A fatal scuba dive at a lake near Bethlehem, Northampton County, has shaken the Philly region’s tight-knit diving community, leaving divers questioning how an underwater training excursion ended in tragedy.
Stephen O. Adjei, a 31-year-old U.S. Army captain died Saturday while training with U.S. Military Academy West Point — a premier school for those seeking a career in the Army. His death is under investigation, West Point said.
“Our hearts are with the Adjei family during this difficult time. Capt. Adjei’s dedication to our cadets, commitment to his teammates, and service to others left a lasting impact on our community. He will be greatly missed,” said West Point Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Joe Katz.
Originally from Ghana, Adjei had lived in Worcester, Mass., and had worked with the military academy, located in New York state, since 2024, West Point said.
U.S. Army Captain Stephen O. Adjei died while scuba diving at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of U.S. Military Academy West Point
West Point divers made up one of several groups Saturday at Lake Hydra, a limestone quarry near Bethlehem that draws scuba enthusiasts from all over the mid-Atlantic. About 140 people were at the 55-acre lake Saturday, owner Ken Kraft said. According to him, there hasn’t been a diving death since 2022.
Like many sports, diving involves risks, Kraft said.
“That is why we are only open for training and not to the general public, this ensures that a professional is with the diver in training at all times,” he said.
In addition to being a training destination, people enjoy the quarry, previously called Dutch Springs, for its opportunities for underwater exploration, said Dave Barnes, who runs Scubadelphia Diveseekers in Philly. Airplanes, a helicopter, and a school bus are among the attractions on the lake bottom, along with large fish and wildlife.
Barnes said his group was nearby on the north cove of the lake when he learned about a missing diver.
“It’s terrible. I sent my divers in to help search,” Barnes said.
Two of his students — a paramedic and a physician from Philly — helped render aid to Adjei after he was brought ashore, Barnes said.
Divers conduct training at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of Dave Barnes
Kevin Pang, who co-owns South Jersey Scuba in Marlton, N.J., also had divers in the water. Pang said the incident has shocked the community — especially since Adjei was young and presumably fit.
“Scuba diving overall is a really safe sport,” Pang said. “These events are rare. That’s what makes it shocking when it does happen.”
Still, there were some challenges on the lake that day, Pang said. The lake is 100 feet deep at its lowest points. Divers routinely go down to around 60 feet, and overcast weather meant that it was hard to see at those depths. Inexperienced divers can make that situation worse by kicking up mud on the lake bottom, Pang said.
When Adjei went missing, a string of rescue protocols would have gone into effect, he said. Divers typically have a “dive buddy” responsible for maintaining eyes on their partner underwater. If one goes missing, the other diver searches for them for a minute, then surfaces. Usually, Pang said, the missing diver is quickly found at the surface.
It is not yet known whether Adjei’s death resulted from an error or a medical condition. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said his office is working to determine how Adjei died.
Only a handful of new traffic signals and some final paving work are left on the to-do list for the $155.1 million safety improvement project that essentially rebuilt a roughly 9-mile stretch of the highway.
In addition to repaving the road from Route 38 in Pennsauken to Cooper Avenue in Marlton, the work included new gas and water mains, traffic signal upgrades at 27 intersections, sidewalk and drainage improvements, and more.
“The investment NJDOT is making will help improve travel times, relieve congestion, and increase safety on this key roadway through Camden County, and these improvements are expected to benefit more than motorists,” said NJDOT spokesperson Steve Schapiro told the Inquirer this week.
“Reconstructed sidewalks and concrete curbs will mean improved safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable roadways users,” he said. “Updated utilities, improved drainage and replaced culverts will ensure resiliency along the corridor and help to mitigate inclement weather events that may cause flooding.”
Over the next month, the final six traffic signals will be installed along the highway after “several utility-related delays” previously held up the work, Schapiro said.
The signal work is expected to be completed in October, he said, and will be followed by re-striping and paving in two remaining work zones.
First, the agency aims to finish repaving Route 70 between the Grove Street/Haddonfield Road intersection and Route 38 this fall, weather permitting, Schapiro said.
The final unfinished section of highway stretching from Route 295 to Cropwell Road, will be repaved this fall“where necessary, with final paving scheduled for next spring,” he said.
NJDOT is also working with Camden County on additional landscaping work to be conducted in the spring, he said.
On Friday, Ralph DiSibio and his friends arrived early, as they usually do, at a cheesesteak joint in Marlton between an Advance Auto Parts and a dry cleaner.
The men wore matching T-shirts picturing a loaded cheesesteak set aflame, except for Gary Mazzucco, who hasn’t retired yet and doesn’t have the time, nor the medical clearance, to eat a pound of meat and cheese over and over again.
“Ralph, I gotta order a salad. I can’t eat a cheesesteak,” Mazzucco, 78, said.
“That’s why he doesn’t have a T-shirt,” one of his friends chimed in.
Mazzucco ordered a salad. Then, he changed his order after he spotted wings on the menu, which opened the conversation to teasing. What kind of salad was that?
“It’s got celery,” Mazzucco said.
When he offered to share, most of the group passed.
Johnny Longhots, a pizza and sandwich joint “where Philadelphia meets New York,” is the fourth stop on the retirees’ monthslong quest to find South Jersey’s best cheesesteak, preceded by trips to Donkey’s Place in Camden, Bricco Coal Fired Pizza, and Chick’s Deli in Cherry Hill.
Ralph DiSibio (far left), 85, of Moorestown, watches as friends Mike Mouber (left), 79; Paul Ferretti, 79; and John DeSilvio, 74, enter Johnny Longhots in Marlton on Sept. 18.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
The crew refuses to cross the bridge for cheesesteaks. They want to avoid tolls, and with thousands of options in Philly, they’re not sure they’ll live long enough to eat them all. Sitting in a bright red booth, the seniors were close enough to the city, their backs to a wall of Philly motifs. A picture of the LOVE statue hung above Mike Mouber’s head.
DiSibio, 85, used to work in the nuclear waste industry, and Mazzucco is an accountant. Mouber, 79, was a lawyer; Paul Ferretti, 79, an investment banker, and John DeSilvio, 78, a contractor. Bob McDermott, 83, worked for the U.S. Postal Service. None of them have long careers as food critics or restaurateurs, but they’ve eaten many a sandwich.
The group hasn’t found its prized meal yet — Chick’s was the favorite so far — but they say they’re uniquely qualified to discover it.
“If you count Gary, there’s over 400 years of experience,” DiSibio said, settled at the head of the table.
Mike Mouber (center), 79, points to the Johnny Longhots menu as Bob McDermott, 83, enjoys his cheesesteak. Although the beloved sandwich was invented in Philadelphia, the group has no interest in trying out Philly cheesesteaks across the bridge.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
The seniors met years ago at a 55+ community in Moorestown, the Mews at Laurel Creek, where most of them still live. They’ve kept their friendship going at the poker table, where they compete every Thursday.
To mix things up, the group recently visited Donkey’s Place to try what many South Jerseyans have called the best cheesesteak around. But the men weren’t fans, including those who have long frequented Camden’s food scene. They were put off by the kaiser roll.
“We weren’t thrilled one way or another,” said DiSibio, a Camden native.
So they decided to keep searching. They’re working on a spreadsheet, though there’s no formal rating system or numerical values attributed to each cheesesteak. They establish their thoughts on the firmness of the bread, the spice of the hot peppers, the meltability of the cheese, and how much meat they get for their money through overlapping conversations that usually drift into sports, politics, religion, and movie debates. Sandwiches are generally considered “good” or, well, not.
Paul Ferretti (right), 79, greets Ralph DiSibio, 85, alongside Mike Mouber (center), 79, inside Johnny Longhots on Sept. 18.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
Their ultimate cheesesteak, at least according to a printed list in large text, must include: meat, onions, cheese, a roll, and seasoning. The “ambiance of the establishment” only matters if it’s particularly remarkable. They always get fried onions if they can, and hot peppers on the side.
Jimmy Lees, an employee at Johnny Longhots, made sure most of their cheesesteaks came out quickly, after a lengthy back-and-forth between the men on whether to get provolone or Cooper Sharp. (The majority went with Cooper Sharp.)
Lees, a Philly native, said it was a new thing to witness a group of seniors hunting for the region’s best cheesesteak, but it’s not so strange.
“It’s something to do,” Lees said.
The group of friends enjoyed their Johnny Longhots cheesesteaks. The group found the bread roll to not be as good as they hoped but appreciated the amount of steak that was provided.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
As they ate, there wasn’t much commentary about the cheesesteaks. They debated what year The Godfather novel came out, and DeSilvio’s forthcoming trip to Croatia. They compared their quest to Indiana Jones in 1981.
“This is like Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark,” McDermott said. “We’re looking for the holy grail of cheesesteak.”
