Ellen Yin’s newest Philly restaurant doesn’t have a grand opening date yet, but it does have a vintage-looking light blue Lambretta scooter parked out front.
Why? To set the mood.
The acclaimed restaurateur’s latest project is Bar Cicci, an all-day aperitivo bar soft-opening Aug. 18 at 1620 Sansom St., just next door to Uchi. Inspired by Yin’s longstanding, almost obsessive love of northern Italy, the bar is an ode to the country’s casualdrinking culture, with classic pastries in the morning followed by sandwiches in the afternoon and snacks and spritzes in the evening.
Yin has traveled to Italy more than any other country. There, “a bar is a place where you go in the morning to have an espresso and meet up with your neighbors, chit-chatting away,” she said. “And that morning ritual turns into sandwiches and gelato at lunch time, and then [drinks] at dinner.”
Pronounced “Bar CHEE-CHEE,” the name is a play on the Italian word ciccio, a term of endearment for something small and plump. The menu — curated by Yin and Christina McKeough, the culinary director for High Street and the Bread Room — will be a smorgasbord of little things. The dayside, counter service-only lineup will feature traditional Italian pastries and sandwiches. Starting at 4 p.m., the menu will switch to showcase 20 small plates and a rotating array of cicchetti (or snacks), with prices falling between $5 and $20 each.
An assortment of sandwiches, small plates, pastries, and drinks that will be available at Bar Cicci, Ellen Yin’s new restaurant set to open in mid-August. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Yin envisions Bar Cicci as a catchall space for those who live and work around Rittenhouse Square. In theory, a customer could stop in three times in one day: first for coffee and a pastry on the way to work, then again for a business lunch, and once more for pre-dinner drinks.
Cicci will be Yin’s sixth Philly restaurant as part of High Street Hospitality, the restaurant group Yin cofounded with chef Eli Kulp. Fork, her first, opened in 1997 and went on to become one of Old City’s most enduring fine dining restaurants. She would follow it up with High Street — one of the city’s first all-day cafes, now located in Center City’s Franklin Residences — and a.kitchen, the Rittenhouse Square hotel restaurant. The Bread Room, known for its grown-up pop-tarts and morning buns, is the group’s bakery.
Yin and McKeough had been working on Bar Cicci since April 2025. It’s their first themed project. “We don’t just get to do what we want here,” Yin said. Everything in the space has some tie to northern Italy, down to its groovy accent pillows.
High Street/The Bread Room culinary director Christina McKeough (left) and restaurateur Ellen Yin outside Bar Cicci, their new restaurant inspired by northern Italy. The light blue Lambretta scooter helps set the mood.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Bar Cicci’s 30-seat dining room channels1970s Milan. Plush burnt-orange banquettes decorated with Missoni-style striped pillows wrap around black marble tables that interior designer Marguerite Rodgers repurposed from the lobby bar inside the Franklin Residences.
The counter is outfitted witha modernized Faema E-61, at one point Italy’s best-selling and only semiautomatic espresso machine. Even the dome-shapedmid-century modern light fixtures — a holdover from whenSandler’s on 9th occupied High Street’s spaceat 101 S. Ninth St. — cast a slightly hazy glow, as if you’re sitting in a scene from a film.
An assortment of cicchetti at Bar Cicci. The crostini-like snacks are a Venetian speciality meant to be served with wine.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The vibe is inspired by Yin and McKeough’s favorite bars from research trips to Venice and Milan, such as Milan’s Bar Basso, where Yin recalled being offered seemingly endless pours of Campari. The duo intend for Bar Cicci to be an introduction to Italy’s slower-paced aperitivo hour, a time in the early evening when lower-ABV cocktails are paired with bite-sized snacks designed to get people socializing without pretense.
Aperitivo is “supersocial,” McKeough said. “A lot of bars in Italy, people aren’t even sitting down. They’re standing up.”
Sandwiches, spritzes, and snacks
The centerpiece of Bar Cicci’s evening menu will be a rotating array of cicchetti, crostini-esque bites that you typically eat with a glass of wine while standing. The restaurant will offer about a dozen at a time, in sets of three or five, all prepared on McKeough’s version of an Italian baguette, which is chewier than its French counterpart.
The pastry case at Bar Cicci is full of classic Italian pastries such as maritozzi and cornetti. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The bread was the hardest to perfect, according to McKeough, and the most crucial to get right: “No matter where we went, [the cicchetti] were always so easy to eat … you could take a bite without it falling apart.” She anticipates Bar Cicci’s opening lineup will include Venetian standards such as salted cod and tuna with eggs.
The Bread Room will bake all the bread for Bar Cicci’s lunchtime sandwiches, will which include a long olive oil sfilatino loaf filled with mortadella; tuna and jammy egg on slider-sized rolls; and Roman-style pizza biancas layered with eggplant, bomba, and radicchio or anchovies, watercress, and tomato tonnato.
A pizza bianca sandwich from Bar Cicci, which will be baking all of its breads in house.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
As for the grab-and-go case, it will contain tried-and-true pastries that range from trendy cream-stuffed maritozzi to Italian-style chocolate chip pound cake and five versions of cornetti, which McKeough likened to a “reverse-engineered croissant.”
Bar Cicci will serve dark-roast espresso and coffee from Arkansas-based roaster Onyx and Italian-style wines from Mural City Cellars, the popular Fishtown winery. The restaurant is going all in on aperitivi with its cocktail lineup, which will include a spaghett-style Aperol spritz, foamy espresso martinis al freddo, and the Garibaldi, a Campari cocktail made with the juice of a whole orange.
For McKeough and Yin, the hope is that the food, if not cocktails, will make people linger.
“There’s just something about a little bite that makes you want to have another drink,” McKeough said.
A cornetto filled with seasonal jam at Bar Cicci.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Bar Cicci, 1620 Sansom St. Suite C3, 215-515-3793, barcicciphl.com. Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday (to start). Soft-opening Aug. 18.
From Ellen Yin’s Italian aperitivo bar to a restaurant built around a community recipe contest, August’s opening calendar reflects the breadth of Philadelphia’s dining scene. Here’s what’s expected to debut this month — and what’s still to come.
Note that in most cases, opening dates will not be locked in until shortly before the debuts.
Christina McKeough (left) and Ellen Yin outside Bar Cicci.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Bar Cicci (1620 Sansom St., Rittenhouse): Ellen Yin’s all-day aperitivo bar, located next to Uchi, is targeting a mid-August opening. In sum: 30 seats, espresso and pastries in the morning, sandwiches by day, and spritzes, cicchetti, and small plates by night, all in a Milan-inspired space complete with a vintage Lambretta scooter out front.
Cecilia (266 E. Fourth St., Bridgeport): The crew from Blue Bell Inn in Blue Bell and Horsham’s Copper Crow has revamped Taphouse 23 into a modern American bar-restaurant with a comfort-food menu and massive patio sporting a wood-burning oven. It’s targeting a late-month opening.
