It was good. Super packed but good. Any restaurant that has a long line is a sign its a keeper. πThe potatoes I had were a bit undercooked but everything else was good.I ended up getting a veggie omelet with egg whites. It came with diced potatoes and a homemade biscuit.The homemade biscuit was amazing!! Id come back just for that!
Usually we sit at a booth but we wanted the full βReading Terminalβ experience, so we chose 2 seats at the counter. My friend enjoyed their spicy chicken omelette and I really dug into my ham and cheese omelette. Naturally, I had a side of scrapple. I have to say you could taste the freshness in the eggs and the scrapple. My only complaint was not enough meat in the omelettes for my taste. The biscuits instead of toast was an interesting touch. A bit dry and crumbly but a little butter and strawberry jam did the trick.
The best Diner Ive been to in Philly! In all of my years living here, I hadnt visited until today. The prices are excellent, the portions good, and the food is fresh and perfectly cooked!The omelets and eggs were fluffy and not burnt, home fries perfectly crispy and fresh, and the homemade biscuit and jam were awesome!The wait time was not bad for how busy the restaurant was on Sunday, given that Reading Terminal is a hot spot for tourists.The prices are better than the local diners in Philly especially given the quality of the food. Cant wait to come back and try more of the menu! This is my new favorite breakfast spot.
Came here on a trip and tried to grab a quick breakfast, asked to be seated the register girl refused to seat us and said we ordered it to go although we didnβt. To be honest she didnβt even ask and we waited a while for our order and she was just consistently rude I wouldnβt go here unless you want really bad service.
Basic diner food. Had a couple of options that did stand out like the Amish beef toast pictured. Resembles a corn beef with gravy and toast. The nicest thing is that it had a decent sized diner space so you can get seating, which is sparse in the terminal.
Great country style breakfast. Filling, but not heavy. The pancakes were some of the best Ive had. Fast service and almost-too-good prices.
Our experience at the Diner was about as bland as this Toast. The staff, food, and experience was just blah. Granted that could be because it was first thing in the morning and our waitress had not had her coffee yet; however, my wife and I were not impressed.Drinks were never refilled, food lacked flavor, we asked for water and never received it. Just disappointed in general about our experience.
Fast and friendly services. Price is just right
Nostalgic atmosphere! The food was regular. No American cheese only cheddar cheese. Customer service was good.
Whenever returning to Philly, we go to the Reading Terminal. But, we havent been to Down Home Diner in many years. Due to pandemic, seating at the Terminal is now very limited, so we opted for the Down Home Diner, which has its own seating and was plenty empty. The food was excellent. I ordered the meatloaf, just to see if it was any good and to try something other than a cheese steak. I wanted to mix it up. The meatloaf was among the best - if not the best- that Ive ever had. (My wifes meatloaf is on par with this.) It tasted totally home made. So, we were definitely impressed by the Down Home Diner, which has been here for many, many years. Very reasonably priced.
Inside the Reading marketplaceβ¦.First time here and the booths are tight but cozy. I had the French toast on challah bread and it was very goodβ¦. Eggs and the home fries were excellent. Service was excellent. Weβd go backβ¦
This place easily has to be the worst restaurant in Philly. It was so bad that I had to return the food (Iβve never done that anywhere).I took 2 bites of the roasted Turkey platter and I can guarantee these were microwaved canned food. The food tasted like sewer.My wife had the burger which was rubbery and chewy. We literally just went down to another restaurant after eating the fries and wasting our money and ruined our appetite.They did NOT cook the food fresh. This was pre-made or most likely frozen packaged food.We Just ate at Chiliβs down the block- same cost and real food.
A hidden gem in the Reading Terminal Market. A nice place to sit down and enjoy a quality meal with big portions for a very reasonable price. The food is always fresh and you can tell it is made with love. The homemade biscuits are delicious and once they find a way to bottle the homemade cherry jelly I am going to by 15 jars. The staff make you feel at home and do not rush you out the door. A nice place to enjoy a high quality meal.
Good diner food. Honestly if it werent in Reading Terminal Market you would think its a little overpriced, but its a diner in Reading Terminal Market that has ample seating so youre taking what you can get.
