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Heading to Philly for a weekend --- Any good recommendations??

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My fiance and I are heading to Philly for the weekend and would love some authentic Philly food experiences. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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  1. The Philly Cheese Steak sandwich is a must. I cannot recommend any one purveyor of this Philadelphia original, but can suggest that you request provolone instead of 'squeeze cheese', the stuff that comes outta a squeeze bottle. The 2 well known places in the Italian neighborhood are kinda quirky...one place expects you to speak some alien language when it comes to ordering. They are located across from each other.

    Buon appetito!

    1. Hit South Street, along with Jim's Steaks at 4th and South, there are many, many sweet restaurants in the area...enjoy!


      1. Head into China Town, go to Sang Kee Duck House.... Go to South Philly walk down 9th st. the Italian market, , get mussels in red sause at Villa De Roma. Check out Isgros bakery, the smell alone will make you swoon...

        1. In my opinion the quintessential food experience in Philadelphia begins with the Reading Terminal Market.. Between the Dutch Eating place, the roast pork at DiNics (which I think is far superior sandwich to the cheesesteak), and the amish purveyors that are there, it is a great place to start.

          I would add in Capogiro's gelato, and Naked Chocolate Cafe for hot chocolate and great candy.

          If you go to South Philadelphia, you might enjoy a local italian place like Marra's for their wood fired pizza as well as one of a number of bakeries that produce italian bake goods. Termini's and Isgro's are probably the best known. (Termini's also has an outlet in the Reading Terminal).

          1. definitely start with the reading terminal market. make it lunch or earlier on SATURDAY - sunday it's open, but not nearly as impressive as many of the vendors are not open on sunday. you pretty much can't go wrong at the RTM, and it's a wonderfully overwhelming and totally philly experience for locals and tourists alike.

            where are you staying? have a price range or particular atmosphere you're looking for, for dinners? are you open to BYOBs (i really think philly excels in these - they are generally intimate and have some of the best food to be found IMO) or sticking with places with a liquor license? there are a million places we could recommend and it would help if we could narrow it down for you with this criteria.

            2 Replies
            1. re: rabidog

              I'm open to any type of atmosphere. We're only staying in Philly for a short amount of time and I wanted to have an authentic Philly experience. I want to try dishes that I wouldn't necessarily get if I were staying in another city. We're staying at the Marriott near the airport.

              Thanks for your help!

              1. re: Danielle11

                The Reading Terminal Market is a must. We tried everything from cheese steak sandwiches, Amish food, pork and broccoli rabe sandwiches, Delilah's famous mac and cheese, fried chicken, ice cream and ribs (not necessarily in that order). It's a food lover's mecca.