philadelphia restaurants in the 1980s

Howard johnson's. Although younger generations may know of Howard Johnson's thanks to Mad Men, '70s kids will remember actually visiting the orange-roofed restaurant chain. In Spain. At least another great concept tookModo Mios place at 2nd and Girard: Cadence, our pick for 2018s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant. They were attacked in discriminatory acts, and the citys Commission on Human Relations held hearings to investigate. Period. Taco AngelenoClosed in: 2018West Phillys lack of great pizza and Mexican fare is widely acknowledged (hey, South Philly has tons of both and is just a quick ride over the Grays Ferry bridge). Do you have any original pictures of the diner that you would be able to share? I forget its name at the time, but it could have been Stacys Place.. The Love. If I can have a slice of meat loaf and my friend can munch on edamame while we sip a cocktail, everyone wins, and the diner lives on to serve a new generation. Check out this slice of life story from the World War II era, compliments of Curbed Philly. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. McD's in Montreal used to as late as 1980 (and the Quarter Pounder could actually turn out medium rare ..)-bebopper. Previously, The Pump House: Yes: From's Restaurant: Prices Corner, Kirkwood Highway What I wrote about Kabobeesh applies to the Penrose as well. Little Petes on Chestnut Street Photograph by the Associated Press, SEPTAs Broad Street Line, as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. Anchoring the east side of South Philly, the Oregon Diner has uncertain pedigree, but almost certainly emerged from one of the major diner factories in the 1960s. AS A PERSON WHO works in Center City and who writes about real estate and economic development I cant claim to be disappointed by downtowns success. Everyone enjoys eating out at Santa Barbara's amazing array of eateries. For the sake of their preservation as an architectural form, I mostly concern myself mainly with prefabricated diners. Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionalsand your views, too. 11 talking about this. If it never closed, it didnt need locks. All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.See the list. Manage Settings You might take drugs. And It always hurts me Last week, Jeff Gordinier of The New York Times wrote a profile of chef Kevin Sbraga and his new restaurant Juniper Commons. But greater food service regulation, rising food prices, increasing labor costs, and operator burnout further endanger these cultural iconsand once the doors close on these places they wont likely reopen assomething we identifyas a diner. For a number of years a group of 6-10 friends and co workers would park near the Domino Diner and go on a 20-30 mile bike ride, returning to the Domino for a late breakfast. The Kubach family, for whatever reason, apparently had a long-standing no photography policy in-or-outside of the diner. My grandfather purchased the property and had the diner built in the 50s It was then Jersey Queen Diner. Sociologist W.E.B. The original diner was built in the 1930s by OMahony, but at some pointprobably in the late 1950san expansion to the front of the diner almostdoubled the seating and added stainless steel cladding to the exterior. On Sun, 17 Sep 2000 19:33:55 -0400, Ruth Savitz Philadelphia's culinary world has long turned heads nationwide, only to bask in the spotlight once again when the prestigious 2022 James Beard Awards named 16 local chefs and restaurants as semifinalists. Originally published as The Lost City in the August 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine. The restaurants 2002 Put a porch on your house. Trolley Car strikes that rare balance between food quality and attitude. Burgers you expected to find for a buck fifty in such a place now cost five dollars, but the money bought you an expertly grilled fresh half-pound of meat served on a fresh-baked roll served with hand-cut French fries. Shame it sits the way it does. Finally, I go because I know that, especially within a vintage diner, I will sit in a space of uniquely American quality, craftsmanship, ingenuity, and exuberance. Garces Trading Co.Closed in: 2018Before beer and wine were in grocery stores around Philly, there was Garces Trading, a BYO witha then-exciting (and beautiful) wine cellar inside the restaurant, which specialized in gourmet goods and sandwiches with the celebrity chefs signature touch. My lastvisit did nothing to change that general impression. The Queen Village space was just gorgeous, too. Youll find only three stainless steel diners in near-original condition (Trolley Car, Silk City, and Bobs Diner), and two more (Melrose and Mayfair Diner) with renovations that, while they could have been much worse, still stripped away classic features. DjangoClosed in: 2008Before there was Aimee Olexy and Stephen Starr as successful a restaurant businesspartnership as the city has ever seen there was Aimee Olexy and Bryan Sikora, chef and Olexys then-husband. While most of the damage occurred in the kitchen, the diner has seriously deteriorated after what looks like an outright abandonment. I want people to live here, to thrive here. I MEET SO MANY people now who have moved to Philadelphia in the past 10 years and stayed. The