Restaurants & Food · Pennsylvania

Restaurants & Food in Pennsylvania

Inclusive and diverse-owned restaurants & food businesses across Pennsylvania.

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Restaurants & Food

Kalaya

Philadelphia, PA

Kalaya is our love letter to Trang, the province in Southern Thailand where chef and owner Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon grew up watching her mother cook. We named the restaurant for her, and everything we plate carries that lineage forward: fragrant curries pounded from fresh paste, herb-driven salads, delicate dumplings, and dishes built to be shared around a full table. We opened in 2019 as a small BYOB in South Philadelphia, a 32-seat room where Nok cooked the food she had missed for years. Word traveled fast. In 2022 we moved to a larger home in Fishtown so more guests could gather, and the heart of the kitchen never changed. Nok, a woman-owned and immigrant-owned business, cooks the Southern Thai food of her memory without softening it. The flavors are bold and fragrant, layered with the chilies, herbs, and seafood that define the region, and we make no apology for their intensity. Along the way Nok has been honored as a James Beard Award winner, named to the TIME100, and recognized on the Forbes 50 Over 50 list. Her story reached wider audiences through Netflix's Chef's Table, and her cookbook drew praise from The New York Times and Bon Appetit. Those honors matter to us, but they are not the point. The point is the plate in front of you and the person who cooked it. Dining at Kalaya is meant to feel generous. We encourage ordering across the menu, passing plates, and letting the meal build in waves the way a Thai table should. Curries arrive perfumed and deep. Salads land bright and sharp. Whole fish and slow-simmered braises reward a long, unhurried evening. We cook this way because it is honest to where Nok comes from and to the woman who raised her. Every dish is an attempt to carry Trang across an ocean and set it down, steaming, in a Philadelphia dining room. Come hungry, come curious, and come ready to share. We saved you a seat.

Asian-owned

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El Merkury

Philadelphia, PA

We are El Merkury, a Central American street food staple in the Philadelphia foodie scene. Our story starts with our founder, Sofia Deleon, a Guatemalan immigrant who came to the United States in 2012 to study and later stayed to chase a dream. After years working the corporate side of the food industry, in 2017 she decided to quit her job and follow her heart, opening a business that would share the flavors she grew up with and celebrate the food and people of Central America. What began as a series of pop-ups and a virtual kitchen found its permanent home on May 5th, 2018, at 2104 Chestnut Street near Rittenhouse Square. Today we also serve our neighbors from a stall inside Philadelphia's historic Reading Terminal Market. We are proud to be a Latina and immigrant-owned business, and prouder still to bring our community together through food. Our menu blends the flavors of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, the countries that shaped our table. Everything is made from scratch. We hand-press pupusas, roll crispy taquitos, and build loaded tostadas piled with fresh toppings. And then there are the churros, our pride and joy: foot-long, fried to order, dusted in cinnamon sugar, and stuffed or dipped in fillings like our Mayan chocolate. Whether it is a quick handheld snack or a churro sundae you did not know you needed, we want every bite to taste like home. Mornings start early with us, because good food should not have to wait. Stop in for breakfast, grab lunch on the go, or order a combo of a pupusa, a tostada, and two sides when you want the full experience. We also cater, ship coffee, and craft churrobouquets and churrograms for the moments worth celebrating. More than a restaurant, El Merkury is a love letter to Central America and to the city that welcomed us. We are here to show Philadelphia that our street food deserves a seat at the table, one pupusa and one churro at a time. Come hungry, come curious, and leave part of our familia.

Latino-owned

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Gaucho Parrilla Argentina

Pittsburgh, PA

At Gaucho Parrilla Argentina, everything begins with fire. We are an Argentine parrilla in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District, on Sixth Street, where quality cuts of meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables are cooked the way they have been cooked across the pampas for generations: over an open, wood-fired grill. Our kitchen is inspired by family heritage rooted in Argentina, Uruguay, and South America more broadly. That heritage shapes how we source, season, and cook. We keep it simple and let the ingredients speak. Fresh ingredients, delicious flavors, and the deep, smoky character that only real wood coals can give. From marinated skirt steak to grilled vegetables and house chimichurri, every plate carries the honesty of the parrilla. We want your visit to feel unhurried and generous. Come in at lunch for something quick and satisfying, or settle in for dinner and let the meal unfold. Our bar keeps the same spirit, and during Happy Hour we pour drink specials and offer half off our pequeños, the smaller plates made for sharing while you sip and talk. Walk-ins are always welcome, and reservations are recommended if you are planning ahead or bringing a group. Pittsburgh has embraced Gaucho, and we have embraced Pittsburgh right back. Being downtown in the Cultural District means we sit at the center of the city's energy, a short walk from theaters, galleries, and the riverfront. Whether you are here before a show, meeting friends after work, or simply craving something cooked over live fire, there is a seat for you. What you will find is not fussy or complicated. It is food built on good technique and better ingredients, served with warmth. That is the tradition of the gaucho, and it is the promise we make every day we light the grill. Eat. Drink. Enjoy. Then come back and do it all again. We will keep the fire burning and a place set for you at the table.

Latino-owned

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