Italian Market
Italian Market
4
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
A colorful outdoor market specializing in Italian foodstuffs.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
403 reviews
Excellent
176
Very good
128
Average
61
Poor
24
Terrible
14
LoafJugThouTree
Shepherdstown, WV781 contributions
Apr 2021
Give yourself three to four hours, so you can look, smell, nibble, do more than nibble, select, and prepare for the journey home. WHAT FUN! So many foods and kitchen implements that you find nowhere else. And so much you can find elsewhere, except it's not as good. Pastas. Oils. Vinegars. Fruits. Veggies. Arrive hungry! You'll be thankful when you do.
Written April 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cgpabon01
Berlin, MA500 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
What is published and what you get to see, if you dare to visit will kill you! A dirty, deserted, stinky,all rotten street, .. It is like a ghost town compared to what it used to be. My recommendation…A total waste of time and big frustration
Written August 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mamacass724
Long Beach Island, NJ165 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
This was our second time walking the Italian market having been in April. Went early on a Friday morning (10:30). Found parking on a side street no problem. No crowds which allowed us to enjoy sampling cheese at our favorite place (DiBruno's). Picked up some great butcher meat where the prices were incredible! It feels like you are stepping back in time when walking the narrow sidewalks and seeing the real butchers, fishmongers and other merchants working. Yes, there are boxes everywhere and yes, there are some "trinket" places spattered through. But we loved the ambience, and we will definitely be back in a few months.
Written October 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Micaela H.
Denver, CO4 contributions
Jul 2021 • Solo
Sad to say, but not all is wonderful here. The true Italian markets are wonderful and the Italian businesses are done with a spirit of excellence. Once you cross Carpenter Street, feels like Old Mexico with dirty sidewalks and trash and no pride of ownership. I thought this entire area was Italian owned businesses but they are not all Italian. I am of Spanish/Mexican decent and I am embarrassed/sad to see the vast differences in Italian owned vs. non-Italian owned business. We have to up our game folks.
Written July 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark K
Richmond, VA55 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We stop here every time we travel to Philly. seems to be getting smaller and a little less "Italian" every time we go. Many other ethnic groups are moviing in as the Italians leave. Still a interesting place though.
Written July 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maureen B
Palmyra, PA300 contributions
Dec 2022 • Friends
The Italian Market! It’s an Icon of all things Italian. The food, butcher shops, bakeries, cheeses, fish, seafood and shops. It’s truly an experience to visit the market and enjoy all these things. I’ve been coming here for over 40 years, yes things change but be flexible and embrace them! When we left our arms were full of packages from the different shops.
Written December 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L5187ULmicheleg
Huntington, WV97 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
We went to the Italian Market early we were there around 9:00 ish. Not a lot was open yet but we could explore sat is a wonderful coffee shop and they were so nice had good drinks and pastries. So many meat markets and fish vendors
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rick R
Danbury, CT422 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
On arrival you’ll see lots of produce vendors lining the sides of the road. Great selection and great prices. Behind those vendors are shops with meat cheese and fish vendors. Great selection and prices here to. Along the street you’ll pass restaurants and bakeries as well as general general grocers w all kinds of it Italian foods including fresh and frozen pastas. Bring a bag or two. Maybe even a cooler bag cause you will want to bring lots home.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chetndeb
Elizabeth, NJ3,696 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
I love Farmers markets and the open air Italian market has everything you could want. I always get my produce there and no trip would be complete without a stop at Di Bruno cheese shop.
Written April 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MiouMiou
West Long Branch, NJ1,073 contributions
We just returned from a day trip to Philadelphia and the Italian Market. It was interesting, but not what we expected.
First of all, you can "do" the entire market in about 2 hours. It is definitely not an all day affair. Since we went on a Saturday, there was an outdoor market as well, with lots of vendors selling fruits and vegetables, with prices that were a lot lower than the supermarket. The quality of the produce looked pretty good. Of course all the vendors were strictly on a cash only basis.
South 9th Street was packed with people, but we were able to find parking right on the street immediately. There are a lot of interesting shops, mostly of the food variety.
There are a lot of speciality meat and fish markets, most all of whom only take cash, so that is something to keep in mind. There are a lot of ATM machines all around in case you run out of money.
We loved DiBruno Brothers at 930 South 9th Street. This shop sells cheeses from all over the world, and we were able to find 10 year old Gouda (something we had previously only been able to purchase in The Netherlands) as well as the best Stilton Cheese I have had outside of England. We were also able to get two pointy loaves of freshly baked Italian bread, and they smelled so good we could barely wait to get home to eat them. DiBruno's is packed, you will wait in line, but it is so worth it. Service is fast and friendly, and they will give you a taste of everything. The prices for the cheeses are not cheap, but certainly cheaper than taking a plane to the country you want the special cheese from. The minute we walked into DiBruno's we began drooling, there were no many wonderful types of deli items, Italian specialties, sausages, it is definitely not to be missed. DiBruno's does take credit cards, by the way, as does Claudio's.
We also stopped into Claudio Specialty Foods at 924-26 South 9th Street, and got a can of expresso coffee that my husband has said is the best he ever tried. They have an impressive selection of olives, cheese and meats as well. Again, there is a line, but service is quick and friendly.
