Joe Beddia, one of Philadelphia’s best-known pizzaioli and a partner in Pizzeria Beddia in Fishtown, is heading across the pond to put his stamp on a North London bar set to open this spring.
At Bar Etna, in Newington Green, Beddia is a partner with former Philadelphia designer Mike Stampler, who a decade ago co-owned the craft brand Norman Porter in Kensington (the Philly one), and chef-restaurateur Ed McIlroy of the Four Legs group, which owns the Plimsoll and Tollington’s, both London pubs.
Beddia said the relatively small space will sport “sort of a mid-century Milan vibe.” The menu will include small plates, baked dishes, and pizza. (The British media, quoting a news release about the project, seems amped about the Italian American dishes like “aubergine parmigiana.”) There will be a full bar for classic cocktails and it will have a late-night license, a rarity for London. And so far, Beddia said, they plan to offer soft-serve for dessert, just as he does in Philadelphia.
“I’m not well-versed in the pizza scene in London yet, but will just try and make the best pizza I can,” Beddia said when asked to define the style he would make.
Beddia, who grew up in Lancaster (Pennsylvania, not Lancashire), came to pizza-making after stints in Philadelphia kitchens and bars such as Tria, Osteria, South Philadelphia Tap Room, and Zavino, and an internship at Pizza Brutta in Madison, Wis. In 2012, he won zoning approval to take over a deli at 115 E. Girard Ave. in Fishtown, and in March 2013 opened Pizzeria Beddia with a stripped-down, takeout-only model. Cash only, no phone.
Joe Beddia at Pizzeria Beddia at its opening in March 2019.
The shop’s deliberately limited output — about 40 pies a night, only a few nights a week — fueled long lines and a cult following.
National attention followed in 2015 when Bon Appétit named Beddia’s pizza the best in America, cementing him as a national breakout star. After five years and relentless demand, Beddia closed the Girard Avenue shop at the end of March 2018 — it’s now the slice shop Pizza Shackamaxon — to open a larger restaurant nearby with Defined Hospitality, the group behind Suraya, Kalaya, Condesa, R&D, and Picnic).
In March 2019, “Beddia 2.0” debuted at 1313 N. Lee St. with seating, a bar, and a private hoagie room. A Beddia cookbook followed in 2020.
In 2025, the restaurant was named a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant also placed No. 13 in the world on the 2024 50 Top Pizza global list and ranked No. 3 in the United States on the same group’s national ranking.
Joe Beddia (left), with associates Greg Root, Nick Kennedy (rear), Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, and Roland Kassis, joins the Michelin Man at the Michelin Guide announcement event at the Kimmel Center Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Philadelphia.
What a year it’s been so far for Saif Manna, one of Philadelphia’s most sought-after pop-up bakers. He’s achieved two longtime goals: He married his college girlfriend, Stefaniya Surikova, and he signed a lease for his first brick-and-mortar location.
Manna Bakery — a farmers market favorite for its Levantine and Palestinian baked goods — is due to open by early April at 110 W. Berks St., Essen Bakery’s shuttered Kensington location. Manna acquired Essen’s equipment and said he must do only light work on the space.
Saif Manna at work before a pop-up.
With seating for about 60, the bakery will be open for counter service Thursday to Sunday from the start, serving such treats as ka’ak al-Quds (Jerusalem bagels), Basque cheesecake, cookies, brioche buns, manakeesh, and sumac-spiced chicken buns.
Manna said he would continue his appearances at the Rittenhouse, Headhouse, and Clark Park farmers markets “because they’re convenient for people in those neighborhoods.”
The long-term goal is for Manna to be a bakery-cafe during the day and a restaurant at night. Manna said the dinner menu would include traditional Palestinian dishes he grew up with, such as stuffed grape leaves, stuffed cabbage, oven-baked kofta, lamb dumplings, roasted lamb, hummus, and other dips, along with breads.
Larry Bodhuin waits on a customer at Manna Bakery’s table at Headhouse Farmers Market on March 1, 2026. At rear is Manna baker Melissa Bensley.
Manna’s path into baking has the familiar contours of a pandemic-era origin story, but with a longer runway.
His grandparents lived in Akka until Palestinians were expelled during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. Manna, 27, was born in California and raised in Dubai. He moved to the United States in 2018 for college at Texas A&M, where he played on its Division I tennis team. He transferred after freshman year to Temple University, where he majored in political science and played tennis. As a junior during the pandemic, Manna started baking cookies in his dorm.
“Stefaniya [who also played tennis at Temple] encouraged me to sell them,” he said. At first, students lined up for his wares. Then came local TV coverage.
Some of Saif Manna’s baked goods on the Manna Bakery table at Headhouse Farmers Market on March 1, 2026.
After graduation, he committed to baking full-time, expanding into pop-ups and larger markets. He lived in student housing because it was affordable, but eventually moved to the Old Kensington/Fishtown area for more space.
When the Kensington pizzeria Char opened in August 2024, he struck a deal with owner Viraj Thomas to bake there during the off-hours. “As things grew, [the] Char [space] couldn’t keep up with my production needs anymore,” Manna said. “At the same time, I was searching for a brick-and-mortar. Every time I thought I had something, it fell through. It was frustrating, but I kept going.”
The Berks Street space, which became available last November, seemed like another near-miss. Another tenant was on the verge of signing, he said.
Manna decided to hit the real estate company with the equivalent of a drop shot: “I went into the [real estate] office and told them, ‘If you sign that [deal], you’re making a huge mistake. Within a year of opening, I’m going to win a James Beard Award.’
“I needed to get their attention,” he said. “I explained why they should take a chance on me, and they did.”
Angelo’s Pizzeria, bursting at the seams at its flagship shop on Ninth Street near the Italian Market, will take over the South Philadelphia location of Federal Donuts & Chicken, converting the chain’s largest outpost into a production hub with delivery, takeout, and limited seating.
The Federal Donuts location at Wolf and Swanson Streets, which opened in March 2024, closed Saturday. Its six employees have been offered jobs elsewhere in the company, cofounder Steve Cook said.
