The newly opened Salam Cafe in Germantown has a little bit of everything: Mediterranean platters with hummus and falafel; spicy chicken Ethiopian stew and spongy injera; coffee drinks and smoothies; and even a small market of essentials if you’re running low on home goods. You’ll be happy with whatever you get (tubes of toothpaste included) but you can’t go wrong with the lamb platter, spicy beef stew, and the chicken kabobs. Bonus: There’s Ethiopian firfir for breakfast on the weekends.

ITV and Laurel’s Nick Elmi opened his first suburban venture at the Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing in Bala Cynwyd in March, and its all-day cafe vibe — think caviar grilled cheese, tartines, and cups of ModCup and La Colombe coffee — makes it a worthy Saturday morning venture. It’s also open Friday to Sunday for dinner service, with fried chicken sandwiches and burgers, so if brunch isn’t your thing you’ll still make out all right. The outdoor patio is lovely, too. Walk-ins only.

Owned by the folks behind Jet Wine Bar, and with Alexis Tellez as executive chef, Sor Ynez offers fresh Mexican cuisine with a focus on sustainability. Try the “alt pastor,” a spit-roasted cauliflower alternative to al pastor that can be ordered on a taco, burrito, or torta, or root vegetable ceviche. Plus: vegan churros with oat milk champurrado are a great after-dinner treat.

For flavors found in Nigerian cuisine, Suya Suya West African Grill — the latest fast-casual spot to open in Philly — can’t be missed. Brought to you by restaurateur Dera Nd-Ezuma, Suya Suya’s mix-and-match bowls can be paired with jollof rice and sides of plantains, and all the grilled meats are done in a perfectly piquant peanut spice. Even better: you can select your heat level if you want to go even spicier.

At La Chinesca on Spring Garden Street, Northern Baja cuisine melds with Chinese-American dishes to make something unique to Philly. Baby corn elote, fried peppers and cilantro, and mushroom tacos are all menu standouts, plus the cocktails are refreshing on a hot day. The colorful and comfortable outdoor space will make you feel like you’re on a vacation in some sunny faraway place, too. Reservations can be made on Resy.

There are countless reasons to stop by Reading Terminal Market (and no, you don’t have to be a tourist to go) but with the addition of Tambayan, the Filipino restaurant run by chef and owner Kathy Mirano, there’s another reason to hit up the bustling 12th Street market. Tambayan is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for Filipino dishes like longanisa sausage fried rice, lumpia spring rolls, ube fries, and Mirano’s amazing pandesal rolls. Don’t forget to try the macarons in flavors like ube, matcha, and mango — they’re unlike any macaron you’ve ever tasted.

Opened by South Jersey restauranteur Luke Patrick, Philly’s latest barbecue venture, Huff and Puff, has options for carnivores and herbivores alike, from pit platters of St. Louis-style ribs and yardbird wings to pulled jackfruit sliders and vegan mac and cheese. A “flight” of pit meat includes a quarter pound of brisket, pulled pork, smoked watermelon, wings, ribs, coleslaw, and your choice of traditional barbecue sides. Don’t miss the fried pickles. Preorder online or walk in.

Like a handful of Philly restaurants, beloved Queen Village omakase restaurant Sakana closed in July to perform renovations, leaving South 2nd Street without one of Philly’s most trusted and pleasurable dining experiences. The restaurant reopened at the beginning of August, and though it’s been a destination since 2019, with this latest refresh in the waning days of summer, it’s worth coming back to for the fresh sushi and sashimi from chef and owner Xiang Yu Lin, who goes by Sam. Sakana is BYOB and reservations for two different omakase tastings — one small and one large — can be made on Resy.

Following the success of her Vietnamese-Thai restaurant in Ambler, Melody’s Grillhouse, chef Thanh Nguyen has expanded into South Philly with a Vietnamese grilled seafood and steakhouse. The dishes are served family style, and there is Bò Né — steak and eggs served on a sizzling cast iron plate with a side of crunchy bread — for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s also BYOB so come prepared. Reservations can be made on Resy.

LesbiVeggies, chef Brennah Lambert’s first restaurant in Audubon, may have a playful name but its menu — and Lambert’s cooking — is the real deal. A quick drive across the bridge from Philly, LesbiVeggies is a vegan, gluten-free BYOB cafe that Lambert intended as a safe space for queer folks like herself. With more than just veggies, at Lambert’s restaurant, everyone eats well. For brunch and dinner, diners enjoy everything from jackfruit enchiladas to peach cobbler pancakes and cajun cauliflower sandwiches. Walk-ins only.