(lively music) - Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano.

Each week, three different guests recommend their favorite restaurants, then try each other's picks, and come together to tell us what they think, right here on "Check, Please!"

(lively music) Hi, I am Kae Lani Palmisano, and welcome to "Check, Please!"

The show where regular people from all over the Philadelphia area recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So, here's how it all works.

Every week, we have three guests.

Each recommends their favorite restaurant, and then the other two go check 'em out to see what they think.

This week, nurse practitioner, Gunjan Rastogi-Wilson says, the ramen at her recommendation is the perfect cure for a bad day.

But, food truck and restaurant owner, John Berl, says nothing gets him fired up like the barbecue at his East Passyunk pick.

Up first, though, student advisor, Cecily White, recommends the standout Mexican food at her favorite spot.

For wood-fired plates and a great happy hour, she heads to El Mezcal Cantina in Point Breeze.

- Cecily, El Mezcal Cantina is great for all occasions.

Why did you pick it?

- El Mezcal is a new-ish restaurant.

It opened about a year and a half ago in the Point Breeze neighborhood of South Philly.

I would say it's like a casual restaurant with sit-down service, but the food and the experience that you have is a five star.

- And one of your go-tos, which you did get this last time- - Yes.

- Is the aguachile.

- Yes, yes, yes.

So, they have a whole section where you can sit and watch the chefs prepare the aguachile, which is similar to ceviche.

The fresh fish marinated in a really spicy habanero and lime and cucumber marinade, and it's just super fresh, super delicious, really bright and beautifully prepared.

- Gunjan, you kicked off your meal with guacamole.

Very classic.

- Super fresh.

It was delicious.

They did it right.

The whole family ate it.

It's not always...

The avocados are ripe in the right way, but they had just the right mix of everything with a little bit of spice.

- And, John, you had some nachos.

How were the nachos?

- Excellent.

There were, I think it was a homemade tortilla or nacho that they gave you.

It was really good.

Crispy.

Some crema on top with, I believe it was cojito or something else on there.

But it was really good.

It was very flavorful chicken.

- Did that come with... Oh, yeah- - Yeah, yeah.

- It came with chicken.

- Some good chicken.

It seemed like it was marinated.

It was really, really good.

- We got the queso fundido, which is melted cheese, and there's, I think, poblano and onion on it, and it's melty.

It was perfect.

I was not sure about being a fan of fusion food, 'cause it was Mexican and pizza, and I'm like, "How good is this gonna taste?"

Well, we got the one that had pineapple and al pastor.

- Al pastor.

- Cilantro.

- Yes, yes.

- [Gunjan] And it was really good.

Even my children liked it.

- Oh, John, you went classic.

You got a margharita pizza.

- I'm classic, yeah.

I went with the margharita.

It was good.

Nice crust on there.

It was really tasty.

It seemed like the basil was real fresh on top of it, and it had a little bite to it too, so I think that wood fire really kicked it off a little bit for the crust.

- There's a couple of people here who got the molcajete.

- Oh, yeah.

- You had it.

What came inside of your molcajete?

- It's amazing.

I think this is the standout and our star of the show.

Basically, it's like this large stone bowl that they cook in the wood-fired oven, and filled with cheese and beans and amazing smoky tomato sauce.

- Yes.

- Salsa.

I don't even know how to describe it, it's so good.

But then they cooked chorizo, chicken, steak, prawns, cactus, and a whole onion in there.

- Yeah.

- [Cecily] And it's just beautifully wrapped around the sides, and then you get it with fresh tortillas to make your own tacos.

- It's loaded.

It's loaded.

- It's good.

Was yours the same way?

- Yes, it was.

It was excellent.

The head on shrimp was what did it for me.

You got...

There's not a lot of places that do the head on shrimp.

And you get the extra flavor from that.

And I'm not scared to get my hands dirty when I get into there, so I literally ripped the head off, jammed my thumb down the side, and just tore into it.

- Sucked in it.

- Yeah, it was good.

- Gunjan, in addition to the al pastor pizza, what else did you get?

- We got the tacos de trompo.

I actually didn't realize that that meat was cooked on a spit.

It was really tender and that was gone in a flash.

There was three tacos, everybody ate one and shared one, so I really liked those.

We also got the whole fish.

- Oh.

- Which, also, surprising to get in a local neighborhood restaurant, and it was really flaky, really easy to eat.

They already had it filleted open and so it's impressive.

