25 Top Restaurants in Philadelphia’s Fishtown Neighborhood

Fishtown’s sophisticated seafoodery, Aether is the brainchild of the team behind Elements and the Mistral in Princeton, New Jersey. The focus here is on the raw bar, seasonal plates and natural wines, with menu items that include East and West Coast oyster selections, red curry salmon served with hollander mussels, Spanish octopus with shrimp chorizo and even a perfectly cooked burger to satisfy a more land-oriented palate.

High Street on Market alums team up to create intimate BYO dining at this corner retreat near Fishtown. The imaginative chefs at Cadence produce dishes along the lines of squash and celery root carpaccio, a scallop dish that plays on the roast pork Italiano sandwich and a malted chocolate tart with beet jam.

Castellino’s packs plenty of Italian goodies into its tiny corner market, offering fresh meats and cheeses, as well as oils, pastas and carefully prepared platters. Guests can also find fresh bread, jars of specialty jams and last-minute treats to pick up ahead of dinner.

Tucked under the Market-Frankford El just next to Girard Station, Da-Wa serves sushi and other Japanese dishes in a small place with the help of an even smaller staff. Patrons sit mostly at the sushi counter at this no-reservations spot, where owner and chef Joe Kim works his magic in front of customers on sashimi and comfort foods like ramen and pork belly bao buns.

Vegetarians and meat eaters alike find a lot to love at this Indian BYOB. Kadai chicken, lamb saagwala and homemade cottage cheese cubes with spinach (saag aur paneer) dot an expansive menu. And naan lovers, take heart: Ekta serves 16 different types, all cooked in a charcoal-fired tandoor oven. Diners can find Ekta’s other locations in University City and in Bryn Mawr.

This tiny BYOB with garden views breathes new life into recipes that showcase native Philadelphia and Pennsylvania ingredients. Elwood’s commitment to using every part of the animal means dishes like the guinea hen and whole rabbit offer diners a chance to try different cuts. Many menu items are steeped in Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, including the crowd-pleasing funnel cake dessert.

Brooklyn’s notable barbecue restaurant chose to open its second location in Philadelphia. All the characteristics that made the New York outpost a hit are accounted for: dry-rubbed, well-prepared meats from local farms that are smoked in-house; simple and elegant side dishes; communal seating on wooden picnic tables and more than 100 North American bourbons and whiskey.

So much more than a cafe, this versatile space opens at 7 a.m., offering coffee and fresh juices to neighbors on their commute. The full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with vegan and gluten-free options, while the bar draws happy hour crowds with cocktail specials. In warmer months, the patio, garden and outdoor bar turn into an urban oasis.

Hiroki brings a high-end Japanese restaurant to Fishtown’s restaurant mix. Former Morimoto sushi chef Hiroki Fujiyama serves a carefully curated omakase menu of 20 courses (think sashimi, grilled fish and meat, tamago and dessert) with a sake pairing option at this addition to the suite of experiences at Wm. Mulherin’s Sons Restaurant & Hotel.

Show-goers take in great views (and a bit of a break) on the balcony at Johnny Brenda’s, a 250-person venue that plays host to touring indie music acts year-round. The three bars— downstairs in the restaurant/bar, upstairs on the concert floor and on the balcony—pour all draft, all local beers. The menu changes daily depending on what the kitchen can get from local farmers. Fans of the Creed film know this spot as where Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) watches Bianca (Tessa Thompson) perform her music.

The staff at this cheesesteak spot has been slinging the classic sandwich since 1949 at its mom-and-pop shop in Northeast Philadelphia. The Fishtown location stays true to tradition, serving the nearly 70-year-old recipe with beef or chicken and alongside milkshakes, ice cream sodas and egg creams.

This bi-level restaurant is known for incredible dishes, a welcoming bar, knowledgeable staff and an impressive wine list. Kensington’s kitchen doesn’t waste animal parts (a common practice in the restaurant industry), and it’s popular culinary classes teach about homemade pasta, butchering and more.

