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Tag: Weekend Food

  • Philly cheesesteak outranks New York pizza in a new World Cup food study

    Philly cheesesteak outranks New York pizza in a new World Cup food study

    What are the foods that tourists should try on their trip to North America for the World Cup? Apparently, the Philly cheesesteak is way up there, even higher than tacos in Los Angeles or Cuban sandwiches in Miami.

    Canada Sports Betting published the “Ultimate World Cup 2026 Food Guide: What to Eat in Every Host City” on June 15. The study placed the Philly cheesesteak at No. 5, outranking New York pizza by a long shot.

    With the 2026 World Cup spanning 16 host cities across three countries, writer Amy Harris found a tour of 16 “completely different food cultures” for this guide. Canada Sports Betting scored the “hero” dish of every host city based on source frequency, local support, tourist recognition, city-specificity, and cultural significance. The result: a ranking of the most unique city-specific dishes.

    In Philadelphia, “the cheesesteak … defines the city’s entire culinary reputation internationally,” Harris wrote. The iconic sandwich with “shaved rib eye on a hoagie roll with Whiz, provolone, or American was invented by Pat Olivieri in South Philadelphia in 1930,” she continued. “Locals will tell you DiNic’s roast pork at Reading Terminal Market is actually the city’s best sandwich. That internal argument is part of what makes Philadelphia interesting.“

    The cheesesteak is, for better or worse, depending on your point of view, No. 3 on The Inquirer’s 76 iconic Philly foods, with only one other sandwich — the hoagie — surpassing it. (Water ice was also rated above cheesesteaks on The Inquirer list.)

    “The cheesesteak, much like the city in which it was invented, is a working-class sandwich,“ wrote Inquirer reporter Tommy Rowan. “Its rugged beauty is in its simplicity.“

    The pulled pork at DiNic’s Roast Pork, Reading Terminal Market, Tuesday, September 26, 2018, in Philadelphia. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff PhotographerJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

    Guadalajara’s torta ahogada landed in first place, followed by the Viet-Cajun crawfish in Houston. Cabrito al pastor — young goat roasted over live coals — from Monterrey came in third; and the burnt ends — charred tips of a smoked brisket point — from Kansas was fourth.

    And all the way in 15th place: New York pizza.

    “New York ranks 15th not because its food is unremarkable, but because its most iconic dish has become the world’s most replicated food,” Harris wrote. “New York pizza is made everywhere from Tokyo to Nairobi. That is a consequence of the city’s cultural influence, not a failure of its food.”

    But a great cheesesteak? Sorry, you have to come to Philly for that.

  • Mr. Edison brings old-school glamour — and chef Matt Levin — back to Center City

    Mr. Edison brings old-school glamour — and chef Matt Levin — back to Center City

    Veteran restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow has spent decades in and around Philadelphia without ever opening a restaurant here.

    That changes Thursday at the Bellevue, where the mind behind such destinations as China Grill and Asia de Cuba is opening Mr. Edison, a supper club-style restaurant and bar built around dinner, drinks, and live music.

    Jeffrey Chodorow (left) with chef Matt Levin at Mr. Edison at the Bellevue.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Mr. Edison is also a throwback: a large, theatrical restaurant built as much for occasion as for dinner.

    The room, in the former Polo Ralph Lauren store, announces itself immediately from the new Walnut Street entrance just west of Broad Street: a two-story space topped by a dense canopy of suspended Edison bulbs, clustered in branching formations that cast the dining room in a warm amber glow.

    The ceiling seems to split open in places, allowing lightning bolt-like streaks of light through — all the work of Manuel Clavel of Spain’s Clavel Arquitectos. Behind the bar is a 12-foot-tall Ferris wheel, its dozen spokes each carrying a bottle of wine or spirits and turning the backbar into something like a stage set.

    Caviar service at Mr. Edison.Courtesy of Mr. Edison

    Building owner Dean Adler, who is investing millions in the Bellevue as part of its redevelopment, put the 160-seat restaurant’s price tag at $10 million. “I think I got my money’s worth,” he said Tuesday. Adler also plans to install a library bar off the Bellevue’s lobby on the Broad Street side, where the Palm was before its closing in 2020.

    “I love history, so to take a genre — a 1940s-type environment — and bring it into 2026 has been really exciting,” said Chodorow, who of late has been shuttling between his Bucks County home and Miami Beach, where he opened China Grill Bar Harbour two weeks ago.

    Mr. Edison — named for Thomas Edison, who helped bring electricity to the Bellevue in 1904 — is calibrated to the building’s long identity as a grand social address. It also carries a personal connection for Chodorow. In 1982, when he was a lawyer at Blank Rome, he rented the roof for his own Rio-themed engagement party to celebrate with his wife, Linda.

    “This is not a tiny little neighborhood restaurant,” Chodorow said. “This is a place where you come to have a night.”

    Bottles glow inside niches at Mr. Edison.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Chodorow built his reputation on restaurants that function as entertainment as much as dining. He rose in the business in the 1980s and ’90s with New York hotspots, such as Asia de Cuba, Kobe Club, and Red Square, and said he long avoided opening in the Philadelphia area because he wanted to keep work separate from family life.

    With his children grown, that changed. At the Bellevue, Chodorow said, he saw an opportunity to build destination dining — a place where patrons might stop in for cocktails and snacks or settle in for dinner and stay long into the evening. The room is arranged to support both. A large bar runs along one wall; tables and banquettes wrap around in multiple zones and along a mezzanine; and a piano with an old-fashioned microphone sits on a platform to one side.

    Chef Matt Levin at the stove at Mr. Edison.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    “We’re trying to create an experience,” he said. “Not just a restaurant.”

    To run the kitchen, Chodorow recruited chef Matt Levin to come back downtown. Levin, who made his name at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse and later at Adsum in Queen Village, has spent much of the last decade in catering, consulting, and Bucks County restaurants. Chodorow found him at Pineville Tavern in central Bucks County, where Levin had been consulting and where owner Andrew Abruzzese is an old friend and neighbor.

