Penn's retail sits along Walnut, Sansom and Chestnut from 34th to 40th Street, then spills west onto 40th Street and down Baltimore Avenue. Penn calls the campus blocks Shop Penn, about 10 city blocks of shops and restaurants. Start at 34th and walk west.
34th to 36th. At the corner of 34th and Walnut, CVS Pharmacy (3401 Walnut St) handles toiletries and cold medicine. Around the corner, Phone Repair Philly (140 S 34th St) fixes cracked phones, tablets and laptops and sells chargers and cases. Sansom Row, the 3400 block of Sansom, is home to White Dog Cafe (3420 Sansom St).
36th to 38th. Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St) is the anchor, with gear, books and a second-floor café. Penn has announced a bouldering gym for the corner of 36th and Sansom. One note for returning alumni: the Urban Outfitters at 110 S 36th St closed in December 2023.
38th to 40th. Tacos Don Memo parks at 270 S 38th St. On 40th Street, ACME Markets (4001 Walnut St) is the campus supermarket and Terakawa Ramen (125 S 40th St) is a cold-night standby. A block south, House of Our Own Books (3920 Spruce St) fills a Victorian house with new and used books.
Baltimore Avenue, 40th to 50th. Past 40th the avenue turns residential and independent: Renata's Kitchen (3940 Baltimore Ave), the Clark Park Farmers Market at 43rd, then books, Ethiopian food and the Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave) between 45th and 50th.
Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St) is the official campus store, listed by Penn's Division of Business Services. It sells Penn-branded apparel and gifts, textbooks and course materials, and it is Penn's exclusive source for academic regalia, so graduating seniors end up here. There is a Starbucks inside, a grab-and-go marketplace and a café on the second floor.
Penn's pages don't post store hours. Check upenn.bncollege.com or call before a special trip, especially during move-in and Commencement weeks. For a gift that isn't a sweatshirt, the Penn Museum Shop (3260 South St) on the museum's second floor sells artwork, crafts and clothing.
ACME Markets (4001 Walnut St) is the closest full grocery store, at 40th and Walnut. ACME's own page lists grocery hours of 7am to 11pm every day, with produce, a bakery, a deli, beer and wine, flowers and pet supplies under one roof. It is the move-in run for cleaning supplies, snacks and paper goods. For school supplies, start at Penn Bookstore.
If you live off campus west of 40th, Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave) is member-owned but open to everyone, and the Clark Park Farmers Market (43rd and Baltimore) runs Saturdays 10am to 2pm all year. The Food Trust calls it one of its largest markets.
Two things to know: Target cancelled its planned store at 37th and Chestnut. We couldn't confirm a hardware or home-goods store within walking distance this month, so bigger items mean a trip east (last section).
Books. University City is a book neighborhood. House of Our Own Books (3920 Spruce St) is a few blocks from campus. Farther out, Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave) is volunteer-run, with new and discounted fiction, politics and children's books, and Making Worlds Cooperative Bookstore & Social Center (210 S 45th St) focuses on independent publishing and hosts community events.
Tech. Phone Repair Philly (140 S 34th St) is the fix-it-today option for a cracked screen.
Records and new clothes. We couldn't confirm a record store or clothing boutique open near campus this month. For those, see the last section.
- Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St): official Penn apparel and gifts for parents and grandparents, plus cap and gown.
- Penn Museum Shop (3260 South St): art, crafts and clothing, an easy stop after a museum visit with family.
- House of Our Own Books (3920 Spruce St): a used book with a note inside for the graduate.
- Clark Park Farmers Market (43rd and Baltimore, Saturdays): flowers and local food to bring to a host.
- Making Worlds (210 S 45th St): a book from an independent press for the reader in the family.
Coffee. The Penn Bookstore has a Starbucks and a second-floor café, handy between classes.
Cheap eats. Tacos Don Memo (270 S 38th St) is a truck for burritos and breakfast. Pitruco Pizza sits inside the Franklin's Table food hall (3401 Walnut St). Terakawa Ramen (125 S 40th St) does tan tan ramen. Han Dynasty (3711 Market St) serves Sichuan dan dan noodles in a sports-bar room.
Baltimore Avenue. Renata's Kitchen (3940 Baltimore Ave) does Mediterranean brunch and lunch, including shakshuka. Farther west, Abyssinia (229 S 45th St) and Doro Bet (4533 Baltimore Ave) cover Ethiopian, and Vientiane Café (4728 Baltimore Ave) is a BYOB Lao restaurant.
Parents' dinner. White Dog Cafe (3420 Sansom St) is the classic pick: Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri 11am–9:30pm, Sat 9am–9:30pm, Sun 9am–8pm, with weekend brunch. Walnut Street Cafe (2929 Walnut St) serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday and brunch on weekends; it doesn't book through OpenTable, so call.
Subway and trolley. Penn's visitor directions name the Market-Frankford Line stops at 34th and 40th Streets on Market Street, and trolley stops at 36th & Sansom and 37th & Spruce.
Train. Amtrak and Regional Rail stop at 30th Street Station, and Regional Rail runs one stop from 30th Street to the University City stop. The Penn Museum says it is a short walk from 30th Street Station.
Parking. The Penn Museum lists the Penn Park Garage (31st and Lower Walnut St) and the Chestnut 34 Garage (entrance on 34th St, just north of Chestnut). Penn's directions also list garages at 38th and Walnut and 40th and Walnut. Street meters cap each payment at 2 to 3 hours depending on location.
For clothes, records and big-box basics, ride the Market-Frankford Line east from 34th Street to the Fashion District, where Primark (901 Market St) and Burlington Coat Factory (925 Market St) cover cheap layers and a winter coat. Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni's Room (345 S 12th St) is the closest big thrift and used-book stop.
Rittenhouse Row is across the Schuylkill along Walnut Street. Apple Store Walnut Street (1607 Walnut St) has a Genius Bar for a dead laptop, and Boyds Philadelphia (1818 Chestnut St) is the place for an interview suit. Our college student shopping guide maps that trip.