Mike Mouber points to Gary Mazzucco (not pictured) when asked who’s the best poker player in the group while the rest of the friends (from left to right) Bob McDermott, Ralph DiSibio, Paul Ferretti, and John DeSilvio enjoy their meals.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
It didn’t take long for the group to finish their sandwiches, about a half hour or so. DeSilvio wrapped up half of his sandwich for his wife. McDermott said he enjoyed his. Others said the sandwich was good, but maybe the bread could’ve been crustier. It was the smallest of the cheesesteaks they’d eaten so far. They debated their choices again, both praising and regretting the Cooper Sharp.
“I don’t have any of these opinions,” Mouber said.
They joked about their cholesterol meds, and that it’s a good thing cardiologists live in their Moorestown development. They said they won’t know the true rating of their cheesesteaks until later in the day, when their digestive systems get to work.
The group discusses what cheeses should be allowed in cheesesteaks. While DiSibio passionately believes only provolone cheese should be in the sandwich, Mouber (far left) doesn’t have a preference.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
The group plans to visit at least one cheesesteak joint a month for as long as they feel up to it. Their current list includes Irishtown Steaks, Pudge’s Pub, and Champs Cheesesteaks and Hoagies, among others. DiSibio said he hopes to get through at least 10 spots before they call it quits.
When asked for final thoughts on their sandwiches at Johnny Longhots, Mouber spoke for his friends.
Kelly N. Moore, 46, of Burlington Township, award-winning clinical psychologist, founder of Moore Wellness LLC, director of the Center for Psychological Services at Rutgers University, graduate school clinical associate professor, former fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, mentor, author, mental health activist, volunteer, and 2026 Willingboro High School Hall of Fame inductee, died Thursday, Aug. 20, of kidney cancer at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.
Adept at treating anxiety, depression, trauma, and perinatal disorders, Dr. Moorebecame director of the Rutgers Center for Psychological Services and a clinical associate professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology in 2020. As CPS director, she mentored hundreds of doctoral students regarding academic requirements and clinical procedures, and supervised the center’s community mental health clinic.
She significantly expanded the center’s services and outreach, Rutgers colleagues said in a Facebook tribute, and forged important partnerships on campus and in the community. Colleagues said: “Her warm demeanor, melodic voice, vibrant spirit, and calming presence made all who met, and were fortunate enough to know her, feel seen, welcomed, and heard.”
She spent two years as a fellow at Penn’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety after earning her doctorate in clinical psychology at Rutgers in 2011. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded Moore Wellness LLC and focused on helping women, children, and clients of color.
“Wellness does not mean you will never experience challenges,” Dr. Moore said in an online profile for Psychology Today magazine. “Rather, it means having the tools to manage the challenges when faced with them.”
Dr. Moore was an outspoken activist for mental health education and services. She spoke with groups often, organized workshops, and was featured in newspapers and magazines and on TV and podcasts. “Just trying to get people to understand as much as they can about the impact their mental health and well being have on their day-to-day lives,” she said in a 2026 podcast interviewwith the Multicultural Counseling Institute.
She belonged to the American Psychological Association and the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists. She was active with the Therapy for Black Girls podcast and the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology.
Dr. Moore was a cheerleader and lacrosse player, and graduated from Cornell University in 2002.Courtesy of the family
She earned leadership and achievement awards from the New Jersey Psychological Association, the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, and other groups. She was president and a board member of the Burlington County chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc. Colleagues there called her “a beautiful example of leadership, service, grace, and love.”
Kelly Nicole Walker was born Aug. 20, 1980, in Philadelphia. Her family moved to Willingboro when she was 2, and she graduated from Willingboro High School in 1998.
She was a cheerleader and played lacrosse and viola as a teenager. Her mother, Diana, was a social worker, and she showed Dr. Moore up close how one person could impact their community.
“I was just fascinated by this concept,” Dr. Moore told the Multicultural Counseling Institute in the podcast interview. “It was already set at a young age that this was the kind of work I should be doing.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in human development at Cornell University in 2002 and a master’s degree in education at Penn in 2003.
She met Melvin Moore through friends, and they married in 2004 and had sons Miles, Mason, and Matthew. They lived in Marlton and Delanco, and, since 2015, in Burlington Township.
Dr. Moore was a longtime member and dance choreographer at the Gospel Tabernacle Church. She joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. at Cornell in 2000 and was on the executive board of its Pi Mu Omega chapter in Willingboro.
Friends noted her “warmth, generosity, and kindness,” and called her “genuine” and “quietly brilliant” in online tributes. One friend said: “She sure made me proud to be from Willingboro.”
Dr. Moore and her husband, Melvin, married in 2004 and had three sons. Courtesy of the family
Dr. Moore doted on her sons and called them her “M & M’s.” She was an avid reader and led several book clubs.
She liked to garden, play piano, take photos, cook, and crochet. She was diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma about a year ago and was determined, her husband said, to reach her 46th birthday. She did it.
I’m not saying the world’s most coveted beef is an international marketing conspiracy to compel us all to pay more for steak. I have eaten genuine A5 Wagyu fresh off a grill in Tokyo, and the unique sensation of biting into that cube of quivering-hot meat laced with molten fat and feeling it dissolve into buttery richness is unforgettable. Japan’s famously pampered breed of cattle — whose expense results from an intense feeding regimen over a longer duration than conventional beef — can be very special. Especially in small quantities.
Back here on the front lines of all-you-can-eat wagyu feasting at Ogyu in Ardmore, however, I could not escape the feeling I was in for an experience long on flash — sizzling tabletop grills, swirling plumes of dry ice smoke, digital sparks flying across the room’s giant LED screens — and short on satisfying flavors.
Guests dining in at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
I was prepped for a 90-minute sprint of carnivorous endurance, limited only by my ability to navigate a DIY iPad menu, forced timing breaks, and the need for a maximalist ordering strategy for Ogyu’s tiered packages,ranging from $39 to $99 per person. Should my appetite stumble? A potential 20% “wasting fee” loomed. (Diners are potentially charged extra if they don’t eat what they order.)
I didn’t want to let our server James down after he successfully upsold us into one of the more expensive packages, whose overlapping lists of meat perks, which gradually increase in quality, reminded me of sussing through the various mysterious options available at a car wash. Sure, my car will be clean no matter which hot wax I select, just as I’ll be full no matter which all-you-can-eat menu I go for. But will I emerge with that ruddy Wagyu shine of beefy bliss?
Definitely not with the entry-level “Silver” ($39) or “Gold” ($59) options, which James wordlessly dispatched as unworthy by comically sticking out his tongue in disdain and slashing his throat with his fingers: “The ‘Diamond’ tier is our most amazing experience,” he counseled.
The Bluefin tartare at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
We settled on the second-most extravagant option, the $79 “Platinum,” in which some genuine Japanese Wagyu is made available along with prime-grade beef and less-marbled American wagyu from the lower levels of the menu.
As a newcomer to the all-you-can-eat universe, I immediately fumbled the challenge of prioritizing our orders properly. Diners are limited to ordering a maximum of 10 items every 10 minutes, and we foolishly crowded our limited table space with mundane belly-fillers like wagyu dumplings (raggedy), hand rolls (mushy with too much panko filler), spring rolls (so greasy), and pencil-size wands of tempura-fried crustacean so thickly breaded they were unrecognizable as lobster tail. The truffled wagyu stir-fried rice was burnt.
I did appreciate the slow-steeped richness of the bone marrow soup. We also enjoyed the thick-cut bluefin tuna sashimi, as well as a toro tartare with avocado and ponzu. (Ogyu’s owner, Sam Li, says several regulars come here to get their money’s worth exclusively in bottomless sashimi.)
But we were here for the beef. James finally took pity on us, commandeered our iPad, scrolled down to multiple menu panels I’d missed, and began punching up orders for the maximum amount of the A5 Wagyu cuts allowed from Miyazaki Prefecture. I was impressed with the dramatic presentation of the fat-marbled Wagyu rib cap that arrived at our table in branded wooden boxes fuming with smoke — until a server tipped the box too far and the cold water that activated the dry ice smoke streamed right out onto my guest’s lap.
Ogyu Japanese BBQ restaurant is shown on Tuesday, July, 7, 2026 in Ardmore, Pa. The new restaurant by Sam Li offers a modern Japanese steakhouse experience with tabletop cooking, adding to Ardmore’s growing portfolio of restaurants.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Ogyu (pronounced “Oh-Gee-You”) is a snazzy space. Li, a chef and sushi entrepreneur who also owns three Osushis (in Ardmore, Wayne, and Marlton) as well as Newtown Square’s Hiramasa, spent $3 million transforming the former Iron Hill into a 300-seat meat palace with sleek black fixtures, marble accents, and illuminated walls. The all-you-can-eat format, a national trend in luxury foods, has been a smart move for this three-month-old restaurant, which grills 1,000 pounds of beef each week, 75% of which is wagyu, roughly 20% of which is from Japan. (A la carte options are launching soon.)
But the overall details do not add up to theluxuryexperience the $120 check average should command, from the cruise ship-level tropical drink program to the tiny plastic plates our servers never bothered to clear between courses until I asked. (Nonetheless, our server preselected a 22% gratuity as the default tip on Ogyu’s mobile payment machine.)
