The Bourse

Avoid the Asian Deli at all costs… Food looks great, but has sat out for hours at improper temperature. These people are petty theives. Nothing is priced. In NYC this is against the law. They also do not take off the weight of the container and put your utensils on the scale. They do mention, that if you put in an extra tea bag, it’s 50 cents. They prey on tourists. Take a walk a few blocks to the Reading Terminal, you’ll be glad you did. Also, Chinatown is just a few blocks to the west. THEY CHARGE YOU BY POUND, 8.99 FOR BANANAS AND JELLO. AVOID THIS PLACE. I’M a tour bus operator and this whole place is a sham.

Highway robbery… $ 22 for 3 small ass ice cream cones.

Thanks Unilocal for showing this place just as the very and very —exactly what it.
I been shown it as a mixed type of place. Decided to go so took a friend with me.
She also desired to have something from here.
I found parking at the first moment as good but before going out — — — -not was like that.
Have good amount stores — — — — — nothing great I found.

A great meeting place in the tourist infested Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia The Bourse offers ample seating and copious air conditioning. In great need of a rehab you feel like you are stepping into a food court in a shopping mall from the early 90’s. The place has high ceilings, drab eateries, and plenty of gift shops to choose from. On heavy tourism days you would want to avoid The Bourse.

I seen this building over the years and never knew what it was since I was bar hopping at night. On top of that, i never bothered to inspect it during the day since the area is touristy.
The architecture is really nice! I was intrigued (and hot) so I decided to walk through it one day after lunch. I always wondered why Philadelphia lacked «touristy» areas like other big cities that sold souvenirs and a food court’ish place for convenience. Then I realized, The Bourse is exactly what I was thinking of. Unfortunately, the interior is very dated and felt like I was in the 90’s.
Food stalls are your typical names and fare (pizza, sandwiches, Chinese, etc.) The souvenir shops are fun and good for the average tourist since other places are usually located outdoors, you get the benefit of AC during the summer, and heat during the winter.
With so many food options in and around Old City, it is definitely difficult to justify spending money here if you are a local. For the average tourist, I’d opt for something small to hold you over and then head to a restaurant/​café within the 2 – 3 block radius. Or just go here to take refuge from the heat.
I would suggest Philly invest some money to update the place (interior), but I’m not sure if that would entice new vendors or businesses (upper floors) to rent here. A Reading Terminal’esque food hall may do well. NYC benefits from having a robust tourist economy all year round, so they are able to sustain 4+ food halls, despite being in close proximity to one another. I can only wish…

The whole place has just a few souvenir stores. Lots of empty space. Unless ur looking for an airport style souvenir, no reason to visit.

I really like the architecture of this edifice. It’s unfortunate that the businesses on the first floor all sell either useless souvenirs that were made in China or they sell «food» that makes hospital food seem delectable. There are eaters in there called «Chicken» and another called «Beef»
My husband and I used to take our business to Dr. Scott Bonomo of Society Hill Dental who runs his business on the 6^th floor. The first time I made an appointment with them, I told the receptionist that we were new to Philadelphia and needed to know the easiest way to find the place. She failed to mention that the address they claim is their address, is not the same address on the street. She gave me this address ‘111 South Independence Mall E #61′, but I could not find ANY signs on the street that read ‘South Independence Mall’, so I phoned to let them know that I had been lost for twenty minutes. The same receptionist said «Well it’s 5^th street!» I said «When I made my appointment, I told you told me to go to 111 South Independence Mall E #61, you did not tell me that you are on 5^th street» She proceeded to yell at me, telling me that I am late and had better hurry up. I finally walked into the building, only to be confronted by 200 plus screaming junior high school kids. I felt like I was in a nightmare. I immediately entered an elevator, noticed that there was NO BUTTON FOR THE SIXTH floor. I exited the elevator and the massive kids were ALL STILL YELLING. Nobody was telling them to shut the hell up.
Finally, I tracked down a security guard, who said that I had to go to the OTHER end of the building to take the elevator that goes to the 6^th floor. Can you believe that receptionist? She hadn’t told me that there is a SPECIFIC elevator that one must take in order to arrive on the 6^th floor. I was getting fed up at this point.
I walked into Dr Bonomo’s office, was treated with disdain by their inept and incredibly unfriendly receptionist. I was called to the back by an ‘Ivana’, who immediately stated how annoying it was that I had arrived late. I started to tell her that THIER receptionist had given me incorrect address and directions, and she ignored me, then interrupted me. Turns out that she is the dental hygienist. Oh joy. She cleaned my teeth whilst asking WAY TOO MANY personal questions AND then performing the hard sell on me.
I gave them the benefit of the doubt and came back for a cleaning six months later. The receptionist and Ivana AND Dr. Bonomo were all rude to me. This time, the hard sell from Ivana and Dr. B were particularly annoying, and Dr. Bonomo even yelled at me because I would not submit to an oral cancer test or X-​rays. Why should I? Ivana had been very rough with my mouth after I politely declined her sales pitches. She wanted me to buy all kinds of dental gadgets, even though I told her that I already have the same ones. My husband also did not appreciate being treated with disdain both times that he went there, and they were more rude the second time that we went back as well as the second time I went back.
The Phila Bourse building is quite sad, really.

Gorgeous old building that used to be an 1800s commodities exchange but is repurposed to house souvenir shops and some food court type eateries. Although the stores are cheesy, it can be a great rest stop and the inside is still stunning.

