October 17, 2006
Cuisine: Philadelphian

1532 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: 215-569-3988
Website: http://www.phillysoftpretzelfactory.com/

—

 

Philly Soft Pretzel (3 for $1)

—

There are a number of foods that are distinctly Philadelphian: cheesesteaks, scrapple, cream cheese, TastyKakes, Herr’s Potato Chips, hoagies, and soft pretzels. I felt like a true Philadelphian (if only for a fleeting 15 minutes) yesterday when I had a fresh soft pretzel with yellow mustard drizzled all over.

The true Philadelphia soft pretzel:

• Is usually bought from a street vendor or small “mom and pop” shop – seldom from a chain store
• Is fresh, soft, and chewy
• Comes in a sort of slab in which a number of pretzels are stuck together
• Is sprinkled with just the right amount of coarse salt

My pretzel was warm out of the oven and provided an excellent pre-dinner snack. I’ve had Philly soft pretzels before while at Swarthmore, but never fresh ones. Since the pretzels have no preservatives it makes a huge difference eating them when they have just been baked.

And the best part is that three pretzels go for $1. You can also get a single pretzel for 45 cents.