The flagship for the specialty coffee roasting company fills a giant Fishtown warehouse that serves as a restaurant and bakery. Guests find brand favorites like traditional blends and draft lattes, plus a savory menu that includes a generous portion of biscuits and gravy.

Patrons at this Mexican gastropub swear by the 10 kinds of tacos (including carne asada, seitan and spinach, chorizo and potato) offered as low-priced singles, encouraging eaters to try as many varieties as they can. Other stars include the monster helping of nachos, the crispy chicken sandwich with habanero mayo and 40 sipping tequilas. Loco Pez also has a West Philly outpost along Cedar Park’s bustling Baltimore Avenue corridor.

Some of the best Italian food in Philadelphia is hiding inside an Irish bar. Diners who ask to see a food menu at the friendly neighborhood spot are in for a treat — burrata-topped strozzapreti, ricotta-pear fiocchi  and homemade cannoli are among Italian chef Francesco Bellastelli’s specialties, which he cooks six nights a week. Dinner seatings are available by walk-in only, and the wait stacks up for the bar’s handful of tables.

The owners of Bing Bing Dim Sum, Cheu Noodle Bar and Cheu Fishtown offer this Japanese-inspired spot. Stop in for a variety of yakitori (fire-grilled skewers) options, katsu sandwiches and plenty of sake.

Philly Style Bagels bakes bagels in small batches the Philly way: pre-boiled in a mixture of water and beer for an extra malty flavor that draws lines of hungry breakfast-seekers on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Traditionalists argue the bagels need nothing more than butter or a schmear of cream cheese, but the BLT with avocado is a favorite sandwich among the lunch crowd, and Bon Appétit dubbed the classic lox sandwich the “Best New Sandwich in America” in 2016.

Luckily for pizza fans, this Fishtown pizzeria doubles as the world’s first pizza museum, complete with pizza-related vinyl records and pizza-bearing action figures, from Homer Simpson to Spider-Man. With pie names like “Forbes Waggensense” and “Felix Huppert,” the brick-oven pies are as quirky as their home. The owners serve up similar creations at their Brewerytown location, Pizza Dads.

The buzzy, no-frills Pizza Shackamaxon calls the old Pizzeria Beddia space home. Similar to its predecessor, the pizza’s critically acclaimed, the shop’s walk-in only and there’s no phone.

When Bon Appétit crowned its pizza the very best in America, Pizzeria Beddia was a small, cash-only spot with no phone, no seats, no slices and a 40-pie output per day limit. Those days are long gone now, as Joe Beddia’s internationally lauded pizza gets a larger platform at his full-service restaurant that opened in 2019, earning a spot on Time magazine’s list of World’s Greatest Places to Eat & Drink. While the expanded menu is lovely (vegetable and cheese plates, natural wines) the impeccably charred, masterful pies continue to steal the show.

Stock takes its pho seriously, with two varieties available: chicken or vegan mushroom. Items like green papaya salad, soups and cold noodle dishes, and chrysanthemum-lemongrass tea round out the menu at both the Fishtown and Rittenhouse Square locations.

Located just off the Delaware River, Philadelphia’s first casino houses an array of great dining options. Indulge in steaks, seafood and larger-than-life desserts at Hugo’s Frog Bar and Chop House, grab a tomato pie at Tacconelli’s Pizzeria or pan-Asian cuisine at Mian. The casino also includes a Saxbys, Revolution Grill and Geno’s Steaks.

Named after two of the owners’ grandmother, the 12,000-square-foot Lebanese market/all-day cafe/restaurant/bar strives for a family vibe and good food, not to mention an Instagram-worthy look. The menu includes man’oushe (flatbread), salads, sandwiches and house-made pastries. Bonus: The beautiful patio is open year-round.

Inside this beautifully restored building — a 19th-century whiskey blending and bottling facility — everything is just right: dark wood ambiance, well-stocked bar, attentive staff and, most notably, the food. Melt-in-your-mouth pastas, wood-fired pizzas and expertly prepared meat and seafood dishes wow everyone who walks in the door for dinner and weekend brunch.