Great photos on the wall. I also waitressed at Oak Lane Diner when I was in grad school in the late 70s (Hmm, tuition=extra money=diner job). 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! | Photo: Randy Garbin. 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. I dont want to step in dog waste, or walk 10 blocks before I can find a trash can. It did have Oak Lane Diner on the front in Art Deco style. 6. From there, unfortunately, it was all downhill. Luckily, you can still get thatCypriot goodness at Kanella Grill at 10th and Spruce. I remember thinking we might get in trouble, and also feeling jealous that my friend seemed to be able to identify cocaine. Great article !! Yet another Petrogiannis acquisition. One of the most tragic losses to the roster of Philadelphia diners came with the demolition of the long-suffering Wayne Junction Diner. We do, and it was great. flavors. Also the side dishes were very good. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. Thanks for this article. 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. And apparently, makingkiller fried chicken will make folks fondly remember your restaurant for years after it folds. Jose Garces might have had historical preservation in mind when he took 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. I guess he wasnt here in 1976, when KAP the Bicentennial Kid tagged the Art Museum and the Liberty Bell. ChifaClosed in: 2013At Chifa, Jose Garces focused on the relationship between Peruvian cuisine and its Cantonese influence,puttingyuca fries, lomo saltado, soup dumplings, and scallion pancakes all on one glorious menu. Caroline Russock If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Philadelphia way back in 1902, 115 years later, the concept still feels In the face of extreme competition, age, new layers of regulation, and increasing overhead, viability for a 50-seat, short-order restaurant becomes a Herculean task. Of those, around200 were built before 1965 and are still in original condition. When you attempt to offer as much as the Oregon does for that many people, greatness becomes nearly impossible. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) run as a restaurant and morphing into fast fashion optical retailer Warby The 30 Best Craft Breweries to Visit in Pennsylvania - Food & Wine That was largely original but sparsely patronized. The is an ad of the Blu Comet Diner on page 3 of the Website. Black-owned restaurants were especially numerous. Developers are breaking ground on skyscrapers. Back to the '80s - South Philly Review Brunch: 12-3pm Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. It could have been dee dees it was about a half mile north of the aramingo. 1983 The Food Marketing Institute reports that 2/3 of all fish consumed in the U.S. is eaten in restaurants. Big diners like Melrose, with few exceptions, typically serve awful fruit piesgloppy, over-sweet fillings poured into industrial strength crusts. Supercade was too fresh and clean. Joes daughter Nancy runs the diner today, and itrecently received national attention thanks to Guy Fieris Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives program, which spotlighted their chicken croquettes. Beau Monde. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. 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. Our game holds from 2-14 players and is an awesomely fun thing to do in Philadelphia for ages 8+. It is not a storefront. Silk City, currently owned by restauranteur Mark Bee, has diversified its revenue stream with the night club and bar which frees it from relying upon the weekend breakfast trade that so many smaller diners live or die by. The food is better, but kids dont go there to spill secrets over a shared can of seltzer and a ham and cheese sandwich. Order Online. Randy Garbin Randy Garbin has traveled the countrys back roads and Main Streets in search of diners, roadside attractions, and the great mom and pop enterprise. I do miss the original owners, but maybe it was time for a change as in the last few years food quality had noticeably declined and the hours were cut back. (2) Midtown Diners Thats wear Teddy Pendergass made his first public appearance and sang since his terrible accident. Modo MioClosed in: 2017Peter McAndrewss Modo Mio didnt feel like an Italian restaurant it felt like eating in Italy. a weekly basis, its worth taking a moment to pay homage to the restaurants Despite economic woes (recession and inflation), the energy crisis, urban decline, crime, and escalating restaurant prices, restaurant-going continued to rise. Within the Philadelphia city limits, if you want the true, blue-collar, meat-and-mashed experience inside the real McCoy of vintage American diners, staffed with seasoned, fast-talking, tough-but-tender, maternal waitresses, you will find it in exactly one place: Bobs Diner in Roxborough. 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. 