When we’re looking for restaurant partners, we’re searching for the best of the best from trendy downtown restaurants to scrappy food trucks to hidden-gem mom and pops. We’re proud of our roster and each year we celebrate it with the Best of Fooda awards, asking you to choose your favorites. The votes are in, and here are your winners for Philadelphia’s Best of Fooda 2019.

Best Mediterranean | Single Best Lunch – The Halal Guys

thehalalguys.com

Congratulations to The Halal Guys, they’ve been voted Philly’s Single Best Lunch for the second year in a row! The chain was born in 1990 as just one NYC food cart and since then it’s blossomed into hundreds of brick-and-mortar locations all over the world. But no matter how big they get, The Halal Guys always stay true to that street-food aesthetic with a simple menu of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. In fact, one of their best sellers is an oldie-but-a-goodie: the combo platter with chicken or beef served with rice and their famous white sauce.

Best American – Rochester BBQ & Grill

130 White Horse Pike N, Lawnside, NJ 08045

Rochester BBQ & Grill is run by siblings Vincent, Vernon, and Valarie Rochester who learned the art of home cooked meals from their mother. This may be comfort food, but the Rochesters are not getting comfortable. Instead, they strive to make every dish the best it can be by sourcing farm fresh ingredients and tweaking recipes to add a little of the unexpected. Take for instance Ollie’s Triple Beans, which are a combination of three types of beans plus bacon, hamburger meat, and sausage. 

Best Asian – Seiko Sushi 

604 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Seiko Sushi chefs artfully handcraft rolls using the best fish and vegetables in the area. But if sushi’s not your thing, no problem. Their popular warm dishes include pan seared salmon with housemade teriyaki sauce and vegetables as well as Chicken Katsu, breaded chicken with special Japanese BBQ sauce and white rice.