Danny DiGiampietro of Angelo’s Pizzeria (right) with longtime business partner Jared Braunstein at Angelo’s Baking Co. in Conshohocken, Pa., in December 2024.
Angelo’s owner Danny DiGiampietro told The Inquirer that the new location would solve key issues for the Michelin-honored pizza and sandwich business, whose house-baked rolls helped propel its popularity from its opening in 2019 after a move from Haddonfield.
First, it will take the pressure off of the takeout-only Ninth Street storefront, which draws long lines — as well as neighbor complaints. “Ninth Street isn’t going anywhere — we’re not touching that,” he said.
Second, it will allow Angelo’s to move its third-party delivery out of North Philadelphia, where it launched in a ghost kitchen in October 2024. “We like working with them and it helped prove the concept,” he said of the kitchen, on Girard Avenue near 13th Street.
A cheesesteak with onions and Cooper Sharp American from Angelo’s.
Third, with a new kitchen five times the size of Ninth Street’s, “this will bring us back to doing what we used to do,” DiGiampietro said. “We made our bones with specialty sandwiches, like sausage scaloppine and 50 kinds of cutlets. When cheesesteaks and pizza took over, we had to take them off [the full-time menu]. Not knocking the cheesesteaks, but they’re boring. I want to get loose again.”
He said Wolf Street would also serve as a commissary and operate seven days from early in the morning (with house-baked bagels) to late at night.
DiGiampietro said the new building had been on his radar several years ago, before Federal Donuts signed on. “At the time, the build-out cost and the timeline — more than a year — just didn’t work for us,” he said. “The cloud kitchen was faster. But when this came back around, we moved on it fast.”
Angelo’s Pizzeria on Ninth Street during the lunch rush on Aug. 31, 2022.
Asked how many people will be employed at the new location, DiGiampietro replied: “I have no idea. I just come up with the ideas.” Jared Braunstein, his longtime business partner, added: “We’re reactionary here. We just figure it out.”
For Federal Donuts, the Wolf Street closure reflects a broader shift in its operating model. Cook, fellow chef Michael Solomonov, and several friends launched the fried chicken/doughnuts/coffee brand in 2011 as a complement to CookNSolo’s award-winning restaurant, Zahav.
The Federal Donuts & Chicken location at Swanson and Wolf Streets just before its debut in March 2024.
Wolf Street’s kitchen, at 5,000 square feet, was designed for high-volume production. But by the time it opened, that strategy had already evolved, Cook said. “We liked the retail opportunity there. We liked the development story there. But we’re still early on the retail side, and without the commissary to underwrite some of the overhead, it just didn’t really make sense.”
The move fits into Angelo’s broader expansion pipeline.
DiGiampietro, with partners, opened Uncle Gus’ Steaks in late 2024 inside Reading Terminal Market. He and the owners of the Wilmington restaurant Bardea opened Angelo’s cheesesteak stand last year in Wilmington’s DE.CO food hall. Actor Bradley Cooper, who walked into Ninth Street anonymously several years ago and bought a sandwich, is DiGiampietro’s business partner in a cheesesteak shop called Danny & Coop’s in Manhattan’s East Village.
Actor Bradley Cooper (right) and Angelo’s Pizzeria owner Danny DiGiampietro (left) work on the Danny & Coop’s cheesesteak truck, a precursor of their shop, with manager Seth Braunstein in New York in December 2023.
A long-delayed bakery project in Conshohocken is nearing completion. DiGiampietro said progress has been slowed by the need to bring the older building — formerly Conshohocken Italian Bakery — up to current code.
He said he hopes to open that retail bakery within a month.
DiGiampietro said a South Jersey location, planned for the former Di’Nics in West Collingswood Heights, is at least six months from opening. Work is expected to begin soon.
For now, DiGiampietro’s focus is on South Philadelphia, where the industrial-scale Wolf Street building offers room to grow without the constraints of a dense residential block.
Angelo’s Pizzeria is setting up at Swanson and Wolf Streets.
“It’s [in an] industrial [area], it makes sense operationally, and it gives us room to grow without bothering anyone nearby,” DiGiampietro said. “For us, it was a no-brainer.”
The surrounding corridor — long defined by warehouses and light industry, as well as big-box stores along Columbus Boulevard and the landmark John’s Roast Pork — is also in flux. Across Wolf Street, Isgro’s Pastries is planning a second location — a large-scale bakery and cafe — to open this summer. Just north on Swanson Street, the six-acre former Inolex Chemical Co. site has been cleared for a retail development whose prospective tenants include Shake Shack, Raising Cane’s, and Lidl.
Almost Home General’s Old City coffeehouse closed this week, capping a complicated two-year joint venture between the Jersey Shore-based chain and Glu Hospitality, the now-disbanded restaurant group that operated the location.
Robbie Doran, who founded Almost Home in 2000 in Monmouth County, said his company was moving on and plans to open a coffee shop and grocery store of its own at Beach Street Landing in Northern Liberties. They will join Almost Home’s other Philadelphia location, on the ground floor of the Hagert & York development in East Kensington.
Owner Robbie Doran in the lounge area at Almost Home, 205 Race St.
Almost Home’s relationship with Glu began around 2023, when Glu founders Tim Lu and Derek Gibbons approached Doran, whom they knew from working in the New York City nightlife scene.
“They wanted my brand,” Doran said. “I saw the growth with Glu and assumed they knew what they were doing.”
At the time, Glu was on a tear of openings since its founding in 2019, at one point operating the chain Bagels & Co. alongside seven other vibey restaurants, including Northern Liberties’ Figo and the subterranean Center City ramen bar Chika, both now shuttered.
In April 2024, Glu and Doran opened the Almost Home location at the corner of Second and Race Streets, on the ground floor of the Bridge on Race building beside the Ben Franklin Bridge. The coffee shop offered cocktails alongside full brunch and dinner menus, and was an immediate hit on social media thanks to its over-the-top lattes and photogenic color-coded bookshelves.
Almost Home opened in April 2024, replacing a coffeehouse/retailer called United by Blue.
