Matthew & Elizabeth
Things to Do and Places to Eat
Rittenhouse Square
Gorgeous park in Center City. Grab a coffee from one of the many places nearby (La Colombe, K'far Cafe are great!) and a bench and enjoy some excellent people watching. We had our third in-person date here!
K'Far Bakery and Cafe
K’Far is an Israeli bakery & café in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood featuring pastries and bagels, as well as a lunch menu, coffee, and cocktails. Everything is seriously delicious.
Dizengoff
Dizengoff serves freshly-made hummus topped with rotating seasonal garnishes and accompanied by delicious pita. This is not your grocery-store hummus. This stuff is a next-level spiritual experience. Eat in or take out and have a picnic in Rittenhouse Square--like we did on our third in-person date!
Pizzeria Vetri
Super delicious wood-fired pizza from local celeb chef Marc Vetri. Salads. Wine. Beer. All the good stuff.
South 13th Street between Chestnut and Locust Streets
If you're looking for a bunch of restaurant options and some cool local shops, South 13th Street between Chestnut and Locust is your spot. For restaurants, we recommend Barbuzzo, Lolita, Bud & Marilyn's, Double Knot, and Sampan (reservations are a good idea at any of these spots!). Charlie was a Sinner is your place for delicious cocktails and vegan food. For dessert, head to Insomnia Cookies or Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. You'll find Woody's, an iconic Philly gay bar, on this street, too. For some shopping, head to Open House and Verdi.
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Walk around Philly for just a bit, and you'll soon notice mosaic art on buildings--everywhere. These mosaics are the work of Isaiah Zagar, Philly's beloved public artist extraordinaire. The Magic Gardens are his largest work spanning three city lots, including indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. For more info, check out the Magic Gardens website: https://www.phillymagicgardens.org. It's a good idea to book tickets for a tour, but it's also a cool place just to walk by. As an aside, we live just two blocks from here!
Italian Market on South 9th Street
Philadelphia’s Italian Market, which runs along approximately ten city blocks of Ninth Street in South Philadelphia, is one of the oldest and largest outdoor markets in America. It starts at Christian Street and goes south. Fresh produce, fish, and meat. Bakeries. Cafes. Pizzerias. Italian specialty shops. Incredible Mexican food. It's all here. For a quick (and huge) slice of pizza, head to the window at Lorenzo's. You'll also find the original Di Bruno Bros. here, an iconic Italian specialty shop--meat, cheese, pasta, olive oil, etc. Also, Rocky ran through the Italian Market, so that's fun, too.
Reading Terminal Market
Say you were still--somehow-- hungry after the Italian Market. Or maybe you don't feel like trekking down to South Philly from Center City. You're in luck, because Philly is home to a second not-to-miss market, this one indoors. Reading Terminal Market opened in 1893 and is home to 80 vendors selling food from around the world and so much more. Just an FYI, this place is often bustling and can be quite crowded.
Angelo's Pizzeria
Amazing pizza (our favorite!) and chosen as the best Italian hoagie in Philadelphia in 2022. Angelo's usually closes before 7 p.m. when it runs out of ingredients for the day. Cash only!