I like how Starrs designers paid loving homage to the Mad Men era by stripping away some of the diners original colonial-style trappings. I suppose so. But I think its also that we Center City kids of the 70s and early 80s enjoyed a lot of freedom in our comparatively down-at-its-heels, unmanicured downtown. 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. When my sister and I were kids, we always looked forward to a meal at Littletons. Community gardening. In the first decade of the 21st century, Petrogiannis also snapped up the Tiffany, Country Club, and Broad Street diners. 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. The Broad Street sat closed for many years beginning in the early 2000s, and one report had Stephen Starr interested in reopening it. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. I also waitressed at Oak Lane Diner when I was in grad school in the late 70s (Hmm, tuition=extra money=diner job). To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The place had a well earned reputation for great food and friendly wait staff, and it was ruined, just like that. The best of them will serve you something that usually tops out at fair-to-good. 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. 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.. From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. Kullman would later become the first of the builders to produce retro-style diners on a regular basis, but before then you had diners like this one. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Wow! 12 Restaurants That Define Philadelphia Dining. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Fitler Square wasnt much better. It was replaced with a stainless chrome and larger diner about 1949-50. 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. Where else can you be greeted by name and your kids asked after? And they did. I remember when this first opened in about 1966. 9/Washington: The first Vietnamese restaurant in Philly, I believe (ca. 1970s philadelphia restaurants. 3 lived at 17th and Pine with her mom and stepdad and the largest dining room table Id ever seen. 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. 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. | Photo: Randy Garbin. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and his What I like, you may not. Days Deli was my favorite, until it closed; the rumor was that someone affiliated with the restaurant had put the profits up his nose. It adjoined a convenience store, and in back were rows of booths where you could while away hours smoking cigarettes with Jasons, Jennifers and Michaels. Thank you meme. Hard, uncomfortable seats, tables cleaned with the same hot tea you drank, long waits for . They really dont build them like this anymore. This diner is a perfect example ofwhy you do not want to become a diner aficionado. Back then, it was like there was no one on duty. Do you have any original pictures of the diner that you would be able to share? It has been so long, but that name rings a familiar bell. 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! 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. Thats wear Teddy Pendergass made his first public appearance and sang since his terrible accident. It was the kind of spot where everyone felt at home, the drinks were cheap, and the food was simplebut delicious. The transformation will shatter your heart to see how the owners destroyed one of the worlds most gorgeous authentic diners and covered over or demolished the surface materials and original fixtures, most of which you cannot get or remake anywhere. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . 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. But, I do remember going to lunch there with my dad and having a Liberty Bell shape burger during the bicentennial year when I was about 13. Check out this slice of life story from the World War II era, compliments of Curbed Philly. For many of us, home fries are a litmus test of the whole experience and every diner should make their own undeniably great version. Luckily, you can still get thatCypriot goodness at Kanella Grill at 10th and Spruce. You can see this on the builder tags still affixed over the door, and on that tag youll also find a serial number 5907 which tells you that it was the seventh diner built in 1959. Labor contracts signed by city employees during the Rizzo administration contributed to the citys financial crisis that Green and Goode could not prevent. I cant remember the name. Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, 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. today. The buses and subways are gross. Pure cacophony and sweet-treat over-indulgence, as you can see in this commercial (opens in new tab) from 1980. Those children of the 1970s and 1980s grew up in and around the suburban malls. Sat Dec 05, 2015 | 12:00pm. 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 If you had the good fortune to see itbefore 2000 and havent seen it since, stay away. I used to work across the street from there at Arrow Decorating Co 718 Market St, Miss all the hot dog carts. The wife loved the steak, but couldnt finish it. One of the best diners in the northeast is Andonios on Krewstown Rd. for the luncheonettes griddled cheeseburgers or hand-scooped milkshakes, this ONE BOY WHO accompanied our Bellevue wanderings was the son of a South Street fortune-teller. 