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  • This pizzeria has Craig LaBan’s stamp of approval | Let’s Eat

    This pizzeria has Craig LaBan’s stamp of approval | Let’s Eat

    Craig LaBan has found a pizzeria he can take his whole family to.

    Also in this edition:

    — Mike Klein

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    This pizzeria has Craig LaBan’s stamp of approval

    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.

    The bakery beat

    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.

    Memories: The Frog Commissary Cookbook

    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.

    Omakase on a budget at Oroshi

    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.

    Getting with the GLP-1 program

    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.

    The best thing Craig ate last week

    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.

    A) Vera Bradley

    B) Coach

    C) Lands’ End

    D) Louis Vuitton

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    Any news on New York Bagels? — John C.

    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.

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

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  • McGlinchey’s Bar is back on the market as Center City’s pub scene continues to shift

    McGlinchey’s Bar is back on the market as Center City’s pub scene continues to shift

    Center City’s tavern landscape is shifting again.

    The building housing the shuttered McGlinchey’s Bar is back on the market after a planned sale fell through. Chef-restaurateur Townsend “Tod” Wentz wants to sell the Hayes, the American tavern he opened in the former Irish Pub building on Walnut Street near 12th. And Cherry Street Tavern, another historic watering hole whose owners announced plans to sell earlier this year, appears close to finding a buyer.

    The biggest surprise may be McGlinchey’s.

    The building housing McGlinchey’s had been a bar for 90 years before last summer’s shutdown.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    In April, Alterra Property Group confirmed that it was under agreement to buy the building at 259 S. 15th St., home to McGlinchey’s for more than 90 years before the dive bar closed in summer 2025. But Leo Addimando, Alterra’s cofounder and managing partner, said Wednesday that the company “decided not to proceed.”

    The building is listed by Nadia Bilynsky and Dennis Carlisle of MPN Realty at $2.45 million. The offering includes the liquor license, two bars, a stage, a small kitchen, and a shell-condition third floor. The property, which occupies nearly 5,000 square feet, is being marketed as a turnkey bar-restaurant opportunity or a redevelopment site.

    A few blocks east, another familiar address is available.

    Wentz has listed the Hayes, his 268-seat American tavern at 1123 Walnut St., through Veronica Blum and Joe Scarpone at MPN with an asking price of $2.93 million. City records show that it sold for $2.3 million in 2019.

    The Hayes, at 1123 Walnut St., previously was the short-lived Pearl Tavern, after many years as the Irish Pub.Michael Klein / Staff

    Wentz said he intends to keep the restaurant open until a sale.

    Wentz said the decision reflects a personal shift after years of expanding his restaurant group with his wife, Gordana Kostovski. “I want to take advantage of the increase in the real estate market,” he said. “I think it’s time to capitalize on some things and put some money to work elsewhere in my private life.”

    “I just kept opening restaurants instead of buying a shore house or buying a bigger home,” said Wentz, 58. “I don’t want to go into my 60s with that same mindset.”

    The Hayes at 1123 Walnut St., seen on June 16, 2026, still has the original sign of the Irish Pub, its previous occupant.Michael Klein / Staff

    The Hayes occupies one of Center City’s best-known tavern addresses.

    Richard and Catherine Burke opened the Irish Pub there in 1980, bringing with them the concept they had established in Atlantic City. For nearly four decades, it was a gathering place for lawyers, police officers, theatergoers, and neighborhood regulars, known for its carved wooden back bar, inexpensive food, and walls covered with framed newspapers and playbills.

    When longtime operator Mark O’Connor closed it in July 2019, he said he wanted to focus on the second Philadelphia Irish Pub location, at 2007 Walnut St.

    Wentz bought 1123 Walnut later that year, briefly opened Pearl Tavern before the pandemic derailed those plans, then renovated the property and reopened it as the Hayes in 2023. He owns Oloroso next door as well as Caribou Café across the street, A Mano in Fairmount, and Oltremare in Rittenhouse. A sixth restaurant, Townsend on East Passyunk, is closed pending repairs from water damage after a fire next door in May.

    The listing includes the 6,776-square-foot building, restaurant equipment, liquor license, and outdoor seating. The restaurant occupies the first two floors, while the upper levels contain office and unfinished space. The through-block property extends from Walnut Street to Moravian Street.

    The Bards at 2013 Walnut St. closed in 2020.

