philadelphia restaurants in the 1980s

Spice Grill in Port Richmond. I admire them for sticking it out. Went to Ellwood, Wagner, and Central. As I write, the diner is now boarded up after a fire closed it down last January. In Mt. How would I find my way? Once the quarters were spent, or stolen, we could head over to Days Deli at 18th and Spruce to get fries. Disingenuousness aside, the Melrose earned a reputation for its baked goods and sterling service. 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. Oh, what about Middletons Diner? It consisted of about 4 or 5 booths on ether side of the central entrance and a counter. . Kyrie Irving added 40 and . So why do I miss the dirty, second-rate downtown I grew up in? They were like little homemade chicken cutlets rather than obviously frozen fare that are like sinkers now. 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. On the plus side, he replaced the communal booths. When Harry Markellos partnered up with George K and opened Horsham Towne I worked there and met my wife of 40 years! Randy, Thanks for acknowledging the original Oak Lane Diner which does in fact still exist in Newburgh, N.Y. It is a true-and-tried diner. Whether or not hes actually improved on any of them depends on who you ask. Required fields are marked *. Ride Trains. My father worked as a manager at Whitney & Patterson Paper Company at 5th & Bristol in the 70s into the 80s. 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. While authorities would not release a report on the alleged incident, police have been . One of the best diners in the northeast is Andonios on Krewstown Rd. 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. Sit in the Square, as we did, and it was a pageant: People were black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor. Some like to compare diner builders to the more familiar auto industry, and some might designate OMahony as theChevroletof dinersa well-built, stylish diner without some of the features or decorative flourish found in its competitors,likeParamount or Fodero. My parents met at a diner somewhere near Elkins Park in the mid-1930s that was run by a couple named John and Gay. A couple of notesthe Boylevard Diner is now closed, the K Diner was first known as rhe Crest Diner and around 1978-79 it became Mil-Lees Luv-in, and Casa DEspana on Whitaker Ave was formerly known as the Franklin Diner, which was a local icon and was always busy. I liked its gritty spirit. In fact, when they arrived at the site, it was cordoned off with temporary fencing. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. Crime spiked. And for post-dining . 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 . Your email address will not be published. However I a native Philadelphian can attest to the experience of eating in diners. McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philadelphia. Who is this woman? Ill think. Zounds was rough. Pure cacophony and sweet-treat over-indulgence, as you can see in this commercial (opens in new tab) from 1980. All the golden goddesses! In 1982, the movie Diner came out and launched the careers of five unknown actors and director Barry Levinson. On the other hand, dont count on it being there forever. Only bother to go here if youre a hard-core diner fanatic. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Our game holds from 2-14 players and is an awesomely fun thing to do in Philadelphia for ages 8+. 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. I cant remember the name. When I worked there it was always busy especially on the weekends. Little PetesClosed in: 2017The iconic 24-hour diner at 17th and Chancellor was one of the dwindling number of places in the heart of Center City where folks from all walks of life could congregate over a plate of scrapple or corned beef. I am too an avid Diner lover tho. Thanks to a tip by someone who grew up in the Olney neighborhood I managed to find this diner which, up until that point, existed on no one elses list. Formerly known as Mil-Lees Luv-In, the diner did indeed have something of a hippie vibe during that era with its love beads and trippy menu graphics. So why do I long for the old days? If I can have a slice of meat loaf and my friend can munch on edamame while we sip a cocktail, everyone wins, and the diner lives on to serve a new generation. 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. Maybe the Big Greek Diner doesnt earn superlatives, but if you come with a group of people who cant come to any kind of culinary consensus, nothing fits the bill better than this. Its almost cute.. GQ wrote, Philadelphia has more going for it now than ever.. The restaurant had been rated America's finest French restaurant, and the Mobil Travel Guide traditionally awarded it five stars. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . This is a stock, late-1960s Fodero diner similar to Lancers Diner in Easton Road in Horsham. Before Stephen Starr oversaw a national empire of more than 35 restaurants, Fodero became one of the leading builders of these Mediterranean diners that truly began to reflect the tastes and preferences of their owners. 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. And so on. Brunch: 12-3pm Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. The Olde Bar : A Contemporary Oyster Saloon MILLER III / File Photograph. 8013 Castor Avenue, (215) 342-3005; 2153 S. Hancock Street, (215) 462-1637, lipkinsoriginalbakery.com. From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. a jumbo dog and mashed potato heavy fishcakes served on an Michael Petrogiannis got his start working in this diners kitchen. 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: Kabobeesh serves Indian and Pakistani food. Some great diners in S. Jersey. Frank Rizzo dominated City Hall, first as police commissioner, then as mayor. The Dining Car makes up for this with desserts. The Mayfair, The Country Club, likewise. It was another amazing Paramount-built diner, similar to the Oak Lane. Open in Google Maps. Khyber Pass Pub. The eggs were so-so, the homefries were lame, and the bacon was the thinnest cut Id ever seen, it was literally transparent. The Best 10 Restaurants near me in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wow! People from Vietnam settled here in the 1980s and 90s, an influx that gave rise to hybrid French bakeries such as Ba Le (606 Washington Avenue) and noodle parlours like Pho 75 (1122 Washington . I remember the original Oak Lane diner to be a red Formica looking building very small. Weve got it so good, its unreal. The Big Greek Diner typically gives you a lot of food for the money. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. We didnt trust it. It isnt constructed on-site, but rather brought to a semi-permanent location. Diner manufacturers eventually centered in northern New Jersey, where for a good 70 years they produced iconic stainless steel restaurants. Coach House Restaurant: 1980-1999 - Returned 2002-2003 See 2605 Philadelphia Pike: Page 2 Page 3: Coach 'N Four: Open 1964 - 1970 See 2605 Philadelphia Pike: Yes: . Its dirty. Back then, these were not only the primary vectors for graffiti, but had torn and broken seats and rusted poles. Privacy Policy. The story of how the Trolley Car came to Mount Airy begins with a few too many beers. 17 Failed Fast Food Restaurants From the 1980s - Eat This Not That 10 of Philly's most missed closed restaurants | PhillyVoice | Photo: Michael Bixler. 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. One year, we heard a judge was hosting one of these parade-watching parties. The pillars around the fountain were chipping, like teeth losing their enamel. All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.See the list. Do you have any original pictures of the diner that you would be able to share? In part, its basic childhood nostalgia. Airys continued revival. I want people to live here, to thrive here. Yes, the building is beat, worn around the edges, and unraveling in places, but it is also full of life, staffed by people who take pride in their work, and refreshingly devoid of kitschy self-awareness. 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. | Photo: Randy Garbin. as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. Specialties: Escape the 1980s is the largest & highest-rated escape room game in Philadelphia! Steel's, Finelli's and Dooner's were among the exclusive drinking resorts of the early eighties. 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). Blanc de Blancs Champagnes are different from the majority of Champagnes.Check the list. One of the most tragic losses to the roster of Philadelphia diners came with the demolition of the long-suffering Wayne Junction Diner. You might take drugs. Does she imagine shes in some sophisticated, classy city? He was missing several teeth. * Close to CC - 6 Min cab from center cityl. This was the place to reconnoiter, the hub, the treehouse club, the HQ. They were attacked in discriminatory acts, and the citys Commission on Human Relations held hearings to investigate. My great uncle, Pete Kyriakodis opened what is now know as the New Boulevard / Five Star Diner a long time ago. What Philadelphia looked like in the 1980s Through These Fascinating Photos. Originally part of the Pillsbury Corp., the restaurant was founded in 1976. Garces Trading Co.Closed in: 2018Before beer and wine were in grocery stores around Philly, there was Garces Trading, a BYO witha then-exciting (and beautiful) wine cellar inside the restaurant, which specialized in gourmet goods and sandwiches with the celebrity chefs signature touch. