Five perfect Philly food experiences you can have delivered at lunchtime

What else was going to be the first entry? Undoubtedly Philadelphia’s most iconic food, this mixture of hot beef, melted cheese, and grilled onions on a long roll is the quintessential feel-good item. Philadelphia is jam-packed full of restaurants that insist they’re the true home of the sandwich. That honor is credited to Pat’s King Of Steaks, delivering lunch daily. Whether or not it’s actually the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia is very much up for debate. But if you’re looking to tackle the most famous one in the city, then you should definitely go for it.

Philadelphia isn’t just a one sandwich town. The city’s Italian heritage means that there are a number of places that do incredible cold-cut sandwiches, too. That includes the aptly named Tortice’s Specialty Sandwiches (open Wednesday through Sunday), as their Luciano, Matteo, and Broad Street Bully sandwiches come packed to the brim with a mixture of prosciutto, sopressata, capicola, and a variety of other meats. If you’re looking for something hotter, Philadelphia is also known for its Roast Pork sandwiches, and Tortice’s has one of the best in the city.

Philadelphia has a plethora of fine pizza establishments. But while your first instinct might be to get cheese and toppings on top of your base, one of the city’s most unique dishes comes without all that fuss. Instead, the tomato pie has just fresh tomato sauce on a piece of focaccia and grated cheese sprinkled over the top of it. The fifth generation Italian bakery Sarcone’s, which is located in the heart of Italian Market, is the ultimate place to get it, open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Originally a German delicacy, Philadelphia has well and truly made the soft pretzel its own. A signature snack at every sports venue in town, it’s also the perfect item to munch on when you’re just after a quick and tasty lunch. The best place to get a Philly soft pretzel is undoubtedly the Philly Pretzel Factory. Thankfully there are dozens of stores all across the city. So no matter where you are, you’ll be able to devour the doughy, salty goodness. Just make sure you smear it with mustard.

After partaking in one of these delicious dishes, you’ll need something sweet to wash it down with. Beiler’s Doughnuts are the best Amish doughnuts in the city. The dough is chewy and sweet, while they have a variety of different flavors, with the salted caramel and apple fritter two of the highlights. Whatever you pick, though, will leave you feeling elated.