Doran said the arrangement began to break down early last year after broader issues surfaced at other Glu-owned restaurants. In addition to allegations of wage theft, Glu was running afoul of state liquor laws by using off-premises catering permits, rather than full liquor licenses, to sell alcohol at both Almost Home and Figo. Two other former Glu restaurants — Chika and Izakaya Fishtown — were operating under expired liquor licenses.
“When things started falling apart, it happened fast — within about two weeks, everything came crashing down,” Doran said. “We were finding things out from the news before hearing about them internally, which isn’t how a partnership should work.”
Glu partners Derek Gibbons (left) and Tim Lu at Figo in December 2022.
After Glu shut down, Doran said he dissolved Almost Home’s partnership. From then on, Doran said, Lu ran the Old City cafe.
The shop faced operational challenges. In September 2025, the cafe was shut down by the Philadelphia Department of Health after a failed health inspection found evidence of mouse droppings and uncontained rat poison throughout the kitchen. The report’s findings drew attention on social media that Lu said the business could not bounce back from.
“The report itself wasn’t unusual from an operational standpoint,” Lu said. “But someone on social media amplified it and added commentary that made it seem worse than it was.”
Dining room at Almost Home, 205 Race St.
Other factors contributed to the decline, Lu said, including a harsh winter that caused foot traffic to slow further. “At the end of the day, the business just wasn’t sustainable,” Lu said.
Doran, who operates eight Almost Home General locations in New Jersey in addition to the East Kensington shop, said the experience affected his business beyond Philadelphia.
“A lot of the blame fell on him,” Doran said of Lu. “But ultimately, the decisions that were made had ripple effects. Some of that fallout affected me as well, even though I wasn’t involved in those decisions.”
Doran emphasized that he doesn’t view Lu as solely responsible for the outcome and said he has focused on supporting staff affected by the closure. “I’ve been reaching out to employees to make sure they’re taken care of,” Doran said. “I’m not going to let staff get hurt in the process.”
To Japan, with love: Chef Jesse Ito took his first trip to Japan with his father, Matt. Craig LaBan, with photographer Monica Herndon, describes the remarkable journey and the food they found.
South Philly flair: Get inside the revival of Bomb Bomb Bar and check out the new Piccolina.
With the gap narrowing between casual sushi joints and upscale omakase, Kiki Aranita set out to find the best delivery sushi in downtown Philly. These nine restaurants are clearly on a roll.
🏯 Chef Jesse Ito and his father, Matt, flew to Japan for a rare bonding trip, exploring markets, family roots, and the traditions that shaped Royal Sushi & Izakaya. Craig LaBan and Monica Herndon tagged along to share an inside look.
🍜 If you toured Japan for nine days with a chef and a food critic, here’s where you might eat.
This Saturday, there will be two beer festivals with identical-sounding names. Beatrice Forman reports that Philly Bierfest wants the New York-rooted Philly Beer Fest to stop confusing customers.
Vince Tacconelli opens a cocktail bar Wednesday. Although Bar Tacconelli is not a pizzeria, he figures at least he and his South Jersey neighbors won’t have to cross the bridge to Philly for a fun night out.
Flakely, the gluten-free bakery, has opened a shop in Bryn Mawr, as Denali Sagner reports, bringing its pastries front and center after toiling in a commercial kitchen in Manayunk.
Follow the food team’s travels: tasty spanakopita, scallops and burrata, and a clam pizza that brought beach vibes to Center City.
Scoops
After five years behind the smoked-fish counter at Biederman’s in South Philadelphia, Gene Mopsik has moved on. The food maven and erstwhile commercial photographer known as @phillyloxsmith says he lost most of his hours after three spinal surgeries in 14 months. With retirement not an option at age 77, he has started what he calls a small-batch food project. On the eve of Purim, he’s baking hamentashen — poppy, prune, and apricot. Preorders (six for $22) at phillyloxsmith.com should be available through Thursday for pickup Sunday. “I need to stay busy,” Mopsik said. “There’s something about people enjoying what you create.”
Monto is the name of the pub that the Fergie’s Pub crew is planning to open in Old City this spring. Sandwich meister N.A. Poe is planning a Celtic-Philly menu.
Blue Sunday, an American-Asian restaurant out of Maryland (there’s a location in Bensalem), is planning a September opening in the former Carrabba’s Italian Grill space at Springfield Mall. It’s also headed into the former Famous Dave’s location at Christiana Town Center in Delaware.
Restaurant report
For his latest review, critic Craig LaBan ties on a lobster bib at Bomb Bomb Bar to dig into chef Joey Baldino’s revival of the classic red-gravy bar.
The oxtail lasagna is one of the rustic South Philly-inspired dishes on the menu at Piccolina, a cozy, new bar-restaurant at the Society Hill Hotel in Old City.
Briefly noted
Charlotte Ann Albertson, whose cooking school helped launch many careers (remember Chef Tell?), has died at 90. Here’s her obit.
Philadelphians are annoying, unfriendly, and stressed. But, as Emily Bloch reports, we have the best sandwiches, according to an analysis of how ChatGPT views the city.
Cherry Street Tavern, one of Center City’s oldest bars, is for sale as the owners want to hang up their aprons. “There’s just something sacred about the place,” one bartender told Mike Newall.
The Philly Chef Conference will host restaurateur Drew Nieporent (Nobu, Tribeca Grill) for a talk/book-signing at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Drexel University’s Academic Bistro (101 N. 33rd St.). In convo with Inquirer food writer Kiki Aranita, Nieporent will discuss his new memoir, I’m Not Trying to Be Difficult: Stories From the Restaurant Trenches. Admission ($25) includes a signed copy of the book (free for students); a light reception will follow. Register here.
Pita Chip, the Middle Eastern fast-casual chainlet, will mark its first year at the Concourse at Comcast Center with free chicken shawarma or falafel entrees from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 3. Limit one per person.
Panda Fest, the outdoor Asian food and culture festival, is returning to Dilworth Park April 18-19 for its second year. Early-bird ticket sales start Thursday.
