastries — are one of our favorite things about Stina. Chef Bobby Saritsoglou has one on the menu right now that’s stuffed with pickled peaches, kashkaval cheese, and oregano and served with sesame seeds, herbs, and flower petals on top.
Somerset Splits, Port Richmond
This cute, cozy Somerset Street ice cream shop specializes in decking out scoops, sundaes, and milkshakes with fun toppings and add-ins like gummi bears, classic breakfast cereals, and even house-made pineapple sauce. Right now, they’re serving a Drunken Buttered Peach sundae — Georgia peaches simmered in brown butter and whiskey over butter pecan ice cream and Frosted Flakes crunch.
Photo courtesy of Abe Fisher
Abe Fisher, Center City
At CookNSolo’s homage to Jewish diaspora cuisine, chef Yehuda Sichel is using all the parts of the peach. The overripe fruits in each shipment get stewed with almonds; they’ll use the juice to poach chicken breasts, which get served with the fruit and nuts on top. The underripe peaches are sliced and added to a frisee and radicchio salad served alongside the chicken. And the pits? They’re soaked in water, which is used to add a peach-y essence to the olive oil cake on Abe’s dessert menu.
Fiore, Queen Village
For a sweet-savory take on pizza, look no further than the wood-fired oven at Fiore: right now, there’s a pizzette on their menu topped with creamy bianco stracchino cheese, ricotta, chorizo, and peaches.
