Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Eat & Drink

Eat

See the Philadelphia#Districts|Districts articles for specific listings.

Philly's most famous homegrown food is the cheesesteak, a sandwich made of a fresh roll filled with grilled shaved beef and cheese (as well as onions, mushrooms, and other optional sides). The spiritual homes of the cheesesteak are Pat's King of Steaks [1] (where 9th Street crosses Wharton & Passyunk Ave.), where the cheesesteak was invented, and Geno's Steaks (9th & Passyunk), where they claim to have improved on Pat's version. You can expect to pay around $9 for a cheesesteak, fries, and a soda at either one. Although Pat's and Geno's are the most famous cheesesteak joints, there are many others to choose from, particularly in South Philadelphia—many prefer Jim's Steaks [2] or Tony Luke's [3].

Philadelphia's most famous snack is the salted soft pretzel, which, while shaped with the three holes like soft pretzels everywhere else, are distinctive in that they are flattened into a wide rectangle and are made in long chains in which the wide sides of the pretzels are attached. A person may typically buy two, three, or more attached pretzels at a convenience store or from a street vendor. The price is low, especially compared to national vendor brands sold in other cities and in malls. Unlike pretzels served in many other cities, Philly pretzels are not served hot, but at room temperature.

The most famous sweet snack is from the Tastykake brand. Their main factory is on Hunting Park Avenue east of Fairmount Park, so every flavor and type of TastyKake is sold in Philadelphia, and they are usually extra fresh, since they do not have to travel far to the retail outlet. Still, to out-of-towners, the appeal of these over other mass-produced confections may not be immediately apparent.

Also unique to the Philadelphia area are Goldenberg's Peanut Chews [4], a bit-sized chocolate bar with a chewy peanut center. Originally developed as a high-energy ration bar during WWI, but still popular today!