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.

The roast pork sandwich is the Philadelphia natives' sandwich. While tourists queue at Pat's, locals walk into Tony Luke's, John's Roast Pork or DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market for slow-roasted pork shoulder, broccoli rabe and sharp provolone on a seeded roll. The dish traces to Italian-American South Philly between the wars: home cooks roasted weekly pork shoulders with rosemary, fennel and garlic and pressed leftovers into bread for lunch. DiNic's took the format to the Reading Terminal in 1980 and its sandwich was crowned best in America by the Travel Channel in 2013. The trio of slow-roasted pork, bitter rabe and sharp cheese is its own balanced act.

3 editor picks for Philadelphia roast pork sandwich in Philadelphia, ranked by editorial score. All Philadelphia signature dishes · Philadelphia roast pork sandwich across every city.

John's Roast Pork ★ 4.8

$Street food

John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia is the 1930 South Philly counter at Snyder and Weccacoe, James Beard America's Classic 2006 with the city's defining roast.

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Tommy DiNic's ★ 4.7

$Street food

Tommy DiNic's in Philadelphia is the 1980 Reading Terminal Market counter that won Travel Channel's Best Sandwich in America 2013 with its roast pork.

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Tony Luke's ★ 4.6

$Street food

Tony Luke's in Philadelphia is the 1992 South Philly counter on East Oregon, the canonical roast-pork-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sharp-provolone Italian sandwich.

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