Best places to eat in Philadelphia, PA
Philly has some unbelievable food options.Here's my guide to eating awesome food in Philly....
Philadelphia is loaded with food options. From brunch to bagels to cheesesteaks galore to ice cream to donuts to burgers to pretzels, the choices are endless. I would need a good month to get it all in. Unfortunately, I had only had the weekend to get in as much as possible. After a significant amount of research, I succeeded. Here are some options to guide you on how to eat a weekend in Philly.
Breakfast & Brunch
Bagels were a priority on this trip. My girlfriend is from New York and, therefore, she is a bagel snob. Philly has about over 20 bagel shops to choose from. Most of them have unique types of bagel flavors, unconventional cream cheese spreads, and delicious sandwich options. We chose Chestnut Street Bagels on the way to Rittenhouse Square. The options for type of bagel and spreads were extensive. In addition, there are a good amount of intriguing options for sandwiches. The only downside would be that you have to order and leave. The shop is small and they have an inside bench that can seat at most 4 people. Luckily, we got there before it got too busy and were able to snag a spot. I selected the french toast bagel with a honey pecan cream cheese and my girlfriend went with the everything bagel and cheddar horseradish spread. The bagels were fresh and hit the spot!
I need to breathe a second before I write about the Brunch we had….. I’m ready. I came here the last time I was in Philly and I felt the same way. If there is one place in Philly you have to go, it is Green Eggs Cafe. Everything on the menu sounds dynamite. And, the specials each time sound even better. Both my meals here, I have to put in my top 5 all time breakfasts. We started with some boozy drinks, my girlfriend had a peach bellini and mine was an orange 'creamsicle' mimosa. The specials included breakfast egg rolls stuffed with bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese served with a chili thai sauce. No brainer selection. I had the “Mexican Benedict” that consisted of 2 poached eggs & chipotle braised chicken with tortilla chips served on a cheese quesadilla with chipotle hollandaise sauce. My girlfriend went on the sweeter side, there was a special for a stack of blueberry pie pancakes. Note, there is always a line but it goes fast. Later you go in the morning, the longer the wait. And, they are cash only.
Lunch & Dinner
Decisions...decisions...decisions. Two of the most popular cheesesteak shops sit directly across from each other. A 15 minute uber ride from downtown will take you to the location of Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. Both shops have lines in the streets at all times. They are both open 24 hours. We went with Pat’s. Boy, do they have this down to a science. There is no waiting once you are at the ordering windows. Customers quickly put in their order, pay, and cheesesteaks in hand. I went with provolone on mine and my girlfriend got the cheese whiz. Cheese whiz won. They both were good cheesesteaks. Also, they had pizza fries which were french fries with a red sauce and cheese on them. As simple as it may sound, they were amazing.
As in most of my travels, I try to venture to local food spots as seen on Diners,Drive-Ins, & Dives. Guy Fieri knows exactly where Flavortown is! On this trip, there were many on this list and we went with the Good Dog Bar. This cool little spot was very welcoming. To my surprise, there were pictures of dogs all along the walls of the bar. We were very hungry and started with the cheesesteak empanada and fried pickles. THe fried pickles were average but the goat cheese ranch sauce was phenomenal. I could use jars of that weekly. I even saved what we had left for fries later on. The cheesesteak empanadas were really good. However, the sauce that came with that was a watery, gravy taste. We used the ranch dip instead. For the main course, I ordered the brisket grilled cheese on sourdough bread with cheddar cheese. My girlfriend had the shrimp po’ boy tossed in buffalo sauce with blue cheese sauce on a baguette. Both were good and the cool thing I liked here is that they mix their fries between regular and sweet potato. They had good beer & drink options. The service was also fantastic here.
Reading Terminal Market
If you want to spend a whole day eating somewhere, the Reading Terminal Market is the place to be. There is a plethora of food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Many different ethnic cuisines are represented at this market. Be sure to check the hours as most days it is closed by 5-6pm. And, if you have your heart set on something by Dutch related vendors, they tend to close earlier and they take Sundays off. I made that mistake on Sunday. No donuts or pretzels for us. However, we still got our fair share in.
The first stop was at Franks A Lot. The go to here was their classic Polish pierogies.
Beck’s Cajun Cafe was next. There were a lot of tasty items on the menu. We ordered the fried mac and cheese balls. They weren’t too greasy and not overly cheesy, which was a good thing. I could of ate 20.
The last meal we could fit in was at Sang Kee Peking Duck. I ordered the Duck Lo Mein. The duck was a little fatty as expected, but flavorful and tender. The noodles tasted very fresh.