    Mr. Edison is more interested in reworking the classics than experimentation. Levin and Chodorow drew on dishes from Philadelphia landmarks, including the crab galette from Le Bec-Fin, where Levin worked for several years, the Milan salad from Jimmy’s Milan, and duck with orange sauce from La Panetière.

    Edison bulbs provide the lighting at Mr. Edison.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Levin said the menu is a way of tapping into Philadelphia’s dining memory. “I think Philadelphia has a lot of shared history,” he said. “I think people will remember bits and pieces and say, ‘Oh, I remember that — let me try it.’”

    The challenge, Levin said, was to build a menu flexible enough to support several kinds of nights at once. “You want to be able to have people come in and just have a drink and a couple of things,” he said, “but also have the people who are coming in to really have dinner.”

    Jeffrey Chodorow in front of the bar and Ferris wheel at Mr. Edison.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Chodorow said average tabs would be $100 to $110 per person for a dinner experience. He said roughly 25 dishes can work as a grazing menu, alongside larger-format entrees, raw-bar offerings, seafood, and steaks. Levin also brought over a foie gras tartlet with cherries and pistachio, adapted from a dish he served at Moonlight.

    The beverage program leans into the Edison theme with cocktails named for his inventions, including Patent Pending and Filament No. 6.

    Filament No. 6 at Mr. Edison.Courtesy of Mr. Edison

    For Chodorow, the point of Mr. Edison is straightforward: “I wanted something that felt special,” he said.

    “I wanted people to walk in and say, ‘Wow.’”

    Mr. Edison opens Thursday at the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut Streets. Hours are 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar will remain open later.

  • Forsythia chef Christopher Kearse opens Known Associates, a cocktail bar in the former Varga Bar space

    Forsythia chef Christopher Kearse opens Known Associates, a cocktail bar in the former Varga Bar space

    When chef Christopher Kearse was planning Forsythia, the French restaurant he opened in Old City in 2019, he had two ideas that could not fit into the same room.

    One was Forsythia. The other opens in Washington Square West on Friday, seven years later.

    Phoebe Schuh of PS & Daughters (left) with owners Lauren and Christopher Kearse toast on a banquette at Known Associates.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    It’s a 40-seat cocktail bar called Known Associates, taking over the corner space at 10th and Spruce Streets that previously housed Varga Bar. The concept is built around cocktails and a compact food menu rather than full dinner service, though the fare is substantial.

    For Kearse, the opening is another chapter in a career that began far from cocktail bars and French dining rooms. He grew up in Levittown, one of eight children, and learned to cook while recovering from a serious car crash at 16 that left him with severe facial injuries. During that long recovery, he cooked for his parents and siblings. He later worked in some of the country’s most exacting kitchens — Charlie Trotter’s and Alinea in Chicago, and the French Laundry in California — before returning to the Philadelphia area to become sous chef at Lacroix and Blackfish, followed by 2½ years as chef de cuisine at Pumpkin. In 2012, at 28, he opened Will BYOB on East Passyunk Avenue, closing it to move uptown to open the French restaurant Forsythia in the former Capofitto space in Old City. Forsythia earned a Michelin recommendation last year.

    The tile floor is one of the few elements saved from Known Associates’ previous incarnation, Varga Bar. Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    Known Associates is not intended to be an extension of Forsythia. Kearse and his wife, Lauren, who is also an owner, said the concept came into focus during their honeymoon trip through Europe, traveling by train from Zurich to Florence and spending time in smaller bars and cafés in places like Lake Como and Milan.

    Lauren Kearse said one nearly empty bar in Como became the image they kept returning to: quiet, low-key, hospitable, and free of the sort of self-conscious “experience” building that now attaches itself to so many cocktail bars.

    The bar at Known Associates, chef Chris Kearse’s new cocktail bar on 10th and Spruce streets, on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    That idea is reflected in the room itself, which was rebuilt almost entirely. Phoebe Schuh of PS & Daughters, who also designed Forsythia, said the black-and-white tile floors were among the few elements retained from Varga, an unassuming gastropub with serious beer chops that closed after the unexpected death of owner Rich Colli in February 2025.

    The Varga Bar murals painted on the ceiling — the “Varga girls” that were part of the bar’s identity for years — were salvaged and may be auctioned, with proceeds going to a fund in Colli’s memory, Schuh said.

    Crudite with potato puffs and caramelized sour cream and onion dip at Known Associates.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The finished room is emphatically café lounge, not neighborhood drinking den. Floral wallpaper wraps the walls. Patterned banquettes line marble-topped tables. Mustard velvet chairs sit beneath wall sconces, with checkerboard flooring underfoot and a red-and-white striped canopy treatment stretched overhead. The overall effect is layered and slightly theatrical.

    Schuh said her working relationship with Kearse is built on familiarity. “Chris and I just kind of speak the same language because we’re both artists,” she said. “We’re not that great at talking about our work, but we’re great at producing our work.”

    The location — within blocks of Jefferson, Wills Eye, and Pennsylvania Hospitals — also helped shape the project. Lauren Kearse said they envisioned a room that could work for after-work drinks and dinner-adjacent snacking as much as destination cocktail traffic.

    That balance shows up on the food menu, which is limited to 10 savory dishes and two desserts. Kearse said the kitchen’s role is to support the bar rather than turn it into another restaurant. Still, the menu is more ambitious than standard bar snacks and has some of Forsythia’s cheffy feel.

    Cool ranch peas at Known Associates.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The burger that is a signature at Forsythia appears at Known Associates as burger au poivre, topped with Comté, cut in half, and served cut-side down in a pool of peppercorn reduction ($20). Char siu duck legs ($22) come on a pretzel milk bun with fish sauce and pickles. There’s also a chicken club ($23) with green goddess dressing and Benton’s bacon.