How many places can you get a whole cooked fish?

So, it was delicious.

- Sounds like a lot of these things were crowd-pleasers for the kids, 'cause you dined with three children.

- We're trying to introduce them to different foods and this was a great opportunity, 'cause there was always fallback pizza, there's always nacho chips, but then you can take it a step further with trying these different salsas that are on the food.

The pulley cheese.

Trying things in a little bit in a different way, which, I think, was super accessible for them.

- Cecily, how were the wings?

- They were awesome.

So, they were part of the happy hour menu.

The wings were cooked in the oven with the fire, so you've got that smoky flavor.

They were tossed in like a buffalo sauce with some Mexican spices.

It was phenomenal.

- And for dessert, Cecily, you got a concha.

- Yeah, so this, you have to order a little bit in advance.

It can't be like... Because they put into the oven as raw dough, and then it cooks there.

It's a bread cooked in a skillet with a sugar crust topping on top.

And it was tres leches, so it was over a layer of tres leches like custard, and then some whipped cream and ice cream and strawberries on top.

- Wow.

- Sounds great.

- Yeah.

- Decadent.

- It was great.

Good to share for the table.

You could definitely eat it yourself if you have the room, but definitely a great shareable dessert.

- John, how were your churros?

(John chuckles dryly) - I said that the molcajete was the star, but I might've been lyin', because the churros were absolutely phenomenal.

They were filled with, I guess it was maybe a dulce de leche or something in there.

Caramel.

I don't even know what it was.

It could have been a cream.

I don't...

It was amazing, though.

They were really good.

I tore 'em up.

They were fresh.

Again, I think they were made right there in house, and it was just a really, really nice dish.

It was tender, like you bit a little crunch, but the inside was just really soft, and then when you hit that sauce that was in there, oh, my God, it was amazing.

- For drinks, you got a mango chamoy.

- Yes.

- How was it?

- The drinks are on point.

They have a small bar area where you can just sit at the bar, but you can also order mixed drinks with fresh juices, fresh lime, you can tell.

And they don't shy away from using tajin on the cup, and they're really, really delicious drinks.

I think that the drinks and the food rival any Center City restaurant.

I think it's so exciting to find something that's in a residential neighborhood that is accessible to all different people in a neighborhood rather than having to necessarily go downtown.

So, the drinks are really good.

- And, of course, can't go without a margarita.

- Yeah.

- [Kae Lani] That's classic.

- I haven't spent a lot of time eating and drinking at El Mezcal, but my favorite and my go-to is usually the al pastor drink, which is the smoked pineapple that they cook in the wood-fired oven, and then they add mezcal in there and have a... Yeah, the spicy salt rim.

It's phenomenal.

It's so good.

And then the other one I get is the La Quintana, which is their hibiscus and pomegranate cocktail, which is basically like...

It's a margarita with those two flavors.

And I usually will sub tequila for mezcal because I love mezcal.

So, yeah, it's great.

It's sweet, spicy, super refreshing.

Like you said, the flavors are really fresh, really bright.

- Let's talk a little bit about the vibes.

What did you think of the ambiance, John?

- I thought it was a cool place.

The oven with the wood fire in there kinda created a different feel, because it was right there when you walk in, and it greeted you.

I thought it was cool.

- This service was really good and they had...

I feel, nowadays, at some restaurants, you feel like everyone's like, "We're always short-staffed."

But I did not feel that there.

It was a really high level of service.

- [John] Yeah.

- Oh, Cecily El Mezcal Cantina is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- All right, El Mezcal is a gem amongst beautiful jewels.

I don't know.

But, basically, it's one of those restaurants that punches way above its weight.

You know you're gonna get a five star experience when you walk in with a really casual, welcoming vibe.

So, definitely, everyone should go check it out.

- And, John, what are your final thoughts?

- Wood fire oven, pizza, churros.

You can't go wrong.

It was a cool spot.

- And, Gunjan, what's the final takeaway?

- Family-friendly, great neighborhood spot.

The ceviche, which is like, once again, getting fresh seafood, fresh fish in the middle of the city, amazing.

So, definitely, a recommendation for everyone.

- Plan your own visit to El Mezcal Cantina located at 1260 Point Breeze Avenue in Philadelphia.

215-782-0251.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab per person without drinks is $30.

Gunjan Rastogi-Wilson loves the family-friendly vibes at her recommended spot.

For ramen and Hawaiian style barbecue, she had some Momoyama in Willow Grove.

