I ended up working in the factory after high school from 81 to around 84 and the diner was still going strong. Foursquare. He sold it in the late 90s and there have been a few owners since then. Kanella SouthClosed in: 2018With Kanella South, it finally felt like Konstantinos Pitsillides finally had the right tools a spit, a wood-burning oven to really show off his skills. There was a diner on Aramingo Avenue we use to stop in back in the early 60s after a night of bar hopping. The Lombard Swim Club had a topless section. Levis Hot Dogs. Thank you so much for sharing a great posts. 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. My father owned the diner from 1981- 2000. 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. Diner on the Square 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. In Spain. Silk City This isnt a food review. 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. Thanks for this article. People might offer you drugs. Spring Garden Pizza & Restaurant, 1137 Spring Garden Street, Great breakfast at Spring Garden Pizza andthe owners are sweet as pie. My lastvisit did nothing to change that general impression. Who the hell cares. In 1998, with diners at the peak of their resurgence, Ken tossed the idea into mix, and the hunt commenced. | 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. Being a person from the 60s it brought me fond memories of the diners. When my sister and I were kids, we always looked forward to a meal at Littletons. Retro restaurant enthusiasts might be familiar with The Pub, a salad bar | Photo: Randy Garbin. Heres a list of some of the bygone Philadelphia restaurants we miss the most. thriving dining scene. Thank you meme. Where else can you be greeted by name and your kids asked after? For the most part, the Big Greek Diners all serve more or less the same thing. Thank you so much. 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 diner was built by Paramount and it still features the companys trademark wedding cake corners with the gazing ball ornament. 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. For fifteen bucks, do you overlook the fact that the mashed potatoes were instant? 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. I was just starting to understand that Id have to become a grown-up, and I didnt really know what that meant. My father and his partner owned the Domino Diner up until 1986. Despite economic woes (recession and inflation), the energy crisis, urban decline, crime, and escalating restaurant prices, restaurant-going continued to rise. But amid the onslaught of new restaurants opening all over the city year after year, there are the fallen soldiers: old-school spots that got priced out due to rising rents, hotshot chefs whose ambition outstripped their business sense (or maybe just their luck), and concepts that made great food but, for whatever reason, just didnt take. Photograph by I. George Bilyk. You really cant ask for a more comforting example of comfort food than croquettes, and you cant find a better example than at the Dining Cars. 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. that often ended with a visit from the cheese trolley. These days it serves up Mexican fare as Jessis Diner behind a horrible brick faade which was installed by the previous owner. The city's vibrant restaurant scene has grown tremendously in recent years. Outstanding memories. From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. My family worked and owned these places so any info and or photos would be much appreciated. Beau Monde. Parker. For those He claims to know all the dinners. Quaker Diner on Rising Sun has been remodeled recently: https://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/quaker-diner-time-to-revisit-an-old-friend/. Overcooked eggs with ingredients scrambled in does not an omelette make. All rights reserved. How would I find my way? Previously, The Pump House: Yes: From's Restaurant: Prices Corner, Kirkwood Highway At the end of the 1980s, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Love. So why do I miss the dirty, second-rate downtown I grew up in? . We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. They have about four things available for lunch and two of them are a turkey club sandwich served either with bacon or turkey bacon. when I see one shut down. absolute game changer, forever shifting the trajectory of Philadelphia Some great diners in S. Jersey. Can a diner still call itself Jewish-American after a Greek immigrant buys it? Although Perrier announced in July 2010 that he planned to close the . Hiroki. Love Your article and thank you for doing the research. March 4, 2023 / FoxNewsFeeds. Bobsadheres very closely to the basic diner credo: Serve good food at reasonable prices in a clean and friendly atmosphere. I grew up in one as my father owned the Domino Diner. Mayfair Diner is still clad in chrome. I sorely miss them since I live in Florida. 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. My wife and I had the London broil, fried seafood combo, and the minestrone soup. Center City is still mourning the passing of this 24-hour Greek go-to that Vetri Cucina. 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. . 3 lived at 17th and Pine with her mom and stepdad and the largest dining room table Id ever seen. Supercade was too fresh and clean. 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. Book online. They tortured me and my friends during grade school because we had no choice but to encroach on their turf: Our school was at 25th and Lombard, and recess was at their park. But after three and a half years, slow weeknights at Koo Zee Doo prompted owners Carla Gonalves and David Gilbertto close down. Stuccoed into obscurity at Annas. A Slice of the 80s is located at 19 Congress St, Bradford, PA 16701. | Photo: Randy Garbin, When the Kubach family owned the Melrose Diner they managed to build up something of a one-diner empire. Including the restaurant that arguably introduced Buffalo wings to Philadelphia. Miss Horne and Hardards,italian market, scrapple too. The older ones began appearing in the late-1980s and early-1990s, started or inspired by German immigrants that had once settled there. All things considered, one has to appreciate Stephen Starrs imaginative updating of The Continental. More often than not, the grill goes cold and a suburban chain moves in. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. Spice Grill in Port Richmond. 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. Rockefeller. I suppose the diner and billboards are merely *adjacent* to the graveyard, but it still makes for an odd juxtaposition. Closed in: 2016. Four Seasons is a restaurant not a diner. 2400 Market St 4th Fl. Up until then the food and service were great, and they had fantastic thick-cut bacon. Center Citys population is growing. This was the place to reconnoiter, the hub, the treehouse club, the HQ. The Commissary - in its orginal configuration. Disingenuousness aside, the Melrose earned a reputation for its baked goods and sterling service. We look to blogs such as these for straight talk, not depends on who you ask waffling. The wife loved the steak, but couldnt finish it. Press The vibrant restaurant scene is right up there with historical sites on the list of qualities that draw visitors to town food is a strand of culture just as important as the museums and concert halls, and chefs are the city's big celebrities. 