We dissent: Inquirer writers on the other restaurants that should have been on The 76

It may sound like a lot: 76 restaurants. But given the staggering number of incredible restaurants throughout the Philly area, from West Chester to Center City to Cherry Hill, that number can feel punishingly small very quickly. Inquirer staffers visited many, many more places than could appear on The 76, and made the case for the ones they thought were essential. There was debate; there were follow-up meals; there were forceful hand gestures.

Every reporter and editor who scouted for The 76 wound up with at least one spot — and in some cases, far more than that — they believed should be on any list of vital Philly restaurants, but didn’t make the cut. These are those orphaned picks.

With its wide-ranging seasonal plates inspired by influences from Asia, Mexico, and Europe, this upscale yearling in the Italian Market defies easy categorization. That can make it a hard sell in a crowded restaurant scene — or a top restaurant listing — where a well-defined genre can be an advantage. But Dave Conn is simply one of the city’s most underrated chefs and the fact that this longtime Garces lieutenant is cooking what he loves with the best ingredients he can find — with a live fire hearth lending a persistent shade of smoke — is reason enough to settle into this airy corner restaurant for a special meal. There are Barnegat oysters with cucumber aguachile, carpaccio of Iberico pork, potato chips cradling toro tartare and caviar dusted in fennel pollen, a gorgeously grilled prime ribeye for sharing, and one of my favorite burgers in town. Conn also churns some impressive ice creams to finish, including an absinthe-infused scoop topped with Chantilly cream that’s like a cocktail and dessert all in one dreamy coupe. — Craig LaBan

📍 901 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 📞 215.798.6766 🌐 https://alicephiladelphia.com

The modern American BYOB is another genre that’s bolstered Philadelphia as America’s greatest small restaurant city, with tiny spaces run by small staffs that can pour all their energy into crafting distinct food menus and warm hospitality. Few are tighter than chef Aaron Randi’s 24-seat debut in Graduate Hospital. But it is Randi’s unique style of cooking that makes this BYOB a destination, with dishes that are equal parts minimalist and playful, often with unexpected treasures hiding beneath other elements in a sort of peek-a-boo tease. That’s not a black hole on your plate: It’s a crêpe turned jet black with squid ink that, when you tear it open, reveals lobster luxuriating in the orange richness of sauce Américaine. That shiso leaf? It’s concealing not only a second rainbow trout filet, but also a fricassée of toothsome artichokes. Randi’s contemporary approach to pasta has also dramatically improved since his opening in 2023. Winners like a bowl of eggplant tortellini bobbing in roasted tomato water swirling with basil oil, and a caramelle stuffed with sweet peas glazed in crème fraîche dappled with mint oil were among my most memorable pasta dishes of the summer. — CL

📍2241 Grays Ferry Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19146 🌐 https://illataphl.com

I believe that an Indian restaurant isn’t complete without an Indo-Chinese menu. By that logic, Lazeez in Bella Vista is the total package, and then some: The Gobi Manchurian Dry — what many say is the signature dish of Delhi — is exactly the way it ought to be, with perfectly crisp cauliflower fritters sautéed in soy sauce and topped with spring onions. And while many Indian restaurants falter trying to balance the vegetarian and non-vegetarian sides of the menu — in the worst cases, using the same orange, goopy gravy for everything and just subbing out the vegetable for chicken or paneer — when all the naan and rice was gone, I was still scooping out Lazeez’s bhindi masala by the spoonful. The okra here is also excellent, as are the coconut shrimp and kadai chicken. All in all, Lazeez is the rare Indian restaurant that glides seamlessly between its menu sections with excellence. — Bedatri D. Choudhury

📍763 S 8th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 📞 (267) 457-2702 🌐 https://lazeezrestaurantpa.com

Gastropubs have been key to Philly’s rise as a restaurant scene over the past couple decades, as pioneers like Standard Tap, Monk’s Cafe, Good Dog Bar, and Royal Tavern helped elevate neighborhood dining with intimate bars that took the cooking as seriously as the craft beer. But Meetinghouse has added something different to the conversation: Less is more. There’s still a neighborhood vibe to this warm makeover of Memphis Taproom in Kensington, with its sky blue-tiled back bar and roomy, shaded patio (ideal for big game watch parties). But Meetinghouse is also a celebration of basic pleasures, from the crushable house beers in three basic styles (light, dark, hoppy) created by two owners who are Tired Hands alums, to a menu from chef-partner Drew DiTomo (Amis) that is a study in refined simplicity. From a crisp and flavorful turkey cutlet to broiled clams in garlic butter, a compelling revival of Philly’s roast beef sandwich tradition, and yes, even the city’s most outstanding green salad, these are classics that deliberately avoid trends — but they’re also so well done that they have a special power to keep us coming back. — CL

