The Best Restaurants in Queen Village
Solo lunch spots, highlight-of-the-year dinner destinations, and all the charming restaurants where you'll want to be a regular.
Toro with caviar at Royal Sushi & Izakaya / Photograph by Jesse Ito
Queen Village is among the most charming neighborhoods we have in Philly. The streets are historic (but not packed with tourists looking for scenes from National Treasure). There are plenty of independent shops and restaurants, all of which seem to be swimming with regulars. It’s cozy, not too pretentious, and full of delicious things to eat. You could easily spend an entire day wandering around the area: grabbing breakfast pastries, then an afternoon glass of wine and some snacks, followed by a big, lengthy dinner with friends. Here’s where to make your dining dreams come true, no matter the situation.
For the purposes of this guide, we’re defining Queen Village as Lombard Street to Washington Avenue, between 6th Street and the Delaware River.
Royal Sushi & Izakaya
If there’s better sushi in Philadelphia, we have yet to find it. Come to Royal Izakaya’s main dining room with friends for a fun night out, or sit at the bar and drink yamahai sake while you watch anime projected onto the wall. In both of these cases, prioritize plates of torikatsu sandos on homemade milk bread, some crispy-crunchy strips of braised burdock root that will randomly steal the show, and expertly made maki. And, for something completely deluxe, there’s the eight-seat omakase experience in the back of the restaurant that the entire country is raving about. A meal back here will cost you $300 per person. But if you appreciate uncompromisingly perfect fish — seabream topped with caviar, squid that may as well be sold as contemporary art, and king salmon kissed by a blowtorch — it’ll be worth every penny and failed reservation attempt. Get on Resy notify and cross your fingers. 780 South 2nd Street.
Puyero
Puyero specializes in delicious arepas, sandwiches made from fried plantains, and sweet cachapas filled with meat and cheese that you’ll want to eat for lunch at least once a week. But this Venezuelan spot has plenty of platters with beans, rice, and stewed meats, too. Bring a friend and order at the counter — the space is small, but there’s enough seating to grab a table for a casual hang. They also do a lot of takeout and delivery for the neighborhood. 524 South 4th Street.
Queen & Rook Game Cafe
Upgrade your game night with a visit to Queen & Rook’s new spot on South Street. There are over 2,000 games to choose from, as well as old-school arcade games and pinball machines available to play. Best of all, you can pair your gameplay with nerdy cocktails from their “Wizarding” menu and take bites of seitan wings and nachos between turns. This spot is definitely worth rolling the dice on. 123 South Street.
Southwark Restaurant
Marina De Oliveira and Chris D’Ambro’s American restaurant remains a perfect place for a Friday night meal when you want one of the best burgers in the city — two patties, local blue cheese, bacon, charred onion, and homemade fries — plus some delicious wine and cocktails. Southwark would be an equally good pick for a group meal with relatives coming to visit from out-of-town or when everyone demands their own entree. Other than the burger, go for the handmade pastas, seasonal vegetables, or an aged bone-in ribeye. 701 South 4th Street.
Samuel Gritz Public House
That place where the whole family can get something they like, plus weekend brunch. This newcomer has a solid beer menu, salads, burgers, pasta, and basically everything you’d expect from a modern American bar-restaurant. 629 South 2nd Street.
The kitchen table experience at Ambra / Photograph by Neal Santos
Ambra
Attached to Southwark, you’ll find Ambra — one of the city’s dreamiest special-occasion Italian spots. Make a reservation to eat at the Kitchen Table or at a communal table in the dining room, where you’ll enjoy a 10(ish)-course tasting menu of precisely made and intensely personal dishes, like a giant pheasant raviolo topped with white truffle or handmade pici with crab sauce, inspired by chef Chris D’Ambro’s childhood memories, all while seated at a counter in the restaurant’s kitchen. The meal runs $280 to $300 per person and is cash-only. Pricey, we know. But worth it if you’re in the market for a highlight-of-the-year Italian meal. 705 South 4th Street.
Isot Turkish Cuisine
There are not so many great Turkish restaurants in Philly, but Isot is a staple. The large portions of cold mezes, grilled kebabs, and mixed plates are great for sharing with a group or a date, and the service is generally casual-but-attentive. They take reservations, though you can usually walk in. 622 South 6th Street.
