South 9th Street does not care whether you are ready.
The Italian Market in Philadelphia runs roughly from Fitzwater Street down to Wharton Street, and on a Saturday morning it is loud, crowded, half outdoors and completely indifferent to your plan. Produce vendors are shouting. There is a fire burning in a barrel on the sidewalk in October. Someone is double-parked and nobody is doing anything about it.
That is the correct experience. It still helps to know where you are going.
A Short History of the Italian Market
Italian immigrants began settling around South 9th Street in the late 1800s, and the curbside vendor stalls that define the market grew out of that. It is generally described as Philadelphia's oldest outdoor market, and the open-air stands, the awnings and the barrel fires in winter have survived more or less intact.
What has changed is who is selling. The Italian Market has been Italian, Mexican and Vietnamese for decades now, and some of the best eating on the block reflects that. Guides that treat it as an Italian-only destination are describing a version of 9th Street that stopped existing a long time ago.
What to Eat at the Italian Market
Roughly south to north, so you can walk it in one direction without backtracking.
Isgro Pastries — 1009 Christian Street
Making cannoli on this corner since 1904. The critical detail: they fill the shell when you order, not before. A pre-filled cannoli is a soggy cannoli, and once you have had one filled to order you will be insufferable about this permanently.
Get the ricotta with chocolate chips. Get a second one for later. You will not save it for later.
Sarcone's Bakery — 758 S. 9th Street
Get a seeded loaf and eat some of it on the walk. Everyone does this. Sarcone's bread is also what several of the city's best sandwich shops build on, including Cosmi's Deli.
Two scheduling notes that matter: Sarcone's is closed Mondays, and it shuts by mid-afternoon the rest of the week — 3pm most days, 1pm on Sunday. Bread is a morning errand here.
Angelo's Pizzeria — 736 S. 9th Street
A Michelin Bib Gourmand cheesesteak, on a roll they bake in house daily. Finely sliced steak with your choice of Cooper Sharp, American, provolone or Whiz.
Cash only, takeout only, and the line is real. None of that is a reason to skip it — Angelo's sits near the top of most serious Philadelphia cheesesteak rankings, a list that mostly excludes places tourists have heard of.
Ralph's Italian Restaurant — 760 S. 9th Street
Open since 1900. Order the veal parmesan: pan-fried, buried in mozzarella and gravy. It has not been reinvented, deconstructed or elevated. It is veal parm done the way it has been done here for a century, which is the entire point.
Fiorella — 817 Christian Street
The other end of the spectrum — Marc Vetri's pasta bar in a former butcher shop. The ricotta gnocchi is rich enough to end your day. Small room, worth planning around.
Casa México — 1134 S. 9th Street
Pibil pork tacos, marinated in citrus and peppers and slow roasted. One of the strongest arguments that the Italian Market is not an Italian-only street.
Blue Corn Mexican Restaurant & Bar — 940 S. 9th Street
Blue corn tortillas, al pastor with pineapple, peppers, onions and Oaxaca cheese.
Anastasi Seafood — 1039 S. 9th Street
Oysters on the half shell, in the middle of a market. Yes, really.
Biederman's Specialty Foods — 824 Christian Street
New York–style Jewish deli. The pastrami-spiced smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese is the order.
Alma del Mar — 1007 S. 9th Street
Lobster benedict — poached egg and English muffin under lobster meat. The market's best argument for showing up hungry in the morning.
Gleaners Cafe — 917 S. 9th Street
The Painkiller: scrambled eggs, cheddar and spicy ketchup on a bagel. Accurately named.
Anthony's Italian Coffee House — 903 S. 9th Street
Espresso, house-made chocolates, and seating where nobody will rush you. This is where you regroup and decide how much more you can eat.
Where to Shop at the Italian Market
The market is not only restaurants — a large share of what makes 9th Street worth the trip is the retail.
The outdoor produce stands run most of the length of the market and are the cheapest fruit and vegetables in Center City by a wide margin. Bring cash and small bills.