(lively music) - Momoyama, we start everything from scratch.

The broth, we would need seven hours each day.

We have it in a very big stock pot, and we use pork bone and chicken in it so to get all the flavor and the pork bone, the marrow, and everything out.

- We have the rib eye steak ramen.

It's really popular.

And, also, we have a chicken katsu curry ramen.

The peoples really like it too also.

And garlic shrimp, this is a popular dish restaurant.

Yeah, like the barbecue with the short ribs and the chicken, a lot of people do order that also, yeah.

I love to cook.

And 19, I'm the barbecue cook.

So, from L&L, that's long time ago, it's 1984.

Since we opened Momoyama, the first and the second, my customer, they love it, so that's why I feel so happy.

- Gunjan, Momoyama has the best of both worlds.

You get barbecue and ramen in the same place.

- Yes.

- Why did you pick it?

- So, we discovered this, maybe in the last couple years, a friend had recommended it.

Once I went in there and had a steaming hot bowl of ramen with the egg that is marinated and has all this umami in it, and had a rib eye on top of it, I just was sold.

I was like, "We have to come back here and try everything."

- You kicked off your meal with the miso soup, which I love the soup on soup action here- - There was a lot of soup going, but my children like miso soup, so, once again, making it accessible for them.

And full of seaweed, full of tofu, full of other green things that I'm not sure.

Delicious.

It was fresh and a big serving of soup.

- John, you started your meal with the bao buns.

- Oh, those things were unbelievable.

Those sticky buns and the pork that was in it was just unbelievably tender.

They were phenomenal, I'd say.

They're one of the best I've had, actually.

- [Cecily] That's great.

We got those with chicken.

- Oh, oh, yeah.

- And, yeah, just the fluffiness of the buns.

- The buns, man.

You already know the buns.

(all laughing) Yeah, that was it.

- That truly is what makes the bao bun.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

The bun was...

They were spot-on with the bun, though.

They really topped it with that one.

- John, how was the garlic shrimp?

- Oh, those things were slammin'.

No joke, they were like salt and pepper shrimp and you had to peel 'em again.

I'm not afraid to jump right on into 'em, so, man, I ripped them little leg things off, jumped and get 'em out of there.

And, I'll tell you what, they were really, really good.

The flavors on 'em were just seasoned properly.

I hate when you go and you tear the skin off a shrimp or the shell off a shrimp, and then there's nothing to it, there's no flavor, no nothing.

But, no joke, when you tore that thing off, man, that bad boy was slammin'.

Yeah, no joke.

I think it was one of the best peel and eat shrimp I've ever had.

To be dead honest.

- How were your other appetizers?

- I was good.

I had a chicken dish.

It was a fried chicken dish.

It was really good.

It was chicken thighs that were fried, little strips of 'em, and they came with some sauces you could put it on, and they were crunchy, yet tender.

It was dark meat, which I like.

I was gonna go with the katsu, but they had the dark meat instead of the white meat, and I went with that and I'm glad I did.

It was a really good choice.

- Oh, someone did try the katsu, though.

So, what did John miss?

- We often get the katsu because it's like fried chicken strips for kids, but elevated for sure.

- Yes.

- It's fresh.

- Looks amazing.

Somebody was eating it right next to me and I was like- - The crunch on it.

It will satisfy.

- Yeah.

- How was your combo?

- Yeah, so a bunch of us got the mini set combos where it would be a bowl of ramen and then either katsu chicken or dumplings.

My partner got that, and so we were sharing the ramen and the chicken katsu with curry sauce.

Super good.

The pork in the ramen too was really thick cut.

Whereas, usually, it's a super thin slice.

I was surprised to see how thick it was, but it was melt-in-your-mouth, amazing.

I could eat- - Was that the char siu?

- Yes, the char siu.

- Yeah.

It was.

- Yeah.

- I was hoping that you both got to try that- - It was amazing.

- Because it's so tender.

- Tender, tender.

- My son has braces, and he can't chew- - Oh, my God.

- [Gunjan] Everything all the time, but that char sui is like butter.

- [John] I got extra.

- Oh, I wish we'd done that.

- Yeah, it was good.

I was like, "Can you add some more onto that one?"

'Cause it was really, really good.

I thought it was tender as could be.

A little bit of fat in there too, so it has a lot of flavor with it.

- It was amazing.

It really melts in your mouth.

