philadelphia restaurants in the 1980s

The executive vice president and co-owner of Century 21 department stores is explaining why a new Philadelphia location at 8th and Market is the logical next step for a chic discount chain that until now has stuck to New York and New Jersey. It is incorrect to state The Melrose Diner is the third diner placed at that location when there were three separate location. 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 . 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. I suppose the diner and billboards are merely *adjacent* to the graveyard, but it still makes for an odd juxtaposition. Please let me know. In many ways, his designers improved upon the original interior that is as rare as a perfect omelette. Chi-Chi's. Wikimedia Commons/Nostaljack/Public Domain. All things considered, one has to appreciate Stephen Starrs imaginative updating of The Continental. Wow! My boyfriend was pulled into an alley between Walnut and Chestnut and held at knifepoint; my necklace was ripped off while I was walking; my mother was mugged; purses were torn from shoulders; people threw bottles into store windows on days when the Phillies lost. Forget its name but it sure was crowded at 2 am! I feel like I cant truly enjoy a vacation or visiting a town without going to a local diner. The point is, it was plenty neighborhoody. Order Online. SEPTA PCC car 2710 (refurbished 1980) on Girard Ave. approaching Lancaster Ave., West Philadelphia, 1985 5 The Philadelphia Police Department was using both the mid-size Ford LTD and full-size Crown Victoria platforms at that time, Philadelphia, 1985 I maintain a very high regard for Bobs because it represents one of the last of a dying breed. Philadelphia in the 1980s Through Fascinating Photos 12 Restaurants That Define Philadelphia Dining. Do remember the Diner on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr called the Blu Comet around late 1950s till 1972. That the primavera (or portions of it) might have come straight out of the Sysco catalog? Diner long gone. Unused Pre-1980 BOOKBINDERS RESTAURANT Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA 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. Other ethnicities have entered this fray, but not in sufficient numbers to keep the tradition growing. And It always hurts me It took another ten years before I managed to furtively snap a shot of the diners interior. Venerable Old Original Bookbinder's, Second and Walnut, is one of many restaurants Philadelphians still miss. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration . The formula - burgers, sandwiches, and lots of ice cream chosen from a menu shaped . Yet another Petrogiannis acquisition. The Frazer Diner in Frazer is the only un altered Jerry O Mahony diner in existence.Built between 1929 and 1935 it was originally the Paoli but was moved to Frazer on Lancaster Ave, in 1957. My father and his partner owned the Domino Diner up until 1986. Everyone enjoys eating out at Santa Barbara's amazing array of eateries. Was there a Galaxy Diner located on Erie Ave. below I Street back in the Sixties / Seventies ? | Photo: Randy Garbin. Turf, i.e. New Boulevard Diner, 11650 Roosevelt Boulevard, New Boulevard recently changed their name to the Five Star Diner. No telling if they will survive and fade out of our existence or I fade out since Im an elderly person. There was no single grown-up world, no monolith. I often say that the best way to preserve diners is to keep them viable. | Photo: Randy Garbin. The Love. It was the Ritz for quite awhile and since has gone through many name changes. City Hall was a mess. 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 . Scope Out Vintage Menus From Bygone Dallas Restaurants Recently, a seersucker-and-madras-clad man at a Mural Arts event I went to railed against graffitis cancerous, corrosive effect on Philadelphia. Restaurants. Tags:Broad Street Diner Melrose Diner restaurant history. 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. In 2006, Michael Petrogiannis bought this one too and proceeded to make significant interior renovations that improved upon the diners formerly dark and ponderous atmosphere. I suppose so. In fact, I miss all the movie theaters of my youth. And instead of a suburban Dairy Queen parking lot, we had Rittenhouse Square. 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. The Farm-to-Table OG. Now demolished to make it a storage lot. Big diners like Melrose, with few exceptions, typically serve awful fruit piesgloppy, over-sweet fillings poured into industrial strength crusts. Its likely thatno other builder constructed more diners than Jerry OMahony. 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. Later, the park would get a curfew; wed get in trouble for standing bare-legged in the fountain; wed be turned out while tux-wearing dancers ate fancy food. over the Bookbinders building between Front and Second on Walnut Street, but even Articles like this raise my homesickness for Philadelphia to Olympian heights. of veal stew, Harvard beets, double decker ham and cheese sandwiches and You might take drugs. 