But the retail counter was nixed and replaced with a full-service bar 2013 andearlier this year, the conceptbecame one of the surprisingly few casualties in Garces Groups recent restructuring due to outstanding debts. Kyrie Irving added 40 and . Children playing in the Art Museum fountains in August 1973. Bobsadheres very closely to the basic diner credo: Serve good food at reasonable prices in a clean and friendly atmosphere. 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. Greater Philadelphia. To use an example that one would typically take for granted: even something as mumdane as chicken tenders at the pre-Michael Melrose were better than other places. Brunch: 12-3pm Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. Thank you Jay. December 10, 2014. Who is this woman? Ill think. I just couldnt remember where it was. McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philadelphia. Clip ref BF5044.Night. The current Case Del Mariso was old school diner. 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. Frank Rizzo dominated City Hall, first as police commissioner, then as mayor. But Taco Angelenosstraightforward, L.A.-style tacos flavorful slow-braised meats, a simple toppings bar of chopped onion, radish, cilantro and curtido, and seitan for vegetarians this is West Philly, after all filled that void. Not sure if they serve diner fare besides the chinese menu. Pepsi Joe's (AKA Happy Paradise) (10th, above Race). At least another great concept tookModo Mios place at 2nd and Girard: Cadence, our pick for 2018s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant. The big DeRaffele diner featured soaring folded-plate roof line, expansive plate glass windows, and a space-age interior that restaurateurs in places like New York and San Francisco spend a small fortune to recreate. A Slice of the 80s is located at 19 Congress St, Bradford, PA 16701. For some native Philadelphians like me, all of this is difficult to absorb. While the the iconic Melrose and the Mayfair, both currently owned by Michael Petrogiannis, remain, the vast majority are gone. I want a good meal at a reasonable price, but I also want to connect with actual peoplestaff and customers. I remember the Mayfair diner. Disingenuousness aside, the Melrose earned a reputation for its baked goods and sterling service. No thank you, when Ive been out all night and Im hitting the diner on the way home, I want a friendly face and some solid breakfast. Today, the K stands for Korean, and while youll find Asian specialties on the menu, you can also get a good, old-fashioned American breakfast. Out of respect for the people who run and staff them, I never refer to diners as greasy spoons, but I revere any sign that the kitchen expresses a love of cooking. Racial strife and police brutality were endemic. The award-winning restaurant's unique dining style is a collaboration between celebrated restaurateur Stephen Starr and Aimee Olexy. Thanks to the internet you no longer have to waste hours of time and tankfuls of gas visiting local history museums, antique shops, and libraries to find vintage photos of diners and other roadside attractions consigned to history or often transformed into something else. pleasure of visiting the Queen Village location know that theres nothing with snapper soup on the menu, theres no way that this newish iteration This was where we went to try new things to kiss, to reveal secrets, to drink, to smoke. Its dirty. Every now and then, a well-dressed woman will stop me and ask for directions: Where is the shopping street? But Chifa was also the first Garces restaurant to falter, closing after four years in business. And It always hurts me I liked its gritty spirit. That was largely original but sparsely patronized. Boulevard Diner is now part of a car dealer. The combo comes, oddly enough, with a dollop of tuna salad as well as fried shrimp, a crab cake, schrod, and scallops, my particular favorite. 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. It was the most expensive item on the menu at $7.99!When they knocked it down they built a McDonalds there which I worked at for for 9 years! I left the neighborhood a couple years ago for Bella Vista but I go to Bobs every time Im in the area. 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. 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. Petrogiannis has also restored the the 24/7 hours of operation. This breakfast, lunch and Does anyone remember the Leonards diner at cottman and torresdale ave. He sold it in the late 90s and there have been a few owners since then. Reviews on 80s Themed Restaurants in Philadelphia, PA - Bud & Marilyn's, The Dandelion, Dirty Franks, Louie Louie, Butcher and Singer, Harper's Garden, McGillin's Olde Ale House, Raven Lounge, Atlantis, The Lost Bar, The Fillmore Philadelphia But beyond that, this: The wagons, eventually manufacturedby several different companies, grew bigger and more ornate and semi-permanent. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Write by: . Fodero became one of the leading builders of these Mediterranean diners that truly began to reflect the tastes and preferences of their owners. National retailers like Intermix and Michael Kors are coming to Walnut Street, where rents soar above the national average. Closed in: 2016. Diners in center city that have vanished since 1990 Im sorry you cant agree with a simple fact, but Ive been listening to this sentiment for more than thirty years. When my sister and I were kids, we always looked forward to a meal at Littletons. Behind the foreboding, Darth Vader-like facade sits a late-1930s Silk City diner that serves up the most basic of menus. After the end of the Laotian Civil War associated with the Vietnam War in the 1970s, a group of Hmong refugees settled in Philadelphia. Trolley Car Diner, 7619 Germantown Avenue. Venerable Old Original Bookbinder's, Second and Walnut, is one of many restaurants Philadelphians still miss. Weinstein likes to cite, with some justification, the dinerschicken croquettes (a long Philadelphia culinary tradition) and milk shakes, and I can whole-heartedly vouch for the croquettes. At the time, we felt our conversations were only a shade less sophisticated than My Dinner With Andre. I may allow some slack for most diners, but, in my mind, a well-run diner must do two things perfectly every time: Coffee and home fries. Thank you so much for sharing a great posts. Philly's dance-club scene set for a comeback. Hard, uncomfortable seats, tables cleaned with the same hot tea you drank, long waits for . Notably, the Big Greek Diner has become less and less Greek. The iconic, streamlined style fell from fashion or was outright prohibited by municipal design codes by the mid-1960s. You can see this on the builder tags still affixed over the door, and on that tag youll also find a serial number 5907 which tells you that it was the seventh diner built in 1959. He was missing several teeth. Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. I loved this article. Cant beat the prices and food anywhere. Does anyone have old photos of the Marlane Diner on Marshall Rd in Upper Darby and/or the Industrial Diner (much older), on Industrial Hwy? People might offer you drugs. Our game holds from 2-14 players and is an awesomely fun thing to do in Philadelphia for ages 8+. The next event in Phoenixville Public Library's co-sponsored "Community Gardening around the Village" series will take place on Sunday, March 5, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. It could have been dee dees it was about a half mile north of the aramingo. 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. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Also now gone. . | Photo: Randy Garbin. Elenas Soul LoungeClosed in: 2012According to neighborhood lore, the West Philly building home to Elenas Soul had housed a bar or nightclub continuously for 104 years beforea fire on Christmas Eve in 2012 consumed the building. 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.. However I a native Philadelphian can attest to the experience of eating in diners. I remember going there as a kid with my dad and grandfather. where customers would insert coins and help themselves to a la carte plates Its ashame it changed hands so many times after the Ritz and failed each and every time. 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. The transformation will shatter your heart to see how the owners destroyed one of the worlds most gorgeous authentic diners and covered over or demolished the surface materials and original fixtures, most of which you cannot get or remake anywhere. I forget its name at the time, but it could have been Stacys Place.. During the 1980s, many Vietnamese and other Asian immigrants settled in the city, particularly in the Italian Market area. Here are some fascinating photos that offer a glimpse into 1980s Philadelphia. The family also owned Alexanders restaurant in Abington up the road. for the luncheonettes griddled cheeseburgers or hand-scooped milkshakes, this As the word "Olde" in its name implies, McGillin's is Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating tavern. Previously, The Pump House: Yes: From's Restaurant: Prices Corner, Kirkwood Highway In its heyday, the . Hows the food? Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I sat and watched Hannah and Her Sisters in the theater at 19th and Chestnut and found a tiny fragment of a road map. 4. The restaurants 2002 Of those, around200 were built before 1965 and are still in original condition. . Rockefeller. https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/13686/19471217_OCR.pdf?sequence=10&isAllowed=y, It was fondly known as the greasy spoon among the Villanova students: My friends dad picked us up in his car one day without any clothes on. | Photo: Randy Garbin. when I see one shut down. Its a bygone era but those few diners that remain, I make it a point to eat in one of them when Im visiting my sisters and relatives. Many of the mentioned ones, I have the privileged to say, I ate there. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . In Spain. If someone ever takes the initiative to remove the brick, Ill send you a photo. Howard Johnson's. Photo courtesy of thedailymeal.com. You might expect to get dental work inside rather than a good breakfast. Find out more about his work and writings at www.randygarbin.com. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Hey Friend, Before You Go.. run as a restaurant and morphing into fast fashion optical retailer Warby Revolution House, but for 60-plus years, this Second and Market corner was . 1310 Drury Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. After its rise, fall, and rediscovery, the American diner may indeed serve up its last plate of meatloaf well within the lifetime of anyone born since 1980. The former Boulevard Dinernow called theFive Star Dineris all glass and steel and looks like a small, Reagan Era officebuilding. Oh. For those MONDAY - FRIDAY. But problems with the logistics of the space and rent hikes got to be too much for the chef, whosstill got Paesanos, Monsu,and Heffe Tacos. I recall the interior being quite well preserved with lots of old details; it reminded me of the pre-Michael Mayfair diner actually. In 1998, with diners at the peak of their resurgence, Ken tossed the idea into mix, and the hunt commenced. that often ended with a visit from the cheese trolley. Living now in Georgia, diners are much missed by this 91 year old Philly/south Jersey lad. In its last incarnation, old heads from the Leroys Showcase Lounge days drank alongside members of the queer punk bands playing shows upstairs. I thought that place next to Nabisco was called The Ritz in the 80s & early 90s. home to a stuck-in-time, chrome and vinyl diner. the well-worn griddle. I suppose so. But it was. Back in the '80s, the place to go in Philadelphia for a punk rock show was the Khyber. floor of the hotel was home to The Fountain. While authorities would not release a report on the alleged incident, police have been . To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. In its place first came the colonial style diner, then the Mediterranean style diner complete with Doric columns, the modern design and its glassy glitz, or some unfortunate melange of all three. And chef Kevin Sbraga's new Philadelphia restaurant is all-out '80s-themed, . | Photo: Randy Garbin. While most of the damage occurred in the kitchen, the diner has seriously deteriorated after what looks like an outright abandonment. The Dom was a hub for the area for a long time. | About Us Read more G.W. The Queen Village space was just gorgeous, too. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Most extant diners likely came from a New Jersey factory. Good soups and lunch. The Square had no profusion of roses in front of the lion statue. Shame it sits the way it does. The Crime rates in the 1980s Philadelphia were very high. My father and his partner owned the Domino Diner up until 1986. Inside, the owners have built in a private dining room, but split the rest of the space for open seating and waitress service. That looks like the store Teddy Pendergasss first manager had a beauty products center. Today the diner seats more than 250 people. Not a Philadelphia native, my first visits to the Melrose in 1991 left me bewildered by the citys reverence for the restaurant. It was the kind of spot where everyone felt at home, the drinks were cheap, and the food was simplebut delicious. looks like the Oak Lane died as well. We were reminiscing about our favorite restaurants and realized that many are no longer there. I used to work across the street from there at Arrow Decorating Co 718 Market St, Miss all the hot dog carts. People dont pick up after their dogs. Not much left to see here except for the basic outlines of a classic 50s structure. Today, it's a popular venue from early to late and celebrates every holiday big or small with gusto (and themed drinks, food, and decor). | Photo: Randy Garbin. Ithelped put Girard Avenue on the citys dining radar a decade ago, and that highly affordable,Best of Philly-worthytasting menu was a crazy good deal (and just crazy good). There is alot of history to that piece of property. You wont leave hungry. Many were hobbled by some kind of frailty. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. March 4, 2023 / FoxNewsFeeds. I only ate there once and the food was so-so, but I had made the mistake of ordering from the dinner menu, when everyone knows the best food at any diner is breakfast food. Formerly known as Mil-Lees Luv-Inn Diner, the K Diner on Rising Sun features Korean Specialties as well as a good American-style breakfast. Four Seasons is a restaurant not a diner. 1982 Having introduced nouvelle cuisine at Ma Maison in Los Angeles, Chef Wolfgang Puck presents "California cuisine" to patrons of his new chic-casual Sunset Strip restaurant, Spago. The first was installed in 1935, the second in 1940, and the current structure built by Paramount Diners of Haledon, New Jersey came to Snyder Avenuein 1956. Instead, Chef and owner Kevin Sbraga invites guests to be instantly transported to the 1980s at Juniper Commons, his new restaurant on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Ride Trains. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. Only bother to go here if youre a hard-core diner fanatic.