Jason Kan, of Wynnnewood, Pa., and wife Megan Kan, are dining in for the first time at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Habitués of all-you-can-eat may understand their task, target, and the rules of the game. Unlike flavorful, marinade-boosted Korean barbecue, this beef is presented relatively unseasoned, in the Japanese yakiniku tradition, to “focus on the quality of the meat itself,” says Li. I only wish someone had bothered to show us the temperature controls on the side of our tabletop grill, which wasn’t set nearly hot enough to properly sear the beef. The A5 Wagyu rib cap itself was legitimately tender and glossed with fatty richness. But served in less-than-prime circumstances, with customers in charge of their own grilling — usually overcooking the meat while simultaneously trying to socialize — it fell flat for me.
A $79 fee, or even $99, is technically a fair deal for a big meal spun around an ingredient that, at its highest quality, sells locally at Barclay Prime for $210 or more for a half-pound portion. But I don’t enjoy Japanese Wagyu in that kind of portion. It’s rich and tender to the point of being mushy. A little goes a long way. But the wider world’s growing appetite for wagyu as a prestige label synonymous with the good life (the global market is projected to grow from $29 to $49 billion between 2025 and 2034) leaves me skeptical.
The Wagyu Mt. at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Is wagyu really the lifestyle upgrade we need — not just for occasional splurges, but our everyday burgers and cheesesteaks, too? I don’t think so. It’s just the latest in a long line of token bites of privilege — truffles, caviar, uni — that lose their luster once the industrial food complex latches on for maximum profit, even as standard beef prices hit all-time highs. There is some excellent American wagyu available now, but there’s also enough fake wagyu on the market, let alone less-marbled hybrid versions raised in both America and Australia, to make one question all of it.
Personally, I’d rather sink my teeth into a thick, dry-aged porterhouse that delivers the beefy texture and complex savor of carefully handled meat, not just the fat that gives it richness. I’ll take a well-marinated Korean galbi with all the ssam and banchan fixings at Kim’s, a perfectly cured slice of brisket pastrami (hello, Radin’s deli!), or a grass-fed Brazilian cut roasted over live coals at Picanha over the soft pads of a fatty wagyu splurge.
The Miyazaki rib eye at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
But the competitive nature in me chafed to learn from James, when I asked him after our meal, that my table of four’s consumption of 32 savory dishes was “below average” for Ogyu. Li later confirmed that his regulars typically order 50 to 60 dishes.
I became determined to run it back for another visit, this time at Diamond-level indulgence, with a disciplined game plan to start with beef and order, order, order at every 10-minute interval. We started at the peak, quite literally, with “Wagyu Mt. Fuji,” a pylon-shaped prong wrapped in American-raised wagyu blade steak whose snow-effect decoration of grated Parmesan had the unfortunate effect of sticking to the grill and causing the beef to shred into worthless flakes whenever we tried to pry it off. Our server whisked away the grill plate before we’d even eaten half.
The Wagyu Mt. Fuji dish at Ogyu in Ardmore, featuring American wagyu blade steak.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
I tried the black pepper-marinated eye-of-round to sample a non-Wagyu cut, but these prime-grade strips quickly roasted into unpleasantly twiny ropes that prompted my own impression of James’ pantomimed nixing. It would be almost all Wagyu from here on in as we cycled through multiple 3.3-ounce portions of truffled chuck rib, short rib, strip loin, and thin-cut tongue (too crunchy for my crowd). Piles of empty service trays cluttered our table as the staff arrived with waves of more meat. But few cuts really wowed me, except for the tender New Zealand lamb chops, which I highly recommend.
Among the best menu items was the “Meet Wagyu” nigiri, a sheer strip of beef draped over a nub of rice, topped with a nugget of your choice — uni, caviar, truffles, or foie gras — then briefly torched in the kitchen. It was a composed one-bite delight that highlighted Wagyu’s signature virtues. The one knockout cut that impressed on its own was the A5 rib eye from Miyazaki, a succulent pad of velvety soft beef that our server snipped into glistening morsels.
The Wagyu nigiri topped with uni at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
After 3 pounds of grilled meat between us, I could have kept going. But my tallow-saturated guests could not. Despite my best efforts, we’d only managed a small bump over the previous visit: just 37 plates. We’d maxed out our quotient on the premium Japanese Wagyu, but as plate volume went, we were still way “below average.”
Once the dry-ice smoke settled, I needed a caffeine boost — only to find that Ogyu won’t even brew a simple pot of tea (lest you linger beyond your 90-minute welcome). At least there’s refreshing green tea-flavored ice cream extruded into strands of “matcha snow ice.” Li says they mix their own ice cream base and pair it with red beans to temper the sweetness. After a meal of such unbridled beefy excess, the final restrained note was perfect.
The matcha snow ice at Ogyu on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
All-you-can-eat packages through four tiers from $39 to $99.
Wheelchair accessible.
About 70% of the menu (including most meats) are gluten-free or can be modified.
Menu highlights: As much of the A5 Japanese Wagyu as your package allowed. Also, the Wagyu nigiri combos, the lamb chops, bone marrow soup, and matcha snow ice.
Drinks: The tropical cocktails are fine and on-theme but not memorable. There’s plenty of sake and Japanese whiskey for big spenders. Otherwise, stick with a draft of Sapporo or Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.
Lounge area at Ogyu Japanese BBQ, 60 Greenfield Ave., Ardmore, on May 21, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
This fall’s restaurant openings reflect an industry hedging its bets: established operators expanding into the suburbs and repurposing familiar spaces, and newcomers pursuing narrowly drawn concepts built around omakase, caviar, Korean barbecue, cocktails, and live-fire cooking.
I count about five dozen restaurants in the region’s pipeline, with Italian concepts (no surprise), all-day service, and experience-driven dining recurring throughout the list. In addition to 60 restaurants opening between now and late December, two other restaurants are expanding: Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill is adding dinners and Palm Vintage across from City Hall is adding nighttime sushi service.
By comparison, last year’s fall roundup covered 53 restaurants. All of those opened except for three that are now a full year behind schedule: Adda in Fishtown is shooting for October, Ayat near Rittenhouse Square is aiming for November, and Brunch Bulls in Point Breeze is targeted for December. (Although this year has seen its share of closings, especially among longstanding restaurants, each of last fall’s restaurants is still open.)
Brand new and notable
Aogami (4343 Main St.): Underground sushi is coming to Manayunk as chef Tom LoMonte joins chef Moon Krapukthong to offer a 16-course omakase in a 20-seat BYOB setting beneath Krapukthong’s Yanako and neighboring Chabaa Thai Bistro, starting Sept. 25. LoMonte — a veteran of Zama, Izakaya by Yanaga, Pod, and Yanaga Kappo Izakaya — will lead the omakases at 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; reserved sushi-bar seatings will run Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays alongside hand rolls and à la carte service. LoMonte describes the atmosphere as energetic and less formal than typical omakase counters. Upstairs, Yanako will continue serving rolls, sushi platters, udon, tempura, and yakitori.
The Buttery (1099 Germantown Ave.): Malvern-based bakery and cafe the Buttery is preparing a Philadelphia location at Piazza Alta in Northern Liberties, near Scusi and Terra Grill. It recently opened a Bryn Mawr location and expanded its original Malvern operation into dinner service with Neapolitan pizza and shareable plates. An opening date has not yet been shared.
Nick & Nora’s Oyster Dive (560 Stokes Rd., Medford): Michael and Jeniphur Pasquarello (La Chinesca, Piccolina) are bringing a raw bar and American kitchen to a corner space with a large deck at Ironstone Village. The broader menu will include steak frites, burgers, fish, vegetables, and small plates, says Michael Pasquarello, who hopes to open in 60 to 90 days.
Chef Chaz Brown (left) is partnered with his brother Clifford Brown (center) and John Skeele in Rumblefish, 1700 N. Third St.Mike Prince
Rumblefish(1700 N. Third St.): Chef Chaz Brown is targeting November for this 900-square-foot, fast-casual Caribbean fish-fry restaurant at Third Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Brown — a Trinidadian American chef whose resumé includes Nobu, Le Bec-Fin, Fatty Crab, and television’s Top Chef — will focus on invasive species such as lionfish, snakehead, green crab, and Chesapeake Bay blue catfish when available. (The catfish turned heads at the recent Oxtail Exchange at Forman Arts Initiative.) Brown uses gluten-free corn flour with Trinidadian spice blends and serves the fish on po’boy-style rolls baked by Angelo’s Bakery in Conshohocken. The mostly takeout operation will have counter seating, a 25-seat covered patio, slaws, fries, sea-moss drinks, and Solo Kola Champagne.
Pennsylvania suburbs
Alessandro’s Enoteca (915 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr): Alex Fiorello’s third restaurant will bring a bar-focused Italian concept to the former Enoteca Tredici space in Bryn Mawr Village in mid-to-late October. Fiorello and culinary director Matt Arcomone, whose resumé includes Osteria, Vetri, and Palladino’s, are planning house-made pastas, wood-fired pizzas, live-fire cooking, and dry-aged meats. It’s intended to have a stronger evening and bar scene than Fiorello’s Wayne restaurants.