📍2331 E Cumberland St., Philadelphia, PA 19125 🌐 https://meetinghousebeer.com

The definition of a scene, food-editor-turned-restaurateur Alex Tewfik’s debut establishment is clearly a restaurant by and for a generation of diners who came of age in the post-fine dining era of the late aughts and 2010s, and consider restaurants obsessively — the hallmark being service that is incredibly detailed while striving to appear stridently casual. The menu is Mediterranean-ish, emphasis on the ish; it’s more concerned with vibes than provenance, from the fried string cheese to the “ur choice of spritz” to the $100 champagne and all-you-can-eat fries special. And who can forget the candle? Because Mish Mish is so thoroughly in line with national restaurant currents, it maybe feels less distinctly Philly than many restaurants on The 76 — it would seem perfectly at home on Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene or Los Angeles’ Echo Park, tbh — but no other restaurant in Philly feels quite like Mish Mish. — Matt Buchanan

📍 1046 Tasker St., Philadelphia, PA 19148 📞 267-761-9750 🌐 https://mishmishphilly.com

I dare you to name a cozier Philly BYOB than Miss Rachel’s, where chef-owner Rachel Klein effortlessly walks the line between homey and upscale. “This is not a tasting menu,” one of the lovely servers explains at the start of the meal, a five-course vegan dinner. In other words, you will leave here feeling full. And it’s no wonder, what with the warm biscuits and herbed spread to start and a take-home treat to finish (in our case, a sugar-studded blueberry cookie). In between, Klein delivers familiar food — think handmade cappelletti stuffed with corn and cashew ricotta, swimming in a black pepper cream sauce — that’s accented with fun flourishes, like the cucumber sorbet and “donut croutons” in a chilled tomato-and-lemongrass soup. Add to that the atmosphere: Klein has transformed a West Passyunk candy warehouse into dining room that feels like it’s in someone’s home, with vintage furniture, a 1960s refrigerator, and gold-rimmed china that could pass for your grandmother’s. Miss Rachel’s 24 seats are routinely booked, despite the special-occasion cost ($250 for two, tip included). There are understandably a lot of plant-based regulars — Klein reports some customers set monthly alarms to make their reservations — but even the meat-and-potatoes set can be happy here. — Jenn Ladd

📍 1938 S Chadwick St, Philadelphia, PA 19145 📞 215-798-0053 🌐 https://www.missrachelspantry.com

Disclosure: Miss Rachel’s Pantry chef-owner Rachel Klein is the daughter of Inquirer food reporter Michael Klein. He was not involved in any discussions about her restaurant for this list or The 76.

There is serious momo-mentum in the Philadelphia region at the moment, as evidenced by the inclusion of Roxborough’s lovely Tibetan-style White Yak on this year’s The 76. But there’s another delicious style of momo rooted on the other side of the Himalayas in Nepal, where the cuisine leans away from China toward the influence of Indian curries. No one represents that tradition locally with as much swagger and heart as Gigi Giri and her chef husband, Bharat Bist, whose Nepali Momo Kitchen in Spring Garden serves 40 different combinations of dumplings and sauce. (The peanut soupy jhol momos and crispy red tandoori momos are my favorites.) A recent revisit to Mount Masala, their original hit in Voorhees, is a reminder that while momos are always the lure — especially delivered on a flaming platter — there’s so much more to Nepali cooking to get excited about. From “handsome” chicken lollipops marinated in ghost pepper heat to an earthy Himalayan curry of tender halal goat that bursts with extra ginger, cilantro, and cumin, this South Jersey gem delivers more flavor watts per dollar than any place I know. — CL

📍 300 White Horse Rd. E #1, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043 📞 (856) 281-9711 🌐 https://mountmasala.com