    Lighter dishes include black-eye pea falafel with muhammara and green-scallion hummus ($15); hamachi toast with hard-boiled egg and piri piri ($22); pomme frites with Comté cheese foam ($10); and freeze-dried cool ranch peas meant for snacking with drinks. Seasonal crudité ($12) comes with potato puffs and a caramelized sour cream and onion dip. Desserts ($12) are limited to two: toasted rice milk ice cream with sesame and peanut brittle, and triple chocolate mousse with dulce de leche and toasted hazelnut.

    The kitchen is led by chef Brandon Brokenbough, formerly of Enswell and Scarpetta.

    Chefs Christopher Kearse (left) and Brandon Brokenbough at Known Associates.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    Beverage director Chris Harrop’s cocktails are built around prep work and technique. The TNT ($18) — tomato and tonic — uses clarified tomato water made from tomato, red bell pepper, shallot, fennel, and cucumber. The solids left behind after clarification are dehydrated and served as chips alongside the drink. Harrop said the same clarified base can also be used as a zero-proof savory soda.

    The Bittered in Bond ($20), a Boulevardier variation, is made with a house mezcal amaro, Bonal Gentiane, Cappelletti Aperitivo, Licor 43, and salt. It is bottled in a small flask with a batch number and bottling date and poured tableside, a nod to bottled-in-bond whiskey labeling.

    Between Harvest ($19), meanwhile, is a Martinez variation with Hayman’s Old Tom gin, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, Nardini Rabarbaro, and muddled cucumber. Harrop said the name came from a Forsythia customer’s observation that rhubarb and cucumber almost never overlap in season — one fading as the other begins. For summer, he said, the bar has a frozen zombie ($19) assembled to order, with the rum blend kept separate from the slush machine so each drink can still be measured and built fresh.

    The name Known Associates carries a passing wink to spy movies — the Kearses are fans of Bond films — but Lauren Kearse said the bar is not built as a themed concept.

    “We have no interest in doing that,” she said. “We wanted something punchy that had a little bit of mystery to it.”

    Known Associates, 941 Spruce St., opens June 26 and will be open daily from 3 p.m. to midnight.

  • South Philly Barbacoa is moving in to Triple Bottom Brewing

    South Philly Barbacoa is moving in to Triple Bottom Brewing

    On a recent Saturday inside Triple Bottom Brewing, award-winning chef Cristina Martinez stood behind a wooden taco cart next to the bar making barbacoa tacos for an eager crowd.

    At the June 14 event, Triple Bottom owners Tess Hart and her husband, Bill Popwell, announced South Philly Barbacoa as their new permanent food vendor for the Spring Garden brewery.

    The brewery was ready to have a permanent food vendor after two years of hosting chef residencies, including La Llamita Vegana and Angie’s Vietnam. In early spring, the CEO of Triple Bottom decided to email the restaurant she felt would be the best fit: South Philly Barbacoa.

    “Their team has been in our space a lot, and I’ve been down there,” Hart said. “We introduced the conversation at a moment where they were also thinking about their next steps and what growth could look like for them. It felt very natural, because I think — even though we do such different things in the food and beverage space — both of us are really led by values,” including caring about the supply chain for their respective businesses and supporting the immigrant community of Philadelphia.

    The South Philly Barbacoa menu, attached to Triple Bottom drinks menu, features most of the same items found at its South Philly location inside Casa Mexico, where South Philly Barbacoa still operates.

    Find South Philly Barbacoa at Triple Bottom Brewing, 915 Spring Garden St.SOMAscape Studio

    “The only thing that is not here is the consommé, which hopefully we’ll have in the wintertime,” Hart said. “But for now,” there are tacos — slow-cooked lamb barbacoa, shredded chicken covered in smoky tomato chipotle sauce, slow-braised pork, spicy lamb offal sausage pancita, and a vegan option with seasonal vegetables — $7 for one or $21 for three, chips and guacamole with crispy corn tortillas for $10, esquites for $10, and handmade sweet tamales made with corn masa for $7.

    “Having a very amazing food program that’s reliable is a way to make sure that you can come here even if you don’t want a beer or any kind of drink — this is still a place for you,” Hart said.

    “Triple Bottom Brewing is this little oasis on Spring Garden Street with these bright, airy windows,” Hart continued. “And now, barbacoa tacos.”

  • Would you try this cheesesteak-flavored olive oil? We did.

    Would you try this cheesesteak-flavored olive oil? We did.

    “It tastes like oil from a real cheesesteak wrapper,” proclaims the slogan of Mama-Tee’s Philly cheesesteak-flavored extra virgin olive oil.

    Mama-Tees are community fridges, notable for their bright yellow paint jobs, that are scattered around Philadelphia. The cheesesteak oil ($19) is part of a fundraiser to combat food insecurity locally, along with three other flavored oils: Basil Bliss, Truffle Love, and Pepper Pleaser. Proceeds go to helping fill the fridges with food. So if the oil prompts cheesesteak-flavored burps, it would do so in the name of a noble cause.

    We at The Inquirer had to do a taste test.

    Is this merely a novelty or could it have legitimate culinary applications?

    The ingredients of the Philly cheesesteak-flavored oil intriguingly are only “extra virgin olive oil” and “onion flavor.” How could these two ingredients, neither of which involves cheese nor steak, encompass the nuanced experience of consuming an actual cheesesteak? The Inquirer sought to get to the bottom of these questions.

    The first round of cheesesteak experts was summoned.

    “It smells like a deli case,” said food editor Margaret Eby. “There is a cheesiness to it. It’s like that cheese oil that gets trapped in a charred, upturned pepperoni cup on your pizza.”

    “I think it should be called ‘hoagie oil,’” said food reporter Beatrice Forman.

    “It is like unwrapping a hoagie,” agreed critic Craig LaBan. “When you get the vinaigrette soaking through the wrapper. And it tastes like French’s fried onions, but burnt.”

    “I don’t know what it could be used for,” said food reporter Michael Klein.

