Al Fresco Dining in Philadelphia
Foobooz's 2011 Top 50 Bars
Philly's 20 Best Drinks
2011 Best of Philly in Food
The Very Best Pizza in Philly
50 Best Places to Eat in Philadelphia
Philly Mag’s 50 Best Restaurants
Posted by Foobooz on December 23rd, 2010
We gave you a sneak peek of the top 20 on Tuesday; today the full list of the 50 Best Places to Eat Right Now — and all of the text — is online.
The 50 Best Places to Eat Right Now [Philly Mag]
Methodology: How Did We Do It? [Philly Mag]
The Best Restaurants Even We Can’t Get Into [Philly Mag]
Hall of Fame: Le Bec-Fin [Philly Mag]
Top 50 Restaurants Map [f8b8z]
Here are some stats from the list:
Number of restaurants new to the list since it was last published in May 2009: 22
Number of BYOs: 15
Top Neighborhoods represented:
- Center City East (12 restaurants)
- Center City West (9)
- Old City (6)
- Bella Vista (4)
- Northern Liberties (4)
By restaurateur:
- Starr (4)
- Garces (4)
- Vetri (3)
- Turney/Safran (3)
- Solo/Cook (2)
Restaurants on the Foobooz Top 50 Bars that are also in the 50 Top Restaurants:
Related Tags: 50 Best Restaurants, Blackfish, BYOB, Center-City-East, Jose-Garces, Stephen Starr
- James Beard Semifinalists Announced
- National News & Notes
- Philly Mag Top 50
- Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney
- National Accolades For Philadelphia
- From India To Spain: Bindi To Become Jamonera
- Power Neighbors on North Broad
- Starr/Vetri Union Confirmed
- Meanwhile, Over On The Philly Post: Stephen Starr and South Street
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Kanella at 44? Way too low.
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Han is in Old City
Southwark is in Queen Village
I hope you did not go to print
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Thank you, Brett. They have been fixed.
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Blackfish number one? I have to disagree. Its a good restaurant, but not number one.
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Some omissions (briefly came up with) that might get some conversation going –
Xochitl
Adsum (probably too new)
Buddakan
Alma de Cuba
Rouget (Bucks County had no places in this list actually, while MontCo/Main Line has a handful)
December 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Ok, here’s the conversation: none of those the list (ok, I haven’t been to Rouget, but it’s Bucks County ferchrissake)
December 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
s/b “belong on the list”
December 23rd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
The number one Philadelphia restaurant isn’t in Philadelphia? Oof.
December 23rd, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Southwark? Come now. The bar is comfy when the owner isn’t stessed and acting like a spoiled brat. The back dining room is a wasteland and no one wants to be there. The mag should limit the list to Philly. Blackfish is good, but there are equal or better places in center city.
December 24th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I am surprised that R2L does not make your list. It is a top notch dining experience where the views and ambience alone make it a “must-visit” in the city. Add to that the delicious food, generous portions, reasonable pricing and good service, and you have an excellent dining atmosphere that your magazine seems to have overlooked. I love the vibe of R2L, and judging from the various celebrity sightings of late, it is THE place to be seen these days.
December 24th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Sassy, does Daniel Stern know that your firm is continually tarnishing his brands by shilling on posts like these? Celebrities may not know better, but your posts just bring negative attention to the restaurants.
December 24th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Sassy, celebrities flock to Del Frisco’s, too, and that place is consistently awful. R2L has a great atmosphere and lively bar, but the food is nothing to write home about.
December 24th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
R2L is the most overpriced restaurant in town. There dessert is the only reason to go there. Barbuzzo is a rip-off off of barbuto in NY, they wont even make the list next year. where is Le Virtu? I think there pasta is better then Vetri. I also think Vetri is overhyped.
Blackfish has great food and I wish Chip and crew the best of luck.
December 25th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I love Standard Tap (#45) as much as the next person but for Kanella to be only one spot ahead at #44 is a shame – there’s a HUGE difference in caliber between these two dining experiences.
December 25th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
@Barryg, not sure what firm you are talking about, or other posts. I am just a fan, but I do stand by my comments about the place. I think R2L is great, and am really surprised it didn’t make the list. And I think having a lively bar and great atmosphere really makes a place special. You just can’t find that in a lot of places in the city. My .02
December 26th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
@Sassy: Another recent take on R2L
Keep on making threads focus on how little everyone likes R2L, it’s a really successful strategy…
December 28th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
This is the best best-of list Ive seen in a long time. Mostly because Bistrot La Minette’s placement and the fact that Buddakan isn’t on there. Its about time someone saw through the smoke and mirrors (and spray-tans and big hair) going on at that place.
December 30th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Maize in Perkasie deserves at least a mention.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
How can James not be in the top 50. That omission renders your ranking invalid & irrelevant for me.
December 31st, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I have to agree with Sean. No James in the top 50? That’s just crazy. And where’s Amada? Bar Ferdinand is great, but c’mon it’s no Amada. This list is bizarre to say the list.
