When thinking of the watering holes we’d like to hibernate in, it’s usually a neighborhood spot where regulars have been chasing whiskey with whiskey for decades. But with specialized, Japanese-inspired spins on classic cocktails, this sexy Old City bar has us considering moving in. The bartender asks your preferences and customizes your drink, giving an omakase cocktail experience that rivals the one at Ogawa downstairs.

You’ve probably seen Majdal’s sticky, stunning cherry and labneh tarts on Instagram, or tried the strawberry basbousa with whipped ganache at one of their many pop-ups at Herman’s Coffee or Her Place. If not, head to their new brick and mortar in the former Cuzzy’s space, and get there soon—once Queen Village finds out about this Middle Eastern bakery, it’ll be tough to get your hands on the delightfully gooey Turkish eggs safeha or the shredded sumac chicken borek with an herby aioli.

In a shocking turn of events, the team behind Zahav and Laser Wolf opened a new restaurant with nary a chickpea or kebab in sight. The focus of this Israeli restaurant is seafood, and they nail it. But the double smashburger is also a must-order. It has a potent, drippy mix of green chiles, grilled onions, and a bright shabazi mayo, and keeps pace with the best of the thick boys in this city.

We never thought we’d be here—having eaten our second bird of the week and seriously considering going for lucky number three. But this new banquet-style Chinatown spot serving $105 duck is just that good. Get the poultry showcase for the thinly sliced magic: a chef rolls out a trolley, sounds a gong, and serves golden-roasted duck for four, along with delightfully crispy skin with sugar to dip it in.

While you’ll worship the rotisserie chicken at Picnic in Kensington, the gigantic industrial restaurant from the hospitality team behind Kalaya and Beddia also has small plates and cocktails that wow. Couples sort through bottles in the on-premise wine shop before heading to their table, friends share inside jokes over banana negronis, and families pass plates of smoky bluefish toast and tomato-y charred beans, grateful they didn’t have to play stroller Tetris to fit comfortably at their table.

Although this husband and-wife-run Bella Vista shop hasn’t been around long, it already has regulars doing two-a-days. They need one of the pillowy, hand-sized buns topped with sugary icing or blueberry compote for breakfast, and stop back in for an egg or sausage gravy-filled kolache for an afternoon snack. There’s only a window out front where you order from, and they’re only open 9am to 1pm on Friday and Saturday, so bring a chair and plan to stock up for the week.

Ever since we tried this Southern BYOB in Old City, we’ve felt the uncontrollable urge to eat fried chicken. BlackHen's version is well-spiced and heavily breaded, available in wing or half-chicken form, as well as via sandwich. But the new restaurant from the Amina team is more than just a fried chicken spot. BlackHen's soul food sides, slow-cooked smoked chicken, and chicken cheesesteak beignets are as comforting as that rom-com you’re still attached to.

Char in Kensington is a spot where you could linger, but you’ll have to grab your own water when you do (there's no staff). For now, it’s strictly counter service, and you should 100% take everything to go. But when it comes to pizza, this massive Kensington shop already has the best in the neighborhood. It’s a one-man show—the owner tosses pepperoni and caramelized onion-loaded pies into the wood-fired oven, and adds the garlic bread crumb finishing touches on a kale caesar salad moments later.

The name says it all. This walk-in-only Chinatown spot serves the biggest hand rolls in the city. Located upstairs at Chubby Cattle, you’ll find a stylish, wooden sushi counter and a dining room full of booths where friends try to make the impossible choice between 24 hand rolls on the menu and which sake to pair them with (we suggest the sweet miso butter cod and the floral house sake). If you can, grab a seat at the chef’s counter.

There’s no other restaurant in Philly quite like Provenance, the new Society Hill spot serving a $225 tasting menu that shows off 25-ish pristine French-Korean dishes. This is food in HD—you can taste every element of the lineup, which includes velvety uni with buttercup squash, ruby red bluefin tuna topped with foie gras and black truffle, and duck confit and unforgettable fresh corn polenta with pops of trout roe mixed in.