15 Awesome Things to Eat at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia

While you can find abundant delicious cheesesteaks at Reading Terminal Market, a popular choice for sandwich lovers is Tommy DiNic’s famous roast pork, voted “Best Sandwich in America” by the Travel Channel. But if you’re craving even more meat, go half-and-half to combine the fourth-generation shop’s two most popular sammies into the Roast Pork & Beef Combo Sandwich, thinly sliced juicy roast pork and slow-roasted brisket piled onto a Sarcone’s Italian roll with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. If you’re feeling spicy, add a local favorite: grilled “long hots” (long green chili peppers).

Some of the best Louisiana cuisine in the Northeast can be found at the center court of Reading Terminal Market at Beck’s Cajun Cafe, where chef Bill Beck serves authentic po’boys, jambalaya, gumbo, muffulettas and beignets. But being Philly, a cheesesteak option is a virtual requirement. Enter Beck’s take, the Trainwreck — finely chopped steak, andouille sausage, julienned salami, American cheese and fried onions with Beck’s special creole mayo and signature Devil’s Dust spice rub on an eight-inch French baguette. Grab it with Zapp’s potato chips and an Abita soda.

Guiseppe and Gaetano Termini opened their beloved South Philadelphia pasticceria over 100 years ago. Now run by the family’s third generation, Termini Brothers Bakery has a handful of locations, including this popular stall at Reading Terminal Market. The shop’s iconic, super-fresh cannoli is the signature choice, a handmade-from-scratch pastry shell filled with ricotta and available in traditional cheese, vanilla or its rich and flavorful chocolate with chocolate Italian cream topped with powdered sugar. Have more room? Pick up a box of pignoli (amaretto cookies coated in pine nuts).

There are around 50 delightful flavors of yeast-raised doughnuts (not donuts) available at Beiler’s Bakery — named one of the 20 best dessert spots in the country by Fodor’s — from blueberry fritter and mocha crème to coconut custard and salty caramel, classics like apple fritter doughnuts or singular creations like Fruity Pebbles chocolate. But if you’re having trouble narrowing it down, we suggest you start with the popular Maple Bacon Doughnut, fluffy deep-fried dough filled with a maple flavored crème and topped with bacon and maple and glaze drizzles.

The original Bassetts Ice Cream holds the distinction of oldest ice cream shop in the nation, opened in 1885 by a Quaker schoolteacher who churned early batches with mule power. Seven years later, Bassetts became the first merchant to sign a lease at Reading Terminal. Among dozens of flavors it offers today, its best known for its 16% butterfat vanilla. But for elevated frozen fun, kick your order up to the Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream — the same creamy vanilla, mixed with chocolate-covered pretzels and a salted caramel swirl.

Sure, Thanksgiving is great, but what if you put it on a sandwich? You may have had Thanksgiving-on-a-roll before, but you’ve never had it like this. A staple at the market for four decades, the turkeys at The Original Turkey are still roasted and carved by the hands of founder Roger Bassett at the rate of 40 a day. His signature Stuffin’ Cranberry Sandwich starts with brined, herb-rubbed and steam roasted turkey breast which is piled between freshly baked sourdough slices or into a Liscio’s long roll along with homestyle stuffing and cranberry sauce topped with brown gravy.

Many visitors never leave Reading Terminal Market without a churro from El Merkury, made-to-order looped fried cinnamon sticks — in dozen flavors like Mayan chocolate, South Philly and tres leches — protruding from a cup of ice cream. But those in-the-know also head for the Central American street food shop’s Salvadorian Pupusas, grilled meat-filled tortilla-like masa pockets offered in black bean quesillo, chicharron pork, jalapeño bean or loroco & cheese varieties topped with spicy salsa, pickled onions and curtido slaw. A breakfast version with a nestled fried egg is also available.

