It was launched by Howard Johnson himself in the 1920s as a soda fountain and lunch counter, and by 1954 there were 400 outposts in 32 states. 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? One of the most tragic losses to the roster of Philadelphia diners came with the demolition of the long-suffering Wayne Junction Diner. This roundup features what I believe to be the citys best and most significant examples of the the classic American diner. Tam O'Shanter in Los Feliz, which dates back to 1922, is one of the oldest restaurants in the city and is owned by the same family as Lawry's. Though the menu is very similar to the upscale Beverly Hills steakhouse, The Tam's aesthetic is somewhere between a medieval drinking tavern and the Seven Dwarfs' cottage. Hows the food? Those children of the 1970s and 1980s grew up in and around the suburban malls. These days it serves up Mexican fare as Jessis Diner behind a horrible brick faade which was installed by the previous owner. run as a restaurant and morphing into fast fashion optical retailer Warby Our friend came out with big news: There was a baggie of cocaine in the room. We tried the apple pie with vanilla sauce, which made for a decadent pairing. 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 . . Parents kept their stashes in the open. All-in-all, the Melrose still mostly looks and feels like the Melrose. On the other hand, dont count on it being there forever. 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. | Photo: Randy Garbin nest and fried wontons with complete with a mysterious dunking sauce. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . Sep 13, 2019 - Restaurants that I ate at as a child..most no longer exist. Today, it's a popular venue from early to late and celebrates every holiday big or small with gusto (and themed drinks, food, and decor). I remember the original Oak Lane diner to be a red Formica looking building very small. Only one of us was brave enough to go in; the rest waited outside, flat against the wall, like felons in a lineup. Facebook/A Slice of the 80s. Howard Johnson's. Photo courtesy of thedailymeal.com. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . Now these places are a CVS, a Mandee, an empty lot, a soon-to-be-demolished historic relic. that made it all possible. I dont know of any other diners that serve their apple pie quite like this, and the sauce is not overly sweet, but it could easily mask any faults of the pie. We do, and it was great. 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 also waitressed at Oak Lane Diner when I was in grad school in the late 70s (Hmm, tuition=extra money=diner job). 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. Or that the chef erred on the salty side with the otherwise tender pot roast? The Big Greek Diner has generally thrived through the overall decline of the industry since the 1960s, largely because its owners reacted to the advance of minimized menus of fast food chains by piling it on. Fifteen years later Weinstein has proven both his knowledge of his market and his appreciation for the authentic diner experienceone refreshingly devoid of cutesy, cheap nostalgia that rises far above the tired greasy spoon trope. Its almost cute.. Shame it sits the way it does. Weve got it so good, its unreal. Until Its dirty. Yes, I think that was it. 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. 8 Lesser-Known Abortion Funds to Support Post-Roe, Your Guide to This Weeks Eagles-Giants Playoff Game. 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. We look to blogs such as these for straight talk, not depends on who you ask waffling. 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. Judging by the all the online reviews, past impressions, and tips from fellow diner fanatics, the desserts remain the menus real attraction. Red Robin on Frankford Avenue was well liked. Philly has been in the midst of a long-lived restaurant boom that shows no signs of slowing. Just dont ask him when the actual trolleys will return to the tracks on Germantown Avenue. Photograph by Dick Swanson/The National Archive, Eddie Gindi seems genuinely excited as he stands at the dais in the Union League. The diner offers a basic, no-frills menu. 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. Great memories! If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) A hole-in-the-wall with the best Chinese food in Philadelphia. The Domino Diner facts were about 99% correct with the exception of the operating name at its original location in Medford, Massachusetts. Foursquare. Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. For some reason that roll along the roofline became an extremely popular motif on retro-styled diners starting back in the mid-1990s. Sbraga told him he had fond memories of dining with his family at the Pub in Pennsauken, N.J. during the 1980s. Years later I moved to Roborough and became a semiregular. Italian roll could get their fix on Old York Road, and those who had the People might offer you drugs. Le Bec-Fin was a French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that first opened in 1970.Owner and founder Georges Perrier named the restaurant after the French colloquialism for "fine palate". Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionalsand your views, too. Philadelphia way back in 1902, 115 years later, the concept still feels In 1920 Cleveland had 76 hotels, serving 796,841 townspeople. accolades to Retro restaurant enthusiasts might be familiar with The Pub, a salad bar Great article !! So why do I long for the old days? Chi-Chi's. Wikimedia Commons/Nostaljack/Public Domain. Updated on Nov 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. Originally part of the Pillsbury Corp., the restaurant was founded in 1976. "On our first visit to Philadelphia, my friend recommended we try Talula's Garden. Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. Overcooked eggs with ingredients scrambled in does not an omelette make. But what about the diner? The author in front of her house on Rodman Street with her father. cash only, after-hours spot for a hangover fighting something or other from I suppose so. 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. 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. Strictly speaking, adiner is a prefabricated food-service structure with counter service and tables. This breakfast, lunch and In 1998, with diners at the peak of their resurgence, Ken tossed the idea into mix, and the hunt commenced. No telling if they will survive and fade out of our existence or I fade out since Im an elderly person. Forget its name but it sure was crowded at 2 am! In the late 1970s, the Dewey's restaurants in Philadelphia began to fold, victims to competition from national fast food chains like . 6. Frisco BBQ restaurant raises $33K for boy with rare blood cancer . Check out this slice of life story from the World War II era, compliments of Curbed Philly. Manage Settings That's what Bennigan's, an Irish-themed bar and grill, offered in the 1980s. My father worked as a manager at Whitney & Patterson Paper Company at 5th & Bristol in the 70s into the 80s. 