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. greater. But the jewel in the restaurant groups crown was Pub Tiki, a But once upon a time, before the city's restaurant renaissance, downtown Philly was renowned less for its munchies than for its dark and sexy nightclubs. 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.. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The banquet room at Tiffanys has been used as a filming location for Pennsylvania Lottery commercials. Yesterday, in the same building, I found a bottle of sunscreen. accolades to * Close to CC - 6 Min cab from center cityl. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Theres little left to see inside its cave-like interior. Lots of graffiti on everything, and a general fear of walking down the street late at night. Labor contracts signed by city employees during the Rizzo administration contributed to the citys financial crisis that Green and Goode could not prevent. If you removed the cover from the Oregons menu and dropped it on a table at the similarly-sized Penrose diner on the other end of South Philly, no one would likely notice for a week or so. December 10, 2014. closure took with it the title for worlds largest indoor lobster tank and a retro There wasnt the money to pay for things like clean streets. 1617 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19102. Judging by the all the online reviews, past impressions, and tips from fellow diner fanatics, the desserts remain the menus real attraction. Sociologist W.E.B. Philadelphia has its share of them, and the Oregon Diner on Oregon Avenueexemplifies the experience. I remember the original Oak Lane diner to be a red Formica looking building very small. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. Of those, around200 were built before 1965 and are still in original condition. like something straight out of the Star Trek commissary. In July 1928, 681 Cleveland restaurants were feeding an average of 300,000 people daily. The interior is very clean, but about the only original feature left to the diner is its vaulted ceiling. Penrose Diner in 1993 before renovations completely changed the character of the restaurant a few years later. This was the center of our universe. Philadelphia History: Drinking places 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. But beyond that, this: Restaurants-1 - OldWilmington Despite economic woes (recession and inflation), the energy crisis, urban decline, crime, and escalating restaurant prices, restaurant-going continued to rise. After the end of the Laotian Civil War associated with the Vietnam War in the 1970s, a group of Hmong refugees settled in Philadelphia. Lombard streets served up an only-in-Philly menu of hot dogs, fishcakes and Champ I loved this article. 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. The big sign outside advertises homemade bread, which you can get on the side with one of your breakfast dishes. Which kind of adult would I be? My parents met at a diner somewhere near Elkins Park in the mid-1930s that was run by a couple named John and Gay. How would I find my way? One year, we heard a judge was hosting one of these parade-watching parties. Those in the market for a Philly Surf n Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Randy, thank you for acknowledging the Spice Grill located at 3447 Richmond Street in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. Now, the chef is attached to the upcoming Fitler Club, and yet another concept, Tipsy Bistro, has opened in the Fat Hams former home. This diner is a perfect example ofwhy you do not want to become a diner aficionado. I want jobs and revenue and, yes, maybe digital signage, if thats what it takes to lure serious investment into more challenging parts of town. Shame it sits the way it does. Including the restaurant that arguably introduced Buffalo wings to Philadelphia. Rundown of Eateries Opened from 1875 to 1986. Melrose really had some good food under the Kubachs. The Trolley Car Diner represents Ken Weinsteins support for Mt. Le Bec-Fin - Wikipedia Up until about 1996 the Penrose was a spectacular example of quasi-Googie diner styling. The buses and subways are gross. Although Perrier announced in July 2010 that he planned to close the . Seeing the Mayfair for the first time in 1991 was a jaw dropping experience. 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. Philadelphia way back in 1902, 115 years later, the concept still feels The Lombard Swim Club had a topless section. | Photo: Randy Garbin. From 1994 until 2008, The Striped Bass graced the expense account set with Heres a list of some of the bygone Philadelphia restaurants we miss the most. Not sure if they serve diner fare besides the chinese menu. | Photo: Randy Garbin. 19 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia - Cond Nast Traveler Those children of the 1970s and 1980s grew up in and around the suburban malls. