January 14, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Vetri Cucina is located at 1312 Spruce St. The Philly restaurant is named one of the best 'classic' restaurants in the United States.
Let's forget about what's new and trendy for a moment and focus on what's classic.
A little black dress and a white button down shirt are two of fashion's most enduring staples. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen and "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald are essential reads that have stood the test of time.
And according to "Food & Wine," Vetri Cucina, Fork and John's Roast Pork in Philly are the best classic restaurants in Pennsylvania.
In the article's intro, David Landsel writes:
After the better part of three years traveling the 50 states (and beyond) for Food & Wine, sneaking into the new hotspots, glimpsing the future everywhere from Los Angeles to Columbus to Tampa, eating Instagram-famous sandwiches, lining up for the hottest breakfast tacos in Portland, and sipping too many single-estate espressos, I find my fascination with the past growing.
He looked at restaurants across the country that have had an impact on American food and then compiled a list of each state's top restaurants that have stuck around long enough to now be considered classics.
Landsel acknowledges that Philly is "a city absolutely crawling with good restaurants," and that's what makes these long-standing spots so noteworthy.
Marc Vetri's Vetri Cucina opened in a rowhouse at 1312 Spruce St. in 1998 and it's been wowing diners ever since. The prix-fixe menu is constantly evolving, but consistently amazing.
Fork, a fine-dining staple from Ellen Yin in Old City, also has been around for more than two decades. One of Philly's most influential restaurants of the 1990s, it still impresses guests today.
As for John's Roast Pork by the Delaware River waterfront, it dates back to 1930.
"For many locals, John's is the go-to for Philly’s other favorite hot sandwich, slow-cooked pork topped with spinach sautéed in olive oil and provolone cheese," writes Landsel.
So maybe next time you're thinking of where to grab dinner in Philadelphia, you'll look past what's new and trendy and step into the welcoming embrace of one of those old-school institutions.
And if you find yourself traveling through Pennsylvania, Cafe Zinho in Pittsburgh and Miller’s Smorgasbord in Lancaster County also got shoutouts for being top classic restaurants in the state.
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