    “It tastes like old fryer oil,” grimaced reporter Ryan Briggs. “It’s gravitating toward capturing that cheesesteak shop smell when they’re frying all the onions.”

    Reporter Max Marin poured the oil over his youtiao, a savory Chinese cruller, while at lunch at Lau Kee in Chinatown. “It’s got a chemical taste that makes me think there’s a number in one of its ingredients.” But does it make the youtiao taste like a cheesesteak? “It does not.”

    Inquirer reporter Max Marin pours Mama-Tee’s Philly cheesesteak-flavored oil on his youtiao at Lau Kee.Kiki Aranita

    Various Philly chefs were more open-minded in the cheesesteak oil’s applications.

    “I think the flavor is great,” said Juan De Ocampo, sous chef at Fairmount’s Manong, as he poured the oil onto a pile of fried shrimp chips.

    “I kind of like the cheesesteak oil,” said dancerobot’s Justin Bacharach. “It’s pungent and although I don’t cook with olive oil, I would use it to add a little funk and fat to a dish, like to dress an antipasto with South Philly vibes like sharp provolone and soppressata, and in the Japanese canon, I think it would be fun drizzled on top of a gyudon (beef and onions over rice) where you’d normally use mayu (a Japanese scorched black garlic oil).”

    “It feels really heavy,” said Melissa Fernando, the chef behind long-running pop-up Sri’s Company. “In Sri Lankan food, we mostly use coconut oil to cook, but I suppose I’d use this to sauté onions and garlic.”

    That perceived “heaviness” is easily addressed, according to 637 Sushi Club’s Kevin Yanaga, no stranger to unusual pairings. “I just need a lemon or something acidic with it. I could then use it on a fluke crudo. It’s rough and funky on its own, but salt and acid would help.”

    After careful consideration of these diverse opinions, the Mama-Tee cheesesteak oil had only one test remaining to undergo: a side-by-side comparison between it and the oil from an actual cheesesteak wrapper.

    A Del Rossi’s cheesesteak (wit onions, of course) was summoned. A wrapper was licked. A shot of cheesesteak oil was taken. The wrapper had the distinct advantage of beefiness. When applied directly to the cheesesteak, the oil oddly enhanced the cheesesteak’s flavor. And another thing the oil had in common with a real cheesesteak? Real cheesy, oniony burps after consumption.

    A Del Rossi’s cheesesteak and Mama-Tee’s cheesesteak oil, consumed in unison.Kiki Aranita

    Mama-Tee’s Philly cheesesteak oil ($19) can be purchased at Wegmans in King of Prussia, though more locations may be added soon.

  • Every bottle of this Kensington-made NA spirit is packaged by hand. At local bars, it’s already a hit.

    Every bottle of this Kensington-made NA spirit is packaged by hand. At local bars, it’s already a hit.

    A non-alcoholic Philly spirits brand is finding early success by doing everything — from blending to bottling — by hand.

    Cult of Trees is a new line of alcohol-free aperitifs produced at Maken Studios in Kensington. Inside the sunny production space, founder Meredith Sheehy spends hours each week distilling homemade herb blends into a line of zero-proof cocktails that taste like fizzy spritzes.

    The brand’s three flavors include Hare Brain, which is akin to a cola-spiked negroni; Meadow Core, a citrusy and floral blend of red fruits; and Billy Goat, which tastes like rolling in a field of wildflowers thanks to a mixture of herbs, honey, and elderflower. Since sales began in January, Cult of Trees has been selling well at local grocery stores and bars, such as Solar Myth and Enswell, where the drinks are served straight or floated with sparkling water or cold brew.

    For Sheehy, who moved to Philly in 2022, the city is as much an inspiration for the brand as the ingredients themselves. After closing her Brooklyn-based Mezcal bar La Loba Cantina due to the pandemic, Sheehy began bartending at Philadelphia Distilling. Philly, she said, had a refreshing scene.

    “People will answer questions and pour tastes of curiosities on their back bars, with genuine excitement to share,” said Sheehy. “It’s a beautifully welcoming culture here.”

    From left: Hare Brain, Billy Club, and Meadow Core, Cult of Trees’s three flavors of non-alcoholic aperitifs. Bottles are sold at Riverwards Produce in Old City and Herman’s Coffee in Pennsport.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Fascinated by distilling alcohol, yet increasingly conscious of her own dwindling consumption, Sheehy was inspired by the growing sober curious movement to start her own non-alcoholic cocktail brand.

    Fewer and fewer young people are building their social lives around drinking, and more zero-proof drink brands are available than ever. But, Sheehy noticed, most of them showcased the same styles on repeat — one-to-one spirits replacements like zero-proof whiskeys or gins, and spritzes as far as the eye could see. Many also weren’t transparent about where their ingredients came from.

    Philly’s bars are embracing zebra-striping, aka switching it up between booze and NA drinks

    Sheehy wanted to create something that wasn’t just about emulating the experience of drinking alcohol. Abstaining “shouldn’t mean that you need to take away flavor or an interesting story,” she said.

    At Cult of Trees, each aperitif is made with ingredients sourced from Pennsylvania farms and requires a multiday routine of distillation, carbonation, and bottling. It’s an analog process that contrasts with that of large scale brands, which Sheehy said often rely on commercial flavor extracts — as opposed to dried botanicals or herbs — to quicken production and lower costs.

    Meredith Sheehy, owner of Cult of Trees, sprinkles caraway seed into a mortar and pestle to make one of the herb blends for her line of zero-proof spirits. Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Getting started, then getting set back

    While at Philadelphia Distilling, Sheehy became close with Jack Falkenbach, the expert distiller and legendary Philly bartender that died last year at 44. Falkenbach, she said, was always “willing to explain specialized process details at the distillery. We both liked deep-diving on things like acid phosphate,” she said. “I deeply trusted his style of drink making and technical know-how.”