I’ve came in here from time-​to-​time after taking standardized tests in The Curtis Center to get a snack and to use the rest room before hitting the market-​frankford el line. They have knick-​knacky souvinear shops, some places to get some food, a random daycare center in the lower floor where the restrooms are located. The restrooms have been pretty clean everytime I went in. Good place to stop in, I would not make it a destination. My mom and I came here on a sunday when we were in town before and there was a lot closed, seems they cater to the mon-​fri crowd.

The building is a repurposed commodities exchange from the late 1800’s, so if you’re going for the history, that’s pretty cool. The gift shops are, well, gift shops; and the food is pretty average. It’s definitely touristy, but certainly not trendy.
Downside: Student tour groups tend to converge on the Bourse during lunch time so it can get pretty loud and overcrowded. Ah, to be young again!
Upside: You can get the sightseeing tour buses and the horse and carriage rides right outside The Bourse, and you may run into Betsy Ross (I did today) or Ben Franklin!
My recommendation for those visiting Philly, consider The Bourse a pitstop but not a destination.

I only went to the gift shops. found a different color tee in each which is Wut I was looking for. great selection. like everyone says it’s big so maybe they will fill it up. BUT the shirts r cheaply made. they didn’t last long. its those tourist tees that r heavy cotton. i think it depends wut kind of philly gift u r looking for.

My boyfriend and I needed to stay indoors during our trip in Philadelphia since it was so hot so that’s why we also decided to visit the Phila Bourse Building. It has great air conditioning.
I don’t quite understand why there are 6 – 7 souvenir shops selling the same items on one floor. There’s a lot of seating area and a small food court.
There’s a couple of floors that are vacant and I feel they should definitely do something about it and try add more shops to it. The Phila Bourse Bldg is definitely not a place that’s very appealing and attractive. Although if you find yourself sweating to death in the area, this is a good place to sit and relax for a bit.

We went here after the 2013 July 4^th parade (did you see me on abc?). It was great to have a bldg so close to Independence Hall with air conditioning. We asked the security personnel for recommendations and based on what we liked, they pointed us to Bain’s deli and Grande Olde Cheesesteaks. My bf loved his chicken salad sandwich from the deli but my cheesesteak with onions and american cheese only (no peppers) was just so-​so. I also got cheese fries. I was in a cheesy mood. Why do we think cheese fries are a good idea? They almost never taste as delish as we think they will. Gloopy but passable. I got the cheesesteak, fries and drink combo for $ 10 but paid a little extra for cheese on fries. I would have been happier going to a restaurant and getting service for a little more money but the point that day was to beat the after-​parade rush.

Confusing. Why do you need 6 different souvenir shops selling the same items in one building? It’s like if you went to a mall that just had a dozen Old Navys. Unnecessary.
Anyway, we came here for the food court, which was also a bit of a disappointment. Thankfully, this place is more or less free of food chains (at least major ones), but the options available were still bleak, especially for a vegetarian. I eventually selected a veggie burrito from the Mexican vendor, and it was acceptable, but nothing worth writing home about.
I would have been most excited about the falafel place… if it had been open. It was only 5 pm on a Tuesday. Y U close so early?!

Are you from out of town and desperately seeking that crummy food court experience without actually having to go to the mall or walk a lot after visiting the Liberty Bell?
Does a visit to Independence Hall inspire you to waddle half a block for a pretty lousy lunch and some cheap souvenirs?
Did the Ride the Ducks experience make your mouth water excessively because you were blowing in that silly yellow quacking device while you were being paraded across the town and you desperately need to grab a drink and and that requisite cheesesteak?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, the Bourse is just the place for you. Essentailly it’s a tourist trap for those seeking that generic dining and shopping experience in the heart of historic Philly.
For God’s sake, take a risk, get some exercise, and walk seven blocks to the west and hit Reading Terminal Market for a true local gastronomic experience or go several blocks to the east for a yummy lunch on Old City.

Beautiful old building, but really has the appearance of a once beautiful place that’s past its prime. I went here as this was the starting and ending point for the trolley tours, so I went inside to kill some time before the tour started. I was surprised to see it was much like an airport, complete with food court style restaurants and overpriced souvenir shops. The chocolate shop was very good though… the gentleman behind the counter was very friendly, and they had a great selection (which kept me happy on the trolley tour). But there’s really not much more I can say about this place.

There are a lot of shops in this mall but only on the second floor. The first floor seemed to consist only of the restrooms (which were run down). The shops had some cute items but were over priced! There was also a food court but no one seemed to be eating here. There was one lady, that managed one of the food court shops, that was throwing lettuce onto the tables to feed the birds (a few birds had flown into this building and are basically trapped). We were thankful for the use of the free public restrooms, but that was pretty much the reason why we came and did not stay here.

What a beautiful building! Walk inside and look up. It really is beautiful architecture. Now that I’ve said something positive I’ll move on.
You go here if you are a tourist. It has every Philly souvenir store imaginable. It’s definitely a one stop shop for Philly stuff and for that it’s convenient.
It has a large food court with all the usual chain suspects. I’d rather have a double root canal with no pain meds than have lunch here!
I might, maybe, occasionally, if I’m desperate, by a coffee here. Other than that I’ll pass.

Such a shame — years ago this was THE place and had shopping and a great food court. Now it is so dead here. And too many t-​shirt/​key chain vendors.
Sigh…

This place was definitely made for tourists.
This building is comprised of namely 2 things — souvenir shops & a food court.
There are different floors to go explore — so if you are in the market for all things Philadelphia — come here.
Go Eagles!
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