Dig Inn, a farm-to-table fast-casual chain, has set March 13 for its opening at 112 S. 11th St. It’s previewing with a food-drive exchange on March 11 and 12; those who donate a canned good or nonperishable food item get a free bowl in return. Reserve a time slot here. All donated items go across the street to Thomas Jefferson U’s Ramily Market Pantry.
❓Pop quiz
A regular crafted a replica of his favorite restaurant out of Lego bricks. Which one?
I saw a restaurant online in the city with a dessert that was a carrot cake combination cheesecake. The cheesecake was on top of the carrot cake. Any idea where it could be? — Alan M.
I’m sure more than a few locals offer this hybrid; the key is finding one on the regular menu. There’s the Cheesecake Lady (in new quarters in Jenkintown, with Cloud Cups’ Kensington location as an outlet); Bredenbeck’s in Chestnut Hill; and the assorted Cheesecake Factory locations. Know of others? Let me know and I’ll include next week.
📮 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.
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Vince Tacconelli didn’t set out to open another Tacconelli’s — or even a bar — in South Jersey. He saw a gap, and it wasn’t pizza.
“If you’re in the Maple Shade area on a Thursday night at 8 o’clock, there’s nowhere to get a proper cocktail,” said Tacconelli, 33, a fifth-generation member of the pizzeria family. “We always end up going into Philly.”
The repeated frustration has led Tacconelli to a new business venture. “I’m trying to build the cocktail bar I want to go to,”he said.
Vince Tacconelli behind the bar at Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 21, 2026.
Bar Tacconelli — an Italian-leaning cocktail lounge and bottle shop with late-night hours — opened in late February about four minutes from the Maple Shade pizzeria he owns with his father, Vince. The concept is aimed at locals who might otherwise cross the bridge.
The opportunity, he said, came together “pretty organically.” Christine Zubris, a friend who owned Route 38’s Versi Vino, a strip-mall wine bar between the Cherry Hill and Moorestown Malls, told him that she was stepping away after five years.
Capocollo bombette at Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 21, 2026.
“I kind of jokingly said to my father, ‘Let’s take it — let’s get our first liquor license,’” he said. “At first, we laughed. But I kept putting it out there. And sure enough, it fell onto my lap.”
Tacconelli partnered with Greg Listino, whom he met through restaurant-equipment supplier Rosito Bisani, and Listino’s wife, Stacey Lyons, who operates Attico cocktail bar in Center City. The three of them had joked for years about opening a bar, Tacconelli said. “Next thing you know, they’re on board.”
Bar Tacconelli during a preview dinner on Feb. 21, 2026.
They took over the 60-seat space this spring. Lyons designed it with a soft industrial look: an exposed black ceiling with visible ductwork warmed by sculptural pendant lights casting an amber glow. Along one wall, a run of plush, channel-tufted banquettes in muted green sits beneath heavy drapery, while sliding barn-style wood doors lead to a semiprivate room.
The 12-seat bar has been expanded from the Versa Vino days and now includes a drink rail with room for eight.
Lyons leads the extensive bar program. Italian wines join eight beers (including a pilsner created by Haddonfield’s Kings Road) and a cocktail list organized into four sections: “Essenziale” and “Frizzante” cover classics and easy, bubbly spritzes, while “Dal Giardino” introduces more culinary, Italian-inspired creations and “Rustico” leans into spirit-forward, amaro-driven cocktails. There’s also an eight-bottle wine dispenser next to the racks of wines for sale.
Sicilian tomato pie at Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 21, 2026.
Tacconelli runs the compact kitchen. There is no pizza, aside from wedges of Sicilian tomato pie — a deliberate choice given the proximity to the pizzeria. “I don’t want to take away from that,” he said. “It actually helps us. Instead of rushing people out, we can say, ‘Head over to the bar — we’ll call ahead, get you a drink.’”
Tacconelli’s Maple Shade location opened in 2003 on Lenola Road, across from Moorestown Mall, and moved in 2014 to its current home on Main Street. Father and son — the fourth and fifth generations — opened a Haddon Township location in 2023. Those South Jersey restaurants are owned separately from the landmark Tacconelli’s, which began baking pizzas in 1948 in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond section.
Chicken cutlet under a bed of arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes, and parmesan at Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 21, 2026.
At Bar Tacconelli, the food skews small and shareable: baked oysters, chicken cutlet with lemon-parmesan arugula, meatballs, shrimp cannelloni, grilled prawns in salmoriglio, and capocollo bombette — the Pugliese fried meat roll stuffed with caciocavallo and pancetta. Most dishes land in the $14-to-$18 range; lamb chops, four for $24, are an outlier.
The pricing is intentional. “I don’t want this to be an occasion place,” he said.
Lounge seating at Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 21, 2026.
It’s open from Wednesday through Sunday, with late-night service — potentially until 1:30 or 2 a.m. — aimed at another local shortfall.
“When I get out of work at 9:30, I have nowhere to eat,” Tacconelli said. “I want a place you can come, hang out, have a Negroni, get something real to eat.”
Live music, DJs, happy hour, and late-night menus are planned. Tacconelli also saw the liquor license as strategic — keeping it out of a chain’s hands — but the broader goal is to give South Jersey diners a reason to stay put.
“There are a lot of young professionals around here who don’t want to go into Philly every time,” he said. “I want to be a destination for them.”
Bar Tacconelli, 461 Route 38, Maple Shade. Hours: 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
You won’t find chef Joey Baldino flexing tweezers with microgreens or dotting plates with fluid gels at the Bomb Bomb Bar and Grill.
That’s because Baldino, who also owns the popular Palizzi Social Club near 12th and Reed and Collingswood’s Zeppoli, occupies a unique place in Philadelphia’s pantheon of chefs as the preservationist-in-chief for the classic-but-fading flavors of Italian South Philly.
Baldino has managed one of the trickiest tasks possible — to retainthe essential character of a down-to-earth neighborhood bar while also making it his own, giving more depth to the seafood and drinks, and infusing it with sustainable new appeal for newcomers and longstanding regulars alike.