La Bandera is the signature cocktail at Mixteca.Courtesy of Apres Cru
Mixteca (2113 E. York St., East Kensington): Billed as a neighborhood agave bar and restaurant, this New York City import from hospitality veterans Jeff Bell and Victor Lopez is headed to the former Martha space, with an opening later this month. The roughly 100-seat venue will spotlight tequila, mezcal, Bacanora, and raicilla with 10 margarita variations, agave twists on classic cocktails, and zero-proof drinks alongside contemporary Mexican fare featuring handmade tortillas, ceviche, tacos, and family-style pork al pastor.
Recipe Philly’s recipe judges are (from left) Clara Park, Josh Moore, and Jennifer Carroll.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Recipe Philly (1401 Arch St., Center City): Local home cooks take the spotlight at this restaurant at Broad and Arch Streets built around a public recipe competition, with winning family dishes earning a permanent spot on the menu alongside the cooks’ stories. Opening Aug. 13, the concept blends restaurant, community cookbook, and reality-show competition into one distinct experience.
Toll Man Joe’s (1141 Pine St., Washington Square West): Returning to Philadelphia nearly five years after its pandemic closure, this sports bar will take the former location of the long-running Mixto. Founder Lori Penrose aims to open later in the month to catch football season.
Vons Chicken is set up with a counter and table seating.Michael Klein / Staff
Vons Chicken (1714 Washington Ave., South Philadelphia): This South Korean-rooted chain, big on the West Coast, opened last weekend in a Point Breeze strip mall next to AutoZone with a roomy dining area offering counter service. Menu includes crispy Korean fried chicken as well as oven-roasted chicken slicked with sauces, plus sides such as kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki. Local franchisee Thao Le, who first tasted Vons in California while visiting family, has assorted restaurant experience, including serving at Pietro’s Italian in Center City. Ever crave a beer with fried chicken? Vons secured a liquor license and stocks mostly local bottles in a fridge.
Looking ahead
Restaurants targeting September debuts include the Fishtown and Rittenhouse locations of Washington, D.C.-rooted bagel chain Call Your Mother; the all-day bar-restaurant Eggcetera Haus, filling the former Redcrest at Sixth and Bainbridge Streets on the Queen Village/Bella Vista line; and the New Orleans-inspired Philly Po Boy at Front and Berks Streets in Kensington. The Fishtown opening of Adda, the edgy Indian restaurant from New York’s Unapologetic Foods, is targeting October.
A new vinyl listening room and bar concept is coming to Kennett Square and Fishtown this fall, seeking to help people connect in person around music and over cocktails.
Top Dog Cocktails, a ready-to-drink 12.5% ABV cocktail brand with a distillery based in Kennett Square, will open its first two brick-and-mortar locations in the coming months, embracing the Japanese jazz kissa model — a music cafe or bar that’s focused on listening to vinyl records.
“It’s all to drive this analog feel in a digital world,” said founder Ken Smukler, a longtime political strategist who dipped his toe into the alcohol space roughly a decade ago. “It’s all about the community, listening and respecting music, and enjoying the cocktails at the same time.”
With his distillery location in Kennett Square already tied to music, and a teeny space in Fishtown in a former ATM calling for some creative reimagining, Smukler saw opportunity.
The locations will look a little different from each other, but the heart of both will be similar. There will be a small retail component, a bar that will double as recipe development for the brand, and, of course, an expansive catalog of music on rotation.
Top Dog Cocktails is “designed for a more sophisticated consumer” who “recognizes what a craft cocktail is in a can,” he said.
That vibe applies to these locations; Smukler envisions their demographic as cocktail appreciators, who want to unplug from their phones or TVs.
“This is a quieter, safer, more sophisticated space to consume alcohol and listen to really good music,” he said.
Smukler, a former political operative for then-U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, was first drawn to ready-to-drink cocktails in 2015, and began raising capital to launch his own brand. That early effort dissolved in 2019, when he went to federal prison for campaign finance law infractions.
But while in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantined without much to do other than chat, he learned his cellmate’s brother worked in the alcohol industry. On his way out of prison, Smukler called his friends and family — and his former cellmate’s brother.
“There’s literally a straight line from there into launching Top Dog,” he said.
He reconstituted the investor group, and the brand launched in 2022. They’ve sold nearly 1.5 million cans, Smukler said, with distribution in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.
Options include a few variations of the margarita, an espresso martini, a vodka and grapefruit Greyhound, and a whiskey lemonade.
The brand’s distillery operation is in Kennett Square, near Kennett Flash, a live entertainment venue. He first picked the spot, at 110 E. State St., because he felt there could be “synergy” between Top Dog’s tasting room and live music. The roughly 750-square-foot space will be the bigger of the two listening rooms.
Smukler plans to work with the Kennett Flash in a joint venture; the nonprofit will be able to use the venue as a green room for performers, a space for music classes, or however they see fit. They’ll also get a cut from the retail sales.
He’s looking to do something similar with the Fishtown location, but is still seeking a partner, he said. The location, at 2012 Frankford Ave., may be the smallest bar in Fishtown, at 350 square feet. It’ll have a 15-seat bar, a two-turntable DJ station, and a retail component.
Fishtown feels like “ground zero” for the demographic they’re trying to reach, Smukler said. As for Kennett Square, he just happens to love it.
“I just think it’s a gem, and I think if we can do something with the Kennett Flash … and for the community, that’ll pay back in spades for us,” he said.
They’ll be able to test new drinks through the outposts, Smukler said. They’ve never had a gin or a rum product, for instance, and this will give them a chance for some R&D.
As for music, they’ve amassed more than 500 albums ready to spin. Smukler’s creative director is planning themed nights to let them shine. Though the Japanese kissa model is usually jazz-forward, there will be a cross section of what gets played, he said.
Moving the business into physical locations has been a creative challenge, but an exciting one, he added.
“If you ask me, what is the most fun part of my job? It’s not trying to figure out how to sell more cases in Florida. I guarantee you, it is designing a kissa concept in Fishtown or working with a nonprofit in Kennett,” he said. “That’s the fun part.”
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A further 219 single-family townhouses are slated for the North Bank development at 2001 Richmond St. in Philadelphia, between the Battery and Graffiti Pier on the Delaware River.
The proposal, from Concordia Group and D3 Real Estate Development, is the second phase of their project. The first is composed of 475 single-family townhouses at 2001 Beach St., which have sold out.
In 2024, the developers planned to include a 307-unit apartment building on the western side of the second phase of North Bank — closer to Richmond Street — along with 8,425 square feet of commercial space and 135 townhouses closer to the river.
But the apartment boom along the Delaware River and in Northern Liberties and Fishtown has made that proposal unworkable, the developers say.
“There’s just such an abundance of apartments” in this area, said Greg Hill, cofounder and managing partner of D3 development.