At this point, it was time for some desserts. I had my eyes on some cookies. The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company had plenty of options. I couldn’t pass up a black and white cookie. The last stop was Bassetts Ice Cream. A good trip always ends with some ice cream.
IMG_4562
The Reviews:
Green Eggs Cafe: 5 out of 5
Chestnut Street Bagels: 3.5 out of 5
Good Dog Bar: 3.5 out of 5
Pat's King of Steaks: 3.5 out of 5
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the foodie outdoor enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live In Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Feelin' Glazed: Must-Try Donuts in Beacon, NY's Hudson Valley
Indulge in the best donuts Beacon, NY has to offer with our 'Feelin' Glazed' guide. Discover the Hudson Valley's sweetest treats and pair them with a stroll through Beacon’s vibrant local scene.
Recommendation: Glazed Over Donuts
Where: Beacon, NY - Hudson Valley
Info: I would anticipate a wait as you are getting completely customized donuts. The lines go quick and it will be worth the wait!
There is an outside area to sit during the warmer months.
front of the donut shop
What to expect
As you will see throughout my blog, I am definitely TEAM DONUT….for life. I hope to find as many donut spots as possible. And, just by chance, I came across a little gem in Beacon, NY called Glazed Over Donuts. I can’t take all the credit on the find. My girlfriend’s parents live nearby and she heard about the opening of this shop. A couple months after the opening, we made our first visit. This is a very unique donut shop and a great donut experience. It is located on Main Street in a popular, trendy downtown area near many shops and restaurants. This is a great spot if you’re looking for Beacon weekend foodie spots. The shop is small but is very welcoming. Everyone who works there is really friendly. There is an outside area with tables and chairs for the warmer months. Two concepts make this donut shop really special. First, you can craft your own donut how you want it. When you walk in, you go right to the counter and pick up one of the clipboards that give you a checklist of options. You can choose from one glaze, one topping, and one drizzle for each donut. There are 8 glazes, 13 toppings, and 9 drizzles. I would suggest looking ahead at the options because once you are there, you will want everything (unless that’s just me). Additionally, they have a donut of the day that features toppings not included on their typical menu. The other cool thing about Glazed Over is your donuts are made fresh to order and you can watch the entire donut making process through a glass window. You can see the batter being dropped into oil through the machine they use. Then you can watch the employees customizing your donuts. I think this is awesome. As a donut connoisseur, I am always curious to see the donut process. With that said, I would anticipate a wait as you are getting completely customized donuts. The lines go quick and is worth the wait.
#sundaesunday
Signature Donuts You Have To Try
Now, for the donuts. They make one type of donut. The base is a cake donut. They do not have any filled donut options, i.e. jelly or boston cream. They are smaller donuts, but not minis. I am more of a gluttonous guy and lean toward the crazier, larger specialty donuts but there is a place for simpler and smaller sized donuts. I think they hit it out of the park. Especially given all the options you have. Anything from Nutella glaze to peanut butter chips to Oreos to bacon to pretzels to raspberry/strawberry drizzles. I can easily suck down three of them and try out multiples options. And, they are pretty cheap. You can leave with a half dozen for less than $9. On my last visit, I went with the donut of the day, Apple Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donut. This consisted of vanilla glaze, chocolate chips, caramel drizzle, and of course apple cinnamon toast cereal. I ordered three. I was asked to mention on behalf of a coffee enthusiast I know, they have good coffee options here as well. And, recently they have added a Sundae on Sundays, #SundaeSunday they refer to on Instagram. This replaces the donut of the day. The idea is an ice cream sundae with a donut at the bottom, very clever. And for the social media lovers, their Instagram is straight fire. Check it out @glazed_over_donuts. They are extremely creative. Every time I am in the area, I try to make a stop in. I have enjoyed all the donuts I've had so far and that is double digits at this point…..donut judge me! Get it?
Click here to check out their website for current flavors! Glazed Over Donuts
Pair Your Sweet Tooth with Beacon Adventures
Donut + Adventure Pairings
Grab a coffee and donut before your hike to Mount Beacon for sweeping views of the Hudson Valley!
Check out my post on Denning’s Point - Long Dock Park to learn more about heading to the Beacon waterfront.
Or heading further North? Check out my post on hiking in the Adirondacks.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
EXPLORE OTHER POSTS IN THE ARCHIVE
NEARBY ADVENTURES
MOST RECENT POSTS
See where I have been recently on Instagram. Follow @HIKINGFORDONUTS