And instead of a suburban Dairy Queen parking lot, we had Rittenhouse Square. Philadelphia opens restaurants as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits. 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. There is alot of history to that piece of property. Diner on the Square The Domino Diner facts were about 99% correct with the exception of the operating name at its original location in Medford, Massachusetts. Randy, Thanks for acknowledging the original Oak Lane Diner which does in fact still exist in Newburgh, N.Y. To Philadelphians of a certain age, the mere mention of the word diner meant the Melrose, an attitude cemented by the diners own long-running jingle, Those who know go to the Melrose.. 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. MmClosed in: 2012Abelovedneighborhood spot (Fitler Square) serving quality New American fare is a beautiful thing. 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.. Miss Horne and Hardards,italian market, scrapple too. Of those, around200 were built before 1965 and are still in original condition. All-in-all, the Melrose still mostly looks and feels like the Melrose. The Melrose Diner is the third diner placed atthat location, all ordered by Richard Kubach, Sr. Before the Four Seasons transitioned into the sleek, new Logan Hotel, the ground Now demolished to make it a storage lot. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. a diner is a prefabricated food-service structure. Finelli had two places, one on Tenth Street above Chestnut, and another on Chestnut east side of Broad. My favorite diners get creative, while still serving up the classics and preferably with fresh ingredients. A DeLorean is no longer necessary to return to the golden age of MTV and the Brat Pack. The diners manager approached me on the sidewalk demanding to know why I was taking pictures. So why do I miss the dirty, second-rate downtown I grew up in? Being a Jersey boy, he has food memories that are rooted in the Garden State. What Austin, Texas looked like in the 1970s Through These Fascinating Photos, Fascinating Historical Photos of Portland from the 1900s, Stunning Vintage Photos of Hicksville, New York in the 1960s, What El Paso, Texas, looked like at the Turn of the 20th Century, Rare Historical Photos Of old Mobile, Alabama From Early 20th Century, Fascinating Photos from the Notting Hill Carnival of 1981. 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). The diner, one of the anchors of the neighborhood, remains boarded up. 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. From World War II until the 1980s, the Philadelphia area was home to many of these "old line, crockery, silver and glass restaurants." There were 24 Linton's, 44 Horn and Hardart's and 18 Dewey's. . Fitler Square wasnt much better. About 6,000 were built; today, some 1,800 remain with roughly two thirds still in food-service operation. Glad I had that experience. The more creative individuals in the restaurant business began to see that a diner didnt just have to be about meatloaf and brown gravy and it certainly didnt just have to appeal to truck drivers and middle America. At the same time, she hinted thathertaco cart might be back in some form in the future, so were holding out hope. Those in the market for a Philly Surf n This was no bland suburb, no Peyton Place. MONDAY - FRIDAY. Talula's Garden, opened in 2011 at Washington Square, is an upscale restaurant inspired by locally produced ingredients, prepared in sync with the season. Though, waiting around for a seat is a form of torture, especially for anyone trying to shed a muffin top. In Spain. It took another ten years before I managed to furtively snap a shot of the diners interior. For the sake of their preservation as an architectural form, I mostly concern myself mainly with prefabricated diners. You might expect to get dental work inside rather than a good breakfast. There are now two Farm & Fisherman Taverns, one in Horsham and one in Cherry Hill. memorable shutters. Djangos homespun chic vibe and killer cheese plate signaled what was to come. At the beginning of June, the City served a notice tothe owners that stated they had 30 days to either fix it or demolish it. 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. Originally published as The Lost City in the August 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine. I want people to live here, to thrive here. I sorely miss them since I live in Florida. Its where I met my husband. Mayfair Diner is still clad in chrome. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Read page 1980 of the latest Best Of news, headlines, stories, photos, and video from CBS News. Articles like this raise my homesickness for Philadelphia to Olympian heights. legendary carrot cake. Please let me know. We love this, especially in the suburbs. The diner was originally built by Fodero of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Every diner taken over by the Michaels diner group, has suffered a precipitous drop in quality. I want a good meal at a reasonable price, but I also want to connect with actual peoplestaff and customers. Philadelphia has its share of them, and the Oregon Diner on Oregon Avenueexemplifies the experience. Center City Philadelphia has exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. MILLER III / File Photograph. Before the 2 additions and the addition of the foyer waiting area. 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. 