Jessica Boyington visits top women-owned restaurants in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Get ready to be inspired, shocked, and blown away by this next list!

We're talking all about restaurants where the ladies rule, and you're going to be happy that they do.

Marcie Turney and Valarie Safran own more places in Center City than you probably can keep track of. You may have heard of Bud and Marilyn's, Barbuzzo, Little Nonna's, Good Luck Pizza Company, and the shops Open House and Verde.

The two met in 2001 while working in a restaurant where Marcie was a chef, and Val was picking up shifts as a waitress; and today they are a great team.

They often create a nostalgic, retro vibe in their restaurants, and tell me that they are always are ready for opening something new.

I joined them at Bud and Marilyn's, a classic American spot known for their fried chicken. The beer-battered Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds with homemade scallion ranch was ridiculous, but you can't go wrong with choosing their buttermilk biscuits and crispy fried chicken.

The Hot Nashville buttered buns were everything I thought they'd be and more, topped with more of that scallion ranch and slaw.

Then they served me a blast from the past, a giant, classic, vanilla fun-fetti cake topped with malted milk crumbles and strawberry syrup. It brought me right back to my 11th birthday!

Jill Weber moved from Indiana to Philadelphia in 1992 to attend the University of Pennsylvania. She obtained a PhD in Archeology and spent most of her career on excavation sites digging up animal bones in places like Syria, Italy, and Iraq.

During her time digging, she made an amazing discovery. She identified an animal called a Kunga! It's a donkey hybrid that no one knew existed, and she found a royal burial ground filled with them!

So how did she get to be a restaurant owner? She told me when a friend of hers tragically passed away, her husband gave her a little push to do something she had talked about for a while, which was opening up a wine bar.

By 2010 she opened Jet Wine Bar, followed by Rex At The Royal, Cafe Inez, and where we sat for our interview, Sor Inez, a restaurant influenced with ingredients by Central Mexico's indigenous population.

I started with some margaritas and quickly moved on to Mayan pumpkin seed hummus.

Next, I tried the chef's version of blue corn empanadas with black beans, cactus, queso and salsa verde, some pork carnitas, and a classic vegetable mixiote with fire-roasted eggplant.