Last Minute Foodie Advice - Philadelphia

Because DBR knows all the good places to eat...

I'm headed up tomorrow to see the Braves - Phillies. 1:05 game. A Philly native friend suggested Chickies and Pete's or Xfinity Live for a good pre/post game hangout. I'm looking for any other suggestions for food inside Citizens Bank Park, where to eat dinner before heading out of town that night (I'm partial to Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives type places - locally owned, something I can't really get anywhere else), and any cultural/historical spots that I could hit quickly on my one day trip.

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Originally Posted by kmspeaks

Because DBR knows all the good places to eat...

I'm headed up tomorrow to see the Braves - Phillies. 1:05 game. A Philly native friend suggested Chickies and Pete's or Xfinity Live for a good pre/post game hangout. I'm looking for any other suggestions for food inside Citizens Bank Park, where to eat dinner before heading out of town that night (I'm partial to Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives type places - locally owned, something I can't really get anywhere else), and any cultural/historical spots that I could hit quickly on my one day trip.

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Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks on 9th Street, which are the places a cousin says the tourists go, or Jim's Steaks on 4th Street where my cousin claims the Philly residents eat;). Monk's Cafe for a beer or three from their extensive Belgian beer list, perhaps one of the larger ones in the US.

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Originally Posted by devildeac

Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks on 9th Street, which are the places a cousin says the tourists go, or Jim's Steaks on 4th Street where my cousin claims the Philly residents eat;). Monk's Cafe for a beer or three from their extensive Belgian beer list, perhaps one of the larger ones in the US.

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I agree with these suggestions - I slightly prefer Jim's but Geno's and Pat's are closer to the stadium and in a generally less crowded area. A lot of Philly natives swear by D'Allesandro's near Manayunk, but that is even further from the baseball stadium.

Between the game and your cheesesteak, you won't have a lot of time to do much else if it is just a day trip.

I had terrific coffee here: https://elixrcoffee.com/

Also, the cups are from a cool design studio in California, I believe, and the top of the handle is flush w/ the top of the cup, if that makes sense, making it really easy to rest your thumb. Which is important in Philadelphia.

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Originally Posted by CrazyNotCrazie

I agree with these suggestions - I slightly prefer Jim's but Geno's and Pat's are closer to the stadium and in a generally less crowded area. A lot of Philly natives swear by D'Allesandro's near Manayunk, but that is even further from the baseball stadium.

Between the game and your cheesesteak, you won't have a lot of time to do much else if it is just a day trip.

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Should we even mention a pork sammich? ;)

Some of the best, reasonably priced food can be found at small bar/restaurants in the Italian Market area of South Philly...some great Italian non fancypants places...

City Tavern, near the Liberty Bell. It's where the founding fathers went to party after signing the declaration. All the food is based on 18th century fare.

I'll add South Philly Barbacoa (weird hours), Tommy Dinics and Beilers bakery in Reading terminal, and John's Roast Pork (a little out of the way?) to the list, and I'll second the Monks recommendation.

Han Dynasty isn't bad for Chinese, and I've always wanted to get into Zahav but haven't been able to. The off-shoot fast casual Dizengoff is really good too.

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Originally Posted by devildeac

Should we even mention a pork sammich? ;)

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Only, and I mean only, if it includes the broccoli rabe.

DiNic’s anyone?

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Originally Posted by Dr. Rosenrosen

Only, and I mean only, if it includes the broccoli rabe.

DiNic’s anyone?

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That was my intent. ;)

Maybe see if you can get into Zahav. It is only the best restaurant in the entire country. Good luck with a reservation... I've been trying to get one for about 3 years.

-Jason "I keed, I keed... just looking for an excuse to moan about how hard it is to get a reservation at Zahav" Evans

P.S. - In all seriousness, check out Beiler's Doughnuts in Reading Terminal Market... you won't be sorry. Maybe the best doughnuts I have ever eaten" Evans

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Originally Posted by devildeac

Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks on 9th Street, which are the places a cousin says the tourists go, or Jim's Steaks on 4th Street where my cousin claims the Philly residents eat;).