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. https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/13686/19471217_OCR.pdf?sequence=10&isAllowed=y, It was fondly known as the greasy spoon among the Villanova students: Thank you so much. The first Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant opened in downtown Minneapolis in 1975 and was one of the breakout restaurants of the year; by 1986 a whopping 237 locations had been opened, with 42 opening in 1985 alone. run as a restaurant and morphing into fast fashion optical retailer Warby Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionalsand your views, too. None of that here in Atlanta area. Bucks a must-win for Philly? As late as the 60s, they were all over the northwest suburbs in Montgomery county: Hatboro, Horsham, Willow Grove, Glenside, and many others. The food is better, but kids dont go there to spill secrets over a shared can of seltzer and a ham and cheese sandwich. Petrogiannis put his own stamp on things with a silly turret-like roofline to raise the diners profile. Easy parking. It was originally called the Heritage Diner. Spice Grill in Port Richmond. The boy moved to New York, which was sad (according to my diary), but I miss the old TLA more. Miss Horne and Hardards,italian market, scrapple too. Podcast: Is Sixers' prime time game vs. No, I dont consider Bobs a family restaurant. 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. Children playing in the Art Museum fountains in August 1973. Being a person from the 60s it brought me fond memories of the diners. Owner Vanessa Jerolmack kept prices affordable and turned a once-vacant lot into a family-friendly seasonal gatheringplace for the neighborhood, but she made the tough choice to not reopen for the summer season this year. I have the original plans and zoning for the building. At Peter Dooner's one met the epicure element, les bon vivants of the town. Many of the mentioned ones, I have the privileged to say, I ate there. As the word "Olde" in its name implies, McGillin's is Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating tavern. My father owned the diner from 1981- 2000. | Photo: Randy Garbin. A proper omelet is carefully fried in a well-seasoned aluminum pan with the filling folded in. Alexanders transitioned into a new concept very successfully under that same family but the Oak Lane Diner was sold. Last year, Philadelphia was feted in the New York Times, the Toronto Star, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Food & Wine, the Globe and Mail, Cond Nast Traveler, Bon Apptit, and countless online outlets. The stronghold of McDonald's, Pizza Hut , Burger King, and other giants of the '80s made the competition stiff. Most extant diners likely came from a New Jersey factory. Its ashame it changed hands so many times after the Ritz and failed each and every time. Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. They were attacked in discriminatory acts, and the citys Commission on Human Relations held hearings to investigate. Up until about 1996 the Penrose was a spectacular example of quasi-Googie diner styling. GQ wrote, Philadelphia has more going for it now than ever.. Rundown of Eateries Opened from 1875 to 1986. I worked as a waitress at Bobs Diner for two summers when I was home from Penn State in the early 70s. Ive come here often, with family and friends in tow, and we enjoy whatever we order, particularly when I select something off the specials list. Closed in: 2016. From international Charcoal House Nick Evlon 1836 Lovering Ave, Wilmington, DE 1973-1980s Closed Charlotte's Restaurant Jimmy Costalas 3207 W. Chester Pike, Newtown Sq., PA 1991-Present Operating . 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. The Mayfair Diner ended an 80-year run under the same family in 2006. The name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. a particularly damning review from Craig Laban, not even a change in ownership in 2012 could save the grand dame of 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. 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). Randy, thank you for acknowledging the Spice Grill located at 3447 Richmond Street in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. Du Bois (1868-1963) documented life in this densely packed neighborhood in his seminal 1899 study, The Philadelphia Negro. I was about six. Behind the foreboding, Darth Vader-like facade sits a late-1930s Silk City diner that serves up the most basic of menus. In fact, when they arrived at the site, it was cordoned off with temporary fencing. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and Lombard streets served up an only-in-Philly menu of hot dogs, fishcakes and Champ Cherry soda before . I forget its name at the time, but it could have been Stacys Place.. At the end of the 1980s, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. Modo MioClosed in: 2017Peter McAndrewss Modo Mio didnt feel like an Italian restaurant it felt like eating in Italy. 