Termini Brothers Bakery

 

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Jon L.

PA

I don't know what's up with me this week, but I can't stop writing about Philly Hall of Famers. The Termini family has been baking for South Philly  since 1928 (if, indeed, I'm reading the time-line on the company website correctly), and it's still the number one place for little Italian ladies to buy their weekend pastries on Friday afternoons. Termini's has opened a number of other locations in the area, but this one, close to the Italian Market, is the one that truly retains the soul of yesteryear.

If you've read any of my other reviews, you know I'm a man of habit. My Termini Bros traditions help support that claim. See, incredible smells of all kinds pour out of the bakery at all times of the day, fancy contemporary French designs to the most traditional South Philly Italian delights, and I never shy away from the samples of who knows what that they're always giving out. But when I go to South Philly, it's because I crave a cannoli.

A friend of mine lives in South Philly, and here's how we spend our best afternoons/nights: First, we go to Ralph's for a great plate of pasta. (I hold off on an appetizer unless I'm sure I have a lot of room in this stomach of mine.) Afterword, we walk just two blocks away to Termini Brothers and we each order three cannolis -- usually they all contain the traditional filling, but sometimes I order one with chocolate chips, for a change of pace. We each eat two, save one for later. My friend and I aren't big fans of the night scene in South Philly so, if it's a social night, we head downtown for beers, and then, at the end of the night, when we get back to his place in South Philly, we gage our hunger. If it's very high, we each have a steak at Pat's, and then we head back to his place to finish off our cannolis. If it's not so high, we simply finish off the cannolis and crash (though, obviously, not together.) No matter what the case, it's a glorious tradition -- you may steal it if you like. And the whole glorious day gets its coherence, its narrative arc, from those incredible stuffed pastries at Termini Brothers Bakery.

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