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Write by: . Casa Espana now serves as a nightclub. The operators will take issue with this, chiefly out of pride, but they often order their food from the same suppliers. I dont want a Rittenhouse Square ringed by abandoned construction sites rather than beautiful hotels. As far as the food at Bobs, I must loudly sing the praises of the omelets. After closing Mm,chef-owner David Katz hasbeen a culinary director at Honeygrow and is now spearheading Capogiros nationwide expansion. 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. Sometimes one or two exceptional items can make a restaurant a landmark. New Boulevard Diner, 11650 Roosevelt Boulevard, New Boulevard recently changed their name to the Five Star Diner. The food is better, but kids dont go there to spill secrets over a shared can of seltzer and a ham and cheese sandwich. Not sure if they serve diner fare besides the chinese menu. Best 30 French Restaurants in Philadelphia, PA with Reviews Campiglia was from New Jersey . While the the iconic Melrose and the Mayfair, both currently owned by Michael Petrogiannis, remain, the vast majority are gone. I guess he wasnt here in 1976, when KAP the Bicentennial Kid tagged the Art Museum and the Liberty Bell. Both the Melrose and the Mayfair shared a particularly endearing practice of pinning their waitresses with the year they started service. from the Pittsburgh area to Philadelphia, with . 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. Great photos on the wall. Sep 13, 2019 - Restaurants that I ate at as a child..most no longer exist. This was where we went to try new things to kiss, to reveal secrets, to drink, to smoke. The Domino Diner suffered a fire eight years ago and is likely abandoned now. 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. Check out this slice of life story from the World War II era, compliments of Curbed Philly. 14 Great Philly Restaurants We Wish Hadn't Closed - Philadelphia Magazine menu full of gems like deviled crabs, herring in sour cream and oysters I grew up in one as my father owned the Domino Diner. Photograph by I. George Bilyk. Well regarded by the Oak Lane neighborhood, the current diner is at least the second to sit at that location. It was the Ritz for quite awhile and since has gone through many name changes. THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Garden Philadelphia PA Reviews - GAYOT There was no single grown-up world, no monolith. Articles like this raise my homesickness for Philadelphia to Olympian heights. No, I dont consider Bobs a family restaurant. I had a lot of great memories working there. 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 | Photo: Randy Garbin. Shop on Main Street. Trolley Car Diner, 7619 Germantown Avenue. From long-livedgreasy spoonsto concepts from hotshot chefswho flamed out, we'rerememberingthese much-loved spots taken from us too soon. Former St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Butch . People might offer you drugs. January 29, 2015. You wont leave hungry. It did have Oak Lane Diner on the front in Art Deco style. Northern Liberties | The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia The history of restaurants in the Nation's Capital. Mario Batali has called this unassuming 40-seat trattoria in the Center City area of Philly "possibly the best Italian restaurant on the East Coast." The elevated cuisine is prepared by Marc Vetri, who was trained by celebrated chefs in Bergamo, Italy, and who has won a James Beard Award for his . The next event in Phoenixville Public Library's co-sponsored "Community Gardening around the Village" series will take place on Sunday, March 5, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. If someone ever takes the initiative to remove the brick, Ill send you a photo. Front Porch Restaurant: 232 Philadelphia Pike, Bellefonte, 1980-2003 Destroyed by fire. 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! And they did. This roundup features what I believe to be the citys best and most significant examples of the the classic American diner. Instead, Chef and owner Kevin Sbraga invites guests to be instantly transported to the 1980s at Juniper Commons, his new restaurant on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. "On our first visit to Philadelphia, my friend recommended we try Talula's Garden. Period. I like how Starrs designers paid loving homage to the Mad Men era by stripping away some of the diners original colonial-style trappings. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Where else can you be greeted by name and your kids asked after? Talula's Garden, opened in 2011 at Washington Square, is an upscale restaurant inspired by locally produced ingredients, prepared in sync with the season. Melrose really had some good food under the Kubachs. 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. My last visit for Sunday breakfast found the place busier than the OHare Airport at Thanksgiving, and the meals met with my partys expectations, except for the home fries. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration . Days Deli. 