GQ names Laurel and Lo Spiedo as “Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2015”

By now, we all know how great our restaurant scene is right here in South Philly. We’re even currently in the midst of Restaurant Week.

So it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that these South Philly spots made the list of GQ‘s “Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2015.”

Ranking among the hottest spots across the country, Laurel came in among the top 10 on the list of 25 restaurants.

Laurel opened in fall of 2013 to glowing reviews. Craig Laban gave the spot a three bell review and PhillyMag ranked it as the best restaurant in Philadelphia.

So Laurel ranking as #8 doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Here’s what GQ had to say:

The room might well be a shotgun apartment: front door leading to a tiny area (seating twenty) leading straight back to an undersized kitchen. There’s not much decor, save for a few black iron sconces and hanging lamps. The chairs are exceedingly comfy, the service attentive, the stemware pleasing—all enhancements to a BYOB dining experience with a style of cooking I loved back when it was called “modern French.” Yet the most stunning dish was pure Americana, catfish in a coconut-clam broth. Hard to imagine a kitchen in Philly accomplishing what the South has been trying to do for centuries: make catfish elegant. Chef Nicholas Elmi does it gracefully. His meat dishes are intensely flavorful, particularly duck magret and foie gras. Stylishness has come to East Passyunk Avenue, once ground zero for cheesesteaks, now fast emerging as Philly’s premier dining locale.

Marc Vetri’s Lo Spiedo opened earlier this fall in the Navy Yard. The spot ranks as #24 on the list.

Here’s what GQ had to say about Lo Spiedo:

Come here for a little history and a lot of meat. Lo Spiedo is located just inside the old navy yard, where the battleship New Jersey was built. Almost as sturdy is the reginette bolognese. “Too much meat,” I griped. “Marc Vetri knows what he’s doing,” argued a friend. He always does. Here you’ll find glorified Americanized Italian food, including a gutsy celery-root milanese sandwich. If vegetarians gave out medals, it deserves the Navy Cross.