Gourmands and no-holds-barred junk food addicts alike will find much to be pleased with in Philadelphia. This is a town where, at 7am on any given Tuesday, you can grub on a Whiz-slathered cheesesteak or sip a seriously refined cappuccino.
No matter where you're staying -- or for how long -- you'll want to make the effort to get out of your hotel room and into Old City, Rittenhouse Square, and South Philly for a meal. Visitors be warned: Those chain eateries you recognize from the mall back home have amassed around the Convention Center and the Avenue of the Arts for a reason: They know full well that you're tired from a long day of touring, and that you're in no mood to venture farther. Give in, if you must. But explore just a couple of blocks farther, and you will discover restaurants that offer comparable (or lower) prices -- and more memorably delicious food.
While most restaurants with bars serve up until midnight (bars close at 2am), not many Bring-Your-Own-Bottle bistros or mom-and-pop joints serve much later than 10pm. At all Philly eating establishments, servers are accustomed to an 18%-to-20% tip, the same as in New York City.