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 name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. For the most part, the Big Greek Diners all serve more or less the same thing. The last time I wandered in I found an angry looking man in a suit managing the place, and very scared looking waitstaff scurrying about everywhere. Find out more about his work and writings at www.randygarbin.com. Susan and Lizzy were on Panama, right across the street from each other, while Liz No. The fact that so few pristine examples remain should give anyone with an appreciation for aesthetic and structural quality reason enough to at least go in one and get a cup of coffee on a regular basis. Ithelped put Girard Avenue on the citys dining radar a decade ago, and that highly affordable,Best of Philly-worthytasting menu was a crazy good deal (and just crazy good). Center City fared better than most neighborhoods, but it wasnt immune. Being a person from the 60s it brought me fond memories of the diners. Philadelphias decline was well under way by the time I was born. AS A PERSON WHO works in Center City and who writes about real estate and economic development I cant claim to be disappointed by downtowns success. This was no bland suburb, no Peyton Place. The real estate developer Ken Weinstein loves Germantown Avenue. RESTAURANTS | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve | Photo: Randy Garbin. worldwide team of discerning professionalsand your views, too. Only one of us was brave enough to go in; the rest waited outside, flat against the wall, like felons in a lineup. Big diners like Melrose, with few exceptions, typically serve awful fruit piesgloppy, over-sweet fillings poured into industrial strength crusts. I thought that place next to Nabisco was called The Ritz in the 80s & early 90s. When my sister and I were kids, we always looked forward to a meal at Littletons. 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. anno 1980). 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. Escape the 1980s - Escape Room Game - Philadelphia, PA The Creed franchise is a child of the king of boxing films 1976's "Rocky" and its five sequels. 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. You can also get dinner here. This article was intended to document only REAL prefabricated diners, i.e. I hope the place has gotten better since then, Im not going to spend my money or time to find out. 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. Restaurants - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia Miss Horne and Hardards,italian market, scrapple too. It took another ten years before I managed to furtively snap a shot of the diners interior. with snapper soup on the menu, theres no way that this newish iteration South Philadelphia was ravaged by Mafia warfare, gangs invaded the slums, and the murder rate skyrocketed. But the retail counter was nixed and replaced with a full-service bar 2013 andearlier this year, the conceptbecame one of the surprisingly few casualties in Garces Groups recent restructuring due to outstanding debts. 16 Beloved Restaurants Only '70s Kids Will Remember - Yahoo! 19 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia - Cond Nast Traveler The buildings were built between 1859 and 1918. Polynesian-themed, date night spot on the 1700 block of Walnut Street. Free shipping for many products! 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. Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. 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. Oak Lane Diner on North Broad looking worse for wear. Little Petes on Chestnut Street Parents kept their stashes in the open. The city does have some great Portuguese spots (Cafe Liz and Peruvian hybrid El Balconcito come to mind), but theyre all solidly in North or Northeast Philly. As a preservationist and a diner fanatic, I tend to give considerable slack to vintage diners, especially when they make an obvious effort to do right by the customer and their community. 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. From international An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 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. We tried the apple pie with vanilla sauce, which made for a decadent pairing. The diner takes its name from the company that built it. The banquet room at Tiffanys has been used as a filming location for Pennsylvania Lottery commercials. They were s Philly traditional, I worked for the Perini Corp for that area of reconstruction. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art in August 1973. Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionalsand your views, too. They began showing up in every majorcity and small town across the Northeast. Trolley Car strikes that rare balance between food quality and attitude. looks like the Oak Lane died as well. Best 80s themed restaurants near me in Philadelphia, PA . 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.