Amanda Shulman’s guide to lunching in Philadelphia

“[Owners] Andrew and his mother are so kind. It’s casual but warm and homey. You have to get the fried shrimp wrapped in rice paper with scallions, and then my favorite thing is the lemongrass pork chops with rice and a fried egg.”

“I usually get the vegan aguachile, with jicama and avocado, and then I do like the sandwiches but I am really all about the tacos. I always ask for an extra side of sourdough tortillas, and I like the tacos choriqueso, which are just straight up cheese and chorizo. It’s the best if you can sit outside and take in the sights of Philadelphia.”

“A.kitchen is my most visited restaurant in Philadelphia—it hits all the spots, [chef] Eli [Collins] is a wizard, and it’s just food you want to eat. I change my order every single time which is a testament to them because there are so many good things to try. If they have anything with chicken liver on the menu it’s really good, anything with bread is really good.”

“My very specific order here is the turkey cutlet and green salad, and then you have to cut a piece of turkey cutlet, and wrap it in the salad and then eat it like a taco. Hot take. And then you also need to get the ice cream with the creme de menthe.”

“I always start with the tartare and a side of fries to dip in the tartare, but you’re also getting the escargot and the ham and cheese sandwich at the same time because you’re going to get your ham and Comté sandwich and dip it in the escargot butter. You kind of go back and forth with everything. We actually did an ode to this dish at Her Place last year, and it was herby mussels in butter with a ham and cheese sandwich.”

“I usually order Middle Child’s sandwiches in, to be honest. I like the Baller Classic. I just love the pickles and they do an aggressive amount, and it’s delicious.”

“You have to get coconut water, the juice with the pieces of the coconut. I like the number 12, with steak and brisket, with extra basil on the side. I often will drink all of the broth and then dress my noodles like a salad in the bottom of my bowl with bean sprouts and basil and lime.”

“My friend used to live in the area and he was always talking about Bacchus Market, so I finally went. It’s this tiny little prepared food market, and they do really nice sandwiches. I like the turkey apple and brie, and I like the chicken salad with the seeded crackers.”

“Ocean Harbor is my hangry lunch, because there’s nothing better than knowing you’ll have food in your face within four minutes of sitting down, dim sum is the best for that. I like the slippery shrimp and rice rolls, and then the siu mai there are incredible, and I also like the chive dumplings.”

“I like the kale salad at Mighty Bread and the tomato pie, which is a specific Philly thing, but they do a good one. And then their toasts are good.”

“Vic’s is such a good quick sushi spot. I like the nigiri combo with a seaweed salad and miso soup. It’s a mix of nigiri and it’s just good, and fast.”