“We were surprised. Although the market has certainly slowed down for multifamily, there are still lots of new starts happening in this neighborhood,” Hill said. “The investment team just felt the timing was not optimal to come on with another 300 units at this location.”
The 2001 Richmond St. portion of the project is on the southern end of the property, nearPenn Treaty Park.
“Our development team felt it was in the best interest of the community we’ve developed to date to complete the project and build it out with houses, as opposed to leaving the land to sit vacant any longer,” Hill said.
The designer for the project is the Philadelphia-based Interface Studio Architects. The team anticipates a construction timeline of 24 months.
The 219 townhouses will have 284 parking spaces for residents, along with another 85 public parking spaces.
The developers plan to extend the Delaware River Trail to Graffiti Pier from where the trail currently ends at Penn Treaty Park. They also plan additional green space throughout the development.
A rendering of the new phase of the North Bank project, with the Delaware River Trail in the foreground.ISA
Matt Ruben, chair of Central Delaware Advocacy Group, had praised the earlier plan to bring apartments to the riverfront.
“Still seems to have the original issue — shared by many waterfront townhome developments of the past decade or so — of facing neither the river nor the street and instead turning a ‘shoulder’ (side) to the water and the street,” Ruben said in a text message.
But Ruben praised the developer’s plan to extend the river trail, the commitment to adding green space, and a change from an earlier plan that would have blocked public access to Graffiti Pier.
“We were disappointed that the multifamily will not go forward, but we feel we have a nice site plan with lots of green space and lots of extra parking, which we think the community needs,” Hill said.
Want $50K for your business, along with coaching and advice to help it grow? The City of Philadelphia has a program to provide just that.
Since 2021, the city has been offering forgivable loans of up to $50,000 for businesses through its annual Boost Your Business program. Applications for this year’s program opened in June and will close Aug. 31. Up to 20 businesses will be selected.
To be eligible, your business must be independently owned (this includes some franchises), located in Philadelphia, in operation for at least two years, and have at least $350,000 in annual revenue. Businesses also must be paid up or have an approved payment plan for all local, state, and federal taxes. And they must have all necessary licenses and permits, including an active Philadelphia commercial activity license.
Applicants must provide a budget and growth plan, as well current financial statements and two years of federal business tax returns. Any debt must be disclosed and anyone with more than a 20% interest in your business must provide authorization. Eligible businesses that are seeking city contracts are encouraged to apply.
The growth plan is a key document. That’s because businesses selected for the program are facing “unique barriers in accessing critical funding and resources that are needed to help their business grow,” according to the city’s Department of Commerce and its partner in the program, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC). The awards are made in the form of a loan, which can be forgiven assuming the business meets its stated growth goals.
“Applications are scored for feasibility of the growth plan and whether and how this $50K will enable the business to achieve that growth,” said Miaya Darby, a senior manager of small business resources at the city’s Department of Commerce.
The department looks at businesses’ plans to create jobs or compete for projects, Darby added. Favor is given to those who “can show how their business is integral to the success of other Philadelphia businesses and how their business gives back to the community.”
Darby emphasized that the program is designed not only to help businesses grow, but also to support entrepreneurial development.
“Through funding, business support services, and one-on-one coaching, participants gain the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to strengthen their leadership, build sustainable business practices, and position their businesses for long-term success,” she said.
The application process takes time. Rolanda Robinson, a 2024 winner who owns Carefully Caring Home Care Agency in Mount Airy, said applicants should be careful with their due diligence and think ahead about how they’re going use the funds.
“Just make sure whatever you want to add to your business is feasible and attainable,” she said. “It’s a loan that is forgiven and turned into a grant, so you don’t want to mess that up.”
The program aims to help businesses obtain new contracts, increase revenue, and create jobs for Philadelphians.
Winning applicants get one-on-one and monthly coaching sessions, peer networking, and other shared learning resources. They will also have access to experts in tax, human resources, finance, and operations through workshops and presentations. Previous recipients consistently said the coaching and peer network proved as valuable as the funding itself.
Marc Coleman, who owns The Tactile Group in Center City, said the coaching, peer learning, and access to outside experts are just as valuable as the loan.
“It’s not only the money; it’s the support,” said Coleman, whose software development company got the loan in 2024. “The professional development, that’s something that cannot be downplayed.”
“The $50,000 is nice, but in the grand scheme of things, that money goes quick,” he said. “One of the best things about the program is that you’re there with a bunch of different types of business owners, experts, and advisers, and when you’re in a room of people that are cheerleaders, it’s invaluable.”
When you own a business, Smith noted, “it’s a lonely space. You’re dealing with problems and you need to vent.”
Coleman said the PIDC’s guidance helped his company “refine our plan” and move the business forward “in ways that we wouldn’t have come up with by ourselves.”
Darby says the program’s real impact on past participants is reflected by receiving loan forgiveness each year.
“Their achievement speaks to the hard work, growth, and dedication,” she said. “Not only have their businesses grown, but they have also grown as business owners throughout the process.”
My Uber driver could be forgiven for becoming a tad disoriented as we gingerly approached Terra Grill. After all, this newly cobbled stretch of Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties has not appeared on a Philadelphia map since the 19th century, when the massive Schmidt’s Brewery rose here in 1860 on 14-plus acres east of North Second Street.
The legendary brewery is long gone, closed in 1987, demolished in 2000, and replaced in 2007 by developer Bart Blatstein’s original Piazza project, which supercharged gentrification of this once-industrial neighborhood. The mixed-use development quickly sputtered after an ownership change in 2013, just as nearby Fishtown and Kensington began to thrive.
Can Terra Grill help revive the Piazza dream? I’m not convinced a steakhouse alone will do the trick, even if it’s something different for Northern Liberties. (Remember the short-lived “vibe dining” of meat-forward SIN?)
But the development’s current owners, Post Brothers, clearly hope this modern American grill will help restore at least some of the neighborhood’s shine. It’s a $6 million anchor for the Piazza Alta, a new 1,100-unit high-rise complex targeted to families, not just the “frat boys in backwards trucker hats” that Post CEO Michael Pestronk said occupied the Piazza during its decline under their predecessor, Kushner Cos., whose tenure saw falling rents and shuttered retail storefronts.
The exterior of Terra Grill on July 9 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The fact that there are people blithely wandering across our car’s path as we approach Terra Grill’s landscaped facade is both confusing and deliberate. Post Brothers has resisted adding road striping to the avenue (a technically private stretch now open to the public) to “prevent it from becoming a speedway.” The unmarked stones are meant to foster a street-facing, Euro-style pedestrian plaza.
Recruiting a nationally known chef for this project in Laurent Tourondel is also part of the strategy to give the neighborhood an upscale, Center City-esque aura — signaling that this once-edgy neighborhood has a new polish on top of its existing gastropubs (Standard Tap, North Third), cutting-edge vegan cooking (Pietramala), brunch spots (Honey’s Sit ‘N Eat, Cafe La Maude) and standout BYOBs (Pera, Apricot Stone). With an apartment boom bringing thousands of new residents and median incomes skyrocketing over the last decade, the affluence and density is suddenly there to potentially support something fancy like Terra Grill, whose entrees hover in the mid-$30s before you even touch the $50-plus prime steaks.
