3 PA Restaurants Among Top 50 In U.S., New York Times Says In New List

PENNSYLVANIA — You don't have to go far to taste some of the best food in America.

The New York Times has compiled a new list of the best restaurants for 2024, and three Pennsylvania eateries have made the cut.

The list, which features 50 restaurants across the nation, was created by editors and reporters who "traveled to nearly every state scouting restaurants for our annual list," the new list says.

Included on the 2024 list are 32 eateries that are new this year. "But we also made space for longstanding restaurants still in top form," the Times notes.

In Pennsylvania, the following restaurants — all three of which opened in 2024 — were named as among the 50 best in the country:

Fet-Fisk, Pittsburgh

Seafood restaurant Fet-Fisk opened its brick and mortar location on Liberty Avenue in March 2024, but the concept originated in 2019 with pop-up dinners across the city. The menu features a daily selection of raw oysters, as well as variety of fish dishes and salads. For those opting for something aside from seafood, the menu includes steak and chicken options.

Co-founders Nik Forsberg and Sarah LaPonte "have created an atmosphere, and a Nordic-inflected menu, that is refined (the bright and fennel-y seafood salad is a far cry from the gloppy picnic version) yet comfortable and unfussy," The Times said in its review.

Little Walter’s

This Philadelphia restaurant, which opened in June, serves Polish and American fare in East Kensington. The "dimly lit, low-slung corner restaurant" serves "robust and deftly executed Polish cuisine," the Times said.

In addition to the pierogies, there are several appetizing options. Those cited by The Times include: the rustic sourdough served with dill butter and smalec, the wieprzowina z rożna, sumptuous rotisserie pork on a bed of hearty kapusta, and a seasonal take on water ice. Check out the menu here.

Passerine

Located in Lancaster, the third restaurant in Pennsylvania to make the list is Passerine, which describes itself as a "seasonal neighborhood restaurant and bottle shop celebrating regional producers' hard work and abundance of fresh ingredients."

It opened in June and since then has been serving "outstanding dishes made with the bounty of the surrounding farmland and accented by global sensibilities," The Times said in its review.

Dishes highlighted by The Times include "perfectly seared scallops" and a "25-layer zucchini and goat ricotta crepe cake under a shower of ramp powder." Menu offerings include an array of dishes for dinner and brunch. A happy hour is also offered.

View the full list of the 50 best restaurants in America here.