eggs were so-so, the homefries were lame, and the bacon was the thinnest cut Id ever seen, it was literally transparent. Every now and then, a well-dressed woman will stop me and ask for directions: Where is the shopping street? HAPPY HOUR. I go to a diner to immerse myself in the neighborhood, especially in a city like Philadelphia that still has so many of them, each with their own distinct identities. Jackson Mahomes, the brother of two-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, is being investigated for allegedly shoving a waiter and forcibly kissed the female owner of an Overland Park, Kansas, restaurant last Saturday. Even though it's been serving beer and pub food for over 150 years, you can still count on McGillin's for a good time. Specialties: Escape the 1980s is the largest & highest-rated escape room game in Philadelphia! In the first decade of the 21st century, Petrogiannis also snapped up the Tiffany, Country Club, and Broad Street diners. Kyrie Irving added 40 and . 1983 The Food Marketing Institute reports that 2/3 of all fish consumed in the U.S. is eaten in restaurants. I ended up working in the factory after high school from 81 to around 84 and the diner was still going strong. Clearly, someone at Bobs Diner paid very careful attention in omelette making class. I think the name was Leon. I want a good meal at a reasonable price, but I also want to connect with actual peoplestaff and customers. Frank Rizzo dominated City Hall, first as police commissioner, then as mayor. Like the renovations at the Melrose, they could have been much worse, and Petrogiannis even applied a restrained and classy palate to the interior. The Mayfair, The Country Club, likewise. The Golden Sword Diner is now a latin-themed night club. Snow WhiteClosed in: 2011Philly has lost a lot of its great diners in recent years. In the city, diversity and relatively cheap real estate prices in many neighborhoods along with increasing demand for an authentic cultural experiences allowentrepreneurial restaurateurs to set up shop and flourish here. The diner was built by Paramount and it still features the companys trademark wedding cake corners with the gazing ball ornament. They really dont build them like this anymore. 8013 Castor Avenue, (215) 342-3005; 2153 S. Hancock Street, (215) 462-1637, lipkinsoriginalbakery.com. a weekly basis, its worth taking a moment to pay homage to the restaurants And chef Kevin Sbraga's new Philadelphia restaurant is all-out '80s-themed, . They began showing up in every majorcity and small town across the Northeast. Her name was Taz Lang and she was brutally murdered. From the looks of things, it has also seen several makeovers, the last one happening a year ago, making any effort to detect original features futile. menu full of gems like deviled crabs, herring in sour cream and oysters The first Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant opened in downtown Minneapolis in 1975 and was one of the breakout restaurants of the year; by 1986 a whopping 237 locations had been opened, with 42 opening in 1985 alone. The big sign outside advertises homemade bread, which you can get on the side with one of your breakfast dishes. Do remember the Diner on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr called the Blu Comet around late 1950s till 1972. Djangos homespun chic vibe and killer cheese plate signaled what was to come. Sad long after selling and the fire. People dont pick up after their dogs. The other is Silk City on Spring Garden Street. The Crime rates in the 1980s Philadelphia were very high. Yet another Petrogiannis acquisition. The third being the current location at 1501 Snyder Ave. Did anyone mention STENTON DINER? People from Vietnam settled here in the 1980s and 90s, an influx that gave rise to hybrid French bakeries such as Ba Le (606 Washington Avenue) and noodle parlours like Pho 75 (1122 Washington . One of my favorite Philadelphia restaurants of all time was Frankie Bradley's. I went there for years, and usually ate prime rib, which was . Thats wear Teddy Pendergass made his first public appearance and sang since his terrible accident. 182059211. Fifteen years later Weinstein has proven both his knowledge of his market and his appreciation for the authentic diner experienceone refreshingly devoid of cutesy, cheap nostalgia that rises far above the tired greasy spoon trope. My top three (almost a three-way tie) are: 1. I always knew I was in good hands when a waitress would appear asking Whatll youse have, hon? I would bar-be-cue my dear old grandmama to be able to move back to Philadelphia. Building is still there. From the New York Metro Area all the way down to D.C., andespecially in New Jersey, you still see them everywherethe expansive diner-restaurants with menus that seem to specialize in EVERY DISH EVER MADE! If you cant get it atone of these places you probably never heard of it anyway. the well-worn griddle. Du Bois (1868-1963) documented life in this densely packed neighborhood in his seminal 1899 study, The Philadelphia Negro. Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. Too eager. | Photo: Randy Garbin. I remember going there as a kid with my dad and grandfather. The transit stations and concourses were so much more dismal back then that now when I find a SEPTA station unpleasant, I recall what used to be and think, Aw, thats just a tiny puddle of pee. Even though nations first automat restaurant made its debut in Some great diners in S. Jersey. https://foxchasereview.