The interior of Terra Grill on July 9 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Is it a particularly adventurous place to dine? Not especially. But that may not matter. The restaurant exudes a textbook chophouse vibe, with circular booths clad in cushy black leather, a marble-topped bar, dark wood accents, walls of wine bottles, and hot pans of fresh, salt-speckled Parker House rolls served with little crocks of whipped miso-garlic butter.
There are culinary twists on classic cocktails to spark the meal, like the Quick & Dirty, an entry-level dirty martini washed with tzatziki yogurt and piqued with giardiniera brine, or the Golden Hour white Negroni, infused with red and golden raspberries as a nod to Philly’s Clover Club.
The Crazy Bird and Quick & Dirty cocktails at Terra Grill on July 9.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
It’s the bar program’s nod to the kitchen ethos of the French-born Tourondel, a respected chef based out of New York best known for BLT Steak (which he no longer owns) and BLT Fish, which briefly held one Michelin star and is now closed. Tourondel has since evolved into a management chef for hire, having opened 58 restaurants, from Kazakhstan to Panama, over the course of his career. He now operates 12 locations under his company, from Manhattan (L’Amico) to South Beach, where we recently dined on a delicious and stylish rendition of steak and eggs for brunch at LT Steak & Seafood.
Terra Grill is large, with 139 seats inside and 50 on the patio, alongside the chef’s cozier and more casual Roman-inspired Scusi Pizza. But the menu is essentially straight off the Tourondel rack: quality ingredients in familiar dishes treated with a thoughtful flourish or a seasonal touch. In other words, something for everyone.
The grilled octopus at Terra Grill.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
I especially enjoyed Tourondel’s octopus starter, coiled into a thick ring with its tentacles pointing out over a hash of crushed fingerling potatoes bright with lemon, olive oil, espelette aioli, and black dots of cured-olive purée. A baked crab cake is meaty and fresh, and fun to eat from the shell that it’s been stuffed back into.
Beside such successes, though, there are some fusion dishes that felt off-key, like the fried calamari with sweet chili dip, or the chimichurri-dabbedshort ribs wrapped in bao buns whose puffy hinges had gone stale. A luxe hot dog encasedin puff pastry with Gruyère and sauerkraut would have been delicious had its Wagyu dog not been so dense and rubbery. (Just as with burgers, a Wagyu pedigree does not make a hot dog better.) A tuna tartare stuffed into a flower-like bloom of shaved watermelon radishes beneath an avocado dome was flavorful and satisfying. But a mizuna salad draped with yuzu-dipped slices of yellowtail was awkward to eat and a waste of good fish.
The prime rib eye with dauphine potato puffs and grilled asparagus at Terra Grill.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The entrees are naturally headlined by the steaks — all high-quality prime grade (except for the Angus filet mignon) and properly cooked over the live flames of a hardwood grill, served simply with the sauce and side of your choice. The 22-ounce rib eye was the ultimate beefy cut of the four options, and also the most expensive at $98. The entry-level skirt steak wasn’t huge for $52 (and oddly, more expensive than the signature dish at Tourondel’s Skirt Steak in Midtown Manhattan), but the 10-ounce flap of black garlic-marinated beef glazed in hoisin was delicious, especially with crispy croquettes of dauphine potato puffs on the side.
The bar at Terra Grill restaurant, 1099 Germantown Ave.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Considering designer Olya Volkova’s attention to fostering the clubby comforts of a swank dining room, it’s a shame the mood is so often squashed by the glaring flash of big TVs behind the central bar. It speaks to a personality conflict this fledgling restaurant is still trying to resolve: Is Terra Grill a special-occasion destination, or a chic weekly hangout for neighbors to watch the Phillies over a $28 burger?
I’d actually come back for that prime beef burger encrusted with seven different kinds of peppercorns and topped with molten raclette cheese — if only they manage not to overcook it next time.
I can also see returning for the excellent branzino, which gets butterflied and crisped skin-side down over the wood fire and served with a seasonal garnish — a lemon-soy salsa verde in spring, and now a summery puttanesca of blistered tomatoes with capers and olives. That fish is a fair deal at $36. However, even the chef conceded the entree of head-on red shrimp was “a little small” when I sent him a picture of my plate with three crustaceans for $36.
The grilled branzino puttanesca at Terra Grill.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The rigatoni in lamb Bolognese is understandably popular with Terra’s regulars, both hearty and flavorful for $28. But it also feels random on a menu that has few other Italian flourishes — even if Tourondel’s adjacent pizzeria, Scusi, is right next door.
With its blond wood, aperitivo hour, and appealing menu of salads and pies (many available by the slice), Scusi could very well be just the affordable counterpart Terra needs. But its thin-crusted Roman pies were so strangely heavy from a blend of grains, including bran, that the dough was leaden and tough. My weighty slice of sausage and pepperoni was also incinerated.
Two slices of pizza at Scusi, located in the Piazza Alta in Northern Liberties.Craig LaBan / StaffScusi Pizza next door to Terra Grill.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Having previously enjoyed Tourondel’s Neapolitan-style Sag Pizza in the Hamptons, I know he’s capable of good pies. But Scusi’s troubled crusts reflect one of the perils of having a remote-control chef conducting from out of state.
Even more difficult than executing recipes, though, is finding the soul of a cookie-cutter concept, such that it feels like it fits the fabric of a place. Of course, in a literal blank slate like the Piazza Alta, the right restaurant can help set that tone. I did enjoy much of my food here, including the whimsical finale of a caramel popcorn sundae with a tableside chocolate sauce drizzle.
There are good ingredients in place. And the service is friendly enough (despite some rushed pacing with the starters). But there is still a paint-by-numbers corporate energy to Terra Grill.
The caramel popcorn sundae at Terra Grill.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Maybe its stride will come with more customers: The restaurant was less than half full during my visits. Perhaps they will materialize if the neighborhood gains the kind of momentum its developers hope to conjure — including the promise of an undisclosed local star chef slated to take a prime space across from Terra. Tourondel’s restaurants alonedo not carry the gravity to fully animate this recently revived stretch of Germantown Avenue, but Terra could complement a broaderscene. Just like the chaotic, slow-motion traffic patternsoutside the restaurant’s doors, it feels like a work in progress.
Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday; until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m Saturday and Sunday.
Entrees, $28-$98.
Wheelchair accessible.
A little over half the menu items are gluten-free, with several others being easily modified with care to avoid cross contamination. Fried items are not available.
Menu Highlights: Parker House rolls; fried calamari; lemon chicken parm sandos; grilled octopus; stuffed crab cake; grilled branzino; Terra burger; prime steaks (skirt; strip, rib eye); potato puff dauphine; caramel popcorn sundae.