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. Now these places are a CVS, a Mandee, an empty lot, a soon-to-be-demolished historic relic. It's RADICALLY different from all the others: It's a Pure Energy, bubble gum pop, super charged, time-travel thrill! cash only, after-hours spot for a hangover fighting something or other from Before Stephen Starr oversaw a national empire of more than 35 restaurants, How could we not love this place? I just couldnt remember where it was. Another Michael Petrogiannis diner. It was another amazing Paramount-built diner, similar to the Oak Lane. by Craig LaBan. https://m.facebook.com/lhapachapter/posts/memories-of-the-blu-comet-diner/3824830150954142/?locale=ne_NP&_rdr, It was known fondly as the greasy spoon by the Villanova students. Im sorry to inform you that it closed just last yearand has now been remodeled into an urgent care center! In honor of Classics Week, it's time for a fond look back at long-gone Dallas restaurants, beginning with a visual tour of vintage Dallas restaurant menus. home to a stuck-in-time, chrome and vinyl diner. Pepsi Joe's (AKA Happy Paradise) (10th, above Race). 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. Before the 2 additions and the addition of the foyer waiting area. Vetri, Philadelphia - photo by fougoo. 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). 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? However I a native Philadelphian can attest to the experience of eating in diners. Well regarded by the Oak Lane neighborhood, the current diner is at least the second to sit at that location. The place had a well earned reputation for great food and friendly wait staff, and it was ruined, just like that. 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! like the OG. Free shipping for many products! Lite Bites 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. It was unnecessarily renovated in 1996 both inside and out, which stripped away some of the incomparable stainless work. I live around the corner from the Oak Lane Diner. Continue with Recommended Cookies. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life. There isnt a true diner anywhere in this region that makes them as good as Bobs. Philly's dance-club scene set for a comeback. 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. Yesterday, in the same building, I found a bottle of sunscreen. Diner-wise, this ones only for hard-core fans. 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! The late 60s and early 70s in Philadelphia were pretty relaxed. A proper omelet is carefully fried in a well-seasoned aluminum pan with the filling folded in. 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. It has been so long, but that name rings a familiar bell. Photograph by Dick Swanson/The National Archive, Eddie Gindi seems genuinely excited as he stands at the dais in the Union League. People were mugged a lot, and women didnt travel in most Center City areas alone.. Racial strife and police brutality were endemic. That would be so bad for me some 50 years later. Click here to go to the official Facebook page of A Slice of the 80s. 182059211. Airys continued revival. run as a restaurant and morphing into fast fashion optical retailer Warby The big sign outside advertises homemade bread, which you can get on the side with one of your breakfast dishes. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and dinner dining room with views of the Swann Fountain was elegant up until Manufacturing was collapsing, the population was falling, and the tax base was turning to dust. 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. Stephen Starr converted a mid-1960s Fodero diner and appropriately swanked the joint up making it one of the citys best known martini lounges. 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. Frank Rizzo dominated City Hall, first as police commissioner, then as mayor. Alex, you are correct. Joe was a veteran of the industry and had previously owned the Torresdale Diner just south of Academy Road and needed to expand. At the Oregon, my family and I ordered dinner that included chicken soup, pot roast for me, spaghetti and meatballs for the kid, and pasta primavera for my wife. Read page 1980 of the latest Best Of news, headlines, stories, photos, and video from CBS News. Rundown of Eateries Opened from 1875 to 1986. The second was on the South Side of the 1600 Block of Passyunk Ave, which was across the street from the first diner where the two avenues intersect. Thank you Jay. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Oak Lanesprospects dont look good. 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. . where customers would insert coins and help themselves to a la carte plates I hope someone who loves diners reads this story and is moved to buy it and restore it. The operators will take issue with this, chiefly out of pride, but they often order their food from the same suppliers. Yet another Petrogiannis acquisition. Find closed restaurants in Philadelphia at GAYOT.com. By any measure, Center City is booming, and that is a good thing. 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. Fond memories. Many of us went to preschool, elementary school and high school together. 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). Inside he ripped out a third of its extensive counter to accommodate more booth seating and wider waistlines, and he replaced much of the diners original laminate surfaces. 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. The Pub had four satellite locations around town two in Center 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. Given the extent of his investments along the corridor, I dont think youll find anyone who has made a bigger bet on its comeback. Funny, converted to an urgent care centerback then after a night of drinking thats what the diner was to us. Continental Open in Google Maps. 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. Also the side dishes were very good. (I got to smoke my first cigarette on the 40.) And they did. 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. The stronghold of McDonald's, Pizza Hut , Burger King, and other giants of the '80s made the competition stiff. Fitler Square wasnt much better. That beautiful buildings courtyard was the kind of place you either avoided or walked through as quickly as possible, dodging mysterious puddles and smells, with soot or something like it crunching beneath your feet. Finelli had two places, one on Tenth Street above Chestnut, and another on Chestnut east side of Broad. 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. It was great fun. And instead of a suburban Dairy Queen parking lot, we had Rittenhouse Square. Both Olexy and Sikora have since gone on to better things: heowns conceptsin Wilmington and Kennett Square, and shesbecome an iconic restaurateurinPhilly. The girl who took me to Houlihans on the Square with all the cool kids lived at 18th and Delancey, across the street from towheaded Laura and her little brother Adam, both of whom have passed away, which is a sentence I shouldnt have to write while Im still in my 40s. 8 Lesser-Known Abortion Funds to Support Post-Roe, Your Guide to This Weeks Eagles-Giants Playoff Game.