Bruzi (281 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd): Two couples with Calabrian roots plan to open this Southern Italian restaurant in the former Aldar Bistro in late fall. Expect house-made pastas and Calabrian dishes such as fusilli with slow-cooked meat sauce, baked lamb, and grilled tuna, plus cocktails and an opening list of about 100 Italian wines.
Capperini (137 S. Easton Rd., Glenside): Eastern Montco will get an upscale Italian-Mediterranean destination with a liquor license from Ilya Vorobey and partners including members of the team behind Capri in Queen Village. Vorobey is aiming for October or November.
Casa de Fehu, 482 Jacksonville Rd., Hatboro.Michael Klein / Staff
Casa de Fehu (482 Jacksonville Rd., Hatboro): Hatboro couple Anthony Shalamov and Anastasia De Roy are developing this polished restaurant with European-inspired cooking and an upscale atmosphere, possibly with a tie-in to a local brewery that would allow alcoholic drinks. Shalamov is targeting an October soft opening.
Cecilia (266 E. Fourth St., Bridgeport): The team behind Blue Bell Inn and the Copper Crow is just about ready to open this contemporary American bar-restaurant in the extensively renovated former Taphouse 23. The roomy property includes a large patio and a wood-burning oven. The menu emphasizes familiar American dishes, positioning this as an all-purpose neighborhood destination.
Donatelli’s (1 Washington Ave., Newtown): Restaurateur Habib Troudi, who owns Panache and Ristorante Castelloin Blue Bell, is behind a top-to-bottom overhaul of the former Rocco’s at the Brick in downtown Newtown. He said he is hoping to open the Italian steakhouse in October.
Rendering of the Garden by Pieri Winery, 127 E. Elm St., in Conshohocken.Courtesy of Christina Pieri
The Garden by Pieri Winery (127 E. Elm St., Conshohocken): Winery owner Christina Pieri and restaurateur Brian Pieri (StoneRose, Bar Lucca, Cerdo) are targeting a mid-October opening of their year-round indoor-outdoor restaurant beside the Schuylkill River Trail, an offshoot of Christina’s Coopersburg winery. A wood-fired kitchen will serve seasonal American food, including brick-oven pizzas, focaccia sandwiches, salads, steaks, and fish, at lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. The property will include a covered patio, fire tables, a turf area, and pickleball and bocce courts.
The Hungry Hub (11 S. Orange St., Media): Media native Cassidy Moretti and her mother, Glenda, are taking over the former Rivalry Cafe with a family-run breakfast and lunch operation. The Hungry Hub also plans later hours and a late-night menu, broadening its role beyond that of a conventional daytime cafe. An Oct. 1 opening has been announced.
The Iron Oven (58 S. York Rd., Hatboro): Alex Nalbandian’s Southampton bar-restaurant — known for an expansive American menu, cocktails, craft beer, brunch, and dishes ranging from wings and burgers to flatbreads and entrees — is adding a second location in eastern Montco: the former Ross & Co. He’s aiming at November.
Lazy Dog(160 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia): The California-based bar, known for Rocky Mountain lodge imagery and a broad American menu, is targeting late 2026 at the King of Prussia Mall.
Luna (129 E. Butler Ave., Ambler): FineLine Hospitality, which recently opened Academy Grill in Fort Washington, is behind a stylish revamp of Dettera in downtown Ambler. Chef Marie Lavizzo-Mourey will base her menu on the 20-plus countries bordering the Mediterranean. The project is on track for fall.
Martini & Roz(523 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne): Fearless Restaurants is turning Wayne’s former Bertucci’s into an ambitious, 300-seat Southern Italian restaurant named for founder Marty Grims’ parents, Martin and Roslyn. Menu will include crudo, oysters, steaks and chops, wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, and charcuterie. It will feature two open kitchens, a cheese cave, a tasting counter, and extensive outdoor seating.
Maru (2922 Conestoga Rd., Glenmoore): David Backhus and the team behind the former Oori restaurants are in the early days of a fast-casual Korean-inspired restaurant at their former Collective Coffee & Bakery. Think Korean fried chicken sandwiches, wings, and tenders, supplemented by mochi doughnuts and specialty Collective coffee.
Nudy’s Cafe (122 Park Ave., Willow Grove): Prolific suburban breakfast-and-lunch operator Ray Nudy hopes for late September for his latest diner, across from Marshalls in Willow Grove.
Old Friend (166 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne): Childhood friends Larry Kagan and Chas McFeely are behind this contemporary American grill, with former Fork executive chef Sam Henzy leading the kitchen. The 86-seat restaurant will center on live-fire cooking in a Josper oven, with dry-aged fish, poultry, and larger proteins intended for sharing. Its compact wine list will be closely tied to the food. A late-fall opening is planned in the Apartments at Wayne Station.
Opus (201 Birch St., Kennett Square): Square Roots Collective will open this 125-seat New American restaurant Sept. 11 in the former temporary home of Hank’s Place, next to the Artelo hotel. Executive chef Matthew Anderson, formerly of Longwood Gardens and Winterthur, plans seasonal dishes, such as Kennett Square mushroom bisque, butternut squash agnolotti, herb gnocchi, and dayboat scallops. The two-story space includes a cocktail lounge, terraces, and work by local artists. Profits will support community projects and nonprofits.
Salt (840 W. Lancaster Ave., Devon): Rich Kim of North Wales’ acclaimed Salt predicts late December for his redevelopment of Devon’s former La Jonquille and Shiraz property into a second Korean barbecue concept, followed in 2027 by Yugo, a carousel sushi restaurant, upstairs.
The Still on State (18 W. State St., Doylestown): Only days open at the Doylestown Inn, this Irish pub-inspired bar/restaurant fills the former Hattery Stove & Still space; it’s paired with an on-site microdistillery called the Tilted Brim.
Taco Heart (120 Coulter Ave., Ardmore): Nano Wheedan is bringing his South Philadelphia breakfast-taco shop to the Ardmore Farmers Market, its first expansion beyond its East Passyunk-area home. Expect Austin-style flour tortillas and breakfast tacos built around eggs, potatoes, beans, bacon, brisket, and house salsas. Opening is set for Oct. 5.
Top Dog Cocktails (110 E. State St., Kennett Square, and 2012 Frankford Ave., Fishtown): Ken Smuckler’s cocktail company plans two vinyl listening rooms this fall inspired by Japanese jazz kissas. Kennett Square’s 750-square-foot space partners with local music venue Kennett Flash, while Fishtown’s 350-square-foot flagship — arguably the neighborhood’s smallest bar — will feature a 15-seat bar, two-turntable DJ station, and retail.
Tusk (50 N. Main St., Doylestown): Mike and Joy Grafenstine, owners of Roberts Block in Glenside and Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant in Abington, are taking over the former Water’s Edge wine bar, combining the martini-and-wine-bar airs of Roberts Block with approachable upscale American comfort food. Target is October.
Vintner’s Table (24 Cricket Ave., Ardmore): Andrea and Marco Folino, behind Kutztown’s Folino Estate Winery, are opening a third location of their Italian-inspired wine bar, salumeria, and lifestyle boutique in downtown Ardmore in October.
New Jersey suburbs
Akira 70 Omakase (249 Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill): Ming “Frank” Zheng is expanding his Japanese holdings — he owns Akira Sushi in Voorhees and Moorestown — with an omakase experience in a former fur salon.
Banjara Indian Bistro (687-689 Berlin-Cross Keys Rd., Sicklerville): Vaneet Chopra, whose family operates Cross Culture in Haddonfield and previously ran Banjara in Chestnut Hill, is bringing the Banjara name to Sicklerville; its dine-in starts Thursday.
Freckled Jawn Brewing(1003 N. Evergreen Ave., Woodbury): Woodbury residents John Wagner and Colleen Gibson are taking over the former Eight & Sand Beer Co., which closed in June after 10 years. Targeting the first week of October, the brewery will introduce new branding and a fresh lineup of approachable beers, emphasizing natural and locally sourced ingredients when possible.
Irishtown Steaks (155 S. Burlington St., Gloucester City): Donkey’s Placealumnus Dave Murphy is targeting Halloween for his steak shop, joining recent Gloucester City entries Lillo’s and Pudge’s Pub. Murphy will use rolls from Boaggio’s, which has a bakery in town.
Penny’s Bagels (212 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield): Chris Fetfatzes and the Happy Monday Hospitality Group (Wine Dive, Grace & Proper) are developing this long-delayed bagel shop in downtown Haddonfield, now with an October target.
Pizzeria Cusumano (872 Haddon Ave., Collingswood): Announced back in September 2021, this passion project from South Jersey’s Sal Cusumano is finally about to start offering his Roman-inspired squares and neo-New York rounds, but “I don’t want to box myself into a certain style.” Cusumano, a third-generation pizzaiolo, is planning a small shop with limited seating. This week, he said it will open in October for sure.
