To accompany the release of the TRAVELER'S DINER limited edition TRAVELER'S notebook set, we were asked by TRAVELER'S COMPANY to also recommend a diner from our area for fans of TRAVELER'S to visit.
Philadelphia has long had a bustling scene of downtown diners, and just about every part of town still has or remembers the good breakfast spot on the corner, somewhere near the bus stop, where you can sit down for a quick meal. In the city's residential neighborhoods and the counties along its edges, chrome and neon railcar diners yet abound. Afterall, Philadelphia is right across the Delaware River from New Jersey, which produced so many of them. But for which one to recommend? Omoi's owner Liz Sieber tells us about her personal pick.
When my family moved to Pennsylvania in 1988, one of the first things my parents wanted to do was go to the record stores in town, at the time like around 10th & Market. For lunch we went to the Down Home Diner which was nearby in Reading Terminal Market, and my mom also happened to be into diner aesthetic at the time (not even the food but the kitsch, the menus, coffee mugs, countertop, barstools, the people watching). I don’t really remember how it looked or what we ate, but what I do remember is that every time we’d go to a diner, my mom would let me order a slice of pie at the end, which was probably easily the highlight of the whole day for 7-year-old me.
I happened to be at Reading Terminal Market recently and walked past and it was as busy as ever, 34 years later. That’s amazing to stick around through all the events of the decades and still be as busy and reliable as ever, with the persistent charm of a business that has probably seen a lot. Cheers to Down Home Diner, I look forward to my next slice of pie.
The Down Home Diner neon sign at the corner of Filbert and 11th Streets
Down Home Diner sits within the famous, always bustling Reading Terminal Market
One of Down Home Diner's many signs
Opposite the main booth seating, customers line the counter seats
Opposite the main booth seating, customers line the counter seats
The view is impressive entering from Filbert Street. Patrons sit at booths or tables, with a neon SAVE THE FARM sign on the back wall
From further within Reading Terminal Market, the Down Home Diner's chalkboard counter sign promises delicious cheesesteak and beer
Gotta love the holographic chrome tabletop and tray of sweeteners and condiments
A diner WITH a juke box! A close up of the controls.
Our online director's TRAVELER'S notebook sitting atop the booth's retro tabletop
The Down Home Diner must be busy all day long
Visit the Down Home Diner
Located in Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th Street, Phila PA 19107