    Jack Falkenbach, expert distiller at Philadelphia Distilling and multiskilled musician, has died at 44

    Falkenbach was among Cult of Tree’s earliest supporters, Sheehy said, and one of the first people she involved in building the company. Around this time last year, the pair was making test batches together; Falkenbach was focused on nailing the carbonation as Sheehy refined the packaging.

    Then the first real workday arrived. Falkenbach did not.

    Meredith Sheehy, owner of Cult of Trees, poses for a photo while preparing one of the herb bases for her line of zero-proof spirts, which is based at Maken Studios in Kensington.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    His passing, Sheehy said, was doubly “heartbreaking,” but launching Cult of Trees left little time to grieve. “I did what all business owners have to do,” she said. “You recover and pivot, or you don’t and you lose the idea.”

    Sheehy went on to launch the business with a single employee: Gordon Grubb, a veteran brewer who had been put out of work by Iron Hill’s sudden closures. Together, they make each batch of aperitifs.

    Hand-bottled and hand-carbonated

    Zero-proof spirits still require distillation to get the right flavors and mouthfeel, which is why many come with a higher price tag.

    Each batch of aperitifs takes at least three days to produce, Sheehy said, and begins with her macerating and boiling the original herb blends that serve as the base for each beverage. Distillation is the longest part of the make process and can take upwards of several hours. After, Sheehy and Grubb carbonate and bottle each beverage by hand.

    Hare Brain from Cult of Trees, a zero-proof aperitif that tastes like cola.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    A single batch yields only 18 to 20 cases, according to Sheehy. “It’s labor intensive right now,” she said, “but will start to get more turnkey as we grow and are able to incorporate more equipment.”

    Already, Cult of Trees can be found on the beverage menus at Solar Myth, Tulip Pasta & Wine Bar, Enswell, and the International Bar.

    “It’s a popular suggestion from our entire team when guests are looking for a unique and local NA option,” said Enswell manager Chelsea Boyer, who often pairs Hare Brain with Rival Bro’s Whistle & Cuss espresso. “The bitter nature and gentle carbonation of the Hare Brain pairs perfectly with the candied nuttiness of the espresso.”

    Meredith Sheehy, owner of Cult of Trees, caps a bottle of Hare Brain at her Kensington production facility. Each bottle of the non-alcoholic spirit is packaged by hand.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Retail placements at Riverwards Produce, Herman’s Coffee, and Queen Village’s Moon & Arrow are also new, but a sign of growth.

    The drinks have been selling well at Riverwards’ Old City location, said CEO Dan Morgan, buoyed by an April pop-up where Sheehy poured samples for guests. “I think their great flavors and beautiful packaging will really help them stand out,” Morgan said.

    Cult of Trees production manager Gordon Grubb fills bottles of Hare Brain during the carbonation process at the brand’s Kensington studio.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Sheehy is betting on the same. “In my opinion, consumers increasingly want transparency, local sourcing, and a story behind what they drink,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

  • The Buttery’s newest outpost is officially open in Bryn Mawr

    The Buttery’s newest outpost is officially open in Bryn Mawr

    Popular Main Line bakery The Buttery officially opened its doors in Bryn Mawr last weekend, marking the third location in a growing collection of cafés owned by husband-and-wife duo John and Silenia Rhoads.

    Known for its sourdough breads, homemade pastries, and seasonal dishes, The Buttery describes itself as “part village bakery, part coffee shop, and part scratch kitchen.”

    The Rhoadses opened the first Buttery location in Malvern in 2015 and have since expanded into the Ardmore Farmers Market and now Bryn Mawr, at 836 W. Lancaster Ave. The Buttery previously had a satellite location at the Malvern train station, which closed in December.

    The bakery is beloved by Main Line residents and visitors (and even received the praises of Martha Stewart this spring).

    Vinny Petraglia, culinary operations director, drizzles olive oil on the avocado toast at The Buttery in Bryn Mawr.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    Joli Ridenour, The Buttery’s community manager, said customers have been asking the bakery to expand for years. When they opened in Ardmore in October, patrons were over the moon about not needing to drive to Malvern to get their beloved kouign-amann and sourdough.

    John Rhoads grew up in Devon, and he, Silenia, and their three teenagers now live in Paoli, so finding another outpost on the Main Line just felt right.

    Bryn Mawr felt like “a good center point on the Main Line,” John Rhoads said.

    “We’re so excited to be in this town. There’s such a hustle and bustle,” Silenia Rhoads said, adding that she’s already seen a “sense of community.”

    At the bakery’s soft opening on Wednesday, loaves of sourdough and baguettes peeked out from behind long glass cases stuff with butter croissants, lemon currant scones, and fresh bagels. Packaged cookies, branded T-shirts, and bags of homemade granola lined the walls, and customers stopped to chat with the Rhoadses.

    The 82-seat café is spacious, laid out with long communal tables, corner booths, and scattered two- and four-tops. The Buttery team wanted multiple kinds of seating options to allow for different dining experiences, from neighbors grabbing a quick coffee to families coming in for a long lunch.

    Silenia (left) and John Rhoads, owners of The Buttery, at their new location in Bryn Mawr. Said Joli Ridenour, The Buttery’s community manager, “We want people to feel really at home and welcome and like they’re walking into an old friend’s house.”Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    “We want people to feel really at home and welcome and like they’re walking into an old friend’s house,” Ridenour said.

    The Buttery’s Bryn Mawr location is serving its full breakfast and lunch menu, which includes bagels, quiches, sandwiches, open-face tartines, salads, and speciality Passenger coffee and tea drinks. The Rhoadses said they are hoping to expand to dinner service, as they have in Malvern, in the fall or winter.

    Ridenour said the bakery always tries to source locally, milling flour out of local grain and purchasing eggs from Highspire Hills Farm in Glenmoore. Almost everything is made in-house, including roasting their own meat for roast beef sandwiches.

