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  • 🍸 The coolest drink of the Summer of 2026 | Let’s Eat

    🍸 The coolest drink of the Summer of 2026 | Let’s Eat

    The temperature is approaching triple digits. (Or is that tipple digits?) Here’s one boozy relief drink you should know about.

    Also in this edition:

    • Down the shore: Craig LaBan hits the mainland for tasty meals.
    • Flying saucer returns: The city finally has signed a restaurant tenant at LOVE Park.
    • “Cambodian speakeasy”: Read on for restaurant dish.

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Water ice martinis and other cooling treats

    The water ice martini is the cocktail of the summer, and Beatrice Forman chatted up the owner of John’s Water Ice, who developed it with Saloon.

    🍧 Extraordinary “ordinary” water ice: Here are our favorites.

    Ice cream options

    🍦 Stella’s Ice Cream out of Idaho (yes, Idaho) just opened on Front Street in Fishtown/Kensington, and Bea has the early scoop.

    🍦 Winners, rocking a feel-good message, is new on South Street in Graduate Hospital. As Kiki Aranita says, Winners’ appeal is more than just the flavors, like Sweet Success S’mores.

    🍦 Our guide to our favorite ice cream is right here.

    Down the shore with Craig LaBan

    Critic Craig LaBan is back from his annual Jersey Shore exploration, and he’s shaking the sand out of his notebook. In Part One of his roundup, he heads to the mainland to find some gems. Read that here.

    Looking ahead: Part Two, Craig’s reviews from Long Beach Island and thereabouts, will be online this weekend. On July 11, he’ll share his discoveries from points farther south in Part Three.

    Ember & Ash shuttered by fire

    Ember & Ash on East Passyunk Avenue will be closed for an undetermined period after smoke and flames shot up through the ventilation last week just after closing time. No injuries were reported.

    ‘Flying saucer’ building has liftoff

    This weekend will see the debut of Broad Street Beer Garden at LOVE Park, the first phase of a planning reuse of the so-called flying saucer building at 16th and JFK. Here’s the long history of the city landmark.

    The best things we ate last week

    We munched on fried silverfish that reminded us of French fries in Little Saigon, Argentine empanadas in West Philly, and a vegan po’ boy in Old City that tasted like the original.

    Scoops

    Intrigue! Albert Zheng, whose holdings include Javelin in Fairmount, is backing a yet-to be-named dual concept on the way to 808 Chestnut St., formerly a Dunkin’ Donuts. In front, the feature will be wagyu omakase, while the rear will be what he calls a Cambodian speakeasy. He says it’s six or seven months out.

    Mylar Bar, a cocktail bar inspired by the spirit of South Philly’s Dino’s Party Center, is expected to open later this summer from hospitality veterans Liv Arterbridge and Gina Piccari. They bought the former building at Ninth and Morris Streets where Dino’s sold balloons, decorations, and party supplies for decades before it moved across the street. “We want the whole thing to feel like a party,” Arterbridge said. “Nostalgic, fun, a little silly, intentionally unserious — but not a theme bar,” Piccari said. Cocktails will include martinis, punches, and classic drinks, alongside draft beer and familiar favorites. A full kitchen, led by chef Colin White, formerly of Sally and Emmett, will serve shareable “party snacks” and larger plates. They plan to offer late-night desserts, so food will be available until 1 a.m. with the bar wrapping at 2. Arterbridge, whose resume includes Cry Baby, Poison Heart, and a.bar, met Piccari while working at Boot & Saddle, where Piccari was manager. Piccari is now behind the bar at Le Virtù.

    Restaurant report

    Sixteen restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and bars — including Lillian’s, shown above — are opening in July. Read on for the rundown.

    Penny’s Bagels, on its way (for the last two years) to 212 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield, will hand out 250 red, white, and blue bagels on July 3 at the borough’s parade. The shop is eyeing an August opening, says owner Chris Fetfatzes.

