I go there a lot and it is a good food city. First, I recommend L'Oca, a BYOB on Fairmount. Chef Luca has an incredible background in cooking all over the world and has now ended up here with his own place. Homemade pasta to die for. Second, a new one: Barbuzzo, on 13th, near Amis. Incredibly seasonal fresh food, very modest prices for the quality, and, to boot, a very clever wine list. Finally, near the Rittenhouse Square area, another BYOB, Melograno. Now housed in a bigger location, it serves great Roman cuisine, very fresh. Order the caccio e pepe and you cannot go wrong.
Thanks everyone! I will be there for a conference for 5 days, 4 nites-- that's potentially a lot of excellent meals! Coming from a city without many good restaurants, I am determined to make the most of the time! :)
Two off-the-beaten-path favorites: Austrian Village, in Rockledge (homemade bratwurst, and red cabbage to die for), and Cafe Michelangelo, on Bustleton Ave.
How many days do you have? I concur with just about everything mentioned above (haven't been to all). For higher end there's Tinto, Morimoto, Alma de Cuba. West Philadelphia has POD and White Dog Cafe. A great casual place for Vietnamese is called Vietnam, it's in Chinatown. The best falafel you will ever eat is at a place called Mama's on 20th street (and a block away from Capogiro gelato); cash only, the Israeli slaw and the red pepper/eggplant condiment is unbelievable. Mama's and Capogiro make a great lunch duet. Reading Terminal Market is a fun place to pick up lunch and products/ingredients you won't find elsewhere.
Ooooh, there are a lot of really great casual places -- Honey sit 'n eat, Dimitri's, and Royal Tavern come immediately to mind. Also, there are zillions of really good Vietnamese places. For dessert Capogiro makes amazing gelato and Franklin Fountain has fantastic ice cream.
Oh, my goodness...how much time do you have? ;) Philly is such a great restaurant city. I grew up there through the Restaurant Renaissance in the 70s and I still miss it.
For high end dining, I love Lacroix at the Rittenhouse and anything by Marc Vetri. On the other end of the spectrum, Pat's for cheesesteaks (I know, tourist trap, but I still love it). Szechuan Tasty House at 9th and Arch (not the best Chinese food I've ever had, but pretty good for a restaurant of this type). Villa de Roma in South Philly for good, basic, Italian-American food like sausage & peppers. I haven't eaten at FriSatSun near Rittenhouse Square in years, but it was reliably good when I did. Brown Betty cupcakes are quite good.
I could go on and on, but that covers some of the fundamentals.
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For high end dining, I love Lacroix at the Rittenhouse and anything by Marc Vetri. On the other end of the spectrum, Pat's for cheesesteaks (I know, tourist trap, but I still love it). Szechuan Tasty House at 9th and Arch (not the best Chinese food I've ever had, but pretty good for a restaurant of this type). Villa de Roma in South Philly for good, basic, Italian-American food like sausage & peppers. I haven't eaten at FriSatSun near Rittenhouse Square in years, but it was reliably good when I did. Brown Betty cupcakes are quite good.
I could go on and on, but that covers some of the fundamentals.