5 Great Northeast Philly Eats

Northeast Philly is diverse section of the city, where over a quarter of the residents are foreign born. This translates into fantastic dining and shopping, as new immigrant communities open up stores and restaurants to provide a taste of home. I have only been to a very small sample, but here are my recommendations:

Haegeles Bakery

The shelves were mostly bare by the time we arrived just before closing on a Saturday. This German style bakery has been owned by the same family since it opened in 1930. A few regulars were quick to share their favorites – pretzels, buttercream filled donuts, and butter cake.  We had a conversation with the delightful Cheryl Haegele, who walked us through the seasonal specialties and regular favorites. We tried the Wein Cakes and Jelly Sticks. Next time we will make sure to show up earlier in the day!

China Gourmet

Three Chefs Bistro

This place opened at 12:00 on Saturday instead of 10:00 as listed on the website, so we found ourselves hungry and waiting for about 20 minutes after a very long drive.  Luckily the food was good. The restaurant describes its food as a “fusion of Latin, European, and American cuisine.” It definitely has Brazilian influences. We had the Acai bowl with banana, strawberries, granola and flax seed. It wasn’t quite like the Acai bowls that we had in Rio De Janeiro, but it was refreshingly natural compared to the overly sweetened versions you often find in the US. The Copacabana Breakfast included a Belgium waffle, turkey bacon, and Brazilian potato hash. The waffle and bacon were good, but the flavorful potato hash was unexpectedly the highlight of our meal.

Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse

Located in an old warehouse on State Road, this is a no-frills establishment with plastic containers and tableware. The owners are a couple – a BBQ fan, and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. The meat was very good, but the house BBQ sauces were excellent and the sides were the highlight.  My sister and I agreed that the baked macaroni and cheese was the best we ever had. It had a perfect Southern creamy texture, with a Northern kick of sharp cheddar. My husband loved the spicy collard greens, and the Brussels sprouts with bacon and wine sauce were great too.  The corn bread was moist and sweet and almost tasted like dessert, but we still had to try the Bourbon chocolate chip bread pudding.

Georgian Bread

I was excited to have the opportunity to introduce friends and family to one of my favorite cuisines. The fried eggplant with walnut was a little bitter and chalky. The Pkhali with green beans, walnuts, and garlic was okay. I’m convinced that it is impossible to make great Georgian cuisine without fresh Georgian walnuts and spices. The walnuts did much better as the sauce in chicken Satsivi. The sauce was a particularly good accompaniment to the great Georgian bread.  True to its name, this place does bread very well.  The Khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings) were very good and the Khachapuri was excellent. Khachapuri is a Georgian bread with cheese and there are many varieties from different regions of Georgia. We tried the Adjarian, topped with a raw egg that is cooked when you mix it in with the hot cheese. I would return for the Khinkali and Khachapuri.