Old City Coffee

Old City Coffee runs a roasting booth at 1200 Filbert Street inside Reading Terminal Market, the historic Philadelphia food hall behind the Convention Center. Ruth Isaac founded Old City Coffee in 1985 as a one-person operation at 221 Church Street, then opened the Reading Terminal stall in 1988. The Reading Terminal booth still runs as the main roastery, micro-roasting 100 percent Arabica on site every day. Beans are sourced from coffee origins around the world and roasted in small batches that turn over with the market traffic. Espresso is the move at the booth. Drip pours from the same beans being roasted ten feet behind the counter. On weekday lunch the room fills with Convention Center attendees and downtown office workers cutting through Reading Terminal for a quick stop. Order an espresso if you came in to taste what Old City has been roasting since 1985. Order a bag of single-origin to take home if you want the same coffee as the one in the cup.