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Category: Food

  • Dirty Franks bans 24-year-olds and under after a deluge of high-tech fake IDs

    Dirty Franks bans 24-year-olds and under after a deluge of high-tech fake IDs

    A fake ID featuring a photo of Ben Franklin was the last straw.

    “It legitimately scanned,” said Jody Sweitzer, owner of the iconic Philly dive Dirty Franks.

    Elaborate fake IDs and the influx of underage people using them to crowd into the Center City bar has led Sweitzer to impose a new rule: To enter, customers must be at least 25.

    The new policy went into effect about two weeks ago.

    The fake ID that successfully scanned when checked for legitimacy and caused Dirty Franks to institute an 25-year-old age minimum.

    Sweitzer said the age minimum is temporary. “Until we can actually acquire a system that’s capable of determining what’s a fake ID,” she said. “[After that,] we’ll go back to 21 and over.”

    For years, Dirty Franks has routinely scanned patrons’ drivers licenses and ID cards at the front door, but Sweitzer cited a rise of falsified documentation — as well as customers vaping and even a few who brought in their own booze — as giving her cause for concern that her business could be thrown into jeopardy.

    “I want to stay open,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

    In online forums and in conversation, older Dirty Franks patrons had recently reported that, on weekends especially, the bar at 13th and Pine Streets was so packed with young patrons that the college-age crowd pushed out a lot of regulars.

    Bartender Patty waits on customers at Dirty Franks, at 347 S. 13th St., in 2021.

    Sweitzer said she and the bar’s staff noticed the uptick in younger patrons with scannable IDs with official holograms after the pandemic. Often, she said, those customers would post photos and TikToks of themselves at the bar at 347 S. 13th St. — leading to Franks’ rising popularity among the younger set. (Historically, the bar has attracted plenty of postgrads, creative types, and a deep bench of mixed-age regulars.)

    “We’ve always been a dive bar,” Sweitzer said. “Anyone who calls us a college bar is vastly misguided.”

    Philly’s ultimate dive bar map

    She said that the surge in volume resulted in an overall sales bump at first, but that it leveled off shortly thereafter. “It was quantity over quality,” she said. “So [revenue] stayed the same. You just had to work harder.”

    Jody Sweitzer, co-owner of Dirty Franks, offers remarks during their annual customers celebration on March 1, 2020.

    Late last year, Sweitzer contacted the Tavern Association in Harrisburg and asked if she could change the age limit, something she had heard another Philly bar had done in the past. She learned that she was OK to make house rules.

    Then the ID featuring a 24-year-old Ben Franklin came along. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Sweitzer said, adding that she’s spoken with scanner manufacturers but hasn’t yet found a higher-tech alternative.

    “If you can find a scanner that can’t be fooled,” Sweitzer said, “I will buy it.”

    Those affected by the age policy are less than thrilled. Nate Weinberg, 22, and a recent Temple graduate who has enjoyed visiting Franks, found the policy change “kind of peculiar.”

    “I know a lot of people are not happy,” he said. “I never witnessed any issues the times that I had been there.”

    Dirty Franks

    The new age limit, however, seems to have gone over well with Franks regulars, who say they now enjoy a roomier bar and are excited to have a place to sit again.

    Lance Saunders, a longtime patron, said he is in favor of the change.

    “Hell yeah,” said Saunders, 41, “I am a Dirty Franks faithful and I appreciate whatever Jody and her team has to do to make the staff and valued regulars feel welcome in their own damn bar.”

  • Look for this term when picking a chardonnay that’s fresher and brighter

    Look for this term when picking a chardonnay that’s fresher and brighter

    While it may not be in the average American’s vocabulary, the wine trade term “unoaked” — found on this wine’s label — is now formally recognized as a word by most dictionaries. It refers to wines or spirits that do not come into contact with wood in the winemaking process and therefore do not feature the constellation of sensory traits that are traditionally imparted to wine through either fermentation or aging in oak barrels.

    Oaky wines feature the distinctive tastes and smells of toasted oak — a nutty, caramelized quality reminiscent of vanilla, bourbon, and dessert spices. While oakiness is present in the vast majority of premium red wines, it doesn’t stand out as vividly as it does in white wines, so is rarely mentioned by the winery. As a result, the word unoaked is almost invariably used as a white wine descriptor, since in this category it has both a useful descriptive meaning and positive connotations from a marketing perspective. Chardonnay is the main white grape whose wines become more desirable when they are oaked, so it is also the main style where customers may be actively seeking an unoaked version.

    This unoaked chardonnay from California is an atypical example in that it is both lighter bodied and fresher tasting than the winery’s premium, barrel-fermented offering. Made entirely in stainless steel tanks, it is also decidedly more refreshing, with more prominent snappy acidity. Its flavor profile is of fresh-picked orchard fruits like golden apples and ripe green pears, with a juicy touch of cantaloupe.

    Joel Gott Unoaked Chardonnay

    Joel Gott “Unoaked” chardonnay

    California; 13.8% alcohol

    PLCB Item #4010 — on sale for $14.99 through March 1 (regularly $16.99)

    Also available at: Canal’s of Berlin Discount Liquor Mart in Berlin, N.J. ($11.99; canalsofberlin.com), Wine Warehouse in Mantua ($12.98; mantua.winewarehousenj.com), Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken ($13.99; canalsliquors.com).

  • A quarter-century-old zoning law threatens to block a restaurant and bar in Fishtown

    A quarter-century-old zoning law threatens to block a restaurant and bar in Fishtown

    A plan to revitalize a neglected building at 2043 Frankford Ave. with a ground-floor burger restaurant and second-floor cocktail bar is facing stiff opposition in Fishtown.

    Because of an over-25-year-old zoning overlay — which applies to the east side of Frankford Avenue and not the west side — the Slider Co.’s plans have been hung up for months awaiting a hearing from the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA).

    On Wednesday, the board ruled in the Slider Co.’s favor, but the saga has cost the business owners at least $40,000 and almost six months of waiting for a hearing.