At the Bomb Bomb, where the tiny back dining room is draped with red-checked tablecloths, a plastic marlin hangs on the wall, and Louis Prima tunes fill the air (along with Nina Simone, the Ramones, and vintage Herb Alpert brass), this humble son of East Passyunk is at his best in summoning his ancestors with, among other things, one of the best “mussels red” I’ve ever had. A shot of Calabrian chile paste and white wine give his fra diavolo sauce an irresistibly zesty ba-da-boom. His reinterpration of a venerable standby like lobster francese is even more proof of his golden old-soul touch: He infuses the meat with the zing of Goodfellas-style thin-shaved garlic before crisping it inside a delicate egg-wash crust, then floating it atop a lemony puddle of butter sauce laced with the briny crunch of caper leaves beneath the bright orange lid of its shell.
The outside of Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .Joey Baldino has managed to retain the character of a down-to-earth neighborhood bar while also making it his own.
“It’s time to bib up now!’” says longtime Bomb Bomb server Linda DeCero, sidling up behind us to tie on the disposable plastic bibs for our seafood feast to come, a plump and meaty steamed Dungeness crab for two scented with juniper, orange, and bay beside a votive-warmed basin of drawn butter.
As one of several options for the prix fixe menu here, it’s a different kind of crustacean indulgence than the homey spaghetti with crab gravy the Bomb Bomb was originally known for. That was when it was owned by the Barbato family, which not only gave this storied corner taproom its name (a nod to a pair of 1936 firebombings allegedly committed by a jealous competitor), but also kept it rolling with baked ribs and “That’s Amore” kitsch for 73 years until it was sold to Baldino in early 2025.
The steamed Dungeness crab for two is one of the highlights of the Italian seafood menu at Bomb Bomb Bar.Bomb Bomb Bar chefs Max Hachey (left) and Joey Baldino in the South Philadelphia landmark during a friends and family dinner on Sept. 29, 2025.
Baldino, who took nine months to open his lightly renovated version of the bar, has managed the transition with aplomb. Just ask the two cheerful sisters at the table beside us, who came from South Jersey to toast their late father’s birthday with a celebratory dinner and sundae at his longtime favorite tavern: “He’d love what they’ve done to the place!” one told me as we waited outside in the rain for our rides after the meal.
Baldino, 47, is uniquely suited for the task, having grown up eating steamed crabs out of a wooden bowl at his grandfather Al Mazza’s very similar bar at 12th and Reed — part of a generation of Italian bars like Strolli’s and South Philly Bar & Grill that have almost all now disappeared. He’s kept the Bomb Bomb’sclassic format of the neighborhood corner tappie intact, with room for 16 walk-ins in the small barroom up front, where you can nibble on sublimely juicy roast pork sandwiches and sip Vespers spiked with peperoncini brine while the Flyers skate across TVs behind the bar.
Meanwhile, the intimate 26-seat rear dining room, accessed through the onetime “Ladies Entrance,” is a boisterous reservation-only hideaway for three seatings nightly of a prix fixe seafood menu meant to evoke the Christmas Eve dinners of Baldino’s youth.
The pork sandwich with long hots at the Bomb Bomb Bar.The inside bar area of Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
At $62 a person — with a choice of five sharing dishes for two people or six items for four people plus a pasta and a side — the price is fair considering the quality and quantity of the cooking. There are plenty of options for add-ons, specials, and drinks to turn dinner here into a splurge.
The antipasto for $18 is one add-on you probably shouldn’t miss for its bounty of house-pickled veggies, salumi, and cheese. And if the bagna cauda special is on offer, that’s another worthy vegetable-centric starter culled from Baldino’s daily shopping rounds through the Italian Market — grilled eggplants and zucchini, blanched cabbage rolls, and imported chicory shoots. They are perfect for dipping in a warm crock of buttery anchovy-garlic cream while your table sips through its first round of cocktail classics with Italian twists.
There’s a Bloody Mary sparked with Calabrian chilies and shredded provolone, a frozen Roman Coke spiked with amaro, a prickly pear riff on a margarita, and a crispy house pilsner made for the Bomb Bomb by Human Robot. I lean more into the affordable Italian wines when it comes to the heart of the prix fixe menu; a fizzy dry Lambrusco, the peachy almond notes of a Grechetto, and some light-hearted reds (a juicy Nebbiolo for $14) won’t overwhelm the seafood.
As for the food itself, you almost can’t lose — unless you have an aversion to an occasional excessive use of breadcrumbs on standbys like the shrimp oreganata or bacony clams casino. I preferred the cockles in brothier “clams white” form, steamed in Carlo Rossi Chablis (the official jug wine of South Philly) over a bowl of toast to finish last, having soaked in all that garlicky juice. The Bomb Bomb’s shrimp cocktail is also exceptionally flavorful from a gentle poach in a white wine court bouillon perfumed with orange and thyme.
The fried calamari at the Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
The fried calamari (also available on the limited tavern menu, like the shrimp cocktail) are the epitome of a bar classic done right, tenderized in cream before they’re crisped in seasoned semolina and tossed in a spicy confetti of red and green cherry peppers. But if you want to taste a deep cut from the Baldino family’s Seven Fishes repertoire, Mom’s stuffed calamari — the toothpick-sealed squid tubes stuffed with ground tentacles and Parmesan breadcrumbs that become incredibly tender after a two-hour simmer in tomato sauce — will absolutely take you there.
The stuffed squid is something of an homage to the Barbatos, who made a different version of the recipe. Similarly, Baldino’s baked St. Louis-cut spare ribs, exclusive to the bar menu, are a slightly cheffier, orange-scented riff on a popular mainstay during the family’s tenure. I appreciated both menu items for the continuity they offered between the two owners.
Two other luxurious seafood dishes shouldn’t be ignored. The baked crab cakes created by chef Max Hachey (last at Friday Saturday Sunday) were a celebration of sweet meat bound up with onion cream, roasted garlic aioli, and crushed crackers — easily one of my new favorites in the city. And the lobster-and-shells genre has also been taken to a clever new level here, inspired by the flavors of a stromboli: Al dente pasta cradles butter-poached lobster in a blush sauce enriched with melted mozz and zingy ground pepperoni.
