Chef

Sean McPaul

"This is my favorite fried chicken—don’t let the 20 minute wait disclaimer discourage you. It has a peppery, crispy crust and unbelievably juicy meat and comes with two sides. Also, they serve it with an array of house-made bbq sauces: KC, Carolina and W. Virginia styles. There's Crystal Hot Sauce, too."

"Their signature sandwich is a knockout: chunked up, juicy beef brisket dressed with a spicy horseradish mayo, roasted tomatoes, pepperoncini, and sharp provolone. Then they round the whole thing out with a fried egg. I only eat this thing at night because it knocks me out. Seriously, it will ruin a much valued day off…"

"I lived in Old City for a little over two years and the best part was coming home after work to find Pete waiting up for the bar crowd. Some slices are made to be reheated and served on a paper plate, and Pete’s is the best. The pizza has a good sauce and it comes out crispy from the oven. He also provides all the condiments you could want, including hot sauce."

"The best bite in the Reading Terminal is definitely this sandwich, hands down. People line up to take one away, but I always make time to sit at the counter and take one down. Tender, juicy, wet, almost sloppy meat with sautéed broccoli rabe that’s definitely hooked up with some chili flake is served on the ultimate sandwich roll, a seeded Sarcone’s roll. I'll take some sharp Provolone on that and tune out for 10 minutes to enjoy; it's like the whole market stops."

"I love the broth at this little noodle spot in Chinatown. They serve it with a huge dish of limes, Thai basil, sprouts, and jalapeños. I order mine with the steak on the side to keep it rare. It's cheap and delicious. They also do a mean bánh mì that I usually take to-go, and it's one of the best in town."

"They serve thinly sliced ribbons of pork over tonnata, which is one of my favorite condiments to make and eat. It's essentially tuna sauce: tonnata is a mayo made by emulsifying cured and confit tuna with olive oil. Then add some crispy slices of celery and a salty bite of Parmigiano and I'm good to go."