    What to order? The Buttery’s staff says you can’t go wrong. The sablé cookie, a buttery French shortbread cookie, is a signature dish. Silenia Rhoads recommends the seasonal panzanella salad, made with fresh smashed cucumber, asparagus, homemade croutons, and a potpourri of herbs. The breakfast sandwich, serviced with harissa aioli on an everything brioche bun, is also a fan favorite.

    Turkish eggs with homemade naan at The Buttery in Bryn Mawr.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The Buttery has been able to expand in large part due to a bakehouse the Rhoadses opened in Norristown a year ago. With more space and a centralized food preparation location, the bakehouse has “enabled us to set our sights on more,” John Rhoads said.

    The couple said a Northern Liberties location will open later this year, and further growth is on the horizon for 2027.

    The Buttery will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with kitchen service until 3 p.m.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • My favorite halal restaurants in the Philadelphia area

    My favorite halal restaurants in the Philadelphia area

    What makes Philly’s halal dining unlike any other city is the diversity of cuisines available. It’s what made dining so exciting for me when I moved to Philly in 2020. As a Muslim growing up in Tennessee, halal options — aside from chicken and rice and one barbecue hotspot — were hard to come by. From the moment I began eating my way through my new home, it was clear Philly’s robust dining scene offered a grander landscape of halal eats.

    Halal meat follows the tradition of zabihah, defining whether the animal has been fed and treated humanely before and during slaughter, blessed in the name of Allah, and drained of blood. The literal meaning of halal is “permissible,” which can be used to describe various parts of Muslims’ lifestyle, including dining habits. For example, rice and bread are halal, but alcohol and pork are haram — or prohibited.

    Most halal-serving restaurants will identify themselves as such on their website or menus but a simple ask also helps verify. Similar to kosher meat, halal certifications are available, but “if it’s a Muslim-owned restaurant and they are guaranteeing and promising you that it’s halal, then that’s really the only research that’s required,” said Toba Hoda, who runs the Instagram account @phillyhalalspots.

    Over the years, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite halal spots, from crispy Ethiopian fried chicken in West Philly to slow-cooked beef rendang in South Philly. Here are a handful of them that show the breadth of cuisines to try in Philly. — Hira Qureshi

    Al-Baik Shawarma

    Tucked into a commercial strip on the ever-busy Willits Road, Al-Baik Shawarma is one of the best Palestinian restaurants in Philadelphia. Hailing from Ramallah, chef-owner Sohaib Al-Haj and his family serve juicy cuts of chicken, beef, and lamb seasoned with aplomb. Nestle into one of the plush booths and order the mashawi mixed grill platter to savor it all: kufta, chicken and beef kebab skewers, and chicken wings alongside rice, salad, hummus, grilled onions, tomatoes, and fresh laffa bread. The Northeast restaurant also has some of the best falafel in the city. Here, you can sip on Palestine Colas and enjoy sweets like coconut basbousa and pistachio Nutella cookies from local bakers. At least, that’s what I do.

    3217 Willits Rd., 267-703-8000, order.albaikshawarma.com

    Black Dragon Takeout

    In West Philly, chef Kurt Evans is serving an entire halal menu featuring Black American Chinese takeout. That means I’m walking in ready to order their crispy collard green egg rolls, saucy oxtail “lo-mane,” sweet and spicy General Roscoe’s chicken, sweet potato chili wings, and jerk chicken skewers. With limited seating, it’s best to take your order home — although I usually sneak a bite inside and end up scarfing down the rest while standing on the sidewalk.

    5260 Rodman St., 267-292-2905, blackdragontakeout.com

    Doro Bet

    What if halal fried chicken was also gluten-free? At Doro Bet, sisters Mebruka Kane and Hayat Ali (who also own the nearby Alif Brew, which offers traditional Ethiopian coffee service with fresh-roasted beans, and Salam Cafe in Germantown) make those dreams a reality. The fast-casual West Philly hotspot — an Inquirer 76 pick two years in a row — serves crispy, teff-coated fried chicken spiced with either berbere or lemon turmeric. It’s just a few blocks west of Clark Park, perfectly located for a savory treat after my farmers’ market visits. The restaurant also has Ethiopian classics like doro wot and tibs, along with vegetarian options like falafel wraps and teff-flour fried mushrooms. And don’t sleep on the tiramisu, made with the richness of that same Ethiopian coffee.

    4533 Baltimore Ave., 215-921-6558, alifamilyrestaurants.com/doro-bet

    Griddle & Rice

    Philly’s new era of Indonesian cafés includes a South Philly spot that’s got a halal, pork-free menu. Griddle & Rice is all about dishes that marry Indonesian traditions with current trends and American breakfast foods. Take the nasi uduk, a breakfast coconut rice platter packed with crispy fried marinated chicken, sweet chili egg and tofu, sweet soy tempe, crunchy veggie fritter, sambal terasi shrimp paste chili, and crackly garlic crackers; or the iga bakar platter with grilled, Indonesian-spiced braised beef ribs, white rice, fried egg, more sambal terasi, and a salad. I would recommend ordering one of the best bowls of congee — with halal curry chicken broth and shredded chicken breast — in the city. And don’t sleep on the drinks — I slurped up the es kopi gula aren, a smoky Indonesian palm sugar latte, and mango matcha with coconut water in one sitting.

    2151 S. 22nd St., 267-360-2900, griddlericephilly.com

    Hardena

    The beloved late Ena Widjojo’s family-run restaurant has been feeding South Philly for more than 20 years. These days it’s her daughter Maylia who runs the place, but they’ve stuck to the script — halal Indonesian classics. I love venturing to South Philly for their slow-cooked beef rendang, saté chicken (marinated in sweet soy and makrut lime juice, topped with peanut sauce), and crunchy Krupuk (garlic and tapioca chips). And I’m always reminded why the menu earned a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation in 2018.