It’s hard to argue that a tapas restaurant is an essential part of Philly’s dining scene, where compelling Spanish flavors are too few and far between. But Oloroso is the currently most exciting entry from the Townsend Wentz Restaurant Group, in particular because chef Jason Peabody is a rising star. The à la carte menu’s roasted octopus with muhammara, charred eggplant with honey, and roasted pig’s head splurge merit a trip. But Peabody really shines with the $125 chef’s tasting that was one of my best blowout feasts of the year, all of it meticulously altered to be gluten-free, from savory churros striped with crema and caviar to head-on gambas al ajillo, juicy swordfish skewers, succulent lamb chops, and a personal-sized lobster paella I’m still dreaming of. Add in co-owner Gordana Kostavski’s expert pairings of some rare sherries, Basque ciders, and Spanish wines (R. Lopez de Heredia!), and the counter perch beside Oloroso’s wood-fired hearth adds up to one of Philly’s most rewarding tasting menu experiences of the moment. — CL

📍 1121 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 📞 267-324-3014 🌐 https://olorosophl.com

Stephen Starr is unquestionably the city’s most influential restaurateur of the past quarter century, with an unmatched string of hits — Barclay Prime, Buddakan, Continental, the Dandelion, Pod, etc., etc., etc. — and the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2017. By any definition, Parc, his très Parisian bistro, is the centerpiece of Philly’s dining scene — by some accounts, the most popular and profitable restaurant in the city, it’s a magnet for locals and tourists, hoi polloi and power players, day and night. From the moment the windows flung open to Rittenhouse Square on Bastille Day 2008, it felt as if it had been there forever. Aproned staffers still deliver fine Franco fare — starting with Philly’s best baguettes — in bustling rooms stocked with Euro antiques, red leather banquettes, and dainty lace curtains, all beneath pressed tin ceilings that have more than earned their patina.

In season, head to the sidewalk to plop your postérieur into a rattan chair on our town’s most coveted people-watching perch. Starr has since gone the French-ish route elsewhere (e.g., Le Diplomate in D.C., the revival of fellow hitmaker Keith McNally’s Pastis in NYC, Miami, and D.C.), but his scene-heavy hometown hit hasn’t missed too many beats. Regardless, if you require morning croissants, a semi-elegant déjeuner or dîner, or a nightcap at the bar, overlooking one of Philadelphia’s most iconic and popular restaurants takes a lot of Gaul. — Michael Klein

📍 227 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 📞 215-545-2262 🌐 https://parc-restaurant.com

This expansive Palestinian restaurant on Baltimore Avenue — with colorful seating in the former Trolley Car Station in front, a private patio, and full bar — is a team effort that’s as sweet as owners Yasser and Kate Aiq’s love for each other. When you enter Renata’s, you’re entering the couple’s second home, whether for platters of shakshuka, labneh, and baba ganouji during Sunday brunch or the 26-hour harissa-marinated chicken and za’atar-crusted branzino with hand-rolled maftool (Palestinian caviar-sized whole wheat pearls) to hold late night conversations over. No matter the meal, the finale is always Yasser’s knafeh Nablusi, the cheese-filled shredded phyllo pastry with sweet syrup that symbolizes the essence of Palestinian hospitality. — Hira Qureshi

📍 3940 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104 📞 267-275-8254 🌐 https://renatas-kitchen.com

If there was a reality show set in a Philadelphia restaurant — our very own Vanderpump Rules — it would have to center on Saloon. This Italian chophouse, bedecked in historic paraphernalia, some extremely questionable, is cobbled together from several buildings in South Philly. It’s been open since 1967; you can ignore the signs that indicate separate entrances for ladies and gentlemen. Yes, you could come here for the steak, the bone-in veal parmesan, or the clams Pavarotti, and you would walk away satisfied. (Don’t bother with the pasta.) Real ones know that what Saloon serves up best is a good time, thanks to its gently raucous atmosphere, performatively hot servers, and generously sized cocktails finished with a dollop of water ice, courtesy of an affiliation with John’s down the block. Any night you grab a table or a bar spot here, you’ll run into people celebrating, whether it’s a bachelor party, a birthday, or just seeing a good friend at the end of a rough Thursday. — Margaret Eby

📍 750 S. 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 📞 215-627-1811 🌐 https://saloonrestaurant.net

