Amy's Pastelillos, Bastia make Esquire's 2024 list of 'best new restaurants in America'

Two Fishtown restaurants, Amy's Pastelillos and Bastia, landed on Esquire's 2024 list of the "best new restaurants in America."

The writers behind the list, published Tuesday, said they sought to include 35 new restaurants that "nudged us to think in a new way about the weaving, wandering course of 'American food.'"

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In praising Amy's Pastelillos, which opened in March at 2001 Memphis St., Esquire writer Joshua David Stein gushed about the pastelillos — fried, crescent-shaped turnovers made with a thin dough crimped at the edges and stuffed with meat, cheese, potato or other fillings.

"They might come stuffed with succulent stewed pork in a homemade guava barbecue sauce, or a flawless picadillo, or a shredded chicken stew whose moistness threatens to seep through the achiote-laced dough (Every now and then there’s a cheesesteak pastelillo—this is, after all, Philly.) ... Fresh like a favorite thing, as welcome as a love letter, they burst flavors and, let’s face it, love," Stein wrote.

Amaryllis Rivera Nassar has been serving Puerto Rican fare through her company since 2018, and the takeout-only Fishtown location is her first storefront. Amy's Pastelillos also serves rice bowls, tostones, fried cheese and retail items like books, kitchen tools and Puerto Rican gifts.

"I'm honestly at a loss for words," Nassar said. "We're a new tiny corner takeout spot, and while I'm incredibly grateful for this honor, it was definitely unexpected and I still can't believe it happened. This is not about celebrating myself — it's about celebrating Puerto Rican cuisine on a larger stage, which is often not the case. I thank my team who allows us to put forth our humble product every day, and make sure our customers leave happy each and every day. I am so grateful for them, and I am so grateful for Esquire for including us in their 2024 list."

Bastia opened in August in the Hotel Anna & Bel at 1401 E. Susquehanna Ave. Stein praised its sea urchin tartine, made with fried squash blossoms, as his favorite dish of the year. He also mentioned the grilled lobster, braised veal and grass-fed steak.

"The single best bite I've had this year was a fried squash blossom, stuffed with ricotta, spiced with Corsiscan herbes de maquis on a tranche of toast topped with uni butter which ran down my chin and onto my jeans," Stein wrote. "I had it at Bastia, a restaurant to which I was not predisposed. Another sleek and well-funded Italian place in a new boutique hotel? Phooey. But the chef, Tyler Akin, is a man on fire. Akin has turned to the weird island of Corsica (and its cousin, Sardinia) to craft an actually surprising Mediterranean menu."

Akin previously ran the Stock restaurants in Fishtown and Rittenhouse, as well as Res Ipsa in Rittenhouse, but they closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He then returned to his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware to reimagine the Green Room at the Hotel du Pont. His résumé also includes a stint at Michael Solomonov's Zahav. 

Bastia is Akin's first restaurant in Philadelphia since Res Ipsa closed in 2020, and the Mediterranean café has been recognized by other publications like Bon Appétit and the Wall Street Journal. 

"It's an incredible honor to be part of something so exceptional," Akin said. "When I visited Corsica and Sardinia earlier this year, I never could have imagined how far Bastia would come. Being recognized on this list feels like the perfect culmination of our journey. We're thrilled that this magical corner of the Mediterranean has resonated not only with Philadelphia, but with people far beyond."