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. The wagons, eventually manufacturedby several different companies, grew bigger and more ornate and semi-permanent. home to a stuck-in-time, chrome and vinyl diner. THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Garden. a seafood-centric menu, heavy on the truffles and Champagne. Italian. 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. They were s Philly traditional, I worked for the Perini Corp for that area of reconstruction. For many of us, home fries are a litmus test of the whole experience and every diner should make their own undeniably great version. One of the developments that sparked the resurgence of interest in the American diner came about with the reimagining of the concept by the owners of the Empire Diner in New York in 1976. 1. ET. The best diners pay loving homage to its past, but also strive to write their own history and become landmarks in their own right. To order the clip clean and hi-res or to find out more visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. Yeah the Mayfair Diner was a pretty great one, Id been there a few times a year, from 1989 until sometime in 2006 or 2007, which I just found from the article is about when Petrogannis bought it. This isnt a food review. A beaten down Mountain View diner that looks like the owners use it for storage or maybe converted it into a kitchen for their sports bar addition. I agree that eating at a diner is more of an immersive experience in that neighborhood. The diner was built by Paramount and it still features the companys trademark wedding cake corners with the gazing ball ornament. Not much left to see here except for the basic outlines of a classic 50s structure. * Close to CC - 6 Min cab from center cityl. I liked its gritty spirit. (215) 735-5562. 3 lived at 17th and Pine with her mom and stepdad and the largest dining room table Id ever seen. Now, the chef is attached to the upcoming Fitler Club, and yet another concept, Tipsy Bistro, has opened in the Fat Hams former home. 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. On June 6, the City posted a notice on the front door demanding its owners to either fix it or tear it down. The Dining Car makes up for this with desserts. It has been so long, but that name rings a familiar bell. I mean, Ive been singing Phillys praises since I was a kid, but the moniker Filthadelphia (and its concomitant reputation) was so widespread, it was the first thing a new friend brought up to me when we met during my semester abroad. So true. This was the center of our universe. The Crime rates in the 1980s Philadelphia were very high. Read more G.W. The Mayfair Diner ended an 80-year run under the same family in 2006. vending machines-meets-restaurant featured walls of serve yourself windows I left the neighborhood a couple years ago for Bella Vista but I go to Bobs every time Im in the area. Between 1913 and 1956, the companys tagline boasted, In our line, we lead the world. By the time they built Bobs, OMahony enjoyed a reputation for building high-quality, streamlined diners. dining. Went to Ellwood, Wagner, and Central. 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 Former St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Butch . When Harry Markellos partnered up with George K and opened Horsham Towne I worked there and met my wife of 40 years! My friends dad picked us up in his car one day without any clothes on. I feel like I cant truly enjoy a vacation or visiting a town without going to a local diner. Khyber Pass Pub. Trolley Car Diner, 7619 Germantown Avenue. Yet I sometimes miss the grimy Center City of my youth. This diner is a perfect example ofwhy you do not want to become a diner aficionado. If there are photos of this grand 1920s OMahony in its original setting, Id love to see them. Weinstein topped off the whole project with a neon sign almost worthy of the Las Vegas strip, something few do anymore. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Koo Zee DooClosed in: 2013A 50 Best Restaurants-worthy (rare) Portuguese restaurant inNorthern Liberties (rarer) run by a James Beard Award-nominated chef (yep)? 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 grew up in one as my father owned the Domino Diner. After closing Mm,chef-owner David Katz hasbeen a culinary director at Honeygrow and is now spearheading Capogiros nationwide expansion. This makes Hiroki, which opened in 2019, a welcome . Here are some fascinating photos that offer a glimpse into 1980s Philadelphia. Where to Have a Blowout Birthday Dinner in Philly, Where to Go When You Want Your Meal to Feel Like an Activity, The Philly 15: Philadelphias Most Exciting New Restaurants, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Gilda, a Homey Portuguese Cafe, Opens in Fishtown on March 3rd. The Red Robin Diner represents the transitional style of diners popular in the mid-to-late 1960s when stainless steel had lost its shine. | Restaurant Rating System It did have Oak Lane Diner on the front in Art Deco style. website lives in perpetuity. his 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). Senior year, a friend and I went to see Hannah and Her Sisters. The restaurants 2002 Shop on Main Street. 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. Most are gone now, I think. When we walked to school at 17th and the Parkway, dealers would try to sell us drugs (and I have no doubt they sometimes succeeded). Open in Google Maps. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Susan and Lizzy were on Panama, right across the street from each other, while Liz No. I guess he wasnt here in 1976, when KAP the Bicentennial Kid tagged the Art Museum and the Liberty Bell. Required fields are marked *. last May, no late night in Rittenhouse Square was complete without a trip to this The Farm & Fisherman. Yesterday, in the same building, I found a bottle of sunscreen. Philadelphia opens restaurants as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits. I was about six. Parker. Perhaps youre thinking of Robinsons Diner on Island Avenue near Buist (SW Philadelphia)? Great article thank you. 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. I hope someone who loves diners reads this story and is moved to buy it and restore it. Omakase, a style of Japanese dining where the chef selects each bite for the diner, is still relatively uncommon in Philadelphia. There arent enough bike lanes. 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. His new old-style diner came by truck in six sections, pieced together on site. 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. At the same time, she hinted thathertaco cart might be back in some form in the future, so were holding out hope. It isnt a converted rail car. City Hall was a mess. The boy moved to New York, which was sad (according to my diary), but I miss the old TLA more. 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. There is also Chung Sing, an American-chinese diner on Lancaster Avenue near Ardmore. Your email address will not be published. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and
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