Philly munchies, block by block

Brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri started with a hot dog stand at 9th, Wharton and Passyunk in 1930 and claim the cheesesteak as their invention. The building got gutted and rebuilt in 2024, and the menu picked up a chicken cheesesteak and breakfast sandwiches for the first time in its history.

Seating is still outdoor picnic tables only, so dress for the weather. The steak is chopped less than most places, more sliced ribbons than mince. Whiz wit is the move here.

Joey Vento opened Geno's across the street from Pat's in 1966, and his son Geno runs it now. It's open 24 hours, seven days a week, which makes it the most reliable answer to 24 hour food in Philly. The building is covered in so much neon you can see it from blocks away.

The steak comes in thin whole slices instead of chopped. Get provolone if you want it to taste like beef and not like a ballpark.

Jim's started in West Philly in 1939 and opened this South Street spot in 1976. A fire shut it down in July 2022, and it came back in spring 2024 bigger, taking over the building next door with upstairs seating and a room covered in Isaiah Zagar mosaics, some of them early pieces found during construction.

The steak is chopped fine and piled high off a long griddle you can watch from the line. It's still cash only and still no fried food, so don't ask for fries.

William Dalessandro opened in 1960 and the shop has been on Wendover Street since 1961. It's a neighborhood bar-and-grill setup up in Roxborough with fresh-cut rib-eye, a big beer list, and a counter crowd that's mostly locals.

The meat is chopped fine and very juicy, so the roll gets soaked. Sharp provolone with fried onions is the order. The chicken steak is legit too.

Open since 1979, this tiny South Street counter says it invented the chicken cheesesteak. Whether or not you buy that, the chicken steak is the reason to stop.

The other reason is the Gremlin, half lemonade and half grape juice. It's sweet in the way that only makes sense at certain hours.

A no-frills sandwich shack that's been open since 1930 and is now run by the third generation of the Bucci family. The James Beard Foundation named it an America's Classic in 2006 for the roast pork, and the cheesesteak gets just as much love from people who know.

This is not a late night spot. It has always run on daytime hours, so this is your wake-and-bake lunch, not your 2 a.m. call. Get the roast pork with sharp provolone and greens, add long hots if you can handle them.

The late night pizza Philly people mean when they say "the big slice." Pies run about 20 inches, so one slice is basically a folded pizza. It stays open late, and the after-bar crowd shows up right on schedule.

Plain cheese, nothing else. The crust is thin and floppy and the slice hangs off the plate. Fold it and lean forward.

This bakery has been twisting pretzels since 1981 and has a long tradition of opening in the middle of the night, when the first batches come off the line hot enough to steam in July. A fire shut it in 2023, and it reopened in April 2024.

Get a bag of the classic Philly figure-eight pretzels, still connected in a strip. Mustard is the correct topping and nobody will tell you otherwise.

Open since 1893 under the old Reading Railroad train shed, with more than 80 merchants. Bassetts Ice Cream signed the first lease in 1892 and dates its business to 1885. Pennsylvania Dutch vendors from Lancaster County hold down the northwest corner, but only a few days a week.

Do a lap before you buy anything. Grab a warm pretzel at Miller's Twist, a maple bacon donut at Beiler's, and salted caramel pretzel ice cream at Bassetts. It's a daytime operation, so this isn't your after-midnight move.

The roast pork counter inside the market, run by the fourth generation of the family. Its roast pork was once voted the best sandwich in America on national TV, and the line has never really recovered.

Classic order is roast pork, sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. If you're extra hungry, the pork and brisket combo is a lot of sandwich.

Giovanni Tacconelli built a brick oven for bread in the 1920s, then started making tomato pies in it. The family still runs the oven in Port Richmond, a quick ride from Fishtown.

The menu is short: white pie, margherita, cheese, a few classic toppings. Crust is cracker thin. The white pie with garlic is the one people drive in for.

The baseline Philly pho, plain room, fast service, no small talk. It's been the reference point for years and other spots get measured against it.

Order the pho with well-done brisket and eye-round. Load it up with basil, sprouts and hot sauce and don't talk until you're done.

Opened in Pennsport in 2011 with a menu that only makes sense to stoned people and geniuses: donuts, twice-fried chicken, and coffee. The flagship has since moved to Wolf Street, and there are more shops around town.

Get a fried chicken order with a glaze and a fresh hot donut on the side. Sweet and salty in the same bag, which is the entire munchies philosophy.

Started in 1977 as a neighborhood taproom in Mayfair and grew into the sports bar behind Crabfries, crinkle fries dusted with crab seasoning and served with a cup of white cheese sauce for dipping.

The Packer Avenue spot sits right by the stadiums, so on game days it's loud and packed. On off nights it's a straightforward plate of fries and a beer.

On the corner of 7th and Christian since 1945. The original is still the one to visit, with a handful of other locations around town now.

Lemon is the classic and the cleanest. Cherry and pineapple are close behind, and there are rotating flavors through the season.

Two brothers opened in 1921 and moved across the street to this flagship in 1938. The third generation runs it now, and the cannoli are what made the name: thin shell, citrusy ricotta filling.

Get a couple of cannoli and a box of cookies for later. There's also a counter at Reading Terminal if you don't want to make the trip.