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Kalaya
Southern Thai
A skylit Fishtown warehouse with pistachio-green bar, rattan furniture, and colossal potted palms sets the scene for chef Nok Suntaranon's Southern Thai restaurant, a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant winner. The food makes a case that Thai cuisine belongs nowhere near a takeaway box: bird-shaped dumplings hide caramelized cod, and the tamarind-glazed pork chop has genuine chophouse swagger. Reservations are hard to get even after the place quintupled in size.
Fifteen honors, in evidence:
The record strongest first
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Outstanding Restaurant
- 50 Best #11 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- Food & Wine Thai Iced Tea Nam Kaeng Sai · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon
- 50 Best North America's Best Female Chef Award · Chutatip 'Nok' Suntaranon
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- The Philadelphia Inquirer Dish of the Year: Goong Phao · The best dishes Craig LaBan ate
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Philadelphia Magazine #2 · 50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia Inquirer Top 10
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia Right Now
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia Inquirer The 76
One number, weighted & current 96
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
- Butterfly-pea dumplings 50 Best
- Tom yum soup 50 Best
- Tamarind-glazed pork chop 50 Best
- Gui chai Michelin Guide
Nearby in the record closest first
- Evil Genius Beer Drink · 62
- Jaffa Bar Eat · 54
- Amá Eat · 77
- Suraya Lebanese Eat · 79
- El Chingon Eat · 18
- Pray Tell Eat · 44
- Lokal Hotel Fishtown Stay · 74
- Amy’s Pastelillos Puerto Rican Eat · 56
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