Crab cakes at the Bomb Bomb, the classic Italian seafood joint revived by chef-owner Joey Baldino in deep South Philly.The carbonara at the Bomb Bomb Bar in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. .
As a testament to Baldino’s confident grasp of the South Philly Italian canon, he feels no need to resort to any red-gravy meatball clichés on the pasta side of the menu. His carbonara is the stuff of creamy noodle dreams, its egg-and-bacon glaze still frothy even though it’s blended with three kinds of cheese, including an alpine twinge of toma. The black ink spaghetti is a dark-horse noodle champ — quite literally, because its simple, garlicky shine of aglio-e-olio sauce is turned jet black with sepia ink. And Baldino’s Italian tuna pasta might be the most overlooked gem of them all, a comforting yet elegant deconstruction of tuna noodle casserole.
There are always other off-menu treats lingering in back to keep the dinner intriguing, like grilled langostini glistening with bottarga butter in a fragrant nod to the Sicilian flavors of Zeppoli. The frequent special of garlicky T-bone steak basted with olive oil-soaked rosemary branches is so good, I wonder if there’s a retro Italian chophouse lingering in Baldino’s future, too.
Keeping the Bomb Bomb’s distinctive red-neon sign glowing bright over the corner of Warnock and Wolf Streets, now beckoning to an enthusiastic new generation, is more than enough of an achievement. So order yourself a vanilla ice cream sundae drizzled with house chocolate sauce, brown-butter caramel, and a fried banana — a sweet tribute to a long gone shake shop that Baldino also loved — and lift a toast to the ancestors. Italian South Philly’s culinary preservationist-in-chief has scored once again.
A porterhouse steak and grilled langostini with bottarga butter are two notable recent specials at the Bomb Bomb Bar & Grill.
Dinner seatings in rear dining room by reservation only Thursday through Monday, at 5, 7, and 9 p.m. Bar is open to walk-ins only Thursday through Monday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Lunch served Saturday and Sunday, noon-3 p.m.
Not wheelchair accessible. There are two steps at the front entrance and bathrooms are not accessible.
Gluten-free pasta is available and much of the menu can be modified to be gluten-free, including the antipasto, lobster francese, streamed seafood, and ribs.
Menu highlights: clams casino; crab cake, lobster francese; shrimp oreganata; mussels fra diavolo; fried calamari; lobster and shells; Dungeness crab; spaghetti alla carbonara; herbed tomatoes; porterhouse special. Bar menu: porchetta sandwich; shrimp agrodolce; vanilla sundae.
Drinks: The full bar showcases simple but booze-forward cocktails with a zesty Italian twist, like the Vesper spiked with peperoncini brine and a Bloody Mary sparked with Calabrian chilies, frozen drinks such as the bubbly limoncello Scroppino.
The exterior of Bomb Bomb Bar in South Philadelphia on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Charlotte Ann Albertson, 90, a pioneer in Philadelphia’s culinary scene through her long-running cooking school, died Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, at her home in Harveys Lake, PA.
For more than five decades, Mrs. Albertson, a longtime Wynnewood resident, ran Albertson Cooking School, which has introduced generations of home cooks and aspiring professionals to global cuisines, wine, and hospitality. In the years before round-the-clock food television, the school also helped to elevate the profiles of local chefs.
Charlotte Ann Albertson in her element, leading a cooking class.
Born in Chicago to Joseph and Veronica Sutula, she grew up in Scranton and attended Marywood Seminary and Marywood College, graduating in 1957. She earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her husband, Dr. Richard P. Albertson, an anesthesiologist and president of the medical staff at Lankenau Hospital; he died in 2024.
After their marriage in 1961, Mrs. Albertson taught fifth- and sixth-grade English at the former Wynnewood Road School in Lower Merion. In 1974, after taking classes with food writer/teacher Ethel Hoffman, she launched L’Epicure,later Albertson Cooking School.
Mrs. Albertson proved adept at recruiting talent for the school, which relies on itinerant faculty. “Her term was always: ‘Be bullheaded — don’t ever take no for an answer,’” said her daughter Ann-Michelle.
Charlotte Ann Albertson and her husband, Richard, toast at Christmas dinner in 2004.
Mrs. Albertson’s classes, held at first in her condo kitchen and later at a variety of venues, ranged from the sublime to the whimsical. She booked a woman whom she saw teaching cake-decorating at a department store to share the secrets to the butter cookies of her native Scandinavia. She hired a baker from the Commissary (one of the most popular restaurants in town in the late ’70s) to demonstrate desserts, got a Japanese friend to teach sukiyaki and tempura, and landed a cheese artist to teach how to sculpt cheddar into footballs and pine cones.
Lankenau Hospital was a rich recruiting ground. Her early instructors included the hospital’s chef, Bruce Cooper. “She was a tremendous supporter from the start, even investing in Jake’s [the landmark restaurant in Manayunk that opened in 1987] for its initial five years,” Cooper said last week.
In 1977, she met Le Bec-Fin chef Georges Perrier at Lankenau after his teenage stepson required surgery and Dr. Albertson was the anesthesiologist. She persuaded Perrier to teach, and he led classes even as his and his restaurant’s international reputation grew.
That same year, after reading about the impending closure of the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, Mrs. Albertson invited its executive chef to teach. “He said that he was too old, but he recommended a new guy in town, a master chef working at the Marriott,” Mrs. Albertson told The Inquirer for a 1994 profile.
He was Tell Erhardt. Although he had a heavy German accent, she said, he was “a charmer” and led 16 classes for her. Chef Tell parlayed that into spots on local TV and, later, frequent appearances on Regis and Kathie Lee and Saturday Night Live. (Chef Tell also inspired the gibberish-speaking Swedish chef on The Muppet Show.)
Charlotte Ann Albertson (left) with her family (from left): Daughters Ann-Michelle Albertson and Kristin Keifer, grandchildren Caroline and Cole Keifer, and her husband, Richard.