Philadelphia
Adda (1700 Frankford Ave.): New York’s Unapologetic Foods — behind Dhamaka, Semma, and the original Adda — is bringing its energetic Indian cooking to Fishtown, across from the 19125 post office. Expect regional dishes in an informal setting, continuing the restaurant group’s practice of pushing beyond familiar Indian American standards. Originally expected in fall 2025, the Philadelphia location is now targeting an October opening.
Ayat (2021 Sansom St.): Abdul Elenani’s New York-based Palestinian restaurant — first announced in spring 2024 — is looking at a November opening in the former Roxy Theater near Rittenhouse Square. Ayat is known for generous portions of mansaf, maklouba, mezze, grilled meats, and other homestyle Palestinian dishes.
The bar at Bar Caviar, 256 S. 16th St.Kenneth Schutz
Bar Caviar (256 S. 16th St.): Opening in early October in the Dwight D Hotel in Rittenhouse, this bar will pair caviar and seafood with 50 varieties of Champagne and a full wine program in a setting that’s more neighborhood than hushed luxury lounge. Executive chef Greg Vassos’ contemporary American menu, informed by classical French technique and Japanese precision, will feature raw-bar selections, caviar-focused dishes, and seasonal small plates. The restaurant also will operate Parallel, a caviar program emphasizing careful sourcing and extended maturation. In 2027, Vassos plans to follow with Fall Line, a Mid-Atlantic-focused tasting-menu restaurant.
Brunch Bulls (1638 W. Passyunk Ave.): Brothers Derrick “Dee” Long and Jarrick “Jakk” Long are behind this all-day brunch/dinner/dessert restaurant in Point Breeze. They say they’ll be open by December.
Call Your Mother (262 S. 19th St., 1500 Frankford Ave., 12th and Sansom Streets): The lively, Washington-based “Jew-ish” bagel chain is making a three-location push into Philadelphia, starting this week with its Fishtown debut. Menu includes bagel sandwiches, schmears, latkes, coffee, and deli-inspired specials.
Carolyn’s Modern Vietnamese (2015 Walnut St.): This week, chef Carolyn Nguyen opens her deeply personal successor to Revolution Taco, which she co-owned in the space for a decade. Her menu brings together her family’s Vietnamese cooking, the seafood boils and Southern food of her Louisiana childhood, French culinary technique, and the freewheeling flavor combinations that defined her earlier ventures. The 33-seat restaurant serves dinner, and alcohol, in a spare, contemporary dining room.
Corte (1175 Ludlow St.):Corio partners Ryan Mulholland, chef David Feola, and James Smith are taking over the former Mulherin’s Pizzeria at East Market, between Iron Hill Brewery and Mi Vida. Feola will lead a menu built around house-made pastas plus proteins, vegetables, and small plates cooked in the large Mugnaini wood-burning oven. Mulholland will oversee daily operations and oversee an Old World-leaning wine list and cocktails inspired partly by forgotten recipes from century-old books. The dark-wood, earth-toned restaurant is targeting a fall opening.
DiDi (3748 Lancaster Ave.): DanDan owners Kevin and Catherina “Cat” Huang say they are “within a month or two” of opening their fast-casual pan-Asian concept at the Triad apartment building in Powelton Village. DiDi will join Kabobeesh, Karak Cha House, Shibam Coffee, Two Locals Brewing, and other businesses in the growing complex at 38th and Lancaster.
Divers Club (733 S. Fourth St.): Queen Village is in line to get a neighborhood wine bar from Susan Freeman, Chris Fetfatzes, and Heather Annechiarico (Grace & Proper, Wine Dive) in a former hair salon that sits on the same stretch as Famous 4th Street, Southwark, Ambra, and Fitz on 4th. Fetfatzes describes the mood as “dark, scrappy, and European — somewhere between a Paris backstreet wine bar and a graffitied Berlin hangout.”
Eggcetera Haus (625 S. Sixth St.): Husband-and-wife team Rey Tamaka and Vina Kencana soon will turn the former Redcrest Kitchen into an all-day bar-restaurant. Tamaka, previously the chef at an Old City brunch restaurant, plans breakfast, lunch, and dinner, moving from specialty coffee and morning dishes into pastas, steaks, cocktails, and comfort food at night. The couple expects daily service, giving the Queen Village-Bella Vista border another full-day neighborhood option.
Field Day (923 N. Second St.): James Beard Award-winning bartender and author Danny Childs and his wife, Katie, have a fall opening targeted for their casual regional cocktail bar in Northern Liberties, next to Cescaphe Ballroom. Childs’ drinks will use locally farmed, foraged, and fermented ingredients. Executive chef Melissa McGrath, known for her work at the idled Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, will offer Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired snacks, sandwiches, and tomato pies. Highballs, house-made sodas, boozy gelati, and walk-in seating will help keep the mood informal.
Habibi Supper Club (1515 E. Passyunk Ave.): Miled Finianos is giving his itinerant Lebanese dinner series a permanent home on East Passyunk — possibly by the end of year — serving late breakfast and lunch before he offers ticketed, multicourse suppers.
HYO (1222 Walnut St.): Nightlife veteran Justin Jordan plans an October opening for this Korean tabletop barbecue restaurant behind Hearsay, his indoor-outdoor sidewalk bar and listening lounge. Guests will enter HYO through a phone booth inside Hearsay. The restaurant is part of Jordan’s multilevel entertainment complex, which also includes Celine and the forthcoming Chancellor Room event space and karaoke lounge.
Jean (161 W. Girard Ave.): Emmett chef Evan Snyder and partner Julian van der Tak are going upstairs with a 15-seat tasting menu restaurant opening this fall. Snyder and chef de cuisine Antonio Pizzo will prepare a 12-course menu centered on a 7-foot wood-burning hearth, drawing on Algeria, Tunisia, coastal Morocco, and the southern Mediterranean for culinary influences. A tagine will roast throughout dinner before being served family-style.
Kato (1832 Frankford Ave.): Mei Meichef-owner Jay Ho is taking over the former Izakaya Fishtown space for a restaurant inspired by his Taiwanese father and the food Ho grew up eating. Influences from Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese cooking will broaden the menu. Ho, who hopes to open in late fall, plans to retain the front bar while replacing the rear sushi counter with additional seating that can double as a private dining area.
Lovat Square(184 E. Evergreen Ave.): Former Four Seasons sommelier Damien Graef and journalist Robyn Semien opened this Chestnut Hill wine shop and tasting room in February, offering small-production bottles, wines by the glass, and light fare. The couple, who also own Brooklyn’s Bibber & Bell wine shop, will debut a full dinner menu by the end of September.
Macaluso’s (3101 S. 13th St.): Realtor Joel Gruenke and restaurateur Mark D’Andrea, long-ago roommates at Valley Forge Military Academy, are looking at an early October opening of this white-tablecloth Italian restaurant at 13th Street and Packer Avenue, near the sports complex. D’Andrea’s family owns RoadHouse in Staten Island, N.Y. Gruenke says the moderately priced menu will stick to traditional Italian cooking and offer a full bar. Parking will be available across the street.
Mylar Bar (1636-38 S. Ninth St.): Hospitality veterans Liv Arterbridge and Gina Piccari are turning the former Dino’s Party Center into a festive neighborhood bar inspired by the building’s history. They promise something nostalgic, playful, and deliberately unserious. Drinks will include martinis, punches, classics, and draft beer. Chef Colin White, formerly of Sally and Emmett, will oversee shareable “party snacks,” larger plates, and desserts available late.
Nippy’s on South (1312 South St.): Nurse and first-time restaurateur Nikia Peterson has purchased the former Ms. Tootsie’s building for an ambitious restaurant and bar. Peterson plans a polished setting with seafood towers, steaks, Asian and Caribbean influences, a substantial happy hour, and weekend brunch. The project will revive a prominent South Street property that had remained closed since restaurateur KeVen Parker’s death in 2021.
O’Morrey’s (1720 Sansom St.): Chefs Biff Gottehrer and Kenjiro Omori are developing a cocktail bar on the former site of Genji, the Japanese restaurant created by Omori’s father. The name is a cheeky rendering of the Omori family name. Plans call for a comfortable neighborhood bar in the spirit of the Ripplewood, where both chefs work, with cocktails and a serious food component. Their second joint project, Tako Taco, is months away at the former Bing Bing Dim Sum in South Philadelphia.
Palm Vintage (1414 S. Penn Square): Houston Yang and Mike Beja, who opened this day-to-night cafe and cocktail bar across from City Hall in the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, are close to expanding into a nighttime scene with cocktails, sushi, oysters, caviar, and light food in a lush, tropical-inspired room meant to offer an escape from Center City.
Panco (2300 S. Croskey St.): Chef Ryo Igarashi, whose background includes Tokio Global and Maru Global (noted for its takoyaki balls), is behind a corner shop in West Passyunk whose menu will focus on Japanese cutlets. He says it’s opening soon.
