December 29, 2025
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Philadelphia was included in the Michelin Guide's Northeast Cities roundup in a November ceremony where three of the city's restaurants were awarded one star.
Philadelphia's stellar food scene is no longer a well-kept secret, as the city's addition in the latest Michelin Guide brought new eyes — and stars — to some of the area's most-beloved restaurants.
In May, the tire company known for its culinary influence announced that Philly and Boston would be included in its Northeast Cities edition and representatives confirmed that inspectors had already visited several establishments.
"[Inspectors] find a certain level of maturity in Philadelphia, both in the culinary offer and the dynamism of the industry making the culinary scene here worthy of being one of the newest Michelin Guide destinations in North America," an anonymous North American chief inspector said at the time.
The Michelin Guide was first published for French motorists in 1900 by a duo of tire manufacturer brothers who were looking to provide recommendations to some of the best destinations. In 1926, the list was updated to include one-, two- and three-star ratings for restaurants. Per their guidelines, a one star restaurant is worth a stop on a journey, two stars are worth a detour and three stars are worth a trip specifically to visit that particular restaurant.
The full guide includes more than 40,000 restaurants across 24 countries and territories. To be included, restaurants must undergo multiple rounds of anonymous inspections that grade the product quality, flavor harmony, cooking techniques, consistency and how a chef's personality is translated into the dishes.
In August, the group announced that winners would be revealed during a Nov. 18 ceremony at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, leading to speculation about which of the city's dozens of award-winning and crowd-favorite restaurants would be recognized.
When the results came in, three Philly restaurants were awarded one star — Her Place Supper Club, Friday Saturday Sunday and Provenance. A Bib Gourmand award, which recognizes places that offer good meals at relatively reasonable prices, was given to 10 additional places, including three popular cheesesteak spots. They were the following:
• Angelo's (736 S. Ninth St.)
• Dalessandro's (600 Wendover St.)
• Del Rossi's (538 N. Fourth St.)
• Dizengoff (1625 Sansom St.)
• El Chingon (1524 S. 10th St.)
• Fiorella (817 Christian St.)
• 4th Street Deli (700 S. Fourth St.)
• Pizzeria Beddia (1313 N. Lee St.)
• Royal Sushi & Izakaya (780 S. Second St.)
• Sally (2229 Spruce St.)
Pietramala, a vegan restaurant at 614 N. 2nd St. in Northern Liberties, was awarded a Green Star, which recognizes establishments that reduce waste, use sustainable practices and cook with ingredients from eco-friendly suppliers.
Her Place Supper Club, located at 1740 Sansom St. in Rittenhouse, earned a Michelin star for being 'accomplished and beautifully balanced.'
Philly's one-star restaurants can expect more business and recognition from the "Michelin bump," which could also make it more difficult for customers to book reservations. An analysis from Chef's Pencil found that for every star a restaurant receives, menu costs increase by an average of $100 per person.
Amanda Shulman, owner of Her Place Supper Club, said this month that her staff has already seen a jump in email inquiries since the November ceremony. Owner and chef of Provenance, Nicholas Bazik, said their waitlist is typically around 50 people long on any given night.
Restaurants can gain or lose stars over time, so the pressure is on for chefs and their staff to maintain their award-winning levels of service, but the owners are welcoming the pressure.
"We keep doing the work every day and that's all we really want to do," said Chad Williams, who owns Friday Saturday Sunday with his wife, Hanna. "We're just happy to get the recognition and it kind of puts a little more fire under us."