Mrs. Albertson traveled and studied extensively, taking classes at La Varenne and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. “She showed us the world — Vietnam, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Italy, China,” Ann-Michelle said. “Everywhere she went for culinary work, she took us with her.”
She and her husband were also notably open about their choice to adopt. “I was adopted in 1967, when it was still pretty taboo,” Ann-Michelle said. “But from the beginning, the message was: ‘You were picked out special.’” The family maintained ties to St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton, from which Ann-Michelle and middle child Peter were adopted. Their third child, Kristin, was adopted privately in 1976.
Kristin’s dearest memories of the cooking school were the hands-on birthday party classes for kids; children were taught how to bake and decorate a cake from scratch as well as make pizza using homemade dough. “Getting to meet Julia Child multiple times and dine with countless celebrity chefs are also at the top of the list of my fond memories,” all thanks to her mother, Kristin said.
Beyond the classroom, Mrs. Albertson consulted for food and wine companies, libraries, and cultural institutions. She received the Delaware Valley Restaurant Association’s Panache Award in 1993 for promoting professional growth through education.
Only later did Ann-Michelle — a pediatric speech pathologist who now runs the cooking school — fully grasp her influence. “People would stop me and say, ‘Your mom did so much for me. I wouldn’t be where I am without her,’” she said.
As the business grew, Mrs. Albertson directed its success toward philanthropy, supporting causes including the Ronald McDonald House and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Mrs. Albertson attended Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Overbrook and Our Lady of Victory at Harveys Lake. “We went to church every Sunday,” Ann-Michelle said. “The perk at the lake was that I could water-ski to church — and ski back.”
Mrs. Albertson was a charter member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and belonged to the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Société Mondiale du Vin, the Philadelphia Culinary Guild, and the American Institute of Wine & Food.
She is survived by her children, Ann-Michelle Albertson, Kristin Keifer, and Peter Albertson; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at Presentation B.V.M. Church, 204 Haverford Rd., Wynnewood. A celebration of life will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Savona, 100 Old Gulph Rd., Gulph Mills.
In keeping with her spirit, her family asks attendees to wear bright colors in remembrance of her zest for life.
The Monto is the name of the new Celtic bar coming in April from veteran publicans including Fergus Carey and Jim McNamara, who are taking over the former Mac’s Tavern at 226 Market St.
Carey said the kitchen will be overseen by N.A. Poe, the proprietor of Poe’s Sandwich Joint (at the Human Robot in Kensington and Poison Heart in Poplar) and Poe’s Side Piece (at Human Robot in Brewerytown). Poe plans to blend his South Philadelphia sensibility with Irish pub fare — a mashup he calls the “Poe-gues” menu.
Sandwich specialist N.A. Poe (right) with Monto co-owner Fergus Carey.
Poe said his existing lineup of cutlet sandwiches, cheesesteaks, and burgers would form the backbone of the Monto’s menu. He said he would twin those offerings with Irish breakfast, sausage rolls, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips served on Sarcone’s bread with house-made tartar, along with a corned beef cheesesteak and a pub burger that includes blue cheese and crispy prosciutto.
“I’m not trying to be overly precious about it,” Poe said. “At this point, I know what works. Irish food isn’t fine dining. It’s approachable. The goal is to take those classics and put a solid spin on them.”
The partners of Monto (from left): Johnjoe Devlin, Jim McNamara, Gary “Swing” McDonald, and Fergus Carey,
Carey and McNamara — whose holdings include Fergie’s Pub in Washington Square West, the Jim in South Philadelphia, and the Goat Rittenhouse — have brought in as partners two well-known figures from Philadelphia’s Irish-bar circuit: Johnjoe Devlin, a Glasgow native and a 17-year bartending veteran at Plough & the Stars; and Gary “Swing” McDonald, from South Armagh, Northern Ireland, who has worked for 25 years at such pubs as the Bards, Tir na Nóg, Brownies, Ten Stone, and Murph’s.
The name “Monto” comes from the bawdy Dubliners mid-1960s song about Dublin’s historic red-light district. “I’ve been singing it for 40-plus years,” Carey said.
Designer John Fetsko, whose recent work includes the Mulberry and projects with Royal Restaurant Group, is handling the build-out.
The Market Street address carries its own legacy. Mac’s Tavern, which closed last summer after 15 years, counted South Philadelphia-raised actor Rob McElhenney — now known professionally as Rob Mac — and Kaitlin Olson of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia among its owners.
For Carey, the opening marks both a return to Old City and another chapter in a decades-long run shaping Philadelphia’s bar culture. The Dubliner arrived in Philadelphia in 1987 and landed behind the bar at McGlinchey’s before he and his late business partner, Wajih Abed, opened Fergie’s Pub. He also helped launch such beer destinations as Monk’s Café, the Belgian Café, and Grace Tavern.
As a regular consumer of sushi, I’ve noticed that the gap between casual, delivery-centric sushi joints and upscale omakase in Philly has been narrowing recently — prompting me to go on a quest to identify the true gems of delivery-sushi spots. I scoured DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, and Caviar, and saw a lot of spicy mayo and reconstituted wasabi-flavored powder in the process. In the end, I found plenty of solid options for Center City spots serving good-quality sashimi and nigiri, and balanced rolls that weren’t too gimmicky. Here are the places that deliver in every sense.
Delivery sushi from Royal Izakaya.Delivery sushi from Vic Sushi in Rittenhouse.The square sushi with tuna shows the influence of Morimoto.Sushi donut at Kai.A gluten-free Zama chirashi bowl.
Vic Sushi Rittenhouse
Open since 2007, this tiny Rittenhouse restaurant is a go-to for reliably good sushi, whether takeout, dine-in, or delivery. They don’t get too creative when it comes to rolls, which is generally a good thing. (I like the ones with spicy tuna.) Their nigiri is solid, and their sashimi offerings are small but intentional. Get the greatest hits: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, sweet shrimp, and mackerel.
