Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop

 

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Elizabeth R.

Philadelphia, PA

I believe that you get what you pay for, and although many things I end up drooling over at Fante's are a smidgen out of my price range, I'll gladly stroll in to keep the drool flowing.  This is a great shop, with helpful staff, and YES - the coffees are delish!  You can easily find a very flavorful and reasonably priced fair trade coffee bean here.  In fact I'm hooked on their coffee at the moment.  A huge draw for me is simply its location.  It's a prime spot if you're a market shopper on the weekends, like me.

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Elite '08

13

37

Tara H.

Philadelphia, PA

Normally, I buy everything online.  I hate shopping and I endeavor to make my shopping experiences out in the world minimal.  But when I need kitchen gear, I make the 10 minute walk to Fante's, and am a happier person because of it.

The place rules.  It's huge.  I found a replacement carafe for my french press.  I've bought everything a person could possibly want for cake decorating here.  I sigh and hem and haw when admiring their giant selection of Creuset (stuff I'll never be able to afford).  I got my BEAST of a peppermill here (Peugeot) and a well-made, inexpensive salt box.  

The bottom line is there is no need to shop online when Fante's is in your town.  You shop online for "stuff," but Fante's is more than just a place full of "stuff."  It's a part of Philly, it's an event, it's unique, it's a big, fun treasure chest.  

Oh, and PS - Take the cake decorating classes.  It's real-deal work.  Money well spent.

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Elite '08

12

49

ezekial f.

Philadelphia, PA

working in a place that has a smell that i'm immune to makes me really appreciate a place with a smell i can smell, so is fantes, but thats hardly the reason i give 5 stars.
they do have the best selection ever, even of coffees.
some of the things they sell are very expensive but not overpriced, something to look forward to when you "make it". they do also have a great staff, i've heard them talk people out of some crappy products (though you do have to wonder why they have some crappy products). i got my set of peugeot salt and pepper crackers here and they RULE!   on a sad note, for years, years, i looked at that copper still and never talked myself into it, now, its gone and here i sit getting drunk off of someones elses booze.
theres a lesson in that, friends. that lesson is, buy a still.

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102

kathleen t.

Philadelphia, PA

oh, fante's, you call to me!! with walls strewn with devices i don't need, but definitely want.

that whole bakery land in the back? sure! i need items from there, too. do i bake much? no..why do you ask??

it smells so good, the wooden floors creak lovingly, the worker bees are lovely....oh, how can i do you less than 5 stars?

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Elite '08

53

84

Stephanie M.

Philadelphia, PA

I first fell in love with Fante's when their rainbow display of KitchenAid mixers in the front window stopped me dead in my tracks. Tucked into the Italian Market, the store appeared deceptively compact to me. Further exploration revealed that it's much bigger than one might think, with several rooms of culinary items ranging from necessities to "what the hell is that for?" types of things. Whether you're looking for a copper stock pot, a fondue fork, a coffee grinder or a duck press (yes, there really is such a thing), you'll find it here. And the prices aren't bad, either.

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Elite '08

25

58

Zanna H.

Philadelphia, PA

If you are searching for ANY kitchen appliance or accessory. Look no further. With two floors packed to the ceilings full of pots, pans, gadgets, utensils, gizmos, and every other imaginable kitchen item you WILL find something you were looking for or needed even if you didn't know you needed it! It is a family owned business that has been around forever and everyone I have ever dealt with with in person or over the phone has been super nice. And if you get dizzy or exhausted from scouring the shelves for things you didn't know existed but now must have just pop into the little espresso section and you will be revitalized just from the smell of the wonderful stuff! (this coming from a non-coffee drinker who loves the smell)

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Elite '08

6

54

Jay C.

Philadelphia, PA

Fante's is great. They have just about anything you can think of for your kitchen. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I wondered around here for a 1/2 hour and made a list of all the essential cookware items I need. Even if you don't need anything it is cool to wonder around and check out all of the cool stuff. I enjoy how the shelves are packed with items. It isn't a mess  at al.l there is just a lot of stuff in a relatively small area. This store could have a huge ego but it doesn't, very refreshing. Great place to find a gift or something for yourself.

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0

19

David L.

Willingboro, NJ

Absolutely, the friendliest family owned business in the world, and who doesn't like a good cooking pan?  This store just makes me really happy.

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Elite '08

13

57

Michael C.

Philadelphia, PA

Great selection of kitchen stuffs, this store has always had what I wanted when it came to the kitchen. Bonus, what they have is always high quality at fair prices. A bit far from where I live, but worth the extra commute to get what I want. Recommended for all your cooking needs!

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25

248

Kimberly P.

Philadelphia, PA

Since I am a lover of all things having to do with cooking and food, this place was heaven to me. It kind of reminded me of a place that would be in Diagon Alley (yes I am a Harry Potter fan... and what?! I have no shame in my game). The assortment of pots, pans, spices and flavorings were a delight to my soul. Yes... my soul.

I bought a bottle of pure vanilla for $4! So cheap! Plus they had flavorings that I never knew existed: pineapple and peach brandy, for example. I could not contain my excitement.

This is a great place to go if you want to avoid commercialized places like Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kitchen Kapers.

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Elite '08

139

201

Ameena G.