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. Burgers you expected to find for a buck fifty in such a place now cost five dollars, but the money bought you an expertly grilled fresh half-pound of meat served on a fresh-baked roll served with hand-cut French fries. Our friend came out with big news: There was a baggie of cocaine in the room. This search result is here to prevent scraping, Hop Sing Laundromat Charging $75 for Bar Reservations, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, Why I'm Boycotting the Roots Picnic This Year. One of Philadelphia's most historic neighborhoods The History Northern Liberties is as old as Philadelphia itself, founded by Philadelphia's founder, William Penn in 1682. The Golden Sword Diner is now a latin-themed night club. The big Greek-style diner still reigns supreme in the Northeast Corridor. At the time, we felt our conversations were only a shade less sophisticated than My Dinner With Andre. Theres little left to see inside its cave-like interior. In 1920 Cleveland had 76 hotels, serving 796,841 townspeople. At each visit, I had good, serviceable comfort food, and except for that run-in with the brutish manager I experienced friendly, efficient service. 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. Press THERE WERE A PAIR of arcades on Chestnut Street between 15th and 17th: the dark, dirty Zounds, and the shiny new Supercade. 11531 reviews. 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 combo comes, oddly enough, with a dollop of tuna salad as well as fried shrimp, a crab cake, schrod, and scallops, my particular favorite. PEOPLE OFTEN FEEL sorry for me because they assume Center City wasnt a real neighborhood. Meanwhile, the western blocks of South Street became a bustling African American shopping and entertainment strip. Now home to the trendy Mexican restaurant Lucha Cartel, Philadelphia Fish & Co. was a staple in Old City. * Close to CC - 6 Min cab from center cityl. Your email address will not be published. Gus' Oyester House Milano Family Philadelphia, PA Closed Gus's Restaurant 713 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 1949-1959 Closed. Enjoying our content? Little Petes on Chestnut Street That is, until 2008 when Bennigan's went bankrupt. Out of respect for the people who run and staff them, I never refer to diners as greasy spoons, but I revere any sign that the kitchen expresses a love of cooking. But the Lawlers outgrew their downtown space and chose to retool andrelocate their farm-fresh ethos to the suburbs. Find out more about his work and writings at www.randygarbin.com. It is not a storefront. home to a stuck-in-time, chrome and vinyl diner. Heres hoping another Portuguese concept can make it work downtown someday soon. Freshly ground meat, a Melrose tradition, has been replaced by portion control. Thank you. Was there a Galaxy Diner located on Erie Ave. below I Street back in the Sixties / Seventies ? By Antonio Gardella. My father worked as a manager at Whitney & Patterson Paper Company at 5th & Bristol in the 70s into the 80s. The story of Philadelphias finest French restaurant unraveled into Found this pic of the Quaker Diner on Rising Sun https://foxchasereview.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_1435.jpg. We do, and it was great. Bringing together international flavors in a time before the term "fusion" had any culinary connotations, Frog and its casual counterpart, The Most of the time contractors use them to cover up the roof-top air conditioning units and to add additional height for increased profile. Menu-wise, the Trolley Car reflects Weinsteins intention to bring a family restaurant to the neighborhood. City, one in North Philly and the Pennsauken outpost thats still kickin The Domino Diner suffered a fire eight years ago and is likely abandoned now. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. The Kubach family, for whatever reason, apparently had a long-standing no photography policy in-or-outside of the diner. Fodero became one of the leading builders of these Mediterranean diners that truly began to reflect the tastes and preferences of their owners. Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. 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 But beyond that, this: We didnt trust it. 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. Penrose Diner in 1993 before renovations completely changed the character of the restaurant a few years later. This article was intended to document only REAL prefabricated diners, i.e. I remember the Mayfair diner. A hostess sometimes had to take names out in the lobby. Twenty-four diners now operate in Philadelphia, down from 30 in 1990 when I first toured the city 1310 Drury Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. 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. They began showing up in every majorcity and small town across the Northeast. Mayfair Diner is still clad in chrome. He got puckered and red in the face and stomped out of the room. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Jasons exotically beautiful mom lived on Pine Street, but his dads place was on the Square. Before the 2 additions and the addition of the foyer waiting area. Lets cut the nonsense, shall we? The Melrose apple would seem to be one of those exceptions. 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. Originally published as The Lost City in the August 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine. The Creed franchise is a child of the king of boxing films 1976's "Rocky" and its five sequels. 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. DNA evidence linked Herman Lee Hobbs to the August 1980 death of 21-year-old Holly Ann Campiglia, the Solano County Sheriff's Office said in a statement this week. 