Little Fish
Little Fish makes Philadelphia a happier place. It’s a seafood-focused BYO that consistently puts out some of the most interesting seasonal plates in the city. The scallop toast, for example, is representative of what Alex Yoon and his small team are doing in the kitchen: sliced raw scallops layered on sesame toast with soy-chili vinaigrette and chives. The food is usually Asian-inspired, always comforting, and delicious. Bring a date or your parents. 746 South 6th Street.
Jim’s South Street
This Best of Philly-winning cheesesteak joint is a South Street institution, and with recent renovations that repaired and expanded the place, it’s become even more of a destination. Their cheesesteaks are as excellent as ever, but you can now enjoy your cheesy meat torpedo in a mosaic-tiled room by Magic Gardens artist Isaiah Zagar. For tourists and locals alike, it’s a perfectly Philly experience. 400 South Street.
The regular-sized Reuben at Famous 4th Street Deli / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
An iconic Jewish deli that’s been serving corned beef and smoked fish for over 100 years. It’s a perfect place, full stop. Picture black-and-white tiled floors, pickles galore, old framed photos lining the walls, tables that turn efficiently, and tenured servers that toe the line between geniality and “hurry up and order, hun” with such swiftness you’ll wonder if they’re a distant relative of yours. Order the matzo ball soup (with bowtie pasta and a softball-sized matzo ball) and a pastrami reuben that could sink a small ship. And before you start complaining about the high prices to no one in particular, know that any dish here easily qualifies as two meals. 700 South 4th Street.
Tattooed Mom
One of the most beloved dives in a city with so many beloved dives, with the added bonus of very good bar food and a surprisingly large number of vegan options. Cocktail and beer drinkers alike will find plenty to love on their drink menu. 530 South Street.
Marrakesh
Marrakesh is the answer for almost every group-dining conundrum. For around $25 per person, you’ll get a three-course Moroccan meal, served in a cozy, couch-filled room. The menu includes a vegetable platter with tender eggplant, cucumber and pepper salad, and spiced carrots, plus your choice of chicken, lamb, and beef, or a vegetarian platter. On weekends, there’s usually a belly dancer, which may or may not be a perk depending on the energy of your group meal. 517 South Leithgow Street.
Fitz on 4th
A mother-son team runs this plant-based small-plate restaurant and cocktail bar. Go with a group of friends and share everything: purple sweet potato ravioli, sumac watermelon salad, mushroom sliders, corn ribs, vegan nachos, and plenty of other options. 743 South 4th Street.
Photograph courtesy of Cry Baby Pasta
Cry Baby Pasta
Cry Baby is an ideal neighborhood Italian restaurant. They serve $20 plates of homemade pasta. There’s a great wine program and amaro-based cocktails. Plus, you can usually get a table. It’s the type of place we go for a last-minute weeknight dinner with friends or a casual Sunday night date. 627 South 3rd Street.
Sakana Omakase Sushi
A single room off of South Street with a sushi bar and two or three chefs doling out pieces of Japanese barracuda and firefly squid. The $178 tasting comes with 12 pieces of nigiri plus some appetizers, soup, a handroll, and ice cream. It’s a good date night spot, especially because the place stays calm and it’s not super hard to get in. 616 South 2nd Street.
Square Pie
Owner Gene Giuffi’s thick-crust Sicilian pies have delighted us since 2015, when we called it the best new pizza in Philly. Since then it has held steady as a stalwart for all square pizza needs, even as the style has become more popular in the city. 801 East Passyunk Avenue.
New Wave Cafe
Open from morning until 2 a.m., New Wave Cafe is part cafe, part restaurant, and part bar. With 20 taps, perfect bar snacks, a great brunch, and several TVs for watching the game, it checks all the boxes of a friendly, neighborhood hang. 784 South 3rd Street.
Silk Way
This new family-run BYO showcases specialties from Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan (from where the Karymsakov family hails), Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, and Uzbekistan. While you can find some of these cuisines in the Northeast part of the city, they have been harder to come by elsewhere, until now. So far, the beef and vegetable lagman (soup) with hand-pulled noodles is a fan favorite. 507 South 6th Street.
