4 places
The Best Restaurant Openings in Philadelphia – October 2026
As October draws to a close, Philly is still waiting on many of the restaurants that had hoped to open this month, from big names like New York City’s Adda and Ayat to pop-ups evolving into full-blown brick-and-mortar restaurants, including Habibi Supper Club and Santé Social.
That said, October has delivered what is likely the most anticipated bar in recent Philly history: Field Day from Danny Childs, a driving force behind the Slow Drinks movement that Fine Dining Lovers was among the first to report on in 2022. We’ve also seen the reopening of legendary late-night spot David’s Mai Lai Wah, which closed its dining room at the start of the pandemic and had offered only takeout since. Now completely revamped by David Chan’s daughter and her husband, it has a stunning dining room papered with neon vignettes of Hong Kong. The month also brought a pasta joint from decorated restaurant-industry veterans and, out in the suburbs, a winery restaurant developed with help from Philly chefs.
Field Day
Slow Drinks founder Danny Childs has been putting his signature on Philly’s cocktail scene for years, most notably at celebrated bars such as La Jefa and Almanac. He also published the James Beard Award-winning Slow Drinks, detailing his approach to cocktails made with foraged, local ingredients. In other words, Childs took his time developing Field Day.
Field Day’s kitchen is run by Melissa McGrath, who made her name at Sweet Amalia Market and Kitchen, everyone’s favorite stop for sandwiches and oysters on the way to the Jersey Shore. Fermentation specialist Jamaar Julal contributes key ingredients to the bar’s 40-some cocktails. Childs has essentially created a mecca for locally minded bartenders and drinkers. Housed in an airy Northern Liberties space at the entrance to a Cescaphe ballroom, Field Day is bright, energetic, and unabashedly loud, a celebration of studiously sourced drinks.
Corte Oven & Bar
Philly seems to be seeing a small wave of new Italian restaurants, and Corte Oven and Bar in Center City is further evidence. It is the second restaurant from Corio Group, the team behind University City pizzeria Corio. Corio Group brings together executive chef David Feola and partners James Smith and Ryan Mulholland, both formerly of Vernick. Like Corio, Corte centers its cooking on wood fire, but rather than pizza, the emphasis is on handmade pastas, roasted vegetables, and risotto.
David's Mai Lai Wah
The legendary late-night spot in Philadelphia’s Chinatown remained open for takeout for the last six years, but with its dining room closed since the start of the pandemic, it had become extraordinarily quiet, much to the chagrin of its regulars. Now, David Chan’s daughter Priscilla and her husband are helming the operation, and David’s Mai Lai Wah has reopened with a stunning new dining room.
The menu has been pared down, though the famous salt-and-pepper chicken wings remain front and center, alongside a sharpened focus on the restaurant’s other salt-and-pepper dishes. The cocktail program has also been completely overhauled. Except for its signature neon sign and wall of windows, the restaurant is almost unrecognizable. Photo murals covering the other walls marry Philadelphia with Hong Kong, David Chan’s hometown.
Turks Head Wines
Turks Head Winery Restaurant marks another significant half-opening, though this one is in West Chester, about 25 miles outside Philadelphia. The winery takes its name from the town’s former name, which was itself inspired by a historic watering hole. For the last two years, Turks Head has been trucking wines grown, produced, and bottled in California across the country to its stunning series of connected tasting rooms.
Its portfolio of 30-some wines has only been missing dinner to accompany it. With help from consulting Philadelphia chef Jason Cichonski and executive chef Dave McDonald, the winery built a small kitchen that now turns out prix fixe menus infused with the same wines poured alongside them. Expect delightfully bitter fall vegetables in wine vinaigrette, of course, and an excellent gnocchi sardi.
