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12th Street Cantina closes after 36 years at Reading Terminal Market

Owners are focusing on their catering company.

The stand at Reading Terminal Market formerly occupied by 12th Street Cantina.
The stand at Reading Terminal Market formerly occupied by 12th Street Cantina.Read moreMICHAEL KLEIN / Staff

Reading Terminal Market fixture 12th Street Cantina, which introduced many Philadelphians to Mexican food, has closed after 36 years.

Michele Leff said she wanted to focus on the busy 12th Street Catering, based in Powelton Village. "I am completely buried and felt this was the right time to make this move," she said. The catering company serves a broad menu, not just Mexican food.

Leff and husband David Fetkewicz for a time also ran stands at the Manayunk and Chestnut Hill Farmers Markets and the Bellevue's food court. They also co-owned a popular restaurant called Zocalo near Drexel University's campus.

Reading Terminal management offered no word on a replacement tenant.