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. when I see one shut down. About 6,000 were built; today, some 1,800 remain with roughly two thirds still in food-service operation. People dont pick up after their dogs. Heres hoping another Portuguese concept can make it work downtown someday soon. Found this pic of the Quaker Diner on Rising Sun https://foxchasereview.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_1435.jpg. Chi-Chi's. Wikimedia Commons/Nostaljack/Public Domain. I suppose so. The story of Philadelphias finest French restaurant unraveled into Restaurants long gone - Pennsylvania: Dining - eGullet Forums Accessible,welcoming spots like Little Petes pump the lifeblood of a city, and it seems like there are fewer and fewer of them every year. You can still find at least a half-dozen examples of their diners built between 1948 and 1954. Everyone enjoys eating out at Santa Barbara's amazing array of eateries. website lives in perpetuity. I was a student at Temple. I have been telling my now hubby that my parents and family would go there after bowling .They were in a league. Crime spiked. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life. This was no bland suburb, no Peyton Place. 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. By 1930 Cleveland had 1,073 restaurants with 5,959 full-time employees, doing $27,084,127 worth of business. Pepsi Joe's (AKA Happy Paradise) (10th, above Race). 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. Hows the food? The Queen Village space was just gorgeous, too. | Photo: Randy Garbin. The ovation he received brought tears to his eyes Philly loved Teddy and he lived Philly. PhillyVoice Contributor, 6 great places to break up with someone in Philly, 5 Philly hoods you wouldnt have recognized 60 years ago, a particularly damning review from Craig Laban, Jason Kelce could make a 'Saturday Night Live' cameo with his brother Travis hosting, School District of Philadelphia to relocate Building 21 students following asbestos exposure, Eagles wide receiver Zach Pascal robbed at gunpoint in Maryland, Eli Lilly slashed insulin prices, starting a race to the bottom. This isnt a food review. | Photo: Randy Garbin. | Photo: Michael Bixler. It has been so long, but that name rings a familiar bell. 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. Weinstein topped off the whole project with a neon sign almost worthy of the Las Vegas strip, something few do anymore. Does she imagine shes in some sophisticated, classy city? These 1980s Restaurants Didn't Stand the Test of Time - Eat This Not That And for post-dining . Who the hell cares. Whether that was a sign of things to come with the celebrity chef Chifa waseventually replaced with Cuban diner Rosa Bianca, another concept that didnt take or it just opened a decade or so before its time, it would have been nice for Peruvian fare to take hold in the city back then. I want people to live here, to thrive here. Now demolished to make it a storage lot. Up until about 1996 the Penrose was a spectacular example of quasi-Googie diner styling. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Tourist Photos From 1981 Reveal the Heart of "Old Philadelphia" On the plus side, he replaced the communal booths. dinner dining room with views of the Swann Fountain was elegant up until 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. It was another amazing Paramount-built diner, similar to the Oak Lane. 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. South Street - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia Finelli had two places, one on Tenth Street above Chestnut, and another on Chestnut east side of Broad. The diner was originally built by Fodero of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Ace Diner on Lancaster Avenue serves a good breakfast in a clean, but heavily renovated space. A place that shows you what all the locals are about. All the golden goddesses! Restaurants. The stronghold of McDonald's, Pizza Hut , Burger King, and other giants of the '80s made the competition stiff. Theres trash everywhere. Center Citys population is growing. ONE BOY WHO accompanied our Bellevue wanderings was the son of a South Street fortune-teller. The iconic, streamlined style fell from fashion or was outright prohibited by municipal design codes by the mid-1960s. Former St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Butch . There wasnt the money to pay for things like clean streets. Only one of us was brave enough to go in; the rest waited outside, flat against the wall, like felons in a lineup. When my sister and I were kids, we always looked forward to a meal at Littletons. Campiglia was from New Jersey . Photograph by the Associated Press, SEPTAs Broad Street Line, as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. Clip ref BF5044.Night. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration was marred by the 1985 Move tragedy. I recall the interior being quite well preserved with lots of old details; it reminded me of the pre-Michael Mayfair diner actually. 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. At the end of the 1980s, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. 