    Maru, a fast-casual Korean-inspired restaurant from David Backhus and the team behind the now-closed Oori, is expected to open in August in what is now Collective Coffee & Bakery, which Backhus also owns, at 2922 Conestoga Rd. in Glenmoore. Maru’s menu will feature Korean fried chicken sandwiches, wings, tenders, house-made mochi doughnuts, and specialty coffee, while continuing to serve Collective Coffee and honor existing coffee subscriptions.

    Briefly noted

    Ota-Ya in Newtown has announced that Friday will be its last day after 30 years with the retirement of owners Jeff Wong and Cindy Tam.

    PETA is launching its “Nice Cream Trail,” highlighting 10 shops across the state serving vegan ice cream, and there are five local spots on the list: Dreams Ice Cream Factory in Glenside, Lu & Aug’s in Ardmore, the Main Freeze in Lansdale, Milk Jawn in South Philadelphia and Northern Liberties, and Scoop DeVille in Center City and Queen Village. The first Pennsylvania resident to complete the trail by visiting all 10 participating shops through August will win a vegan ice cream party with PETA’s “iScream” truck for themselves and up to 50 guests. Details are here.

    Two local BBQ chefs, Matt Groark (Medford Lakes, N.J.) and Maxwell McGibbon (Newark, Del.), are competing on Food Networks’ Pitmasters, premiering July 13 at 9 p.m.

    Diner en Blanc registration is still open. This year’s version of the pop-up picnic is Aug. 20.

    Miller’s Ale House, in the shopping center next to the Home Depot in Springfield, Delaware County, closed this week after 13 years, while Fishtown is abuzz with speculation that Bottle Bar East, which opened at 1308 Frankford Ave. around the same time in late 2012, has closed. The phone is down, and owners could not be reached for comment

    We all tried a new cheesesteak-flavored olive oil. I won’t say you have to.

    ❓Pop quiz

    Fountain Porter, the South Philly bar, just raised the price of its celebrated burger. How much is it now?

    A) $5

    B) $7

    C) $8

    D) $9

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    When is Adda ever going to open in Fishtown? — Rich C.

    True, Adda has been a long time coming, since I initially wrote about it in June 2025 with an end-of-2025 target. Adda — from New York City’s Unapologetic Foods, whose establishments are acclaimed for their bold, no-holds-barred approach to Indian cooking — is now looking at a late-fall opening at 1700 Frankford Ave., the new building across from the Fishtown post office.

    Corrigendum: Reader Stephanie points out that Kalaya is the third Philadelphia restaurant, not the second, to win the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant, as I wrote two weeks ago. Zahav was the first in 2019, while Friday Saturday Sunday won in 2023.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • Danny’s Guitar Shop, a destination for Main Line musicians, has closed after 17 years

    Danny’s Guitar Shop, a destination for Main Line musicians, has closed after 17 years

    Danny’s Guitar Shop, an independent guitar store and lesson center run by musician Dan Gold, closed its doors after 17 years in downtown Narberth.

    Over nearly two decades, Gold forged connections along the Main Line, sold guitars to celebrities, brought outdoor music to Narberth’s streets, and, briefly, starred in a TV show that drew on his talents as a self-proclaimed “kibitzer.”

    Gold, 72, said retirement was already on his mind when his landlord raised the rent beyond what Gold could pay. Danny’s officially closed at the end of May. As Gold prepares for the next chapter, which will be filled with swimming, traveling, and playing bass in Broken Arrow, his Neil Young cover band, he said his time in Narberth was “just perfect.”

    The former storefront of Danny’s Guitar Shop in Narberth. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Gold opened Danny’s Guitar Shop in June 2009, right as the country had begun to dig itself out of the Great Recession. Guitar store Medley Music of Bryn Mawr had closed the year prior, and Center City’s 8th Street Music had moved across the bridge to New Jersey, leaving a vacuum for guitar lovers in Philly’s western suburbs.

    Gold, a Newtown Square resident, grew up in Havertown and graduated from Haverford High School and Temple University. He started his career as a schoolteacher before taking a gig as a district sales manager for Fender Guitars, traveling across the region, from rural Pennsylvania to North Jersey, selling instruments and accoutrements.