Philly Curio (2240 Frankford Ave.): Tattoo Arts Convention founder Troy Timpel is creating an intimate Kensington restaurant-bar around his private collection of curiosities (think tribal masks, skeletal displays, taxidermy, and glass-topped tables containing preserved animals). Inspired partly by Savannah’s Alligator Soul, Timpel has discussed a Cajun-Creole menu with small plates and unconventional proteins such as rattlesnake. Drinks are expected to include cocktails, wine, bottled beer, and limited drafts. Target is November.
Philly Po’Boy (102 W. Berks St.): Brothers Chris and Greg Lynch are bringing a taste of New Orleans to the storefront beneath the Berks station of the Market-Frankford Line. Chris spent years cooking in New Orleans, while Greg’s Philadelphia background includes Starr Restaurants and LMNO. Plans call for classic powdered-sugar-dusted beignets, gumbo, and a mix of classic and specialty po’boys like fried shrimp, oysters and roast beef “debris,” plus fries, Creole potato salad, and café au lait from coffee roasted by Applied Arts in New Orleans.
Santé Social(1546 E. Passyunk Ave.): Sommelier Daniel Solway is giving his roving dinner series a permanent home across from the Singing Fountain. The approximately 30-seat space will function less like a conventional restaurant than a flexible hospitality venue, hosting wine dinners, tastings, classes, collaborations, private events, and some walk-in service. Cocktails are being developed with Danny Childs of Slow Drinks and Field Day, while changing chefs and collaborators may shape the food programming.
Somedays Bakery (1601 Walnut St.): Hand-laminated croissants are the foundation of this Queens-rooted bakery, which deals in sandwiches, salads, soft serve, and coffee. It’s targeting the end of the month.
Thalassa (918 N. 28th St.): Matt Maltepes is looking at late October or early November for his Greek-inspired cafe in Fairmount that will serve baklava, croissants, and house-made ice cream in flavors that change weekly. Savory offerings will include small plates such as feta grilled cheese with honey, avocado toast, and bagels with cream cheese. The drinks menu will feature European-style coffee preparations, including frappes and Freddo espresso.
Looking ahead
Two major projects are now on the docket for January, as the owners don’t want to compete with the holiday-season madness:the Pelican Club, Stephen Starr’s flashy Greek-themed restaurant taking shape in the former Devon Seafood Grill on Rittenhouse Square, and the yet-to-be-named “punk French” restaurantthat chefs Justin Bogle and Arthur Cavaliere are creating at the former Winnie’s Manayunk.
The long-closed Mermaid Bar in Mount Airy will retain its name under the new ownership of pizzaiolo Dan Gutter and business partner Alex Carbonell of Circles & Squares and Pizza Plus. The project, announced earlier this year, is aiming at a summer 2027 rollout.
Bananas are trending everywhere, but especially at cocktail bars and cafes, which use fresh bananas, banana liqueur, banana extract, and even banana peel. Kiki Aranita isn’t alone in suggesting it might be “the next pumpkin spice.”
Phillies fans are bringing way more than hoagies and cheesesteaks into Citizens Bank Park. Beatrice Forman winds up and delivers a fun read about the BYO eats you’ll find in the stands. Curried tuna salad, anyone?
Kelly’s Seafood has been a Northeast Philly fixture, serving generations of families — and plenty of snapper soup. Now, as the family prepares to close, longtime customers are returning for one last meal, stocking their freezers, and saying goodbye.
Mazaj, an offshoot of the twin Malooga restaurants, has landed in Willow Grove with Yemeni coffee, Middle Eastern pastries, a drive-through, and a plan to expand.
The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan has plenty of monsters, mayhem, and spectacle — but where’s the feast? Kiki Aranita, a classics scholar in her past life, explains what Homer’s heroes would have eaten, and where to embark on your own culinary odyssey around Philly.
In Crust We Trust has joined the pizza boom now underway in Fishtown. Anyae Wilson-Worley’s pizzeria is offering something none of the others are: a taste of Philly-style Black culture.
In other pizza news: Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports founder, visited the Philadelphia area last week to shoot a handful of “One Bite Pizza Reviews,” whose scores in previous years have transformed the fortunes of a neighborhood pizzeria.
What a joy: Dunking chunks of octopus into the almond romesco and black garlic purée at Stina in West Passyunk. For another treat, writes Hira Qureshi, don’t miss the spanakopita.
Scoop
The Pub in Pennsauken, which sits on 6 acres, is being offered for sale for the first time in 26 years. The steakhouse institution is closed now for summer break, but the owner insists that it will reopen next month — unless a deal is magically struck.
Restaurant report
Recipe Philly, whose menu is built around recipes submitted by local home cooks, opens Monday at 1401 Arch St., a splashy, 175-seat redo of the long-ago McDonald’s at Broad and Arch. Funded by retired business executive Ed Baumstein (above), the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, featuring dishes from 31 cooks who also will appear in a reality TV series now being shopped around.
Among them:
Germantown data analyst Chyan Adams Bentley (above), 30, drew inspiration for her honey-chipotle shrimp tostadas from a rooftop cooking class she took in Guatemala.
Pete O’Byrne (above), 60, of Jeffersonville, contributed a pork chop crusted with Pecorino Romano, panko, and shortbread Girl Scout cookies. “The Girl Scouts are one of my customers,” said O’Byrne, who sells production printers and software. “I know when the truck comes in.”
Nayha Hussain (above), 24, a Spring Garden software engineer who has cooked since age 12, elevated a home-style Pakistani coconut curry with Chilean sea bass. Since Recipe is a 15-minute walk from her place, “it’s my local neighborhood restaurant that has my dish on it,” she said.
You’ll be hearing a lot about Anh Em, which soft-opened last weekend at 21st and Titan Streets in Point Breeze. Anna Huynh and husband Victor Nguyen are behind the 50-or-so-seater specializing in Vietnamese comfort food, mixing classics with home-style dishes (like crispy bánh xèo, above, and the beef carpaccio dish known as bò tái chanh), inspired by what the couple grew up eating. Chef is Nguyen, who managed Tango and once co-owned a Chinatown bubble-tea shop; he oversees a 20-seat bar pouring local beers from 24 taps, plus cocktails. The couple retained the former Madeira Indian Grill’s exposed brick while adding burgundy booths, light-blue accents, lanterns, and shelving built by Nguyen and their son. Here’s the soft-opening menu.
Anh Em, 1252 S. 21st St. Hours: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday-Monday. Closed Tuesday.
Briefly noted
The 2026 Michelin Awards will return to New York City for its ceremony. Reminder that its inspectors are scouring Philadelphia in advance of the December announcements.
Heytea, the expanding Chinese tea shop, enters the Philadelphia market Friday at 1001 Arch St. in Chinatown. Drinks will be buy-one/get-one from Friday-Sunday.
With Ember & Ash still closed after a June 24 fire, chef Scott Calhoun will cook at Cartesian Brewing (1326 E. Passyunk Ave.) from 4-8 p.m. Saturday. Using yakitori grills in the courtyard, Calhoun will serve dishes including octopus “dogs,” a Filet-O-Fish-inspired skate sandwich, ’nduja-stuffed piquillo peppers, and sourdough with romesco, along with Cartesian’s beverages.
Javelin (1811 Fairmount Ave.) will host chef Carlos Wills of Ogawa Sushi & Kappo for a maguro kaitai, or tuna-cutting ceremony, Aug. 18. Starting at 5 p.m., Wills will break down a 250- to 300-pound bluefin tuna for a multicourse tasting ($170 plus tax/tip) including sashimi, nigiri, hand rolls, and tuna marrow with uni and caviar. Richie Tray will serve Cambodian-inspired appetizers and cocktails. Reserve via Toast.
Libertee Grounds (1600 W. Girard Ave.) will host a Cooper DeJean look-alike contest on Aug. 27. Doors/registration at 5 p.m., contest at 6:30 p.m. Signup via Instagram.
❓Pop quiz
Why can red Côtes-du-Rhône wines such as Ogier Artésis remain relatively affordable?
A) Rhône producers are prohibited from aging their wines in pricey oak barrels.
B) Grenache can produce large crops of flavorful grapes even in dry conditions.
C) French law limits the markup on Côtes-du-Rhône wines.
D) The wines are made primarily from surplus Syrah grapes, and this is the source of the expression “Qué Syrah Syrah.”
What do you know about the sale of Ardana in Bucks County? — Cindy S.
The Cristou family announced last week that they’ve sold their Ardana Food & Drink location in Newtown, Bucks County, to Rob LaScala after 3½ years. LaScala tells me that the Ardana name and Cypriot-inspired menu will remain for about two months before he transitions to LaScala’s Fire, his semicasual Italian concept. LaScala, who also owns Chicken or the Egg in Marlton and Beach Haven, is on fire with Fire, as there are nearly a dozen locations now, plus New Jersey expansion plans for Freehold, Bridgewater, and Cherry Hill. The Cristous still retain their Ardana and KC Prime Steakhouse, both in Warrington.