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. Northern Liberties | The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia He gave me my first French kiss at the TLA, back when it was a movie theater that showed cartoons during the day, repertory film at night, and Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight. Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. Quaker Diner on Rising Sun has been remodeled recently: https://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/quaker-diner-time-to-revisit-an-old-friend/. My parents bought a house on Rodman Street soon thereafter, and all the photos from my toddler days seem to show one neighbor or another lying flat on his back, with a big smile, obviously intoxicated by some natural plant. The OMahony diner came to Philadelphia in the 1960s from Medford, Massachusetts where it operated as Carols Diner. In my high-school years, street crime was so commonplace that we hardly took note of it. 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. Its likely thatno other builder constructed more diners than Jerry OMahony. Made quite good tips, and back then, it wasnt a bad working environment. Now R&W is the Japanese restaurant Zama. Bucks a must-win for Philly? It didnt help my impression of the place when I watched Richard Kubach, Jr. on a television segment of WQEDs Pennsylvania Diner Roadtrip explain that the semi-circular booths where total strangers often sat at the same table enhanced the diners sense of community, when,more accurately, his practice increased customer churn. Philadelphia dining. While i frequent my old neighborhood diner (trolley car diner)most often, one that i really love that is always superb to me is the Four Seasons Diner on cottman Avenue. like the OG. Center City Philadelphia has exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. Stuccoed into obscurity at Annas. Four Seasons is a restaurant not a diner. To order the clip clean and hi-res or to find out more visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. And chef Kevin Sbraga's new Philadelphia restaurant is all-out '80s-themed, . Life unfolded there. Where to Have a Blowout Birthday Dinner in Philly, Where to Go When You Want Your Meal to Feel Like an Activity, The Philly 15: Philadelphias Most Exciting New Restaurants, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Gilda, a Homey Portuguese Cafe, Opens in Fishtown on March 3rd. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Unused Pre-1980 BOOKBINDERS RESTAURANT Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA v5934@ at the best online prices at eBay! 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.. Before Stephen Starr oversaw a national empire of more than 35 restaurants, Just a classic Chinese restaurant menu today. In many ways, his designers improved upon the original interior that is as rare as a perfect omelette. Articles like this raise my homesickness for Philadelphia to Olympian heights. 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? It was great fun. $$. Love Your article and thank you for doing the research. It isnt a converted rail car. Savoy 15. Overcooked eggs with ingredients scrambled in does not an omelette make. chilled slices of melon for dessert. February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . Likewise, when transplants complain about SEPTA subway cars and buses, I marvel. I was about six. Now home to the trendy Mexican restaurant Lucha Cartel, Philadelphia Fish & Co. was a staple in Old City. Koo Zee DooClosed in: 2013A 50 Best Restaurants-worthy (rare) Portuguese restaurant inNorthern Liberties (rarer) run by a James Beard Award-nominated chef (yep)? Seeing the Mayfair for the first time in 1991 was a jaw dropping experience. 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 buildings were built between 1859 and 1918. What looked like the longest, stainless steel diner on the planet (which was actually a very long diner married expertly to an existing cinder-block, stainless-clad addition) welcomed you inside with nothing but superlatives. What do you like most about this 80s-themed restaurant in Pennsylvania? 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. I cant call myself a regular, as Ive only visited the place about a half-dozen times in the past twenty years. If someone ever takes the initiative to remove the brick, Ill send you a photo. 