Food Market & Hall · Center City
Reading Terminal Market
12th and Arch, since 1893.
A Philadelphia institution since 1893, Reading Terminal Market is one of America's oldest and most celebrated public markets. Eighty-plus independent merchants offer fresh produce, Pennsylvania Dutch specialties, artisan foods, and unique gifts under a stunning historic roof.
Amish Vendors · Fresh Produce · Specialty Foods · Artisan Goods · Prepared Food · Gifts
- In our directory
- 12 shopseach one verified
- Where
- Center CityFood Market & Hall
- Right now
- Typical hours8am–6pm
- Getting here
- Jefferson Station (SEPTA)Regional Rail
The directory
12 shops, all in one place.
Tap a shop or a dot on the map to see it.
Produce & dairy1 place
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Brothers James and Vincent Iovine opened this stand in the early 1990s. Go-to destination for chefs, famous for colorful displays, reasonable prices, and specialty produce including gourmet mushrooms and obscure fruits and vegetables.
Food & drink5 places
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Travel Channel's 'Best Sandwich in America.' Fourth-generation shop building its signature sandwich with thinly sliced juicy roast pork, sharp provolone, and bright broccoli rabe. A required stop for every visitor.
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America's oldest ice cream company (est. 1861) and the first merchant to sign a lease at Reading Terminal Market in 1892. Still family-owned, with 40+ flavors from traditional vanilla to matcha green tea.
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Opened in 1987 by Chef Jack McDavid. Classic American comfort food with vinyl booths, counter seating, and breakfast served all day — based on produce and meats from local farmers.
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New York–style Jewish deli. Owner Steve Safern's Uncle Hershel spent four decades at Katz's Deli — this shop delivers the region's most prized hand-carved pastrami, corned beef, and turkey sandwiches.
View restaurant page →Website →@hershelseastsidedeliDirections
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Three-generation family poultry stall — fresh turkey, chicken parts, house-smoked turkey bacon, and the turkey sandwiches that make a regular's lunch circuit.
Specialty2 places
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Bulk spices, herbs, nuts, baking ingredients, coffees, and dried fruits — the current spice vendor at Reading Terminal, succeeding the former Spice Terminal.
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Homestyle bakeshop opened October 2010 by Elizabeth Halen. Every whoopie pie, cookie, and brownie baked from scratch. Famous for award-winning whoopie pies, crumb cake, and cake truffles.
Amish vendors3 places
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Lancaster County Amish bakers serving cakes, pies, sticky buns, cookies, and breads. Adjoining Beiler's Doughnuts and Pickle Patch features over 50 varieties of doughnuts, barrel pickles, and PA Dutch puddings.
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42 years of rotisserie chicken from the Dienner family, tucked along the Filbert Street wall. Also serves smoked wings and 'San Antonio' wings — lightly fried with a spicy coating.
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Hand-rolled Amish soft pretzels — a stack of dough balls gets rolled and baked in plain sight along the stall's back wall. Get the salted; the pretzel sandwiches are also a weekday lunch institution.
Dining1 place
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Greek stall making real rotating-spit lamb + chicken gyro, with pita pressed to order and tzatziki made in-house. Order it 'platter' for the rice + salad or 'sandwich' for the classic wrap.
No shops in that category here yet.
Insider guide
Shopping Reading Terminal Market.
The story
Reading Terminal Market has operated continuously since 1893, making it one of the oldest public markets in the United States. Built beneath the Reading Railroad's terminal at 12th and Arch Streets, the market survived the railroad's decline, urban renewal, and economic downturns to emerge as one of Philadelphia's most beloved institutions.
The market occupies the ground floor of what is now the Pennsylvania Convention Center, spread across a single enormous hall of roughly 78,000 square feet. Despite the scale, it feels intimate — a product of the vendor stalls, the bustle of locals doing their weekly shopping, and the smells of cooking food from every direction.
The Amish Connection
Reading Terminal's most distinctive feature is its large contingent of Lancaster County Amish and Mennonite vendors. They have operated here for generations, selling baked goods, preserves, meats, and prepared foods Wednesday through Saturday. The Amish sections draw lines before the market even opens on busy days — arrive early.
Eating Your Way Through
Many visitors come purely to eat. DiNic's roast pork sandwich is the single most famous item and won the title of best sandwich in America from the Travel Channel. But there are dozens of excellent prepared food vendors — from Greek to Japanese to classic American diner food — making the market a legitimate lunch destination for the entire Center City workforce.
This week
At the Market this week.
Typical hours
Most shops keep the hours below.
Hours vary by individual store. Always check with specific retailers.
Eat, drink, stay
Between shops, close by.
Top restaurants nearby
All of Eat →Top hotels nearby
All of Stay →- Michelin Key
Guild House Hotel
A National Historic Landmark 1855 rowhome in Midtown Village. Each of the 12 guest rooms is named for a woman from the house's proto-feminist New Century Guild legacy — one of Philadelphia's most distinctive small stays.
4.81307 Locust St · $$$ - Art Deco Landmark
Loews Philadelphia Hotel
Landmark stay inside the 1932 PSFS Building — one of the first International-Style skyscrapers in America. Art Deco bones and a prime Market Street address.
4.41200 Market St · $$$ - Convention Hotel
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
Full-service Marriott connected by skywalk to the Convention Center and steps from Reading Terminal Market. The convention hotel of choice in Center City.
4.31201 Market St · $$$ - Historic Boutique
The Notary Hotel, Autograph Collection
Marriott Autograph boutique inside the restored 1926 City Hall Annex. Historic details, a rooftop bar, and a five-minute walk to every Center City landmark.
4.421 N Juniper St · $$$ - All-Suite Hilton
Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Convention Center
Newer all-suite Hilton at the top of Chinatown with full kitchens, free breakfast, and a location one block from the Convention Center and Reading Terminal Market.
4.31200 Arch St · $$
Ratings are the scores saved in our directory and are not live. Check the listing for the current score.
Getting here
Parking and transit.
- PConvention Center GarageArch St between 11th & 12th · Direct access · Best option~$10–16 / 2 hrs
- P1111 Vine Garage11th & Vine · 3 min walk · Often less crowded~$8–14 / 2 hrs
- SJefferson Station (SEPTA)Regional Rail · Connected to market building$2.50–10 fare
- SMarket-Frankford Line11th St Station · 4 min walk · Fastest from west$2.50 fare
The Convention Center Garage on Arch Street offers validated parking for market visitors. Alternatively, Jefferson Station (Regional Rail) connects directly to the market building — no parking required.
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