Philly is a wonderland of pizza styles — square (Detroit, Silician, and everything in between), New York(ish), Neapolitan, and more to come — but after eating through more than two dozen spots over the summer, it became overwhelmingly apparent to me that its most distinguished are those of the thinner and crispier persuasion. CJ and D’s and Eda’s — Trenton and New Haven styles, respectively — crank out some of most incredible pies in the city, especially if you largely forego cheese for uncut tomato bliss (and if you can’t abide a wait, Eda’s is probably the move after Philly Mag conclusively blew up CJ and D’s spot earlier this year). But if there was room for one more spot on The 76, it’d have to go to the original Tacconelli’s, which produces not just unbeatable pies, but impeccable vibes: a dining room that defines “pizza den,” the ancient oven with its million-foot-long pizza peel, the arcane ritual of using a telephone to reserve dough, the looming air family drama. There are other great pizzas in Philly, but they’re not as original as Tacconelli’s. — MB

📍 2604 E Somerset St., Philadelphia, PA 19134 📞 (215) 425-4983 🌐 https://www.tacconellispizzeria.com

Philadelphians are fortunate to have a wide spectrum of Chinese restaurants, from humble takeout spots on a second-floor walk-up to extravagant dim sum halls with chefs and prep cooks by the dozen. Tai Lake, nestled on Chinatown’s main drag, sits in the happy medium — where one defaults to for a slightly luxurious weekday meal when their folks are in town. Specializing in Cantonese-style seafood (think whole fish and live shellfish), Tai Lake offers dishes that wouldn’t feel out of place in the middle of Hong Kong. The classic flounder is best enjoyed fried and gently dressed with scallions and sweet soy, while the lobster fried glutinous rice, marked intimidatingly on the menu as M.P. (market price), is shockingly affordable, and supremely satisfying. Not to be overlooked are the assortment of wok-fried greens and clay pot stews that demand to be shared and heaped onto one’s plate by a friend or overbearing relative. — Jasen Lo

📍 134 N 10th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 📞 215-922-0698 🌐 http://tailakeseafoodrest.com

This region has so many great Italian restaurants, but in just over a couple years, chef-owner Brad Daniels has turned Tresini, a top-to-bottom renovation of the historic fieldstone bones of the former Ristorante San Marco into one of the best restaurants of any style in Montgomery County. Big antipasti boards with seasonal veggies and crispy gnoccho fritto and house-extruded pastas are the highlights from this longtime alum of the Vetri restaurant group, with sweet corn-stuffed cappellacci in truffle butter sauce and a crisped octopus arm tangled with black-and-white strands of spaghetti alla chitarra among the standouts. Grilled homemade sausage, garlicky big shrimp with heirloom beans, and dorade in piccata sauce offer updates to homey Italian American favorites, while the daily specials inspired by the seasonal treasures of the restaurant’s own garden, like beefsteak tomatoes stuffed with meatballs, keep the menu fresh. There’s also a clever twist on the Krimpet, made with olive oil cake and pistachios, that is the ultimate IYKYK Italian wink to a classic Philly childhood treat. — CL

📍 504 N Bethlehem Pike, Ambler, PA 19002 📞 (215) 654-5000 🌐 https://tresiniambler.com

This cozy Greek BYO in Fairmount is the type of restaurant that’s ideal for celebrating medium-deal special occasions: middle school graduations, your grandparents’ wedding anniversary, meeting your partner’s parents for the first time. Owned and operated by multiple generations of the Kravvaritis family since it opened in 1997, Zorba’s Tavern has a menu full of Greek crowd pleasers, like ultra-gooey saganaki and melitzanosalata, a chunky and garlicky eggplant dip served with warm pita. Yes, Zorba’s has lamb shanks, a whole branzino, and lots of charcoal-grilled meat skewers, but the restaurant’s real stars are the vegetarian options, like the imam baldi — eggplants stuffed with an aromatic mixture of tomato sauce, feta, and sautéed onions — and lemony artichokes hearts prepared in broth not unlike the base of matzo ball soup. With the right wine, lots of baklava, and a group that likes eating family style, Zorba’s can be a real party. — Beatrice Forman

📍 2230 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130 📞 215.978.5990 🌐 https://zorbastavern.com

Did one of your personal Philly essentials not make the list? Tell us about it.