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. Behind the foreboding, Darth Vader-like facade sits a late-1930s Silk City diner that serves up the most basic of menus. Omakase, a style of Japanese dining where the chef selects each bite for the diner, is still relatively uncommon in Philadelphia. RESTAURANT & BAR HOURS. graced the corner of 17th and Chancellor streets for nearly 40 years. Contemporary Americansseem to prefer fast-casual chains (like Panera Bread) over diners, where you canget a pretty good meal for not a lot of money and you dont have to bother with aserver. It was the kind of place where if you wanted to rape a girl or light a homeless guy on fire, you could get away with it. The restaurants 2002 If you had the good fortune to see itbefore 2000 and havent seen it since, stay away. where customers would insert coins and help themselves to a la carte plates greater. That's what Bennigan's, an Irish-themed bar and grill, offered in the 1980s. Today the diner seats more than 250 people. The Broad Street sat closed for many years beginning in the early 2000s, and one report had Stephen Starr interested in reopening it. You see nothing from the outside, but walk through the door and the early 1950s Silk City in very original condition reveals itself. He said I didnt have the right name. Vetri, Philadelphia - photo by fougoo. You could come out boasting that your waitress was a thirty-year veteran which is no small thing in a business known for its employee turnover. In July 1928, 681 Cleveland restaurants were feeding an average of 300,000 people daily. In the 80s he built the Ritz. Podcast: Is Sixers' prime time game vs. Hard, uncomfortable seats, tables cleaned with the same hot tea you drank, long waits for . 6. Not dwelling on the past is one of the prime benefits of Philadelphias Stephen Starr converted a mid-1960s Fodero diner and appropriately swanked the joint up making it one of the citys best known martini lounges. The Melrose apple would seem to be one of those exceptions. | Photo: Randy Garbin. ET. Only a couple of years later Swingle would close up shop, but Morozins request pushed diner manufacturers to fashion restaurants in various styles dictated by the often-dubious tastes of the operator. A hole-in-the-wall with the best Chinese food in Philadelphia. A full ten years before the culture rediscovered the vintage diner, Joe Morozin wanted his new diner to look like something out of the 1930s, but at about six times the size. Like a big diner should, it greets all customers at the door with a barrage of baked goods. They were like little homemade chicken cutlets rather than obviously frozen fare that are like sinkers now. Talula's Garden. Kids discussed open marriages in art class, and the 2000 block of Sansom Street was the bohemian center of the west-of-Broad universe, with head shops, cafes and clubs that leaked strains of poetry, jazz, disco, and the smoke of that natural plant. that often ended with a visit from the cheese trolley. What is going on with this cemeterybillboards, a diner? Whether or not hes actually improved on any of them depends on who you ask. Trolley Car strikes that rare balance between food quality and attitude. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and Airys cedarbrook plaza. The old benches, the ones without armrests in the middle, were wide and deep enough that homeless people could sleep on them. 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 . Also now gone. A lot of Center City has. https://www.facebook.com/lhapachapter/posts/3824830150954142, I am looking for a dive in dinner in pa in the 1950s It was I think back then near the Phila airport. The old-school guys who built up these businesses now have kids with college degrees who dont see themselves working 18-hour days for two-percent margins. The diner takes its name from the company that built it. Developers are breaking ground on skyscrapers. Some great diners in S. Jersey. Restaurants. I dont know of any other diners that serve their apple pie quite like this, and the sauce is not overly sweet, but it could easily mask any faults of the pie. I dont want to step in dog waste, or walk 10 blocks before I can find a trash can. Philadelphia Fish & Co. 207 Chestnut. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Petrogiannis put his own stamp on things with a silly turret-like roofline to raise the diners profile. If so, please share it with your friends and family to help spread the word. Closed in: 2016. Find out more about his work and writings at www.randygarbin.com. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Howard Johnson's. Photo courtesy of thedailymeal.com. I suppose the diner and billboards are merely *adjacent* to the graveyard, but it still makes for an odd juxtaposition. I believe the diner was called the Heritage before it was the Ritz, and I remember the manager or owner was Steve? Oh. I enjoyed the article. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art in August 1973. Casa Del Marisco is a sports bar on 5th Street. 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. The diner offers a basic, no-frills menu. Your email address will not be published. Overcooked eggs with ingredients scrambled in does not an omelette make. 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. Revolution House, but for 60-plus years, this Second and Market corner was Former St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Butch . Required fields are marked *. The wagons, eventually manufacturedby several different companies, grew bigger and more ornate and semi-permanent. 