    Though it was risky to open a brick-and-mortar store at the heels of the financial crisis, Gold was bullish on the prospect. His mentors told him that as long as he ran guitar lessons, he’d be able to pay the rent. Gold had always loved Narberth’s “very distinct, charming personality” and was smitten with the Forrest Avenue storefront right away, with its ample natural light and welcoming front porch.

    When Danny’s opened in 2009, the Main Line Times described it as having promptly “established itself as that rare kind of clubhouse — the kind where everybody’s allowed in.”

    Over the years, the storefront’s shaded porch became the site of dozens of guitar recitals and summer evening jam sessions. Narberth residents gathered outside of Danny’s to talk about the news and the neighborhood gossip, and Gold always had treats for local dogs. Gold helped bring live music to Narberth during First Fridays and the annual July Fourth celebration. Ahead of a recital last fall, Gold posted on Facebook: “Students playin’ on the porch this Sunday 3:00! Bring a chair and come hang out!”

    “Danny is loved around here and for good reason,” said Ed Ridgway, president of the Narberth Business Association, who took guitar lessons at Danny’s.

    Ridgway described Danny’s as resembling an “old-timey barbershop.” If you asked Ridgway to make a list of 10 things that define Narberth’s downtown, he said Danny‘s would be on the list.

    “He was just such a good presence in Narberth,” said Tracy Tumolo, owner of Narberth art and gift shop Sweet Mabel Store.

    “This place,” Gold said. “It just fit me like a glove.”

    Danny Gold (center) pictured at Danny’s Guitar Shop in Narberth in 2018 with partners Larry Freedman (left) and Ron Stanford. LAURENCE KESTERSON / Staff Photographer

    Every once in a while, a star or two would stop into Danny’s Guitar Shop while visiting the area or prepping for a show at Ardmore Music Hall. The Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit bought a few guitars and gave Gold backstage passes when the band played Atlantic City. Wilco’s John Stirratt stopped by, as did Dweezil Zappa, Frank Zappa’s son. Tumolo said Gold always encouraged them to shop at Narberth’s other businesses.

    In 2014, Gold starred in a 13-episode series on WHYY-TV’s YArts cable channel, which aimed “to do for guitars what Anthony Bourdain has done” for international cuisine or ”Mike Rowe for the art of cleaning septic tanks,” according to an Inquirer story from the time. In the series, Gold explored the origins of Klezmer music, interviewed the scholar who wrote the definitive book on the history of the accordion, and spent quality time with electric guitar giant Paul Reed Smith.

    Lessons were the biggest part of Gold’s business model at Danny’s, as his mentors predicted. He did a large consignment and secondhand business, as well, as he was mostly selling to first-time and beginner players.

    “The lessons made me a destination store. It’s never like I carried away wheelbarrows full of money, but we were able to make a modest living and enjoy doing what we were doing,” Gold said.

    Like many brick-and-mortar merchants, Gold said it became more difficult over time to keep up with the ubiquitous online marketplace. Consumers can now buy any model of guitar, in any color, at any time. Music stores across the country have shuttered in recent years, pointing to online shopping as a factor in their decline.

    On one hand, Gold feels somewhat liberated from the day-to-day responsibilities of running his namesake storefront. On the other hand, there’s a lot he’ll miss — the people, the borough, watching the neighborhood kids grow up.

    At the end of the day, Gold said, “It’s been a great run.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The only revived Iron Hill Brewery in the Philly suburbs is set to reopen next week

    The only revived Iron Hill Brewery in the Philly suburbs is set to reopen next week

    Another Iron Hill Brewery is set to reopen next week.

    The Huntingdon Valley restaurant will be back in business Monday, June 22, according to the restaurant’s new ownership group. It will mark Iron Hill’s fourth post-bankruptcy revival and the only one in the Philadelphia suburbs.

    The Center City brewpub reopened in April, followed by the Wilmington riverfront location in May and the Hershey restaurant earlier this month. The Lancaster outpost is also set to reopen by the end of June.

