There are some surprises in the top 5 Most Famous Restaurants in Philadelphia. One thing about Philadelphia, it has character. This character imparts a unique cuisine of which the local residents are proud, if not fanatical. Think Philly fanatic and you get the vibe of this city of pride. The famous Philadelphia restaurants are landmarks – those that most represent this cuisine, which ranges from the Philly cheesesteak – where it all originated of course – to the best anywhere.
The listed institutions are just that, long standing, loved and representative of the different mix that makes up this city, from fine dining in Philadelphia, to tourist meccas, to the culinary delight of the great, famous steak hoagie – cheesesteak.
| Rank | Restaurant | Where | What makes it famous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Geno’s | South Philly, Diagonally across from Pat’s (see #1) | Famous for cheese steaks, and its bright orange and blue signage. Geno’s has had a good faith tongue in cheek rivalry with the other South Philadelphia institution across the street. Tony Lukes gets an honorable mention for cheesesteaks as well. |
| 4 | Amada | Center City | Rated most popular in a Zagat survey. If you like Tapas, try Amada. |
| 3 | Buddakan | Center City | Rated the most popular restaurant in Philadelphia by Open Table. |
| 2 | Le Bec-Fin | 15th and Walnut, Center City | Known for world class French cuisine, in this Philadelphia landmark. This restaurant closed, but is set to re-open around the time we are writing this list. We decided to include it on the list because of the history. If the reopened space is anything like the landmark, make your reservations well in advance. |
| 1 | Pat’s King Of Steaks | South Philly, across from Geno’s (see #5) |  Two words describe this Philadelphia institution: Philly Cheesesteak. This is the place where people come from all over the world to find THE authentic Philly steak. Philadelphians earnestly debate whether Pat’s really is the best, but hands down, best or not, Pat’s is the most famous. We conducted a taste test and determined that Pat’s is the best. Sorry Geno’s. |
Unranked, and deliberately omitted from this list of famous restaurants in Philadelphia is Bookbinders, which was perhaps the most well-known of the landmarks in the city. It is now closed, and we do not know of any plans to re-open it. Let us know if you hear something.
Who do you think we should add to make this a Top 10 list?
