Philadelphia Food Guide

Philadelphia’s food is delicious, and more than cheesesteaks, although you have to try a Philly cheesesteak while you’re there, too! I spent a week in Philadelphia and researched and explored all of the best places to eat in this historic city. Here are my favorite Phildelphia food I tasted while spending time in this awesome city.

Breakfast Foods

Best Restaurant Style Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important (and in my opinion most delicious!) meal of the day. I had to favorite breakfast spots during my week in Philadelphia. The first of these was Luna Cafe, where everything on the menu looked delicious. It was tough to decide what to eat, but I ended up having some BOMB Nutella french toast. My aunt was with me, and she ate the cinnamon apple french toast, which she loved as well. I added a little syrup on mine (I love sweet!) and I definitely had a sugar rush… followed by a sugar crash. Worth it!

Best Breakfast On The Go

My other favorite breakfast was in Reading Terminal Market. My breakfast there was at the Market Bakery, which was fast, filling, savory, and delicious. The Market Bakery combines the best-baked goods Philadelphia has to offer and sells them all in this one location.

Reading Terminal Market is a great place to go as a group because there is so much variety- everyone can find something they will enjoy. It becomes super crowded during the day, but in the mornings, it is a little bit quieter… and you can find seating more easily! I ate the breakfast croissant 3 mornings in a row if that tells you anything about how delicious it is.

Best Lunch/Dinner Food Spots

Best Overall Experience

City Tavern takes the cake for the overall best experience, hands down. This is a historic building, as the founding fathers used to dine in City Tavern. As you walk in, you are greeted by the staff in old colonial dress. The candlelit table sets the mood, and the menu completes the ambiance as it’s full of traditional American foods to choose from. My aunt and I both decided on the Turkey Pot Pie and mulled apple cider, which was to die for. It made me reminiscent of my time in England, which makes sense America was once ruled by the British. They even had bread from a place I visited in Bath, England called Sally Lunns! Anyway, the pie was absolutely delicious and worth every calorie. I would seriously go back there in a heartbeat simply for the pie, the ambiance there is an added bonus-& makes it a must-do.

The Classic Philly Cheesesteak

We decided to go to Carmen’s in Reading Terminal Market for our Philly Cheesesteak. When we went to Carmen’s, the line was very long, but it was worth it! I heard Carmens had one of the best cheesesteaks in Philly, and while it was the only one I had, it was not a disappointment in any way. And the fries were battered and also very tasty. While there are so many cheesesteaks in Philly, this one was definitely great to me, and one that I’d recommend eating!

Chinese Dumplings

In China Town, we went to a famous restaurant called Dim Sum Garden. This place had SUCH a long line the first time we went on a Sunday night, we had to come back the next day and go at lunchtime. They are famous for their dumplings. These pork soup dumplings (shown above) were hard to eat correctly (ask the waiter/waitress how!) but were very unique and delectable.

Another mouth-watering restaurant (I’d say better than Dim Sum!) is Nomad Roman Pizza. Nomad has Naple-inspired pizza with fresh, organic ingredients. We went with a big group, and tasted almost every pizza on the menu! I can honestly say it was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. My favorite things on the menu were the meatball appetizer, spicy sausage pizza, and quattro formaggi.

Desserts!

I LOVE sweets, so desserts and sweet breakfasts are my favorite expertize. I had 3 favorite dessert spots during my time in Philadephia. The first is Franklin’s fountain ice cream shop. All of the ice cream there is homemade and delicious. I had the peanut butter ice cream, but now they have a winter menu that includes hot milkshakes! I am very intrigued- if you try it please let me know how it is!

My second favorite place was Max Brenner’s chocolate bar and restaurant. This place is a chocolate lover’s heaven. I had milk chocolate hot chocolate and shared the baked cookie dream… and yes it was dreamy. This is a place you don’t want to miss if you enjoy sweets!

My third choice on a dessert place is Beiler’s doughnuts. Beiler’s is a Pennsylvania Amish baked goods shop, and their blueberry cake doughnut is fastastic! I took a picture of these whoopie pies because they are a family recipe of ours, and my family actually comes from the Pennsylvania Amish way, way back in the day. You definitely need to try something from the Amish while you are here! The sticky rolls also looked and smelt amazing.

Philadelphia is an incredibly historic place in America, so it makes sense that there is delicious food from all over the world here. If there are any suggestions of places to eat in Philly or if you went to any of these places I would love to hear from you! I will be posting a travel guide for visiting Philadelphia next week, so be sure to stay tuned!