It’s two Philly essentials in one bite. The Miller’s Twist soft pretzel stall’s signature stuffed specialty is the Cheesesteak Pretzel Roll-Up — a creative and delicious twist on the classic sandwich — with sliced rib-eye and provolone inside a fresh-baked buttery soft pretzel log that Buzzfeed describes as “to die for.” Unlike traditional Philadelphia soft pretzels, Miller’s “Amish pretzels” are less dense and chewy than its streetcart counterparts, hand-rolled behind the counter, brushed with butter and served warm. More roll-up varieties include chicken feta sausage, jalapeño cheddar and a half-dozen breakfast styles.

After years serving Philadelphians (from a South Philly shop, to a food truck, then a pop-up cart), Mark and Tia El opened the first Black-owned bakery in Reading Terminal’s history in 2021. Sweet T’s Bakery’s signature dish is Tia’s classic Sweet Potato Pie with graham cracker crust, along with a bevy of specialty sweet potato items like cheesecake, pound cake and cupcakes (and even a bagel with sweet potato butter). The pies also come in three-inch mini versions, so grab one for a snack or easily take them to go.

The name Saami Somi comes from Kartuli for the “three doughs” on which Georgian cuisine is based: Khinkali dumplings, Chudu fried turnovers and Traditional Khachapuri — filled sourdough “cheeseboats,” the former Soviet republic’s national dish. Hand-kneaded leavened sourdough (from a years-old starter named Lucile) is formed in a boat shape, open-face stuffed with Bulgarian feta and suluguni, baked until fluffy inside and crisp outside, topped with butter and egg yolk, and served with adjika sunflower oil dip. Saami Somi serves several other varieties, including tomato shakshuka, honey brie and rotating specials.

The charming Dutch Eating Place, run by Amish and Mennonite families, is best known for its cinnamon-scented apple dumplings, made from whole apples coated in a sugar-cinnamon, wrapped in pastry and drizzled with warm cream. But if you’re looking for a knife-and-fork meal with a similar taste profile, try the fabulous Apple Cinnamon French Toast, fluffy homestyle egg-soaked cinnamon toast covered in powdered sugar and more cinnamon and served with maple syrup, a generous chunk of fresh-churned butter, three slices of thick crispy turkey bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice.

At Sang Kee Peking Duck House, it’s difficult to choose between the myriad of gorgeously burnished meats hanging on display. Thankfully, you don’t have to by ordering the Roast Duck & Pork Custom Two Meat Platter, showcasing a duo of popular Cantonese-style meats — Peking duck with crispy skin and deeply flavored roast pork — served with tender bright green baby yu choy and duck juice. The dish is traditionally served atop sticky rice, but give it a boost of carb flavor by swapping the rice for steaming hot soup noodles.

A plethora of flavorful authentic dishes from Thailand highlight the menu at Little Thai Market, like shrimp pad thai, chicken basil, spring rolls, steamed crab dumplings and coconut soup. But the crowds often line up long for a singular item: the popular Salmon Curry. The spicy comfort food dish consists of a large grilled salmon filet served with crunchy steamed broccoli bathed in an aromatic creamy red curry coconut milk sauce, all atop a heap of steamed jasmine rice (or sub noodles for some carby goodness).

When Soul Food Café owner KeVen Parker passed away in 2021, the cafe’s former manager Perry Ison took over his spot at Reading Terminal, retaining the soul food menu with Ma Lessie’s Chicken & Waffles (named for Ison’s grandmother) and the eponymous dish as its spotlight item. The Classic Chicken & Waffles at Ma Lessie’s features a comforting combination of savory crispy fried chicken breast, wing and drumstick pieces served with toasty buttery waffle rounds along with warm sweet syrup. Fruit-infused waffles are also available.

There are plenty of whoopies at Reading Terminal, but nobody makes the regional treat like whimsical Flying Monkey Bakery. A traditional Whoopee Pie is two chocolate cake rounds filled with fluffy frosting, and Flying Monkey offers over 30 tasty creative fillings. Styles include a dozen chocolate flavors (like cookies & cream, Guinness, and orange), eight kinds each of banana (try the Elvis) and pumpkin, four styles of oatmeal and five of lemon. (Most also available dipped in 72 % dark chocolate.) Don’t miss the famous Whoopwich, chocolate chip cakes with chocolate chip filling.