Formally known as Sakura Mandarin, Bai Wei has an enviable corner location with very comfy bistro-style seating. During her time at PCDC and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, Betsy Lee-Fong got very intimate with the “light and flaky scallion pancakes, tender and juicy double-cooked pork shoulder, and the stir-fry dry pot.” Sakura was also one of the earlier restaurants to offer soup dumplings and sheng jian bao, its delicious pan-fried cousin.

Last fall, TT Skewer, known for their Northern-style Chinese barbecue, introduced a complete overhaul of its menu to focus on traditional cuisine from the Dongbei region in Northeastern China (which stretches from Siberia to Mongolia and the Korean peninsula) and relies heavily on cabbage, root vegetables, and sturdy winter animals like lamb. The restaurant goes under the name Feng Tian Xiao Chu, (loosely translated as “Fengtian petite kitchen”) on certain food apps to emphasize the new menu, though it retains the TT Skewer signage as a homing beacon for its barbecue-loving loyals. Samuel Chueh likes to order the twice-fried pork strips tossed in a sweet, vinegary sauce, double cooked pork, earthy, spicy, and aromatic lamb ribs, and sauteed pork ribs tossed with slivers of fried potato and green beans. You can really sink into the pork stew with pickled cabbage and vermicelli noodles.

Devon Stahl raves about the fish ball noodle soup, where “the fish balls are [so] full of flavor, they almost burst in your mouth after absorbing the flavorful soup broth.” Make sure to get the house-made hot oil. “The difference in complexity of flavor from store-bought is apparent,” Stahl says. Samuel Chueh is partial to the braised beef noodle soup. You can also make a meal of the appetizers, or bring enough friends to share: Albert Lee and Anne Ishii swear by the spicy pig ears, while Samuel Chueh takes the all-of-the-above approach and orders the aromatic mixed platter with spicy beef tendons, marinated intestine, and marinated ox stomach. For good measure, order a side of steamed mixed vegetable dumplings.

Carol Wong, the owner and director of Chinatown Learning Center, comes to this spot inside Chinatown Square for a satisfying meal with a few of her favorite things: pork fish dumplings, salt and pepper wings, and peanut sesame noodles. She also enjoys Philly Poke, a neighboring food stall, for their salmon sashimi poke bowl with brown rice, edamame, avocado, seaweed, crab, toasted onions, cucumbers, and sesame dressing.

This New York Chinatown-based chain opened a Philly location a few years ago. Samuel Chueh’s favorite order is the mango shaved ice, which is as delicious as it is meta: while mere mortals would top shaved ice with condensed milk and mango, these fine folks make actual mango shaved ice and then load it with fresh mango and glutinous rice balls, topped with mango ice cream. Asian Arts Initiative’s executive director Anne Ishii waxes poetic about the mango mochi, which she describes as a sleeper hit. “So soft and chewy with a light dusting of coconut flakes (very light otherwise it would be bad), and inside is a perfect little block of fresh mango as a treat,” she says. “It’s seriously so ridiculous.” For those in the mango mood who want to mix it up, Albert Lee recommends the mango fruit tea at Mr. Wish, a tea shop chain based in Taiwan.

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation’s Devon Stahl goes to Mayflower for the bolo bao (Cantonese for “pineapple bun”), which is named for its distinct hatch-marked “glazed, almost cookie-like, topping” that resembles the tropical fruit. “It is messy to eat [because] the topping gets everywhere, but I consider it part of the whole experience,” she says. “The bun is light and not too sweet, perfect to pair with tea or coffee, which Mayflower Bakery also sells.” The fragrant, cloud-like sponge cake is another fan favorite.

There was a hole in Philadelphia’s heart when the (literally) underground Asia Supermarket and the beloved subterranean Hong Kong eatery Tasty Place closed in 2020. Asianfresh is one of a few new supermarkets that blossomed in its wake to try to fill that void. Samuel Chueh, the City of Philadelphia’s director of international business and global strategy, finds many popular Asian snacks he’d see in his native Taiwan on the marvelous second floor of this wonderland. The first floor — with its seafood and butcher counter and plentiful produce selection that spills out to the street  — is also very impressive.

This Cantonese comfort food spot is a favorite for quick breakfast and lunch, and epic multi-course family-style dinners. Both Carol Wong and Harry Leong go for the homestyle fish filet, which is seasoned beautifully and tossed with flavorful green beans, minced pork, and fermented black bean sauce over rice. Wong also loves the Chinese eggplant with pork. Anne Ishii goes for the plain congee in the morning, and so does Alix Webb, who couples it with gai lan, scallions, and youtiao — long sticks of fried dough — to make it a meal. One should note that there are 25 options on the breakfast menu alone, and Webb advises using the scallion ginger oil on the side on everything. For those with a hankering for home, look no further than the steamed minced pork pie with salted fish, topped with salted egg, for good measure. It really hits the spot.

Carol Wong prefers her pho with beef brisket, beef balls, and beef tendon. She also likes the broken rice platter with barbecue pork chop and egg quiche, aVietnamese steamed egg meatloaf, which one should promptly drown in nuoc cham. Demolish immediately, pausing only to occasionally breathe.

Philadelphia photographer and Chinatown native Albert Lee grew up eating the flaky, custardy egg tarts at Saint Honore. They go particularly well with a steaming hot cup of Hong Kong milk tea, which Saint Honore sweetens with a hint of condensed milk. For a different take, try the baked Portuguese egg tart with its lovely burnt sugar top. Surprise your guests by bringing a box of savory and sweet pastries instead of donuts to your next picnic/meeting/party: savory buns that are perfect for breakfast include the hot dog studded with grilled scallion, the sweet, soy saucy threads of delicate rousong, or pork floss, the homey ham and corn, and classic char siu, or roast pork.

It’s important to get Hainanese chicken rice right — and oh-so-easy to get something so beautifully simple wrong. Samuel Chueh scarfs down the silky boiled chicken and deliciously fragrant rice, which is cooked with rendered chicken fat. The fried chicken is also very flavorful, and so too is the accompanying more-sweet-than-spicy chili sauce that really goes with everything.

Betsy Lee-Fong recommends this spot for authentic Japanese cuisine, in particular the Out of Control Roll and the miso ramen. You also can’t go wrong with the bubble tea and fruit smoothies, she says.

One of China’s most famous rice noodle chains, Shi Miao Dao has locations in New York, Toronto, Denver, and Boston. It specializes in the Crossing Bridge Rice Noodle, which, according to legend, was invented by the wife of a scholar who was studying on a small island in the Yunnan Province. She crossed the bridge every day to support him with sustenance and came up with a way to keep the broth hot by topping it with chicken oil and separating the noodles and toppings in order to keep all the distinct textures.

You can eat the legend in Philly’s Chinatown, where the chicken and pork bone broth is “rich in flavor” and the rice noodles — which are shipped exclusively from China and have a strict cooking technique — are “tender and chewy,” says Devon Stahl. The platter of toppings include rice, greens, tender sliced beef, a chicken wing, quail egg, bean curd, pickled vegetables, and more. “What’s unique about this dish,” Stahl explains, “is that all the toppings and noodles are added table-side and then mixed together,” just like the scholar’s wife would.