Best Soft Pretzels in Philadelphia, and Water Ice

The best soft pretzels in Philadelphia are chewy, golden, a little salty and best eaten the day they are baked, with a stripe of yellow mustard. The city eats them at breakfast from corner stands and in bags of a dozen, and in summer it eats water ice, a cold fruit-flavored treat.

Go in the morning for the freshest pretzels. A South Philadelphia bakery and the vendors at Reading Terminal Market appear in local guides.

What are the best soft pretzels in Philadelphia?

A Philly pretzel is shaped differently from the big, buttery pretzel you may know. It is usually a thin, rope-like twist with a dense, chewy bite and coarse salt on top. Regional writers credit the Federal Pretzel Baking Company, which began in South Philadelphia in the 1920s, with popularizing the style, though the company is now part of a larger snack-food maker and no retail shop is listed.

Judge a pretzel by its crust and its crumb. The crust should be dark gold and slightly glossy. The inside should be chewy, not bready. If it is soft on the outside and pale, it was not baked in the old way.

Where can you try Philadelphia soft pretzels?

Family-owned bakeries in South Philadelphia sell soft pretzels to walk-in customers, and Reading Terminal Market has several pretzel vendors, from buttery pretzels in a range of flavors to hand-rolled Amish-style pretzels dipped in butter. Local magazines publish lists of the soft pretzels worth seeking out, so look at a recent one.

Because a bakery pretzel is best fresh, go in the morning. A pretzel that has sat for hours loses its chew.

What are Reading Terminal Market pretzels like?

Reading Terminal Market is a public market with many merchants, and pretzels are one of its signature snacks. The pretzels there tend to be hand-twisted and warm, and the stalls are set up so that you can watch the work. The market also has Pennsylvania Dutch merchants who bring baked goods from Lancaster County on certain days, which makes it a good place to try a pretzel beside shoofly pie or a sticky bun.

Lines form at busy times, so plan to arrive before the lunch rush.

What is Philadelphia water ice, and how is it different from Italian ice?

Philadelphia water ice is a frozen dessert made from fruit, sugar and water, with a smooth, fine texture that is scooped and eaten with a spoon. People in other cities may call it Italian ice, and Philadelphians will tell you that the two are close cousins with different local habits. Lemon is the standard order, cherry and mango come next, and a swirl with soft custard is a favorite.

John's Water Ice is one of the long-running names. The original store is on Christian Street and keeps a seasonal schedule that runs from spring into early fall. Check the current season before you plan a trip.

How does a pretzel fit into a day of Philadelphia street snacks?

Philadelphia street snacks work best as a walking tour. Start with a warm pretzel in the morning, move to a market for something savory at lunch and finish with water ice in the afternoon, once the day is warm enough. Philly street snacks are small and cheap enough to share, so you can try more than one and still have room.

Bring a few napkins. Water ice melts quickly, and a pretzel with mustard is not a tidy snack.

One more distinction is worth knowing. Pretzels in Philadelphia are often sold in bulk, wrapped in paper, and eaten that day. If you want to take some home, ask for them unsalted or lightly salted, and reheat them in a hot oven for a few minutes rather than in the microwave, which turns them rubbery. Water ice does not travel well, so eat it at the stand.

How to order a pretzel and a water ice

At a bakery, ask for a pretzel warm, or buy a bag and eat one on the spot. Say whether you want mustard, and ask whether the salt is on the outside or baked in. If a stand sells by the dozen, a half dozen is plenty for two people.

At a water ice stand, ask for a small first, since the large ones are big. Try two flavors if the stand lets you, and eat the ice quickly while it is firm. If the stand offers a taste, take it.

What else should you read around Philadelphia?

For an evening of eating, the Rittenhouse Philadelphia restaurants guide and the Pennsylvania Dutch regional foods guide explain what else is on the table, and the date night restaurants in Philadelphia page suits a night out. The US guides page lists more cities.

How can Mosey help you compare pretzels and water ice?

Following in the Mosey app means what you see about pretzels and water ice comes from friends and raters you chose, and you can unfollow anyone whose taste does not match yours.

A pretzel is gone in four bites, and a water ice in six. Get the Mosey app, rate each stand for chew, salt and flavor, and build a Philadelphia list so you remember which twist and which cup were worth the walk.