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_1435.jpg, http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-updated-7611752, https://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/quaker-diner-time-to-revisit-an-old-friend/, https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/13686/19471217_OCR.pdf?sequence=10&isAllowed=y, https://m.facebook.com/lhapachapter/posts/memories-of-the-blu-comet-diner/3824830150954142/?locale=ne_NP&_rdr, https://www.facebook.com/lhapachapter/posts/3824830150954142. I like mostly everything, but when I come for breakfast I get the omelette simply because Ive yet to find another true diner in the region that makes them as perfectly as Bobs. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Closed in: 2016. Retro restaurant enthusiasts might be familiar with The Pub, a salad bar It is a bona fide, old-school diner in continuous operation since it opened in 1947. Heres hoping another Portuguese concept can make it work downtown someday soon. Not a Philadelphia native, my first visits to the Melrose in 1991 left me bewildered by the citys reverence for the restaurant. Putting one in a museum is all well and good, but if you cant actually eat there whats the point? By Antonio Gardella. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Next time Ill have to get the sauce on the side to be sure. Back then, these were not only the primary vectors for graffiti, but had torn and broken seats and rusted poles. Formerly known as Mil-Lees Luv-In, the diner did indeed have something of a hippie vibe during that era with its love beads and trippy menu graphics. What is going on with this cemeterybillboards, a diner? Diner on the Square Philadelphia way back in 1902, 115 years later, the concept still feels Found this pic of the Quaker Diner on Rising Sun https://foxchasereview.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_1435.jpg. For fifteen bucks, do you overlook the fact that the mashed potatoes were instant? The fact that so few pristine examples remain should give anyone with an appreciation for aesthetic and structural quality reason enough to at least go in one and get a cup of coffee on a regular basis. The Hmong population in Philadelphia left for other cities in the United States between 1982 and 1984, and three-quarters moved to live with relatives in other states. Clip ref BF5044.Night. Some like to compare diner builders to the more familiar auto industry, and some might designate OMahony as theChevroletof dinersa well-built, stylish diner without some of the features or decorative flourish found in its competitors,likeParamount or Fodero. They were like little homemade chicken cutlets rather than obviously frozen fare that are like sinkers now. Hows the food? Diners in center city that have vanished since 1990 For some reason that roll along the roofline became an extremely popular motif on retro-styled diners starting back in the mid-1990s. Until These days, the legend lived on in Abington, until just a few days ago. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Unused Pre-1980 RESTAURANT SCENE Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA hk4537 at the best online prices at eBay! My wife and I had the London broil, fried seafood combo, and the minestrone soup. It was anything but. | Photo: Randy Garbin Podcast: Is Sixers' prime time game vs. One of the first major restaurant chains, it went public in 1961 with 605 . There was always a lot of food and drink, and no one noticed the kids whod sneak in and out, grabbing rolled salami off of linen-draped deli trays. Parker. Although Perrier announced in July 2010 that he planned to close the . On the other hand, dont count on it being there forever. His marketing calls it a 50s-themed diner, but you wont see a Marilyn Monroe cutout greeting you at the door and you wont get barraged with Chubby Checker on the overhead sound system. greater. interested in a peak at early aughts dining, the restaurants The Trolley Car Diner was built by the Mountain View Diner Company of Signac, New Jersey, which seemed to do extremely well selling diners in the Wyoming Valley up into the Binghamton, New York area. South Philadelphia was ravaged by Mafia warfare, gangs invaded the slums, and the murder rate skyrocketed. The buildings were built between 1859 and 1918. I guess he wasnt here in 1976, when KAP the Bicentennial Kid tagged the Art Museum and the Liberty Bell. The Crime rates in the 1980s Philadelphia were very high. There were so many: the Eric Twin Rittenhouse at 19th and Walnut; Sams Place and the SamEric at 19th and Chestnut; Erics Place at 15th and Chestnut; Erics Mark 1 at 18th and Market; the Goldman Theatre at Broad and Chestnut; the Roxy (when it showed films from odd places like Canada); more Im not thinking of. I enjoyed the article. Your Dad Steve was a great boss back then. He got puckered and red in the face and stomped out of the room. City, one in North Philly and the Pennsauken outpost thats still kickin Serving food at this scale involves choosing your battles carefully, as you cant make everything from scratch. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. This city has been the butt of jokes for so long going back to W.C. Fields, after all that its still hard to believe that newcomers and investors finally consider it worthy. Stenton Diner after rehearsals and shows at La Salle Music Theatre, eating liverwurst and Bermuda onion on a Kaiser roll way too lateoh, maybe a buttered toasted cinnamon bun and a cherry coke to wash it down. You could get your wallet stolen, or at the least your pile of quarters. Airys continued revival. like the OG. I saw with my own eyes, he says, the massive money and time being spent to make Philadelphia a retail center. Philadelphians, he says, are fashion-savvy, creative and artistic: They get it.. Living now in Georgia, diners are much missed by this 91 year old Philly/south Jersey lad. I remember thinking we might get in trouble, and also feeling jealous that my friend seemed to be able to identify cocaine. Last summer, Kurt Vile played a concert in that now clean, bright courtyard, and I looked at the people in line at food trucks, friends meeting up and hugging each other, people dancing, and I thought, What the hell happened to this place? That courtyard has gone from 12 Monkeys to Frank Capra on Ecstasy. Center City fared better than most neighborhoods, but it wasnt immune. The Melrose apple would seem to be one of those exceptions. Because of its output, OMahony had a large and loyal clientele that would often return old diners to the factory to trade it infor a newer, bigger model (I have no evidence that a diner sat on this location before the current one, but the possibility exists). Now these places are a CVS, a Mandee, an empty lot, a soon-to-be-demolished historic relic. And instead of a suburban Dairy Queen parking lot, we had Rittenhouse Square. (This suspicion of nice things began early.). Was there a Galaxy Diner located on Erie Ave. below I Street back in the Sixties / Seventies ? Sandy and her three sisters lived at 22nd and Delancey, across from Valerie and, randomly, Julius Erving, whod open the door sometimes, be very tall, and close the door again. It was the Ritz for quite awhile and since has gone through many name changes. DNA evidence linked Herman Lee Hobbs to the August 1980 death of 21-year-old Holly Ann Campiglia, the Solano County Sheriff's Office said in a statement this week. There were also those nightclubs and discos: lan, Black Banana, Artemis, Revival, London Victory Club which, in glossy Studio 54 hindsight, must make Center City sound somewhat glamorous. Traces of the old diner mixed in with interior renovations atKims Korean Barbecue in Olney. Yesterday, in the same building, I found a bottle of sunscreen. It was another amazing Paramount-built diner, similar to the Oak Lane. The city had already issued the demo permit. The diner also offered a lot of benefits to employees which was why so many stayed a long time. The diner takes its name from the company that built it. My favorite diners get creative, while still serving up the classics and preferably with fresh ingredients. Caroline Russock That all ended with Michael Petrogiannis. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration . Does she imagine shes in some sophisticated, classy city? It was launched by Howard Johnson himself in the 1920s as a soda fountain and lunch counter, and by 1954 there were 400 outposts in 32 states. On Market Street, between Seventh and Eighth Streets, is a block of buildings in the Renaissance Revival Victorian style. Privacy Policy. That would be so bad for me some 50 years later. Shame its all gone now. Yeah, theres Delco and Jersey on either side of the city, but still a major American city needs the accessibility, affordability, and history that a solidlong-lived diner can provide. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . How would I find my way? Overcooked eggs with ingredients scrambled in does not an omelette make. Center City Philadelphia has exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. The end result should be a bright yellow, fluffy egg turnover that snugly blankets the filling. 9/Washington: The first Vietnamese restaurant in Philly, I believe (ca. The banquet room at Tiffanys has been used as a filming location for Pennsylvania Lottery commercials. Anyone who believes that they can improve upon the look and quality of a true stainless steel diner probably has some serious psychological issues. 8 Lesser-Known Abortion Funds to Support Post-Roe, Your Guide to This Weeks Eagles-Giants Playoff Game. That the primavera (or portions of it) might have come straight out of the Sysco catalog? As I write, the diner is now boarded up after a fire closed it down last January. None of that here in Atlanta area. My father worked as a manager at Whitney & Patterson Paper Company at 5th & Bristol in the 70s into the 80s. Jim Clark: You must be referring to Port Richmonds long-standing Aramingo Diner. 