Agricola

"Agricola is memorable because it barely feels like a business. The South Philly pizzeria's chef/owner chit-chats with everyone who comes in before he shakes mocktails and offers to add a little booze for free. Instead of hello and goodbye, people do the appropriate Philly thing and say, "Go Birds." (If you need a reminder, just look at the sign on the wall.) And strangers compare orders, oohing and ahhing at their skillets with one giant meatball or the pies topped with housemade duck prosciutto that works as a salty contrast to sweet fig jam and pops of black pepper. This isn't to say that Agricola's pies are an afterthought. They're made with house-milled flour and straddle the line between a Neopolitan and classic thin-crust style. But the restaurant is really more about bringing the neighborhood together than anything else. So do as the neighbors do and come back again and again. photo credit: Alison Kessler photo credit: Alison Kessler" - Alison B. Kessler