Sorry to break it to you, but Philadelphians don’t eat cheesesteaks every day. We love them, we’ll argue about them with strangers, and that’s still only one sandwich out of a very long menu.
The rest of the menu goes like this: roast pork with sharp provolone and greens, tomato pie served cool out of a big box, soft pretzels stuck together in a row, and water ice the first warm night of the year. Here’s what locals actually grew up on, with a real, open place to get each one.
Short on time? Go to Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch) and knock out several of these in one lap. Roast pork, Pennsylvania Dutch baking and Philly-made ice cream are all under one roof.
1. The Roast Pork Sandwich
Ask a Philadelphian who takes food seriously to name the city’s best sandwich, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear roast pork, not a cheesesteak. Thin-sliced, juicy pork goes on a roll with sharp provolone and garlicky greens like broccoli rabe or spinach. The greens are bitter, the provolone is sharp enough to make you wince, and the juice ends up on your wrist. That’s the point.
Downtown, get it at Tommy DiNic’s inside Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St. In South Philly it’s John’s Roast Pork, 14 Snyder Ave, on the same corner since 1930. Either way, don’t skip the greens.
2. The Hoagie
In Philly it’s a hoagie. Call it a sub and someone will correct you. A great Italian hoagie is all about the roll, crusty outside and soft inside, usually seeded, then loaded with Italian meats, sharp provolone, oil, oregano, lettuce, tomato and onion. If they offer seeds, say yes.
Primo Hoagies has shops all over the region, and their locator will find the closest one.
3. Tomato Pie
Philly tomato pie is a thick, focaccia-like square crust with sweet, thick tomato gravy and a dusting of grated cheese, eaten at room temperature. It shows up at every South Philly birthday party and family gathering, usually in a big rectangular box. Yes, cool. No, it’s not leftover pizza. Trust us.
Start at Iannelli’s Bakery, 1155 E Passyunk Ave. It’s been baking in the neighborhood for more than 100 years and calls tomato pie its signature.
4. The Soft Pretzel
Philly pretzels are shaped like a figure eight and usually sold stuck together in a row. Locals buy them by the bag, for breakfast, for the office, for the car ride home, and a lot of us won’t eat one without yellow mustard.
Go early in the day, when they’re freshest. Center City Pretzel Co. at 816 Washington Ave is an actual South Philly pretzel bakery, not a cart.
5. Water Ice
Water ice (say it “wooder ice”) is smoother and fruitier than Italian ice, and around here it basically means summer. John’s Water Ice, 701 Christian St in Bella Vista, has been a family business since 1945 and still uses an old-school recipe. Lemon first. Cherry next time.
6. Italian Pastries and Cannoli
South Philly’s Italian bakeries are an institution, and around the holidays the lines spill out the door. Cannoli, sfogliatelle, butter cookies and rum cakes, all in a white box tied up with string.
Our two picks are Termini Bros. Bakery, 1523 S 8th St, baking since 1921, and Isgro Pastries, 1009 Christian St, near the Italian Market. If they’ll fill the cannoli to order, let them. A cannoli that’s been sitting in the case is a soggy tragedy.
7. Philly-Made Ice Cream
Philly takes its ice cream history seriously, and Bassetts is the name locals know. It’s been making ice cream in Philadelphia since 1861. Find the counter at Reading Terminal Market (Bassetts Ice Cream, 45 N 12th St), pick a flavor you can’t get at home, then walk it off around the market.
8. Pennsylvania Dutch Classics
Amish and Mennonite farm country is a short drive away, and its cooking (apple dumplings, shoofly pie, pancakes, big breakfasts) is part of how Philly eats too. You don’t need to drive to Lancaster for it.
Head to Dutch Eating Place in Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St, and get the apple dumpling. The counter calls it its award-winning signature, and it’s hard to argue.
9. The Roast Beef Sandwich
Philly’s other great hot sandwich is roast beef, piled high and dunked in gravy. It’s a South Philly and Delaware County favorite, and it’s what you order when you want something even heavier than a cheesesteak.
Old Original Nick’s Roast Beef is at 2149 S 20th St in South Philly, and the first Nick’s opened in 1938 at 20th and Jackson. Get it with gravy, and take more napkins than you think you need.
10. Donuts and Fried Chicken (Together)
Fresh donuts and Korean-style fried chicken in the same order. Makes no sense on paper, total sense once you try it.
Federal Donuts & Chicken made the combo a modern Philly classic and has shops around the city, including 701 N 7th St (their site lists the rest). Get a box of hot fresh donuts and a half chicken.
11. Scrapple
Scrapple is pork scraps and cornmeal pressed into a loaf, then sliced and fried until it’s crispy outside and soft inside. Yes, that’s the whole pitch. Sliced thin and crisped up next to some eggs, it wins over a lot of skeptics, and you’ll find it on diner menus all over the region.
Ask for it extra crispy. Ketchup, maple syrup and apple butter all have their defenders.
12. Tastykakes
Every Philly kid grew up with a Tastykake in their lunchbox. They’re made here, they’re in nearly every corner store and Wawa, and the Butterscotch Krimpet is the one grown adults get misty about. Grab a Krimpet, then a Peanut Butter Kandy Kake. For research.
13. And Yes, the Cheesesteak
Fine, we couldn’t leave it out entirely. When you’re ready for the main event, our guide to the best cheesesteaks in Philly covers the legends, the local favorites and how to order without holding up the line.
If you only try one thing, make it a roast pork with sharp provolone and greens. Add a soft pretzel and a water ice and you’re eating like a local.
Planning the rest of your trip? Our list of the best things to do in Philadelphia will keep you busy between meals.
Okay, your turn: what’s the one Philly food you’d make every visitor try? Tell us in the comments.