Craig LaBan’s favorite meals, dishes, and other food highlights of 2024

Somewhere between the raw bar waves of briny New Jersey oysters, the momo quests, and a deep dive into Philly’s gluten-free scene — followed by a 120-restaurant march to The 76 dining guide and my recent Top 10 — I lost count of exactly how many great things I consumed in 2024. But as I paused this week to look back, they vividly resurfaced in my memory.

This list showcases more than 30 special dishes that defined Philly’s food story in 2024, from rarefied sushi and unforgettable tasting menu highlights to distinctive burgers, innovative vegetable cookery, ethereal pastas, and a frozen cheese course unlike anything I’ve eaten before. Along the way, there were rousing chef debuts, stirring restaurant comebacks, and the continued evolution of some of our brightest stars. It all made me feel like 2024 wasn’t just the culmination of a year’s culinary achievements, but a springboard toward even more exciting dining to come.

Momos are the main event from start to finish at Nepali Momo Kitchen, a tiny Center City sibling to Voorhees’ Mount Masala where chef-owner Bharat Bist pays tribute to his Himalayan homeland. You can eat these hearty dumplings in a dizzying variety of preparations — 40 in all, including dessert. I crave the Jhol-style goat momos bobbing in a peanut soup broth and shimmering with masala spice, as well as a sizzling platter of jimboo le janeko momos with sour tomato sauce and crunchy Nepalese noodles. The greatest, however, are Bist’s invention: tandoori momos, whose coriander and cumin-spiced chicken fillings are wrapped inside noodle skins that turn to a pink, char-spotted crisp on the cast iron grill. Nepali Momo Kitchen, 532 N. 15th St., 445-223-4030; nepalimomokitchenmenu.com

Follow the golden glow of the giant neon pierogi and the caraway-scented air of wood-roasting pork to Little Walter’s, the converted Kensington corner bar where chef Michael Brenfleck’s spirited next-gen tribute to Polish food is my pick for best new restaurant. From the outstanding pierogi variations (including the Ruskie, filled with farmer’s cheese, and a chocolate and peanut butter one for dessert) to the house-fermented surówka salads, pickletinis at the inventive bar, and folk art on the walls, this heartfelt project is full of craft. The savory house kielbasa was my favorite sausage this year; I’m also just as obsessed with the schmaltzy, rye-encrusted chicken cutlet fried in a cast iron skillet over the open flames. Little Walter’s, 2049 E. Hagert St., 267-239-2228; littlewaltersphilly.com

Nothing can quite top the experience of eating oysters in a boat bobbing in a bay beside Barnegat Light or Atlantic City, as I did during my research with oyster farmers this summer. But the thrill of New Jersey’s oyster renaissance was just as apparent at the Oyster House, where I sampled mollusks by the dozen from 12 different farms shucked by Gary McCready, Philly’s oyster pro of the year. Our raw bar scene seemed to ignite in 2024, with the arrival of Picnic, Jaffa Bar, and Little Water, plus some memorable oysters at Mawn topped with Cambodian pepper mignonette and rau răm (Vietnamese coriander) — an intriguing preview of Sao, the owners’ forthcoming oyster bar. The year’s best cooked oyster dish? It arrived during the tasting menu at Ambra, when the lid of a fuming crock was lifted to reveal Briny Pineys baked Rockefeller-style with spigarello kale cloaked in curling wisps of applewood smoke wafting up through the pan’s perforated bottom.

After four years of research following my daughter’s diagnosis with celiac disease, I took a deep dive into the subject for an extensive guide to the region’s gluten-free restaurants and bakeries. That scene took a major hit with the subsequent closing of Taffets Bakery, leaving longtime bread customers like Paesano’s to begin baking their own. But many other delicious gluten-free gems continue to satisfy, including exceptional pastries from Flakely and the festive gf doughnut box and fried chicken doughnut sandwich at Okie Dokie Donuts. A recent highlight: the gluten-free cavatelli on offer as an option at Lark are so good, they don’t feel like a compromise at all.

There’s great food. Then there’s great food that’s revealing. The toro bibimbap at Royal Sushi & Izakaya is both, which is why it resonated as my dish of the year. This seasonal creation was one of the composed dishes chef and co-owner Jesse Ito added this spring to his omakase, and it was the most luxurious version of this traditionally homey Korean rice bowl I’d ever eaten: a bed of rice tinted black with nori, mushrooms, butter, and Perigord truffles, topped with richly marbled dry-aged tuna belly, crispy rice pearls and creamy plumes of uni. Its creation is rooted in nostalgia for the childhood snacks Ito used to scavenge at home as an 8-year-old latchkey kid of restaurateurs, microwaving rice with butter, nori, and soy sauce. It’s also a tribute to his mom, Yeonghui Ito, whose galbi marinade also made a cameo later in the year, transforming A5 Wagyu rib eye into morsels so irresistible, one friend likened it to “a marshmallow, but beef.” Follow Royal’s social media for details on Ito’s plan to run a version of the toro bibimbap at the Izakaya for walk-ins only for a few days in early January. Royal Sushi & Izakaya,780 S. Second St., 267-909-9002; royalizakaya.com

