One of the spots we really wanted to visit while our trip to Philadelphia was Reading Terminal Market. It is kind of like Chelsea Market in NYC, but bigger and wider. We wanted to get some food from here, and with so many options, it was not easy to pick just one spot… We decided on one of the popular spot called Dutch Eating Place. They offer Pennsylvania Dutch fare, all made from scratch.
When we got there in a morning, there was a line formed in front of the cashier counter already. But then, we realized we were in line for a take out spot. Their seating area is located to the left side of the main cashier counter. Good thing we spotted before too long!
There is a separate line by the seating area for people who wants to eat-in. Since it was still pretty early, the wait was quite short. They only have counter seats, and it can get a bit tight when it is full. The staffs here are dressed in the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch attire, which was fun.
We were there before their lunch menu starts at 11am, so we were limited to their breakfast menu. Their large sign that shows Daily Special does not say which items are breakfast, and which ones are lunch items, which can be a bit confusing… The one I wanted off the Daily Menu happened to be a lunch item, so I had to quickly change what I wanted to order. We both started with a Bottomless Cup of Coffee ($1.50). It came in a good size paper cup, with a small jug of half and half that get passes around among the customers.
My hubby ordered from their Daily Special item, Apple Cinnamon French Toast Special ($7.99). It comes with Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice. It was filled to the rim, and just slightly smaller than the coffee cup. It was certainly fresh and you can tell it was real orange juice. It had some orange pulps in it, and super delicious!
Apple cinnamon French Toast comes with three pieces of Turkey Bacon. It was a good size, and the bacon strips were super thick! I believe they are Canadian bacon, so meaty and super awesome! As for the French toast, it was really nice and fluffy, but didn’t have much apple flavor. Very filling, comforting and satisfying.
I ordered their Breakfast Special, Breakfast B.L.T. ($7.99). It comes with bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and two eggs on toast. Served with a side of homefries and a coffee. Yes, this one comes with coffee, so we only got charged for one cup of coffee after all. Thank you! They also had option on bread, and I went with Rye bread. The BLT was nice and big, enough to share unless you are super hungry. Crazy amount of ingredients packed between the toasts, eggs and bacon were coming out everywhere, awesome! The eggs that were cooked perfectly, and bacon was crunchy without being too crunchy, meaty and juicy. Lettuce and tomato were very fresh, and had good amount of mayo. I totally loved it!
The amount of homefries that came with the BLT was quite huge too. Again, enough to share. It had simple, minimum seasoning, which was nice. You can add salt and pepper to your liking, instead of it having too much of it already. It was comforting, soft without losing texture.
It was a yummy breakfast and we were very full. We did think about ordering one of their staple dish, Blueberry Pancakes, but we didn’t get it. But then, a customer next to me ordered it, so we were able to look at it. Now, I know this photo doesn’t look like much, but it was almost twice the size of my BLT! The guy who ordered was even surprised, he also didn’t know how gigantic this pancake was… It sure looked tasty though!
This spot takes cash AND credit card, which was helpful. The one thing is that they run the credit card once you give them the card, so if you want to pay for the tip with credit card, you need to tell the server how much tips to add onto it before you hand them the card. The service was friendly and efficient. We really enjoyed our experience here. If you are visiting Philly, make sure to visit Reading Terminal Market for some extra tasty fun!
Dutch Eating Place – 51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107