Tourists at Home: Philly's Bourse Food Hall
While it is true that visitors often come to Philly looking for cheesesteaks, that’s probably not the meal they go home talking about. After all, we have a pretty incredible food scene here in Philadelphia.
The newest major addition to this scene, an artisanal food hall, was unveiled about a year ago in the historic Philadelphia Bourse building.
The Philadelphia Bourse Building was built in the early 1890s as the country’s first “commodities exchange” and housed the stock exchange, maritime exchange, and grain trading exchange, all at the same time. It continued to serve as a commodities exchange for about 70 years and served as office space even longer. At times there were even some upscale retail shops on the ground floor but despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the prime location directly across from the city’s most popular tourist attractions, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the Bourse was pretty much overlooked and forgotten by most people for decades.
But that has been shifting these last twelve months as word is beginning to spread about the recent renovations and addition of a “new food Hall in Old City.” There are now over 22 food and drink stalls in the Bourse.
Here are eight spots I am most excited about:
Bourse Bites aka Philly's largest happy hour. . . Wednesdays 4-7 pm $3, $4, $5 offerings 20+ vendors
Chocodiem
“Chocodiem offers hand-crafted, artisanal Belgian chocolate confections along with a range of French macaroons, truffles, chocolate gelato, frozen hot chocolate varieties and more. In addition to their award-winning grab-n-go sweet treats, Chocodiem boasts a bar menu featuring Belgian chocolate & wine pairings as well as a cocktail menu with chocolate themed concoctions.”
Takorean
“Takorean will bring a delicious combination of Korean-inspired flavors with a Latin-American twist. In addition to their signature Korean tacos, the menu will include Korean rice and salad bowls, all made from scratch with the freshest ingredients. Also offered is a fully customizable menu comprising of five primary proteins, a seasonal vegetable, an array of slaws, handcrafted sauces, toppings and garnishes.”
Chaat and Chai
“Chaat and Chai is a fast-casual Indian street food concept from Chef/Owner Anney Thomas. Originally located in South Philadelphia, Thomas immediately impressed lovers of global cuisine with a fresh interpretation of hard-to-find South Indian street food upon opening in 2015. In its first year, Chaat & Chai won Philadelphia Magazine’s coveted “Best of Philly” for Best Indian Restaurant.”
Barry’s Buns
“Baked fresh daily, Barry’s Buns is an all-natural, made-from-scratch bakery that specializes in gourmet sticky buns, cinnamon rolls and liege waffles. More than just buns, they offer other tasty baked goods including sticky bun bread pudding, Philadelphia butter cake, crumb cake, chocolate babka, and Jewish apple cake – to name a few.”
Bronze Table
“This fast-casual concept from the team behind Vera Pasta, serves made-to-order pasta meals alongside Italian wines and freshly packaged artisanal pasta to go. Customized pasta choices include a selection of signature dishes such as Nonna’s Ricotta Gnocchi, Wild Mushroom & Sage Ravioli, Mac N’ Cheese, and more.”
Freebyrd Chicken
“At Freebyrd Chicken, we make one thing – damn good chicken. We are starting a revolution against the bland and boring. Our menu is full of bold flavors – from our rich and spicy Nash Vegas Honey Hot Chicken to our take on an American classic the Philly Cheese – Chick, we have a sandwich that is sure to have you joining our revolution!”
Rebel Tacos
“Rebel Taco steps outside the boundaries with bold, vibrant ‘not yo mama’s’ taco flavors that will redefine the street taco. Everything is made from scratch daily using only the freshest ingredients, from the handmade tortillas to the sauces and salsa.”
Bluebird Distilling
“The Bar by Bluebird Distilling, headed up by Founder and Master Distiller, Jared Adkins, brings his extensive selection of grain-to-glass award-winning spirits, including Four Grain Bourbon, Straight Rye Whiskey, and Juniperus Gin to Old City with a craft cocktail bar featuring unique takes on the classics in addition to a rotating selection of one-of-a-kind creative concoctions.”
Get Fried
“A gourmet fry café specializing in crisp and delicious, made-to-order, topped French Fries and finger food favorites. Menu highlights will include topped fry basket meals such as the Rocky Balboa with sirloin, sautéed onion, sweet peppers, mushrooms and melted cheese, as well as Crispy Chicken Fingers, Mac ‘N’ Cheese Crunch Rolls, and more.”
Note: The hours at the Bourse can be a little wacky. If you’re looking forward to something specific, be sure to check out the individual vendor’s hours here before heading over.
