The motherload! Reading Terminal Market - My alltime favourite place in Philadelphia. That probably says a lot about me...
Reading Terminal Market is situated directly next to Market East Station and is a covered market with a multitude food stalls and restaurants. And it's honestly one of the best eating spots I've been to. If you're a lover of food, you can't walk around the market without a huge smile on your face. The biggest problem you'll find in this place is deciding where to eat. I was in Philly for 5 days and it was not long enough to try everything on offer here.
Notice the cute little bronze pig in the last picture. That is exactly how I felt leaving the market, except not bronze and not cute but definitely feeling porkier than when I arrived.
My first stop in Reading Terminal Market was Miller's Twist.
Miller's Twist is a great pretzel and ice cream stall with glass partition around the back where they can see the guys making the fresh pretzels. Despite not being that hungry, the smell and sight of those freshly baked pretzels immediately drew me in.
Fresh, hot and delicious. You cannot go wrong with a Miller's Twist pretzel. In a city famous for its pretzels, I think I chose wisely.
I came back the next day to try a full on meal at Reading Terminal Market. As I have already made clear, I am a fan of Adam Richman and Man vs. Food so I had to try Dinic's Roast Pork and Beef.
Having eaten at Paesano's the day before, I was hoping Dinic's could match up with the awesomeness I had experienced. I opted for the roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, the sandwich Adam Richman had heralded as the best sandwich in America.
The photo above does not show this sandwich in the best light but it was huge and tasty. Surprisingly the broccoli rabe was my favourite part of this sandwich. It was tangy and delicious. The pork itself was roasted beautifully and the provolone added an interesting dimension. However altogether it was a bit of a let down. I had maybe hyped up this sandwich in my head too much so it couldn't help but be a let down but I was expecting more. I'm not the biggest fan of pork so maybe a pork lover would find this sandwich the bomb but I'm glad I tried it and I would definitely try another sandwich if I've ever went back.
My favourite spot in Reading Terminal Market is The Dutch Eating Place. It is a great spot for breakfast and lunch in the market. It's a cute and unique dining experience. There's only counter seating and you're served by friendly Pennsylvanian Dutch servers. They were super friendly and the service was quick and homely.
I'm a huge breakfast person and the breakfasts at the Dutch Eating Place are amazing. I ate breakfast twice during my time in Philly. I had a regular stack of hotcakes on the first day and then I tried the breakfast special which was turkey bacon with a short stack of blueberry pancakes.
I have to say that the pancakes both days were awesome. The regular stack is absolutely huge and I could not finish them and I always finish my food.
Now for my favourite food at the Dutch Eating Place - the famous hot apple dumpling.
It might not look like much in the photo above but oh my god, did it taste awesome! I'm not the biggest fan of baked apple products but I would eat this every single day if I had the chance. It's probably about a million calories with the whipped cream on top but whatever, I did a lot of walking while I was holiday. This is a recipe I will definitely be attempting to recreate at some point. The crust was warm and delicious, the apple was soft and juicy and had the perfect balance of cinnamon and apple. Desserts do not come better than this.
I also tried some other foods while I was at Reading Terminal Market that I didn't capture on camera but are also worth trying. The donuts and pies at Beiler's Bakery are gorgeously sinful treats that you just can't pass up. The Termini Brothers $2 cake special is also worth a try and at that price, you really can't go wrong. I also picked up a quick creole chicken and corn soup at Beck's Cajun Cafe. It was tasty but nothing to write home about. As I sat at the counter eating the hot soup during the middle of a heatwave, I was definitely thinking I had made a mistake. But if it's soup you're after, this is a good place to try.
I cannot wait to go back to Philly and Reading Terminal Market. The city itself it beautiful and interesting. The clash of olde worlde America and the urban landscape makes Philadelphia a truly unique place. And the eats... you can eat to your heart's content in Philly and that in itself is a beautiful thing. And after just one hot apple dumpling, the world can seem a brighter place.
Find out more:
Reading Terminal Market
DiNic's Roast Pork and Beef
Miller's Twist
Beck's Cajun Cafe
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