    And that’s if opponents of the project don’t appeal the ZBA ruling to the Court of Common Pleas — adding at least another nine months and more legal costs to the project, probably killing it.

    “We were expecting to have a straightforward project, and then all of a sudden all hell breaks loose,” zoning attorney Alan Nochumson, who represents Slider Co.’s William Johnson and Anesha Garrett, said at a late January ZBA hearing.

    The principal opponent of the project is Ashley Gleason, who owns the clothing shop Vestige next door at 2041 Frankford Ave. She hired a zoning attorney to fight the case. At a Fishtown Neighbors Association (FNA) meeting last year, a narrow majority (36-30) voted to recommend that the zoning board deny the application.

    “Our block is not like the lower part of Frankford. It doesn’t have the bars and restaurants,” Gleason said at the ZBA hearing. “It is mostly residential and retail. So it [the proposal] is out of character for this block.”

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    The property at 2043 Frankford Ave. is a faded two-story building at the end of the row, and it’s been in rough shape for years.

    Unusually for a restaurant application, the case has stirred up allies in the community who submitted a petition in support of Johnson and Garrett, who already have a presence in the neighborhood.

    The former president of FNA, Ashlei Tracy, spoke in support of their application at the zoning board, noting bars and restaurants on the blocks of Frankford to the north and south of this one.

    “A constant complaint that we hear is that Fishtown is becoming very corporate,” Tracy said in an interview after the hearing. “A part of that is that it’s so expensive to even go through this [zoning] process.”

    The cases can also stir neighborhood tensions. January’s ZBA hearing on the matter saw lengthy testimony, weeping, and accusations of racial discrimination. Johnson and Garrett are Black, and Fishtown is an overwhelmingly white neighborhood.

    An interior rendering of the burger place planned by the Slider Co. The Coke machine is a hidden entrance to the upstairs speakeasy.

    The wrong side of the street

    The complexities of the Slider Co.’s attempt to open a new restaurant and bar in one of Philadelphia’s hottest culinary neighborhoods is an effect of a 1990s-era zoning law to address rowdy nightclubs along the Delaware River.

    The “North Delaware Avenue overlay district,” which covers much of Northern Liberties and Fishtown, bans entertainment businesses from the area it covers while requiring food and beverage businesses to secure approval from the ZBA to open.

    The overlay extends from the Delaware River to the east side of Frankford Avenue and from Lehigh Avenue down to Spring Garden Street.

    The law was largely successful in its initial aims, stemming the creation of new nightclubs in the area. The Delaware riverfront is now known for its surplus of rental apartments, not for rowdy nightlife.

    “Everyone agrees that the original purpose of the overlay no longer needs to be served,” said Matt Ruben, a longtime civic activist in Northern Liberties who has been involved with zoning and planning issues in the area — including negotiations around this overlay — for years.

    “Where there is disagreement, and shifting views within some neighborhoods, is on the more subtle question of whether there should be some kind of zoning to help regulate everyday operational nuisances and negative impacts that can come from them,” Ruben said. “Even from operators who are not bad actors at all.”

    Many overlays linger on for decades, long after the politicians who created them are retired because they empower neighborhood groups to stave off changes in their community.

    An interior rendering of the upstairs speakeasy proposed by Slider Co.

    In this case, Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the area, says he is open to rewriting or scaling back the overlay, but only if there is unanimity among neighborhood and business groups in Fishtown and Northern Liberties.

    Currently, the Fishtown Neighbors Association (FNA) is in favor of the zoning overlay, which it argues gives residents of Frankford Avenue and the surrounding blocks a say in the restaurant boom.

    The community group says new restaurants and bars have affected quality of life — such as when eateries implement late-night private trash collection that can wake up people who live nearby.

    “I have not seen any interest in our community to get rid of” the zoning overlay, said John Scott, president of FNA. “It’s not seen as a detriment. It’s seen as a way to mitigate some of the impact of the food establishments.”

    Johnson and Garrett fear the old zoning law has given opponents of their project a way to wage legal warfare against their proposal.

    “We have never previously faced opposition to opening a new restaurant,” said Johnson, who has opened numerous culinary businesses in Delaware and Philadelphia.

    “An appeal to the Court of Common Pleas would likely put the project in jeopardy due to the financial strain and delays it would impose on the property owner,” Johnson said.

    Gleason’s lawyer declined to comment, and the property owner, Jordan Claffey, did not respond to a request for comment.

    Staff writer Michael Klein contributed to this article.

  • All Bahama Breeze locations are shutting down, and here’s why

    All Bahama Breeze locations are shutting down, and here’s why

    The cocktail blenders will go silent in two months as all 28 locations of Bahama Breeze, the tropical-themed chain restaurant, shutter. Parent company Darden Restaurant has decided to wind down the long-struggling brand after 30 years.

    Orlando-based Darden announced Tuesday that the locations in Cherry Hill and King of Prussia Malls — which opened in fall 2003 — are among 14 that will close permanently by early April.

    The 14 remaining, mainly housed in standalone buildings in the South, will be converted into other Darden concepts over the next 12 to 18 months. The move will end a brand that once counted more than 40 locations nationwide.

    People outside of a Bahama Breeze restaurant in 2021 in Orlando.

    Bahama Breeze is just a tiny piece of Darden, whose portfolio of more than 2,100 restaurants and $12 billion in annual sales makes it one of the largest full-service operators in the United States. Its brands include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, the Capital Grille, Chuy’s, Seasons 52, and Eddie V’s.

    Bahama Breeze had become a tougher fit as casual dining increasingly chased value and convenience through delivery options. Its sprawling menu — encompassing such options as coconut shrimp, conch fritters, jerk chicken pasta, and Jamaican stuffed plantain bowls — also was seen as a liability.

    In a statement, Darden said it had completed a review of “strategic alternatives” for Bahama Breeze and concluded that the brand no longer fits its long-term growth strategy.

    While Darden did not release specific financials for Bahama Breeze, the chain has been a consistent underperformer. Over the last decade, the ownership group has repeatedly scaled back investment and closed locations with sagging sales.