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. transformed into the ambitious but poorly received Avance before ending its Free shipping for many products! Labor contracts signed by city employees during the Rizzo administration contributed to the citys financial crisis that Green and Goode could not prevent. Since the 1950s, the Perloff family ran the Country Club in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood catering to its Jewish community. But tax issues forced the spot to close earlier this year, which is a shame Phillys Greek scene is in something of a shambles (though were optimistic about the upcoming Koukouzeli), so it was exciting to see a concept pushing the envelope. Freshly ground meat, a Melrose tradition, has been replaced by portion control. Bobsadheres very closely to the basic diner credo: Serve good food at reasonable prices in a clean and friendly atmosphere. The seafood was tasty, the atmosphere was perfect and the vibe was upbeat. My family worked and owned these places so any info and or photos would be much appreciated. A beaten down Mountain View diner that looks like the owners use it for storage or maybe converted it into a kitchen for their sports bar addition. St. Joseph County police searching for missing 12-year-old girl. Given the extent of his investments along the corridor, I dont think youll find anyone who has made a bigger bet on its comeback. Vetri Cucina. Not much left to see here except for the basic outlines of a classic 50s structure. It's RADICALLY different from all the others: It's a Pure Energy, bubble gum pop, super charged, time-travel thrill! The Dining Car makes up for this with desserts. One thing remains the same, though: the rats. Building is still there. Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. I sat and watched Hannah and Her Sisters in the theater at 19th and Chestnut and found a tiny fragment of a road map. | Photo: Randy Garbin. 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. The wagons, eventually manufacturedby several different companies, grew bigger and more ornate and semi-permanent. My dad used to take us to Dee Dees for dinner when I was a kid We lived on Belgrade St. back then. You might expect to get dental work inside rather than a good breakfast. Along with an array of punch-packing tropical drinks, Pub Tiki boasted a From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. How could we not love this place? | Photo: Randy Garbin. Im not a fussy eater. Bobs was built by the Jerry OMahony company in Elizabeth, New Jersey at its post-war peak. The 15 Best Old Hollywood Restaurants - The Infatuation Philadelphia restaurants long gone and greatly missed.My top-of-mind most-missed five:1. Even though nations first automat restaurant made its debut in From 19th century hot dog houses to the chrome-clad diners and tiki huts of days gone by, here are 10 of the citys most The best diners pay loving homage to its past, but also strive to write their own history and become landmarks in their own right. If you had the good fortune to see itbefore 2000 and havent seen it since, stay away. Photograph by Dick Swanson/The National Archive, The opening of Return of the Jedi at the SamEric theater, better known as the Boyd Theater, which is now slated for demolition. They live on in the form of dead Yelp pages and in our memories. I used to work across the street from there at Arrow Decorating Co 718 Market St, Miss all the hot dog carts. 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. 1970s philadelphia restaurants. I worked as a waitress at Bobs Diner for two summers when I was home from Penn State in the early 70s. . 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. Seen here in 1993 during a bus tour of the regions diners sponsored by the Society of Commercial Archeology, the sale of the 1940 Paramount attracted a great deal of interest, but ultimately no takers. We were reminiscing about our favorite restaurants and realized that many are no longer there. Sad. 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. from the Pittsburgh area to Philadelphia, with . To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Kims Korean Barbecue, 5955 North 5th Street, Asian fusion. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Im sorry to inform you that it closed just last yearand has now been remodeled into an urgent care center! Putting one in a museum is all well and good, but if you cant actually eat there whats the point? Every now and then, a well-dressed woman will stop me and ask for directions: Where is the shopping street? 2. Bringing together international flavors in a time before the term "fusion" had any culinary connotations, Frog and its casual counterpart, The Thank you. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . In the late 1970s, the Dewey's restaurants in Philadelphia began to fold, victims to competition from national fast food chains like . Put a porch on your house. My top three (almost a three-way tie) are: 1. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Read more G.W. As other restaurants opened up I just think they failed to adapt. For fifteen bucks, do you overlook the fact that the mashed potatoes were instant? You might take drugs. I worked there as a dishwasher in the 1980s. The Golden Sword Diner is now a latin-themed night club. Places Near Northeast Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA with 80s Night Clubs. Shop on Main Street. Free shipping for many products! After closing Mm,chef-owner David Katz hasbeen a culinary director at Honeygrow and is now spearheading Capogiros nationwide expansion. Book online. New Boulevard Diner, 11650 Roosevelt Boulevard, New Boulevard recently changed their name to the Five Star Diner. Where else can you be greeted by name and your kids asked after?