    The Hayes’ listing is the latest chapter in a broader reshaping of Center City’s pub scene. Over the last two decades, Philadelphia has lost a number of big names: Downey’s at Front and South Streets closed in 2016 after four decades. Finnigan’s Wake, the sprawling multilevel pub at Third and Spring Garden Streets, closed in 2014 and is now GoPuff’s headquarters. In 2020, the pandemic led to numerous shutdowns, such as Manny Brown’s at 512 South St. and the Bards at 2013 Walnut St.

    The sister Irish Pub at 2007 Walnut St. also never reopened after the pandemic. Earlier this year, restaurateur Dan Tsao, owner of EMei, purchased the property for a future hospitality project. One of the remaining stalwarts, the Black Sheep at 17th and Latimer Streets, was closed by a fire in May, though owner James Stephens said he hopes to reopen by Christmas.

    The former Irish Pub, 2007 Walnut St., on April 30, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff

    Meanwhile, Cherry Street Tavern, whose owners announced plans to sell earlier this year, also appears headed toward new ownership. A manager told The Inquirer on Wednesday that a sale is believed to be close, though no agreement has been announced publicly.

    Meanwhile, the longtime Bonner’s Irish Pub’s future is secure, said owner Danny Bonner, who opened at 23rd and Sansom Streets in 1994.

    Bonner, 71, put the building on the market in 2024, hoping to attract a developer. Instead, he struck a deal with the owner of the property next door to pursue an apartment project that would incorporate a new Bonner’s into its lobby.

    Bonner’s Irish Pub at 120 S. 23rd St. in April 2024.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Bonner said one preliminary plan calls for a roughly 3,200-square-foot Bonner’s, about 900 to 1,200 square feet larger than the current pub. There is no timetable for the development, whose price tag Bonner estimated at $45 million to $55 million. The existing bar will remain open until construction begins.

    “Where I’m located, we’re fortunate,” Bonner said. “We get professionals, union guys, and loyal neighborhood customers.”

    Bonner’s Irish Pub owner Danny Bonner chatting with patrons in April 2024. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Bonner hopes the project will allow the bar to outlast him.

    “You have to leave some kind of legacy,” he said. “We’re losing too many mom-and-pop operations. All these big franchises are coming in. Philadelphia is still a city of neighborhoods, and we’re losing that. My customers walk in, and while I don’t know every single one, I probably know 70% of them by their first name.”

    Staff writers Mike Newall and Jake Blumgart contributed to this article.

  • The best things we ate this week

    The best things we ate this week

    The Maddie J at the Biscuit Lady

    Two great new moves by Tara Finder at the Biscuit Lady’s Plymouth Meeting location: later hours on weekends (till 8 p.m. for dine-in or takeout) and a chicken biscuit sandwich that’s only available after 2:30 p.m.. The Maddie J is 5 ounces of crispy fried chicken juiciness, a slice of American cheese, and a swipe of house Buffalo sauce. There’s a huge crunch and a zingy kick, but keep your plate handy because the light, flaky biscuit can barely contain all that goodness. It’s the perfect late-day counterpoint to morning specialties, such as the smash burger with bacon, fried egg, and jalapeño pimento cheese (Don’t Go Bacon My Heart) and the cheesesteak riff with ribeye, Cooper sharp, egg, and onion (the Stella). The Biscuit Lady, 115 Plymouth Rd., Plymouth Meeting, 484-243-6957, visitthebiscuitlady.com

    — Michael Klein

    Three weekly specials from Royal Tavern’s July-only hot dog menu. From left: a fried Diamondback Dog wrapped in bacon with salsa and beans, an Old Bay Bomber topped with Old Bay macaroni salad and crab, and Barrel It Up The Bronx topped with onion sauce and brown mustard.Craig LaBan / Staff

    Dog Days hot dog specials at Royal Tavern

    If you grew up in a hot dog culture like I did, devouring every Coney I could find in metro Detroit, the snap of the natural casing on Royal Tavern’s bespoke wieners is a flashback revelation. The Bella Vista bar’s third annual Dog Days of Summer event is in full throttle through the end of July, and they’re not serving skinless franks — the industrial norm — here. The taut-yet-delicate resistance on these artisanal links unleashes a savory rush of meaty juice, the pureed pork-beef blend harboring a balanced soupçon of coriander, garlic, and applewood smoke.

    Royal Tavern chef Nic Macri — whose butchery chops are still intact from his charcuterie run with La Divisa at Reading Terminal Market — began Dog Days two years ago as a labor of love to boost the bar’s typical summer doldrums. He ended up selling over 5,000 dogs that first July, then 7,000 in 2025, limiting it once again to the month due to the logistical challenge of transforming his small kitchen into a temporary frankfurter factory. This year, the restaurant aims to hit 10,000. To do so, Macri has turned to Happy Valley Meats to co-pack its proprietary recipe with responsibly-raised meats.

