What to Eat in Philly: 12 of the Best Foods to Order at Reading Terminal Market

Photo courtesy of VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

There isn’t a Philly tour book written that won’t send you to Reading Terminal Market while you’re in this city, and rightly so: The beloved 130-year-old emporium and National Historic Landmark, packed to the brim with vendors, is truly one of Philly’s greatest destinations, with upwards of 80 spots to buy nearly every ingredient and cuisine under the sun. Many of those spots are family-owned—in some cases, for generations. Also? The place, located in the heart of Philadelphia, just so happens to be about 10 minutes by foot from the front door of Guild House, our own National Landmark and boutique hotel. So whether you want to pop by for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner or even just a little shopping for ingredients or souvenirs (we recommend all of the above!), it’s well worth the visit.

Given the breadth of options, though, it can be a tad overwhelming. (That’s true even for locals!) Don’t know where to start? Let us help. Here, some of our very favorite, can’t-miss orders to seek out at Reading Terminal.

1. The place: Tommy DiNic’s Roast Pork
The order: A roast pork sandwich—the unofficial sandwich of Philadelphia. Yes, yes, if you’re interested in cheesesteaks, you can get that in the Market, too (there are darn good ones at Carmen’s, Spataro’s, and Molly Malloy’s, for instance), but most sandwich aficionados will tell you that the roast pork is where it’s at: Hot, tender roasted pork sliced thin and served with sharp provolone and biting broccoli rabe on a soft warm bun. Get it with long hots.
The backup / add-on: The brisket sandwich, with paper-thin, tender brisket and sharp provolone is another deeply satisfying choice here.

Photo of DiNic’s lunch counter by R. Kennedy for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

2. The place: Flying Monkey
The order: The big thing here is the whoopie pie — oatmeal peanut butter whoopie pies, cookies-and-cream whoopie pies, chocolate chip whoopie pies … you name it. Part cookie, part cake, part luscious cream filling: There’s nothing not to love about these treats.
The backup / add-on: The treat this bakery has called “the dessert equivalent of the turducken” is a truly impressive layered masterpiece featuring a pumpkin pie inside of a chocolate cake and an apple pie smooshed inside a vanilla cake … all held together with a layer of buttercream frosting. It’s a whole experience!

3. The place: Termini Brothers Bakery
The order: Cannolis all day.
The backup / add-on: Almond horns. Biscotti. Torrone. Chocolate chip pound cake. Fix yourself up a box of everything and never look back.

Photo of Termini Bros. sign courtesy of VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

4. The place: Miller’s Twist
The order: The Philly cheesesteak pretzel roll-up — a bready, salty, crave-worthy marriage of two Philly classics.
The backup / add-on: The garlic soft pretzel — plainer than all the roll-up versions (and the roll-up versions are awesome, from the aforementioned cheesesteak iteration to the hot beef sausage to the simpler hot dog pretzel — is an upgrade to the classic salted soft pretzel that you never knew you needed. (You do.)

5. The place: Dutch Eating Place
The order: It’s hard to go wrong at this Pennsylvania Dutch RTM staple. Many people will tell you that you have to order the chicken pot pie, the pork and sauerkraut, the shoo fly pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, or maybe the chicken corn soup—-all the classic favorites. And of course, you wouldn’t be wrong to do any of that, but for our money, the apple dumplings—warm cinnamoned and sugared baked apple and a buttery, flaky pastry crust, topped with cream—is the absolute can’t-miss here.
The backup / add-on: See above.

Photo of Reading Terminal Market by J. Smith for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

6. The place: Beck’s Cajun Cafe
The order: Legit jambalaya, etouffee and gumbo aren’t exactly easy to come by in these parts—and here, these New Orleans classics are done up with such excellent heat and depth of flavor, you won’t want to skip them. (If you do the etouffee, make sure you order the shrimp and crawfish version.)
The backup / add-on: Pop a Tums and order the fried mac and cheese, topped with gumbo.

7. The place: Ma Lessie’s Chicken and Waffles
The order: It’s got the chicken and waffles in the name for a reason. That’s your order — just make sure you order your chicken fried (rather than baked).
The backup / add-on: Peach cobber, yo.

Photo of Reading Terminal Signage by George Widman Photography L.L.C

8. The place: Sang Kee
The order: The Peking duck is famous here, and if you haven’t tried it, that’s the order to go with—crispy-skinned, salty, tender duck. Pair it with the shrimp dumplings.
The backup / add-on: Any of the noodle soups (preferably the ones with that duck!) make hearty, comforting, filling, perfectly balanced lunches.

9. The place: Kamal’s Middle Eastern Cuisine
The order: The fresh smoothies and cold-pressed juices here are a major draw. Seriously — worth a trip all on their own.
The backup / add-on: Warm, lightly crunchy house-made falafel on a pita stuffed with cold tomato, lettuce, cucumber, dressing and tahini.

Photo of Reading Terminal Market by R. Kennedy for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

10. The place: Dienner’s Bar-B-Q Chicken
The order: The rotisserie wings, with an extra side of the hot barbecue sauce.
The backup / add-on: More wings.

11. The place: Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagies
The order: Yes, yes, do a cheesesteak if you feel called (and here, there are loads of varieties to choose from!) — but also be sure not to miss the Italian hoagie, which here, is stacked impossibly thick with capiola, salami, prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, provolone—all the fixings, plus Italian seasonings, oil, vinegar on a hoagie roll. It’s a solid example of a classic Philly hoagie, done with a little extra love.
The backup / add-on: Try one of the more unusual iterations of a cheesesteak with the Kamikaze, a steak with pepper jack, pickled hot peppers and hot sauce.

12. The place: Beiler’s Doughnuts
The order: The perfect doughnut, as we all know, is a highly subjective thing: We could happily recommend blueberry fritter, or the Nutella creme, or the strawberry-filled … but in the end, you’re going to with whichever of the fresh (made-that-day) doughnuts suits your tastes. And no worries: You can’t make a bad choice here.
The backup / add-on: Doughnuts are the reason you go, but grab a sticky bun for the road while you’re there. Those buns have their own substantial fan base.