Just when I thought the fast casual lunch universe had reached complete saturation, along comes the tropical breeze that is Amy’s Pastelillos, the hot pink and mango-colored brick–and-mortar debut for former pop-up queen Amaryllis “Amy” Rivera-Nassar. Her crispy pastelillos filled with guava pork and bacalao are not to be missed, while her tostones riff on nachos is a perfect potluck party hit. The specialty I think about most is the pollito, a hearty rice bowl topped with stewed chicken infused with her herbaceous sofrito, plus tostones, pickled onions, and avocado. Add a side of stewed beans and a bottle of the house La Parchita hot sauce to go. Amy’s Pastelillos, 2001 Memphis St.;amyspastelillos.com

This year’s “it” burger is the Ramly at Kampar, a reference to the Malaysian Halal food cart favorite that wraps two patties with shaved cabbage and and sambal mayo inside a sheer omelette that contains all the sauce. Pair it with a banana shrub-powered Karbonat spritz and thick-cut chips drizzed in Chinese curry at the lively upstairs “Kongsi” bar in the bi-level Queen Village space where Ange Branca relocated the 2.0 version of her much-loved Malaysian restaurant, Saté Kampar (minus the saté), for what was also Philly’s restaurant comeback of the year. Kampar, 611 S. Seventh St., 215-989-2202; kamparphilly.com

This was the year chefs unlocked the next-level power of mushrooms. There was the grilled mushroom shishlik glossed in a sweet and spicy harissa-date glaze at Zahav; the mushroom-stuffed crespelle at Le Virtù; the Kentucky fried hen of the woods at Hoser’s Central Kitchen; and even a mushroom-infused cocktail at Lark. None astounded me quite like the mushroom burger at Picnic, a full-on molecular gastronomy project that transforms button and shiitake mushrooms into one of the most compelling veggie burgers I’ve ever eaten. The patty is firm but still crumbles with a texture reminiscent of ground beef and delivers a roasty, earthy savor that, dressed in classic LTO style with pickles and special sauce on a sesame-seeded pain au lait bun, delivers a hauntingly woodsy appeal. Picnic, 2421 Martha St., 267-856-7779; picnicphilly.com

Philly’s plant-based culinary world continued its creative streak. The smoked celery carpaccio at Kiddo and the radish tartare at Royal Tavern, especially, stood out. No one, however, unlocked the potential of produce quite like chef Ian Graye at Pietramala, a newly minted Top 10 chef who employs a variety of techniques, including live fire and fermentation, to showcase vegetables in exciting new ways. He dazzled me with a stuffed squash over pumpkin seed tahini and smoked eggplant lit with aromatic house harissa. The true mindblower was his transformation of a head of broccoli into rice-sized bits, broccoli broth, and garnish for an absolutely stunning — and extremely green — “risotto.” Pietramala, 614 N. Second St., 215-970-9541; pietramalaphl.com

Everyone knows Philly is pasta heaven, a notion my carb pursuits only reinforced this year. There were the butterfly-winged scarpinocc dumplings filled with artichoke crema to remind us Marc Vetri is still cranking noodle magic after a quarter century at Vetri Cucina. The tortellini filled with Benton’s country ham in a spicy collard potlikker at Friday Saturday Sunday were an exciting example of culinary fusion, while hand-cranked gargati tubes sauced with mashed romanesco and graced with an ocean breeze of flaked salt cod at Andiario were a wonder of simplicity. The biggest pasta surprise this year was from chef Aaron Randi at Illata because, well, his dishes are conceived to surprise. What at first looked like a black hole on my plate was, in fact, delicate crespelle tinted jet black with squid ink. When I tore it open, it revealed luscious chunks of lobster below in a bisque-y orange sauce Américaine, just waiting to be devoured. Illata, 2241 Grays Ferry Ave.; illataphl.com

Cambodian chicken wings are always a thrill — and commonly deboned and stuffed with sausage. My new favorites are the bone-in beauties at Sophie’s Kitchen, one of the best spots on the East Coast for traditional Khmer cooking. Chef-owner Sophia Neth tosses her crispy chicken wings in an absolutely magnetic lemongrass-infused kroeung paste that radiates galangal and spice; another equally delicious variation comes drizzled in coconut curry. Sophie’s Kitchen, 522 Washington Ave., 215-271-0888.