    But the creative challenge is still considerable: Four new preparations are unveiled every Monday for five weeks, pairing different techniques (steamed, chargrilled, fried, griddled) with an array of flavor toppings. No modifications allowed. I was charmed by the Baltimore-themed picnic of a dog last week topped with Old Bay macaroni salad and a scoop of fresh crab. But the purist in me kept returning to the Bronx-inspired steamer topped with saucy onions and brown mustard that still allowed that quality link to shine. There will be new cast of dogs next week themed to the World Cup, then a final quad dog bracket to bring it home, culminating in all 24 returning July 31 to celebrate a month of memorable wiener studies. The chef insists it will then be time to return to the fall programming of burgers, smoked beef, and fish sandwiches, no matter how much I plead our case: If Macri hasn’t turned Philly into a true hot dog town by then, no one can.

    Royal Tavern, 937 Passyunk Ave., 215-389-6694, royaltavern.com

    — Craig LaBan

    Loaded fries at El Sazón R.D., 1030 N. Second St.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Loaded fries at El Sazón R.D.

    El Sazón R.D. in Northern Liberties only serves three things: smash burgers, empanadas, and fries — all with a Dominican twist. Luckily, it does them extremely well. The smash burgers have a crisp, lacy edge and come topped with queso de freir, a fried slab of slightly salty white cheese that elevates the sandwich from just a burger into something I’d wait in line for.

    The limited menu’s true hero, however, are the loaded fries. The dish is a decadent play on salchipapas — a street food ubiquitous across Latin America that combines fries with cut-up hot dog links — that comes with cubes of queso de freir and two hefty drizzles of tangy mayo-ketchup. The franks are juicy enough that they pop in your mouth, while cubing and frying the white cheese basically renders them into delectable cheese curds. Beware, though: These fries are very heavy, a meal in and of themselves that I often have to follow up with a nap. El Sazón R.D., 1030 N. Second St., 917-920-1316, elsazon-rd.com

    — Beatrice Forman

    Gyu-don at Haha’s Kitchen, a food cart that typically parks at 471 N. Seventh St. in Spring Garden.Kiki Aranita /

    Gyu-don at Haha’s Kitchen

    When Shikoku, Japan, native Shiho Utsunomiya first came to Philadelphia in 2000 and tried a Philly cheesesteak, she exclaimed, “This is a gyu-don! Well, the meat is anyway.” Eighteen years later, she began serving a chipsteak-based gyu-don at her food truck, Haha’s Kitchen (“Haha” means “mother” in Japanese), which typically parks in Spring Garden. The $10 bowl has tremendously tender beef, laced through with sweet, slow-cooked onions and decorated with a neon pink crown of pickled ginger. Served over steamed kokuho rice, it’s decadent and filling, and perhaps one of the best lunch deals in town.

    It’s also a marvel to watch Utsunomiya doing absolutely everything in the cart, from taking orders to preparing a large menu that encompasses American lunch standards like Italian sausage and hot dogs to chicken karaage, onigiri, and of course, this magnificent gyu-don. The best part of lunch may be witnessing how her cheerful but fierce independence comes to bear in the small kitchen. Utsunomiya worked at the now-closed Hikaru in between bearing and raising children, “but it’s very difficult to have kids and work in a restaurant kitchen,” she said. You should also grab one of the $3.50 tuna mayo onigiri for later. Generously sized and lovingly made, it tastes like a Japanese mother tucked it into your lunchbox. Haha’s Kitchen, 471 N. Seventh St., instagram.com/hahas_kitchen

    — Kiki Aranita

  • Philly’s kitchen professionals endure one heat wave after another

    Philly’s kitchen professionals endure one heat wave after another

    Even on 100-degree days, Philly’s chefs and cooks are still in the kitchen. For the most part, they only call it quits when the food they’re making can’t take the heat.

    How do they make it through their stifling shifts? The answer comes down to preparedness, hydration, and lots of icy treats to lower body temps and boost morale.

    Restaurant kitchens can easily run 10 or 20 degrees higher than whatever the temperature is outside, abetted by hot fryers and stoves, plus wood-fired grills and ovens that hover around 500 degrees.

