Article published on July 30, 2019
Savory Belgian eats, authentic banh mi, killer fish tacos, handmade pasta and more...
Just steps from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s wealth of museums, the charming Fairmount neighborhoodis home to a roster of top-notch restaurants.
Here, the cuisine runs the gamut, including Greek food served up from a three-generation line of family chefs (Zorba’s), tacos served out of a low-key, Baja-style shop (Buena Onda) and Belgian frites, mussels and other perfect pairings for a sudsy Dubbel or a Tripel brew (The Belgian Cafe).
Other neighborhood highlights include A Mano’s handmade pasta, Umai Umai’s fresh sushi and more.
Read on to learn more about all of our top restaurant picks in Fairmount, and consider getting to work now on making room for Sabrina’s famous (and huge) stuffed challah French toast!
Note: Restaurants are arranged in alphabetical order.
To score a house-made, hyper-local brew, look no further than Bar Hygge. The brewpub offers a selection of house-brewed drafts along with shareable boards of veggies, cheese and meat as well as classics like a hearty grass-fed beef burger with beer-braised onions.
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A member of chef Jose Garces’ family of restaurants, this Baja Peninsula-inspired, do-good eatery is known for pork al pastor tacos and shrimp and chorizo quesadillas served on house-made tortillas. Pair the delicious eats with a K38 Pale Ale, made just for Buena Onda by Yards Brewing Company.
Green Soul serves healthful, soulful comfort food such as mango jerk salmon, black bean veggie burgers and North African chicken. The lovely, rustic venue is another new business along the developing North Broad Street corridor.
Fans of hands-on dining at Gyu-Kaku, which invites diners to flame-grill their own meats over a charcoal stovetop situated on the table. Helpful staff guide patrons through a la carte orders, which include vegetarian options that can be paired with plenty of sake or a co*cktail. Regulars know to order Lady M’s Green Tea Mille Crepe for dessert.
A cozy atmosphere makes this quaint bistro, located across the street from Eastern State Penitentiary, a neighborhood favorite. Diners can look out on the historic behemoth while sipping a mimosa over strawberry mascarpone-topped red velvet pancakes or pork belly Benedict. Don’t miss Hickory Lane’s signature burger, smoky gouda mac and cheese and other American comfort dishes designed to please.
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07
iPho
This corner bistro serves up traditional Vietnamese noodle soups, vermicelli, rice dishes, banh mi and bubble tea.Diners have the option of eating in or taking out.
Where: iPho, 1921 Fairmount Avenue
Set in a 19th-century firehouse — complete with the fireman’s pole, which is still standing — Jack’s serves up American cuisine, along with impressive whiskey and scotch selections. The restaurant boasts a prime view of the imposing Eastern State Penitentiary across the street.
Named for Ben Franklin’s famous experiment with electricity, this spot offers a craft and imported beers, along with mussels, buffalo chicken spring rolls, veggie burgers and fried pickles, which can be enjoyed in the beer garden.
— Photo courtesy La Calaca Feliz
This highly praised and brightly colored neighborhood spot dishes out modern Mexican cuisine and pours a few dozen tequilas in a colorful dining room. The carnitas tacos are a must-taste.
11
Osteria
— Photo courtesy Osteria
Honored by the James Beard Foundation, this Vetri restaurant offers house-made pastas, thin-crust pizzas and wood-grilled meats and fish. The restaurant also has an extensive and exclusively Italian wine list.
Where: Osteria, 640 N. Broad Street
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— Photo courtesy Pizzeria Vetri
Award-winning chef Marc Vetri’s pizzeria serves traditional, Neapolitan-style pizzas with just the right amount of char and an array of premium toppings. Patrons can also choose from a variety of beverages on tap, including beer and wine.
Patrons line up out the door for Sabrina’s famous stuffed challah French toast and other mega-portioned brunch-time eats. Sabrina’s Fairmount location is one of its few locations that also serves dinner, including diner-style eats like homemade meatloaf and roasted chicken with crispy polenta, roasted brussel sprouts and roasted chicken gravy.
14
SOUTH
— Photo by A. Ricketts for Visit Philadelphia
Lowcountry cuisine made with rare-around-here ingredients are the focus at this restaurant and six-nights-a-week jazz venue. Dinnertime standouts include wood-roasted branzino, Cajun shrimp deviled eggs, seafood and turkey andouille gumbo, and Carolina shrimp and cheese grits; Sunday brunch brings chicken and waffles, crab omelettes and more.
Where: SOUTH, 600 N. Broad Street
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Frank Gehry-designed lunch and brunch restaurant emphasizes local, seasonal and artful. Menu highlights are herb-roasted salmon with shaved Brussels sprouts and smoked sunchokes, pork milanese and specialty co*cktails like a sage lime gimlet. Admission to the museum is required for entry to Stir.
Tela’s Market & Kitchen is the corner store that dreams are made of. This sunny shop stocks specialty grocery items including elegant cheeses, pantry staples, produce and prepared foods, including lots of locally made goodies. Even better? The cafe menu offers breakfast and lunch dishes that strike a balance between rich and healthy.
— Photo courtesy Umai Umai
This Japanese BYOB serves some unusual combinations (shrimp tempura, eel, avocado, honey, macadamia bits and strawberry is one) in their specialty rolls — just one of the reasons neighbors can’t get enough of the small sushi spot. Diners rave about the Spartan roll, made with miso-marinated beef tenderloin, cucumber, mozzarella cheese, shrimp tempura and paprika aioli, as well as the Nemo featuring snow crab, avocado, spicy mayo and crunch wrapped in cucumber.
Loved for its authentic Greek food and atmosphere (maybe it’s the three generations of owners speaking Greek), this spot is one of the neighborhood’s best-kept secrets. Zorba’s keeps its menus classic and reasonably priced.
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A Mano
Bar Hygge
Buena Onda
Green Soul
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
Hickory Lane American Bistro
iPho
Jack’s Firehouse
La Calaca Feliz
Osteria
Pizzeria Vetri
Sabrina's Cafe
SOUTH
Stir at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Trio
Umai Umai
Zorba’s Tavern
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- Fairmount
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