2025’S MOST VITAL PHILLY RESTAURANTS

It’s a brand-new year for The 76, The Inquirer’s annual list of the most vital restaurants in the Philadelphia area. This year, we started fresh with a new batch of dining scouts and an even wider purview, diving deeper into pockets of Philadelphia that we didn’t get to eat through last year. The result is a list that we hope is as vibrant, diverse, and interesting as the city that it reflects.

The 76 is how we think Philadelphia is eating right now, and — we hope — might help you uncover your next favorite spot. Grab a plate and dig in.

BOLO

Puerto Rican | Center City | $$$$

It always feels like a trip to the Caribbean when I step off Sansom Street into Bolo’s palm-fringed rum bar, where the syncopated salsa music and rattling daiquiri shakers sound as if we’ve teleported to Old San Juan. Follow the staircase up to the art-filled dining room, where chef Yun Fuentes’ kitchen leads diners on a personal journey of contemporary plates from his native Puerto Rico to the Nuevo Latino flavors of his Philadelphia career. From a bracingly tart shrimp ceviche splashed in charred tomato salsa to crispy bacalaíto cod fritters perched above creamy crab dip, Fuentes’ bold cooking is rooted in memories elaborated with a modern touch. His clove- and garlic-spiced vaca frita is one of the most satisfying steaks in town. He reimagines sancocho stew as a banana leaf-steamed snapper fringed with tostones that practically levitates over seasonal veggies basking in flavorful broth. The suckling pig dinner, basted in garlicky sour oranges, is pernil at its best. Wash it down with a celebratory snifter of rare Haitian rum from one of the deepest lists in town, savor a dulce de leche-glazed fritter for dessert, and let the tropical vibes linger. — Craig LaBan

Address: 2025 Sansom St | Phone: (267) 639-2741 | Website: bolophl.com |

Instagram: bolo_phl | Reservations: Open Table