Fishtown and Kensington food guide: Frankford Avenue and Girard

Fishtown, northeast of Center City, is the Philadelphia neighborhood where a younger generation of cooks and bar owners set up shop over the past two decades. It is a former working-class riverfront area, and the food scene grew out of old storefronts, corner bars and warehouses. Kensington, just to its north and west, shares some of the same streets. Here are the main corridors, and how to eat your way along them.

Where do you eat in Fishtown?

Two avenues organize the neighborhood. Frankford Avenue is the main commercial street, running northeast from the edge of Northern Liberties through Fishtown and into Kensington. It is a long corridor of restaurants, bars and cafes. Girard Avenue crosses it and has its own mix of cafes, a bagel shop and small restaurants. Side streets hold more places than you can see from the avenues, so look down them as you walk. Between them, you could spend a day eating without leaving a 15-minute walk.

How does a Fishtown day work, and do you need a reservation?

Start with coffee and a pastry or a bagel on Frankford or Girard, then walk. Cafes and bakeries line both streets. Lunch is easy: sandwiches and counters are everywhere. For dinner, plan ahead. The most popular restaurants fill on Friday and Saturday evenings, and some take no reservations. Popularity here can mean long lines, and some places take cash only, so check before you go.

For a table of two on a weekday, usually not. For a group of four or more on a weekend, yes, and for a popular place, book as soon as reservations open. Many restaurants hold a share of tables for walk-ins and keep a waitlist. If you arrive at 6 p.m. and the wait is two hours, put your name down, then walk to a bar for a drink. Ask for a text when the table is ready.

What is Kensington like?

Kensington is a larger and more varied part of the city. It has long-established neighborhood restaurants, corner stores and panaderias, and it also faces serious public health and safety challenges that visitors should be aware of. Frankford Avenue near Fishtown is busy and welcoming; farther north, the character changes. Stay on the main commercial blocks, use common sense after dark, and ask your hosts or a local about the area you plan to visit.

What about bars, breweries and late nights?

Fishtown is as known for its bars as for its restaurants. Many have kitchens that serve until late, and a number of breweries and beer gardens sit in former industrial buildings. Philadelphia has an unusual alcohol system, with a limited number of licenses, and many small restaurants are BYOB. In Fishtown you will see both: places with a full bar and places where you carry in a bottle. Our BYOB guide explains the etiquette.

How do you get there?

The Market-Frankford subway line runs along the neighborhood's western edge, and the Girard Avenue trolley connects it with other parts of the city. Parking is difficult on weekend evenings. Ride-hailing, biking and walking from Northern Liberties are all easy. Allow extra time on summer weekends, when outdoor events and concerts draw crowds.

What kinds of food will you find besides bars and brunch?

Fishtown is not only for beer. The neighborhood has Mexican and Latin American restaurants, pizza shops, Jewish-style delis and bakeries, and corner shops left from the area's earlier waves of immigrants. Walk a few blocks off Frankford Avenue and you will find corner bars that have been serving the same neighborhood for decades. The mix of old and new is the point. A good approach is to choose one new restaurant and one old corner place, and compare. The old places are usually cheaper and often cash only, and the owners are happy to tell you what is good.

What should you know about tipping, tax and the check?

Philadelphia adds an 8 percent sales tax on restaurant meals, which is the state's 6 percent plus 2 percent for the city, so the check is higher than the menu prices suggest. Tip 18 to 20 percent at a table. At a counter, a dollar or two is usual. Some places print a suggested tip on the receipt. Our guide to tax and tipping in these states has more detail.

Is it good with children or for dietary needs?

Weekday daytime is easiest with children, since evenings can be loud and crowded. Plant-based and gluten-free choices are common here, and the neighborhood's cafes and bagel shops are used to special orders. Confirm allergies with the kitchen, as in any city.

Come to Fishtown ready to walk and wait. The neighborhood is popular, and the busiest places fill at weekend brunch and on Friday and Saturday evenings, so arrive early or put your name down and explore. Many restaurants here are small and some are BYOB, so check the policy before you bring a bottle, and ask about corkage. Keep to the busy commercial streets after dark, as conditions change from block to block, and use the transit options above when you travel. Check hours before you go, because small places often close on one or two weekdays.

How do you find the best of old and new Fishtown?

The easiest way to compare a new restaurant with an old corner place is to eat the same thing at both. In the Mosey app, rate the dish, not the room, and write down what the kitchen did differently. The Best in town questions are a quick way to log your pick for brunch, pizza or a bar, one question at a time, and every answer helps the next person choose.

Keep a list called Frankford and Girard with a section for coffee and bagels, dinner and late night. Add the Late Night, Outdoor seating or Great Value tag where it fits, and send the invite link to the friends who will meet you after work. Follow them and the Friends' picks layer shows where they have been, which is how you find the corner bar your cousin has been going to for years.

The next time you leave a Fishtown table, rate the dish in the Mosey app before the walk home.

More guides to read next:

• Philadelphia Chinatown food guide: Race Street, dim sum and late night
• Philadelphia's Italian Market and South Philly food guide
• Reading Terminal Market guide: how to eat well and avoid the crowds

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.