Philadelphia takes food very seriously, especially when it comes to the icons: the cheesesteak, tomato pie, hoagies—just to name a few. But the city is more than its signature eats. It’s also home to some of the best restaurants in the country. Thanks to its excellent culinary scene, you could spend all day looking for the perfect gift for the food lover in your life. Luckily, we did all the hard work for you. Below, you’ll find a wide range of unique surprises to give this holiday season, from beautiful jewelry to amusing t-shirts, and everything in between guaranteed to make your gift a hit. Happy shopping. And of course, go Birds.
Need more shopping ideas? Browse Eater National’s gift guides or Eater Philly gift guides from years past.
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South Fellini
Scrapple T-Shirt from South Fellini
Tony Trov and Johnny Zito are lifelong friends who first started making tees in college to fund their short films and rock operas. At their South Philly shop, South Fellini, there are pins, hats, t-shirts, and artwork that remix the city’s iconography into fun parodies and colorful mashups, like this Snapple Scrapple t-shirt.
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Thank You Thank You
Bean Head Hat from Thank You Thank You
We all know that one person who can tell the difference between a good cup of coffee and a great cup of coffee. If they live in Philly, chances are they frequent Cody McGregor’s Thank You Thank You, which brews some of the best espresso in the city. Give them this hat and they’ll wear it with pride.
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Sisterfriend
Tinned Fish Charm from Sisterfriend
At this point, we all know someone who is obsessed with tinned fish. If that person is a very special someone, consider this delicious (gold!) tinned fish pendant. Made to order on Jewelers Row in Philly, Sisterfriend’s jewelry is inspired by the childhoods of co-founders Lisa Maita and Kelli Mercado-Waldron. Pendants shaped like mangoes and tsinelas pay homage to their Filipino heritage and are guaranteed to put a smile on anybody’s face.
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Rainbow Tomatoes Garden
Tinned Fish Tote from Rainbow Tomatoes Garden
Sardines, anchovies, tuna, oysters, squid — Rainbow Tomatoes Garden has the world’s largest selection of tinned seafood. They carry over 700 products and source from 105 different vendors. They also have an impressive selection of pantry items, books, and other goodies, including merch. Their tinned fish tote is particularly excellent, perfect for a trip to the farmers market or just because.
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Isgro Pastries
Signature Cookie Tin from Isgro Pastries
Heading to a holiday party? This cookie tin, filled with pignoli, almond macaroons, coconut macaroons, and old world Italian cookies, will pair nicely with a post-dinner coffee. Plus, you can save the tin and use it to store—you guessed it—a sewing kit.
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Katydid Hill
Garden Mint Tea from Katydid Hill
For the friend or loved one who can’t wait to curl up on the couch with a good book as the temperatures drop, you can’t go wrong with any one of Katydid Hill’s herbal tea blends. The garden mint, made with peppermint and chamomile, is great served hot in the winter and iced in the summer.
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Remark Glass
Sharing Plates from Remark Glass
Located inside the BOK Building, Remark Glass creates drinking glasses, decanters, nesting bowls, and other beautiful treasures for the home from bottles and jars collected by their sister nonprofit, Bottle Underground. Their sharing plates, which come in two colors (crystal clear and forest green), will make a beautiful addition to the dinner table of any person who loves to host.
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Down North Pizza
Slangin’ Pies, Saving Lives T-Shirt from Down North Pizza
Down North Pizza is more than a neighborhood pizza joint. Their admirable mission—to hire formerly incarcerated workers at fair wages—and Detroit-style square pies make this restaurant a truly special place. Plus, 10 percent of merch proceeds go to the Down North Foundation, which means this is the kind of holiday gift worth giving.
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Herman’s Coffee
Diner Coffee from Herman’s Coffee
Herman’s is many things: a neighborhood coffee roaster, a specialty market, and a pop-up hub for aspiring chefs. The converted-auto-repair-shop cafe brews some of the most interesting seasonal coffees in the city, from the strawberry rhubarb iced latte to the passionfruit matcha latte. They also sell some of the best beans in the city. Diner Coffee is a take on the classic, dark roast diner coffee without the bitter black brew taste. You can order it as is or in their coffee subscription.
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Càphê Roasters
Vietnamese Coffee Brew Kit from Càphê Roasters
Looking to learn how to brew Vietnamese Coffee? This kit has everything you need to make a cup at home. And thanks to Càphê Roasters’s own Vietnamese espresso blend, one sip will transport you to the J Street cafe.
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Stereo Flavors
Burger Enamel Camping Mug from Stereo Flavors
Stereo Flavors is a hyper-local Philly food zine that can be found all over the city, from provisions shop Salt & Vinegar to Repo Records. Show your support for the zine by buying their merch. The burger enamel mug is a great way to help them going.
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Fishtown Pickle Project
Philly Dilly Deli Pickles from Fishtown Pickle Project
Fishtown Pickle Project began after cofounders Mike Sicinski and Niki Toscani gifted their pickles to wedding guests. They had the right idea because the best gifts are the ones you can eat from a jar. Philly Dilly Deli is the most reminiscent of a mildly sour deli pickle and perfect for snacking.
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Tabachoy
Gift Card from Tabachoy
Chef Chance Anies’ food truck-turned-restaurant is a Bella Vista gem that serves a menu of unforgettable Filipino dishes: Tabachoy Caesar—with its mustard greens, cured duck yolk, chili, fried shallot, scallion, and sesame—pork adobo, pork sisig, and pandan cheesecake. Any person would be lucky to receive a gift card here. There’s even an option to pool money from multiple people for one individual (you know, in case they want to make it a date night).
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Honeysuckle Provisions
Gift Card from Honeysuckle Provisions
At Honeysuckle, you’ll find pastries, sandwiches, salads, and more on a constantly changing menu. Chefs Cybille St.Aude-Tate and Omar Tate’s Afrocentric grocer and cafe also centers and promotes sourcing from Black farmers and producers and they have a wide range of offerings online and in the West Philly space. A gift card here means a person can stock their pantry and get a sandwich to go!
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Phaidon
The Palestinian Table/The Arabesque Table by Reem Kassis
Whether the home cook in your life wants to explore Palestinian cooking or learn more about the culinary history of the Arab world, local author Reem Kassis’s cookbooks are as much a joy to read as they are to cook from. Between The Palestinian Table and The Arabesque Table, any food-loving Philadelphian can add caramelized butternut squash fatteh with za’atar, rice-stuffed chicken, and muhallabiyeh and hibiscus rose tart to their table.
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Abrams Books
Signed Copy of Pizza Camp by Joe Beddia
When that one very enthusiastic, very knowledgeable pizzaiolo you know is not dining under the smiling cloud light fixture at Fishtown’s Pizzeria Beddia, they can try their hand at making one of owner Joe Beddia’s pies at home. The cookbook is filled with delightful topping combos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make it extra special with a personalized inscription.
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Sisterly Love Collective
Donation to The Sisterly Love Collective
The Sisterly Love Collective is an organization of women business owners in Philly with a single mission: to empower and advance women in the food and hospitality space. The organization held a series of revenue-boosting events during the pandemic, hosted holiday markets, and recently concluded the “Cookbooks & Convos” series inspired by the beloved “The Book and The Cook” food festival. For the person who has made it very clear they don’t want anything, consider a donation to The Sisterly Love Collective in their name.