Drinks: Creative takes on classic cocktails with culinary twists are front and center, including a tzatziki-washed riff on a dirty martini and the rummy Crazy Bird tinged with bitter Campari. The sub-50 label wine list covers multiple styles with a balance of big names (Whispering Angel, Jordan) and lesser-known options (Decibel, Txakoli rosé). There are solid choices by the glass at $20 and under.
The interior of Terra Grill on Thursday, July 9, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
This week in Philly music features Death Cab for Cutie and Japanese Breakfast in Fairmount Park, a pair of John Coltrane tributes, two nights of J. Cole concerts in South Philly, Trombone Shorty in Fishtown, and “Weird Al” Yankovic in Atlantic City.
Thursday, July 15
Earth, Wind & Fire + Lionel Richie
These seasoned entertainers on the “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour are stars of Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s highly entertaining new HBO documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World). EW&F and its founder and guiding light, Maurice White, are the subjects, and Richie, the American Idol judge and former Commodores leader, is an insightful talking head.
White died in 2016, but three key original members of the band — singer Phillip Bailey, bassist Verdine White, and percussionist Ralph Johnson, are still in the band, so there’s no reason to think hits like “Shining Star” and “September” won’t sound as joyous as ever. And Richie showed just how much of a polished entertainer he is last year, when he played a rare intimate date at Union Transfer. 7:30 p.m., Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St., xfinitymobilearena.com
Friday, July 17
Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson was grouped in with Elvis Costello and Graham Parker as an Angry Young Man when he first emerged with his albums Look Sharp! and I’m the Man in 1979, before the British songwriter diversified his musical palette to include Louis Jordan-style jump blues and polished Tin Pan Alley pop. Now, Jackson is feeling cranky again on his latest, Hope & Fury, which finds him again working with bassist Graham Maby. 8 p.m., Lansdowne Theater, 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne, lansdownetheater.com
Death Cab for Cutie plays the Highmark Mann on Friday, with Japanese Breakfast opening.Ryan Russell
Death Cab for Cutie & Japanese Breakfast
I Built You a Tower, the 11th album by emblematic indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie, finds the Bellingham, Wash., band fronted by Ben Gibbard in fine fettle. They sounded sharp debuting the album at the Non-Commvention this spring. Michelle Zauner’s Philadelphia-born band Japanese Breakfast opens. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.com
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue play the Fillmore Philly on Friday.Courtesy of the Artist
Trombone Shorty
Troy Andrews got his stage name playing in his family band when he was 4. Thirty-six years later, Andrews is carrying on the rich tradition of New Orleans funk, R&B, and second line rhythms. Bluesy Americana sister band Larkin Poe opens. 8 p.m., Fillmore Philly, 29 E. Allen St., thefillmorephilly.com
Mikaela Davis plays Free at Noon at World Stage on Friday and Johnny Brenda’s on Friday night.Matthew Reamer
Mikaela Davis
Indie rock and alt-country harpist Mikaela Davis is playing two shows Friday. The Graceland Way and Grateful Shred songwriter is doing Free at Noon during the day, followed by a Fishtown gig that night. Noon, World Stage, 3025 Walnut St., xpn.org and 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com
Taj Mahal
Last year, the octogenarian bluesman born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. released his 32nd album, Room on the Porch, a collaboration with Keb’ Mo’. That is a mostly acoustic affair, but he’s playing this show with the Phantom Blues Band. 8 p.m., The Grand, 818 N. Market St., thegrandwilmington.org
Bebe Rexha
The FIFA Fan Festival runs through Sunday’s Spain vs. Argentina World Cup Final, but the final show in its concert series, which has included shows by Leon Thomas, All-American Rejects, and Deadmau5, is Friday. The last star to grace the Lemon Hill stage will be Bebe Rexha, the dance-pop singer who has had hits with G-Eazy, David Guetta, and Florida Georgia Line. It’s free. FIFA Fan Festival, 1 Lemon Hill Drive, phillyfwc26.com
“Weird Al” Yankovic in New York in 2025. He plays the Borgata in Atlantic City on Friday. John Nacion
“Weird Al” Yankovic
The ”Bigger & Weirder Tour” from the accordion-playing master of song parody is headed down the Shore. The “Amish Paradise” and “Eat It” singer will be supported by Puddles Pity Party. 8 p.m., Borgata Event Center, One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, borgata.mgmresorts.com
Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18
Patty Griffin and Kathleen Edwards
A pairing of top-notch songwriters with two performances. Besides the 12 albums Patty Griffin has recorded under her own name, Griffin has had songs covered by the Chicks, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, and Philly’s Dave Hause as well as made her presence felt on Robert Plant’s 2010 Band of Joy. Kathleen Edwards returned after an eight-year break with Total Freedom in 2020 and released Billionaire, coproduced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson last year. 8 p.m., Friday, Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, scottishriteauditorium.com and 8 p.m., Saturday, American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Highway, Lancaster, amtshows.com
Bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma will play with Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen at Grounds for Sculpture on Saturday.Sound Evidence
Saturday, July 18
Bobby Zankel’s Wonderful Sound 6
Philly saxophonist Zankel is leading a notable tribute to John Coltrane. Along with Zankel, the band includes sax players Jaleel Shaw and Bryan Rogers,plus pianist Sumi Tonooka,bass player Sam Harris, and Nazir Ebo on drums.8 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah St., blacksquirrelclub.com
Judy Collins & Richard Thompson
Folk singing legend Judy Collins is on a “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: Farewell Tour,” named after the 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash song she inspired. The opening act is British folk rock great Richard Thompson. 7 p.m., Lansdowne Theater, 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne, landsdownetheater.com
Philly avant-garde bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma pairs off with Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen. They will debut new music from Allen’s upcoming album, 101: An Audio Odyssey, and be in conversation with artist Salvador Jiménez-Flores, whose exhibition Raíces & Resistencias is on view.7 p.m., Grounds for Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, N.J., GroundsForSculpture.org
Philly anti-folk hero Adam Brodsky’s new album is “American Epitaph.” S. Elfie
Sunday, July 19
Songs of Welcome: Concert for Immigrant Aid
This afternoon event features an impressive array of Philly songwriting talent. Featured artists include John Faye, Cliff Hillis, Laura Mann, Adam Brodsky, Irene Lambrou, and Scott McClatchy. It benefits the Welcome Project, a Hatboro-based social service agency that provides assistance to immigrants in Philadelphia as well as Montgomery and Bucks Counties. 2 p.m., Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave., thefallserclub.org
Monday, July 20 and Tuesday, July 21
J. Cole
North Carolina rap star J. Cole says his new album, The Fall Off, is his final album. We’ll believe it when we don’t see a follow-up, but in the meantime, the 24-track double album is an impressive if uneven effort, with guest appearances by Tems, Future, Petey Pablo, and Erykah Badu. It’s also spawned a print publication, The Fall-Off Magazine. 8 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St, xfinitymobilearena.com
Downtown Boys play Johnny Brenda’s on Tuesday.Naomi Yang
Tuesday, July 21
Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs
Tom Petty lead guitarist Mike Campbell has carried on after his former boss’ 2017 death, with four albums now with the Dirty Knobs, whose latest is Mission of Mercy. Sara Lee Guthrie, recently seen singing with Billy Bragg and Wilco at the Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts celebrating her grandfather Woody, is the opener. 8 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, keswicktheatre.com
Downtown Boys
It’s been nine years since fiery Providence, Rhode Island, punk band Downtown Boys’ last album, but the Victoria Ruiz-fronted fivesome have returned at full strength. The new bilingual Public Luxury comes out swinging with “No Me Jodas” — which translates as “Don’t [Mess] with Me” — and never lets up from there. They’re a fantastic live band. Pop Music Fever Dream opens. 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com
Wednesday, July 22
Coltrane 100: Legacy
This Coltrane tribute features the saxophone great’s son Ravi Coltrane performing reimagined versions of his father’s classics with the Philadelphia Orchestra in advance of what would have been John Coltrane’s 100th birthday on Sept. 23. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.com.
