Beyond the 50 Best: The 5 Best Markets
These are the markets where we encounter ingredients and dishes that intersect with the region’s foodways.
Reading Terminal Market / Photograph courtesy of Visit Philadelphia
Markets have always played a pivotal role in our community, but over the past few years, they’ve shown us just how vital they really are. They’re where we go when we’re looking for that special ingredient to a generations-old recipe, to get fresh food from local purveyors, and to eat culturally relevant foods from across the world. Markets have kept us connected to our communities, to our cultures, and to the land which is why we wanted to celebrate our favorites in this year’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
To read more about other dining experiences that go beyond what we think of as conventional restaurants featured on this year’s list, check out best casual bites, neighborhood classics, and promising pop-ups.
Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park
1500 Pattison Avenue
Each weekend from spring to fall, the nuanced cuisines of Southeast Asia converge on FDR Park, where every cup of sugarcane juice and serving of papaya salad carries the resilient stories of Philly’s immigrant and refugee communities.
Sweet Amalia’s / Photography by Ted Nghiem
Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen
994 Harding Highway (U.S. Route 40), Newfield
Beyond being the go-to place for oysters, Sweet Amalia is a charming roadside farmstand connecting the culinary crossroads between Philly and the Shore. Open spring through fall.
Riverwards
2200 East Norris Street, number 400; 146 North Bread Street
It’s not often that your local market will carry monstera fruit or Périgord black truffle. But at Riverwards, where Vincent Finazzo hacks the supply chain to deliver speciality goods, you never know what you’ll find.
Collingswood Farmers’ Market
713 North Atlantic Avenue, Collingswood
With a rotating roster of local vendors selling everything from artisan cheeses to Jersey Fresh produce, this outdoor market sits in the sweet spot between specialty store and affordable local grocer. Runs Saturdays from May to Thanksgiving.
Reading Terminal Market
1136 Arch Street
Yes, Reading Terminal Market is a tourist destination, but if you’re on the hunt for sushi-grade tuna or gourmet sweets — or you just want to eat your way from the Philippines to Guatemala — then it’s worth nudging through the Convention Center crowds.
Published as “Beyond the List: Best Markets” in the February 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