    Darden did not release the number of employees per location. It said it would work with affected employees to offer transfers to its other restaurants where possible.

    The company will still be a major player in the Philadelphia area. Within five miles of the Bahama Breeze in King of Prussia, for example, Darden owns the Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Yard House, and Eddie V’s, plus the LongHorn in West Norriton. Within five miles of the Cherry Hill Bahama Breeze, it owns locations of the Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Olive Garden, and LongHorn in Cherry Hill, as well as Yard House in Moorestown Mall.

    The local Bahama Breeze locations made the news over the years. In 2017, six employees at the King of Prussia location had contended that they were fired after skipping work for joining a “Day Without Immigrants” protest; the company disputed that.

    On a lighter note, in 2023, retired NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson had dinner at the Cherry Hill location and left a $1,000 tip for his server, who was waiting tables to supplement her income as a middle school teacher.

  • A first look at Side Eye, the French-ish bar opening (finally!) in Queen Village

    A first look at Side Eye, the French-ish bar opening (finally!) in Queen Village

    Sixth and Bainbridge’s French scene is coming back with the new Side Eye, an all-day bar opening Saturday in the mid-19th-century building that housed the late, great Bistrot La Minette.

    Owner Hank Allingham has shifted away from La Minette’s tightly focused French bistro style in favor of what he calls “French-ish” food alongside beer, $13 cocktails, and European wines.

    Side Eye owner Hank Allingham (left) with lead bartender Ryan Foster inside the bistro.

    Side Eye is meant to be flexible — “the kind of neighborhood spot you can use for most situations,” Allingham said. “You can come for a date-night dinner, eat alone at the bar, or watch a game.”

    This is the ownership debut of Allingham, who grew up locally and spent his previous career working in restaurant finance and operations for companies such as Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, Conn., and P.J. Clarke’s in New York and Philadelphia.

    The exterior of Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St.

    When it came time to open his own place, he and his wife, Kat, wanted to be in South Philadelphia and searched broadly between South Street and Snyder Avenue.

    “I know this isn’t technically ‘South Philly,’ but Queen Village is beautiful and incredibly historic,” he said. “A lot of the facades — including this one — are really special, and from a curb-appeal standpoint, it’s hard to complain.”

    A bourbon old fashioned, hot penicillin, and vieux pommier at Side Eye.

    The location at 623 S. Sixth St. was, in fact, a dream home for the Allinghams’ restaurant. Shortly after moving back to Philadelphia, the couple dined at Bistrot La Minette before its closing in mid-2024. “We remember saying to each other, ‘If only this space ever became available,’” Allingham said. “Then it did.”

    The opening, initially targeted to December, has been a case of hurry up and wait. “The holidays just sort of slowed the world down, frankly. When we got approval on Dec. 17, I was fairly certain we were going to be waiting awhile just because of the timing.”

    The Side Eye team (from left): Abbey Smith, front of house manager, Ryan Foster, lead bartender, Finn Connors, chef, and Hank Allingham, owner.

    Side Eye is named in memory of the couple’s dog Sheba, who would at first give the side eye to anyone she didn’t know. She died in 2021.

    The cozy room includes a 20-seat bar (relocated to the opposite wall), with an additional 12 seats along a rail. There are 40 seats in the dining room, a rear dining room with 16 additional seats, and a seasonal patio.

    In the kitchen is executive chef Finn Connors, most recently at Sally in Fitler Square, with earlier experience at Wilder and Osteria. Connors makes nearly everything in house, including breads, pastries, pastas, and desserts.

    Tagliolini at Side Eye.

    Dishes include tagliolini tossed with café de Paris butter; peppercorn burger finished with jus and Fromager d’Affinois on a seeded bun; French onion soup with 12-month Comté; triple-cooked frites; moules marinières with baguette, crab fat, nori, witbier, and crème fraîche; and stuffed cabbage filled with braised short rib, mushroom duxelles, and tomato Bordelaise. Desserts include a classic crème caramel, served warm and finished with salt.

    Menus will shift throughout the day from lunch into dinner. Ninety minutes before closing, the kitchen will pare things back and add a late-night menu with snacks such as a raw bar with oysters on the half shell and shrimp cocktail.

    Side Eye owner Hank Allingham prepping tables inside the bistro.

    The beverage program, overseen by Messina Social Club alumnus Ryan Foster, includes eight cocktails priced at $13, eight draft beers, and a French-leaning wine list highlighting small producers.

    Side Eye eventually will be selling wine to go, with bottles displayed along the outer portions of the back bar, in a retail-style presentation similar to the one at South Philadelphia favorite Fountain Porter. The to-go selection, largely separate from the by-the-glass list, will rotate regularly, beginning with six reds, six whites, a few sparklings, skin-contact wines, and a rosé.

    Among the beers will be Budweiser served in frozen mugs.

    Budweiser?

    “Because we like it,” Allingham said.

    Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St. Hours on opening weekend: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 5 to 11 p.m. Sunday. Hours starting Feb. 9: noon to midnight Monday through Thursday, noon to 1 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Fifty percent of Feb. 7’s proceeds will be donated to People’s Kitchen.

    The exterior of Side Eye, 623 S. Sixth St.
  • Secret romantic restaurants | Let’s Eat

    Secret romantic restaurants | Let’s Eat

    Need a date-night restaurant? We offer 12 that you may not know about.

    Also in this edition:

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    12 romantic restaurants you may have never heard of

    Romantic meals aren’t all going down at buzzy hotspots or white-tablecloth institutions. They unfold in neighborhood fixtures you’ve overlooked, suburban newcomers flying under the radar, or dining rooms more popular among locals than Instagram. We feature 12 such spots around the region, including Northridge at the Woolverton Inn, tucked into the woods just outside of Stockton, N.J., where chef Lance Knowling (above) sauces a plate. Read on for our ideas.

    💡Because Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, the reservation books at the city’s buzziest restaurants are already just about locked up. Consider this your reminder that love is flexible — and so is the calendar.