3k Views. Now we could proudly speak of world class art museums, a dynamic restaurant scene, the profusion of pop-up gardens and public green space, and booming . | Content Licensing, Copyright 1996-2023 GAYOT All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms of Use GAYOT (pronounced guy-OH) The Guide To The Good Life. Community gardening. Back then, it was like there was no one on duty. that often ended with a visit from the cheese trolley. The Dining Car makes up for this with desserts. Before the Four Seasons transitioned into the sleek, new Logan Hotel, the ground Great memories! This chain of and suburbanization through the 1980s, restaurants from the 1990s into the early decades of the twenty-first century played a major role in the region's economy and signaled a . I cant call myself a regular, as Ive only visited the place about a half-dozen times in the past twenty years. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Hard core diner fans feel tingles up their inseams upon such discoveries. Vetri Cucina. I WAS BORN AT Hahnemann Hospital in 1968, swaddled, and taken to a studio apartment, where I slept in a dresser drawer until the crib arrived. As far as the food at Bobs, I must loudly sing the praises of the omelets. Plus I always thought the Jersey diners had the best coffee I ever tasted, next to my dads that is. Crime spiked. could hold a candle to the Old Original Bookbinders. There was also Jersey Queen Dairy who began delivering milk in the city by horse and carriage. While no bells ever rang The diner was likely built by either OMahony or Mountain View, but, except for the terrazzo floor, youll find almost no features that would indicate pedigree. The diner, one of the anchors of the neighborhood, remains boarded up. MILLER III / File Photograph. Northern Liberties was the land located north of the original 1682 boundary of Philadelphia and early purchasers of land in Philadelphia would also be granted a lot in Northern Liberties. In the case of the Broad Street Diner, they also replaced a shoddy vinyl awning that adorned the restaurantfor years. "On our first visit to Philadelphia, my friend recommended we try Talula's Garden. My last visit for Sunday breakfast found the place busier than the OHare Airport at Thanksgiving, and the meals met with my partys expectations, except for the home fries. What ever became of Littletons at Ogontz & Cheltenham Avenues? Philadelphias decline was well under way by the time I was born. Twenty-four diners now operate in Philadelphia, down from 30 in 1990 when I first toured the city (Ive visited more than 1,000 across the country). The family also owned Alexanders restaurant in Abington up the road. Theres too much crime. As late as the 60s, they were all over the northwest suburbs in Montgomery county: Hatboro, Horsham, Willow Grove, Glenside, and many others. When I worked there it was always busy especially on the weekends. pleasure of visiting the Queen Village location know that theres nothing When Harry Markellos partnered up with George K and opened Horsham Towne I worked there and met my wife of 40 years! People were mugged a lot, and women didnt travel in most Center City areas alone.. Wow! His new old-style diner came by truck in six sections, pieced together on site. Fond memories. Restaurants. During the Mummers Parade, my friends and I would zoom through the halls of the Bellevue-Stratford hotel, dashing between parties full of strangers in the rooms that faced Broad Street. Most extant diners likely came from a New Jersey factory. Its ashame it changed hands so many times after the Ritz and failed each and every time. It did have Oak Lane Diner on the front in Art Deco style. When built, the few remaining companies produced restaurants in confused styles, but no one held a candle to some of the creations that came out of the Kullman factory. The Olde Bar, located in Philadelphia's landmark Old Original Bookbinder's, is a contemporary oyster bar and cocktail lounge steeped in the city's nautical and culinary traditions. From there, unfortunately, it was all downhill. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. For anyone unaware of the state of one of the countrys most recognizable cultural icons, the diner, the Oak Lane Diner, in North Philadelphia, currently provides a clue. Labor contracts signed by city employees during the Rizzo administration contributed to the citys financial crisis that Green and Goode could not prevent. Or maybe I just miss my old neighborhood. The Fat HamClosed in: 2017Well alwayslove the Fat Ham for its hot chicken, but the memories are bittersweet: chef-owner Kevin Sbragas empire grew too big too quickly, and not long after the flagship Fat Ham shuttered, the rest of his concepts went with it. Spice Grill in Port Richmond. When I lived near it (2002-2004), the Oak Lane was under original ownership, managed by a young man from the family who had it since 1946. In excellent condition, Weinsteinhad little restorative work to do, but he nevertheless faced a daunting task of connectingthe diner with the existing Roy Rogers building. It was unnecessarily renovated in 1996 both inside and out, which stripped away some of the incomparable stainless work. I cant remember the name. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Hiroki. Anyone can buy an old Winnebago or shipping container and call it a diner, but the term comes from builders to describe their newer, better more stationery lunch wagons to be sold and set up across the country. | Photo: Randy Garbin. I have the original plans and zoning for the building. The first was on the North Side of the 1600 Block of Snyder Ave. I moved into the neighborhood only a few months before it burned.

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