Center City Pretzel Co Inc

 

2

12

Mallory P.

Philadelphia, PA

Best hangover prevention!
Best late-nite drunk fix!  --Way better than Lorenzo's in that department, especially since they're so cheap.  I'd still be way into them if they were expensive, though.  
also:
Best way to burn your mouth!

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Elite '08

15

57

Erin G.

Philadelphia, PA

Oh, the good nights when I walked here from Center City, or stopped on my way back from a late-bight pick-up a the airport. I love salty things, and pretzels fall into this category. I also mostly think of them as a edible utensil for eating mustard. I LOVE mustard. Getting a hot press pretzel and dumping a crap load of mustard on it, and then getting mustard all over my face. That's awesome.

While the late-night hours add to the novelty and "members only" feel, I wish they were open at other times, too. And the last time I went, we got cold pretzels because the seller thought that the freshest batch was "too hot." Screw that. There is no such thing as too hot or too fresh when you're talking pretzels.

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1

8

Steph D.

Philadelphia, PA

I LOVE THIS PLACE-- great late night drunk food

There's really nothing like eating these pretzels fresh off the oven.  If you're up past midnight, it's worth the trip.  Soooooo soft and delicious...

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Elite '08

40

44

Mark P.

Philadelphia, PA

I forgot how much I love this place - only thing that sucks is the hours. I have tried to stop here soo many times and its always closed. Last night on my way home I saw it was open and imediately parked in the middle of the street ran in and grabbed a bag for all of $2. another thing that sucked was the fact that they were out of nacho cheese!!

This place makes for a great and cheap after bar/club spot to soak up the excess alcohol. There have been many morning where I wake up and find trails of pretzel salt all through my house.

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Elite '08

22

140

josh f.

Philadelphia, PA

Meh, this place was kind of a let down. The pretzels were fresh but I expected them to be warm too. It is a good spot to stop at before riding your bike home drunk back to west phila.

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4

13

Anon D.

Woodland Hills, CA

Hands down, the best pretzels. I may not be from philadelphia, but living on broad and washington street for two years, you tend to know your surroundings. I stopped at this place for what reason that I dont remember before going to work in NJ during a late shift and they sold pretzels right off the belt. Hot and delicious, you cant get that feeling of biting into one and think to yourself (with hot mustard) "holy mother of god, this is a good pretzel". Its the type of hole in the wall that you hear about in magazines or food network. I think about this place all the time, I live in los angeles now and I miss, cheesesteaks, wawas, and Center City Pretzels!

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15

21

patrick k.

Philadelphia, PA

Hot Pretzels, right off the conveyor belt. A cheap late night snack whether you need to feed a hungry party of 50 or just a couple to get you home after a good night. Weekend night wise you can only get them on Friday night after midnight, which is actually Saturday. And Saturday night they're closed, cause it's actually Sunday. If you like mustard on your pretzel make sure to get a bottle from them. Accept no substitutes.  They have the Deli Style bran mustard, which is made with mustard bran, whatever that is. Gulden's is not the same thing.

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2

14

John R.

Philadelphia, PA

If you're looking for soft pretzels in Philly, you need not look far.  On any block there is a store, street cart, or just a man with a box willing to sell you pretzels.  These pretzels may whet your appetite, but they are usually hours past their shelf life, and so they are cold and stale.

Sadly, the soft pretzel really only has a shelf life of an hour, maybe two  hours depending on the temperature and humidity of the day.  The hour old pretzel and the fresh out of the oven pretzel are really two different animals.  That means to enjoy a soft pretzel you must get it right at the factory.  Luckily in Philly this can be done in several locations, Center City Pretzel being one of the them.

Here you stand literally 10 feet away from the oven churning out a countless number of pretzels.  You can feel the heat blasting you in the face.  In between you and this machine is a man who will grab you the next row of pretzels and rip you off three of them for a dollar (if you buy more it can get as cheap as $0.19 each). The pretzels are so fresh you can't even hold them with your bare hands.  You wrap the pretzels in a piece of the brown paper bag you got them in and you slather on some of the free mustard.  Then you bite into the soft, piping hot pretzel taking note not to burn the roof of your mouth.  It is perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft but just chewy enough on the inside.

Much like how a good loaf of bread is just wonderful, a fresh soft pretzel is also piece of culinary perfection.  To eat a soft pretzel in its full god intended glory is sadly something many people will never engage in.  If you are in or around philly you should try to get one.  If you're a tourist, soft pretzels scream Philly just as much as a cheese steak.  Go out and drink at The Royal Tavern, Dive Bar, or any of the other good bars around there.  Then, before you stumble home, make the two block walk for the best pretzel you may have ever had.

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141

295

Viv C.

San Francisco, CA

Apparently there's this Philly bicycle subculture where everyone takes a midnight ride around the city and ends up at the Center City Pretzel Co. This bakery not only supplies Philly food stands with cheap pretzels at wholesale prices ($0.19 each for 50 or more) but provides scensters with a fresh-out-of-the-oven doughy after bar food for a extremely affordable $0.30 each. Let me tell you...fresh-out-of-the-oven? SO GOOD. But don't try to go here during the day. They're only open in the middle of the night. Mmmm...midnight pretzel run. Add a little mustard and chow down.

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24

130

Daniel D.

PA

As Viv mentions in a previous post, their is a 'Pretzel Ride' every Tuesday night in which a whole slew of people, as diverse as you can imagine, ride from the Art Museum to Center City Pretzel Co Inc and get their fill for a buck! And boy is it fantastic! As an avid pretzel rider there is nothing I look forward to more than hopping on my bike on a nice summer night for this! The pretzels are fresh and hot, and they have mustard, caramel, and different cheeses for dipping.

Next Tuesday come check it out! Art Museum, 11:30PM. Be There!

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24

69

stephen c.

Philadelphia, PA

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but though pretzels here only cost 3 for a dollar, a tiny dixie cup full of cheez whiz will cost you a buck each.

Last time my buddy John was so drunk he accidently dumped 3 dollars worth of cheez-whiz on the hood of some dude's late-model bimmer.   Since we didn't want any trouble from the cops, we immediately high-tailed it to Cirque du Soleil.

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Elite '08

45

101

Jenna C.

Philadelphia, PA

I love coming here, late at night, for a yummy pretzel with lots of mustard! And if you wait out front long enough (which I'm fairly certain they don't appreciate) you're bound to see someone you know come along. Also, if the garage doors are open, sneak a peak at their ovens... they're fun.

Just a few notes...
Bring something to drink (I think there's a soda machine two blocks down)
Don't bother trying to go on a Saturday night... they don't make pretzels on Sundays, so they won't be open Saturday night.

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1

14

BJ M.

Philadelphia, PA

So good! Worth staying up late for.

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