    What’s hot in hot chocolate

    Why settle for Swiss Miss when you could sip on velvety cioccolata calda, piquant cinnamon- and chili-laced dark chocolate, or creamy chocolat chaud in cozy cafes across the city? Let Hira Qureshi show you what’s hot in hot chocolate.

    How to cater a Super Bowl party

    This year’s Super Bowl may be Birds-less, but a watch party requires food even so. Our food team has you covered for tips on the best cheesesteaks, hoagies, wings, and tomato pie, plus beer and wine. (In our case, whine.)

    Di Bruno’s cutting back

    Gourmet grocer Di Bruno Bros. is closing three of its five locations, including two on the Main Line. Meanwhile, customers say they saw this coming, contending that quality had dipped in recent years.

    Deli drama in Cherry Hill

    The Kibitz Room in Cherry Hill’s Shoppes at Holly Ravine shut down last week without notice, and its future is unclear. Owner Sandy Parish — who took over last year when her former husband, Neil, and son, Brandon, left to open the Kibitz Room King of Prussia — did not reply to a message seeking comment.

    Here’s the history: The Kibitz Room was founded in 2001 by Russ Cowan, who now owns the nearby Radin’s in Cherry Hill. Two years later, Cowan sold it to Neil Parish, his manager. The business evolved into a family-run operation, with son Brandon taking over after the Parishes divorced. Neil Parish moved to the Baltimore area, where he ran delis, until he and Brandon opened the unrelated Kibitz Room King of Prussia in Valley Forge Center in spring 2025. That location is still open.

    The best things we ate last week

    The food team has been out in the cold, and our tasty finds include a taste of home in Northern Liberties, two warming bowls in South Philly, and these yummy maritozzi from a bakery in Roxborough that keeps quirky hours.

    Scoops

    Fishtown and Kensington have a lot of restaurant variety nowadays. There’s the usual and now … the unusual. Here’s first word about Philly Curio, targeting a March opening at 2240 Frankford Ave. on the Fishtown–Kensington line. Troy Timpel, founder of Villain Arts and organizer of the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention, is setting it up as an intimate, art-driven restaurant-bar built around his private collection of curiosities. Framed tribal masks will line the walls. Each table will be a glass enclosure featuring a different preserved animal form, including skeletal and taxidermy displays. (Gives new meaning to getting stuffed at dinner, I suppose.) Inspired by Alligator Soul in Savannah, Ga., Timpel is seeking a chef to execute his idea for a Cajun-Creole menu of small plates and unconventional proteins such as rattlesnake. Beverage offerings will include a limited draft list, bottled beers, an extensive wine selection — including natural and nonalcoholic options — and a full cocktail program.

    Recent Rowan grad and Elixr Coffee barista Kaitlyn Tran and her mother, Sue Chen, are planning a summer launch for Sora Cafe, a matcha- and coffee-focused cafe at 12th and Sansom Streets, where Edible Arrangements was. Tran says they’ll take a serious, intentional approach to matcha. The menu also will include Taiwanese-style shaved ice desserts made with real fruit.

    Restaurant report

    February’s restaurant openings include two restaurants’ expansions to Narberth (including Malooga, shown above); a chic, two-level restaurant/lounge in Center City; and an intriguing wine bar/bottle shop in Chestnut Hill.

    Briefly noted

    The Tasties, the annual restaurant awards overseen by the Delicious City podcast, drew 600-plus revelers to Live! Casino the other night. Beatrice Forman presents the pageantry and the winners.

    Zsa’s, the Mount Airy ice cream parlor, is coming back this weekend under a new owner.

    Chateau Rouge, Jeannette Jean’s French/West African BYOB in Graduate Hospital (listed among The Inquirer’s 76), has extended its $45 Center City District Restaurant Week menu throughout February in recognition of Black History Month.

    Sunrise Social has launched a surf-and-turf special at its Fishtown and Cherry Hill locations, with proceeds benefiting chef/photographer Reuben (“Big Rube”) Harley, who is battling stage 4B prostate cancer and coping with heart and kidney failure. The $32.99 dish features lamb chops, lobster tail, and three-cheese grits. Harley and Sunrise Social founder Aaron Anderson ran ghost kitchens during the pandemic as well as Big Rube’s Fried Chicken together at Subaru Park in Chester. Rube’s GoFundMe is here.

    East Passyunk Restaurant Week returns for its 14th edition from Feb. 23 to March 6 with 21 participating restaurants offering $20, $40, and $60 options. Details are here.

    New Ridge Brewing in Roxborough says it will be closed by fire longer than previously believed. Firefighters were called to 6168 Ridge Ave. on the morning of Jan. 29.

    Miller’s Ale House’s Northeast Philadelphia location (Grant Avenue and the Boulevard) told the state that it will shut down March 30, putting 49 employees out of work.

    Fourteen Bahama Breeze restaurants, including those in Cherry Hill and King of Prussia, will close on or before April 5, parent company Darden Restaurants has announced. Fourteen others will shut down over the next year and a half. Both Philly-area locations opened in late 2003.

    The Original Charlie’s Pizza’s location in Northeast Philly’s Morrell Plaza announced that its last day will be Feb. 28. Owners say they were unable to negotiate a new lease. (Here’s a backgrounder on the original Charlie’s, which operated for decades on the Boulevard near Adams Avenue.)

    ❓Pop quiz

    The shuttered dive bar McGlinchey’s is on the market. What is the asking price?

    A) $2.45 million’

    B) $1.2 million

    C) $3.7 million

    D) $5.2 million

    Find out if you know the answer, and perhaps put in a bid of your own.

    Ask Mike anything

    There’s been signage for a cafe called Yolotl at the corner of 17th and Tasker Streets in Point Breeze for months, but no sign of an opening. Can you shed some light on what’s going on with it? — Will F.