    The planning for heat waves starts long before the mercury rises. At Pizzata Pizzeria‘s South Philly location, recently added split-unit air conditioners and commercial kitchen fans have kept temperatures moderate. “They have been tremendously beneficial and helpful to our staff,” said owner Davide Lubrano Lavadera. “For our Rittenhouse spot, we didn’t have a chance to install these units, so we added an evaporative air cooler there.”

    Pizzata Pizzeria co-owners and chefs Vinny Gallagher and Davide Lubrano Lavadera pose in the kitchen of their original pizzeria location on 22nd Street near Fitler Square.Craig LaBan / Staff

    Two weeks ago, when temperatures spiked over 100 degrees three days in a row, Gilda chef-owner Brian Mattera warned customers on social media that the cafe would close if the heat tipped above 120 degrees in the kitchen — besides being uncomfortable, it would compromise the cooking. The flaky, laminated dough for Gilda’s signature pastéis de nata is notoriously temperamental, Mattera said.

    “Our pastry chef, Sophia Fiorenza, is the star of the show. When she comes to me and says the temperature is one or two degrees up, she’s not being dramatic,” Mattera said. “The dough is tacky and difficult to work with. It’s unfortified and it can feel like papier mache.”

    When the kitchen temperature is too high, the dough expands and falls off the sheeter, the machine that folds the dough into its many layers. “We say the dough is angry with us,” Mattera said.

    The pastéis de nata at Gilda get harder to make in hot weather. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Even in Gilda’s diminutive space, with just six gas burners and a flat-top, Mattera needs five separate HVAC units to maintain the perfect temperature for the dough, around 70 degrees. They weren’t enough to keep the kitchen open during early July’s heat waves: Gilda’s crew called it a day when the temperature behind the line reached 137 degrees.

    When the heat’s that intense, Mattera has a trick. “I’ll get a deli container of ice water, bring it into the bathroom, pour it over my head, and go back on the line.”

    Chefs in nontraditional kitchens also battle the heat. Josh Broder owns Root to Fruit, a vegan meal-delivery service that operates out of the Culinary Collective commissary space in the Bridesburg neighborhood. “We’ve basically become professional heat dodgers. We start cooking earlier, pack our delivery bags like they’re headed to the Arctic with insulated bags and extra ice packs, and everyone’s usually carrying a water bottle in one hand and a spatula in the other,” he said.

    Shiho Utsonomiya, the chef operator of Haha’s Kitchen, rarely closes the tiny food cart she has operated at the corner of Seventh and Spring Garden Streets since 2018. But she was forced to break for a few days leading up to July 4 this year, when the heat became unbearable. She closed the cart Wednesday for the same reason.

    Shiho Utsunomiya in her food cart during a heat wave.Kiki Aranita / Staff

    “It’s been getting hotter every year,” she said. “Winter, I don’t mind! Minus 17 degrees, no problem. But the heat just kills me.” She’s surrounded by a burner, steam tables, a fryer, and rice cooker. She’s enhanced her setup this year with a rechargeable fan with a mister.

    Utsonomiya’s location has a significant benefit: free ice from her best customer. United Refrigeration’s offices are nearby and her cart is popular with their workers.

    Extreme heat also prompted Little Walter’s — where the wood-fired grill casts off 120-degree heat, according to chef-owner Michael Brenfleck — to close in early July. Brenfleck said reservations were light during the holiday weekend, but the same could not be said of the following Friday, when the restaurant was nearly fully booked. That presents a challenge in itself: The busier the restaurant, the hotter it is inside.

    Chef Michael Brenfleck cooks pierogi at Little Walter’s in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    “Every person’s body radiates a certain number of BTUs, both in the kitchen and in the dining room,” said Brenfleck. His solution: “We’re going to put some cold specials on the menu, like a chilled pickle soup.”

    Brenfleck and Phila Lorn, the chef-owner of Sao and Mawn, were both amazed their respective staff endured the heat without complaint.

    “The real ones plan for these times and problem-solve,” Lorn said. “It amazes me to see my chefs in the kitchen crushing it. They’re eating popsicles, [mopping themselves with] cold wet towels, using Gatorade powder, but I swear to you, not one complaint from the back of house.”

    Liberty Kitchen staff trades tomato pie for soft serve on hot days. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Heat waves tend to foster community among restaurants — especially when there’s an ice cream shop involved. On the hottest days, the staff at Liberty Kitchen trades boxes of tomato pie with 1-900-ICE-CREAM, according to Liberty Kitchen chef Beau Neidhardt. “They’ll give us individual cups of soft serve for our staff. It’s very neighborly.”

    For many restaurant workers, it’s just part of the job.