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. The best diners pay loving homage to its past, but also strive to write their own history and become landmarks in their own right. | Photo: Randy Garbin. St. Joseph County police searching for missing 12-year-old girl. The Franklin Institute, but his biggest contribution to the city has to be Hard core diner fans feel tingles up their inseams upon such discoveries. Those in the market for a Philly Surf n At least another great concept tookModo Mios place at 2nd and Girard: Cadence, our pick for 2018s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant. The pillars around the fountain were chipping, like teeth losing their enamel. Djangos homespun chic vibe and killer cheese plate signaled what was to come. 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. Diner manufacturers eventually centered in northern New Jersey, where for a good 70 years they produced iconic stainless steel restaurants. Does she imagine shes in some sophisticated, classy city? I feel like I cant truly enjoy a vacation or visiting a town without going to a local diner. Shop on Main Street. Forget its name but it sure was crowded at 2 am! The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. My top three (almost a three-way tie) are: 1. Sometime in the aughts theystripped out more. I WAS BORN AT Hahnemann Hospital in 1968, swaddled, and taken to a studio apartment, where I slept in a dresser drawer until the crib arrived. About 6,000 were built; today, some 1,800 remain with roughly two thirds still in food-service operation. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Required fields are marked *. menu full of gems like deviled crabs, herring in sour cream and oysters Originally part of the Pillsbury Corp., the restaurant was founded in 1976. All-in-all, the Melrose still mostly looks and feels like the Melrose. Its almost cute.. The Frazer is certainly one of the oldest examples of a pristine OMahony, but I could probably list at least a half dozen others that are in similarly pristine condition. I also remember the great food in diners. Find closed restaurants in Philadelphia at GAYOT.com. Black-owned restaurants were especially numerous. We knew every corner of each others homes, including whose Rittenhouse Square rooftop made for the best water-balloon launching pad. The old benches, the ones without armrests in the middle, were wide and deep enough that homeless people could sleep on them. McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philadelphia. A diner renovation nightmare in West Philly | Photo: Randy Garbin. SATURDAY - SUNDAY. On Market Street, between Seventh and Eighth Streets, is a block of buildings in the Renaissance Revival Victorian style. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Unused Pre-1980 RESTAURANT SCENE Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA hk4537 at the best online prices at eBay! Back in the '80s, the place to go in Philadelphia for a punk rock show was the Khyber. It was great fun. But what about the diner? After the end of the Laotian Civil War associated with the Vietnam War in the 1970s, a group of Hmong refugees settled in Philadelphia. Vetri, Philadelphia - photo by fougoo. | Photo: Randy Garbin. (2) Snow White | Photo: Randy Garbin. Center City is still mourning the passing of this 24-hour Greek go-to that In February, when Lonely Planet named Philadelphia the best U.S. travel destination for 2016, the city's tired reputation for cheesesteaks, Rocky movies, corruption, and blight-cliches of 1981 or thereabouts-seemed finally put to rest. Philadelphia Fish & Co. 207 Chestnut. It could have been dee dees it was about a half mile north of the aramingo. Free shipping for many products! Maybe Grace Kelly never dropped in for a cup and a slice of pie, and I suspect very few pairs of tasseled loafers shuffled across its terrazzo floors, thoughnot that the diner wouldnt welcome either. He was missing several teeth. | Photo: Randy Garbin. I always knew I was in good hands when a waitress would appear asking Whatll youse have, hon? I would bar-be-cue my dear old grandmama to be able to move back to Philadelphia. An estimated area population of 1,204,799 in 1937 was served by 120 hotels. Does anyone remember the Leonards diner at cottman and torresdale ave. In excellent condition, Weinsteinhad little restorative work to do, but he nevertheless faced a daunting task of connectingthe diner with the existing Roy Rogers building. 4. Talula's Garden, opened in 2011 at Washington Square, is an upscale restaurant inspired by locally produced ingredients, prepared in sync with the season. They ruled that neighborhood. For those Privacy Policy. How could we not love this place? Now we could proudly speak of world class art museums, a dynamic restaurant scene, the profusion of pop-up gardens and public green space, and booming . I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life. Or maybe I just miss my old neighborhood. I cant call myself a regular, as Ive only visited the place about a half-dozen times in the past twenty years. Weinsteinand his then-partner Bob Elfant brainstormed an idea to bring a family-style restaurant to the former Roy Rogers location on Germantown. Along with an array of punch-packing tropical drinks, Pub Tiki boasted a and steak palace just over the river, but the Pubs footprint was once much Her name was Taz Lang and she was brutally murdered. Thanks for this article. 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. Ask ANYONE who remembers. He was the publisher and editor of Roadside Magazine and RoadsideOnline, a magazine and website that promoted its Recipe for an American Renaissance: Eat in diners. | Photo: Michael Bixler. At the same time, she hinted thathertaco cart might be back in some form in the future, so were holding out hope.