9 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.
Steamed hake with huauzontles (Mexican broccoli), stewed beans, and chili butter served during the El Chingon and Ūle (formerly Little Owl) collaboration dinner on June 10, 2024. / Photography by Kae Lani Palmisano
These days, it may seem like there are more pop-ups than there are restaurants in Philadelphia. For many chefs and prospective restaurant owners, it’s a way to test concepts and raise money before opening a place of their own — we’re thinking of chef-driven projects like Scampi, Char, and New June Bakery, all of which opened their doors within the last six months. Other chefs find that having a roving restaurant offers the flexibility they need to pursue their ever-changing culinary whims. Either way, these ephemeral dining experiences are a great way to meet up-and-coming chefs and get acquainted with a different side of the chefs we already know and love.
Tracking pop-ups can be tough since they tend to move around and have unpredictable schedules. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. These are the best pop-ups in Philadelphia worth keeping your eye on.
Ūle (formerly Little Owl)
Chef Tim Dearing came down from Boston just over a year ago, and in that short amount of time, he’s become a rising star in Philly’s dining scene. He lets the quality of ingredients shine through simple dishes, like steamed hake with chili butter. But he also experiments with labor-intensive cooking methods and ferments, like baking sweet potato in hay, serving it alongside a malt mole, pepita crema, and black cumin — a highlight of this past summer’s Ūle and El Chingon collaboration dinner menu. His techniques and flavors are bold and complex, making him stand out, but don’t assume he’s an out-of-towner trying to cash in on our hot restaurant scene. He’s going full Ben Franklin — leaving Boston behind to become part of the Philly community. When Dearing isn’t hosting his own dinners, he’s getting to know other chefs, dining at their restaurants, and even helping cook at their events, carefully finding his place in the bright, star-clustered constellation of our city’s industry talent.
Santé
Santé’s Daniel Solway puts on wine dinners with pop-up chefs, private and public wine tastings, and all kinds of other experiences. The through line is wine, which Solway pours enthusiastically and with lots of knowledge. Whether he’s pouring wine at a pottery class or hosting a dinner party in his apartment, his perspective on wine is fun, approachable, and informative.
Love That I Knead Supper Club
Chef Nana Araba cooks Ghanaian and West African dishes for her pop-up, Love That I Knead Supper Club. Her food combines West African classics like jollof rice with diasporic flavors and dishes. A talented baker, her pop-ups always include fresh bread or other baked treats.
Ian Moroney plating shrimp corndogs with pickled mango and frisée during the Sake Club and Carl collaboration dinner on December 2, 2024.
Carl
What do you get when a renowned chef and Philadelphia’s most dedicated diner join forces? Carl, a series of dinner parties hosted by chef Ian Moroney (formerly of Pumpkin) and his wife, neuroscience professor and “serial restaurant-goer” Sharon Thompson-Schill. Their passion for local food emanates through the seven courses served, each paired with stories of the people and places behind each dish — like shrimp corndogs fried in a naturally gluten-free batter from Fox & Son out of Reading Terminal Market. If you’ve ever wanted to experience an intimate dinner party in the home of a chef (they graciously welcome guests to their Rittenhouse Square apartment), this is the pop-up for you.
Feels Like Sunday
Chef Siobhan McKenna has been a professional baker for years, working at places like High Street and Lacroix before moving to San Francisco to work at spots including Arsicault Bakery and Petit Crenn. She moved back to Philly a few years ago and started her pop-up, Feels Like Sunday, to make classic, nostalgic desserts like chocolate puddle cookies, coconut cream pie with a caramelized white chocolate crust, and chocolate-buckwheat banana bread.
CJ And D’s Trenton Tomato Pies
Is it still a pop-up if it has a permanent home? We say yes. Inside the door at Cartesian Brewing on Passyunk Avenue, you’ll find CJ and D’s, a 2024 Best of Philly winner slinging some of Philadelphia’s best pizzas. These are crispy, flavorful pies with toppings like vodka sauce and a mustard pie with red sauce, cheese, and mustard. It sounds weird, but it works.
A Party Girl Bake Club cake
Party Girl Bake Club
Party Girl Bake Club’s Mallory Valvano makes over-the-top creative cakes with flavors inspired by your favorite record or that wild flavor combo you created when you got a little too stoned. Sometimes she makes cakes that feel like a fever dream — like a mortadella sandwich iced like a cake and cut into slices. You can find her teaching cake decorating classes at the Fleisher Art Memorial, as well as regularly popping up at Di Bruno Bros. 9th Street Bottle Shops, where she serves cakes made to pair with their wines.
Dear Jean
If you’ve eaten any of Paffuto’s pastries, you’ve had baker Cortlandt Matthews’s treats. If you’ve had any of Mighty Bread’s, you’ve had pastry chef Sara Wallace’s. But now Cortlandt and Sara have started their own business in Dear Jean, a pop-up with baked goods inspired by their German, Ashkenazi, and American roots. Look for babka, soft pretzels, honey-bun croissants, and more.
Fell To Earth Vermouth
Tim Kweeder, formerly of Bloomsday Cafe, is now making artisan vermouth from Pennsylvania wine and botanicals. The result is a vermouth that’s super drinkable but also mixes well with local spirits. You’ll find Kweeder serving his vermouth all over town, in spritzes, Negronis, straight up, and by the bottle.