    “We aren’t doing anything that needs to be applauded,” said Mattera. “At the end of the day, we’re all professionals. This is what we do. We can handle the heat.”

  • Everything you need to know about Philadelphia’s July Fourth concert and fireworks

    Philadelphia’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday culminates July 4 with a free concert and fireworks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

    The One Philly: Unity Concert for America begins at 5 p.m. in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, featuring Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith, The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jordan Davis, Seal, State Property, Kathy Sledge, and more.

    This year’s event is no longer part of the longtime Wawa Welcome America festival. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration took over production of the annual July Fourth concert, renamed it the One Philly: Unity Concert for America, and hired ESM Productions to produce the show.

    Wanda Sykes will emcee the concert, which concludes with the city’s official fireworks display over the Parkway.

    Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

    Fans react to the music as the Wawa Welcome America Festival concluded on July 4, 2023, with a free concert featuring Ludacris on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

    Schedule and entry

    Guests must enter through a secure checkpoint at 20th Street and Logan Circle, where security may search attendees and their bags. Gates open at 3 p.m.

    The concert will start around 5 p.m., followed by the fireworks around 11:30 p.m., according to city officials.

    Who is performing at Philadelphia’s Fourth of July Concert?

    Headliners include Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith, The Roots, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

    Other performers include Jordan Davis, Kathy Sledge, State Property, Seal, and several others.

    Fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Friday, July 4, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Fireworks

    Following the concert, the city’s official July Fourth fireworks display will begin at about 11:30 p.m. The show will be visible from throughout the Parkway and surrounding neighborhoods.

    Looking for more fireworks? Here’s a full list of fireworks shows happening throughout the Philadelphia region.

    The concert and fireworks will also air live on NBC10 and Telemundo62.

    Road closures

    Unless otherwise noted, the following closures will be in effect from approximately 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday:

    • 1900 Race Street
    • 1800-1900 Vine Street
    • I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street
    • I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street
    • I-76 eastbound off-ramp at Spring Garden Street
    • Spring Garden Tunnel
    • Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th Streets
    • 20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
    • 19th Street between Callowhill and Cherry Streets
    • Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 17th Street to Eakins Oval
    • Eakins Oval
    • Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue (inbound traffic closes at Fountain Green Drive beginning about 5 p.m.)
    • 2000-2100 Winter Street
    • Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street
    • 23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval
    • 22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
    • 21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
    • All roads from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street between 18th and 22nd Streets (local access maintained for residents)
    • All roads from Arch Street to Fairmount Avenue between 22nd and Corinthian Streets (local access maintained for residents)
    • 16th and 17th Streets between Arch Street and Spring Garden Street will close only if conditions warrant.
    • 1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway will close only if conditions warrant.

    Beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday, the following roads also will close:

    • Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval

    From 8 p.m. Saturday until approximately 1 a.m. Sunday, Kelly Drive between Fairmount Avenue and Fountain Green Drive and Waterworks Drive also will be closed because of the fireworks display.

    Parking

    Temporary no-parking signs will be posted along streets affected by closures. Vehicles left in those areas will be courtesy towed to another nearby location.

    Public Transportation

    SEPTA

    On July 4, SEPTA Metro, buses and Regional Rail will operate on special schedules with enhanced service.

    Additional trips will run on the L and B lines.

    Most Regional Rail lines will offer additional inbound and outbound service before the fireworks. All Regional Rail lines except the Airport and Cynwyd lines will provide late-night outbound service from Jefferson Station, Suburban Station, and William H. Gray III 30th Street Station after the fireworks.

    Other SEPTA service will operate on a Sunday schedule. Routes without Sunday service will not operate.

    Routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 49 will be detoured beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Sunday because of road closures.

    SEPTA ambassadors will be stationed at major transit hubs to help direct passengers after the July 4 FIFA World Cup match and the One Philly concert and fireworks.

    Additional information is available on SEPTA’s July 4 service webpage. Riders can also check alerts on the SEPTA mobile app, at septa.org/alerts or by calling 215-580-7800.

    PATCO

    PATCO will operate on a holiday schedule July 4, with trains running every 10 minutes throughout the day. More information is available at ridepatco.org.