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The nearly $600 million in tax-free bond issue meant to finance the sale of South Jersey’s Advantage Behavioral Health failed to attract enough investors last week, leading investment bankers to put the transaction on hold, Bond Buyer reported.
Despite the extremely high investment yield as high as 8.25%, portfolio managers were troubled by the heavy debt load that would have been placed on a company with a short track record and few hard assets backing it up, according to the trade publication.
Representatives of the private equity firm, Connecticut-based Clearview Capital, and QCF Advantage, whose parent company is based in Houston, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Officials at Marlton-based Advantage could not be reached for comment.
Clearview took control of Advantage in April 2025, which means a successful sale would be a quick turnover by private equity standards.
The proposed sale was notable not just because it would have increased Advantage’s debt by 12 times, according to Bloomberg Law, but also because of the structure that would have left Clearview and current executives as owners of a for-profit entity that would manage Advantage.
The proposed sale price was about $520 million, according preliminary bond documents. That price included $80 million being held back to see if Advantage hits profit targets after the sale. The company had $141.6 million in revenue in the 12 months that ended May 31.
Founded in 2017 in Camden County, Advantage also operates in Pennsylvania and six additional states. It offers intensive outpatient therapy through a business called Victory Bay and telehealth services through Harmony Bay. It also operates 17 sober-living houses under its Dignity Hall brand in Blackwood, Laurel Springs, Sicklerville, and several other South Jersey towns.
Gluten-free pizzas are generally less than exciting, as Craig LaBan notes, with textures ranging between pressboard and Styrofoam. At Barclay Pies, it’s not like that at all. Even the mozz sticks and their conventional pizzas are well worth a stop.
Wild Yeast Bakehouse, Wayne’s new sourdough bakery, has a living room vibe, writes Jenn Ladd. That makes sense, because the founder started baking out of his living room.
Saif Manna started baking during the pandemic in his Temple dorm room. He’s opening a brick-and-mortar home for his Levantine and Palestinian pastries, and tomorrow is the first day.
Ba Le Bakery in South Philly is practically synonymous with the city’s bánh mì scene. Now, writes Kiki Aranita, a third generation is expanding the business dramatically.
Two Sweet Boutique has had an interesting problem in its new location in Washington Township, writes Sarah Nicell. It’s selling out. Want that banana pudding? Get there early.
After four decades, The Frog Commissary Cookbook remains a Philadelphia icon — “our book,” says one acolyte. Contributor Devra Ferst takes a stroll down memory lane and winds up at the Commissary’s original location, where the current restaurant occupant bakes its carrot cake.
Oroshi, a new omakase restaurant at Broad and Lombard Streets, is part of a minitrend of faster, less expensive omakase experiences. The lights are bright and the decor is spare, but Kiki Aranita walked away happy after 90 minutes.
Here’s a twist: Local food brands such as Philly Pretzel Factory are working to accommodate consumers who are eating less and “protein-maxxing,” Olivia Prusky writes.
Craig visited an old fave — Porcini in Rittenhouse — and found the pastas have not lost a beat even after three decades. And yes, it’s still a BYOB.
Scoops
Chef Nic Macri and restaurant-ops specialist Suzanne O’Brien are proving you’re never too old experienced to open your first restaurant. They’re partnering with Stephen Simons on a spot just off 13th and Sansom in Washington Square West, and Macri describes the menu as “Philadelphia cooking with an Italian accent.”
Anh Em, a Vietnamese bar-restaurant and bar from husband-and-wife team Victor Nguyen and Anna Huynh, is aiming for an Aug. 8 grand opening at 1252 S. 21st St. in Point Breeze, the former Madira. Nguyen, a longtime Philadelphia hospitality veteran who bartended at Mad Mex in the late 1990s, co-owned a Chinatown bubble tea shop in the early 2000s and later spent 15 years managing Tango, is realizing a longtime goal of opening his own place. The roughly 45-seater will pair Vietnamese comfort food (pho and bánh xèo alongside home-style dishes) with a 20-seat bar pouring 24 local drafts and a small cocktail list.
Andorra Kitchen & Tap will join Andorra Shopping Center’s $32 million glow-up by Federal Realty, possibly in the fourth quarter. Spanning 6,900 square feet in the former Applebee’s, the restaurant is positioning as an all-day neighborhood gathering place serving breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner, with a full bar and dedicated coffee area for the morning. Owner Emmanouil Lagoudakis says he was drawn to Andorra-Roxborough for its “wonderful energy.”
Restaurant report
333 Belrose, one of the Main Line’s old-guard restaurants, has reopened after a dramatic renovation that flipped the bar with a dining room, opening up the layout. The menu is still “nothing too cerebral, nothing too crazy,” as chef Ross Essner told me, adding that there’s one dish he will never take off the menu.
Toll Man Joe’s, whose South Philly run was abbreviated by the pandemic, will resurface at the former Mixto on Pine Street near 12th. The owners hope to get the sports bar open in just a few weeks.
Pomelo Rooftop Terrace, atop the new Brandywine hotel in Radnor and counterpoint to Merrick’s Tavern off the lobby, will grand-open Aug. 8. It’ll be open year-round with indoor-outdoor seating. Weekend brunch begins Aug. 22.
The region’s last Brio Italian Grille, in Cherry Hill’s Towne Place at Garden State Park, closed abruptly Monday, two months after its Marlton location shuttered. The site 42Freeway joined the Facebook account A View From Evesham in first reporting that steakhouse Fogo de Chao will occupy the Cherry Hill location, citing township permits. A rep from Fogo declined my request for comment.
Briefly noted
Flash back to 2023, when chef Dionicio Jiménez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez of Cantina la Martina, La Baja, and the Cantina on the Go locations went to Mexico with Inquirer critic Craig LaBan and photographer Jessica Griffin for articles that won a James Beard Award in 2024. The restaurateurs are using part of that trip as inspiration for a five-day excursion to Oaxaca they’re planning for Oct. 30–Nov. 4. (LaBan and Griffin, who also met with Tequilas’ David Suro for a lesson in mezcal and tequila production during that 2023 trip, will sit this one out.) Limited to eight guests, the experience will feature family celebrations, cultural traditions, home-cooked meals, a private mezcal tasting, artisan visits, and special dinners, including one from Jiménez himself. It’s $2,000pp plus airfare. Details via cantina@cantinaonthego.com.
Nine Philadelphia bartenders will throw down Patrón Tequila-based cocktails in the Dirty Rocks Cocktail Competition from 3-7:30 p.m. Sunday at Fringe Bar (140 N. Columbus Blvd.). Attendees will determine the winner among Matt Welch (R&D), Kari Rosenfeld (Bourbon & Branch), Kevin Castro (Soufiane at the Morris), Roland Bui (Com.Unity Consulting), Damian Langarcia (Drams by Damian), Chris Harrop (Known Associates), Tony Jimenez (Static), Jackie Miller (Fringe Bar), and defending champion Jessica Stark (Trestle Inn). Also: a DJ, pizza truck, food and drink specials. Admission ($20) includes three tasting votes; VIP tickets are $45 and include a welcome cocktail, gift bag, and 10 votes. Cocktails: $5-$12. Tickets via DirtyRocks.com.
2nd Street Festival returns to Northern Liberties from noon-10 p.m. Sunday, transforming the stretch from Spring Garden to Girard Avenue into a festival with more than more than 50 restaurants and food trucks, 10 beer and cocktail gardens, two live music stages, and family activities.
❓Pop quiz
Name the brand that Wawa has partnered with on a hot-selling tote bag.
Owner Rayyan Kayyali sounded discouraged but not defeated when we caught up yesterday, more than two months after a gas explosion destroyed his Overbrook Park bagel bakery on the very morning of its reopening following another blast in March. He said he is waiting for a new burner pipe for the oven, and “so far, I haven’t seen a dime” from the insurance company. Meanwhile, lords Jeffrey Gladstone and Andy Rubin of Herbert Yentis & Co. say they have not charged him rent since the first explosion. Kayyali vows to rebuild and reopen.
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It’s been a long time since Samantha and Mike Garbose have been able to truly enjoy the same pizza together. Ever since Mike discovered an intolerance to gluten in 2019, their pizza dates have resulted in this married couple ordering a “his” and “hers” situation with separate pies.
Being relegated to the gluten-free alternative is not a fate Mike begrudges: “We both agree that each of us is totally entitled to the food that our diets and preferences warrant.” Then again, the contrast in quality between standard wheat-flour crusts and those made with gluten-free ingredients can be hard to ignore.
“At places that have both gluten [-full] and gluten-free pizza,” says Samantha, “usually I get something that looks phenomenal and Mike gets something that looks like a cardboard circle — and then I feel guilty about that.”
Gluten-free pizza with summer corn at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
But there would be no guilt tonight at Barclay Pies. Not once the first gluten-free pizza arrives at our table, its airy puff of a crust crisped around the edges to a tawny snap that beckons from under a crown of molten mozzarella topped with sweet summer corn, bacon, and chile peppers. Another pie arrives, this one zesty with a layer of red sauce bursting with bright California tomatoes and a whiff of oregano;fistfuls of cup-and-char pepperoni rounds arescattered over the top, then finished with honey and freshly ripped basil.
