Neighborhood Food Tour: Your Guide to Eating Your Way Through a Day in the Northeast
If you've got a day to spend in the Great Northeast, here's a food-based itinerary to get you started.
Khinkali at Georgian Bread in Northeast Philly / Photograph by Michael Persico
Of course, there are sights/sites worth experiencing in the Northeast, but if you’re not going first and foremost for an eating tour of the vibrant, varied food neighborhoods up here — Colombian bakeries, Middle Eastern grills, Russian markets, German butchers, the original Chickie’s & Pete’s — you’re doing it wrong. Eat it all, but start with these top five stops.
Georgian Bread, Bustleton
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Hit up this hidden-gem spot for excellent khachapuri and Georgian soup dumplings called khinkali, heavy with broth and big as a balled fist.
China Gourmet, Mayfair
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It’s great for a crowd—especially a crowd hungry for pork buns, har gow, shu mai, chicken feet, and other Cantonese dim sum classics.
Tio Pepe, Oxford Circle
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One of the rare spots dedicated to Portuguese food, with a deep menu heavy on seafood. The big draw: a stunning, satisfying paelha (Portuguese paella).
Fink’s, Tacony
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The “Original Italian” hoagie at Fink’s gets lots of love, deservedly, but the “Tacony” — with roast beef, asparagus and provolone, all on a Liscio’s roll — is art.
Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse, Oxford Circle
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Delicious churrasco-style meat; standout buffet. Wear your eating pants.
>> Click here for more neighborhood bucket lists.
Published as “Your Hyperlocal Bucket List: What to Eat in The Great Northeast” in the July 2022 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
