Quick - what is Philly's most iconic food?

​

There are only two possible answers to that question.

​

If you like cheesesteaks, Willie's Top 50 will guide you to the best ones. But for now, let us focus on the city's other famed treat.

 

The soft pretzel.

​

These hot, soft, lightly salted beauties, lathered with mustard (or not), make all Philadelphians thank the universe that they do not live anywhere else.

​

Research from the back of a pretzel box teaches us that pretzels were invented by European monks centuries ago. Lititz, PA (right in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country) became the world's pretzel hub in the mid-1800s, and it was not long before fresh baked soft pretzels found their way to the City of Brotherly Love.

 

Today, soft pretzels are everywhere. The ones sold on shopping carts outside the stadiums are okay (sometimes). The ones you can purchase from Center City street vendors, or wrapped in plastic at Wawa, are better.

 

But if you want to achieve pretzel nirvana and enjoy a perfect hot-out-of-the-oven specimen every time, you have two main choices.

 

For single-serve quantities and party-size packages, visit any of the many Philly Pretzel Factory locations in the Delaware Valley. To buy factory-fresh and in bulk, head to Philly's Center City Soft Pretzel Co. (816 Washington Avenue).

​

For those unfortunates who live far away, good quality soft pretzels (made in LA by Philly native Adam "Shappy" Shapiro) are available on Goldbelly.

 

If you are here in Philadelphia, a taste of heaven awaits - and it is only one pretzel away.