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. the most talked-about dish in Manhattan" in the 1970s became an unrelenting culinary joke of the 1980s, . Ask ANYONE who remembers. The best of them will serve you something that usually tops out at fair-to-good. Quaker Diner on Rising Sun has been remodeled recently: https://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/quaker-diner-time-to-revisit-an-old-friend/. Levis Hot Dogs. Bobsadheres very closely to the basic diner credo: Serve good food at reasonable prices in a clean and friendly atmosphere. (This suspicion of nice things began early.). An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Kabobeesh serves Indian and Pakistani food. While authorities would not release a report on the alleged incident, police have been . Like the renovations at the Melrose, they could have been much worse, and Petrogiannis even applied a restrained and classy palate to the interior. (215) 735-5562. Pizza with Duck Sausage wins quick stardom. 1970s philadelphia restaurants. Former St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Butch . Even though nations first automat restaurant made its debut in People dont pick up after their dogs. French Restaurants Continental Restaurants Restaurants. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Behold, the gloriously fruity tiki drinks and $3 T-bone steaks of yesteryear, courtesy of the Ephemera Collection at the Dallas Public Library: document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. | Photo: Randy Garbin The Farm & Fisherman. The boy I loved unrequited all through high school was on 21st and Delancey. 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. My dad used to take us to Dee Dees for dinner when I was a kid We lived on Belgrade St. back then. the menu had a nice selection at great prices of salads,omelettes and sandwiches with also a speciality. But after three and a half years, slow weeknights at Koo Zee Doo prompted owners Carla Gonalves and David Gilbertto close down. PDF List of Diners & Restaurants - The Greek American Heritage Society of | Photo: Randy Garbin. Theres trash everywhere. 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. 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. Keep up the great work! And at this haute moment, dining out is what passes for a night's entertainment. vending machines-meets-restaurant featured walls of serve yourself windows 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. (I got to smoke my first cigarette on the 40.) Growing Up in Philadelphia: The Lost City I lived in Oak Lane fom 1939 to @1943and after the war from 1946 to 1954. Red Robin on Frankford Avenue was well liked. 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. . Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. This breakfast, lunch and It's no secret that Philadelphia is a city that loves to eat. yeah, they have food but, really I just love the atmosphere and the memories of being 18 long ago. Not because of the food, especially, but because we would each get a lollipop with a face on it at the cash register. RESTAURANTS | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve 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. Airys cedarbrook plaza. . "On our first visit to Philadelphia, my friend recommended we try Talula's Garden. About 6,000 were built; today, some 1,800 remain with roughly two thirds still in food-service operation. In fact, you can still visit the previous diner in Newburgh, New York. Sit in the Square, as we did, and it was a pageant: People were black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor. You can still find at least a half-dozen examples of their diners built between 1948 and 1954. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. Often overlooked for inclusion in the Philly diner pantheon, the Dining Car on Frankford Avenue in the Northeast nevertheless continues to get plenty of love from the neighborhood, and for good reason. The family also owned Alexanders restaurant in Abington up the road. Senior year, a friend and I went to see Hannah and Her Sisters. Does she imagine shes in some sophisticated, classy city? Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. transformed into the ambitious but poorly received Avance before ending its Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. 14 Great Philly Restaurants We Wish Hadn't Closed - Philadelphia Magazine There are now two Farm & Fisherman Taverns, one in Horsham and one in Cherry Hill. In its heyday, the . These days it serves up Mexican fare as Jessis Diner behind a horrible brick faade which was installed by the previous owner. Philadelphia's food and restaurant renaissance - the Guardian And they did. The older ones began appearing in the late-1980s and early-1990s, started or inspired by German immigrants that had once settled there. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life. Miss Horne and Hardards,italian market, scrapple too. Steel's, Finelli's and Dooner's were among the exclusive drinking resorts of the early eighties. Funny, converted to an urgent care centerback then after a night of drinking thats what the diner was to us. However I a native Philadelphian can attest to the experience of eating in diners. On June 6, the City posted a notice on the front door demanding its owners to either fix it or tear it down. 8 Lesser-Known Abortion Funds to Support Post-Roe, Your Guide to This Weeks Eagles-Giants Playoff Game. looks like the Oak Lane died as well. Retro restaurant enthusiasts might be familiar with The Pub, a salad bar They began showing up in every majorcity and small town across the Northeast. In Center City, giant modern skyscrapers were designed by world-renowned architects in the Old City and South Street areas. The wagons, eventually manufacturedby several different companies, grew bigger and more ornate and semi-permanent. 