    Yolotl (Nahuatl for “heart” or “spirit”), a Mexican cafe, will be a joint venture between Drexel senior Yenni Meneses-Aparicio and her mother, Juana Aparicio, who owns Pancho’s Cafe in Northern Liberties. (No relation to El Chingon chef-owner Carlos Aparicio.) Meneses-Aparacio says it will offer specialty coffees, juices, tres leches cakes, and other desserts, plus a few light savory options. She attributes much of the delay to the fact that it’s a complete restaurant build-out. They’re hoping to open in March.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • A Main Line town leads the charge of new Philly-area restaurants for February

    A Main Line town leads the charge of new Philly-area restaurants for February

    February’s crop of restaurant openings includes two restaurants’ expansions to Narberth, a reopened brewery in South Jersey, a chic restaurant/lounge in Center City, an intriguing wine bar/bottle shop in Chestnut Hill, and two French newcomers.

    Restaurants can take awhile and owners are often hesitant to pinpoint an opening date. I’ve listed the targeted day where possible; for the rest, check social media.

    Duo Restaurant & Bar (90 Haddon Ave., Westmont): Brothers Artan and Arber Murtaj and Andi and Tony Lelaj, who own the Old World-style Italian Il Villaggio in Cherry Hill, are taking over Haddon Avenue’s former Keg & Kitchen with a pub serving a bar menu supplemented with seafood.

    Eclipse Brewing (25 E. Park Ave., Merchantville): Last August, food trucker Megan Hilbert of Red’s Rolling Restaurant became one of the youngest brewery owners in New Jersey when she bought this 9-year-old Camden County brewery, open as of Friday.

    Lassan Indian Traditional (232 Woodbine Ave., Narberth): The second location of the well-regarded Lafayette Hill Indian BYOB takes over the long-ago Margot space in Narberth.

    LeoFigs, 2201 Frankford Ave., as seen in January 2026.

    LeoFigs (2201 Frankford Ave.): Justice and Shannon Figueras promise the delivery of their long-awaited bar/restaurant, with an urban winery in the basement, at Frankford and Susquehanna in Fishtown. The food menu will be built around comfort-leaning small plates.

    The bubbly selection at Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill.

    Lovat Square (184 E. Evergreen Ave.): Damien Graef and Robyn Semien (also owners of Brooklyn wine shop Bibber & Bell) are taking over Chestnut Hill’s former Top of the Hill Market/Mimi’s Café property for a multiphased project: first a wine shop with indoor seating, then a courtyard with a full dinner menu, followed later by a cocktail bar/restaurant component. Opens Feb. 12

    Malooga (203 Haverford Ave., Narberth): The Old City Yemeni restaurant is expanding to Narberth with lunch and dinner service plus a bakery, with expanded indoor/outdoor seating and space for groups.

    Mi Vida (34 S. 11th St.): Washington, D.C.-based restaurant group Knead Hospitality + Design is bringing its upscale Mexican concept to East Market, next to MOM’s Organic Market. Target opening is Feb. 18.

    MOTW Coffee & Pastries (2101 Market St): Mahmood Islam and Samina Akbar are behind this franchise of Muslims of the World Coffee, offering a third-space experience at the Murano.

    Napa Kitchen & Wine (3747 Equus Blvd., Newtown Square): A California-inspired restaurant rooted in Midlothian, Va., opens in Ellis Preserve with an extensive domestic and international wine list in a polished setting. Opens Feb. 9.

    Ocho Supper Club (210 W. Rittenhouse Square): Chef RJ Smith’s Afro-Caribbean fine-dining supper club starts a six-month residency at the Rittenhouse Hotel, tied to the Scarpetta-to-Ruxton transition, serving tasting menus through July. Now open.

    Piccolina (301 Chestnut St.): A low-lit Italian restaurant and cocktail bar at the Society Hill Hotel from Michael Pasquarello (Cafe Lift, La Chinesca, Prohibition Taproom). Targeting next week

    Pretzel Day Pretzels (1501 S. Fifth St.): James and Annie Mueller’s pretzel-delivery operation is becoming a takeout shop in the former Milk + Sugar space in Southwark. Expect classic soft pretzels plus German-style variations (including Swabian-style) and stuffed options.

    Merriment at the bar at Savu, 208 S. 13th St.

    Savú (208 S. 13th St.): Kevin Dolce’s Hi-Def Hospitality has converted the former Cockatoo into a modern, bi-level dining and late-night lounge with a New American menu from chef Maulana Muhammad; it just soft-opened for dinner Thursday through Sunday and weekend brunch.

    Bar-adjacent seating at Side Eye.

    Side Eye (623 S. Sixth St.): Hank Allingham’s all-day neighborhood bar takes over for Bistrot La Minette with “French-ish” food from chef Finn Connors, plus cocktails, European-leaning wines, beer, and a late-night menu. Opens 5 p.m. Feb. 7 with 50% of the night’s proceeds going to the People’s Kitchen.

    Soufiane at the Morris (225 S. Eighth St): Soufiane Boutiliss and Christophe Mathon (Sofi Corner Café) say there’s a 90% chance of a February opening for their new spot at the Morris House Hotel off Washington Square. It’s billed as an elegant-but-approachable restaurant inspired by classic French bouillons/brasseries, with a menu spanning small plates and full entrées alongside Moroccan-influenced tagines. Expect evening service indoors, daytime service outdoors.

    South Sichuan II (1537 Spring Garden St.): A second location for the popular Point Breeze Sichuan takeout/delivery specialist, near Community College of Philadelphia; this one will offer more seating.

    Zsa’s Ice Cream (6616 Germantown Ave.): The Mount Airy shop’s end-of-2025 “grand closing” proved short-lived after a sale to local pastry chef Liz Yee. Reopened Feb. 7.

    Looking ahead

    March openings are in the offing for the much-hyped PopUp Bagels in Ardmore, as well as the long-delayed Terra Grill (a stylish room in Northern Liberties’ Piazza Alta) and ILU (the low-lit Spanish tapas bar) in Kensington.

