Food Worth a Drive in Pennsylvania: Markets

Food worth a drive in Pennsylvania starts with two markets: a historic hall in the middle of Philadelphia, and Lancaster's Central Market, a historic farmers market building. Between them lies Pennsylvania Dutch country, a landscape of farms, bakeries and family-style dining rooms.

What is food worth a drive in Pennsylvania?

Start with a market. Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia has many merchants and was ranked the best public market in America in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Lancaster Central Market is a historic farmers market building where farmers have sold for generations.

Both are places to graze: pretzels, sticky buns, cheeses, sandwiches and produce.

What can you eat at Reading Terminal Market?

Reading Terminal Market is crowded, and lines are part of the experience, but it is worth the wait. Pennsylvania Dutch merchants bring baked goods, candy, fresh meats and cheeses from Lancaster County on certain days. Beiler's Bakery, inside the market, is known for baked goods such as whoopie pies and doughnuts. The pulled chicken salad at 12th Street Cantina is an unexpected pick.

Go on a weekday, and arrive before lunch.

What is Lancaster Central Market like?

The market has stands for Amish meats and vegetables, fresh breads, gourmet coffee and various cultural foods. A state tourism charcuterie trail names a Central Market as its first stop, so check the city before you drive, and cured and smoked meats are central to the diet of the Pennsylvania Germans.

A market morning is a good start to a Lancaster day. Buy a loaf and a wedge of cheese, then walk the city.

What is Pennsylvania Dutch food?

Pennsylvania Dutch food is the cooking of the Pennsylvania Germans and the Amish and Mennonite communities in the area. Think chicken pot pie, which is a stew with large noodles, not a pie with crust, plus chow-chow, a pickled vegetable relish, shoofly pie and whoopie pies. Dinners are often family style, with dishes passed around the table.

For more on these dishes, see the regional guide below.

A good way to think about a long drive for lunch is to ask what you are getting that you cannot get nearer home. At a family-style dining room, the answer is the spread: many dishes, passed around a table, with refills of everything. At a market, it is the variety and the chance to talk with the maker. If neither appeals, a smaller bakery stop on the way is often more satisfying, and it leaves room for the next place on your route.

Is Shady Maple worth the drive?

Shady Maple is a place for meats, sides and Pennsylvania Dutch dishes, in East Earl, a drive from downtown Lancaster. It is a large buffet-style restaurant, so come hungry and go with a group.

Because it is popular, expect a line at peak times. Check hours and policies before you go.

Does Lancaster work as a budget stop?

A recent survey of foodies ranked Lancaster as Pennsylvania's leading destination for affordable, high-quality dining. That is a useful reminder that a drive does not have to be expensive. Markets, bakeries and family restaurants offer good value.

Keep an eye on seasonal schedules. Some stands operate only on certain days of the week.

Markets keep their own calendar, and it is worth learning before you drive. Many Pennsylvania Dutch stands open only on certain days of the week, and a few close entirely in winter. The Philadelphia hall is busiest at midday on Saturdays, when families and tour groups fill the aisles, while a weekday morning gives you room to look at the counters and talk to the people behind them. Bring a tote bag and some patience, and make a list of two or three things you must eat, so you do not fill up on the first stall.

How should you plan the trip?

Philadelphia to Lancaster is a drive of about an hour and a half in light traffic. A day trip can include a market morning in Philadelphia and an afternoon in Lancaster, or the reverse. A weekend gives you time to explore farm stands and back roads.

Drive slowly on country roads, where you may meet horse-drawn buggies. Respect the privacy of Amish residents and ask before taking photographs.

A second thought on shopping: carry a small insulated bag. Cheese, smoked meats and cream-filled pastries all suffer in a warm car, and a market trip often lasts hours. If you plan to fly home, ask the vendor whether the item can be vacuum packed or frozen. Pretzels and shoofly pie are easy to travel with, but sticky buns are best eaten the same day. Note the names of the stands you liked in your phone, so you can find them on your next visit.

What to buy

Pretzels, sticky buns, jam, cheese and smoked meats are good choices. Shoofly pie travels well if boxed. Buy at a bakery and eat it within a day or two.

Bring a cooler for meats and cheese.

What else should you read around Pennsylvania?

The Pennsylvania Dutch regional foods guide explains the dishes in depth, the best soft pretzels in Philadelphia page covers a city snack and the date night restaurants in Philadelphia page suits an evening. The US guides page lists more cities.

This is one of many Pennsylvania guides, and the Food in Pennsylvania page lists them all by town.

How do you keep track of Pennsylvania food on the road?

Pretzels, buns and diner plates fill a Pennsylvania drive. Rate each by the dish, add a tag such as Hidden Gem for the small finds and write the town.

A Pennsylvania list shared by invite link gives the next visit a plan.

A market is a place to wander and taste. Get the Mosey app, rate each pretzel, bun and meal you try, and build a Pennsylvania list so that the next visit starts with a plan.