I’m pumped to see a rising passion for hot dogs in Philly, from the seasonal handcrafted links at Royal Tavern to the forthcoming new hot dog upgrades at Watkins Drinkery. None caught my attention quite like the lunch menu star at Mawn (one of my Top 10 restaurants), where chef Phila Lorn made a wild boar version of the Khmer ground meat dip, prohok, and served it atop a snappy frankfurter link with peppers and pickles for Southeast Asian twist on a chili dog. It was fun, bursting with swagger, and just one of several creative dishes at Mawn that helped make Lorn my rising star chef of the year.

The tasting menu trend continued in a big way this year, but two in particular revealed an extra gear for a pair of talented chefs who were able to express distinct culinary visions. The coveted seats at Salvatore’s Counter, perched beside the busy kitchen at Irwin’s in the Bok building, was my single best meal of the year, as chef Michael Vincent Ferreri created a bespoke 10-course tasting for four people that channeled guests’ personal food memories into an extraordinary modern Sicilian tasting menu, which included dishes such as beef tartare in caponata dressing and wild boar-foie gras tortellini. The highlight was a plump red snapper tail salt-cured with clove like a ham, then roasted with guanciale and Marsala wine for the meatiest fish I’ve ever eaten. If only Ferreri could figure out how to grant this ever-changing experience to more than four people a week. Salvatore’s Counter, Irwin’s, Bok building, 800 Mifflin St., 215-693-6206; irwinsupstairs.com.

Omar Tate’s “UNTITLED.” dinner series at Honeysuckle Projects delivered my most fascinating meal of the year, building narratives about Northern Black life and foodways expressed through poetry, art, and reliably delicious dishes like schmaltz-fried Cornish hens spiced with “Hot Cheetos” dust and beef tartare tinted black with squid ink (a nod to the black face used in Clorindy, Broadway’s first Black-cast musical). Most memorable was a handmade ramen noodle bowl in a luminous rabbit-turkey broth that was an artisan nod to one of Tate’s favorite childhood meals. The West Philly location is currently closed, but expect Honeysuckle’s impact to become even greater when Tate and his wife and partner, chef Cybille St. Aude-Tate, open their larger new space on North Broad Street, expected this spring.

With so much uncertainty hovering over Chinatown’s future with City Council’s recent preliminary approval of a controversial Sixers arena — a move I fear we’ll come to regret — I’m focused more than ever on supporting the culinary treasures of this essential Philly neighborhood. The new Beijing Duck Seafood Restaurant is Chinatown’s latest must-visit spot, a white tablecloth newcomer where a gong announces the arrival of a duck that takes three days to prepare. It gets carved tableside by chef Wang Zheng, whose cleaver skills are formidable as he effortlessly dismantles the bird into into gossamer slices ready to wrap in sheer pancakes with all the fixings. These whole birds, with tawny, crisp skin and incredibly tender meat, go for $105 with all the tableside dramatics. A worthy destination duck if there every was one. Beijing Duck Seafood Restaurant, 911-13 Race St., 215-526-5555.

The wider world came to know Perrystead Dairy this year when the artisan cheesemaker stirred national headlines by installing a 24/7 cheese vending machine outside its Kensington facility; I came to think of Perrystead, and its fantastic Moonrise, a World Cheese Award medalist in 2024, as the primary ingredient in my favorite course from the lengthy (and ever-changing) tasting menu experience at Provenance. Talented pastry chef Abigail Dahan whipped the washed rind cheese into a sweet and savory ice cream sandwich tucked inside a choux-pastry puff dabbed with Concord grape jelly for an oozy, sweet, and mildly funky bite that was my favorite cheese course of the year. Provenance, 408 S Second St., 445-223-8333; provenancephl.com.

I’m a pistachio enthusiast when it comes to dessert, so it’s no wonder I’m still cherishing a summer memory of my ice cream of the year, the saffron-pistachio scoop from the Indian ice cream sampler at the Ice Cream Station in Cape May Courthouse. And also the creamy pistachio crème caramel at My Loup. And the stunningly pretty pistachio-citrus tart at Ambra. Then again, nothing quite beat chef Brad Daniels’ brilliant nostalgia update to a Krimpet at Tresini, in which a moist rosemary olive oil cake flavored with orange zest gets frosted in a cool green Italian pistachio glaze. Pack one of these to-go in my next school lunch, please. Tresini, 504 N. Bethlehem Pike, Ambler; 215-654-5000; tresiniambler.com

I’ve long been a fan of Brown’s Restaurant. This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a morning behind the boardwalk takeout window of this Ocean City classic, where I worked the Belshaw robot donut fryer, dipping and dunking those hot fritters alongside Brown’s tight-knit crew of Donut Boys. I crushed my order of honey-glazed beauties in a moment, but I’ll remember that morning forever.