Real Food Travel: Philadelphia
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Philadelphia is a great place for a family vacation. The fifth largest city in the U.S. is home to lots of learning adventures, including historical landmarks, museums, and universities galore. There are sculptures and murals all around the city, so there’s something to see at every turn. Independence National Historical Park is a cornerstone of U.S. history, and dozens of universities bring a sense of intellect and culture to the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia is also home to a vibrant culinary scene. Sure, you can find lots of greasy cheese steaks and sugar-dipped soft pretzels, but you won’t have a problem finding real food on a vacation here. The locavore movement is thriving in Philly, and there are loads of restaurants and markets that feature healthy food options. My family recently visited Philadelphia for a weekend, and it was a challenge to choose from the many restaurants I wanted to try. I’d have to write a book to cover everything, but here are some highlights of healthy, locavore food in Philadelphia.
Restaurants
Marathon: The first thing many travelers want to eat when they visit Philadelphia is a cheese steak. This is typically greasy, unhealthy comfort food doused in Cheez Whiz, but there are better options available. Marathon serves a delicious cheese steak made with grass-fed beef and homemade cheese sauce. This was the first place we brought our kids to eat during our recent trip to Philly, and it was the perfect start to our vacation. The servings were hearty and delicious. Our water glasses were filled repeatedly without us asking, and the staff was friendly and attentive. The children’s menu has several good options outside the typical kid fare.
Talula’s Garden and Talula’s Daily: This beautiful restaurant in Washington Square features a seasonal, monthly rotating family-style dinner menu. Many ingredients on the menu come from local farmers and cheese producers. Talula’s Garden is the dinner restaurant, and Talula’s Daily is the counter-service market that serves casual food from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The market is exactly the kind of place I’m looking for when I travel with my family. We ate lunch at Talula’s Daily, and it was perfect. I enjoyed a delicious cauliflower chickpea salad, and my kids loved the apple grilled cheese. My husband had a fantastic pork sandwich with a colorful slaw. With its many locally produced specialty foods and artisan cheeses, this would be the perfect place to fill a picnic basket.
Pumpkin Restaurant features a creative menu that changes daily according to what fresh, local ingredients are in season. The cozy dining room is decorated with locally reclaimed materials. This looks like a great place to celebrate a special occasion.
City Tavern is a unique dining experience based on the kinds of food that were served in 18th century colonial America. The award-winning children’s menu has lots of real food, including turkey pot pie, fish and chips, and grilled ham and cheese baked from an 18th century recipe.
Sabrina’s Cafe is said to offer one of the best breakfasts in town, serving up meals at four locations throughout the city. The menu stresses local and organic ingredients. Offerings include whole wheat pancakes, house-made granola, and many vegetarian options. Sabrina’s is famous for its long lines, so call ahead to put your name on the list.
JG Domestic offers a lunch and dinner menu focused on local, seasonal ingredients. Many items on the menu include produce, herbs, honey, and eggs from the chef’s farm in Buck’s County. Pastured meats and organic dairy are featured on this impressive menu. JG Domestic is another restaurant where you can get a specialty cheese steak made with high-quality, local beef.
FARMiCia is a restaurant in Old City that focuses on local, organic, and artisanal ingredients. The restaurant supports sustainable agriculture, and its menu is full of creative options. This would be a great place to celebrate a special occasion.
White Dog Cafe opened in 1983 as one of the pioneering farm to table restaurants in Philly. Located in University City, the majority of their ingredients are sourced from local farms within 50 miles of the restaurant. They focus on organic ingredients, pasture-fed and humanely raised animals, and fair trade tea, coffee, and chocolate. Fair trade triple chocolate mousse cake? Yes, please!
The Farm and Fisherman is a small farm to table restaurant in Washington Square. The menu focuses on locavore cuisine, and it changes with the seasons. The menu may not be appealing to kids, so this would be good for a night out without children.
Vedge is one of the country’s most celebrated vegan restaurants. It offers a creative, vegetable-based menu that’s inspired by seasonal produce. The restaurant is popular with vegetarians and omnivores alike.
For more information about restaurants in Philadelphia, check out Visit Philly’s food section.