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I get that Pat's and Geno's are an institution, and probably worth visiting at least once, but I remember going during a trip to Philadelphia and discovering...it's just a cheesesteak. All credit to them for inventing it, but when it spread to other places, people pretty much replicated it fine (and improved on it, with cheeses other than whiz). So go for the fun of it, but don't expect it to taste any better than any other cheesesteak you've had in your life.

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Originally Posted by Truth&Justise

I get that Pat's and Geno's are an institution, and probably worth visiting at least once, but I remember going during a trip to Philadelphia and discovering...it's just a cheesesteak. All credit to them for inventing it, but when it spread to other places, people pretty much replicated it fine (and improved on it, with cheeses other than whiz). So go for the fun of it, but don't expect it to taste any better than any other cheesesteak you've had in your life.

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I had a long talk with a Philly friend the other day about this (and I will humbly add that I once had an article written about me in the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding cheesesteaks).

As you say, almost every neighborhood place serves up a solid cheesesteak, and much of the credit goes to the roll...Amoroso being my favorite. You very rarely find this perfect roll in other cities, and it's absolutely crucial.

You can have decent beef, onions, and whiz or not (I cringed at first, but concede it has merit) but without a real Italian Philly roll, the end product suffers. I always liked Jim's downtown, but my neighborhood joints in West
Philly served up similarly excellent versions. I'd go to one of the famous joints only if I stumbled upon it...

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Originally Posted by budwom

I had a long talk with a Philly friend the other day about this (and I will humbly add that I once had an article written about me in the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding cheesesteaks).

As you say, almost every neighborhood place serves up a solid cheesesteak, and much of the credit goes to the roll...Amoroso being my favorite. You very rarely find this perfect roll in other cities, and it's absolutely crucial.

You can have decent beef, onions, and whiz or not (I cringed at first, but concede it has merit) but without a real Italian Philly roll, the end product suffers. I always liked Jim's downtown, but my neighborhood joints in West
Philly served up similarly excellent versions. I'd go to one of the famous joints only if I stumbled upon it...

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Now I'm hungry...

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Originally Posted by devildeac

Now I'm hungry...

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And presumably also thirsty . . . . . . . :o

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Originally Posted by Tripping William

And presumably also thirsty . . . . . . . :o

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LOL. Not until tomorrow when I will indeed grill some peppers and onions and slap them on top of a couple provolone-smothered cheesesteaks on some respectable, but non-Amoroso rolls and wash them down with a chilled adult beverage or two for dinner with Mrs. dd.

;)

Reading Terminal Market has been mentioned a few times. It's awesome with a full array of Philadelphia's favorite foods. Highly recommend.

https://readingterminalmarket.org/

kmspeaks may be on a tight schedule, but it would be worth a try in the morning before the baseball game.

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Originally Posted by roywhite

Reading Terminal Market has been mentioned a few times. It's awesome with a full array of Philadelphia's favorite foods. Highly recommend.

https://readingterminalmarket.org/

kmspeaks may be on a tight schedule, but it would be worth a try in the morning before the baseball game.

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Ha! Great minds and all that stuff as I just finished perusing the Reading Terminal Market map/vendors earlier this afternoon, now having to clean my keyboard again...

:o

I will take this opportunity to heap scorn and mockery on Xfinity Live. It has all the charm and atmosphere of an overpriced mall food court. (yeah, there's beer and lots of TV's, but still). It is the worst possible pre- or post-game option in South Philly. I was in there once for a corporate event, and will never go back.

The Philadium on Packer Avenue is more my speed, and is an easy walk to the assorted stadia. http://www.philadium.com/

I also have a soft spot for Tony Luke's on Front and Oregon, although there's also a Tony Luke's in Ashburn Alley, in the outfield concourse area.

I am not a Philly native, but after a couple decades of "research" I have come to the conclusion that the Italian roast pork is a truer, more iconic Philly sandwich than the cheesesteak. I also prefer long hots over broccoli rabe, although on occasion I will live large and order both on my sammich. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by roywhite

Reading Terminal Market has been mentioned a few times. It's awesome with a full array of Philadelphia's favorite foods. Highly recommend.

https://readingterminalmarket.org/

kmspeaks may be on a tight schedule, but it would be worth a try in the morning before the baseball game.

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