The Italian Market

This review is strictly for the experience and not about the food.
Wish I had read all the reviews and the information under the specialties section before venturing in. Did not realize it was a food truck. Besides the craving for a meatball sandwich, I was interested because they offered waiter service. NOT SO…
We walked in through the «market section» and into the bar area. I asked the person at the bar if we could order a sandwich and dine in. She recommended if we only wanted a sandwich, it was best that we went outside and ordered from the truck outside. So… traipsed out in the rain to order our sandwiches, then was told we had to go inside the market to purchase sodas. Way too much effort to grab a bite to eat when I was expecting wait service!
We left without ordering. Definitely will not return or recommend.

The PRETZEL was REALLY bad. Comes with cheap Heinz mustard packets and it was TERRIBLY salty that it almost tasted bitter. So disappointed. I’m throwing it away. Their sandwiches might be better, but it’ll be a while till I come back to this place.
The girl in the truck wasn’t very nice neither but whatever.

Best damn meatball sandwich I’ve ever had. The meatballs are great, the bread is soft and slightly toasted.
Definitely be going back there.

When I saw Roast Pork on the list I was excited. But it wasn’t what I expected. I never had something like this in Philly but maybe because I didn’t get around enough.
It was too salty for me. When I saw it listed I imagined whole slices of a nicely roasted pork with bay leaves. But it came out shredded like pulled pork except the sauce wasn’t BBQ. I won’t order it again. The menu should describe it better.
But I’ll try to get back there sometime and try something else and rate it.

I read the reviews on here raving about the pretzels… My pretzel sucked! It was cold and soggy. What’s with the cheese? More like cheese from a can, I was at least expecting movie theater cheese that was hot and gooey. What a let down. but I ate it anyway.

The pretzel was zero stars… bad! It was a soggy dense piece of dough. Pretzels are not suppose to be wet. It was so bad that we had to throw it out… what a waste. I was so excited for the pretzel and ended up very disappointed.
The lady serving us was quite unpleasant and wanted little to do with us.
The Tasker on the other hand was pretty good. IF I go back I will try this once again.

Sandwiches are good. I love the Federal and the Ellsworth. The roasted cheesy potatoes are a bit pathetic, but hey, that’s what you get for $ 2.50. Cheesy Bread is too much cheese and not enough bread (which is weird, because bread is cheap) and I had to wait forever for the cheese to melt, as if they had it in an Easy Bake Oven. I didn’t care for the cannoli, but I’m told (by other customers) that they’re authentic, so if you want real east-​coast cannoli, this might be the place.
Service can be a bit brusque. In particular, I got some attitude when I requested a substitution, but I have to admit, it didn’t work as well as I expected, so I really wish I hadn’t asked.
Prices are a bit high for a cart.
Bottom line: When I’m at Belmont Station, I’m glad Italian Market is there, but I’d never go out of my way to grab lunch there.

Disappointed… We have been driving past this place for the past couple of years. It looked good, had good reviews, and since I grew up, part of my life, back east, I was thinking good food.
The style of the food is Philly Italian street food. Hmmmm not really.
We got the special sausage sandwich with cheese and peppers. And we got the «Federal» brisket with tomato sauce, horseradish mayo, roasted tomatoes. The Federal was dry and just OK. The sausage was in the OK to good range. But the sausage was a bit on the small side. BTW if you want a really good Italian sausage sandwich go to Michaels on Sandy blvd.
So we will not be returning.

Damn! That was a great caprese salad. Philly street pretzel is up leveled just enough to not be snobby. Delicious but still reminiscent of the brick hard dough clots I remember so fondly from my childhood. Get it «wit wiz» if you’re a baller. My only regret is not coming here sooner.

I’m never going home again.
Jk, but these guys do a damn good impression of a Philly pretzel.
Tucked away behind Belmont Station like a symbiotic creature hitching a ride on a larger one to the benefit of both (yeah what are those things called that live in the Amazon?), this little adorable food truck serves up some seriously tasty stuff.
Every hoagie/​sub is amazingly fresh. The balls of mozzarella transport me right back to 9^th Street in the real Italian Market. The pretzels have the right smell and very close to the right texture, and they’re baked thrice daily for maximum freshness. Cannolis!
It’s all good. Literally all good.

Place is overall really good. Limited menu but I can appreciate that. Good sandwiches and the canoli was awesome.
I’ll agree that some of the people are nicer than others but if they’re really from Philly, take it with a grain.