NY

Forget Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma, Fantes is the best kitchen store I've ever been to. Granted, it's not as pretty as SLT and WS, but you get everything here - everything. A family owned business that is in it's 101st year, the folks behind Fantes know their kitchen stuff.

I actually chanced upon it during a weekend trip to Philly a few years back. We were roaming around the old Italian Market and stepped into this store because I can't resist kitchen stores  (I LOOOOOVE kitchen gadgets!) What I discovered was the dream shop for anyone who likes to cook (professionally or just for pleasure).

If you can't find what you're looking for in the shop, you'll definitely find it online. There website isn't quite state of the art, but it's simple and too the point. Just take a look and the list of items they have available is quite amazing (and frankly, quite overwhelming). It's the kind of site you go to when you're looking for something in particular because just browsing doesn't quite work. Consider this the Amazon of kitchen stuff. (Delivery is free for orders over $99).

Fantes is definitely a cook/chef's best friend.

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300

Nicole R.

PA

Chef knives and lots of them.  That's what I think about when I think about Fante's.  I love cookware almost as much as I love office supplies (and I have a fetish for office supplies).  They have pretty much any cutting implement you could possibly want, fondue pots, pastry torches, pots and pans, espresso machines, kitchen utensils and cookbooks.  They aren't the cheapest place to buy things needed for a kitchen, but I'd rather spend my money here than at Tarjay.  

They also have a little coffeebar attached.  It has great beans but the staff is not always up to brewing them correctly.

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473

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sara w.

Philadelphia, PA

love the coffee smell that emanates within this place. havent been here in a while but they definately offer lots of cooking oddities. love their fine assortment of spices, and loose leaf teas.  they also have some of the most splendid kitchen gadgets.

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52

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Susan G.

Philadelphia, PA

Let me just say that I love this place!  I love the people...though they are standoffish at first...they warm up to you very quickly!  
All of my kitchenware has come from Fante's.  I love their Fante's brand knives...they remind me so much of the knives that we were issued in culinary school, which were awesome!  I know that Williams-Sonoma has a much more organized space...but this shop is heaven for folks like me who (aside from the baking crap) love creating new plates in the kitchen!  
Also...they do this iced coffee drink, the name escapes me somehow, which is TO DIE FOR!  It's so perfectly good.  Then there are the random chocolate covered espresso bean machines...I'm always sure to have a quarter handy here!

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64

Elizabeth C.

Los Angeles, CA

Oh, Fantes, how I miss thee! You are a part of those institutions, establishments, and experiences that make Philadelphia such a liveable, real city. It's true. I didn't appreciate you at first. I did long for a Williams Sonoma and its slick, polished displays. But that's because I didn't understand you, your lack of pretension, your artless and jam-packed organization. I didn't realize what you offered was a very carefully, thoughtfully edited collection of the best, no-nonsense culinary goods (regardless of price, name recognition, etc.) that would introduce me to the joy of cooking. Or that, if at a loss out of ignorance or impatience, I should just seek the help of one of your incredibly knowledgeable staff who would lead me like a heat seeking missile to what would make my time in the kitchen not only bearable but pleasurably self-enhancing. My knives grow dull without your knife sharpening service since I apparently can't sharpen them properly. I've had to settle for poor imitations of French canning jars, which you offered rows upon rows and in great variety at incredibly reasonable prices. Without you and your trove of kitchen implements that inspire me to learn new ways in the kitchen to justify my returning to purchase them, I am settling into a repetitive, uninventive, and spiritless rut in the kitchen and reminiscing the days when you enlivened my culinary experience. See, I'm becoming lost again without you to guide my hand in the kitchen to nourish myself with inspired meals... Sigh!

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2

13

Jessica K.

Philadelphia, PA

Love this store!!!  They have so many things that you didin't even know that you needed in your kitchen.

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56

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Caitlin C.

PA

You will find everything kitchen here. Think Kitchen Kapers but more unorganized and a smaller place packed with more things. And the good thing about this place is that if you search you can find some really retro pieces. (Think 70's orange teapot).

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Elite '08

26

287

Kelly S.

Philadelphia, PA

Fante's is the absolute best place to get really good kitchen equipment, and it's a Philly institution.  I grew up hearing my mom singing this place's praises, and she definitely is right about it.  Every year for Christmas, my mom makes pizelles (okay, we're Irish, and she makes Italian cookies, whatever).  Her pizelles are famous among people who know her, and I usually help her make them.  Well, when I was a kid, she got tired of making them one at a time on the stove, so she told my dad to get her an electric pizelle iron from Fante's.  He didn't feel like going to South Philly, so he got her one from somewhere else, and, let me tell you, this thing made pizelles that were more like waffles than anything (pizelles are very thin and look like big snowflakes).  Of course, my mom made him go to Fante's after that and buy her a good pizelle iron and some real anise oil for her cookies, and the Fante's equipment made cookies that were 100% better than the ones we had to make on the non-Fante's iron.  Now, every year, my mom's pizelles are thin, crispy, and oh so yummy.  

When I move to a new apartment (which will be soon), I'm definitely going to Fante's to get good, grown-up kitchen ware for my new place.  My stuff from college is starting to get old, and Fante's has the absolute best stuff around.  I could spend hours browsing their selection.

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