    Todd Marcocci (left) and Jeremy Williams work on a float on Monday for this year’s big Fourth of July parade, in Philadelphia.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Fourth of July celebrations happening elsewhere in the area

    Fourth of July Freedom Festival at Pleasant Hill Park: 💵 Free, 🕒 July4, 5 to 9:30 p.m., 📍Linden Ave., Philadelphia, Pa 19136

    Philadelphia 4th of July Signature Dinner Cruise: 🕙 July 4, 7:30 p.m., 📍401 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106, 🌐 cityexperiences.com

    2026 Freedom Festival at Wiggins Park 💵 Free, 🕒 6 to 11 p.m., 📍2 Riverside Dr., Camden, NJ 08103

  • Philly area set to receive record-breaking $322M in state and federal money for trails

    Philly area set to receive record-breaking $322M in state and federal money for trails

    Philadelphia and its surrounding counties are set for what could be a record-breaking $322 million in federal and state funding to go toward building new trails segments, say trail advocates.

    Projects in line for funding include the much-anticipated Spring Garden Connector in Philly. And it would include the Newtown Rail, Chester Creek, and Parkside-Wynnefield-Cynwyd trails in the suburban counties.

    The money is part of a larger $8.2 billion pool of transportation funding updated through the federal Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2027 and spread over four years.

    “We consider this to be potentially record breaking,” said Patrick Monahan, vice chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition in Pennsylvania. “It’s proof that the trails are being treated as essential infrastructure, making it safer and easier to walk and bike in the region.”

    In 2024, Pennsylvania received $200 million for trails under TIP.

    Pennsylvania gets its TIP plan updated every two years and the majority of money goes to highways, bus and rail systems, trolleys, and ferries. It is part of an agreed-upon list of priority transportation projects. That list includes 344 projects.

    In all, this year’s proposed $322 million in funding for trails would advance 27 bike and pedestrian projects across Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.

    The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is set to vote on approving the allocations in July.

    The trails, either begun or being planned, are part of the Circuit Trails, a network of hundreds of miles of multiuse trails throughout the Philadelphia region including southern New Jersey, which updates its TIP funding in alternate years.

    A sample of the trail projects in line for funding include:

    • $11 million for the second phase to extend the Schuylkill Banks trail in Philadelphia south from near 61st Street to Passyunk Avenue that would include a new park at the base of the Passyunk Avenue Bridge.
    • $58.5 million for Philadelphia’s Spring Garden Connector project that would link trail systems along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers and make Spring Garden Street safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
    • $50 million to improve safety for roadway users, including pedestrians and cyclists, on PA 291 from Irving Street to Ridley Creek. The project includes building a multiuse side path that will be designated as part of the East Coast Greenway, a trail system linking Maine to Florida.
    • $8.5 million for the Chester Valley Trail, a multiuse trail along the alignment of the former Philadelphia and Thorndale Branch, a former freight train route, including renovation of the Whitford Bridge and Downingtown Trestle Bridge for bicycle and pedestrian use.
    • $10 million to develop a segment in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, that would run from the existing Wissahickon Trail in Fort Washington State Park to the existing Cross County Trail near SEPTA’s Fort Washington Station.
  • South Philly Barbacoa is moving in to Triple Bottom Brewing

    South Philly Barbacoa is moving in to Triple Bottom Brewing

    On a recent Saturday inside Triple Bottom Brewing, award-winning chef Cristina Martinez stood behind a wooden taco cart next to the bar making barbacoa tacos for an eager crowd.

    At the June 14 event, Triple Bottom owners Tess Hart and her husband, Bill Popwell, announced South Philly Barbacoa as their new permanent food vendor for the Spring Garden brewery.

    The brewery was ready to have a permanent food vendor after two years of hosting chef residencies, including La Llamita Vegana and Angie’s Vietnam. In early spring, the CEO of Triple Bottom decided to email the restaurant she felt would be the best fit: South Philly Barbacoa.

    “Their team has been in our space a lot, and I’ve been down there,” Hart said. “We introduced the conversation at a moment where they were also thinking about their next steps and what growth could look like for them. It felt very natural, because I think — even though we do such different things in the food and beverage space — both of us are really led by values,” including caring about the supply chain for their respective businesses and supporting the immigrant community of Philadelphia.

    The South Philly Barbacoa menu, attached to Triple Bottom drinks menu, features most of the same items found at its South Philly location inside Casa Mexico, where South Philly Barbacoa still operates.

    Find South Philly Barbacoa at Triple Bottom Brewing, 915 Spring Garden St.SOMAscape Studio

    “The only thing that is not here is the consommé, which hopefully we’ll have in the wintertime,” Hart said. “But for now,” there are tacos — slow-cooked lamb barbacoa, shredded chicken covered in smoky tomato chipotle sauce, slow-braised pork, spicy lamb offal sausage pancita, and a vegan option with seasonal vegetables — $7 for one or $21 for three, chips and guacamole with crispy corn tortillas for $10, esquites for $10, and handmade sweet tamales made with corn masa for $7.