Philadelphia City Council is already looking to 2027. And with all 17 seats on the ballot next spring, the elections are shaping up to be a pivotal test of whether the city’s established politicians can withstand a rising tide of frustration with the party among Democratic voters.
All of the incumbents have said they intend to run for reelection, and several are likely to face serious challenges from new candidates focused on grassroots organizing and progressive groups — hoping to seize the opportunity presented by a nationwide leftward shift amid President Donald Trump’s second term.
Three districts have emerged as key battlegrounds.
And the city’s progressive organizations, emboldened by a series of wins locally and nationally, are targeting two other districts: the 1st, which stretches from South Philadelphia to Fishtown and is represented by Councilmember Mark Squilla, and the 8th, which includes parts of North and Northwest Philadelphia and is represented by Councilmember Cindy Bass.
“We’re definitely feeling confident,” said Robert Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Straight Ahead. “Anyone who is going to be running under a progressive banner or a progressive movement is going to have to be running against the establishment, not toward it.”
A competitive race also appears to be taking shape for the seven Council seats that represent the city at-large.
Five of those seats are all but certain to be won by Democrats, making the May 2027 primary the key election in deep-blue Philadelphia.
The other two at-large seats — set aside for Council members outside the majority party under the city’s Home Rule Charter — will be decided in the November 2027 general election. Currently, the two minority party seats are held by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke of the left-leaning Working Families Party.
Jane Golden, founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, takes the stage during the dedication of the Super Bowl LIX mural at Spike’s Trophies on June 17, 2025 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Golden, 73, said last week that she is not currently running for Council, but acknowledged she has thought about it for years.
“It’s always something that is tempting to me, because I just love the city so much,” she said. “I feel honored that people even think of me.”
Progressives eye Bass’ North Philly seat
Philadelphia’s progressive activists this year see two key opportunities to expand the loosely organized left-leaning bloc on Council, which currently consists of four members. Winning additional seats could also grow their influence by enticing more moderate members to vote alongside them if they believe primary voters are moving left.
Leftists have notched high-profile wins in Democratic primaries across the country this year, including in Philadelphia, where democratic socialist State Rep. Chris Rabb (D., Philadelphia) bested more moderate candidates for a seat in Congress representing about half of the city. The district is one of the most Democratic in the nation.
Anderson-Oberman, 55, the executive director of the progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia, said last week that he is “leaning” toward taking another swing.
“We’re in a moment in this country and this city where people have had enough,” he said. “People are looking for new answers. … Cindy represents the old way of doing things.”
Union organizer Seth Anderson-Oberman, running for 8th District City Council, joins in a small rally with community and Happy Hollow Advisory Board members along Wayne Avenue at Happy Hollow Playground in Philadelphia on April 2, 2023.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Another Council run by Anderson-Oberman may test how far progressive momentum can go in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Communist Party USA in his 20s, and has said he is proud of that experience.
Bass, 58, said she is ready for the race no matter who her opponent is.
In June, she survived a contentious fight for another four-year term as Democratic leader of Mount Airy’s 22nd Ward. She was criticized for her handling of the process, and the party ordered a redo of the election.
She and her progressive opponent, Octavius Price, tied, then struck a power-sharing agreement. Through it all, Bass said, longtime residents stuck by her — and she is confident voters will do the same next year.
“My voters are people who are based in this community, committed to this community, intend to stay in the communities that they are in,” she said.
City Councilmember Cindy Bass (center) attends the watch party for Democratic candidate for mayor Cherelle L. Parker at Laborers 332 in Philadelphia on May 16, 2023.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Jeff Jones, a community leader and social justice advocate from Germantown, has also said he intends to run in the 8th District.
“I want to bring that new vision and a new voice to the 8th District, where residents and children and families can know that their voice matters, their concerns will be heard, and their challenges will be met,” said Jones, 61, a first-time political candidate.
Squilla could see a lefty challenger
Leftists are also eying Squilla’s seat, which represents the area along the Delaware River from Pennsport to Kensington. Since Squilla took office in 2012, the district has transformed from a bastion of working-class white voters to one of the most progressive swaths of the city.
Squilla, 63, who has strong labor ties and is one of the most pro-development district Council members, said being a centrist has likely put a target on his back in the 2027 election.
Another contributing factor may be Squilla’s support for controversial legislation in 2024 to approve the 76ers’ since-abandoned plan to build a new arena in Center City. The project, which would have been in Squilla’s 1st District, was opposed by advocates for Chinatown, which the arena would havebordered.
Councilmember Mark Squilla arrives in Council chambers on Nov. 12, 2024, before the start of a public hearing on a proposed Sixers arena.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Despite the fierce objections, Council approved the project with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s support in December 2024. Weeks later, the basketball team announced it was abandoning its Center City plan and would instead build its next arena in South Philly.
Squilla said he is prepared to defend his actions, noting that he worked to ensure any arena deal would benefit his district and that many of those promises are moving forward despite the 76ers withdrawing their proposal.
“The goal as an elected official, and also as a leader, is not always to make the popular decision,” he said. “The goal is to have a process to make the decision that would be best for the people around it.”
One prominent opponent of the Center City arena plan was Will Gross, the owner of Ox Coffee in Queen Village and a progressive who is the Democratic leader of the 2nd Ward. He is seen by political insiders and progressive organizations as the most likely candidate to take on Squilla.
Gross declined to comment.
In this 2023 file photo, Will Gross and Kay Yoon, of the No Arena in Chinatown group, deliver petitions to Councilmember Mark Squilla. Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
A progressive challenger may also emerge in the North Philly and Kensington-based 7th District, which is represented by Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Some insiders have speculated that Celin may run again. He declined to comment.