And how about Le Bec Fin? Pricey, but not much more than say an expensive night at Vetri and yet it’s nowhere on the list.
You coud have also shown a little South Philly Italian love. Dante & Luigi’s or even say Le Vertue.
December 31st, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Sorry, Missed Amada. My bad.
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:40 am
I can’t believe James wasn’t included in the 50 best restaurants in Philly! The chef is a James Beard award winner, their service is impeccable, and their food is outrageous.
January 4th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Prime Rib deserves a place on the list as a wonderful, classy venue and consistently fine food….best shellfish and shrimp, wonderful crab cakes, Greenberg potato skins, prime rib is special too and a terrific bar.
You can’t leave out the tried and true places and list only the new. We like most places on your list, but please also support the classics in Philadelphia too.
January 4th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
I tried not to even look at the list because I knew that it would just make me mad, but when people started writing about James being left off, I had to look.
What’s up with that?
January 5th, 2011 at 10:28 am
How much of this list is based on advertising revenue that they provide that magazine?
January 5th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
James being left at of the list must have been a mistake. Should have been in the top 5
January 5th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Sorry, but I can’t take this list seriously without James on it. Chef Jim Burke was one of a handful of chefs invited to compete for the US Team going to the 2010 Bocuse d’Or and the year prior, named one of Food & Wine’s top 10 chef’s in the country! I’m a regular at James and it will remain in my top 10 – in the nation.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Jim’s definitely a great chef. I’m not sure what the qualifications for this list are, but his cooking is better than just about anybody on this list.
Bar Ferdinand? Ugh.
January 6th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Similarly mystified at the exclusion of James. Clearly a top 5. Its omission challenges the credibility of the whole list.
January 7th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
The list is a mess. For one Distrito is good, but not that much better (if even better) than El Vez (and Distrito is #20). Bar Ferdinand is nothing remarkable. Honestly a bar like Kraftwork is turning out amazing food, with one of the most impressive beer lists in the city. For sheer standout sake I would put a place like Kraftwork on the list long before Bar Ferdinand. Additionally, not that The Standard Tap is past it’s prime (it’s still relevant), but there are a whole bunch of really great GastroPubs out there. Memphis Tap Room is turning out amazing dishes. Exclusion of James? La Famiglia makes the list, but Melograno drops completely off the list (granted they have been resting on the laurels for a little too long). Way too much Starr, Vetri, Garces.
January 7th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
No James!?! What a joke! From 3rd to out of the top 50 for one of the finest chefs in the country? This list is a travesty. I’d love to see the correlation between advertising dollars and ranking, btw…
January 11th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
I was surprised oysterhouse was number 8. The changes really must have been good. Definatley want to try it see how it is.
January 18th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I know for a fact that a chef whose restaurant is in the top five is friendly with prominent Philly Mag staff members. So much for objectivity. This chef has a hand in so many pockets, he’s managed to generate enough positive publicity to hide the fact that his food is just not that good. I also agree that if the list were unbiased, James would be on it.
January 19th, 2011 at 8:28 am
Starr and Garces buy too much advertising space to be excluded from this list.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:29 am
They also produce too great of restaurants to be excluded from the list (and it’s not like all of their restaurants made it).
I mean what are you actually saying, meh? A list without one of Garces restaurants would be a reasonable TOP FIFTY RESTAURANTS IN PHILADELPHIA?
Yes they advertise, yes there are conflicts of interest. Maybe we need a Philly restaurant version of Cooks Illustrated. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m certain at least one of Jose Garces, Iron Chef, merits inclusion in a TOP FIFTY Philly restaurant list. I’m certain of that. You should be too.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am
So happy to see Koo Zee Doo at #13. Wonderful restaurant, have had some very memorable meals there. The gizzards & shrimp are perfect.
August 13th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Generally, not a bad list. I disagree on a few fronts:
(1) Blackfish is good, but not a credible #1. I know everyone is trying to find the next thing but Lacroix and Vetri have been at the top of the game for several years.
(2) Sycamore is way too low on the list…some of the best food in the Philly area and certainly ahead of the culinary curve of restaurants like Fond, Meme and Fork.
(3) Matyson at #40 seems insanely low. A lot of us would argue that is in the top couple of BYO’s in Philly.
(4) Most would disagree with Tinto being ahead of Amada, but having eaten at both, I completely agree with that rating.
(5) I realize I’m in the minority, but I think The Fountain is completely overrated. Zero creativity or originality, very stuffy service and overpriced for what you get (and I don’t mind paying — I’ve ordered all the top-flight tasting menus and will happily if the quality is there.)
August 13th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
…and James is closed for all those complaining about its exclusion. I was a fan while it was open, although it did start to go downhill in the final months.
January 11th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Blackfish might be a decent option in cooler weather, but in June it’s just hot and noisy. I felt like I was trying to eat during rush hour at the 69th Street Terminal, they pack you in so tight. Number one? I don’t see it cracking the top 20.