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At a JL meeting this week, I was jokingly told that I should quit my job and write about all the BYOBs and fun things to do in Philly, to which I said, funny that you should say that, I kind of have a blog to do that, haven't quit my day job though. But it did remind me that one of the things this blog was supposed to do was tell you about some of the awesome gems Philly has to offer.
And one of my favorite parts about living here is dining on delicious food without breaking the bank because there are just so many wonderful restaurants here, but equally importantly, enjoying a nice bottle of wine with dinner without paying $50-100 for them to pour it for me. So here are my top 10(ish) favorite BYOBs, broken into categories for a bit more guidance to your foodie adventures:
Fun, Loud, Celebratory:
1) La Viola (Ovest) (Italian)
252 S. 16th Street, Rittenhouse
La Viola will always have a place in my heart, mostly because the fondest of memories have been created here. It is THE go-to dinner spot to fill up on yummy, but affordable home cooked tasting Italian food, while drinking wine and other libations (they do not judge what type of bottle you put on the table, as some other establishments have...) to your heart's content before hitting the town for a long night of dancing and other shenanigans, especially if you're a Penn student of any kind. It's the only place I know of in the city that will seat a party of 20 at 10pm and won't kick you out even when you're laughing hysterically with friends well after midnight. Nestled comfortably at 16th & Locust, it's just a hop skip and a jump from all the nightlife Rittenhouse Square has to offer. Oh and they have two locations across the street from one another, I prefer Ovest simply because it's the bigger of the two, which to me means higher chance of faster seating, especially on the weekends, beware...
Favorite menu items: Funghi Trentino, Penne All'Oriolo
2) La Locanda del Ghittone (Italian)
130 N. 3rd Street, Olde City
We actually stumbled upon this place when our other neighborhood gem, Il Cantuccio, was booked, and apparently there's a bit of a family rivalry. Nonetheless, Ghittone has become another go-to for a heart-warming, open kitchen serving up piping hot delicious Italian meals, always tempting you with some fabulous special of the evening. It's shaped in an L, and larger parties are normally seated along the longer side of the dining room, making the short side seem like a smaller more intimate restaurant, without the pressure of being quiet. Joe, the maitre'd/server/entertainment for the evening, is a fun-loving guy that does the best he can to seat you, even when it's packed to capacity or their shutting the burners down. Great place to kick off a night on the town in Olde City, and parking is almost always a cinch.
Favorite menu items: Crepine con Funghi, Gnocchi del Giorno
3) Lolita (Mexican)
106 S. 13th Street, Midtown Village
So I'm not sure you can ever go wrong when you're told to BYOT - T is for tequila! With the most delicious carafes of margarita mix flavors like blood orange and strawberry basil, I'm not even sure the food has to be that great. But it is. Pretty sure the short rib was the first thing I'd ever seen the beau eat and not even offer for me to try because it was too good to share. I personally am a big fan of the Carne Asada with plantain crema and fried yucca, delish! Conveniently located near lots of fun places on 13th, another great place to celebrate an event or kick off the festivities of the evening.
Favorite menu items: Guacamole, Carne Asada a La Lolita
Intimate & Romantic:
1) Il Cantuccio (Italian)
701 N. 3rd Street, Northern Liberties
Clearly I'm partial because NoLibs has been my honorary digs for almost 3 years now, and this cute neighborhood spot has been a secret of mine for a while. Every time we go, Guiseppe (Cantuccio's younger version of Joe), makes us feel at home. You literally feel like you're sitting in his mother's kitchen, anxiously watching flames ablaze in the open kitchen as your meal is prepared, but she does have a few house rules - one of which is no cheese on seafood, apparently the salt ruins the freshness. Because everything that has come out of that kitchen has been mouth-wateringly delicious, I follow the rules. Oddly, they only serve (read: sell) bottled water, so you must bring your own beverages and if it's not beer or wine, mixers too ;)
Favorite menu items: Misto, Pasta Special (whatever it is, usually the way to go)
2) Koo Zee Doo (Portugese)
614 N. 2nd Street, Northern Liberties
I've actually only been to this place once. And how could it make the list, you might ask. Because it was a life changing experience. Everything they brought to the table was so good, we might as well have had swords for forks. It was quaint, warm and rustic, dimly lit with wooden tables, I felt very authentic - as if I've ever been to Portugal before lol. But seriously, it's a great place to take a date and seem artsy and cultured. It had a very charming feel, and I left feeling satisfied without being stuffed, because things were so perfectly portioned.
Favorite menu items: Camarão com Pri Pri, Alheira, Bife à Portuguesa
3) Sushi Planet (Asian)
624 S. 3rd Street, Queen Village
Talk about intimate. I want to say there are no more than 10 tables in this entire place. Tucked away on 3rd street, right off of South, this super cute sushi spot has been a regular date night venue. With cozy red walls and candlelight, you have no choice but to get close and play footsy beneath those tiny tables, or maybe that's because we've got like 8 feet of legs between the two of us, but I digress. With an extensive list of interesting rolls and stellar presentation, the staff is super friendly and service is great.
Favorite menu items: Mango roll, Fancy Dragon roll
This is a BYOB??:
1) Melograno (Italian)
2012 Sansom Street, Rittenhouse
So when you walk into this swanky place, with dark oak floors, crisp white tableclothes flanked by ice buckets and oversized glasses on the table, you think twice about sneaking your bottle from the state store onto the table. But it is indeed a BYO, with the feeling of a refined New York restaurant, bustling with people every Saturday night, and much larger inside than it appears from the front window. Presentation is bar none, and everything tastes as good as it looks. I guess by now you're starting to realize I have a thing for Italian food, huh? :)
Favorite menu items: Prosciutto di Parma e Rucola, Pappardelle Al Ragu di Cinghiale
2) Mercato (Italian/American)
1216 Spruce Street, Washington Square West
Super cute and quaint, located in the heart of the hood of brotherly love, sits a little bistro on the corner that fuses old world Italy with new world American flavors to create most tantalizing creations. Not sure if I love the food or the fun flavored Italian sodas more, either way it's awesome to come here during the warmer months because all the windows are open and the summer breeze mixed with the scents from the open kitchen, and we can't forget the people watching, it all just makes for the most wonderful of evenings.
Favorite menu items: Mercato Antipasti, Pyramid Pasta, Short Rib Ragu
3) Shiao Lan Kung
930 Race Street, Chinatown
Talk about a diiivveeee. Literally a blip on the radar, walk too fast and you might miss it, maybe 2 notches up from a hole in the wall in the middle of the block on Race, sits a haven of some of the best pork dumplings I've ever had. Again, don't think I've ever been disappointed by anything on the menu, might have wanted something a bit spicier, but there's Han Dynasty for that. Nonetheless, I've seen everything on the tables here from Bud Light to Manischewitz - yes you read that correctly. So if you're craving Chinese, want to go out, but nothing too fancy, Shiao Lan Kung is your place.
Favorite menu items: Pork dumplings, String Beans in Garlic Sauce (+Shrimp)
Special Mention:
1) Aqua (Malaysian/Thai) - No longer BYOB exactly, I think there's a corkage fee, wompity, I know...
705 Chestnut Street, Washington Square
2) Cafe L'Aube (French, Crepes)
1631 Wallace Street, Fairmount
So there you have it. I hope I may have added a new hat to the ring of options for this weekend's dinner and date plans. Clearly I love trying new restaurants, so feel free to comment below or message me new ones to try!
xox
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