Photos by Kyle Cassidy
Trolley Car Station, the long-awaited restaurant next to the 40th St. trolley portal at 40th and Baltimore (or 40th and Woodland, depending on which way you’re standing) has finally opened! It’s the third Trolley Car location opened by restaurateur Ken Weinstein. Convenient to trolley commuters, Penn, USciences, the VA hospital and visitors to The Woodlands, Trolley Car Station offers lunch and dinner options, a separate breakfast menu and a full bar. The restaurant has ample indoor seating spread out over two floors as well as an outdoor seating area, though the bar is located on the first floor only.
During a soft-opening “friends and family” night last week, Trolley Car executive chef Barbie Marshall (you may have seen her as a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen) debuted a wide range of dishes, from homestyle favorites like chicken and waffles and macaroni and cheese, to more international items like seitan skewers in cumin oil, stuffed grape leaves and Korean-style shrimp and grits.
Trolley Car Station is open 7 days a week, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. on most days and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
A grand opening of the new restaurant is scheduled for September 27th. For more information, visit the Trolley Car Station website or Facebook page.
– Mike VanHelder
September 9th, 2018 at 12:20 am
This place is 5 months overdue (Originally scheduled for a spring 2018 opening). I’ve lost my enthusiasm.
September 9th, 2018 at 10:42 am
Clearing out a pleasant green space and razing the half dozen mature trees to build yet another commercial building is typical “University City” thinking.
September 11th, 2018 at 9:24 am
Looks very nice. I look forward to checking it out.
September 14th, 2018 at 8:27 pm
We had dinner at the Trolley Stop a week ago to celebrate our friends’ buying a new car. Much as we wanted to enjoy this new and long awaited addition to the culinary options in the neighborhood, we were disappointed. The place has an empty, institutional feel. We had to wait a long time for dinner. When we inquired about the delay, we were asked to repeat our order, as if it could not be tracked based on our table. The Mediterranean plate included what looked like tasty appetizers but they were bland, lacking spice. The peach cobbler had large flourery lumps, unintegrated with the peaches. We wish the Trolley Stop well and hope they will improve. The managment should also give some thought to how to make the decor warmer, less like a fast food joint.
September 17th, 2018 at 12:29 pm
Looking forward to checking this out. A nice addition to the neighborhood. SEPTA should come up with a way to allow you to hop off the trolley there to stop at the diner and then get back on without paying again.