    “Having a very amazing food program that’s reliable is a way to make sure that you can come here even if you don’t want a beer or any kind of drink — this is still a place for you,” Hart said.

    “Triple Bottom Brewing is this little oasis on Spring Garden Street with these bright, airy windows,” Hart continued. “And now, barbacoa tacos.”

  • Bob Brady has chaired Philly’s Democratic Party since 1986. Ward leaders just gave him four more years.

    Bob Brady has chaired Philly’s Democratic Party since 1986. Ward leaders just gave him four more years.

    Since 1986, Philadelphia has had six different mayors and five City Council presidents. But over those four decades, the city’s Democratic Party has known only one leader: Robert A. Brady.

    And he’s not done yet.

    Brady, 82, on Monday night won an 11th term as chair of the Democratic City Committee, continuing an astonishing run as the top official in the local party despite growing tensions between the local Democratic establishment and progressive insurgents.

    Fresh off democratic socialist Chris Rabb’s victory in last month’s Democratic primary for an open Philly congressional seat, District Attorney Larry Krasner called on Brady to resign, and progressive activists hoped to shake up the local party they blame for Philly Democrats’ lackluster turnout in recent federal elections.

    But following last week’s ward leader elections — in which left-leaning candidates notched at least five victories but came up well short of the numbers needed to seriously threaten Brady and his allies — the writing was on the wall.

    No challenger stepped forward during Monday night’s leadership elections at the party’s headquarters, the Robert A. Brady Office Building on Spring Garden Street, and the incumbent won another four-year term.

    “It‘s pretty nice to get it unanimous — nobody complains at all, no problems whatsoever, and that’s the way I like to have it,” Brady told reporters after his reelection, in which the ward leaders approved his slate of party officers in a unanimous voice vote.

    He added that he believes the party’s factions can overcome their differences.

    “They know that my heart’s in the right place,” Brady said of the party’s left-leaning critics. “I want to go in the right direction, and it might be the direction that they want to go.”

    Councilmember Cindy Bass declared herself the winner of a Philly Democratic ward election — and may have violated party rules

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who leads the 50th Ward, addressed party officials during the election meeting, telling them she is a “progressive with a capital P — because if you want to be a progressive, you got to make some progress.”

    “People want results,” Parker said in an interview afterward. “They don’t want to see fighting. They don’t want to see finger-pointing. Let’s focus on an agenda and not try to eat our own.”

    Also Monday, the party elected several new officers to serve alongside Brady and ordered reruns of three ward leader elections with contested outcomes.

    Those include Mount Airy’s 22nd Ward, in which City Councilmember Cindy Bass controversially declared herself the winner after a contested voice vote.

    All three reruns will take place Wednesday night.

    Soup to nuts in Democratic politics

    Brady lives in Overbook, where he is the 34th Ward leader.

    His mother was a committeeperson, and he worked as a union carpenter before his mentor, the late City Council President George X. Schwartz, got him a patronage job as a Council sergeant-at-arms. (Schwartz later went to jail after being convicted on corruption charges as part of the Abscam scandal in the 1980s.)

    City Council Sergeant-at-Arms Bob Brady, left, looks on as Councilmember John F. Street, top, and State Rep. Milton Street, right, take part in a near-riot in Council chambers. (Daily News File Photo)

    Brady was elected to Congress in a 1998 special election, and eventually chaired the House Administration Committee, which handles behind-the-scenes tasks such as assigning office space to lawmakers.

    While in Congress, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2007, losing to Michael A. Nutter, who ran on an anti-corruption campaign.

    In 2017, news broke that Brady’s congressional campaign was the subject of a federal investigation over an alleged scheme in which a would-be challenger accepted $90,000 to withdraw from running against Brady in a 2012 primary.

    Two of Brady’s aides served prison time, but Brady never admitted wrongdoing. He chose not to run for reelection the following cycle, in 2018.

    A modern political ‘boss’

    While Brady is often referred to as Philly’s “party boss,“ leading the Democratic City Committee is not the same job as it was in the heyday of big-city machine politics.

    Thanks to civil service reforms in the 1950s, there are far fewer patronage jobs to hand out. And Brady’s time is more often spent attempting to maintain peace among the various political organizations around the city, rather than telling them what to do.

    “It really isn’t all that easy, you know, keeping everybody together,” Brady said Monday night. “You got all kinds of factions, all kinds of egos, and I try to do the best I can to keep together, like we did tonight.”

