Where Philadelphia eats
South Philadelphia's Italian Market on 9th Street holds cheesesteak counters, Italian delis, and produce stands that have anchored the neighborhood for generations, serving a working class and increasingly mixed crowd at low prices. Rittenhouse Square carries the city's higher end dining, with tasting menu restaurants and wine bars serving professionals and Center City residents at checks well above the citywide average. Fishtown and East Passyunk have built out a denser bar and restaurant scene over the past decade, pulling a younger crowd with natural wine bars and chef driven BYOBs. University City, anchored by the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, runs a counter service and casual dining economy tied to the academic calendar. Northern Liberties mixes breweries and gastropubs serving a nightlife crowd close to downtown. Chinatown, compact but dense along 10th and Race Streets, holds late night noodle shops and dim sum halls. Each district's price point tracks its residents, from six dollar cheesesteaks in South Philly to eighty dollar prix fixe dinners in Rittenhouse, meaning a concept's location decides its ceiling before it opens.