- The true star for me, I think we didn't talk about it yet, is the Hawaiian barbecue.

(chuckles) So, I don't know if...

I hope you got to try the ribs because they're cut crosswise, I guess Asian style- - Short ribs.

- Yeah.

Fall-off-the-bone.

Some of it's on the bone, some of it's the extra on the side, and whatever they marinate that in kind of teriyaki-ish- - Yeah, yeah, totally.

- Smoky tasting, is just amongst the best kind of barbecue style that I've ever had.

I've never had it like that before.

- [John] I didn't get to try it, unfortunately.

- I got the barbecue mix, so it was half of the short ribs and half chicken, all marinated in teriyaki sauce, and it was so good.

It also came with three huge scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.

So, again, you go in and be like, "I'm gonna have ramen.

I'm gonna have miso soup.

I'm gonna have lo mein," and then you also get barbecue.

- Yes.

- It's just such a weird dichotomy, but it works really well.

- Cecily, what did you think of the service?

- Service was great.

So, I had called, because we were going with a group of six adults and then five kids, so we were like, "We're gonna need a big table."

And so, I called ahead to make a reservation, and they were like, "Yeah, totally, absolutely.

We'll have a table set up for you."

When we got there, they hadn't gotten it set up yet, but quickly, pulled tables together.

The space was awesome.

It's no frills.

It's one big room, tables, you've got the counter that you can order at if you're doing takeout, but there's service then they were super attentive.

They kept coming over high-fiving my daughter, and just being really thoughtful with the kids too, which was awesome.

- What were your thoughts on the prices?

- Oh, price was great.

And the portions, like you're saying, you cannot beat that.

I was under 100 with two people going out, and anything under $100, especially, like I said, I like to eat, I get a bunch of stuff, is good with me.

So, good service, good portion.

Really, I was happy with that.

- Yeah.

- But it's quality too.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause, sometimes, when I see big portions, I'm afraid to be disappointed that it's not gonna be quality, that they're just tryna put something in cheaply, but I don't feel like that at Momoyama.

It's like what you're getting on your plate is quality and the leftovers are- - Yeah, leftovers were good.

Definitely went home with a box.

Tore 'em up later that night.

I'm like a midnight snack guy, so if I can go home with a big box of leftovers, come midnight, man, I'm ready to tear into it.

So, they didn't make it to the morning, which is always a good sign that it was a good meal.

- Well, Gunjan, this was your pick, sum it up for us.

- I'd say amazing Hawaiian barbecue and ramen spot in a suburban strip mall with all the surprises you could hope for.

- John, what are your final thoughts on Momoyama?

- Suburban hole-in-the-wall.

Big portions, good food, pretty chill spot.

All in all, it was a hit.

- And, Cecily, bring it on home.

- I would not expect Hawaiian and ramen to be in the same name at the same restaurant, but, thank God they do it.

It's amazing, yeah.

- Check out Momoyama at 101 East Moreland Road in Willow Grove.

215-366-7202.

Reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $20.

Chef John Berl owns his own barbecue joint, so it says a lot that he raves about the barbecue at his favorite spot.

For prime brisket and spare ribs, he heads to Mike's BBQ in East Passyunk.

(lively music) - We're considered pit to plate, meaning that we smoke it, cook it, we serve it, and when it's gone, we're done.

Brisket is what really caught my attention.

And I'm Jewish, we have brisket in every High Holiday, but I never had a smoked brisket.

That kinda started me on the track to try to smoke these briskets and get a good result.

- Pitmaster will come in the day before.

He'll trim it and then he'll season it, and then we'll let it dry brine, and then we'll smoke it until about 165, and then we'll wrap it in butcher paper, and then we rest it and then we serve it.

So, I started smoking meat in my backyard when I was much younger.

My mother brought me a smoker, a Traeger, small one when I was 14, and just playing around.

I got good at it.

The big cuts of meat fascinated me.

And then, one summer, my mother told me I had to get a job so I went to a barbecue restaurant and did all the prep, cut, cuddle the meat to that smoking, and then here we are.

On July 4th, my fourth day, we were sold out by 9:00 am.

(Mike chuckles) - John, you know a thing or two about barbecue.

Why did you pick Mike's?

- His food is straight out of this world.

It is absolute fire.

It is unbelievably good.

As they say, it slaps.

It is just really good, (Cecily laughs) quality food.

I'm in the same industry, and I know what it takes to go into that, and what goes into that, and just what they do is put out product that's unlike anybody else's.

