Snow Tubing Party

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Susanne Montagne

Despite its charmingly nonsensical name, water ice is a South Philly highlight. Not quite Italian Ice, not quite a slushie, the seasonal treat has a velvety texture all its own. John’s Water Ice has been spinning filtered water, sugar and fresh fruit juices in batch freezers since 1947. You’ll find bits of pulp in the lemon water ice, John's most-refreshing flavor. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin Buddys Pizza, Best Philly Cheesesteak, Roast Pork Sandwich, Square Pie, Cooking Ideas Recipes, Shoofly Pie, Coney Dog, South Philly, Recipe Icon

Buddys Pizza

Best Philly Cheesesteak

Roast Pork Sandwich

Square Pie

Cooking Ideas Recipes

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Despite its charmingly nonsensical name, water ice is a South Philly highlight. Not quite Italian Ice, not quite a slushie, the seasonal treat has a velvety texture all its own. John’s Water Ice has been spinning filtered water, sugar and fresh fruit juices in batch freezers since 1947. You’ll find bits of pulp in the lemon water ice, John's most-refreshing flavor. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a pie sitting on top of a table next to a cup

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Eat this sticky-sweet pie on a back porch in the summertime and the name makes sense (the less charming reason for the name is the Shoo Fly molasses brand popular in the late 19th century). The "wet-bottom" molasses pie that Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, loves best has a thin pastry crust on the bottom, a sugary crumb cake topping and a middle-layer of thickened molasses that gets cooked until it’s just set but still gooey. Go to Zig’s Bakery in Lancaster Central Market for the standard-setting version of the Pennsylvania Dutch classic. You can get a mini pie to enjoy with a cup of coffee at the market, or pick up a whole pie to take home. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a chicken sandwich sitting on top of a table

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

What started as a Lenten tradition, the fish sandwich turned into an emblematic dish available in Pittsburgh’s bars and restaurants year-round. The landlocked city’s not stingy with the fish. Wholey’s Fish Market serves two colossal batter-dipped slices of fresh cod that dwarf the bun (a slightly sweet and feathery kaiser roll from Mancini’s Bakery right next door). Take a trip through the fish market to the seating area upstairs, where you can dress up the sandwich with tartar, cocktail or hot sauce. Don’t forget a side of butterfly shrimp, calamari rings or oysters! And make sure to grab a container of tangy coleslaw to go with. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a piece of cake sitting on top of a napkin

Colorado Food

Pizza Dinner

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Prantl’s is a Pittsburgh institution, nationally famous for its burnt almond torte. Layers of light yellow cake are held together with vanilla custard, covered in snow-white buttercream and smothered in toasty sugared almonds. The nuts make the cake. Every morning, bakers toss sliced almonds with sugar, egg whites and water, then toast them until they’re golden and brittle. They press them onto all sides of each and every cake by hand. Prantl’s ships the cake to nostalgic former Pittsburghers all over the country. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a white plate topped with food on top of a wooden table

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Pierogies are a regional tradition, especially near the Polish Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Apteka, a sleek but homespun spot, is giving new life to the Eastern European dish. Apteka has a wide selection of traditional and innovative fillings. . Though you’d be easily fooled, the entire menu is vegan. The pierogies come topped with cashew almond yogurt with mustard that tastes remarkably similar to horseradish cream — worth swiping up every last bit. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a close up of a pastry on a piece of paper

Soft Pretzel

Roast Pork

Philly Cheesesteak

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Salty, chewy and cheap, the soft pretzel is the humble street food of Philadelphia. Its shape is unique, an oblong squashed knot, baked in a pretzel chain to best utilize oven space (because the city eats so many of them). They’re doled out from carts all over the city for breakfast, lunch and anytime snacks, always with mustard on hand for topping. Get them straight from the oven at Center City Pretzel Co. for 85 cents apiece. You can ask for a middle piece if you like extra chewy; if you want the most crust possible, go for a hand-twisted pretzel. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

two sub sandwiches sitting on top of white paper

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Other places call it a sub, hero, grinder or torpedo; in Philly, it’s always the hoagie. Workers at the Navy Yard on Hog Island were called "hoggies" and got their favorite lunchtime sandwich named after them, or so the popular origin story goes. Ricci’s Hoagies has been serving build-your-own hoagies with sliced-to-order cold cuts since the '20s. Go for the classic Italian hoagie: Genoa salami, cooked salami and capocollo with provolone, tomatoes, pickled peppers, lettuce, onions, a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of oregano. Ricci’s also does an old-fashioned Italian, with prosciutto, soppressata, roasted peppers and sharp provolone. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a bowl filled with pretzels sitting on top of a table next to pieces of bread

What Is Today

Snow Tubing

Pork Sandwich

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

Southeastern Pennsylvania is home to Snyder’s of Hanover, as well as some of the oldest pretzel bakeries in the country. The snack has long been a staple among the Pennsylvania Dutch: immigrants from what is today southeastern Germany. There are still small-scale local bakeries throughout the region, where you can watch workers twist pretzels by hand. Head to Martin’s Pretzels in Akron and hope for one fresh from the oven, which will yield a slightly chewy interior. Photo courtesy of Katherine Rapin

a map with different foods on it and the words pennsylvania written in large, bold letters

Cheese Steak Sandwich Recipe

Food On A Plate

Tiny Bakery

Pittsburgh Food

Keystone Cravings: The Best Things to Eat in Pennsylvania

There's a whole lot more to Pennsylvania's food-scape than cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. The cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch (a confusing misnomer since these settlers migrated from the region we now call Germany) lies between the hoagies of Philadelphia and the fry-topped salads of Pittsburgh. This list will lead you to unrivaled classics and to obscure destinations - like a chocolate company that predates Hershey's, a hole-in-the-wall pizza shop with the best 'white tray' you've never heard of, and a tiny bakery where Amish women still twist pretzels by hand. Editor’s note: This guide was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated with the latest information on these restaurants. Illustration by Hello Neighbor Designs