The 12 best breakfasts in Reading Terminal Market

Early mornings in Reading Terminal Market can be kind of like an oasis — it’s quiet, the lines aren’t too long, and the market has not yet welcomed a rush of hungry diners. It’s the time to explore the market at a leisurely pace and have no trouble finding a spot to sit and eat your meal.

And while the beloved food hall may be best-known for its lunchtime options, there’s a wide breakfast selection, too, ranging from grab-and-go doughnuts and coffee to sit-down meals of everything from Filipino breakfast food to Pennsylvania Dutch classics. You can even get mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Here’s where to get breakfast at Reading Terminal Market.

Breakfast bets: Beignets, breakfast po’boys, Bourbon Street rice and beans, Café du Monde coffee

A big New Orleans breakfast is the focal point at Beck’s, where you can transport yourself to the Big Easy first thing in the morning with fresh fried beignets, deeply flavorful (and big enough to split) breakfast po’boys, or the egg-topped red beans and rice Bourbon Street Breakfast. Top it all off with a cup of Café Du Monde coffee and you’ll be ready to take on the day.

📞 215-592-0505 🌐 beckscajuncafe.com, 📷 @beckscajuncafe

Breakfast bets: Apple fritter and doughnuts

The line at Beiler’s often wraps around the food stand, and for good reason. Its chewy, almost melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts come in classic varieties like vanilla frosted, powdered, and chocolate glazed, but also more far-fetched (and equally delicious flavors) like maple bacon, key lime, and coconut custard. Beyond doughnuts, their glazed apple fritters are also favorites.

📞 717-278-8986, 🌐 beilersdoughnuts.com, 📷 @beilersdoughnuts

Breakfast bets: Uncle Bunk’s breakfast bargain, scram bowl

Hefty portions of breakfast are served all day long at Down Home Diner. You can sit at the diner counter or opt for a table in their larger-than-expected seating area. Order Uncle Bunk’s breakfast bargain for an array of breakfast foods (eggs, pancakes, and breakfast meat), or try the sausage, peppers, onions, cheese, and home fries scramble that’s fondly referred to as the scram bowl. A bonus? Most of the meat on the menu is sourced from nearby farms and Reading Terminal Market vendors.

📞 215-627-1955, 🌐 downhomediner.net, 📷 @downhomediner

Breakfast bet: Scrapple

You can find a big, traditional Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast at the Dutch Eating Place, a Reading Terminal standby where breakfast starts with coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice and continues with eggs prepared any way you want them, giant servings of blueberry pancakes, and, of course, crispy fried scrapple.

📞 215-922-0425, 🌐 readingterminalmarket.org/merchant/dutch-eating-place, 📷 @thedutcheatingplace

Breakfast bets: Juices and smoothies

A breakfast juice or smoothie can be easily found at Four Seasons Juice Bar, where creations include combinations of fruit and veggies, in addition to build-your-own juices and smoothies that can be powered up with a shot of wheatgrass or some spicy ginger.

🌐 readingterminalmarket.org/merchant/four-seasons-juice-bar

Breakfast bet: Breakfast sandwich

Start your day with a stack of Hershel’s beloved hand-carved pastrami in breakfast sandwich form — so with egg and cheese, too — at this Center Court Jewish deli. If pastrami isn’t your thing, you can order the breakfast sandwich with Kosher salami or feast on the vegetarian version (just with egg and cheese).

📞 215-922-6220, 🌐 hershelseastsidedeli.com, 📷 @hershelseastsidedeli

Breakfast bet: Vegan breakfast sandwich

Vegan options aren’t exactly plentiful at Reading Terminal Market ... but, that’s where Luhv Vegan Deli comes in. A spot that specializes in its namesake, you can find vegan takes on classic breakfast sandwiches. Sandwiches come on everything bagels where the “egg” is a tofu purée and the “meat” is either a hickory-smoked seitan “bacon,” or an oats and rice-based “sausage” patty.

📞 267-758-5779, 🌐 deli.luhvfood.com, 📷 @luhvfood

Breakfast bets: Pop-tarts, biscuits

Sure, the breakfast food menu, comprised of a rotating selection of pop-tarts, flaky biscuits, and classics like avocado toast are draws, but Molly Malloy’s is also one of the few spots in the market where you can sit down with a mimosa or Bloody Mary with your breakfast.

📞 267-525-1001, 🌐 mollymalloysphilly.com, 📷 @mollymalloys

Breakfast bet: Coffee

If you need to fuel up for your day at Reading Terminal Market, stop by Old City Coffee for a variety of caffeinated beverages, hot or cold: classic coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, black tea, and more. They also have herbal teas if you’re looking for something without caffeine.

📞 215-629-9292, 🌐 oldcitycoffee.com, 📷 @oldcitycoffee

Breakfast bets: Shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles

With an underrated breakfast at the market, Pearl’s Oyster Bar serves seafood-focused and Southern-inspired breakfast dishes like chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and a crab cake Benedict.

📞 215-964-9792, 🌐 pearlsrtm.com, 📷 @pearlsoysterbar

Breakfast bets: Metropolitan Bakery’s pastries

At the Pennsylvania General Store, you’ll find many Pennsylvania- and Philly-based food and drink producers, including Metropolitan Bakery, with their deliciously doughy bagels, flaky croissants, fruity muffins, and other delectable breakfast pastries.

📞 215-592-9772, 🌐 pageneralstore.com, 📷 @pageneralstore

Breakfast bets: Tapsilog, tocilog, longsilog

The Terminal’s popular Filipino restaurant serves three versions of its sunny-side-egg-topped garlic fried rice for breakfast. The first is beef (tapsilog), the second is a sweet roast pork (tocilog), and the third, and most popular, is a with Filipino sausage (longsilog).

🌐 tambayanphilly.com, 📷 @tambayanphilly