  • 12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs

    12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs

    Some of the region’s most romantic meals aren’t happening at buzzy hotspots or white-tablecloth institutions. They unfold in neighborhood fixtures you may have overlooked, suburban newcomers still flying under the radar, or dining rooms better known to locals than Instagram. Here are a dozen such places — newer openings and longtime standbys where intimacy comes from lighting, pacing, service, and the feeling that the room is yours for the night. — Michael Klein

    Abyssinia

    The promise of romance sparks when a combo platter hits your table at this time-honored West Philly restaurant with a not-so-secret bar upstairs. Maybe you and your lover’s fingers graze as you tear the same piece of spongy injera, or your hands touch while scooping up a pile of doro wot, a delectably spicy and berbere-laden chicken stew. First called Red Sea when it opened in 1983, Abyssinia is considered Philly’s first Ethiopian restaurant and has an unofficial rep as nothing more than a neighborhood spot or the place for a large-yet-affordable group dinner. That doesn’t mean it isn’t without its own brand of first (or fifth, or 500th) date magic: The waitstaff is small, which means you’ll have more than enough time to run through the get-to-know-you questions and stare into each other’s eyes before your platter arrives, distracting you with garlicky beef tibs or aromatic misir wot. If things are going well, head to Upstairs at Abyssinia, the charming second-floor cocktail bar formerly known as Fiume with a rotating schedule of live music and comedy shows. — Beatrice Forman

    229 S. 45th St., 215-387-2424, instagram.com/abyssiniabarrestaurant

    Casablanca Mediterranean Grill

    One moment, you’re standing in the Italian Market, the next you’ve been transported to a Middle Eastern living room tented with richly embroidered fabrics, a flickering hearth, and kilim-draped couches beside low tables with brass trays. The name suggests Morocco, but the Baruki brothers, Walid and Talal, draw on their Lebanese and Syrian background for a pan-Mediterranean experience. The prix-fixe menu required on weekends and during special events is ideal for couples and friendly double-daters who like to relax and share, grazing first on a trio of mezze (cumin-y slow-roasted eggplant is the star) before diving into the generous entrees. Tender Moroccan roast chicken with lemon and green olives was my favorite (order it mild, with a side of fresh harissa spice), while the Syrian-style mujadara of bulgur wheat, lentils, and caramelized onions is a vegan winner. Uncork a bottle of Lebanese red wine from the full bar, settle into your pouf, and linger over some a la carte menu extras (like the silky signature hummus with spiced ground beef) until complimentary baklava and sweet mint tea arrive to send you dreamily back into the South Philly night. — Craig LaBan

    Casablanca Mediterranean Grill, 947 Federal St., 267-324-5165; casablanca-grill.com

    Coco Thai Bistro

    The atmosphere inside this Narberth BYOB is a cross between a tropical greenhouse and Anthropologie’s home decor section. Plants line the walls and wrap around the staircase of the two-story dining room, with monstera leaves and elephant ears folding over tables and chairs. A hefty dose of twinkle lights adds to the atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see older couples alongside high school sweethearts celebrating their one-month anniversary. There’s a solid menu that combines homestyle Thai curries with street food. Think fried grouper fillets to dip in a chili and garlic sauce, or pad kra tiem (a garlic-pepper stir fry). Corkage is just $5, so you can splurge on dessert: tang yuan, or rice balls stuffed with black sesame paste, served in a bowl of warm ginger tea. It’s like a wintery version of mochi. — Beatrice Forman

    231 Haverford Ave., Narberth, 610-667-7634, cocobistro.com

    Jolene’s

    This chic, modern West Chester bistro from 3 West Hospitality (who also own the less-upscale Slow Hand, Square Bar, Jitters, and Brickette Lounge) blends French-leaning food with a strong cocktail and wine list in a moody, unstuffy dining room with a semiprivate adjacent bar. The downtown location makes it easy to turn dinner into a longer night, with a walk afterward or a second stop nearby. It’s romantic in a social, lively way — ideal for date nights that start with dinner and stretch into drinks and conversation. — Michael Klein

    29 E. Gay St., West Chester, 484-999-3656, joleneswc.com

    La Belle Epoque

    Named after France’s golden age, La Belle Epoque has been a Media staple for more than 20 years, serving Burgundy-style French cuisine in a quaint dining room that looks not unlike an Emily in Paris backdrop. The restaurant has an extensive wine list with bottles that hit seemingly every region of France — rosé from the Rhône Valley, riesling from Alsace, and sauvignon blanc from Bordeaux — alongside a menu of hearty bistro entrees. There’s the classic steak frites and filet mignon with potatoes, but the way to really impress your date is to try something a tad more adventurous, like escargots de Bourgogne (chewy snails served in the shell with a garlic-butter sauce), pan-roasted duck in a sweet pomegranate and red wine reduction, or bucatini topped with chanterelles and a dollop of caviar. Planning to go the distance with your boo? Make plans to return in the summer for Dining Under the Stars, Media’s yearly open streets program that adds an extra layer of romance. — Beatrice Forman

    38 W. State St., Media, 610-566-6808, labellebistro.com

    L’Olivo Trattoria

    This new Northern Italian-leaning trattoria brings a sense of warmth and familiarity to Exton’s Eagleview Town Center, where chef Francis Pascal and wife Nui (Birchunville Store Cafe and Butterscotch Pastry Shop) have jazzed up the former Suburban Restaurant & Beer Garden. There’s a hushed air of formality in the dining room, while those seeking more energy opt for the bar or adjacent lounge seating. Pay close attention to the pastas, notably the luscious creste di gallo napped in ricotta and lemon zest, and the signature perciatelli Nui Nui, which Pascal created for his Thailand-born wife: hollow, bucatini-like perciatelli tossed in a rich Thai red curry sauce with coconut milk, lemongrass, and chunks of Maine lobster. Italian labels predominate the wine list, although the cocktail shakers get quite the workout, too. — Michael Klein

    L’Olivo Trattoria, 570 Wellington Square (Eagleview Town Center), Exton, 610-340-8115, lolivotrattoria.com

