BY AARON STELLA Across the street from the Academy of Music on Locust Street in Philadelphia is a little slice of a Greek nostalgia. Estia, which means “hearth”, serves Rittenhouse residents, theatergoers and past vacationers to the Greek isles with an authentic experience of dining on the Mediterranean. All the wood and stone in Estia’s interior comes from small furniture, masonry and carpentry companies in Lebanon, Israel and Greece: while one wing of the restaurant resembles an agora, complete with a fresh fish display and a well, the dining area sprawls out under intricately laid stone work and cheese cloths suspended between sable wood struts. Without a doubt, Estia’s claim to fame is their fresh fish selection.

BY AARON STELLA No matter how full or satisfied your dinner in Rittenhouse has left you, there’s always room for fresh, artisanal gelato. Lucky for Rittenhouse residents, Capogiro, which serves over 300 flavors of gelato throughout the year, is but a short jaunt no matter where you are in the Rittenhouse area. Stephanie and John Retiano, co-proprietors of Capogiro, conceived opening a gelateria in Philadelphia partly because of the lack of fresh gelato in the states, but primarily for proximity to Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s quality produce. So whether you are enjoying their rosemary honey goat’s milk, pistachio siciliano or zucca—just to name a few—the ingredients therein are more than likely locally bought.

BY AARON STELLA There are many transports of delight posited down the promenade of Liberties Walk in Northern Liberties, but none tantalize curious strollers quite like Bar Ferdinand. BF’s Sable-sheened woodwork is often licked with gold trim, marrying rustic and opulent, and in captivatingly spacious quarters to boot. It’s a “bar” in the most liberal sense of the word: aside from an international tour of beer and a wine menu of practically every vintage from Spain, BF serves up tapas galore. Forget cheese fries and chicken fingers slaked away with can of PBR (not that there’s anything wrong with that); instead, sumptuous salads (arugula, spinach and quail), pastries filled with every season of meat with a plethora of seasoning in each (lobster in a croissant), simple cold tapas like salted Marcona almonds and cheese and quince, creamy croquettes, skewers, veggie comestibles and the list goes on.

AARON STELLA Where once Washington Square West’s German alehouse – Ludwig’s – presided, now the Tudor-styled building has metamorphosed into TIME, a multi-dimensional destination for premium spirits, lounging and dancing, in a married milieu of nouveau 1930’s chic and bohemia. The first floor of TIME is sleeked with warm mahogany and sable wood that provides a old-timey sit-down space for an after work scotch or draft lager. You can also catch the game on TV, or have grab a bite to eat from their tempting selection of above-the-mark-gastropub fare. Here’s a little taste of TIME’s finest: apps include oysters with burnt orange foam, veal feet croquette and sorrel, and olive and potato galette and crème fraîche; smalls plates entice with quail breast, fried eggs and consommé, roasted duck, lacquered and rillettes, and the beef carpaccio with crisp shallots and egg yolk; and finally, the entrées: fluke with pearl barley and roasted onion, chicken ballantine with country garnish, and house smoked rib eye with crisp potatos and leeks.

AARON STELLA The mélange of entertainment enterprises that comprise Old City’s corridors wouldn’t be the same without the dive-bar sensation The Khyber. As one of the original rock venues in the city, The Khyber has stood the test of time, and continues to deftly accommodate their patron’s voracious appetites with the continuous blare of rock ‘n’ roll and a limitless supply of premium brews. Like any dive bar, the Khyber doesn’t so much concern itself with décor; however, that doesn’t mean it lacks atmosphere. The bar relies more on the people than the wallpaper to make their bar, not to mention their veteran and cordial staff.

AARON STELLA For meaty maki and towers of tempura, hit up Raw, Washington Square West’s premier sake and sushi bar. Raw is a welcomed addition to the foodie wonderland that’s sprung up at the intersection of 13th and Sansom Streets over the past few years. The old Stetson building, now Raw’s cozy nest, wears its sushi-chic threads with class: low hanging paper lamps fill the earthy dining room with a dark, ambient sheen, and sleeks across the 15-foot granite bar, from which one may choose from 50 or more sakes to sip (or quaff, if that’s how you like to roll) or assemble a colorful feast served up swiftly by Raw’s deft artisans. Courtyard seating—Raw’s newest addition—is also a tempting treat. After the old reliables (California, yellow tail, eel, spicy tuna, etc…) creative innovations of familiar favorites are constructed into a picturesque landscape for your devouring. These ought to whet your appetite: the Salmon Hako: eel, avocado and plum sauce, topped with salmon and pressed in a bamboo frame; the Binny Roll: shrimp tempura and avocado roll topped with spicy tuna, garnished with eel and spicy sauce.

BY AARON STELLA Philadelphia’s tradition of casual dress and refine tastes melds best at Lolita, Washington West’s resident BYOT (tequila) Mexican restaurant. Lolita husbands their quaint quarters well, furnishing the dining room and patio with elegant two-tops and larger six-tops to accommodate both romantic rendezvous and mini-margarita soirees, a remarkable feat considering it’s just yards away from the bustling 13th and Sansom Streets intersection. But choice locations aside, Lolita has made a veritable sensation all its own with its award-wining margaritas and gourmet Mexi-cuisine. Margarita mixes—freshly squeezed—rotate seasonally to ensure quality (naranja de sangria: blood orange puree and wild mint; sandia y mente: fresh watermelon puree and wild mint) but include a an old reliable served year-round (tradicional, lemon-lime). Ingredients for margaritas and the food are bought locally. As for the dishes, count on generous portions; and a plethora of spice upon indulging. Here are a few crowd faves from Lolita’s largesse:

BY AARON STELLA Since 2004, El Fuego has been setting Washington Square West ablaze with their California-styled burritos made with fresh, locally bought ingredients, beer, margaritas, and an ardent passion for soccer. What’s more is that they provide clean furnishings, and a warm, neighborhood bar/burrito joint run by an enthusiastic staff who seeks to enkindle the same verve for the West coast in their patrons that they embrace themselves.

BY AARON STELLA Quoth hey and a hearty good welcome and all that dribble straight from City Tavern, Old City’s blast-from-the-past restaurant/bar that serves up victuals in the dress and charms of our 18th century ancestry. Be prepared to play along once setting foot on the premises: every staff member is decked out in colonial garb (bonnets, knickers, goffered frills, petticoats, stockings, you get the picture) from the host to the barmaid to the servers.

Old City houses many treasures, but the most coveted these are its restaurants–Buddakan, being the crown jewel. Steven Starr, renowned Philadelphian restaurateur and owner of Buddakan, made a splash at the turn of the millennium by building upscale, themed eateries throughout Center City that offered nuanced fine dining service in voguish ambiance.