2400 Market St 4th Fl. Seen here in 1993 during a bus tour of the region's diners sponsored by the Society of Commercial Archeology, the sale of the 1940 Paramount attracted a great deal of interest, but ultimately no takers. Or that the chef erred on the salty side with the otherwise tender pot roast? Youd never know from the retractable roof and wood-fired menu of over the Bookbinders building between Front and Second on Walnut Street, but even If it never closed, it didnt need locks. You might take drugs. Although it didn't hold up against Chili's, TGI Fridays, and Applebee's, there was a time when it was fairly ubiquitous throughout the states. Price $$$$$. The Farm & Fisherman Closed in: 2016Why wemiss it: Josh and Colleen Lawlers petite Washington Square West BYOturned outelegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare they famously had no walk-in refrigeration, meaning that fresh ingredients were constantly coming into the restaurant. Photograph by I. George Bilyk. All rights reserved. I worked at Olive Mill Bistro in the late 1970s and was maitre'd of Ristorante . But the jewel in the restaurant groups crown was Pub Tiki, a I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life. The point is, it was plenty neighborhoody. pleasure of visiting the Queen Village location know that theres nothing In total, his restaurants represent about 900 seats. | Photo: Michael Bixler. After the end of the Laotian Civil War associated with the Vietnam War in the 1970s, a group of Hmong refugees settled in Philadelphia. 15. Several Cambodian spots have filled the gap in the six years since Khmer Kitchen opened, but well always have a place in our hearts for this corner spot. In part, its basic childhood nostalgia. There are rats in Rittenhouse Square. Order Online. 2 14 Great Philly Restaurants We Wish Hadn't Closed; 3 1980s - The Literate Quilter; 4 Restaurant Picks - Escape the 1980's - Escape the 1980s; 5 Philadelphia restaurants in the 1980s; 6 Vetri, Le Bec-Fin, La Panetire: The illustrious culinary history of; 7 Closed Restaurants in Philadelphia Area, Pennsylvania - GAYOT And It always hurts me Just a classic Chinese restaurant menu today. I am too an avid Diner lover tho. Twenty-four diners now operate in Philadelphia, down from 30 in 1990 when I first toured the city National retailers like Intermix and Michael Kors are coming to Walnut Street, where rents soar above the national average. that made it all possible. Who the hell cares. While a trained eye can often tell if a building was once a diner, you still need the photos to confirm it and just such a search from the comfort of my desk chair confirmed this find. 11531 reviews. All things considered, one has to appreciate Stephen Starrs imaginative updating of The Continental. Bucks a must-win for Philly? It was also the locus of the Taney Gang, the children of the Irish gangsters who lived in the homes along 26th Street. Back in the '80s, the place to go in Philadelphia for a punk rock show was the Khyber. Also the side dishes were very good. . What Philadelphia looked like in the 1980s Through These Fascinating Photos. The sense of lawlessness was pervasive. Its likely thatno other builder constructed more diners than Jerry OMahony. Greater Philadelphia. | Photo: Randy Garbin, When the Kubach family owned the Melrose Diner they managed to build up something of a one-diner empire. Where else can you be greeted by name and your kids asked after? Weinstein and his wife traveled all over the northeast checking on leads for available diners, settling on Palookas days if not hours before the dinersowner planned to bulldoze it. The story of Philadelphias finest French restaurant unraveled into The last time I wandered in I found an angry looking man in a suit managing the place, and very scared looking waitstaff scurrying about everywhere. The diner also offered a lot of benefits to employees which was why so many stayed a long time. The Mayfair Diner ended an 80-year run under the same family in 2006. I remember a Frankford Ave in Mayfair in the 1980s and 90s full of really memorable shops like Joe's Butcher, Bredenbecks Bakery (spelling), Moes Deli, the Jock Shop, Mayfair Movies, Devon Theater, 5&10 store, DePalma's Bakery, Video Village, Seafood America, the clock store at Bleigh Ave, Mayfair Jewlers, McDonalds, Mayfair Madrid, a ton . (I got to smoke my first cigarette on the 40.) Before Stephen Starr oversaw a national empire of more than 35 restaurants, But what about the diner? transformed into the ambitious but poorly received Avance before ending its They were s Philly traditional, I worked for the Perini Corp for that area of reconstruction. The Love. And one that I love, at least as far as the cemetery is concerned. I give the food here very high marks, and youll find items on the menu you dont expect to find in a traditional diner which always works for me. Khyber Pass Pub. My father and his partner owned the Domino Diner up until 1986. I look for a good value balanced against the general experience. as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. Everyone enjoys eating out at Santa Barbara's amazing array of eateries. Or we could go to Deluxe Diner for milkshakes; the Midtowns I through IV; one of the two Little Petes; or even R&W, which was kind of repulsive but good for private conversations in the empty back room. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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). While most of the damage occurred in the kitchen, the diner has seriously deteriorated after what looks like an outright abandonment. Sad. 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. Sometime in the aughts theystripped out more. The Penrose had it all in spades. My dad used to take us to Dee Dees for dinner when I was a kid We lived on Belgrade St. back then. For some native Philadelphians like me, all of this is difficult to absorb. The real estate developer Ken Weinstein loves Germantown Avenue. Weve got it so good, its unreal. People dont pick up after their dogs. Food was good, too! The Domino suffered a major fire eight years ago and has yet to reopen. Penrose Diner in 1993 before renovations completely changed the character of the restaurant a few years later. Free shipping for many products! Continental Yet again, it could have been much worse. Jim Clark: You must be referring to Port Richmonds long-standing Aramingo Diner. Between 1913 and 1956, the companys tagline boasted, In our line, we lead the world. By the time they built Bobs, OMahony enjoyed a reputation for building high-quality, streamlined diners. The Dining Car makes up for this with desserts. Philly's dance-club scene set for a comeback. Facebook/A Slice of the 80s. 