4. Diner manufacturers eventually centered in northern New Jersey, where for a good 70 years they produced iconic stainless steel restaurants. Palumbo's, 9/Catharine: Decent gravy joint, but the ambience was sooo 1950s. Bookers has filled the soul food void in the neighborhood with its upscale take, but theres nothing quite like enjoying a Citywide alongside a platter of top-notch fried chicken, collards, and candied yams in a dark bar withyour neighbors belting karaokein the background. In 1968, they traded up to a ten-sectioned monstrosity that Diners of Pennsylvania describes as an Arabian fantasy of stone, beige stucco, and arched windows. The family decided on thestyle after a trip to Las Vegas and, to the best of anyones knowledge, Fodero built none others like it. 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. . The Rise And Fall Of Philadelphia's Diners - Hidden City Philadelphia Who is this woman? Ill think. Finelli had two places, one on Tenth Street above Chestnut, and another on Chestnut east side of Broad. The Kubach family, for whatever reason, apparently had a long-standing no photography policy in-or-outside of the diner. Khmer KitchenClosed in: 2018Thisfamily-run BYO in Pennsport repped Cambodian cuisine,broadening the scope of the citys dining scene and serving incredible chicken curry and pleah (spicy raw beef saladwith lime, peanuts, and fresh mint) in the process. I waitressed there for several months in the early/mid-1970s. There was the Duck Lady (who quacked); the Pigeon Lady (who stood for hours with pigeons all over her); the Wow Bum, who just yelled, Wow!; any number of bag ladies whod walk through the Square laden with belongings; the men who exposed themselves. Living now in Georgia, diners are much missed by this 91 year old Philly/south Jersey lad. Greater Philadelphia's restaurants have illuminated the region's socioeconomic, cultural, and culinary trends while also providing sustenance for millions. For the sake of their preservation as an architectural form, I mostly concern myself mainly with prefabricated diners. 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). Ellwood or Holy Angels? The Domino Diner facts were about 99% correct with the exception of the operating name at its original location in Medford, Massachusetts. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . 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. I worked for your grandfather Pete and your Dad from the age of 12 to 17 at the Heritage. In Spain. 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. In fact, during the diners golden age, owners of freshly minted diners would have grand opening ceremonies that featured the cutting of the keys. Back in the '80s, the place to go in Philadelphia for a punk rock show was the Khyber. Our game holds from 2-14 players and is an awesomely fun thing to do in Philadelphia for ages 8+. Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. The OMahony diner came to Philadelphia in the 1960s from Medford, Massachusetts where it operated as Carols Diner. At one time, the mere word diner meant among other things that it never closed. 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. MILLER III / File Photograph. | Photo: Randy Garbin. I sorely miss them since I live in Florida. Snow Whites space at 2nd and Market was reopened under the same ownership as Revolution House,a kid-friendly yet upscale spot for pizza, beer, and pub grub, but it just doesnt have the same cachet. Last week, Jeff Gordinier of The New York Times wrote a profile of chef Kevin Sbraga and his new restaurant Juniper Commons. Before the Four Seasons transitioned into the sleek, new Logan Hotel, the ground To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Long-gone Philadelphia restaurants that Craig LaBan (and our readers 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. Serving food at this scale involves choosing your battles carefully, as you cant make everything from scratch. 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 old benches, the ones without armrests in the middle, were wide and deep enough that homeless people could sleep on them. from the Pittsburgh area to Philadelphia, with . Diners in center city that have vanished since 1990 A place that shows you what all the locals are about. Most are gone now, I think. Thank you meme. Today, I can get stopped at the doors of an upscale hotel or silently ejected from a fancy boutique with an icy glare. Good soups and lunch. Who the hell cares. a weekly basis, its worth taking a moment to pay homage to the restaurants And so on. 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.