- And he's smoking it right there too.

- [John] Right there.

They cook it for hours upon hours.

They just put a lot of love into it and you can tell when you eat it, it is just like- - The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth.

It was sold out by the end of our meal.

- Yeah, yeah.

- My friend wanted to take some home.

- We got some.

- Oh, I got some.

- Yeah.

- It was, man, I've never had brisket like that.

I'm from northeast Philadelphia- - [Kae Lani] You gotta make sure that you get there early to get that brisket.

- [Cecily] We got there right when they opened at noon, and we're the first people in there.

But, when we left an hour later, it was packed- - Absolutely packed.

- We've seen so many folks coming in to get takeout, and I think they had already run out of the ribs at that point.

- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah.

- It's just good.

Did you guys try the cheese steak brisket?

- I've had a cheese steak before.

I didn't get it this time.

- Oh, my God.

- And I've gotten the gritty cheese steak that comes with the chips- - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- And the Cheez Whiz.

It's so good.

- The brisket cheese steak is outta this world.

It is just on another level.

He makes a Cooper Sharp American sauce that goes onto it, and with the tender brisket, smoked flavor, nice... That roll, it's a seeded roll.

Oh, my God!

- [Cecily] And the goudas with the mac and cheese- - Yeah, gouda- - Which is like- - With the mac and cheese is fire.

- Did you get the mac and cheese?

- It was kid-approved- - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- And it was rich as- - And the hefty noodles.

- Yeah, hefty noodles.

- A good portion size and- - Thick cheese in there.

- That cheese, it's so thick.

It's so- - Real cheese.

- Yeah, it's real.

- Just covered up with cream or milk and- - Yeah.

- I mean, I like...

The barbecue's phenomenal, but, the sides, you could go and just eat the sides, and leave ecstatic.

It's amazing.

- In terms of the sides, you raved about the baked beans, the collard greens.

- Yes.

We ordered a lot.

The collard greens are my favorite.

Everything is top-notch.

- And you mentioned the beans.

I actually have no idea what kind of beans they were, but they were not baked beans, 'cause you'd think barbecue baked beans- - Yeah, the classic pinto.

- Yeah.

Yeah, and almost you expect the sweet thing, but they were a surprise.

- There's a lot of stuff in.

- They're almost creamed and a couple different kinds of beans going on in there.

They're really, really good.

- It's like slow cooked in a meaty, meaty sauce.

- [Cecily] You've got chunks- - It's a little bean party going on.

- Yeah.

- Bean and meat.

It's a bean and meat party in there.

- Yes.

- Yes.

We ordered probably... You can't say too much because it's all amazing.

Just enough.

But our table for four people was filled.

- You can't... You don't have- - There's no room- - No more room left.

- For our plates, yeah.

- 'Cause you get so much.

- I was literally- - [Gunjan] I think sometimes that's great.

- [Kae Lani] Well, that's how you know you're in a good place.

They're serving you barbecue on a cafeteria tray, which is really how it should be served.

- Can we talk about the cornbread, though?

- Oh, my gosh, yeah.

- For real, the cornbread.

- [Kae Lani] It's almost like vanilla cake without icing.

- Oh, my God.

- But it's- - It's so good and moist.

- Yeah.

- Oh!

- We asked for a side of butter.

- The sticky top to it, it's like layered with... 'Cause it's, I don't know if it's honey or just how they bake it with...

It just comes out- - What I like is that the ribs and the brisket, none of it has sauce on it, so you can choose- - Yep, yep, yep.

- To add what you want.

- It's all the dry down.

- Yeah.

- You can put as you like it.

- [Cecily] The sauces, I'm glad you mentioned those, because there's so many different versions that you can get, and it's like a create-your-own-adventure kind of deal.

- That sweet heat or something.

- Yeah, the sweet heat, so that the Alabama white is my favorite.

- Alabama white!

- They say that's supposed to be just for the chicken or it works best on the chicken, but I use it on everything.

- Yeah, it's good on anything.

- We talked a lot about brisket, but how about the ribs?

- Oh, my gosh, yeah.

Yeah, the ribs are amazing.

- Yeah, yeah.

- They're huge, firstly.

They're massive ribs, and even a half portion, you get so much meat.

- Yeah.

- [Cecily] It's fall off the bone.

The burnt ends, just amazing.

- [Kae Lani] He keeps the ribs whole.