    Malbec Argentinian Steakhouse

    At first glance, this Argentinian steakhouse doesn’t exactly scream “romantic”: The cowprint pillows, framed photos of cowboys, and signature large hunks of steak are not for couples seeking an upscale-steakhouse level of fancy. But what Malbec excels at is the details: flan is served in the shape of a heart, a staff who will gladly pipe “felicidades” in caramel sauce on the plate for anniversary or engagement dinners, a showstopping paradilla platter intended for two. The last combines a marbled short rib with skirt steak, chorizo, and blood sausage (debatedly an aphrodisiac) spiced with onions and a hint of cinnamon. Less carnivorous couples can opt for the seafood paella for two, which comes in a cast-iron skillet piled high with saffron rice, calamari, shrimp, and mussels. Naturally, the wine list features more than a dozen Argentinian malbecs, including one of the world’s first white varieties. — Beatrice Forman

    400 S. Second St., 215-515-3899; malbecsteakhouse.com

    Mary

    Serial entrepreneur Chad Rosenthal’s latest spot in downtown Ambler is a compact BYOB whose bar serves as intimate side-by-side seating while the two- and four-tops along the walls give adequate privacy. Count on steady, unpretentious service and Rosenthal’s tight but creative menu — usually just a few starters (like a grilled cheese tartine and coq au vin chicken wings) and four entrees (steak frites au poivre and a showstopping burger with melted provolone over slow-simmered onions and banana peppers). — Michael Klein

    Mary, 47 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 267-468-7580, maryambler.com

    Northridge at Woolverton Inn

    Up a winding country road and through the trees, corporate career-changers Mary and Mario Passalacqua have restored the 1830s stone barn adjacent to their country inn into a restaurant and event space that’s minutes from downtown Stockton and the Delaware River. Beneath a cathedral ceiling is Northridge’s intimate dining room, complete with a fireplace, rustic charm, warm lighting, and enough room between tables to keep conversations private. It’s BYOB, though they sell wines from nearby Federal Twist Vineyards. Chef Lance Knowling’s prix-fixe menu — two courses, but opt for a third so you can linger longer — leans toward seasonal American comfort food, including steaks. Note that Sunday supper is à la carte and usually includes Kansas City-style barbecue ribs. — Michael Klein

    Northridge at Woolverton Inn, 6 Woolverton Rd., Stockton, N.J., 609-397-0802, northridgebarn.com

    Revell Hall

    Chef Joey Sergentaki and partners are breathing new life into the former Cafe Gallery/Riverview in downtown Burlington. Their High Street restaurant balances historic character with a polished dining room located peacefully away from the industrial-chic, concrete-topped cocktail bar, which can get noisy at happy hour. The menu is built for sharing — seafood, meats, and globally influenced dishes that encourage tasting across the table. By day, the Delaware River views are spectacular, while in the evening the dining room glows beneath globe lighting. — Michael Klein

    Revell Hall, 219 High St., Burlington, N.J., 609-232-7555, revellhall.com

    Spring Mill Cafe

    Set in a 19th-century farmhouse just a short drive from Conshohocken’s office parks, this country-French BYOB has been one of the Philadelphia area’s most quietly romantic spots since chef Michele Haines opened in 1978. Low ceilings, candlelight, and small, well-spaced tables encourage conversation, while the menu — now overseen by son Ezra — features comfort classics like pâté, rabbit, and slow-cooked meats. Count on friendly, unhurried service. In warmer months, the garden patio adds another layer of charm, especially at dusk. Spring Mill isn’t flashy or trendy. It’s romantic in the old-fashioned sense, built around the feeling that time has slowed down for the night. — Michael Klein

    164 Barren Hill Rd., Conshohocken, 610-828-2550, springmill.com

    Stina

    Maybe it’s the quirky, eclectic gold-framed art carefully jigsawed onto the warm brick walls. Maybe it’s Melina Mercouri’s husky voice wafting through the speakers, entangled with the strains of a bouzouki. Or maybe it’s the warmth that emanates from Stina’s live-fire brick oven. But put all of these things together and wrap them up with plates of tender grilled octopus, shatteringly crisp spanakopita, and beef-filled dolmades (all generously portioned but not too big for two to share) and you have magic. Stina is an impossibly charming BYOB, a perfect venue to huddle at a small table with your love. You may also feel the love of its married owners, chef Bobby Saritsoglou and Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou (for whom the restaurant is named). Their love for one another and for their community is felt in every carefully considered crevice of the restaurant. — Kiki Aranita

    1705 Snyder Ave., 215-337-3455, stinaphiladelphia.com

  • This South Philly restaurant has a killer soup cocktail

    This South Philly restaurant has a killer soup cocktail

    Cocktails in Philly have been getting ever more savory, taking inspiration from pickles, salad, even soup — the last being the most seasonally timed. Several local bars like El Techo and Jerry’s Bar have even been poking fun at cocktail’s “soup season,” posting videos of people consuming their margaritas and espresso martinis with spoons, blowing on the sips as they go.

    But there’s at least one soup cocktail taking the trend more seriously. Chef Thanh Nguyen’s signature pho cocktail at Gabriella’s Vietnam is a many-layered marvel. It’s not like drinking pho broth spiked with vodka. Instead, it’s warming and softly spicy — the heat hits the back of your throat and sinks into your chest — the beefiness only an umami-laden back note. It’s complex, mildly sweet, and more well-balanced than, say, a typical spicy margarita. A tiny squirt of Sriracha muddled with fresh culantro and ginger adds a soft orange hue.

    Chef Thanh Nguyen prepares drinks at Gabriella’s Vietnam in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

    “Culantro is what gives you the true pho flavor,” said Nguyen. “In South Vietnam, we use culantro more for pho than basil, which they do here [in Philly]. And of course, we need Sriracha.”

    The cocktail is shaken up with fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and a mix of vodkas (one part pho-infused vodka, three parts plain vodka).

