Here are 13 spots to eat near the Philadelphia Flower Show
Find grab-and-go, dine-in and desserts options at Reading Terminal Market, Chinatown and other spots near the Philadelphia Convention Center with this guide.
If you’re headed to the 195th Philadelphia Flower Show, prepare to be “United by Flowers.”
The 2024 Flower Show runs March 2 to 10 at the Convention Center, and the theme celebrates “the colorful community that comes together to share in their love of gardening, flowers, and plants, and the impact they make on our lives all year round.” Viewing stunning floral designs while walking around the huge convention floor works up an appetite. While there are plenty of food vendors throughout the venue, if you’re looking to venture outside, nearby Chinatown and Reading Terminal Market are worth exploring in their own right.
Here’s where to grab a bite just a short walk from the Convention Center.
Quick bites near the Philly Flower Show
Boasting 70-plus food stands, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Reading Terminal, a veritable Philly institution. Chow down on po’boys and gumbo at Beck’s Cajun Café or dine on salmon curry from Little Thai Market. Head to Beiler’s Bakery (say it “bye-lers”) for doughnuts in the market’s northwest corner or Famous 4th Street Cookie Company for a cookie or two. Pick up a coffee from Old City Coffee or fresh juice from Really Reel Ginger. For more options, check out our guide to every vendor and what they have to offer.
📍 1136 Arch St., #400, Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-922-2317, 🌐 readingterminalmarket.org,🚶♀️1 minute
Looking for a quick bite? Grab a slice or a whole pie to split with the crew at this pizza spot on Race Street. Order stromboli and calzones, and they’ve also got quesadillas, cheesesteaks, and wraps.
📍 1526 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19102, 📞 215-557-9555, 🌐 rexpizzapa.com,🚶♀️ 4 minutes
While you could just pop in to Ray’s Cafe for siphon-brews of Jamaican and Japanese beans and high-quality Taiwanese teas, you could also grab a bite to eat.
The lunch box for one includes an entrée like General Tso’s shrimp or beef with broccoli, plus steamed white or brown rice, and a vegetable spring roll. (For an additional dollar, add fried rice or shrimp spring roll.) The menu also features cold sesame noodles, dumpling samplers, chicken tomato rice, and other dishes.
📍 141 N. Ninth St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-922-5122, 🌐 rayscafe.com, 🚶♀️4 minutes
Where to dine in close to the Convention Center
Dine on deep-fried fillets of sea bass lying on a bed of sweet and sour sauce or steaming in a sea of a spicy, crimson sauce, chiles, and cilantro.
Or you could follow in Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan’s footsteps and order chef Yongcheng Zhao’s mapo tofu, which “deftly melds both the boldest and most nuanced traits of Szechuan cooking into one magnetic tureen.” The spicy, brothy dish had LaBan eating “leftovers for days.” (And yes, your server is a robotic cart.)
📍 915 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-627-2500, 🌐 emeiphilly.com, 🚶♀️ 3 minutes
On the edge of Chinatown sits a laid-back Chinese eatery serving steamed and fried dim sum all day. Assemble a full spread with everything from sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, steamed spare ribs, fried balls of minced shrimp, scallion pancakes, stuffed eggplant, miso chicken over rice, and ho fun noodles.
📍 218 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 267-519-2889, 🌐 nomwah.com, 🚶♀️ 1 minute
Share dim sum with your Flower Show crew before or after exploring the floral wonderland. Order spicy pork soup dumplings, steamed vegetable buns, curry chicken cakes, crab rangoon, and more for the table. Fried rice, noodles, and other entrées are also offered.
📍 1020 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-873-0258, 🌐 dimsumgardenphilly.com,🚶♀️1 minute
Start with the firecracker shrimp or shrimp spring rolls with water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, and chili plum sauce. Then dive into spiced crispy chicken thighs served with five-venom fries, hand-cut taro coated with house-made five spice and dipping sauce. If you’re dining with a group, try the good fortune board, which comes piled with shrimp toast, taro fries, five-venom crispy chicken, plum flower duck, rice, and more.
📍 251 N. Clarion St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-557-6333, 🌐 fedphilly.com, 🚶♀️2 minutes
If you’re in search of tacos, head to this Mexican restaurant on 12th Street. They’ve got al pastor, carnitas tostadas, chorizo sope, veggie quesadillas, bean burritos, fajitas, and more for your after-show lunch or dinner plans.
📍 315 N. 12th St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-765-2369, 🌐 instagram.com/el_purepecha_philly,🚶♀️ 5 minutes
Sip on a raspberry vodka tea or pineapple honey bourbon cocktail at this Chestnut Street watering hole. Munch on fried cheddar jawns (beer-battered white cheddar) with gochujang aioli for dipping, or enjoy cheesesteak empanadas. And if you find yourself at MilkBoy from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, get $2 off draft beers, specialty cocktails, and wine at happy hour.
📍1100 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-925-MILK (6455), 🌐 milkboy.tv/chestnut-street,🚶♀️6 minutes
Walk about six minutes and dig into a hearty shepherd’s pie, crunchy fish and chips, or a creamy Guinness mac and cheese. Splitting an order of pub sliders, wings, or corned beef rolls is a good idea for the table.
📍1600 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19103, 📞 267-514-1700, 🌐 tirnanogphilly.com,🚶♀️6 minutes
For something sweet after the show
At A La Mousse, the decadent desserts are almost too cute to eat. Take the brown bear cake, a hazelnut chocolate cake shaped like a baby bear that comes with an orange cream layer and chocolate mousse. Or peep the tiramisu served in a pot, resembling a plant. Mousse cakes, citrus cheesecakes, cream cakes, layered roll cakes, and vanilla crepes will also satisfy any sweet tooth.
Pair your dessert of choice with a matcha and a creamy top layer of milk foam, iced cherry blossom espresso, or mango lychee fruit tea.
📍145 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-238-9100, 🌐 alamousse.com,🚶♀️1 minute
What’s better than a Japanese crepe coated in chocolate custard cream and folded into a cone to hold a big scoop of chocolate ice cream? And if you’re not feeling the chocolate, consider the Lychee Romantic. It comes stuffed with lychees, raspberries, rose custard cream, whipped yogurt, crushed pistachio sauce, and crushed pistachio.
📍150 N. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-238-0111, 🌐 t-swirlcrepe.com,🚶♀️2 minutes
Dip your spoon into the creamy classic sago and pomelo and you’ll taste blended mango juice, mango ice cream, sago pearls, fresh chunks of mango, and a hint of grapefruit. The refreshing sweet is one of 20-plus desserts on the menu at Mango Mango in Chinatown.
Pastries like soft crepe skins filled with fresh cream and durian and slices of ube mille crepe cake are also offered, along with sundaes, crepes, and waffles. Enjoy a variety of smoothies, fruit and milk teas, and hot tea, too.
📍 1013 Cherry St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19107, 📞 215-922-2233, 🌐 mangomangodessert.com,🚶♀️3 minutes