He's not cutting it down.

- Nope.

- It's not St. Louis style.

- So you're ripping them off.

- He's not trimming it.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Spare rib.

They're big, meaty.

- Yeah.

- Tender, flavorful.

- They're so good.

- You can't go wrong with the rib.

- Gunjan, how are those brussels sprouts?

- Brussels sprouts are really good.

They're, I think, in a bacon grease, fried, crispy.

They're just a delicious side dish to have.

We also had coleslaw, which it's, I guess you could say, a basic coleslaw, but it's definitely higher level.

It brings such a compliment to have some of that cool, vinegar-y taste to compliment the barbecue.

- So was it... Yeah, was it mostly vinegar-based or was there a little bit of mayo?

- No, there was definitely mayo in it.

- [Kae Lani] Okay.

- But, coleslaw's a little tang, so they both compliment the barbecue.

I think they go well.

- Did anybody get the wings?

- We got the wings.

- The wings were good.

- We did.

- Yeah, oh, yeah, they're so good.

- The sauce on the wings is this spicy, sweet, I think they're Korean inspired.

- Yeah.

- Oh, okay.

- [Gunjan] Maybe some sesame seeds.

Those are the wings that I got.

- We got the dry rub ones.

- Okay.

- And the dry rub is just a spicy, salty, peppery- - It don't matter- - Yeah, it doesn't.

- [John] Which ones you get.

It don't matter.

- Again, there's few- - It's a whole- - It's a whole wing.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- So, you're ripping 'em apart.

- Yeah, exactly.

- You really are eating with your hands.

That's what's so fun about this place.

You're eating barbecue the way it should be eaten, off of a tray.

- Yeah.

- Your face is in the- (all laughing) - Kitchen napkins.

- Lots of that- - Yeah.

- Lots of napkins.

They give you the wet wipes at the end, which you know is a sign of a good barbecue spot.

- Of course, Mike's has a lot of meat, but they also have desserts.

And, Cecily, you tried the banana pudding.

- Oh, yeah, the banana pudding is phenomenal.

It's just a small takeout container.

You should order as many as you possibly can carry.

Vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, fresh sliced bananas on top, and then this unreal, sticky, toffee, caramel sauce.

Yeah, it's phenomenal.

You can't even describe it.

Well, it's thick, it's like... Oh, sticks to your spoon, sticks to your teeth.

It's so good.

- Gunjan, what are your thoughts on the value?

- I think it's priced as barbecue is.

Barbecue, I think, is on the pricier side of food, but the intense amount of time it takes to develop these flavors is understandable, and you can... You have a way to make it a little more affordable if you choose to get a sandwich and a side.

I think that's a...

But if you're getting a whole rack of ribs, but you're sharing this food too.

If you're getting... You can order by the quart, different sizes, so I think there's value in just what you choose to get.

- When you walk in, not just is the building like home, but the service is like home.

You walk in and it is basically like your friends, your family, they welcome you.

"Hey, what's up, guys?"

And when I come in I'm like, "Hey, what's up y'all?

How you doing?"

- And a lot of times, Mike is there.

- Yeah, oh, yeah, he's there.

Hands-on.

- Yeah.

- Talk about hands-on, he's there, dishing it out.

- John, Mike's BBQ is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- Incredible food, awesome people, awesome atmosphere.

South Philly, go Birds!

That's it.

Straight up.

(all laughing) - Every final review, "Go Birds!"

May the birds be with you and also with you.

- Also with you.

That's it.

- Gunjan, what are your final thoughts?

- Philly's not really known for barbecue, but this is the spot we've been waiting for to have.

To have this rich, rich, loved meat that you're sharing, and these beans.

Just go for the beans, if nothing else.

- Cecily, what's the big takeaway?

- It's love on a platter.

It's amazing.

- Try the brisket for yourself at Mike's BBQ.

Located at 1703 South 11th Street in Philadelphia.

267-831-2040.

Reservations are not accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $35.

So, on this week's show, we featured El Mezcal Cantina in Point Breeze, Momoyama in Willow Grove, and Mike's BBQ in East Passyunk.

I wanna give a huge special thank you to my guest, Gunjan Rastogi-Wilson, John Berl, and Cecily White.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending their favorite restaurants right here on "Check, Please!"

And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok.

We're @checkpleasephilly.

I'm Kae Lani Palmisano, and I'll see you next time.

(glasses clinking) - [All] Cheers.

(lively music)