The cheese and salumi shops, the spice vendors and the kitchen supply stores are the other reason locals come. You can outfit a kitchen and fill a fridge on one walk, which is not true of any other food destination in Philadelphia.
Practical rule: shop on the way back, not the way in. Nobody wants to carry a wheel of provolone through four more stops.
What to actually take home
If you are only buying three things: a seeded loaf from Sarcone's, which is the single most useful item on the street and the base of half the great sandwiches in South Philadelphia. Something from a cheese counter, where the staff will let you taste before you commit and will steer you correctly if you tell them what you are cooking. And produce from the outdoor stands, where the prices are low enough that overbuying is the standard outcome.
Two things worth knowing before you shop. The outdoor stands generally do not let you handle the produce yourself — you point, they bag. And prices are frequently unmarked, which is normal here rather than a warning sign; ask, and the answer will be the same as it is for everyone else in the line.
Getting there
The Italian Market sits about a fifteen-minute walk south of Center City. The Broad Street Line stops at Ellsworth-Federal, a few blocks west. Driving in on a Saturday is a decision you will regret — street parking on and around 9th Street is genuinely difficult during market hours.
The Italian Market Food Trail on PlateWalk
The mistake people make is treating the Italian Market as a single stop. It is nine blocks, and the walk between things — the produce stands, the cheese shops, the vendor selling exactly one item extremely well out of a doorway — is most of the value.
PlateWalk maps the Italian Market Trail: 5 stops, GPS-guided, so you are not standing on a corner googling which bakery is which. Check in at each stop as you go, and completing the trail earns +50 PlatePoints, redeemable for rewards at partner restaurants.
Free on iOS and Android.
Start the Italian Market Trail →
How to Eat Through the Italian Market
When to go. Saturday morning for the full noise and every stall open. A weekday if you actually want to sit down somewhere. Not Monday — Sarcone's is closed and much of the block runs short hours.
Go early. The market is a morning and early-afternoon operation. By late afternoon a meaningful number of vendors have packed up.
Bring cash. Many outdoor stands and several restaurants, Angelo's included, do not take cards.
Bring a bag, and wear shoes you do not mind ruining slightly.
Budget two to three hours if you are eating properly. The nine blocks take about fifteen minutes to walk without stopping, and you should be stopping.
For more Philadelphia neighborhoods, see our guide to the best restaurants in Fishtown. Visit Philadelphia also keeps a useful Italian Market overview with vendor listings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Italian Market in Philadelphia known for?
South 9th Street is Philadelphia's oldest outdoor market, known for Italian bakeries and delis like Isgro Pastries, Sarcone's Bakery and Ralph's, alongside a large concentration of Mexican restaurants, produce stands and specialty food shops. It runs roughly from Fitzwater Street to Wharton Street in South Philadelphia.
What should I eat at the Italian Market Philadelphia?
A solid first pass: a cannoli filled to order at Isgro, a cheesesteak at Angelo's Pizzeria, a seeded loaf from Sarcone's, and tacos at Casa México or Blue Corn. For a sit-down meal, Ralph's for veal parmesan or Fiorella for pasta.
What day is best to visit the Italian Market?
Saturday morning is busiest and most atmospheric. Weekdays are calmer if you want to eat at a table. Avoid Mondays — Sarcone's Bakery is closed and much of the block runs reduced hours.
Is the Italian Market cash only?
Many outdoor stands and some restaurants — Angelo's Pizzeria among them — are cash only. Most sit-down restaurants take cards, but bring cash regardless.
How long does it take to walk the Italian Market?
About nine blocks end to end, roughly a 15-minute walk without stopping. Eating and shopping your way through properly takes two to three hours.
Where is the best cannoli in Philadelphia?
Isgro Pastries at 1009 Christian Street is the most commonly cited answer. They fill each shell to order, which is the difference between a good cannoli and a soggy one.
Is the Italian Market still Italian?
Partly. Italian bakeries, delis and restaurants remain central to 9th Street, but the market has been Italian, Mexican and Vietnamese for decades, and some of its best food is Mexican.