The food here was very delicious, simple Italian goodness in every bite! The chef/​owner was very friendly and sweet. The cart is right by Belmont Station with their wide variety of beer from all over the world. All in all it was a great experience, definitely going back there and bringing friends!
The first time I called ahead of time and my food was ready in 10 minutes, they also deliver via Delivery Dudes.

Went here last Sunday for lunch. Three of us split the bruschetta, at 9^th Street hoagie, and a pulled pork sandwich.
The service was very unfriendly. The lady who took our order heard us say we were splitting them all 3 ways, but still cut the sandwiches in 2. Whatever, no big deal. Old habits die hard, etc. She never thanked us, bid that we enjoy our food, or really say anything to us. She only gave us one fork for the bruschetta, and when I asked for «a couple more,» she gave me one more. «Can I please have one more, there are three of us?» She just silently handed it to me like I was really pissing her off by asking that each of us get our own fork.
The bruschetta was way too wet. The slices of bread were soaked through before we even got our food back to our table. No matter how tasty it might have been, the experience of eating sopping wet bread is very unpleasant.
The pulled pork was utterly and completely without flavor. I’ve slow-​cooked pork many times. This tasted like it had been cooked without seasoning of any kind.
The hoagie was fine, but nothing terribly special. Certainly not worth $ 8.
I’m not the kind of person who usually leaves anything on the plate if the food’s even halfway decent, but we ended up throwing at least ¹⁄₃ of both sandwiches and the last couple slices of bruschetta away.

We were spending a rainy afternoon playing games and having a few rounds at Belmont Station around the corner, and luckily when we got hungry we also had food options from the Italian Market! Not bad stuff, fine for holding off our hunger until our real dinner.
* Pretzel — 3 stars
pic:
Rather dense, pretty moist, but the outside could be more crisped. Could be more fresh, the inside softer too. Overall not bad, but wouldn’t go out of my way to eat this again.
* Cheesy bread — 3 stars
pic:
Always a yummy oily filling option! The tomato sauce on the side wasn’t the freshest thing in the world, and there could’ve been a lot more of it to balance the heaviness of the cheese, but this still went quickly when we ordered it.

When you think of Philadelphia cuisine cheesesteaks immediately pop into your head. Maybe to a lesser extent pretzels. These are the things I thought about when thinking about that city and their culinary output. That idea changed about a year ago when I was back there and had my first experience at Paesano’s. Goodbye cheesesteak and hello to something new (to me) and yummy. The Italian Market is our version of Paesano’s.
I first have to say that they would get 5 stars normally, but I had to knock one off for all the Phillies and Eagles junk they have on their cart. Sorry. I’m from NJ and root for the Mets and Giants. 5 stars for the food, 4 stars for the sports ties. They are from Philadelphia so I guess it comes with the territory.
The Federal is the sandwich that Philadelphia is also known for. This is the Italian Market’s take on the Arista at Paesano’s. Italian Pork with Sharp Provolone & Broccoli Rabe ($ 8). It all came on a sesame seed hoagie from Alessio’s that held up to all the greasy goodness that came out of this meat. I even saved a half for the next day (something Sue would not do) and really enjoyed it cold and extra greasy. I also had a pretzel here as well and it was good. Probably not good like a pretzel in Philadelphia (or St. Louis which has killer pretzels) but certainly adequate and I’m sure good with a beer you might get at Belmont Station which is where this cart lives.
I am so happy I was able to come here and I definitely list it as one of the best sandwiches in Portland. There are plenty of Philadelphia natives here who might not know about this cart. Now you do. I think you’ll find the food here to be very close to what you know from back home.

Location. Location. Location.
This cart is a little bit hidden, but also perfectly placed to enjoy the new patio space of Belmont Station’s beer nirvana. They have done a great job creating both an outdoor area and an enclosed, heated patio for the winter time.
I had a freakin’ delicious meatball sub here a few weeks ago. I’m still thinking about it if that helps you better understand how delicious it was. The meatballs were flavorful throughout, and they maintained structural integrity within the sandwich. None of them hopped to their desperate, meatbally death out the back end of the sandwich while I was eating, always a plus.
We did have a bit of an odd experience here, however, as the couple in the cart were basically hissing at one another about the best way to put the sandwiches together. Hissing broke down to some good old-​fashioned passive aggressive «I told you so» rhetoric. Awk-​ward. I wouldn’t want to witness that with any frequency, but I’ll totally give them a «bad day» pass so I can try that sub again.

