This Pennsylvania Grocery Market Is Packed With Fresh Seafood, Produce, And Italian Favorites

A grocery run gets a lot more interesting when the seafood counter, produce section, and Italian specialties all start competing for your attention.

Pennsylvania shoppers looking for more than the usual supermarket routine can find plenty to linger over here.

Fresh ingredients share space with imported favorites and prepared foods, so a quick stop can easily turn into a longer browse.

The real temptation comes from seeing dinner ideas appear as you move through the market.

You may walk in needing one thing and leave mentally planning the next several meals.

I know that trap well. I once stopped at a specialty market for a single ingredient and spent the next half hour talking myself into cheeses, fresh bread, and something from the seafood counter I had not planned on buying.

By the time I reached the register, my original item looked almost lonely in the basket.

I still maintain that grocery shopping counts as entertainment when the shelves keep changing the menu in your head.

A Family Business That Started In 1939

Long before gourmet groceries were trendy, two brothers opened a tiny shop in South Philadelphia.

That was 1939, and the Di Bruno name has been attached to good cheese in Pennsylvania ever since.

The original store was small enough that customers practically shopped shoulder to shoulder.

The company later expanded, but Brown’s Super Stores acquired its retail locations in 2024, with Rittenhouse remaining the flagship today.

What I find genuinely charming is how little the core idea changed. Somebody behind a counter still hands you a sliver of cheese and waits for your reaction.

The tools got nicer and the space got bigger, but the instinct stayed the same.

Walking through Di Bruno Bros. at Rittenhouse Square, you can feel that history in small ways.

Imported goods sit beside house-made items, and nothing feels like it wandered in from a warehouse catalog.

For a Pennsylvania food business to hit this kind of longevity takes more than luck. It takes people who actually care what ends up in your bag.

The Chestnut Street Location Sits Steps From The Park

Center City real estate is competitive, and this address earned its spot.

The store lives at 1730 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, which puts it a short stroll from Rittenhouse Square itself.

That location shapes how people use the place. Office workers duck in for lunch, neighbors grab dinner components, and picnic planners load up before heading to the park bench of their choosing.

Doors open at seven in the morning every day, with closing at eight most nights and seven on weekends.

Early hours mean the coffee crowd and the commuter crowd overlap in a pleasant shuffle.

Parking, I will be honest, is the one headache. Street spots near Chestnut vanish quickly, though a lot sits across the way for anyone willing to pay city rates.

My advice is simple. Walk or take transit if you can, then spend the money you saved on something from the cheese counter instead of a parking meter.

Cheese Counter Staff Who Actually Know Their Stuff

Cheese shopping can be intimidating when every label looks like a foreign exam.

Here, the counter team treats questions as the whole point rather than an interruption.

Wedges are cut to order, samples appear without ceremony, and recommendations come with an actual reason attached.

Ask for something firm and nutty, and you will get a suggestion plus a taste to confirm it.

The selection leans heavily on imports, with Italian classics well represented and plenty of odd, wonderful finds beside them. Parmigiano, pecorino, aged goudas, and blues all get their moment.

One small tip from experience. Check pre-cut packages before buying, since anything sitting in a case deserves a quick glance for freshness dates.

Staff helpfulness shows up constantly in how people describe Di Bruno Bros., and the cheese counter is the clearest example.

Nobody rushes you, and nobody sighs when you ask what the difference is between two similar wedges. That patience is rarer than the cheese.

Seafood And Meat Cases Worth Admiring

Glass cases full of ice and glistening fillets stop people mid-stride.

Salmon, shellfish, and thick cuts of steak sit lined up with the tidiness of a display window.

Crab cakes get mentioned often by shoppers, and for good reason. They are the kind of prepared item you grab when you want dinner to feel special without doing real work.

The butcher side handles specialty cuts and larger orders, though anyone planning a holiday roast should confirm details well ahead. Special orders are best placed early and reconfirmed, since big requests occasionally hit snags.

I have a soft spot for markets where the seafood smells like nothing at all, because that is the sign of genuine freshness. That is the case here.

Plenty of visitors admit they browse these counters without buying, just enjoying the arrangement. Honestly, that is a legitimate use of a Pennsylvania market this pretty.

Window shopping for fish is underrated entertainment, and nobody hovers over you while you do it.

Sandwiches That Locals Plan Their Lunch Break Around

Lunch lines form for a reason, and the sandwich station is it.

The Danny, with chicken cutlet, prosciutto, sharp provolone, arugula, and Pepper Shooter aioli, is a current signature.

Bread arrives crusty, fillings get layered with actual thought, and the balance between meat, cheese, and something tangy stays steady. Italian combinations dominate, with prosciutto and cured meats doing heavy lifting.

Pizza also makes an appearance, along with sushi and prepared foods that surprise people. Salads and grab-and-go options give picnic planners plenty beyond the sandwich counter.