    Elsewhere, other former Iron Hills are being transformed into new restaurants. And in a few spots, property owners are still looking for their next tenant.

    The brewery chain, which was founded in Newark, Del., in 1996, had leased some of these properties for decades.

    Some longtime customers were shocked when Iron Hill’s former ownership group closed all locations in September and filed for liquidation bankruptcy, citing $20 million in debt. The abrupt shutdown left more than a dozen vacant brewpubs across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

    In the bankruptcy process, a new ownership group — later revealed to include original cofounder Mark Edelson and other former executives — acquired Iron Hill’s trademark and intellectual property, as well as five restaurant leases.

    Amid the reopenings, the new owners have launched a fresh loyalty program and special offers, including a free beer and free appetizer for customers with prebankruptcy gift cards that are no longer usable.

    Iron Hill Brewery’s new owners want to bring regulars back with free beer and other perks

    While Iron Hill had a suburban-Philly focus before bankruptcy, the Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center location is the only one set to be resurrected in the collar counties or South Jersey.

    Bartenders there will be pouring a new IPA, Hop Chase, brewed exclusively for Huntingdon Valley, according to the new owners. They said patrons can sit inside or outside at the restaurant’s beer garden, which was the chain’s first when it opened in 2016.

    “We’re creating a true neighborhood place for the guests we call family, somewhere the community can come together over laughter, great food and award-winning beer,” Naomi Yared, general manager of the Huntingdon Valley Iron Hill, said in a statement.

    What’s next for the closed Iron Hill Brewery in Media

    What’s happening at your neighborhood Iron Hill?

    The former Iron Hill Brewery in Chestnut Hill sat empty in November. Property owners are still marketing the space for lease.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Here’s what we know about these local Iron Hill Breweries as of publication time June 15:

    Philadelphia

    Pennsylvania suburbs

    The lounge area is pictured last month at Ogyu Japanese BBQ at the former Iron Hill Brewery in Ardmore.Michael Klein / Staff
    A pedestrian walked by the closed Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October. Magerk’s Pub & Grill is now taking over the space.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Elsewhere in Pennsylvania

    • Hershey (101 W. Chocolate Ave.): Reopened as Iron Hill Brewery under new ownership
    • Lancaster (781 Harrisburg Pike): Reopening as Iron Hill Brewery under new ownership
    • Lehigh Valley Mall (950 Lehigh Lifestyle Center, Whitehall): No update from property owner

    New Jersey

    The closed Iron Hill Brewery in Maple Shade is pictured in September.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
    • Maple Shade (24 E. Kings Hwy.): No update from property owner
    • Voorhees (13107 Town Center Blvd.): No update from property owner

    Delaware

  • Past Present Future, beloved Main Line gift and craft store, is closing its doors

    Past Present Future, beloved Main Line gift and craft store, is closing its doors

    The interior of Past Present Future, downtown Ardmore’s beloved gift and craft store, is unmistakable. Each wall is adorned with art and collectors’ items, from hand-beaded necklaces to fruit-shaped bowls and ceramic tropical fish. Cases of jewelry sit under hanging lanterns and mobiles, and trinket boxes share shelves with colorful purses and glass figurines.

    Past Present Future, located at 15 Lancaster Ave., is the 50-year work of owner Sherry Tillman, who first opened the store in Center City in 1976 as a young graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art, before moving to Ardmore in the mid-1990s. Tillman calls the shop “part gift store, part mini-museum,” and prides herself on grouping items, from lamps to clocks to mirrors, in “ways that maximize their funky diversity.”

    Now, five decades, four storefronts, and thousands of customers later, Past Present Future is officially closing, marking the end of a chapter that Tillman says has been defined by eclectic art, changing times, and deep community ties. While Tillman is “gutted” to close up shop, in her words: “It’s time.”