Of all the places to eat Reading Terminal Market I guess I chose the wrong place to eat. The service was good and fast.However, I ordered the fried chicken and it tasted like it was fried in the oil too much and had a burned flavor. The greens were okay but the Mac and Cheese was worse than Kraft Mac and Cheese.It was clean and quaint and the wait time for a table was under 10 minutes. Maybe that should have been an indication of the food.
The portion is small the bacon over cook and the price was a little more than what I pay for breakfast besides that atmosphere was good.
We had planned to get something to eat at the Reading Terminal Market when we realized that Market closes at 6 pm and a thunder storm was dropping heavy rain and we decided to go to Down Home Diner at the MarketOne cook, one waitress and one bus person, that was the extent of the staff minding the diner. At one point there was at least 10-12 tables occupied. Having said that, the waitress who also acted as the cashier, was doing a terrific job.We ordered a bowl of chicken soup, the Meatloaf patter and the Fried Chicken platter. The chicken soup had gone sour, separated and had a foul smell. You should have seen the look on the waitresss face when she smelled the soup and took it backThe meatloaf came with green beans and mashed potato. Meatball was tasty but barely hot.The Fried Chicken was crispy and moist except for the breast that was dry; but no seasoning whatsoever. The mashed potato and colored greens were on the cold side.
Had the Catfish platter with cole slaw instead of potato salad. Catfish was cooked perfectly! Cornbread coating kept the fish nice and hot!Collared Greens were heavenly!
Very good breakfast with great service in a really cool atmosphere.
Delicious food, very friendly and efficient servers, very good prices.
This is one of the best restaurants in the world, and Im grateful to have been a Down Home Diner waitress!
It was definitely not my choice to eat here. With an abundance of options to choose from at Reading Terminal, this cheesy uninspired diner was not exciting for me.The service was friendly and the food was okay, but not amazing.If you absolutely insist on table service, this might be your only option here.
Great food at a reasonable price. Service was excellent.
Old school diner, great food, great service. As Arnold would say Ill be back!
Long wait, but the food and service was great. The Reading Terminal is the best place if you want specialty and a variety of food and goods.
Solid A+ food quick service.
Great stop for breakfast on vac really great food
Nice waitresses and good food its a nice place to eat
Stopped here for a quick bite after being completely overwhelmed by the Reading market. The lemon poppy pancakes were very flavorful along with out other meal. This was my first attempt at scrapple.... and it was interesting. Im not judging my review simply on scrapple, we enjoyed the restaurant. Very nice food with a wide array of options.
The food was delicious. Just like mom would have made.
This place is okay, seemed to change the menu from the last time we ate here. The service was great, waitress was friendly but we noticed she was the only one getting things for all the tables and it was very busy! My fiances food came about 10 minutes before mine so he was finished eating by the time i started my meal, the cheesestake was a bit dry but it wasnt awful. Not too badly priced, food was hot, but being more consistent with bringing out food is a suggestion.
Service is slow and food is ok, the scrapple was good.
Great breakfast spot - wait time and service was quick, and portions were large!
Great food and friendly professional service.
While traveling to Philadelphia from Massachusetts on a Philly Cheesesteak Road trip we discovered the best pancakes either one of us have ever had. We stayed two nights at nearby Penns View Hotel and after waking up our first morning there I wanted to get pancakes. I judge diners by 3 things: pancakes, eggs benedict and coffee refills. Never got a chance to get the benedict because the pancakes were so good that when we went back the next day I had to get them again. And the coffee was topped off when we left. We are planning on going back in a coupke of months.
I had fish & grits n homeff sorry to say the food was not good the fish taste like corn meal n the potatoes was salty I would not recommend nobody to go there waste of time n money
This is a wonderful diner, snugged into Philadelphias historic Reading Terminal Market. Its located by the fresh produce section and surprisingly well hidden, even juxtaposed to the bustling market. Service has always been prompt and friendly, although Ive always come by during off hours. Prices are reasonable for a nice sit down lunch. Once done, walk around the market and grab yourself a souvenir, or give the busking musician on the corner of filbert street a quarter or two.
A nice place for breakfast. Great food, fairly priced.
