Philadelphia
“I’d rather be in Philly than a lot of other places. One thing’s for sure, I know I’ll eat well.”
PHIL'S Philadelphia LOCATIONS
Reading Terminal Market
One of Phil’s favorite markets anywhere in the world, Reading Terminal Market is often his first stop when visiting Philadelphia. First up is Miller’s Twist for some Amish pretzels, then Hershel’s for a reuben sandwich, Dinic’s for a roast pork sandwich, and finally Sweet T’s Bakery for some sweet potato pie. Anything you would want for lunch is definitely in this Market!
Address: 1136 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Laser Wolf
Phil meets up with his friend Patton Oswalt at one of the New York Times’ 50 best restaurants in America, Laser Wolf. Owned by James Beard award winning chef Michael Solomonov, this Israeli restaurant is a must when in Philadelphia. Head chef Andrew Henshaw serves them an appetizer platter (salatim) with the most beautiful freshly baked pita. Then they enjoy a whole branzino, chicken shishlik, and a side of fries.
Address: 1301 N Howard St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
Phil takes his wife Monica to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a massive 3,000 square foot piece of mosaic art created by Isaiah Zagar.
Address: 1020 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
South Philly Barbacoa
Artist Isaiah Zagar recommends South Philly Barbacoa, and joins Phil and Monica for a delicious meal at chef Christina Martinez’s popular Mexican restaurant. In 2022, chef Martinez was awarded the James Beard Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region!
Address: 1140 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Wissahickon Valley Park
Michael Solomonov takes Phil to Wissahickon Valley Park for a nice afternoon of horseback riding.
Address: Valley Green Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128
Dalessandro’s Steaks
Phil and Michael ride their horses all the way to Dalessandro’s for some cheesesteaks! There are a lot of great cheesesteaks in Philly, but Phil thinks that there isn’t one better than Dalessandro’s. As Michael Solomonov says, it slaps.
Address: 600 Wendover St, Philadelphia, PA 19128
John’s Roast Pork
Phil takes his friend Stephen Nathan to one of his favorite sandwich stops anywhere, John’s Roast Pork. As the name implies, they do a pretty great roast pork sandwich. As the name doesn’t imply, they also do a fantastic cheesesteak!
Address: 14 Snyder Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Pizzeria Beddia
Phil and chef Shola Olunloyo have dinner at Joe Beddia’s hoagie omakase in the back room of his popular pizzeria, Pizzeria Beddia. They start with a roasted vegetable hoagie, followed by a tuna/sardine hoagie, and finish off with a smoked ham hoagie.
Fiorella Pasta
Phil has dinner at Chef Marc Vetri’s Fiorella Pasta, with their mutual friend Liz Scott (director of Alex’s Lemonade). Located in a historic 125 year old building, chef Vetri serves some of the best pasta in the city. They start off with squid and beans, and a squash carpaccio. Then they move on to lobster-stuffed shells, and an off-the-menu wood roasted goat!
Alex’s Lemonade
Alex’s Lemonade is a nonprofit founded by Alex Scott while she was fighting cancer at the age of four. She set up a lemonade stand with the hopes of raising money to find a cure for other children like her that were battling cancer. By the time of her unfortunate passing at the age of eight, she had raised one million dollars. Since then, Alex’s Lemonade has raised over 15 million dollars, and has been embraced and supported by many great chefs like Marc Vetri. Please consider visiting their website to get involved or make a donation if you can.
Angelo’s Pizzeria
On Marc Vetri’s recommendation, Phil stops by Angelo’s pizzeria for a couple of pizzas. Be sure to listen for your name when it’s called!
Address: 736 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
The Franklin Fountain
After a history-inspired tour of Philadelphia, Phil takes his tour guide Gavin for some ice cream sundaes at The Franklin Fountain!
Address: 116 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Kalaya
Last year, Phil’s friend Jeff Gordinier named Kalaya as the best restaurant in America. Phil, Jeff, and Esquire editor Kevin Sintumuang, dine with chef Nok Suntaranon at her acclaimed Thai restaurant. Phil calls the meal worth the trip to Philadelphia. They enjoy massaman curry, bird-shaped dumplings, extra spicy beef curry, and a jaw dropping tom yum soup.
Address: 764 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Zahav
For his final meal, Phil is joined by all of his Philadelphia friends at Michael Solomonov’s incredible flagship restaurant, Zahav. They start off with hot laffa, hummus and tahina and a bbq eggplant, and finish with one of phil’s favorite dishes in the world, Zahav’s pomegranate molasses lamb shoulder.
Address: 237 St James Pl, Philadelphia, PA 19106
