After more than a year’s wait amidst a saturated coffee market in West Philly, a Kensington coffee shop, ReAnimator Coffee, is indeed expanding into Garden Court on the 4700 block of Pine Street. With a planned opening in mid-November, ReAnimator will join the ranks of independent coffee shops like The Satellite Cafe, Coffee Market, Green Line Cafe, Milk and Honey, United by Blue and others. ReAnimator Coffee’s new location will be based out of Garden Court Plaza apartments, a complex that was recently acquired by the Post Brothers.

ReAnimator co-founder Mark Capriotti and his business partner Mark Corpus both believe that the area calls for a brick and mortar shop because bulk coffee bean sales have been doing well at ReAnimator supplier Mariposa Food Co-op; they both also believe they have something new to introduce to the area.  Continue Reading

Coffee Market (Facebook page), the locally-owned coffee shop at 45th and Pine, re-opened 10 years ago under new management, in the space where Sam’s Place used to be, one of the oldest coffee shops in the neighborhood! This Saturday (on April Fools Day!), owner Natasa Brkanin is inviting everyone to celebrate her shop’s 10th anniversary with all day long specials, events, and some delicious coffee sampling! Check out this flier for more details:

Just in time for spring, two West Philly-based baked goods businesses have announced that they will be having grand openings this weekend.

Everything is ready for Dottie’s Donuts official opening on Friday, March 18 (Photo from Dottie’s Donuts Facebook page)

The long-anticipated opening date for Dottie’s Donuts’ first brick-and-mortar location at 4529 Springfield Avenue was announced this morning on the popular business’s Facebook page. According to the announcement, the shop will officially open on Friday, March 18, and the hours for now will be 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Along with a wide selection of vegan donuts, the shop will sell bagels and other baked goods, plus coffee and tea. You can read more about Dottie’s Donuts and the people behind it here.

If you didn’t get a chance yet to check out the recently opened Lil’ Pop Shop‘s bakery, here’s a great opportunity this weekend. The new bakery and shop at 4608 Woodland Ave. is inviting everyone to its grand opening celebration on Saturday, March 19. Stop by any time between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and enjoy free treats, coffee, and spritzers (fruit-based seltzer drinks).  Continue Reading

Snacks at Lulu Cafe (photo from Lulu Cafe’s Facebook page)

It took a little longer than planned, but Lulu Cafe, an Asian cafe and restaurant serving coffee, tea, snacks, and sweets, has finally opened at 4508 Walnut Street (next door to Hunter Gatherer Tattoo). The final inspection was on Tuesday, according to the cafe’s Facebook post, and it’s now ready to serve its customers.

The opening was anticipated and the wait was worth it. We checked on the new establishment on Friday, its opening day, and saw a sizable crowd inside.

The cafe’s specialty is milk tea. As one happy customer put it, “No more long trips to Chinatown for milk tea now!” The snack food menu includes popular Chinese and Taiwanese street food items (all garlicky and spicy), such as popcorn chicken, squid balls, sweet potato fries, and green beans. And you can top everything off with some shaved ice with three toppings of your choice.

Lulu Cafe is open daily 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. For more information, visit: www.lulucafeusa.com.

Renata’s Kitchen owners Kate and Yasser (right) Aiq at the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll this summer.

Renata’s Kitchen (formerly Café Renata) owners Yasser and Kate Aiq are ready to open their new food-focused spot at 4533 Baltimore Avenue.

A fire heavily damaged Café Renata at 43rd and Locust last March, prompting the couple to find the new location. The grand opening party for Renata’s Kitchen is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6 – 9 p.m. Everyone is invited.

We asked Kate what customers should expect to see at the new location and what is the same and what is different about Renata’s Kitchen compared to Café Renata, a Mediterranean café and breakfast and brunch restaurant.

“The main difference this time around is that we are taking the opportunity to share more of our culinary expertise than we could previously at Cafe Renata. With our focus on food, we’re hoping to launch a dinner menu soon,” Kate wrote in an email.

We’ll let you know about Renata’s Kitchen hours and more details as soon as this information becomes available.

UPDATE: Renata’s Kitchen is hiring line cooks. Please call the restaurant at 267-275-8254.

Annie Baum-Stein behind the counter at Milk and Honey Market (Photo West Philly Local).

Milk and Honey Market is celebrating its 6th anniversary this month with a “much needed spruce-up.” The popular corner store and cafe at 45th and Baltimore is currently closed for some “exciting improvements” and is expected to reopen with a “whole new look” on Thursday, Sept. 10.

“After 6 years (September 4th) we have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t with our original line and want to help our staff be more efficient and our customers more comfortable,” Milk & Honey co-owner Annie Baum-Stein wrote us in an email. “Look forward to shorter lines and waiting and double the seating!”

Milk & Honey owners have been tweeting about the progress with remodeling the space, so check out their Twitter account for updates.

We are kicking up the dust again today & tomorrow but the results will be worth it! See you Thursday… https://t.co/bEPrnmU8OT

— Milk & Honey Market (@milkandhoneymkt) September 8, 2015