Best Food & Shops in Philadelphia's Famous Reading Terminal Market

What is Reading Terminal Market? Well, it's one of Philadelphia's best-known "local flavor" spots. Located just east of Broad Street and just north of Market, right in the middle of Center City, it's a building spanning nearly a whole square city block. The building houses a tasty collection of vendors selling everything from locally-produced wine and baked goods to cookbooks and locally-grown produce. A popular lunch spot for tourists and locals alike, Reading Terminal Market (or "RTM") is always bustling with people shopping, eating, or just wandering through the vendors' booths taking pictures.

Tourists stop to taste pork sandwiches and Italian pastries. Locals come by to pick up some groceries for dinner and to say hello to the cooks at Delilah's as they serve up some hearty southern soul food (her macaroni and cheese was featured on an episode of Showdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network). Jurors and lawyers on lunch breaks walk the block between the Criminal Justice Center and RTM to eat lunch while listening to local musicians perform near the tables for people dining in.

As a Philadelphia resident for 10 years now, I've gone from someone who loved discovering what RTM had to offer to people looking for a quick bite to eat, to someone who more often visits RTM to pick up a chicken and some vegetables to roast for dinner tonight. In this hub, I'll share some tips on my favorite vendors at RTM in the hopes of helping others navigate its sometimes overwhelming array of options more comfortably.

Reading Terminal is located near City Hall and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in a building that essentially spans the entire block between 11th and 12th Streets, and between Filbert and Arch Streets in the Market East section of Center City Philadelphia. It's open 7 days a week: 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, and 9 am to 5 pm on Sundays, although not all vendors are open on Sunday.

RTM is home to several very popular Pennsylvania Dutch vendors, mostly in the corner of the building closest to 12th & Arch Streets. They include the Lancaster County Dairy, a produce stand, a BBQ stand, a bakery, a butcher, and a deli. Those vendors are closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays; they typically open at 8 am on the other days and shut down at 3 pm on Wednesdays, and at 5 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

RTM is conveniently located near the Market East SEPTA regional rail stop, and near the City Hall stop on the Broad Street subway line. If you drive to RTM, you can park for up to 2 hours for only $4 if you can snag a spot in the garage at 12th & Filbert (entrances on all 4 sides of RTM). You just have to spend $10 or more in RTM, and ask a vendor to validate your ticket.

Many, if not most, vendors take credit cards, although you may run into one here and there that's cash only. Not to worry -- there are ATMs inside RTM too.

Although there are multiple vendors at RTM selling fresh fruits and vegetables, Iovine Brothers is by far the most popular. In my experience, they have the best selection of produce, and their prices are sometimes mind-bogglingly low. Iovine Brothers is located along the Filbert Street side of RTM right next to the 2 eastern-most entrances to RTM. They have a fantastic variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, and fresh herbs. Not all of their produce is locally grown, but they do carry a fair amount of local veggies, and it's hard to beat their prices. It's not uncommon to see workers from other RTM vendors milling about the rows of produce at Iovine Brothers snagging some ingredients for their own foods. You won't find fruits and vegetables in any grocery store that are nearly as fresh or nearly as cheap as the produce for sale at Iovine Brothers.

A few rows to the north (towards Arch Street), just past the center seating area full of tables, is the Spice Terminal. This little shop has just about any spice or dried herb you'll ever see listed in any recipe (including any recipe contained in RTM's own cookbook, which is linked below), and the prices are great. They also sell loose tea and coffee beans, which you can scoop yourself in any amount you like. Other shelves are lined with miscellaneous pantry items, like chicken stock, vinegar, rice, beans, and the list goes on. And if you need little bottles to hold your new spices, they sell those too.

In my adult life, I've never encountered the wonderful selection of fresh meats, seafood and poultry that's available within the walls of RTM. There are several butchers, poultry counters, and seafood shops selling just about any protein you might need. To me, the best place to find chicken is Godshall's Poultry, which is basically between Iovine Brothers and the Spice Terminal. The guys working there really know their poultry, and it's always so busy that you have to take a number and wait to be called to the counter. It's worth the wait, though. They have fresh eggs, and all kinds of turkey and chicken parts. I've sampled their roasting chickens, their chicken breasts, their chicken cutlets, and I've made chicken stock with their stewing chickens. It's all been delicious, and the quality and prices are superior to anything you'd find in a supermarket.

For other meats, I go to Giunta's Prime Shop, which is right behind Iovine Brothers. Again, the prices and quality far exceed the meat section at SuperFresh. They sell chicken too, but their strength is their other meats -- beautiful pork chops (bone in and bone out), perfect london broil steaks, beef cubes that make for delicious stew, and a selection of ground meats that will satisfy anyone's taste for burgers, meatballs or meatloaf.

Just this week, I had my first experience with RTM's array of seafood vendors, and I was not surprised to learn that there are more choices than I knew of. After studying the selection of seafood at 3 of RTM's fish places, I was convinced that John Yi Fish Market had the best array of fresh fish in the building. They also scored points with me by having some of the friendliest and most knowledgable people working behind the counter that I had the pleasure of meeting during my afternoon of grocery shopping at RTM. I left with some beautiful jumbo lump crab for a soup I was making, and with lots of ideas about future meals as well.

One of the best aspects of Reading Terminal is its selection of sinfully sweet dessert spots. Picking the spot that's right for you depends on the type of dessert you're seeking. If you want chocolate chip cookies, head directly to Famous 4th Street Cookies (a vendor that's a spin-off of a great deli on 4th Street in Philadelphia). You won't find better chocolate chip cookies anywhere, and that's the opinion of someone who fancies herself a chocolate expert. If you want classic Italian pastries -- tiramisu, cannoli, or ricotta cheesecake -- proceed directly to Termini Brothers (a vendor that's a spin-off of an authentic south Philadelphia Italian bakery) and check out what they're featuring in their display cases. Famous 4th Street and Termini Brothers are near one another, both located in the southwest corner of RTM.

If you want cupcakes -- a baked good that's been taking Philadelphia by storm of late -- you'll want to pay a visit to the Flying Monkey Patisserie, located near the Spice Terminal on the east side of the public seating area. Flying Monkey offers an ever-changing and uber-creative assortment of cupcake flavors, from traditional chocolate or vanilla to more adventurous Lavender or Green Mint Chocolate Chip. They also sell other baked goods -- brownies, cakes, scones, etc. -- but I'd start with a cupcake or two on your first visit. Probably two -- they're not huge, the icing is miraculously light, and they're highly addictive.

In the end, here's what I hope you take away from this hub: Everyone should experience Reading Terminal Market at least once. There's truly something in there for everyone. Whether you live in Philadelphia or you're just visiting, whether you're hungry for a fruit smoothie or a plate of Cajun food, whether you're shopping for a fresh baguette or a whole fish to grill for dinner, RTM has what you're looking for. I have no doubt that it's full of delightful surprises that I've yet to discover. But the places I've included here are a good start -- and if you have favorite spots of your own that you think I should revisit or try for the first time, please let me know in the comment section below.