An artist’s rendering of the Trolley Car Station restaurant from plans presented last spring to the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee.

Developers will soon break ground on a project that should transform the barren patch of concrete at the 40th Street trolley terminal into a landscaped public space complete with a 125-seat restaurant.

University City District officials promise it will be a more navigable public space for pedestrians. Complete with moveable tables and chairs, enough racks to accommodate 48 bikes and “vegetation everywhere,” the project was well received during public meetings and breezed through zoning approval last spring.

The centerpiece of the project will be the Trolley Car Station restaurant, a two-story restaurant that will be built in the grassy area bordering the portal along Baltimore Avenue. A company owned by real estate developer Ken Weinstein, which runs the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy, will operate the restaurant.  Continue Reading

West Philly entrepreneurial sisters Kelly (right) and Jorrae Beard will appear on “Shark Tank” tonight.

Shark Tank keeps casting Philly entrepreneurs, and it’s especially nice to see West Philly-based teams presenting their products on the show. This Friday, Oct. 28, tune in to watch sisters Kelly and Jorrae Beard pitch “Lulu Bang” BBQ Sauce to the “sharks.” There will also be the show watch party tonight at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.), beginning at 7:30 p.m. (this event has been sold out).

Kelly and Jorrae are co-owners of Joyce’s Soulful Cuisine, a restaurant and catering business located at 59th and Chestnut that was named in memory of their mother, Joyce A. Beard. The sisters are also manufacturers of  “Lulu Bang” BBQ Sauce, which comes in four flavors – Asian Persuasion, BBQ Fusion, Bourbon Baby, and It’s Just HOT.  It’s now available in local shops throughout the Northeast region.

The name of the sauce is a tribute to Kelly and Jorrae’s brother, Michael “Lulu Bang” Beard, a National Guard veteran, who was murdered at the age of 32 in West Philadelphia, according to an article by Philly Mag.  Continue Reading

Mood Cafe’s second location will open this fall at 126 S. 45th Street. (Photo by West Philly Local)

The popular Indian/Pakistani chaat restaurant on Baltimore Ave, Mood Cafe, is expanding to a second location in the area – 45th and Sansom – with plans to open in two to three weeks. Owner Hasan Bukhari wanted to make sure customers knew he wasn’t shutting down the old location. “It’s not a new location, it’s an expansion,” he said.

The new location will have more menu offerings with hot food favorites such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Biryani and Lamb Rogan Gosh. “I’d like to introduce the people to really good food. The cooking style will be closer to homestyle cooking, we’re going to have a very selective menu… Over there, I’m thinking we’ll start delivery at some point. But for now, we’ll only offer takeout and a place for people to sit,” Bukhari explained.  Continue Reading

The first floor of the residential building connected to the left side of Clarkville at 43rd and Baltimore would be converted into a restaurant under a proposal considered last night by the Spruce Hill Zoning Association (Photo from Google Street View).

The Spruce Hill Community Association considered a proposal last night to convert the first floor of the row home adjacent to Clarkville at 43rd and Baltimore into a small restaurant amid concerns from some neighbors of commercial encroachment in residential areas.

Brought by the owners of the Clarkville building (not the business itself), the proposal for 4303 Baltimore includes an 1,100-square-foot restaurant on the first floor and renovated, high-end apartments on the second and third floors. In the past, the building housed three apartments, but is in rough shape, said Tom Lussenhop of Best House Partners, the building owners since May.

The proposal requires a variance for the first-floor restaurant, which has yet to be decided on (they’re open to suggestions). It will not have a liquor license.  Continue Reading

EAT Café, Philly’s first nonprofit, pay-what-you-want restaurant, is opening this month at 3820 Lancaster Avenue, and neighbors are invited to check it out this Friday (Oct. 14) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. during a Community Open House.

This is an opportunity for the community to become introduced to EAT Café, its staff, and its unique payment model before the restaurant officially opens for business. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public, and coincides with Lancaster Avenue’s Second Friday.

EAT Café’s Grand Opening date is Wednesday, Oct. 26. Check out this page for updates.

In case you missed it check out our earlier story on EAT Café and the people and organizations behind it here.

Almost a year after Chili Szechuan closed its Baltimore Avenue location and left a hole in mid-priced-Chinese-food-loving hearts in Cedar Park, Okawa has heard your cries and has come to the rescue. The new restaurant opened last month at 4626 Baltimore Ave.

With prices closer to Lucky’s price range, Okawa offers American Chinese restaurant staples like the Philly cheesesteak egg roll, dumpling, spare ribs and sesame chicken. But the concept is Asian fusion, so the menu will include Japanese, Thai and Korean items as well. Shrimp shumai, pad thai, hibachi and tempura also make appearances on the menu.  Continue Reading