Lozada, 55, said she “can’t focus” on potential challengers.
“If I spend my time listening to the buzz about who is running,” she said, “we won’t get any work done.”
A battle takes shape in the 5th District
In the 5th District, a seat that represents parts of North Philadelphia and Center City, a handful of Democratic challengers are lining up to take on Young, 40, who is seen as one of Council’s most vulnerable members.
That is in part because of the unusual way in which he was elected in 2023. He ended up being the only Democrat on the ballot after several others, including party officials’ preferred candidates, were removed amid legal challenges.
Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. in chambers as City Council meets Dec. 11, 2025.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
One of those candidates was Curtis Wilkerson, who was chief of staff to former City Council President Darrell L. Clarke. Two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the campaign dynamics, said Wilkerson is considering running for the seat again next year.He did not respond to a request for comment.
Also likely to run is Jalon Alexander, an attorney who unsuccessfully ran for an at-large seat on Council in 2023. Alexander, 33, formed an exploratory committee last year and is expected to formally declare his candidacy later this summer.
Two others are also considering running.
Dustin Dove, a lawyer and the president of the Fairmount Civic Association, said neighbors and community leaders have encouraged him to get in the Council race, and he is “taking the possibility of running seriously.”
“I think our city government should work for everyone by keeping our neighborhoods safe and streets walkable, making housing affordable, and ensuring fairness and access in public services,” Dove, 38, said last week.
Jalon Alexander, an attorney and community advocate, speaks to attendees at a meeting about potential SEPTA budget cuts hosted at Garden of Prayer Church in Strawberry Mansion on June 9, 2025.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer
And Max Tuttleman, 37, a philanthropist who unsuccessfully ran for an at-large seat in 2023, said he “cares deeply about the 5th District and would never close the door to serving Philadelphia.”
He added that “Center City and the neighborhoods around it should be growing faster than they are.”
Young said in an interview last weekthat he intends to run for reelection, but that challengers are not his focus.
“I‘m focused on serving my constituency, serving my community,” he said. “The work that we’ve been doing will hopefully earn the support of the residents of the 5th District.”
A smaller, but competitive, at-large field
Over the last several election cycles, dozens of candidates lined up to run for at-large seats during a time of immense turnover in Council.
But with seven incumbents all looking toward reelection in 2027, there may be fewer challengers who line up to take them on. So far, only Golden and a handful of others have emerged as possible contenders.
David Alexander Jenkins, a cultural strategist known for delivering impassioned speeches during Council’s public comment section, said he is considering a run, encouraged by fellow community members.
“When the community that is around you constantly pushes you to intercede on their behalf, then it’s because they have trusted you to do what it is that you do best,” Jenkins, 39, said. “I think it would be incredibly unwise to ignore that.”
And Jude Husein, 28, a Palestinian-born community activist who was raised in North Philly, has already launched her campaign. If her bid is successful, Husein, a former staffer for State Sen. Art Haywood, would be the first member of Gen Z on Council.
In this 2023 file photo, Jude Husein, of North Philadelphia, speaks at a rally for a Day of Solidarity event at the Art Museum steps.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Leaders of progressive organizations said they are closely watching her candidacy. However, Husein is not exactly running as a leftist. She said that her policy positions are varied and that she will seek endorsements from any institution that is “values-aligned.”
“I’m running because I think government should work for the people who pay for it, and should make neighborhoods affordable and safer,” she said.
Also in the running for Council at-large seats are Billy McCann, 46, a former teacher who lives in Port Richmond, and Isaiah T. Martin, 26, who lives in West Philly and leads a community development nonprofit. The pair, who both said they are progressive, have established something of a slate with Jones, who is challenging Bass in the 8th District.
They said they would prioritize public education, affordability, housing assistance, and government accountability, and they argued that establishment Democrats are failing to connect with voters.
“A new day is coming,” said Martin, another member of Gen Z who would make history on Council if elected. “It’s time we get people who are going to do the actual work and not just sit here and talk about it.”
Yet another ice cream shop has opened on the Fishtown-Kensington border — this time with brownie sandwiches, gluten-free cones, and dog treats, all the way from the Potato State.
Fast-growing Idaho ice cream chain Stella’s opened its first East Coast location at 1832 N. Front St. at the end of June.
Named for husband-and-wife founder Brittney and Chad Hartley’s bulldog, Stella’s opened its first location in 2018 in Nampa, Idaho, a Boise suburb, where it gained a following for its ultra-creamy ice cream recipe, fresh baked goods, and ability to accommodate dietary restrictions. The chain grew to four locations in Idaho by 2020, and began franchising in 2023. Now, the company has 20 locations across Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, Tennessee, Indiana, Nebraska, and Utah, with more planned in the South and Midwest.
Philly franchisee Shay Marlin had no previous ties to Idaho or the food industry — save for some swing shifts at friends’ ice cream parlors or being a summer regular at Sundae Best in Avalon — when he started pursuing a Stella’s franchise in 2024. At the time, all the tech executivehad was a recommendation from a friend. Stella’s, the friend told him, was some of the best ice cream around, with a high butter fat content that makes each scoop rich and velvety.
Stella’s Ice Cream, in Philadelphia, June 29, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Two years later, Marlin looks at home behind the counter, shaping waffle cones fresh off the press and helping baker and manager Lisa Evans dust brownies with powdered sugar. All of the location’s ice cream flavors are churned on-site using Stella’s proprietary mixes, said Marlin. Its trays of fudgy brownies and slightly crisp chocolate cookies are also baked on site daily, he said, to eventually be heaped with ice cream for sundaes and sandwiches.
Business has been slow but steady, according to Marlin, with a few regulars whose dogs pull them inside daily for $2.50 “pupsicles,” the store’s pooch-friendly pops made of frozen yogurt and peanut butter on a Milk Bone.
Stella’s is located smack in the middle of the neighborhood’s ice cream corridor. The chain is surrounded by competitors: Scoop shop and listening lounge Sweet 45, a block north on Front Street; viral soft serve purveyor 1-900-ICE-CREAM seven blocks south; Weckerly’s on Girard Avenue; chains Van Leeuwen and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream around the corner on Frankford Avenue; not to mention one-offs like Fiore and Huda Burger that sell gourmet gelato and ice cream in tandem with sandwiches.
Grasshopper Ice Cream at Stella’s Ice Cream, in Philadelphia, June 29, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Why did Marlin choose to plop his shop in a saturated market?
“When we started working on the space, that one ice cream shop nearby wasn’t there,” said Marlin, referring to Sweet 45, which opened last September. “We were actually trying to get away from all the ice cream shops down the road.”
Marlin also pointed out that residents on the Fishtown-Kensington divide might want a shop closer to their apartments, or one that is decidedly unpretentious. While Stella’s offers 24 flavors, the range is more classic than that of stores like Jeni’s and Van Leeuwen, which are currently scooping ice cream blended with goat cheese and trendybanana pudding, respectively.
