The casual food I ate in Philadelphia

I took a weekend trip to Philadelphia in January of 2026, during which I indulged in a few tasting menus (detailed in my food diary). But I also enjoyed some casual fare that I wanted to highlight. The weekend was cold and snowy, which I’m using to justify my robust appetite from this trip.

Tommy DiNic’s Roast Pork

My previous trip to Philadelphia had been in 2019. On that trip, suffering from a bit of cheesesteak fatigue, I was impressed by the lesser known Philly staple: the roast pork sandwich. On this visit I decided I needed to try one of the famous spots.

Located in Reading Terminal Market, DiNic’s offers slow-roasted roast pork sandwich topped with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, with the bitter greens and sharp cheese balancing the fatty pork.

The sandwich was good, but the pork lacked the rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth quality that I’d enjoyed from the sandwich of my previous visit. The steep price didn’t help my overall feelings.

Beiler’s Doughtnuts

Thankfully my mild disappointment with lunch was quickly forgotten after dessert from a gem I’d also discovered on my previous visit: Beiler’s Doughnuts. Also located in Reading Terminal Market, this Amish bakery makes some of the best doughnuts I’ve ever had, presumably thanks to some mystical Pennsylvania Dutch baking technique.

They did not disappoint. The seasonal apple cinnamon had an icing that was a bit too sweet for me but the filling had a robust apple flavor. The plain glazed was just as good as I’d remembered, with its strong bready flavor that few other doughnuts manage to achieve.

Angelo’s

I decided to give the classic steak sandwich another go. I chose Angelo’s Pizzeria, a place selected by the Michelin Guide for their Bib Gourmand award (which highlights “good quality, good value cooking”). Despite their name, they are also known for their sandwiches. What they are not known for is seating, and I had to take my sandwich standing at park across the street, where the bleachers were covered in snow from the night before.

Blasphemy though it may be to say, I am not a fan of the cheese whiz that seems to be the local preference. Thankfully, Angelo’s offers an alternate default: Cooper sharp, a white American cheese that melts perfectly into every nook and cranny of their chopped ribeye. The sandwich also came with thick cut grilled onions that added a nice bit of sweetness and the whole thing came in a house-made bread coated in sesame seeds that added a pleasant nuttiness.

I have no authority to declare Angelo’s the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia but I enjoyed in very much and will probably return on any future visits to the city.

Isgro

After my cheesesteak lunch I found a nearby Italian bakery for dessert.

I ordered two classical items: a lobster tail and a cannoli. Lobster tails, with their flaky pastry and generous cream fillings, were a childhood favorite of mine and while this was good, it was outshined by the very well-made cannoli. I’ve never been overly fond of cannolis, probably because most of the ones I’ve had have very little flavor to their shells and are reduced to conduits for cream cheese filling. Thankfully these had a very nice and distinct “cookie” flavor, which made for a more satisfying overall taste, and a filling that was not overly dense or sweet.

K’Far Cafe

I woke up on my final day to below freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks, which I braved for one final meal (my years in Minnesota weren’t for nothing!). I stayed close to my hotel and grabbed a quick breakfast at a nearby cafe and bakery just before catching the train back to NYC.

I had a smoked salmon and cream cheese Jerusalem bagel as well as a pistachio sticky bun, which I gathered was a house specialty. Both were solid, particularly the baked elements, with the sesame bagel and pistachio bun nicely incorporating nutty flavors along with their savory/sweet fillings.