Markets
Reading Terminal Market: If you visit Philadelphia, this is one place you don’t want to miss. Located in the heart of the city, this huge public market is home to nearly 80 vendors. Shops include bakeries, restaurants, specialty foods, produce, and housewares. You can get whole grain spelt bread and award-winning granola at Metropolitan Bakery, or pick up some Amish donuts, pickles, and salads at Beiler’s. There are also dozens of ethnic restaurants to choose from if you visit at mealtime.
Italian Market: America’s oldest outdoor market is home to a variety of specialty food vendors, selling items including produce, pasta, meat, baked goods, and cheese. The market also hosts an Italian festival in May each year.
Farmers’ Markets: There are over 50 farmers’ markets in Philadelphia. If you’re visiting Philadelphia during the growing season, farmers’ markets are a great place to get a sense of the local food scene and pick up some real food.
Healthy Corner Stores: As part of Food Fit Philly’s initiative to bring healthy food to every neighborhood in Philadelphia, you can find healthy corner stores all throughout the city.
Philadelphia between Meals
There’s so much to see and do in Philadelphia. We took a bus tour with Big Bus Company to get the lay of the land, and this is a great way to start if you haven’t been here before. I loved that we could get on and off at the different attractions throughout the city. If you have kids, there are a few spots you won’t want to miss.
Independence National Historical Park: Pennsylvania’s biggest tourist attraction includes Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. See where it all began for the U.S.
Liberty 360 3D Show: This 15-minute 3D movie is hosted by Ben Franklin, and it highlights America’s symbols of freedom. My kids loved this experience.
Franklin Institute: This science museum is full of fascinating exhibits for kids and adults. You can even ride a bike across a tightrope.
Please Touch Museum: This museum is targeted to children under 7 years old, and it gets rave reviews from kids and parents alike.
Smith Playground: This enormous playground is one of the best I’ve ever visited, and the highlight is a 40-foot wooden slide. We met friends here, and our group included children from ages 1 to 10. Everyone was thoroughly entertained for hours.
Franklin Square: Another popular playground in Philadelphia, Franklin Square includes a carousel, mini golf course, marble fountain, and play structures. This fun family park has something for kids of multiples ages as well.
Have you visited Philadelphia with your family? I’d love to hear about it – especially what you ate! Please comment below with your suggestions for real food in Philly.
If you have the bug for real food travel, check out the other posts in this series:
Providence, Rhode Island
Boston, Massachusetts
Burlington, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Real Food at the Beach
Real Food at Walt Disney World
Disclosure: DiscoverPHL provided my family with passes to several local attractions. All opinions expressed here are 100% mine. We can’t wait to visit Philly again.
What a great post. I have so much more to look forward living in Philly. We will only be in the area for 2 years in july. See you at the conference!
Thanks, Noelle! You’re lucky to live in Philly – it’s such a great city.
Oh I miss Philly . I went to a small dinner named the Star when I was there last. I want to go back .
Mmmm maybe before my summer is over it is only 5 hours.
Thanks for the diner tip! Philly is definitely worth the drive. 🙂
This post is awesome!! My boyfriend moved to Philly a few months ago so when I visit I love to explore! Sabrina’s is the best brunch place. He lives right near the University City location! I am obsessed with Reading Terminal Market … it reminds me of a Covered Market in Oxford, England where I used to go all of the time when I studied there. And, the Italian Market reallllly is a taste of Italy. Well, I’ve never been to Italy but it feels really genuine at the Italian Market 🙂 BIG thanks for the restaurant list … we’re always looking for a place to eat and sometimes get overwhelmed with choices and reviews.
Thanks, Kate! I hope you get to try some of the restaurants on this list. I really want to eat at Sabrina’s the next time we’re in Philly.
Great round up of local places in Philly! We love Josh Lawler’s The Farm in Fishermen! Of course the Reading Terminal Market is amazing with all that it has to offer and the White Dog Cafe…fabulous! Now I want to head dowin into the city for breakfast , lunch, and dinner!
Thanks, Lauryn! There are so many great choices in Philly. We’ll have to visit again soon to try some more of these places. I wish I had picked up some more things to try from Reading Terminal Market.