King of Prussia Mall: Ranking the best food court options

King of Prussia Mall food courts

King of Prussia Mall has two main food courts: Savor in the Expansion area and the Food Court on the lower level of The Plaza. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

You can work up an appetite while shopping at King of Prussia Mall. The giant mall, which happens to also be the largest in the U.S., is filled with more than 400 stores selling everything from high end designer fashion (Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin to name a few) to electric cars (Tesla) to hot sauce (Pepper Palace). But where should you stop to grab a bite and rest your feet?

Food courts are the traditional go-to spot for mall-goers, and while King of Prussia offers multiple sit-down restaurants, its two largest food courts are still worth a visit. The Food Court on the lower level of The Plaza section of the mall boasts your cheaper options, while Savor in the Expansion section has more gourmet selections.

We sacrificed our stomachs to try out the food offerings on hand. In order to craft our list we sampled the dish that cashiers said was the most popular or their favorite at each restaurant. We also gave props for exclusivity and for price points, because, let’s be honest no one wants to go broke over a meal at a food court.

Here are the five best food stalls at each, ranked:

Best of Savor

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Calabrese Pizza from Nicoletta at the King of Prussia Mall's Savor Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

5. Nicoletta

This is not your standard food court pizza. Nicoletta elevates the pizza standard for malls everywhere with its gourmet creations. We tried the personal-sized Calabrese ($10) which came covered in pepperoni, fennel sausage, red onions and mozzarella. The crust is crispy but not crunchy and every bite was a proper mouthful with so many ingredients on the pie. Only downside is that it’s definitely greasy, so be prepared to use some napkins to sop some of it up if you don’t fancy all that oil.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Sweetgreen at the King of Prussia Mall's Savor Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

4. Sweetgreen

Healthy, seasonal fare is on offer at Sweetgreen. It’s a stop at the food court where you don’t have to feel at all guilty because you know every bite is not only delicious but nourishing too. You can order a wide variety of salad bowls -- but we recommend bypassing the traditional offerings (such as the Shroomami ($10.50) with organic wild rice, shredded kale, raw beets, portobello mix, roasted sesame tofu, sunflower seeds and miso sesame ginger dressing) for the seasonal treats like Peach and Burrata ($11.25), which has shredded kale, basil, toasted almonds, peaches, mesclun, tomato and burrata. It’s around the same price as the salad option in the lower food court (Chop and Toss) and definitely the superior and more flavorful choice.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Shake Shack at the King of Prussia Mall's Savor Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

3. Shake Shack

While Pink’s and The Melt Shop are newer to Pennsylvania, Shake Shack has been part of the eastern side of the state’s culinary scene for awhile. There’s good reason too, it offers a great cheeseburger ($5.79) served on a Martin’s Potato Roll. It’s ShackSauce is a little addictive too (even though we’re pretty sure it’s just a spicy mayo/mustard/ketchup concoction). The goods at Shake Shack are simple and tasty and perfectly accompanied by one of its milkshakes -- the best at this food court.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Fried Chicken sandwich at The Melt Shop at the King of Prussia Mall's Savor Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

2. The Melt Shop

If the Fried Chicken ($7.95) is any indicator of the rest of the offerings at the Melt Shop this stall needs to be on your must-try list when you’re at King of Prussia. The chicken is fried perfectly and still is super juicy, while the red cabbage adds a nice tang. But at the Melt Shop you really want to talk about the cheese -- and the melted pepper jack was the perfect finishing touch on an already great sandwich. It’s messy, for sure, but incredibly flavorful and filling. There are also only three Melt Shops in Pennsylvania, which makes the King of Prussia locale even more special.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Chicago Polish Dog and Strawberry Milkshake at Pink's Hot Dogs at the King of Prussia Mall's Savor Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

1. Pink’s Hot Dogs

Pink’s Hot Dogs is actually, without a doubt, the best food choice you can make at either of the King of Prussia food courts. The Spicy Chicago Polish Dog ($7.75) we consumed was borderline life changing -- something we never imagined we’d write about a hot dog. The dog itself was stuffed with spices and offered plenty of heat, which was nicely cooled off by the tomato, pickle and relish that accompanied it. Did those seem mildly blasphemous toppings? Yes, but we were fully converted by the end of the first bite. Adding to its King of Prussia appeal? The fact that this is the first and only Pennsylvania location for the restaurant, which first rose to fame in Los Angeles.