    1754 S. Hicks St., 215-271-9442, hardenapa.com

    Korea Taqueria

    Since its inception in 2023, Korea Taqueria has mostly operated with a non-halal menu, with halal chicken offerings on a if-you-know-you-know basis. But as of March, owners Alexander Sherack and Rene Lopez announced their shift to a fully halal menu. “We’d be getting DMs [about halal offerings] just about every month, so there was always this seed planted from day one,” Sherack said. “Once we found local suppliers we made the shift.” The Korean Mexican grub, located in South Philly, Fishtown, and West Philly, includes bulgogi beef birria tacos, gochujang wings, Kimchi cheese fries, Korean fried chicken sandwich, and more. Consider ordering my go-to: the meal sampler, for all of it one order. Wash it down with horchata or watermelon agua fresca.

    3101 Tasker St., 267-234-7100; 2563 Trenton Ave., 267-204-3710; 3401 Walnut St., 267-274-1230, korea-taqueria.com

    MAdness of MAsala

    One of the 76 most vital restaurants in the Philly area sits in the middle of Montgomery County. The hour drive to Madness of Masala becomes a mandatory pilgrimage for those seeking halal goat pepper fry, malai paneer kabab, andhra shrimp curry, and other South Indian classics. The fiery tandoori spices tingle on my tongue as I devour stuffed mirchi bajji, kali mirch paneer, and goat ghee roast. I only need to order their syrupy gulab jamun and a Hyderabadi masala chai to cool down.

    2851 Ridge Pike, Trooper, 484-235-8003, madnessofmasala.com

    Saad’s Halal Restaurant

    What makes this a West Philly institution? It’s owner Saad Alrayes’ chicken shish tawook — best known simply as the chicken maroosh. The first time I took a bite of the sandwich packed with juicy pieces of grilled chicken, tomato slices, sautéed onions, and snappy pickles, generously drizzled with creamy garlic sauce in a long hoagie roll — the namesake “maroosh way” — I understood. This was most definitely the best sandwich in the city.

    4500 Walnut St., 215-222-7223, saadhalal.com

  • The man, the myth, the bar crawl: Jenkintown goes all out for Nic Cage-themed night

    The man, the myth, the bar crawl: Jenkintown goes all out for Nic Cage-themed night

    In an unbearably massive oversight, the city of Philadelphia has left National Treasure Nicolas Cage completely out of its Semiquincentennial festivities, despite the fact that he’s the only known person to have stolen the Declaration of Independence and climbed Independence Hall free solo in the last 250 years.

    But fear not, for a group of suburban bars have mustered to pay homage to this chameleon king of cinema, this skin-shedding Snake Eyes of the silver screen with their revolutionary event: “Uncaged in Jenkintown: A Nic Cage cocktail crawl.”

    Nic nugget: Cage has portrayed twice as many people as there were members of the First Continental Congress.

    From 4 to 8 p.m. June 28, four Jenkintown bars within stumbling distance of each other — the Keep Easy, the Drake Tavern, Buckets Bar, and Kings Corner — will be featuring Cage-themed cocktails, showing Cage movies, and hosting “Cage matches.”

    Songs from Cage’s films will be performed live in an alley, the local movie theater is hosting a late-night screening of a Cage film, and, for the Wild at Heart, even a tattoo parlor is getting in on the festivities.

    Nic nugget: Cage has a tattoo of a lizard wearing a top hat.

    In an Adaptation of a typical bar crawl, participants who register for this event will receive a pretty Kick Ass “Uncaged Cocktail Crawl Kit” filled with goodies that would be a Dream Scenario for any Cage fan.

    Mel Hager — an owner of the Keep Easy who described her Cage fandom as “AhaHAhahAA [maniacal Cage laughter] OUTRAGEOUS OOooOO!!” — said the participating bars host a Festivus-themed crawl during the holidays and they wanted to create a summer-themed crawl too (luckily, there’s no chance of getting Snowden at this time of year).

    “Who doesn’t like Nic Cage?” she said. “It’s insane how he puts in the work. Every time I turn around I’m like ‘Is he a robot? How does he do so many movies?’ He’s an enigma but yet he does seem like all of us but also maybe he’s an alien? I don’t know, but it’s fantastic.”

    Nic nugget: Cage has never played an alien, but he was convinced he was one as a kid.

    The event is free to attend, but participants who want to compete for Cage-themed prizes will need to either preregister online for $15 or register in person the day of at the same price to receive their Uncaged kit. Each kit contains one of five random Cage masks to be worn during face-offs against opponents in “Cage matches.”

    Every bar will have its own Cage match competition that will pit two players in a tête-à-tête game based on a different Cage movie to determine who’s the Lord of War. The game at Buckets, for example, is called the “Flying Elvis” and it’s based on the scene in Honeymoon in Vegas where Cage goes skydiving with a group of Elvis impersonators. Contestants will have to throw toy parachute soldiers (hand-painted to look like Elvis) to see who can land them closest to a tiny mock-up of the Vegas strip.

    The games are designed to move quickly, with each Gone in 60 Seconds or so.

    Nic nugget: When Cage is gone he will be buried in a 9-foot-tall white stone pyramid he had built in a New Orleans cemetery.

    For every challenge won, participants will get a stamp in their Cage pub passport, which is included with the kit. At 7:30 p.m., an awards ceremony will be held and those with the most stamps will receive Cage-themed prizes. Hey, It Could Happen to You.

    Cage crawlers are also urged to get stamps in their passport for every Cage-themed beverage they consume. The Keep Easy will be serving “Mandy’s Electric Lemonade,” a reference to the surreal horror film, Mandy, that’s made with blue Curaçao, a libation just as colorful as Cage’s career.

    “We’re trying to bring out his spirit in our spirits,” Hager said.

    Also included in the kit is a photo scavenger hunt with challenges at every establishment, like snapping a picture with Picolas Cage, a life-size cut-out of Cage as a pickle (he’s kind of a big dill).

    “We had Picolas Cage already because we had a pickle crawl one year and I love Nic Cage…so he’s making a comeback,” Hager said, gherkin out.

    Those who preregister will also receive a piece of Cage cash, a very not legal form of tender with Cage’s face on it that will get you a specialty shot at one of the four participating bars, if you want to cash it in.