We did not eat at any of the famous "cheese-steak" places that lined the street, opting instead for a sit down lunch at Ralph's Italian Restaurant, at 760 S. 9th Street. The meal there was great, the waiters were very friendly. I had the "everything" salad for $12, it was absolutely huge, almost 8 inches high, packed with Italian meats, cheeses, olives, tuna, anchovies, it was excellent. It was so big that I had to take most of it home, and it took 2 large take away containers to fit the leftovers. The waiter also threw in a half of loaf of delicious bread. My husband had the meat lasagna for $13 and he said it was excellent. Again, Ralph's is cash only, so be prepared. We would definitely eat here again next time we return.
Oddly enough, on the whole street, we could only find one Italian Bakery, and by the time we got there, they were pretty much sold out of everything. It is also difficult to find a bathroom - you have to buy something to use a bathroom in any store.
The thing we were most surprised and disappointed about was how small the "Italian Market" area was, and how many vacant stores there were. The worst thing about it was the filth - the streets and sidewalks were absolutey filthy with trash, as well as a lot of dead pigeons. There was one Chinese type market that had a lot of live turkeys and chickens crammed into tiny crates outside the store on the sidewalk, and that was just awful to see, and we crossed the street to avoid it.
Its definitely a place worth visiting, especially if you live locally, as you can get a lot of foodstuffs here that can't be bought in the regular supermarkets. Just don't plan to make a day out of it.
First of all, you can "do" the entire market in about 2 hours. It is definitely not an all day affair. Since we went on a Saturday, there was an outdoor market as well, with lots of vendors selling fruits and vegetables, with prices that were a lot lower than the supermarket. The quality of the produce looked pretty good. Of course all the vendors were strictly on a cash only basis.
South 9th Street was packed with people, but we were able to find parking right on the street immediately. There are a lot of interesting shops, mostly of the food variety.
There are a lot of speciality meat and fish markets, most all of whom only take cash, so that is something to keep in mind. There are a lot of ATM machines all around in case you run out of money.
We loved DiBruno Brothers at 930 South 9th Street. This shop sells cheeses from all over the world, and we were able to find 10 year old Gouda (something we had previously only been able to purchase in The Netherlands) as well as the best Stilton Cheese I have had outside of England. We were also able to get two pointy loaves of freshly baked Italian bread, and they smelled so good we could barely wait to get home to eat them. DiBruno's is packed, you will wait in line, but it is so worth it. Service is fast and friendly, and they will give you a taste of everything. The prices for the cheeses are not cheap, but certainly cheaper than taking a plane to the country you want the special cheese from. The minute we walked into DiBruno's we began drooling, there were no many wonderful types of deli items, Italian specialties, sausages, it is definitely not to be missed. DiBruno's does take credit cards, by the way, as does Claudio's.
We also stopped into Claudio Specialty Foods at 924-26 South 9th Street, and got a can of expresso coffee that my husband has said is the best he ever tried. They have an impressive selection of olives, cheese and meats as well. Again, there is a line, but service is quick and friendly.
We did not eat at any of the famous "cheese-steak" places that lined the street, opting instead for a sit down lunch at Ralph's Italian Restaurant, at 760 S. 9th Street. The meal there was great, the waiters were very friendly. I had the "everything" salad for $12, it was absolutely huge, almost 8 inches high, packed with Italian meats, cheeses, olives, tuna, anchovies, it was excellent. It was so big that I had to take most of it home, and it took 2 large take away containers to fit the leftovers. The waiter also threw in a half of loaf of delicious bread. My husband had the meat lasagna for $13 and he said it was excellent. Again, Ralph's is cash only, so be prepared. We would definitely eat here again next time we return.
Oddly enough, on the whole street, we could only find one Italian Bakery, and by the time we got there, they were pretty much sold out of everything. It is also difficult to find a bathroom - you have to buy something to use a bathroom in any store.
The thing we were most surprised and disappointed about was how small the "Italian Market" area was, and how many vacant stores there were. The worst thing about it was the filth - the streets and sidewalks were absolutey filthy with trash, as well as a lot of dead pigeons. There was one Chinese type market that had a lot of live turkeys and chickens crammed into tiny crates outside the store on the sidewalk, and that was just awful to see, and we crossed the street to avoid it.
Its definitely a place worth visiting, especially if you live locally, as you can get a lot of foodstuffs here that can't be bought in the regular supermarkets. Just don't plan to make a day out of it.
Written September 16, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Where's a good place to stay when visiting the market? Hoping to find a reasonably priced hotel that either includes parking or inexpensive parking within walking distance of the market.
Thanks!
Written February 1, 2018
There aren't any hotels in the immediate vicinity of the market. Perhaps an air BnB nearby?
The nearest hotels would be in Center City and parking would be at a premium.
It's only a short can ride or 20 minute walk from the South Street area.
There is a holiday inn further south by the sport stadiums where you can park but I would not recommend the place.
Written February 2, 2018
Yes, that's the one! The market is still there! Rocky (the statue) is not far away (like 15-minute ride) - near the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Written June 4, 2017
Street parking is free. We parked on 10th, and just walked down a block
Written April 20, 2015
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