Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon’s guide to Philadelphia’s best breakfasts

“I love Ed [Crochet] and Justine [MacNeil], the chef-owners of Fiore. I love people who care, and they care so much. We’re lucky in Philadelphia because most of the places I love do care. I love to eat pasta and they have pasta for breakfast! All handmade in house. The menu changes all the time and it’s whatever they want to make. Sometimes they have porchetta and it’s the best. And their chicken sandwich—there is something about it, with that combination of juicy chicken and pickled cucumber with Calabrian chili aioli. Everything goes so well together. They make a milk bun for it and top the soy paste, fennel, and caper-marinated chicken with dill and scallions.”

“It’s in my neighborhood and their egg breakfast sandwiches are the best. The egg is so fluffy and it melts together with the cheese. One day I wasn’t hungry, but I was with Michael Persico [my photographer] and I thought ‘Oh, why didn’t I order that?’ It’s important to me to support spaces in my neighborhood. I always get an iced latte there, but sometimes it’s an ube latte or a matcha latte. Their matcha is really good.”

“Oh my God, the egg tart. I love all their breakfast sandwiches and their pasteis de nata are so good. Also, their roast pork. It’s such a nice neighborhood place. We live in a small city, but each neighborhood has world class pastries and brunch spots that aren’t pretentious. There is no attitude at Gilda, you just walk in and grab the best stuff you could find in any city.”

“I love sitting down in my restaurant on the weekends eating khao soi for breakfast. It’s something that makes me smile when I think about it. I think my food is good and I want to eat my own food—and I’m really picky about my khao soi. It can’t be too thick or too thin, it has to be just right, with curry paste that we make of toasted spices and herbs, made with our own beef broth thinned with coconut milk. It has nice, crunchy yellow noodles, cooked noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, house made chili crisp, lime wedges, short rib or chuck cooked until tender.” [Breakfast served weekends only]

“I love everything here, but especially the canelé. If I die, please bury me in Emily Riddell’s pastries. Get everything. The canelé, the onion tart—oh my God, the onion is so well caramelized. It’s just so good. She’s such a perfectionist. My stepdaughter loves her focaccia and sometimes on the weekend I’ll go to Machine Shop for it, then pick up the chicken sandwich from Fiore, and drive to NYC with all these pastries and baked goods and bring them to her. Emily’s pastries are very seasonal, but her bread is also amazing. Get her chocolate croissant, her almond croissant. I’m there every weekend. This is my temple.”

“I love Suraya’s weekend brunch, and especially chef James Matty’s pastries that are so, so good. He’s a genius with his cruller [an airy custard donut made in a similar fashion to an éclair, pictured], Meyer lemon tarts and also his cookies.”

“I love broth. Growing up, we always had soup or broth for breakfast and boiled rice or congee. Whenever I’m not feeling well, or I miss my mother’s food I go to Cafe Nhan. Their broth is so rich and they put a lot of love into what they do. I love sitting in that dining room with a lot of people who look like me, nobody pretending to be cool, I love that environment. I love their chicken wings and their fried shrimp, and I normally get short ribs with extra blood [cubes] and oxtail. I normally do not have time to make my own oxtail soup, so I go there. I know how long they’ve cooked their oxtails because the bones just crumble. Could you fill a swimming pool with their broth for me? I would swim in that collagen.”

“I love broth. Growing up, we always had soup or broth for breakfast and boiled rice or congee. Whenever I’m not feeling well, or I miss my mother’s food I go to Cafe Nhan. Their broth is so rich and they put a lot of love into what they do. I love sitting in that dining room with a lot of people who look like me, nobody pretending to be cool, I love that environment. I love their chicken wings and their fried shrimp, and I normally get short ribs with extra blood [cubes] and oxtail. I normally do not have time to make my own oxtail soup, so I go there. I know how long they’ve cooked their oxtails because the bones just crumble. Could you fill a swimming pool with their broth for me? I would swim in that collagen.”