Cheesesteak rivalries, Italian Market mornings, BYOB nights.
Philadelphia eats like a working city that never stopped feeding the dock, the shop floor and the corner stoop. The cheesesteak was invented at 9th and Passyunk in 1930 when Pat Olivieri grilled chopped steak on a hot-dog cart; Joe Vento's Geno's opened across the street in 1966 and the rivalry has run on the same corner ever since. The 9th Street Italian Market still pulls its sausage, ricotta, ravioli and tomato pie from family stalls that opened before the First World War. Reading Terminal Market, under the old train shed at 12th and Arch, runs 80 vendors who sell scrapple, soft pretzels, roast pork, banh mi, soup dumplings and Pennsylvania Dutch shoo-fly pie under one roof. Chinatown around Race Street holds dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, Vietnamese pho and the new wave of Sichuan rooms. South Philly Vietnamese around Washington Avenue, Cambodian rooms in Logan, North African corners in West Philly and the Israeli laboratory that Michael Solomonov built around Zahav, Laser Wolf and K'Far make the modern map. BYOB is the rule rather than the exception. Tomato pie is the underrated quiet pizza. In 2026, Philly is the most underrated big-city eat in America.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Philadelphia, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Philadelphia.
Thin-shaved rib-eye on a long Amoroso roll, griddled with chopped onions and finished with melted Cheez Whiz, American or provolone. The South Philly sandwich that travelled the world.
Where: Pat's King of Steaks, Geno's Steaks, John's Roast Pork, Jim's Steaks South Street
Slow-roasted pork shoulder, sliced thin, piled on a seeded Italian roll with garlicky broccoli rabe and sharp aged provolone. The locals' answer to the cheesesteak.
Where: Tommy DiNic's, John's Roast Pork, Tony Luke's
Where to eat Philadelphia roast pork sandwich in Philadelphia →
Italian cold cuts (mortadella, capicola, salami, prosciutto), sharp provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, oregano, oil and vinegar on a long Amoroso roll. The classic Philly lunch.
Where: Sarcone's Bakery, John's Roast Pork, Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
Square-cut focaccia-style pizza, baked at room temperature, with a thick layer of seasoned crushed tomato and a dusting of grated cheese. No melted cheese. Served at room temperature.
Where: Sarcone's Bakery, Iannelli's Bakery
Pennsylvania Dutch pork-mush loaf made from pork trimmings, cornmeal, buckwheat and sage, sliced and griddled crisp. Served with eggs and pancakes at breakfast counters.
Where: Reading Terminal Market, Tommy DiNic's
Hand-twisted, low-rise, figure-eight soft pretzel sold from sidewalk carts, doused with mustard. Denser than the German original, flatter than the Bavarian.
Where: Center City Pretzel Co., Reading Terminal Market
Fine-grained Italian-style flavoured ice, sold from corner stores and stands across the city from April through September. Lemon, cherry, mango, blue raspberry.
Where: South 9th Street Italian Market
Molasses-and-brown-sugar custard pie with a crumb topping, baked deep, served in slabs at Reading Terminal Market and Lancaster County diners. Wet-bottom is the canonical style.
Where: Beiler's Doughnuts, Reading Terminal Market
Where to eat Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie in Philadelphia →
Thick, peppery tripe soup with vegetables, dumplings and a heavy hand on black pepper. The historic soldiers' soup of Valley Forge, kept alive at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
Where: Reading Terminal Market
Long sandwich on a sesame-seeded Philly roll layered with prosciutto, capicola, salami, sharp provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar and oregano. The Italian Market's defining sandwich.
Where: Di Bruno Bros. (Italian Market), Sarcone's Bakery, South 9th Street Italian Market, Reading Terminal Market
Pennsylvania-Dutch yeasted doughnuts, dense and slightly chewy, fried in lard and dipped in maple, glazed in chocolate or filled with raspberry cream. Beiler's at Reading Terminal Market is the canonical Philly operator.
Where: Beiler's Doughnuts, Reading Terminal Market, Isgro Pastries, Termini Brothers Bakery
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Philadelphia.
Zahav in Philadelphia is Michael Solomonov's modern Israeli room near Society Hill, James Beard's Outstanding Restaurant in America in 2019 and one.
Signature: Hummus tehina, Lamb shoulder
Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia is Marc Vetri's 1998 Spruce Street townhouse tasting menu, a Michelin-recognised Italian room with the spinach gnocchi.
Signature: Spinach gnocchi with brown butter, Whole roasted baby goat
Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia is Chad and Hanna Williams's narrow Rittenhouse townhouse, James Beard Best New Restaurant 2019 and the city's most.
Signature: Mushroom soup, Foie gras toast
Kalaya in Philadelphia is Chutatip 'Nok' Suntaranon's James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic 2022 Southern Thai room in Fishtown, on Palmer Street since the move.
Signature: Khua kling pork, Massaman curry
Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia is Greg Vernick's James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic 2017 Rittenhouse bi-level brownstone, with the avocado toast.
Signature: Avocado toast, Wood-fire fish
Royal Sushi & Izakaya in Philadelphia is the eight-seat Queen Village omakase counter behind the front-room izakaya, ranked among North America's 50 Best.
Signature: Sushi omakase, Pork gyoza
Philadelphia's downtown grid between the rivers, with Rittenhouse Square as the green heart and Walnut, Chestnut and Market as the dining spines.
Best for: Tasting menus, French bistro, Cocktails
Row-house south of South Street where the Italian Market runs and the cheesesteak was invented in 1930. East Passyunk Avenue is the modern BYOB strip.
Best for: Cheesesteaks, Italian, BYOB
Six blocks of South 9th Street between Fitzwater and Wharton, with open-air produce stalls, Sarcone's brick-oven bread and Di Bruno Bros cheese caves since 1939.
Best for: Italian, Cheese, Bread
Riverfront neighbourhood south of Society Hill, with Fabric Row on 4th Street and the Famous 4th Street Delicatessen on the Bainbridge corner since 1923.
Best for: Sushi, Deli, BYOB
Cobblestone blocks between Independence Hall and the Delaware, full of galleries, cocktail bars and the original Han Dynasty on Chestnut.
Best for: Chinese, Cocktails, Brunch
Compact 14-block enclave around Race and 10th, holding the Friendship Arch, soup-dumpling rooms, hand-pulled noodles and the city's deepest Vietnamese strip.
Best for: Dim sum, Vietnamese, Sichuan
Peak food season: May to October for the South 9th Street Italian Market Festival, soft-shell crab, Jersey tomatoes and beer-garden patios. November to February: scrapple, hot roast pork, pepper pot soup and oyster stew.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00, dinner 17:30-22:00. Tasting menus seat 18:00-21:00. Cheesesteak counters run from 10:00 to past midnight, Pat's and Geno's run 24 hours. BYOBs typically close by 22:30 on weeknights.
Tipping: 20 percent on the pre-tax total at full-service rooms is the baseline. 18 percent for adequate service, 22 to 25 for great. Counters and cheesesteak windows: a buck or two on a small order, 10 percent on a big one.
Philadelphia's signature dishes include Philly cheesesteak, Philadelphia roast pork sandwich, Philadelphia hoagie, Philadelphia tomato pie, Scrapple. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Philadelphia by district. Center City, South Philadelphia, Italian Market (Bella Vista), Queen Village are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Philadelphia include Vetri Cucina, Zahav, Friday Saturday Sunday, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Philadelphia, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Philadelphia dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.