12 Great Restaurants in Philly's East Passyunk Neighborhood

Margarita seekers will find a welcome reprieve along the bustling East Passyunk Avenue at Cantina Los Caballitos, which offers happy hour six days a week, including a special late-night stint from 10 pm. to midnight on Sundays and Mondays. During that time, you can score a pitcher of frozen or on-the-rocks margs for $20, but the restaurant’s delicious cocktails are also available anytime to help wash down chips and queso; empanadas; tacos and burritos to your heart’s content. In warmer months, the outdoor patio draws a huge crowd.

Chef-owners Lee Styer and Kevin Watters kick off every day at The Dutch with breakfast and brunch before transforming it into an elevated dinner spot with a prix-fixe Dutch After Dark menu from Wednesdays through Sundays. Dine alfresco with sidewalk seating overlooking East Passyunk’s iconic Singing Fountain, or pop inside to eat your way through reinventions of Pennsylvania Dutch classics. And fans of The Dutch’s predecessor restaurant Fond are in luck: A few beloved dishes carried over onto the menu, including a killer Thursday special ($20 for a half-dozen oysters and a glass of sparkling rose), available during warmer months.

Seasonal eats sourced from local farmers and purveyors are cooked over a custom-built, wood-burning hearth at Ember & Ash, where they use every part of the ingredients they source to promote waste reduction and sustainability. On the food side: Beef shin with green curry, and the gemelli pasta with oxtail ragu are the stars of the show. Creative drinks include the pickle beet martini (vodka, house dill pickle brine, beet juice and caraway), plus zero-proof beverages like a Korean-spice margarita. Can’t miss on the dessert portion of the menu: a basque-style cheesecake with melt-in-your-mouth Meyer lemon curd.

This South Philly neighborhood tavern is old school — so much so, it doesn’t even have a phone. It’s all part of the charm at this laid-back joint that likes to keep it chill and simple. Think $6 cheeseburgers and other $4 light snacks like fries, carrots or green beans, plus an ever-rotating list of beers on tap from craft (Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire, Grimm Super Spruce Sour) to classic (Kenzinger, Guinness). You’ll also find a colorful assortment of wine: orange, rose, sparkling, reds and whites.

Chef-owner Thanh Nguyen has taken the East Passyunk neighborhood’s food scene by storm with her concept Gabriella’s Vietnam, where she serves up street food-esque dishes stemming from her native Saigon, Vietnam. The popular BYOB has garnered attention across the country thanks to its flavor-packed dishes like the wok-fried tofu with lemongrass and soy sauce; shaken beef (which is indeed vigorously cooked in a wok to get a distinct charred flavor); and the vermicelli platter with shrimp paste dipping sauce. Diners also rave about the steamed water fern dumplings, fried soft shell crabs and sizzling catfish.

Up on the eighth floor of makers’ space mashup Bok Building, you’ll find rooftop views, natural wines and melt-in-your-mouth Sicilian fare at Irwin’s. Watch the sunset over the city while chowing down on offerings like octopus with hazelnut and mushrooms; gnocchi sardi with eggplant and chili; or a whole fish complete with grilled citrus and salsa verde. The beverage program features a wide-ranging wine selection, plus cocktails (major props for the Fig-Getaboutit made with dark and overproof rum, fig, allspice dram and lime) and intriguing zero-proof concoctions like a blend of coffee with grapefruit tonic.

Seafood is a prominent part of the menu at this chic American bistro from chef-owner Nicholas Elmi, which also embraces French, Japanese and Italian influences. The a la carte menu includes oysters; trout tartare with apple, pea, jalapeno and white chocolate; and grilled snapper with onion, ramp, and black and tan rice. Land highlights run the gamut from a 28-day dry aged beef to roasted ruck. The culinary creativity carries over to the cocktails, with drinks like the Rainbow’s Edge (sake, brandy, chamomile, blueberry and lavender). Larger parties shouldn’t skip out on the Chef’s Table experience, which is available in the outdoor garden as weather allows.

Years of practice and apprenticeship​​s under owner Michael Strauss’ belt mean you’ll be hard pressed to find a barbecue spot that rivals his food’s signature smokiness. Everything served at this low-key spot is smoked that same day, and Strauss’ secret flavor weapon is an old-school, stick-burning Lang smoker. Mike’s Special Rub Prime Brisket is a crowd pleaser, and you can never go wrong with the sweet or spicy pulled pork — both smoked for 14 hours with oak wood for maximum flavor. The earlier you get here, the better: Mike’s BBQ opens at noon Thursdays through Sundays and closes at 5:15 p.m. or sell out.

A hanging sign of a giant apricot marks the spot for Mish Mish, a restaurant whipping up Mediterranean-inspired dishes in the heart of East Passyunk. Fresh, flavorful dishes like pomegranate-lacquered grilled half chicken with soft leeks and lebnah or grilled shrimp with saffron mayo and pickled carrots dot the menu, which also embodies Middle Eastern influences.  Fun fact: The concept is a labor of love from one of Philadelphia’s ultimate foodies, Alex Tewfik, who previously spent five years as the food editor at Philadelphia magazine. All that’s to say, your taste buds will be in good hands here.

Chef Lou Boquila, who was born in the Philippines, has been serving up authentic Filipino dishes at Perla since 2016. Named after Boquila’s mom, the restaurant is where he brings a modern interpretation to classic Southeast Asian fare. Perla offers a family-style, Kamayan menu (a traditional Filipino dining style where you eat with your hands) featuring dishes like chicken inasal, fried pork and whole fried Pompano fish. Situated in a petite South Philly rowhome, the restaurant serves its dishes on banana-leaf lined tables. It’s also a BYOB, so bring along your spirit of choice to round out the meal.

No food tour of East Passyunk is complete without a pitstop at Stateside, an American gastropub nestled just across the street from the neighborhood’s Singing Fountain. During nice weather, snag a seat at one of the charming outdoor stools lining the restaurant’s perimeter, and let the attentive bartenders fill your cup through the open bar windows. The menu is made up of small bites like burrata with sourdough toast, green goddess dressing and olive oil; steamed pork belly buns with lemongrass, fresno chili and cucumber; and Korean barbecue lamb chops. For the table, try the snow crab legs or raw oysters.

While Italian classics like the fried calamari, spaghetti rusticana and pork chops will already have diners’ taste buds singing, the real treat at Victor Cafe comes in between courses, when servers ring a bell to announce they’re about to jump into a live opera performance. The musical renditions take place every 20 minutes or so, and, yes, you can make requests. A pinnacle South Philadelphia watering hole, Victor Cafe started as a gramophone shop at the hands of Italian immigrant John DiStefano in 1918. It also took a starring role as the restaurant Adrian’s in the flicks Creed and Rocky Balboa.