    Nic nugget: Cage once spent $276,000 on a dinosaur skull he later had to turn over to the Mongolian government.

    A Nic Cage-themed bar crawl? Just take our money now.

    During the crawl, local musician Gerard Regan will Rage in nearby Yorkway Alley, playing songs from Cage movies. Prior to the festivities, Nobleheart Tattoo Gallery will have a special on Cage-themed tats from 1 to 4 p.m. And following the crawl at 9:30 p.m., the Hiway Theater will show Cage’s 1988 film, Vampire’s Kiss, if you have Time to Kill.

    Costumes are encouraged and given that Cage has portrayed every kind of character from an angel to a vampire, the possibilities are endless. So get Primal with it, because you don’t want to be Left Behind.

    “It’s like the whole town is getting involved,” Hager said. “Like Nic Cage would, just come on out and have fun. You deserve it.”

    For more information on Uncaged in Jenkintown, visit the event’s Facebook page. To preregister for the crawl visit: uncagedinjenkintown.bigcartel.com.

  • City Tavern’s garden to reopen as a summer pop-up amid uncertainty over the landmark restaurant’s future

    City Tavern’s garden to reopen as a summer pop-up amid uncertainty over the landmark restaurant’s future

    As Philadelphia prepares to welcome visitors for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, one of its most notable historic sites will stir back to life — at least outdoors.

    Historic Philadelphia Inc., through an agreement with Independence National Historical Park and in partnership with event company Cescaphe, plans to open the Garden at City Tavern on June 25, transforming the shaded plot behind City Tavern into a seasonal destination featuring food, drinks, historical interpreters, lawn games, and special events.

    The garden behind City Tavern, Second and Walnut Streets, on June 18, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff

    The garden will operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through Labor Day on the grounds behind the shuttered restaurant at Second and Walnut Streets, offering visitors a chance to gather at a site that played a prominent role in Revolutionary-era Philadelphia.

    What visitors will not find, though, is a reopened City Tavern.

    The restaurant inside the three-story brick building has been dark since October 2020. Though the closure became associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, former chef-proprietor Walter Staib said the building’s mounting physical problems were the larger issue.

    City Tavern chef/proprietor Walter Staib serving Ralph Archbold, portraying Benjamin Franklin, on Dec. 21, 2005.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “COVID was the perfect excuse to close, but it wasn’t the real reason,” Staib said Thursday. “The tavern would have closed anyway. The liabilities had become too great.”

    The National Park Service sought a long-term operator in 2023, but no successor has been announced. “Lease negotiations are in process, which we hope to conclude by the end of summer,” park superintendent Steven Sims said in a statement to The Inquirer.

    For now, Historic Philadelphia is concentrating on the garden.

    “We really wanted to activate City Tavern itself,” said Amy Needle, president and chief executive officer of Historic Philadelphia. “The garden has always been a gorgeous space. For now, we’re focusing on that.” She said the seasonal run could be extended if demand remains strong and hopes to bring the pop-up back each summer.

    City Tavern, on Second Street near Walnut, on Jan. 26, 2023.Michael Klein / Staff

    Founded in 1773, City Tavern served as a gathering place for merchants, politicians, and many of the nation’s founders. Delegates to the First Continental Congress dined there, while George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin were among its patrons.

    The original structure was damaged by fire in 1834 and demolished two decades later. The current building is a reconstruction commissioned by the park service and opened in 1976 as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration.

    For decades, City Tavern operated as both a restaurant and a living-history attraction, eventually becoming closely identified with Staib, the German-born chef, historian, and television personality who took over the operation in 1994. Under his stewardship, the restaurant gained national recognition for menus inspired by colonial recipes and traditions, helping launch cookbooks and the PBS series A Taste of History.

    Chef Walter Staib is shown at City Tavern in 2013.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Staib said many people still contact him, especially around patriotic holidays, asking when the tavern will reopen. “I tell them, ‘I’ve got nothing to do with the tavern,’” he said.

    He said he declined an invitation to appear at the garden’s opening, but he would be delighted to advise a new operator. At 80 years old, he said, his days of restaurant ownership are history.

    Among the building’s challenges, Staib cited the lack of a sprinkler system in dining rooms, aging infrastructure, and the absence of an elevator. Even before the closure, he estimated that bringing the property into compliance would require millions of dollars. “Add another six years of deterioration,” he said, “and it’s even more expensive now.”

    The garden behind City Tavern, Second and Walnut Streets, on June 18, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff

    Historic Philadelphia, meanwhile, saw an opportunity to bring activity back to the property. Backed by a grant from the Connelly Foundation, the organization upgraded the garden with new landscaping, seating, and other amenities. It also enlisted Cescaphe — Historic Philadelphia’s partner in other ventures, including Franklin Square — to operate the seasonal pop-up; financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

    Despite the historic setting, the food and beverage offerings are decidedly contemporary. The menu includes turkey sandwiches, wraps, charcuterie boards, pretzels, beer, wine, and canned cocktails with names such as Patriots Punch, Birthday Brew, and Liberty Lemonade. Cescaphe will use an off-site commissary rather than City Tavern’s dormant kitchens. Unlike the former restaurant, staff will not wear colonial-era clothing.

    City Tavern, Second and Walnut Streets, opened in 1976 on the site of a former colonial tavern.Michael Klein / Staff

    Historic Philadelphia’s “History Makers” interpreters will appear regularly at the site, and the organization’s Independence After Hours tours will conclude at the garden on Saturday evenings. During the Historic District’s Red, White & Blue To-Do celebration on July 2, the garden also will host live music.

    Needle said the project reflects Historic Philadelphia’s broader mission of bringing activity to public spaces and historic sites.

    “The garden is already used by neighborhood residents,” she said. “People walk their dogs there, and visitors come through as well. Part of our mission is bringing these places to life, so we’re excited to do that here.”