Here is my honest strategy. Order a sandwich, add something from the prepared-food case, then carry the whole haul to Rittenhouse Square and eat outside on a bench like a person with excellent priorities.

Sandwiches at Di Bruno Bros. are not cheap, and I will not pretend otherwise.

What you get in return is bread that holds up, meat sliced fresh, and portions that make lunch feel like a genuine event rather than a rushed refuel.

An Upstairs Space Most Shoppers Miss Entirely

The stairs lead to Alimentari, the second-floor dining space above the market.

It is no longer simply an all-day overflow seating area for shoppers carrying food upstairs from below.

Current public hours are limited to Wednesday through Friday from five until seven in the evening. Saturday through Tuesday, Alimentari is closed to diners, though private events are hosted upstairs.

The space now functions as a limited-hours Italian-inspired dining room, serving seasonal small plates and other items rather than acting as a general seating loft throughout the day.

Check current hours before planning to eat upstairs during your visit.

Specific dishes change with the seasonal menu, so older favorites such as truffle gnocchi or grilled cheese should not be treated as guarantees.

The upstairs experience centers on rotating small plates.

My move is to browse the market below before heading upstairs during Alimentari’s short window. That way the grocery shopping still happens first, while the second floor becomes a separate dining stop afterward.

Produce Picked For People Who Like Surprises

Fruit displays here do not look like the usual apple-and-banana routine.

Unusual varieties turn up regularly, and the arrangement makes the whole section feel curated rather than stocked.

Citrus, stone fruit, figs, and herbs rotate with the seasons.

Shoppers who wander in for a coffee often leave holding something they had never tried before, which is exactly how good produce sections work.

Quality shows in small details. Greens look perky instead of tired, and nothing sits in a puddle at the bottom of a bin.

I tend to use this section as inspiration rather than a shopping list. Seeing what looks best that week decides dinner more reliably than any plan I made at home.

Prices sit above supermarket level, which is the trade for smaller volume and pickier sourcing.

Buying two or three excellent pieces of fruit here beats a sad bag of nine, and Pennsylvania shoppers with limited counter space will appreciate the math on that.

Pantry Shelves Stacked With Imported Italian Favorites

Olive oil bottles line up like a small library, and the pasta selection goes well beyond spaghetti.

Jarred sauces, tinned fish, jams, olives, and specialty vinegars fill the shelves. Many items come straight from Italy, with other countries represented too.

Reading labels becomes a hobby, and prices range from reasonable everyday picks to splurge territory.

Gift shoppers have it easy here. A jar of something interesting, a good pasta, and a wedge of cheese make a present that looks far more thoughtful than the effort required.

Fun detail worth knowing. The market keeps everyday basics alongside the fancy imports, so you can grab crackers and paper napkins without treating the trip as a special occasion.

Browsing these aisles is half the appeal of visiting Di Bruno Bros., and nobody minds if you read three labels before choosing one.

That mix of specialty and practical is what keeps this Pennsylvania market useful rather than purely aspirational, which is a harder balance than it sounds.

A Coffee Bar And Dessert Case For The Sweet Tooth Crowd

Coffee arrives strong and the espresso setup stays busy through the morning.

Regulars grab a cup on their way through and barely break stride.

The dessert case holds cakes, pastries, cannoli, and rum cake that has developed its own small following.

Portions are generous, and the display leans traditional Italian bakery rather than trendy.

Fair warning, results in the bakery case can vary depending on the day and the item. Cakes that sit longer will not match freshly made pastries, so ask what came out most recently.

My honest preference is a cannoli and a coffee at one of the downstairs tables, groceries parked beside me. Ten minutes of sitting turns a shopping trip into something closer to a break.

Seating inside the market means you do not have to haul everything home before eating.

That small convenience is why so many Philadelphia shoppers treat this spot as a cafe first and a grocery run second, then leave with both handled.

Charcuterie Central For Party Planners

Party hosts have a shortcut, and it involves the cured meat counter.

Prosciutto, salami, and specialty cuts get sliced to order, and the staff will help you figure out quantities.

Pairing suggestions come easily. Jams, fruit spreads, olives, nuts, and bread all live within a few steps of the cheese and meat, which makes board building simple.

Prepared platters are available for anyone who would rather skip the assembly. Wholesale and larger meal orders exist too, useful for bigger gatherings.

Here is the planning tip I stand behind. Figure roughly a few ounces of cheese per guest, pick three contrasting textures, then add one meat you have never tried.

The board looks intentional without any real effort.

Di Bruno Bros. at Rittenhouse Square built its whole reputation on this category, and it shows in how casually the team handles requests.

Samples get offered, questions get answered, and nobody makes you feel like a beginner for asking. That is worth as much as the food itself.