Been following this cart since I learned of their story during their successful Kickstarter campaign.
Cheesesteaks are noticeably (and intentionally) absent from on this Philly-​inspired menu. The love here centers around braised pork, Italian brisket, meatballs, homemade pasta, handcrafted cheese, tomatoes, and eggplant. Oh, and a few Philly soft pretzels always helps.
All sandwiches here are served with Alessio Baking Company’s Italian bread, a local baking company off SE 11^th Ave. in Portland.
I started with the «Federal» ($ 8): Italian pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. Each sandwich is constructed to order and placed in the toaster oven to warm up.
The bread has that amazing firm outside and soft inside. The trip to the toaster oven made the bread crunchy and added to the comforting experience.
The pork was just outstanding. Wonderfully seasoned, with a good kick on the back end. Guessing red pepper flakes or some type of pepper powder. The broccoli rabe had a slight crunch while staying a vibrant green color.
I also saved room for a Philly Soft Pretzel ($ 2.25) with mustard on the side. A deceivingly filling snack, generously salted. I’m no expert on Philly soft pretzels, but I personally would like them a bit lighter and airier, with a crunchier outside. It’s still a great pretzel overall.
I’d love to return for a few more sandwiches. The «Ellsworth» ($ 8.50) has Italian beef brisket, roasted tomatoes, sharp provolone, and horseradish mayo. The «Passyunk» ($ 8) includes baked eggplant, roasted peppers and fennel, homemade mozzarella, and pesto. Don’t forget the «Uncle Mike’s Meatball Sub» ($ 8) with homemade meatballs (beef-​pork blend), topped with red gravy and sharp provolone.
The Tasker ($ 5.50) is a Panzanella salad with crusty bread, tomato, homemade mozzarella, fresh basil, onion, and cucumber. It’s dressed with olive oil and balsamic.
The «Two Street» is Andrew and Erin’s fresh handmade pasta with vegetarian red gravy. (usually available weekends). Add a couple of meatballs for $ 3.
Add pepperoncinis to your sandwich for 50 cents more.
Head down to The Italian Market and try their food!

The first of many upcoming Unilocal reviews from my recent travels in Portland, which quickly became one of my favorite cities in America.
We cruised through a ton of neighborhoods during our stay in search of food, beer, wine, adventures, the outdoors and everything else the city has to offer. A relatively easy bus ride from downtown delivered us to a couple of my most-​wanted beer destinations, Belmont Station and Horse Brass Pub.
BUT FIRST — we must eat! I need something in my stomach before sampling the ludicrous selection of beers featured at both locations, right? Thankfully, The Italian Market food cart is nestled right next to the new Belmont Station patio, boasting a tasty menu of South Philly style sandwiches (devoid of cheesesteaks, thankfully) and bites.
We started off with a Philly pretzel (wit wiz of course) — a nice combination of doughy, salty deliciousness, especially after a quick dunk in the trademark Philly wiz. People rave about Philly pretzels (I prefer NYC’s :gasp:), but I honestly enjoyed these better — less chewy and bready.
Moving on to the sandwich, we opted for the slow-​cooked brisket with roasted tomatoes, gooey provolone and horseradish mayo. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside roll, tender meats, and a nice combo of provolone sharpness and horseradish (but not too much) finish this off for a satisfying lunchtime treat.
Living near the Italian Market in Philly, I’ve sampled (probably) more than my fair share of sandwiches, and these guys would fit right in whether it’s on 9^th and Christian or 45^th and Stark where they currently reside. If I lived in the area I’d hit this up regularly for at least a pretzel, especially since my beery proclivities would see me in this area probably more than I should be.

I just had the Passyunk (chunks of baked eggplant, roasted red pepper and fennel, homemade fresh and melty mozzarella cheese, and homemade basil pesto), on an amazing rustic loaf of gluten free bread. It was one of the best sandwiches I have had in years — a delicious combination of earthy vegetables, sweet mozz, and bright pesto.
If you are gluten free, you must try these sandwiches. Go!

This lovely cart is nestled right behind Belmont Station and is Amazing!
Our first time here we had the pretzels, they were so good, I headed back for another before reaching the car.
The cart smelled amazing, I’m sure anything you order here will be great.
We’ll be back for sure!
TIP: Grab your food and head to the corner, pop into the bottle room of Belmont Station and grab a delicious specialty soda or one of their 1000+ beer offerings.