    The liquor license at Gabriella’s (a two-time pick for The 76 most essential restaurants in Philadelphia) is a satellite license associated with Five Saints Distilling — allowing the restaurant to serve any beer, wine, and liquor made in Pennsylvania — and so the Norristown distillery’s line of spirits forms the backbone of Gabriella’s bar program.

    Two bottles of beef infused vodka: the one on the left has been steeping with herbs for six weeks and the one on the right has beef only and has been steeping for three weeks.

    There’s actual beef steeped in the vodka that forms the base of Gabriella’s pho cocktail. Thin slices of brisket and eye of round, like the ones in a typical bowl of phở tái, are seared, then crammed into the bottles of vodka, to sit for three weeks, creating a lava-lamp effect as they release droplets of fat into the liquid. At the three-week mark, the vodka is strained multiple times through coffee filters. (Nguyen discards the beef that infuses the vodka with its meaty flavor. I tried a bite before it went in the bin, but that was all: If I had kept on eating, I risked inebriation by beef.)

    Next, toasted spices are added to the bottle: fresh ginger, star anise, coriander, fennel seed, cardamon, cloves, and cinnamon. “The exact same spices for when I made pho,” said Nguyen. The concoction steeps for another three weeks, “until it’s the color of Coke,” said Nguyen.

    Nguyen approaches mixing cocktails with the mind of a chef. This is most apparent in this cocktail, which is simultaneously an ode to the pho she served at her former restaurant, Melody’s Vietnam Grill in Ambler, and to the medicinal concoctions her now 94-year-old grandfather made her drink as a child and, later, as a postpartum mother.

    “He would make vodka — yes, homemade vodka — and put garlic, ginseng, or ginger in it. This was his medicine. He’s never taken any other medicine in his life,” said Nguyen. “After I had my daughter, he had me drink this liquor with ginger soaked in it.”

    Chef Thanh Nguyen posed for a portrait at her restaurant, Gabriella’s Vietnam on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 in Philadelphia.

    Pho-spiced cocktails are common in bars in Vietnam, made popular at upmarket places like the Michelin-starred Anan Saigon and the Anantara Hoi An (whose pho cocktail is heavily garnished with fresh cilantro and whole star anise). The cocktail is frequently credited to Hanoi bartender Pham Tien Tiep. But each of these versions take the inspiration of pho far less literally than Nguyen does.

    “I don’t want to limit myself to one thing,” Nguyen said, explaining her experimentation behind the bar. “I love cooking but I have more fun behind the bar sometimes.” And she wants there to be constant crossover between her kitchen and bar. The passion fruit that her beef carpaccio is marinated in goes into her margarita. The kumquats that appear seasonally in her salads are muddled into her Saigon smash cocktail and blended into margaritas.

    As for the future of her soup-based cocktails, Nguyen is working on developing a bún bò huế-infused vodka. “I’m still trying to get shrimp paste and lemongrass flavors to come through,” she said.

  • Mount Airy’s favorite ice cream shop is staying open after all

    Mount Airy’s favorite ice cream shop is staying open after all

    Zsa’s Ice Cream hasn’t closed permanently, after all.

    Founder Danielle Jowdy announced in December 2024 that she planned to end her 14-year run at the end of 2025. She called the wind-down a “grand closing” to allow customers to enjoy a final full season of scratch-made scoops and staff time to prepare for transitions. But as Jowdy considered the future, she decided to try selling the business to someone with roots in the neighborhood.

    Zsa’s Ice Cream Shop, 6616 Germantown Ave.

    That someone is Liz Yee, a pastry chef at the nearby Catering by Design who also creates desserts for Doho restaurant, also in Mount Airy. Yee plans to reopen Zsa’s (6616 Germantown Ave.) on Saturday, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.

    For Yee, the opportunity was both personal and professional. From the moment she saw the sale announcement over the summer, she began exploring the idea of keeping Zsa’s alive, not just as a retail store but as a community hub.

    Keeping the business in Mount Airy was a major part of the appeal for Yee, who lives in Roxborough. “I work down the street, and I’ve always loved coming here,” she said. “It’s just special.”

    She plans to keep it as Zsa’s — a nickname that Jowdy and her sister, Rebecca, shared since childhood — and will offer the same menu, plus twists and specials. Yee also wants to bring back the wholesale business.

    For Saturday’s return, Yee will lean into her pastry background, offering fresh croissants paired with cereal-milk ice cream. She’s also bringing back favorites such as Black Magic (coffee ice cream with chocolate cake swirled in).

    Erica Dixon, 38, of Mount Airy, Pa., is with her son Owen Redmond-Dixon, 4, enjoying some ice cream at Zsa’s along Germantown Avenue.

    “I know when people sell a business, there are often mixed feelings, but I’m honestly over the moon right now. It feels terrific,” said Jowdy, who will work with Yee during the transition. Jowdy said she was still deliberating her next professional steps but hopes to stay involved in food and community work.

    Jowdy fell into ice cream years ago. When she and her mother were packing up the family home in Connecticut for sale, they found a hand-cranked ice cream machine the parents received as a wedding gift in 1980. As kids, Jowdy and her brother, Christopher, poured in skim milk and Hershey’s syrup “and we’d have at it,” she said.

    Jowdy brought the machine back to Philadelphia and, armed with a 1980s-era Ben & Jerry’s cookbook, began making ice cream to take to parties and cookouts. She was working at a stained-glass studio as her dessert hobby grew. When she was laid off 14 years ago, she went professional.

    Yee’s path to Zsa’s is equally windy. Back in the 2010s, she was studying math at Drexel University when she decided to turn her baking hobby into a career. She headed the pastry department at the Rittenhouse Hotel and in 2018, she joined Walnut Street Cafe as executive pastry chef and baker before she joined Catering by Design six years ago.

    Yee, whose 6-year-old son and 7-month-old daughter enjoy Zsa’s, said she would fit the business in with her personal and professional lives. “I work down the street and I run like a little 10-mile circuit around [the area],” she said.

    Zsa’s, 6616 Germantown Ave., 215-848-7215, instagram.com/zsas. Winter hours starting Feb. 7: 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, or sell-out.