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. Shame it sits the way it does. 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). I live around the corner from the Oak Lane Diner. There was also Jersey Queen Dairy who began delivering milk in the city by horse and carriage. Menu-wise, the Trolley Car reflects Weinsteins intention to bring a family restaurant to the neighborhood. Yeah the Mayfair Diner was a pretty great one, Id been there a few times a year, from 1989 until sometime in 2006 or 2007, which I just found from the article is about when Petrogannis bought it. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . . It was originally called the Heritage Diner. Ace Diner on Lancaster Avenue serves a good breakfast in a clean, but heavily renovated space. The name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. Shop on Main Street. Commissary, were expanding palates throughout the region with international In fact, when they arrived at the site, it was cordoned off with temporary fencing. Word has it that Bobs owner Jim Evans has the place up for sale, but as hes currently asking an obscene amount of money$1.9 milliondont expect any major changes soon. This diner is a perfect example ofwhy you do not want to become a diner aficionado. The Franklin Institute, but his biggest contribution to the city has to be The children of the suburban boom became adults and had children of their own. January 29, 2015. There is a broad variety of dishes, but not its not overwhelming. But dinner there was a big treat when I was a child in the 60s. floor of the hotel was home to The Fountain. In 1998, with diners at the peak of their resurgence, Ken tossed the idea into mix, and the hunt commenced. This was the place to reconnoiter, the hub, the treehouse club, the HQ. He got puckered and red in the face and stomped out of the room. Definitely wish we could have one more dish here. I was just starting to understand that Id have to become a grown-up, and I didnt really know what that meant. 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. Designed and constructed by Philadelphias own Len Davidson, the sign depicts an animated scene of a trolley car rolling, stopping, and dropping off a passenger. Most entrees on the menu cost less than $15, and we felt just as welcome there as the dozens of localsaround us. I used to work across the street from there at Arrow Decorating Co 718 Market St, Miss all the hot dog carts. nest and fried wontons with complete with a mysterious dunking sauce. Or maybe I just miss my old neighborhood. For fifteen bucks, do you overlook the fact that the mashed potatoes were instant? Thanks for this article. Notably, the Big Greek Diner has become less and less Greek. Diners in center city that have vanished since 1990 with snapper soup on the menu, theres no way that this newish iteration The operators will take issue with this, chiefly out of pride, but they often order their food from the same suppliers. 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. Great article !! No telling if they will survive and fade out of our existence or I fade out since Im an elderly person. From there, others imitated his success until Samuel Jones in Worcester, Massachusetts began building and selling more of these lunch wagons for others to operate. Melrose really had some good food under the Kubachs. Labor contracts signed by city employees during the Rizzo administration contributed to the citys financial crisis that Green and Goode could not prevent. The is an ad of the Blu Comet Diner on page 3 of the Website. I think the name was Leon. Modo MioClosed in: 2017Peter McAndrewss Modo Mio didnt feel like an Italian restaurant it felt like eating in Italy. From international When I worked there it was always busy especially on the weekends. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration . Someone must have noticed this, because Bobs signage highlights the proximity with the joke that dining there is a monumental experience. I was only passing through and didnt have time to stop, but the diner caught my eyemaybe it had something to do with the two giant billboards next to it? A diner renovation nightmare in West Philly | Photo: Randy Garbin. Strictly speaking, adiner is a prefabricated food-service structure with counter service and tables. A million dollars later, the end result today includes a craft beer shop that sells over 450 brands and a well-designed dining area that preservesthe streamlined atmosphere of the original Mountain View-manufactured diner. But Chifa was also the first Garces restaurant to falter, closing after four years in business. As late as the 60s, they were all over the northwest suburbs in Montgomery county: Hatboro, Horsham, Willow Grove, Glenside, and many others. It was another amazing Paramount-built diner, similar to the Oak Lane. The Mayfair, The Country Club, likewise. In 1980, this magazine called subway trains slums-on-wheels. Buses werent much better. Outstanding memories. 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. Pepsi Joe's (AKA Happy Paradise) (10th, above Race). In fact, you can still visit the previous diner in Newburgh, New York. Which kind of adult would I be? This was where we went to try new things to kiss, to reveal secrets, to drink, to smoke. 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