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Royal Sushi & Izakaya
Japanese
Windowless, walk-in only, and usually packed, this South Philly izakaya earned a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic and a Michelin Bib Gourmand without ever taking a reservation. The menu roams confidently from raw to fried to grilled, cod skin crisped to a chip, chirashi bowls stacked with caviar and ikura. Regulars who know the right people find their way to the omakase counter tucked in the back, which is its own argument for becoming a regular.
The awards strongest first
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Jesse Ito
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Jesse Ito
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Jesse Ito
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Jesse Ito
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Jesse Ito
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Philadelphia Inquirer Top 10
- The Infatuation #2 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Philadelphia
- Philadelphia Magazine #3 · 50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia Right Now
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia Inquirer Taiyaki Sundae · The best dishes Craig LaBan ate
- Philadelphia Magazine Chawanmushi · Most Memorable Bites
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
One number, weighted & current 94
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Chirashi
“There’s more, like fried chicken thigh sandos or grand chirashi bowls festooned with Japanese fish, caviar and Ikura.”
Michelin Guide -
Gyoza
“Every dish — whether in the form of a roll, gyoza, or katsu sandwich — is made to Ito’s exacting standards with the highest-quality ingredients.”
Eater -
Fried chicken thigh sando
“There’s more, like fried chicken thigh sandos or grand chirashi bowls festooned with Japanese fish, caviar and Ikura.”
Michelin Guide
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The neighbors closest first
- Farina Di Vita Eat · 28
- Kanella South Eat · 1
- Scampi Eat · 43
- Roxanne Eat · 72
- Ambra Italian Eat · 84
- Southwark Italian Mediterranean Eat · 70
- Famous 4th Street Delicatessen Eat · 74
- Yowie Hotel Stay · 74
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