“Oh wow, that does not even look gluten-free!” says Samantha.
That’s been my exact reaction every time I’ve visited this pizzeria in Cherry Hill, initially with my daughter, Alice, who has celiac disease. Barclay also makes standard pizzas with glutinous flour, but it has generated a serious buzz within the gluten-free community over the course of its first year — for good reason.
Gluten-free pizza with pepperoni at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff PhotographerCo-owners Thomas “TJ” Hunton (left) and Daniel Romero at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Barclay Pies was launched last summer by friends Thomas “TJ” Hunton, a regional director of operations for Shake Shack, and Daniel Romero, a vice president in engineering for Aramark. Its remarkably good pizzas, careful protocols to avoid cross contamination, and outgoing hospitality have helped change the narrative about what’s possible in a fast-casual setting with gluten-free options that go beyond just the pies.
Indeed, a mozzarella stick was the first bite to turn heads at our table. A safe-to-eat mozzarella stick is rare and coveted in the gluten-free community because deep fryers are common culprits for cross contamination. Not only are Barclay’s fryers completely gluten-free, these delicately hand-breaded sticks encrusted in potato starch, rice flour, and gluten-free panko crumbs are perfectly crisped. There is also a hunk of milky fresh mozzarella inside (another rarity: most use standard low-moisture varieties) that offered hot cheese-pull satisfaction from one side of the table to the next.
Gluten-free mozzarella sticks at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The chicken wings were also superb, tender and juicy from a dry brine and par-bake, sealed inside a sheer crust of egg whites and rice flour, available in several good flavors, from punchy Buffalo sauce shaded with the richness of brown butter to lemon-pepper that sparkled in its craggy breading.
My encounters on previous visits with boneless chicken tenders were far less inspired, including some overly brined meat so rubbery they gave me a refund. But I was heartened by a 360-degree turnaround on this latest visit. The team recently reworked their recipe, and the final results — expertly verified by Hunton’s 6-year-old daughter, Amelia — are stellar: a perfectly tender baton of meat in a flavorful crust ready for various house-made dips. The tangy ranch with buttermilk and fresh herbs was a favorite, though classic honey mustard also did the trick.
Barclay Pies, located along Route 70 in Cherry Hill, has become known for its gluten-free pizzas.Craig LaBan / StaffJulie Romero (center right), of Cherry Hill, and Claire Ryder, of Collingswood, are enjoying some gluten-free pizza at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill on July 21.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
But pizza, of course, is the restaurant’s prime magnet. The duo decided to tackle the daunting gluten-free genre because Romero’s wife, Julie, has celiac disease. Making a gluten-free pizza worth the trouble is a major challenge. Gluten is a key protein found in certain grains — namely wheat, barley, and rye — that provides the structure to hold gas bubbles during fermentation and fosters a chewy, complex crust. Until recently, most GF versions of pizza I’ve tasted, whether made from alternative flours or cauliflower — and commonly outsourced in restaurants to avoid cross contamination — have been less than exciting, with textures ranging between pressboard and Styrofoam.
Barclay’s gluten-free pies are not that. The Romeros worked for nine months to perfect a high-hydration crust that puffs like a supple focaccia. With a light dusting of cornmeal adding a delicate bottom crunch and the Detroit-style crispy frico cheese band around the edges, the pie achieves textural contrasts this gluten-free dough itself would not otherwise form. The pan-based format is helpful to prevent cross contamination, but having grown up in the Midwest, where deep-crusted pies are common, I found these to be completely satisfying platforms for Barclay’s toppings. I was impressed by the mushroom pie that blends thin-shaved creminis with caramelized onions over a white base of seasoned heavy cream and mozzarella. I also enjoyed the locally inspired combo of fennel sausage, broccoli, and zesty cherry pepper hoagie relish, the addition of Cooper Sharp lending the base of molten mozzarella some extra South Philly flow.
The gluten-free broccoli and sausage pizza at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill also comes topped with hoagie pepper relish.Craig LaBan / Staff
I appreciate that Barclay is continuously tweaking its recipes, increasing the size of its fresh sausage chunks from the dried-out crumbles I found early on to the porky nuggets that dotted the roasted pepper-sausage pie we ordered on a traditional gluten-full round. That pizza had a perfectly fine, well-developed crust that was solid by neighborhood pizzeria standards. But the gluten-free pies are the draw, special enough to merit a regionwide pilgrimage.
Samantha Garbose agreed: “Usually when we get gluten-free food together, I’m pretending it’s good, but I actually thought [Barclay’s] gluten-free pizza was better than the one that had gluten.”
Standard gluten-full pizza with sausage and peppers at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Barclay’s sales numbers are starting to bear this out. Hunton says they initially anticipated selling only 10 gluten-free pies a day to supplement their traditional pizza sales. But gluten-free pies now account for a third of the pizzas they bake.
“By the end of the first month we realized we’d really struck a chord,” says Hunton. “There’s a market need for a pizzeria that was truly inclusive.” Barclay also offers vegan pizzas with a cheese substitute made in-house from oat milk and tofu, deliberately avoiding nuts, an allergen ingredient commonly used in vegan cheese.
There’s still a catch. One reason this dough is so good is because it uses Caputo Fioreglut, an Italian gluten-free flour blend that contains wheat starch whose gluten proteins have been removed. Fioreglut performs closer to wheat flour than most GF blends and is considered safe for most celiacs, but not for those who have an allergy to wheat.
“We need to be pizza for everyone and we’re not fully there quite yet,” concedes Romero. “But that’s our North Star.”
The gluten-free broccoli and sausage pizza at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill also comes topped with hoagie pepper relish.Craig LaBan / Staff
The past few years have been a vibrant era for local experimentation with better gluten-free pizza alternatives, though few compare to Barclay Pies’ crust. Emmy Squared has long made gluten-free versions of its standard Detroit pies in Queen Village. Corio in University City has been working on a potato-based dough for thin-crusted counterparts to its Neapolitan-style pizzas. Gluten-free pasta specialist Settantatré has mastered an airy gluten-free focaccia base for the tomato pies it sells at local farmers market stands and its Berwyn market-cafe. Perhaps the best gluten-free pizza I’ve ever eaten was created by 13th Street Cocktails caterer Aaron Gordon for the exceptional pan pies at his Agricola in Passyunk Square, but this quirky corner pizza atelier is not a reliable source for frequent orders, limited now to only private charity events (but perhaps reopening to the public this fall).
Hunton and Romero have drawn on their professional experiences to quickly build Barclay Pies into the region’s most accessible hub for gluten-free pizza satisfaction. With its 50 indoor seats, 25 on its patio, and a bright pink-and-green makeover for the former Seasons Pizza, they’ve created a pleasant dining space with user-friendly systems for a cheerful and well-trained staff to operate efficiently while the owners, who are frequently there, also retain their day jobs. (Hunton, a Garces alum, still oversees operations at 70 Shake Shacks from New York to Virginia.)
Most importantly, gluten-free customers can take comfort in knowing protocols have been put in place to minimize risks of cross contamination. The gluten-free dough is mixed first thing each morning in a separate GF-only mixer, prepped at a separate station, run through a dedicated conveyor belt oven, and finished at a separate station with color-coded cutters and spatulas. The gluten-free pies are also proofed and cooked in round pans to clearly distinguish them from the gluten-full Detroit pies that are cooked in square pans.
Co-owner Thomas “TJ” Hunton making gluten-free pizza with summer corn at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
While there will never be 0% risk as long as products with gluten are made in-house, and that may not suit those who are especially sensitive, my daughter ate there three times without incident. Hunton and Romero also strongly believe there is a broader community benefit to offering both options, as opposed to being entirely gluten-free. This way groups of diners with diverse needs and preferences can feel seen and safely served together without being singled out.
This works especially well for the Garboses.
“We’d prefer to go to a restaurant that has great options for both of us,” says Mike. “Life is too short for either of us to eat bad food.”
But in the case of Barclay Pies, their “his and hers” pizza night had a different, guilt-free twist: “It’s been so long since Mike and I got to actually enjoy the same pizza,” says Samantha. “This was really a thrill.”
Gluten-free pizza with pepperoni at Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Barclay Pies
450 Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill Township, N.J. 856-712-1900; barclaypies.com
Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, until 9:30 p.m.
Pizzas, $19-$24 (plus $4 for gluten-free crust).
Wheelchair accessible.
Menu is almost entirely gluten-free. Standard pizzas with gluten-full flour are made in the same facility but extreme care and protocols are taken to prevent cross contamination.
BYOB. There are several excellent liquor stores nearby. The restaurant also provides good-quality stemless plastic drinkware.
Menu Highlights: Gluten-free pizzas; mozzarella sticks; wings; chicken tenders.
Barclay Pies boxes in Cherry Hill.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
