The city is lifting some more coronavirus restrictions imposed on businesses on Nov. 20 due to a spike in new cases. Starting this Saturday, Jan. 16, limited indoor dining at restaurants is allowed to resume. Restaurants can reopen at 25 percent capacity and are allowed to seat only up to four people from the same household at one table. Indoor catering events and entertainment are still not allowed.

“Everyone must wear a mask at all times, especially when they are sitting and eating,” Philadelphia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said on Tuesday when announcing loosening of indoor dining restrictions. Here’s what this means:  Continue Reading

Vagrant Coffee owners Josh Dew (left) and Jared Cate (Photo from Vagrant’s Instagram page).

A new cafe, Vagrant Coffee, has recently opened on 45th and Baltimore, at the former Milk & Honey location. The owners, Joshua Dew and Jared Cate, are entrepreneurs from Baltimore who already have three Vagrant locations there. It’s a relatively young business, started in 2017, and Vagrant Coffee in West Philly is their first venture outside of Baltimore.

Vagrant Coffee is also known for bringing their mobile equipment (mobile coffee and espresso bars) to parties, events and even offices. One of the reasons why they chose the name “Vagrant” was to emphasize their mobility.

Apart from their specialty coffee and in-house made pastries, the new coffee shop offers breakfast, sandwiches and salads, all available for pick-up only at this time due to COVID restrictions. There is some outdoor seating, too.

You can check out their menu and order online here.

Vagrant Coffee is open Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat & Sun 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Philadelphia officials have lifted some COVID-19 restrictions re-imposed on local businesses and activities in November due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. The following types of businesses and activities can now resume operations (with COVID safety protocols), according to Mayor Jim Kenney’s announcement on Tuesday:

• Museums
• Gyms
• Casinos
• Outdoor sports
• Outdoor catered events
• In-person learning for high schools  Continue Reading

This holiday season, West Philly restaurant Renata’s Kitchen is helping the local branch of an organization which supports families of seriously ill children. Instead of purchasing more gift cards, Renata’s Kitchen owners Kate and Yasser Aiq are asking guests to donate towards catering orders for the local Ronald McDonald House. The organization has been struggling this year to recruit volunteers to prepare and serve their guest families during the pandemic.

“As a restaurant, we’ve also been struggling with the restrictions in place to keep everyone safe,” says Kate. But they don’t want to ask for support without giving something in return. “Just doesn’t feel right as a business to do,” she adds.  Continue Reading

In addition to the Holiday Gift Card Promotion (running through Dec. 24) and West Philly Forward Fundraising campaign where you can donate directly to local businesses and organizations, University City District has recently launched another campaign supporting West Philly businesses – West Philly Favorites.

The new campaign features a curated series of gift packs filled with handcrafted and locally produced items from small neighborhood businesses, including VIX Emporium, Renata’s Kitchen, Jezabel’s Cafe, Metropolitan Bakery, Snapdragon Flowers, and more. All proceeds from sales of West Philly Favorites packs go to participating businesses.  Continue Reading

A Sherwin-Williams paint store is being proposed at 4237 Walnut Street (see photo), the commercial building formerly occupied by a health center and other health-related businesses. The Spruce Hill Community Association’s Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting this Wednesday, Dec. 16 to discuss signage for the proposed store. Community members are invited to join the meeting via Zoom (see more information below).

This location was in the news last year when ILERA Health Care was considering to open a medical marijuana dispensary there. That proposal met stiff opposition from the Masjid Al-Jamia mosque across the street, among others, and was scuttled. Continue Reading