Best of the lower level Food Court

King of Prussia Mall food courts

King of Prussia Mall has two main food courts: Savor in the Expansion area and the Food Court on the lower level of The Plaza. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

5. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Yes, we’re aware this is a chain. But chains are plentiful at the lower level Food Court. You’ll find Subway, Tony Luke’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A and more. Chipotle earns a spot on this list for being the only Mexican option in the two food courts. Sometimes, you just need a burrito. Or a taco. Maybe three.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Sushi and Sushi at King of Prussia's lower level Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

4. Sushi and Sushi

The atmosphere at Sushi and Sushi is really great. You forget for a second that you’re at the Food Court as you sit alongside its stall and watch as the sushi chefs do their thing. There’s also a lot of specialty rolls with a Pennsylvania theme too, which is an easy way to win us over. We grabbed a Love in Pa. Roll ($12.71), which had shrimp tempura on the inside and spicy crabmeat on top -- as well as a little crunch. It’s covered in both eel sauce and spicy mayonnaise. If you’re craving sushi mid shopping adventure, it’s a good spot to stop at the mall.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Ruby Thai Kitchen at King of Prussia's lower level Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

3. Ruby Thai Kitchen

It’s all about the mango chicken at Ruby Thai Kitchen, so just do yourself a favor and order that. Don’t believe us? Chances are they’ll be handing out samples when you visit and you can see for yourself. If you can’t grab the mango chicken, go for the lemon grass chicken -- also delicious. Ruby Thai Kitchen also has one of the better price deals at the mall, with two entrees served with rice or noodles for $7.79.

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Signature Poke at Poke It Up at King of Prussia's lower level Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

2. Poke It Up

If you’re looking for something like sushi, but at a better price value point then look no further than Poke It Up. We went with the store’s Signature Poke Bowl ($9.95) which was filled with rice, salmon, ahi tuna, ginger, avocado cucumber, masago egg, seaweed salad and smothered in spicy mayo and eel sauce. It was refreshing and somehow energizing -- so perfect if you need a food pick-me-up to help you feel ready continue your shopping journey.

1. Five Guys

We’re just going to say it: there should be more Five Guys at malls. The no-frills burger joint does a killer a job at making great burgers. They’re greasy but they’re tasty and the fries are also top notch. So yeah, we acknowledge it’s weird that we put a chain at the top of this food court’s list but Five Guys is just plain good. The end.

Also apologies for the lack of Five Guys photo on our end. We, ahem, got a little carried away with all the eating and forgot to take a pic!

Honorable mentions

King of Prussia Mall food courts

Taro boba tea from Kung Fu Tea at King of Prussia's lower level Food Court. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

Best for when you’re sort-of hungry, but not really

Say hello to Kung-Fu Tea at the lower level Food Court. This stall specializes in all sorts of bubble tea, which is the drink that also acts as a meal courtesy of the tapioca bubbles (or boba) in each cup. Staff recommend the coconut or taro and we can personally vouch for the taro ($4.50). It’s great to sip on as you walk around the mall. Added bonus: you can select your sugar levels in your drink. Kung-Fu isn’t the only boba shop in the mall (or even the food courts), but it is worth checking out if you’re a bubble tea fan.

Biggest bang for your buck

Any of the Asian restaurants in the lower level Food Court will fill you up for less than $10. So if you’re looking to save, but don’t want to suffer when it comes to flavor give them a visit. While Ruby Thai Kitchen was clearly our favorite, what we tried at Megumi, Canton and Asian Bento Cafe wasn’t bad either.

What do you make of our selections? Did we nail the King of Prussia Food Court rankings? Let us know where your favorite place to eat in the mall is in the comments.

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