Greensgrow’s new, larger and more permanent location at 5123 Baltimore Avenue is ready to welcome its first customers. The soft opening is this Friday, so stop by and check it out. Grand Opening is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8. The former temporary Greensgrow West location at 4912 Baltimore Ave. closed on August 7.

Greensgrow signed a long-term lease with the city for 5123-29 Baltimore Ave. in Spring 2015 and began developing the new lot late last year. Previously empty and overgrown with bamboo, the new site was reimagined by student architects from Drexel University who gathered input from local residents with an eye towards green building practices.

The site features a high tunnel, demonstration green roofs and rain gardens, repurposed shipping containers, and even a tiny house. An outdoor classroom is being built by students from the Workshop School for Greensgrow’s educational workshops and will be open for neighborhood schools and organizations to use. Several West Philadelphia partners and organizations such as Cedar Park Neighbors, the Baltimore Avenue Business Association and the Philadelphia Water Department, contributed critical support to getting the site cleared for reuse. The new fence was built with the support of an Indiegogo campaign started by a neighbor.  Continue Reading

University City Dining Days return on July 14 with an impressive list of participating restaurants, well-established and new. Just a reminder that the purpose of this popular annual event organized by the University City District is to encourage folks to visit their local eateries during one of the slowest summer months. This summer, a record thirty-four of University City’s most popular dining destinations – including seven restaurants participating for the first time – will offer a pre-fixe three-course dinner special for $15, $25 or $35 (drinks and tips are not included).

The restaurants are now taking reservations, including popular spots such as Distrito, Dock Street Brewery, Stephen Starr’s Pod, Han Dynasty, and more. Seven new restaurants have joined this year’s program: Jose Garces’ JG Domestic, new Baltimore Avenue eatery Renata’s Kitchen, Nicole Marquis’ HipCityVeg, new fast casual concept Herban Quality Eats, Bobby Flay’s Bobby’s Burger Palace, Japanese hand-drawn noodle spot Ochatto, and Indian restaurant Tandoor.

The event will run for 10 days: July 14 through July 24.

The full list of participating restaurants, prices, and contact information for each restaurant are available at: www.ucdiningdays.com (make you reservation directly at your restaurant of choice).

UPDATE (6/23/2016): Gangster Vegan Organics owner Vinny DePaul told Phillymag.com that he was planning to sign the lease for the storefront at 4305 Locust St. after it was fully renovated, but “started having issues with the landlord” and decided not to continue with his plans for the space. Instead, he’s eyeing a new location in the area.

Looks like Gangster Vegan Organics, a restaurant and juice bar, is not coming to Locust Street as previously reported, and the space is now back on the market.

An employee at the only current Gangster Vegan organic location (in Norristown), said that “things didn’t quite work out” with the building’s owner, but West Philly is not completely out of the picture.

Gangster Vegan Organics is now focusing on their expansion in Phoenixville instead.

“For Rent” signs have recently been posted on the windows at 4305 Locust St. (pictured). The ground floor space has been renovated after the fire in March 2015 that forced Cafe Renata, which was renting it at the time, to relocate to Baltimore Avenue.

– Rana Fayez

We are starting to learn a little more about the retail that will be moving into the ground floor of the Garden Court Plaza apartment building at 47th and Pine. An official from Post Brothers, the real estate developer that acquired the building last year and announced their plans to court new retail businesses, said last night that ReAnimator Coffee, which has current locations in Fishtown and Kensington, has agreed to take one of the spots.

Post Brothers managing director Randy Hope told the Garden Court Community Association annual meeting that the firm is also “in conversation” with a “full-service restaurant.”

“One thing that I promise won’t be coming there is a 7-Eleven or something like that,” he said.

Hope did not say when ReAnimator Coffee might be moving in. We’ll keep you posted.

The sidewalk along 49th Street where the Bar(n) hopes to put outdoor seating (photo by West Philly Local).

Residents mostly supported a proposal for outdoor seating at the Bar(n) at 49th and Catharine Streets during a sometimes heated Wednesday evening meeting of the Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) zoning committee.

About 30 people were on hand to hear the Bar(n)’s manager, Tim Blair, describe a plan that would enclose a portion of the sidewalk along 49th Street with planters to create an outdoor seating area that seats about 30 at five or six tables. The area would only be accessible from inside the bar, would be geared mostly toward food service and would close by 10 p.m. nightly.

“More of a place for someone to sit down and have a nice meal,” he said. “It’s not a party spot.”

Wednesday’s meeting will help determine whether the Bar(n)’s application to the city is approved.  Continue Reading

The Bar(n) is proposing to set up outdoor seating along the 49th Street sidewalk, shown here (Photo by West Philly Local)

Residents are invited tonight to a community meeting, which will discuss outdoor seating for The Bar(n), a bar at 4901 Catharine St.

The meeting will take place at the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore (Baltimore side entrance), beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The Bar(n) owner is requesting a permit for outdoor seating along the 49th Street sidewalk. At the meeting, you can meet the manager of the bar, see the seating plan and learn about their hours of outdoor service. The meeting is an opportunity to voice your opinion on this issue.

The Bar(n) opened in January 2015 in the former Third World Lounge space at the corner of 49th and Catharine. The bar reopened with a new concept thanks to a partnership among the restaurateurs who are also running Rx The Farmacy at 45th and Spruce and the building owner Noel Karasanyi.