When you’re in the mood for omakase-level nigiri in your pajamas, Kichi is an excellent choice. Priced not much higher than most takeout sushi spots, the Washington Square West one-hour omakase counter sends out truly high-quality fish with all the flourishes. Nigiri platters arrive in plywood boxes, and there’s real wasabi pinched into the corner and dotted onto tender slices of fluke, hamachi, tuna, and wagyu. No spicy Sriracha mayo was to be found. Instead, a generous smear of fresh uni came atop an expertly flayed scallop, and tiny dollops of red miso, pickled vegetables, and barley miso adorned an array of rolls and sashimi, including the melt-in-your-mouth toro.
112 S. 12th St., 215-359-6099, instagram.com/kichi_omakase
Morimoto
Morimoto’s DoorDash menu features a selection of a la carte sushi and maki rolls that are refreshingly straightforward. You get one type of fish per roll. It’s dialed back, curated, and, overall, not terribly expensive (despite the Starr restaurant’s reputation as being quite fine dining). There are three sushi packages, delivering varying quantities of maki rolls and nigiri, none of which permit modifications. Expect cooked shrimp, kanpachi, tuna, salmon, spicy salmon rolls sprinkled in white and black sesame seeds, and the fluffiest, cakiest egg tamago. The nigiri are small, delicate, and beautifully formed, and the fish is high-quality across the board. The hoku hoku potato appetizer is simple but shockingly light, airy, and travels well. Ramekins of sauce — black garlic shio koji, aged yuzu ponzu, and wagyu tare — for $4 each (or $8 for fresh Japanese grated wasabi) put other delivery-sushi accompaniments to shame.
A notable gimmick sets this snug Center City sushi bar apart from the others on this list: their sushi donut, a ring of rice stuffed with spicy salmon, layered with slices of avocado, tuna, and salmon, then decorated with a smear of mayonnaise frosting and a sprinkle of bubu arare, or crispy rice balls. It’s possibly the silliest thing I’ve ever eaten for this job. But the rest of Kai’s menu is less gimmicky and mostly very good. You’re not going to find esoteric, difficult-to-source fish on this menu, but rather a list of generously portioned greatest hits. Kai’s sashimi and sushi set for two consists of thick rectangular slabs of tuna, salmon, kanpachi, and “white tuna” (likely escolar). Skip the over-the-top rolls, but get the Japanese-style potato croquette, somewhat of a rarity in Philly.
12 S. 10th St., 267-928-4505, kaiphilly.com
Royal Izakaya
Perhaps unsurprisingly for the sidekick restaurant to the city’s best omakase, Royal Izakaya’s delivery options on Caviar are extensive — far beyond the typical nigiri and sashimi. And you won’t have to wait till the end of the night for one of their legendary industry chirashi bowls, consisting of weirdly shaped leftover cuts of fish crammed into a deli pint with heavily soy-seasoned rice for $20. All of the fish is superb, especially the tuna. Delivery from this Queen Village destination benefits from chef Jesse Ito’s obsession with aging fish, and its sushi rice is perfect. The ikura (salmon roe) on the jumbo Aka-Taka roll gleams, nestled into its marvelous little bed of chopped tuna. Fancy maki rolls range in price from $20 to $27, making date night for two around $160, comparable to every other place on this list.
780 S. Second St. 267-909-9002, royalizakaya.com
Zama
Zama’s delivery menu, also on Caviar, skews heavily toward cooked foods, as well as rolls that you will not find anywhere else in Philadelphia. The Philly Style maki consists of chopped washugyu (American-bred wagyu that is typically less fatty than the Japanese beef) tucked into a red pepper flake-sprinkled soy paper wrapper with Bibb lettuce, rice, provolone, and spicy mayo; it comes with a truly wonderful horseradish aioli for dipping, as well as a pickled whole cherry pepper (the only pepper acceptable on a cheesesteak). Hilariously, you need to select “wit” or “witout” before checkout. Their Bronzizzle roll sparkles with fantastically bitter olive oil, and their tuna usuzukuri — tuna sliced paper-thin — is strange to peel off its takeout paper plate, but nevertheless delicious dipped in ponzu.
128 S. 19th St., 215-568-1027, zamaphilly.com
Qu Japan Bistro & Bar
The sashimi dinner from this tiny downtown sushi bar steps from the Ben Franklin Parkway is composed with expert levels of care. It consists of five different types of fish (salmon, sea bass, tuna, hamachi, and tuna), each sliced into three perfectly sized pieces, gorgeously decorated with edible flowers and specific, artfully arranged garnishes for each fish. At $40, it’s a shockingly good bargain, as are the rest of their thoughtful, beautifully constructed rolls. Qu’s White and Black roll is one of my favorites, consisting of seared black pepper-seasoned white tuna wrapped around a center of spicy, crunchy yellowtail and avocado. It’s inventive and unique without being weird. Qu is on Caviar, but doesn’t bump their presence up with marketing, so you’ll need to do a little searching through the app in order to find their page.
My personal favorite neighborhood delivery and takeout option, Kei delivers rolls are relatively simple but always consistent. I order their Nihon roll (tuna, eel, avocado, yuzu-marinated roe, scallion, and toasted sesame seeds) every time. The Grad Hospital restaurant’s takoyaki is the very best in Philly — blazing-hot little globes of crisped dough encasing nuggets of octopus. Their fried oysters are positively enormous and crisp with fried panko. Their sashimi selection is relatively small but filled with hits like sweet shrimp, salmon, fluke, scallop, yellowtail, and tuna.
This approachable Center City newcomer combines people-pleasing menu items (think deeply flavorful chicken karaage made with thigh meat and parmesan-dusted fries) with excellent, fairly priced sushi sets and chirashi bowls. Its delivery menu, on both UberEats and Doordash, is absolutely massive, so you’ll be spoiled for choice, even when ordering sashimi. Take tuna as an example, which includes three different cuts: akame (lean), chu toro (fatty), otoro (or fatty tuna belly). Be aware that prices are high — the dollar amounts are by the slice. Order by the set; individual pieces of sashimi are much pricier. For $50, their chirashi bowl isn’t massive, but rather than being puffed up with rice, it has generous helpings of diced fluke, salmon, hamachi, and tuna, plus crouton-sized spongy tamago and high-quality caviar and uni.
