June 10, 2026
Jeff Tomik/for PhillyVoice
NaBrasa in Center City is one of several Brazilian steakhouses in the Philly area.
TikTokers in Philly last year re-created Epcot's unofficial "drinking around the world" bar crawl, sharing videos of themselves imbibing at city spots representing Germany, France, England, Italy, China and numerous other nations. With Philly hosting the World Cup this summer, we've identified local restaurants that are serving up traditional dishes from the countries of the teams playing in the city so anyone who has an appetite for it could eat around the world.
Over the next month, squads from at least nine different countries will be playing in six matches at Lincoln Financial Field: Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Brazil, Haiti, France, Iraq, Curaçao, Croatia and Ghana.
Here are some Philly-area spots that feature cuisines from those nations as well as their most popular dishes for anyone looking to try a new place or whip up a new recipe as a tribute to the international soccer tournament coming to town.
Le Baobab owner Jeanne Hien has a number of West African dishes inspired by the food of the Ivory Coast, where her husband is from, as well as a few from her own home country of Burkina Faso. At the Kingsessing restaurant at 5353 Woodland Ave., diners can find poulet braisé, which is Ivorian grilled chicken, and poisson grillé, a fish cooked over an open flame.
One of the country's popular dinner choices is kedjenou de poulet, a type of chicken stew. In 2024, UNESCO recognized attiéké — a side dish made from a fermented cassava pulp that's similar to couscous and also known as acheke — as a U.N. World Heritage dish.
Though there are a number of Caribbean and Latin American restaurants in the city, Philadelphia doesn't have as many Ecuadorian-specific restaurants. But Upper Darby is home to a number of places including El Rinconcito Ecuatoriano and El Sazon de Doña Eva that exclusively serve up the country's cuisine.
One popular meal that can be cooked at home is encebollado de pescado, a type of soup made with tuna, yuca, tomatoes and cilantro. Bolón or bolón de verde, made by stuffing mashed plantains with meat and cheese and frying it until it's crispy, are served for breakfast.
While the all-you-can-eat chain Fogo de Chão on Chestnut Street might be the most frequented Brazilian steakhouse in the city, online foodies overwhelmingly recommend Picanha at 6501 Castor Ave. and NaBrasa, which has locations in Center City and Horsham, for seafood and meats carved and served up tableside.
Brazil is really too large to be summed up by a singular food, but it does have a national dish: feijoada, a stew made with beef, pork ribs, sausage and bacon simmered with black beans and often served with white rice, orange slices and collard greens. Another nationwide staple is prato feito, a combo meal of rice, beans, meat, potatoes, salad and farofa, which is made from cassava flour.
In Olney, Haitian/Caribbean eatery Gou Restaurant at 5734 Old 2nd St. serves traditional tasting recipes from the island including boulet, a type of meatball, and akrat, fritters made from taro. At Honeysuckle at 631 N. Broad St. near Center City, chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, who is Haitian American, offer dishes honoring the African diaspora.
Haitian food often blends West African, French and Caribbean flavors. Popular dishes include soup joumou, a pumpkin soup that was originally only eaten by slaveowners but was reclaimed as a symbol of independence, and griot or griyo, which is fried pork shoulder.
At Good King Tavern at 614 S. 7th St. in Queen Village, diners can find bistro dishes like artichoke barigoule and socca, a flatbread native to the Provence region of France. Outside the city, Spring Mill Cafe in Conshohocken has traditional French dishes such as pavé de paleron, a beef stew, and lapin à la moutarde, rabbit in mustard sauce.
French influences are found at some of the top kitchens across the globe, but home-cooking recipes can be a little simpler and nourishing. Home cooks can test out pot-au-feu — a slow-cooked stew made with beef, root vegetables and bone marrow — or ratatouille, a vegetable stew.
Philly's only Iraqi restaurant, Crispy Wonders, is located in Torresdale and serves kebabs, shawarma and traditional desserts such as kazandibi and baklava. Outside the city, Desert Rose in Media combines Moroccan, Israeli and Iraqi influences into its dishes.
Iraq's unofficial national dish is masgouf, a form of grilled carp. It supposedly led to Saddam Hussein's downfall, as U.S. Army members were able to track him down to his hiding spot due to his love for the fish, the L.A. Times reported. Another favorite is an Iraqi version of dolma, which is grape leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and vegetables.
Philadelphia doesn't have any Curaçao-specific restaurants, but the 48th Street Grille at 310 S. 48th St. is a popular Caribbean spot in West Philly. The menu changes frequently, so the owners could serve up some World Cup-inspired dishes this summer.
If you're looking to make something at home, the small island is known for its roadside "sneks," where visitors can purchase snacks like pastechis, a crescent-shaped savory pastry. Other popular dishes include a goat stew called kabritu stoba, a cheese stuffed with meat called keshi yená and ayaka, spiced meat in cornmeal dough that's wrapped in banana leaves and is traditionally served at Christmas.
Philadelphia doesn't have a Croatian-specific restaurant, but there are a few Mediterranean and Balkan spots with similar cuisines. Restaurants include Two Eagles Cafe in Point Breeze, which serves Albanian food, Paprica Grill in Center City, which offers Turkish dishes, and Stina, a South Philadelphia eatery with "Greek-leaning" Mediterranean food.
A favorite Croatian side dish that can be prepared at home is sarma, which is sauerkraut cabbage stuffed with meat and rice. For an entree, try out pašticada, a tender beef stew popular in the Dalmatian coast.
Diners can find a ton of Ghanian dishes, including jollof rice and fufu, in Africatown in Southwest Philadelphia. The city is also home to West African spots like Suya Suya in Northern Liberties and Kilimandjaro Restaurant in Spruce Hill. In Lindenwold, New Jersey, A&H African and Jamaican Restaurant merges traditional Ghanaian dishes with Caribbean flavors.
The country has a few popular staples that can be made at home, including waakye, a version of rice and beans made with sorghum leaves. Another option is banku, a dumpling made from cassava and fermented corn.