This is a great diner right in the heart of Philadelphia! The food is delicious and at an excellent price! The service is simply exquisite. We went there twice and were received well by Kayce and De Anna. Should you go there, theyll take great care of you! If Im ever back in Philadelphia, it will be among the first places I return to.
Great food quality and volume. Great price. Great service.
Great place. The best part was our waiter KC -- great person!! If I had to change one thing, it would be to add desserts to the menu like other diners. Love it here!
Omg this place always delivers -. Best quality down home cooking for affordable prices - love the fact they open very early on Sunday - pancakes are huge and yummy - real turkey bacon - not the fake stuff
Didnt get a chance to try the food, but the owner was a really cool, down to earth guy!
I am a local and never ate here before. I will never again.This was by far the worst breakfast I have ever eaten. My wife sent hers back and ordered nothing else it was so bad.Corned beef hash was made with ground beef and no seasoning at all. Greasy was the only flavor.Stay away. Every other shop in Reading Terminal Market is awesome. How do these people stay in business.Yuck!
This place is simply fantastic. great service. great food. if you are not tipping these guys then that is just sad. to a couple people... stop your whining and drop a couple bucks in the tank. =] well deserved.
It was very nice. Clean n relaxing. Im just use to southern home cooking being seasoned to the T. Imma chef, so when I order something of this taste n name, Im looking for the southern flavor. Fish was fried nice, just could of been seasoned better
They was very fast and delicious.
Since theres plenty of stuff on the menu at the Down Home Diner I havent tried yet, I cant say for sure how good the food there in general is. However, Ive actually dined there several times before, and for what Ive had there so far, its outstanding. Probably the only thing better at that Diner than the food there are actually the people that work there! Staff was very friendly and acommodating! Case in point: I Ordered two blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon, and asked them to make my bacon extra crispy. When they came back with my food, the bacon was just the way I wanted it! Also, for the quality of the food, this place is actually a real blessing on the wallet!
Fantastic food. Chef McDavid is a great person
Busy, but ya know, Sunday. Pulled pork sandwich was better than Denics all day. Staff was soo busy, but friendly
Really nice mid-afternoon Sunday lunch. Great eggs and affordable breakfast prices.My companion also ordered chicken strips which were hand prepared and tasty.My biscuit was buttery on its own. Homemade cherry jam.Very enjoyable experience. Coat hooks at booths and classic American diner appearance.
Foods good delivery not hot a little pricey
Not crowded yet. Received my decaf & bowl of grits quickly. Love the grits here, it is made the way I like it. Just one of the reasons to drop in while in the Terminal.
Great place for breakfast when I come do errands in Center City via Jefferson Station. Part of Reading Terminal Market
Down Home Diner was a great place we stumbled upon while looking for a spot to have a sit down dessert. Even though the Diner didnβt have dessert (which is one suggestion I have to improve the diner), we stayed and had a nice conversation with our host/waiter Kayce! The food was good but we stayed for the ambiance and conversation :)
Well, this was tough to rate. Waitress was pleasant, but not super attentive, and occasionally forgot items and had to be reminded.Also, BIG knock was a napkin I used that I then noticed had lipstick marks inside it. That was NOT Good. (nobody at table had lipstick) So obviously a napkin had been left at table, and not disposed of. That is a serious issue.Food was tasty overall. Was bummed that there was sour cream on my burrito that wasnt listed on menu.Even with the misses, will come back to try pancakes, but be wary, traveler.
I love this place! The food is delicious and the dining is just right for an intimate meal with a friend or colleague. The cat fish, crab cakes, poached eggs, and pancakes are all yummy options that keep me coming back for more.
As always, the food and server was excellent. I dont remember our servers name. She had a tattoo on the back of her neck. She was very very good.
Was in town for a concert Friday night and stayed the night. Following morning, my daughter and I stopped in for breakfast. The inside dining area was packed and because the weather was so nice, we decided to grab a table outside. Our waitress was super friendly and very attentive. The food was delicious! I had the breakfast burrito and my daughter had blueberry pancakes. On the side we had eggs, bacon and scrapple. Everything was perfect! I will definitely be revisiting when Im back in the area.
Service is surprisingly slow for a diner. Food was decent. Pancakes are pretty good.
Loved the breakfast