Great Escapes: Specialty Food Stores

Every so often you are sent on a very particular quest by your stomach, employer, family or gift list – to find a specialty food item. Whether you are looking for that perfect box of chocolates, the sweetest cake or the biggest wedge of cheese you can find, these area stores have those hard-to-find foods you’ve been searching for.

 – How much do you love cakes? Enough to make a bakery full of them? Well, if you’re Sweet Elizabeth’s, then you are that committed. This cake shop creates all sorts of wonderful specialty cakes and other treats. Sweet Elizabeth’s uses local ingredients and rotates ingredients seasonally for the freshest, tastiest snacks. Love buttercream? Love vanilla? Love sugar? Then you’ll love Sweet Elizabeth’s. Whether it’s cupcakes for a party or a custom wedding cake for that special day, your sweet tooth will get its fix here.
Address: 4409 Main St., 19127

 – At any given time you can walk into the Manayunk Brewery and order one of a number of delicious and varied house drafts. From the golden Bohemian Blonde, Schuylkill Punch, a raspberry lager or, if you prefer, the namesake Manayunk Lager, these beers will make your palette soar whether you’re a beer connoisseur or just looking for a quick drink.
Address: 4120 Main St., 19127

– All lucky children used to get to take a trip to the candy store down the street if they were well-behaved. At Zipf’s Candies in Chestnut Hill, they still can. This old-time candy shop tucked behind the Germantown Ave. storefronts will send you down memory lane with its glass shelves of any and all types of chocolate treats and gummy delights. Want chocolate bugs? Gummy sharks? Some old fashioned truffles to take home? Zipf’s has it all.
Address: 8433 Germantown Ave., 19118

– The Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop almost doesn’t need its own description. The name speaks for itself. Whether you’re looking for a fancy wedge of asiago for cooking or you want to impress some folks at a party, you can find a huge array of imported and domestic cheeses cut to order. Need more than just cheese? Never fear. Augment your gift of cheese with some exquisite caviar, chocolate and more. Or, you know, just pick one of their hundreds of cheeses or cheese spreads for a truly tasty snack.
Address: 8509 Germantown Avenue, 19118

– There aren’t many area coffee and tea shops that would be able to consider themselves a gallery – and not just for art, but for their brewing craft. Thankfully, InFusion continues to break the mold on redefining these gourmet drinks. With a spread of coffee that includes Café Cubano, Vietnamese Coffee and treats like an Almond Joy Mocha or a Peppermint Patty Mocha, those looking for a strong, rich caffeine buzz will be fully satisfied. And with a number of chais, loose-leaf and organic teas and a drink called the “Pooh Bear,” this specialty coffee and tea spot is hard to beat.
Address: 7133 Germantown Ave., 19119