Street Fare
Move over, Cheesesteak. Goodbye, soft pretzel. Philly's hungry for a new generation of ethnic foods
PHILADELPHIA'S MENU OF iconic street foods is outdated. While we’re talking about cheesesteaks, pretzels and water ice, we’re eating falafel, churros and chapulines (yes, grasshoppers). And it makes sense: The original Philly-defining foods came from the tables of our Italian immigrants and the German-influenced recipes of Lancaster County’s Amish communities. As the face of the city has changed — the Once-Italian Market is now a vibrant combination of Italy, Mexico and Southeast Asia — so have our tastes. No, we’re not ready to renounce hoagies and Tastykakes, but we’re as likely to reach for Venezuelan arepas and wash them down with Asian bubble tea, reimagined in Philly-friendly flavors. Could one of these foods be the city’s next culinary calling card?
Arepas
Of course Spring Garden’s lone Venezuelan restaurant, Sazon, serves arepas — as a crisp counterpoint to a hearty omelet of fish and fried plantains, as a cornbread bun for a citrusy pulled-pork sandwich, as a cheddar-stuffed snack. And of course you can order arepas, stuffed with spicy Colombian chorizo, at Tierra Colombiana on North 5th Street. The griddle-scorched savory corn biscuits are an essential part of the diet in Venezuela and Colombia. The only Philadelphia-area drawback: You can’t get fluffy handmade arepas 24 hours a day, the way you can in Caracas.
Falafel
Long a standard at Philadelphia street carts, with devotees arguing the respective merits of the “King” (16th and JFK) and the “Expert” (40th and Locust), falafel — those fried fritters of chickpeas (or, less typically, fava beans) often served in a pita with tahini and hummus — has recently gone mainstream, sold at storefronts throughout the city. (Marigold Kitchen chef Michael Solomonov has even experimented with a cheese-steak falafel.) On street-food-central South Street, Maoz, a Dutch chain, turns out heavily garlicked falafel, and new addition Mama’s Grill offers a crisp, certified kosher version on a tender house-made pita.
Crepes
In France, crepes from a street vendor are a light treat, the eggy batter smoothed onto a round griddle, lightly coated with butter and sugar, and folded into a pie wedge to go. In Philadelphia, crepes are much fatter. Penn’s Pari Café Creperie in Houston Hall — a stationary version of the former lunch truck — turns out overstuffed savory and sweet crepes. The offerings at the Crepewalk, a popular Penn street cart on Spruce between 36th and 37th, have a similarly Americanized crepe-as-sandwich take. But both vendors hew to Parisian authenticity on one important point: They’re both generous with the hazelnutty Nutella.
Arepas
Of course Spring Garden’s lone Venezuelan restaurant, Sazon, serves arepas — as a crisp counterpoint to a hearty omelet of fish and fried plantains, as a cornbread bun for a citrusy pulled-pork sandwich, as a cheddar-stuffed snack. And of course you can order arepas, stuffed with spicy Colombian chorizo, at Tierra Colombiana on North 5th Street. The griddle-scorched savory corn biscuits are an essential part of the diet in Venezuela and Colombia. The only Philadelphia-area drawback: You can’t get fluffy handmade arepas 24 hours a day, the way you can in Caracas.
Falafel
Long a standard at Philadelphia street carts, with devotees arguing the respective merits of the “King” (16th and JFK) and the “Expert” (40th and Locust), falafel — those fried fritters of chickpeas (or, less typically, fava beans) often served in a pita with tahini and hummus — has recently gone mainstream, sold at storefronts throughout the city. (Marigold Kitchen chef Michael Solomonov has even experimented with a cheese-steak falafel.) On street-food-central South Street, Maoz, a Dutch chain, turns out heavily garlicked falafel, and new addition Mama’s Grill offers a crisp, certified kosher version on a tender house-made pita.
Crepes
In France, crepes from a street vendor are a light treat, the eggy batter smoothed onto a round griddle, lightly coated with butter and sugar, and folded into a pie wedge to go. In Philadelphia, crepes are much fatter. Penn’s Pari Café Creperie in Houston Hall — a stationary version of the former lunch truck — turns out overstuffed savory and sweet crepes. The offerings at the Crepewalk, a popular Penn street cart on Spruce between 36th and 37th, have a similarly Americanized crepe-as-sandwich take. But both vendors hew to Parisian authenticity on one important point: They’re both generous with the hazelnutty Nutella.