“A lot of people that live a little north of here have been excited for us because they don’t have to walk all the way down [Frankford Avenue],” just for some ice cream, Marlin said. “I think there’s room for all of us.”
Cones at Stella’s Ice Cream, in Philadelphia, June 29, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
What makes Stella’s different?
Stella’s specialty is variety. Of the shop’s 24 flavors, eight are dairy-free and made with a coconut milk base. Specials also cycle through weekly. When an Inquirer reporter visited just after its June grand opening, a root beer flavor that tasted like a cold glass of A&W (minus the carbonation) was on rotation.
Otherwise, the shop’s ice cream offerings are riffs on parlor classics, like Rocky Road, salted caramel thick with swirls of caramel sauce, and Grasshopper, a take on mint chip that swaps chocolate for chunks of Oreo cookies. Already, Marlin said, the flavor is the shop’s bestseller. A single scoop is $6.25, with a dollar upcharge for dairy-free flavors, putting it about on par with the neighborhood’s other shops.
Also on offer: gluten-free waffle and sugar cones — a rarity at ice cream shops — stored separately from their regular counterparts to avoid cross-contamination. There are also novelties galore, including 5-inch chocolate chip cookie bowls for sundaes and hybrid brownie-cookie ice cream sandwiches. To-go pints and ice cream cakes are available in a fridge.
Ice cream at Stella’s Ice Cream, in Philadelphia, June 29, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Running Stella’s has been a big adjustment for Marlin, whose training consisted of a weeklong ice cream intensive in Idaho at the chain’s first location. By day, Marlin was making “gallons and gallons of ice cream” and learning things like extrusion, the process by which ice cream is shaped for things like bars or premade sandwiches. By night, he worked the store’s register.
Marlin called himself an “average” ice cream-making student at best, but the 10-to-12-hour days gave him a newfound appreciation for the power of the scoop.
“I don’t think people come into an ice cream shop mad at the world,” he said. “Everyone’s there to have a good time.”
Stella’s Ice Cream, 1832 N. Front St., 215-550-1032, stellasicecream.com. Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; noon-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
I’ve been mesmerized by kibbeh nayyeh since my days as a teenage busboy at Phoenicia, the trailblazing Lebanese fine-dining destination just outside of Detroit in Birmingham, Mich. It was my first encounter with a dish that showcased raw meat — in this case, puréed raw lamb mixed with bulgur wheat and spices. And my determination to eat as much of it as possible while on extra-long breaks in the walk-in (instead of cleaning tables) was likely one reason I wasn’t a very good busboy. It did provide, however, one of the earliest sparks in my career as a curious eater. Now, I order it almost every chance I get.
But no kibbeh nayyeh has stopped me in my tracks and triggered a childhood flashback quite like the incredibly soft and vividly spiced version at Suraya. One of the first recipes taught to executive chef Nick Kennedy by Maude El-Harouny — the Lebanese mother of co-owners Roland Kassis and Nathalie Richan — before Suraya’s 2017 opening, it’s a picture of the classic dish at its best. Lean lamb loin is puréed to a silky smoothness before it’s blended with bulgur, puréed onions, jalapeños, and herbs — basil, marjoram, allspice, mint, and cinnamon — before getting shaped into a dimpled pink puck with deep divots for good olive oil.
The spreadable, pâté-like base itself is flavorful enough, but that peppery olive oil and the garnish piled on top, with sumac-dusted raw onions and basil and mint that deliver a contrast of juicy crunch and herbal freshness, elevates the dish overall to another level. One that’s powerful enough to remind me of my first transporting raw taste of kibbeh nayyeh several decades ago. Suraya, 1528 Frankford Ave., 215-302-1900, surayaphilly.com
— Craig LaBan
Omakase at Kissho House
Omakase experiences in Philadelphia run the boardfrom the $78 tasting at Yuhiro in Fishtown to the $355 extravaganza in the back room of James Beard Award-winning chef Jesse Ito’s Royal Sushi & Izakaya. How about one with ambition and value, priced down the middle?
For that, there’s chef Jeff Chen’s Edomae-style omakase at his 12-seat counter downstairs at Kissho House, which opened last year in a former Rittenhouse law office. Chen, a Hiroki alum, delivers the goods without gimmicks, from the appetizers (octopus, asari clams, and Japanese river crab) through the nigiri sequence, which caps off with a toro hand roll and clam soup, followed by strawberry monaka for dessert. Few $150 omakases include well-sourced ingredients (anago from Tsushima, akami from Spain, uni from Hokkaido), and creative bites like king salmon with dry tomato, truffle sauce, and roe in a spring roll shell, plus Wagyu with sea bream and caviar. Kissho House, 1522 Locust St., 610-332-7387, kisshohouse.com
— Michael Klein
The Bai Cha Sach Mon (chicken fried rice with chinese sausage) at Heng Seng Restaurant, 2217 S. Seventh St.Kiki Aranita / Staff
Chicken fried rice with Chinese sausage (Bai Cha Sach Mon) at Heng Seng Restaurant
I went to Heng Seng Restaurant in South Philly with a craving for Cambodian dry egg noodles. At $15 for a small portion, they hit the spot, bouncy and crinkled yet firm with a side of beef shank bone broth for dipping or sipping. But there was a sleeper hit: the $17 chicken fried rice (called bai cha sach mon in Khmer) with smoky, sweet lap cheong or Chinese sausage.
I usually think of fried rice as a little silly but also a little clever — an excellent way for a restaurant to use day-old rice, which makes for better fried rice than fresh rice. So when the platter landed in front of me, I was delighted but also a little perplexed. How could these slivers of chicken be so tender and flavorful? How could the individual grains of jasmine rice have such a lovely robust texture? Heng Seng’s dishes are heavily influenced by Teochew cuisine (Chinese Cambodians are primarily Teochew Chinese, originally from the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong) with its exceptionally earthy, savory fried rice. With a little bit of egg, scallion, and that sweet lap cheong seeping fat into the rice, this version is certainly worth seeking out. Heng Seng Restaurant, 2217 S. Seventh St., 215-755-5390, hengsengrestaurant.com
— Kiki Aranita
The chicken liver mousse at Royal Boucherie, 52 S. Second St.Beatrice Forman / Staff
Chicken liver mousse at Royal Boucherie
I’ve long considered chicken liver mousse the gateway drug to my beloved chopped liver. Its creamy texture and less polarizing flavor is a good stepping stone to the hard stuff — the chunkier, funkier, and less ritzy mounds of chopped liver behind the counter at most respectable Jewish delis. If it’s your first time eating spreadable liver, the mousse at Old City’s Royal Boucherie is perfect, a textbook example served in a cute little mason jar with crusty bread and cornichons on the side for dipping. Topped with a seasonal berry jam and flecks of flaky salt, the mousse has all the right flavors: a little sweet, a little earthy and rich without feeling heavy. I scraped the jar clean.