    Sherry Tillman, owner of Past Present Future, chats with Ellen Balze, of West Philadelphia, a regular for many years, during Tillman’s party for friends and long-time customers in Ardmore, Pa., on Friday, June 5, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Tillman first opened Past Present Future as a toy store on the corner of 13th and Pine Streets in Center City, next to a friend’s science-fiction bookstore. The Philadelphia Daily News in 1979 called Tillman’s store “one of the wonders of the city,” a “throwback to the age of handcrafted wooden playthings, one-of-a-kind soft toys and sculptures, old-fashioned balance toys and Rube Goldberg-ish do-nothing machines.” Tillman, then a 20-something artist, took orders from customers and handcrafted toys from her workshop.

    After three years, Tillman left the Gayborhood and moved to 17th and Locust Streets, where the scope of Past Present Future began to shift, bringing in more crafts and jewelry. Four years later, Tillman moved to 18th Street between Market and Chestnut Streets. She had 2½ floors of a four-story building and, according to a 1990 Inquirer story, stocked “zingy jewelry, kaleidoscopes, cards, clocks, handmade ceramic diners that light up” and had a “top-floor gallery devoted to fun-and-funky craft items for adults.”

    By the mid-1990s, much of Tillman’s customer base had moved out to the suburbs, and the confounding pressures of crime, high taxes, and a lack of parking, plus raising her own growing family in Ardmore, spurred her to pack up her Center City store and move to the Main Line. She opened on Lancaster Avenue in 1996.

    “The fact that my business could be where my home is was so important to me,” Tillman said, reflecting on her move to Ardmore. “To be embraced and connected to this community is also important to me.”

    Sherry Tillman, owner of Past Present Future, made a board of all her articles and photos of her for her small party for friends and regular customers in Ardmore, Pa., on Friday, June 5, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Tillman’s store quickly became a magnet for artsy types, window shoppers, gift givers, touring musicians, and spiritually minded Main Line residents.

    “It’s incredible,” she said. “People come in and we talk, other people come in and they join the conversation. It’s a place where people just feel so comfortable.”

    Lorig Buckley, otherwise known as Mystic Lor at Mystic of the Main Line, said she thinks of Past Present Future as “a staple” in Ardmore.

    When people strolled into Past Present Future looking for a palm reading, Tillman would send them down the block to Mystic of the Main Line. When clients of Buckley’s needed to shop for a gift, she’d pass them along to Past Present Future.

    “My heart sank when I saw that she was closing, because it really brought a different spirit to the area,” Buckley said.

    Shannon Gallagher, a business coach who lives in Ardmore, always bought her clients gifts from Tillman’s shop, from crystals to wooden boxes with tarot cards. When she first moved to Ardmore four years ago, Tillman gave her the lowdown on all of the locals’ favorite spots.

    “She just made it feel so comfortable for us,” Gallagher said.

    Sherry Tillman, featured in the Philadelphia Daily News in 1982, holding a teddy bear at Past Present Future, back when it was located at 243 S. 17th St. in Center City. Tillman has operated the toy and art store for 50 years, first in Philadelphia and, for the last three decades, in Ardmore.Sam Psoras / Staff Photographer

    In addition to running Past Present Future, Tillman organized First Friday Main Line, a monthly arts crawl that brought music and art to the streets of Ardmore. Alongside Broomall surgeon Lt. Col. Kenneth Marx, Tillman helped create Operation Angel Wings, a donation drive that sent clothes and toys to children in Afghanistan. Most recently, she spearheaded a contest to paint a mural on the side of her storefront. The first of five winning murals will be up by July 1.

    Tillman said Ardmore has “blossomed a lot” in the years since she moved to town. Street art, interesting shops, and live music sprawl across downtown, from the newly painted Schauffele Plaza to Ardmore Music Hall (many of the traveling performers stop into Past Present Future before their shows, Tillman said).

    “There’s expressions of art around us,” Tillman said.

    Tillman doesn’t have an exact closing date yet. Past Present Future has marked down its merchandise by 20%, and Tillman said she’ll be open until there’s nothing left (“hopefully”). Tillman plans to sell the 15 Lancaster Ave. building, which she has owned for years.

    “It’s really hard,” she said, “when you think that your entire life has been this one thing, to say goodbye.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.