    Bob Brady, right, chair of the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, dances with Cherelle L. Parker at a “unity breakfast” following her victory in the 2023 Democratic mayoral primary. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    One area where today’s party does resemble the machine politics of old is local judicial elections. Party-endorsed candidates almost always win seats on the local Municipal Court and Common Pleas Court benches, and many of their staffs are in turn filled with people connected to the local party.

    Brady and party leaders have no qualms about admitting what it takes to win their approval: doing favors and free legal work for the city committee, ward leaders, and their constituents.

    Philly Democrats’ new No. 2

    Although the Democratic City Committee does not have a new chair, ward leaders on Monday elected a new No. 2.

    Former Councilmember Sharon Vaughn, who leads the 49th Ward, will be the new first chair of the party, replacing former Councilmember Jannie Blackwell, who did not run for reelection as 46th Ward leader.

    Vaughn, who is also a secretary of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, would temporarily become city committee chair if Brady were to step aside. Brady said Monday he would support her to one day hold the position on a permanent basis as well.

    “She’s a great world leader, a former Council person, a hard worker,” Brady said. “What you see is what you get, straight shooter, and she’ll tell you just what it is. And she’s a loyal lady.”

    Lauren Rinaldi, the 18th Ward leader who is seen as having relationships with both the progressive and establishment wings of the party, became the second vice chair. She replaces Bass, who has now lost out on her citywide party leadership post regardless of how Wednesday’s 22nd Ward election redo shakes out.

    Rinaldi said Monday night she understands her election to leadership was partially an olive branch to the left wing of the party.

    “I‘m sure that’s part of it, definitely,” Rinaldi said in an interview. “But I am seeing my role as an advocate — advocating for reform to strengthen the party and modernize the way we do some things and bring more people in instead of shut them out. Basically to rebuild trust with voters.”

    The third vice chair remains 7th Ward leader Angel Cruz, and 63rd Ward leader Brian Eddis has replaced Bill Dolbow as fourth vice chair.

    Former City Controller Jonathan Saidel will stay on as the party’s treasurer, with John Brady, who is not related to the chair, serving as assistant treasurer.

    And 6th Ward leader Pete Wilson was retained as secretary, with 8th Ward leader Elaine Petrossian elected as assistant secretary.

    Back-to-back-to-back reruns

    The party on Monday ordered the results of three contested ward leader races voided. They will be rerun on Wednesday at the Brady building, with a committee of other ward leaders overseeing the results.

    In all three instances, the ward elections were found to have violated the party’s procedures.

    The redo for the 14th Ward, in which incumbent Arthur Green lost to Valerie Williams, will take place at 6 p.m.

    City Councilmember Cindy Bass, left, speaks with a reporter about her contested 22nd Ward leader election. Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    That will be followed by a 7 p.m. rerun of the 17th Ward election, which was an open seat in which Tyrone Barge defeated Michelle Schley.

    And finally, the 22nd Ward redo will take place at 8 p.m., with progressive challenger Octavius Price taking on Bass.

    In all three races, the party will allow submission of “proxy votes” from committeepeople who cannot attend if they are accompanied by notarized affidavits.

    Brady said the decision to redo the 22nd Ward vote was an easy one after he saw a video published by The Inquirer showing Bass, who chaired her own reelection meeting, shutting down requests for a roll-call vote that could have clarified the results.

    “I don’t think anybody that saw that … was supportive of it,” Brady said. “One ward is one ward, and there’s 68 others, and we’re all going to fix that on Wednesday night.”

  • ‘They fought, we won’: Ivory Coast’s World Cup win against Ecuador kicks off FIFA in Philly

    ‘They fought, we won’: Ivory Coast’s World Cup win against Ecuador kicks off FIFA in Philly

    Speckles of orange-clad fans leapt up from seas of yellow, wringing rally towels, whooping, and crashing into one another.

    This was the scene across Philadelphia Sunday night, as Ivory Coast defeated Ecuador with a single goal in the 90th minute of the first World Cup matchup at “Philadelphia Stadium” (better known as Lincoln Financial Field).

    After years of anticipation, ticketing woes, and infrastructure blunders, the world’s most beautiful game has landed in the City of Brotherly Love.

    And soccer fans are feeling it.

    The 68,274 attendees erupted when the West African nation broke the deadlocked game in the last seconds of regulation, leaving Ecuadorians stunned and distraught. Some covered their faces in disbelief.

    “They fought, but we won,” Ivory Coast supporter Glenn Feidanga said.

    Feidanga was the only person dancing in his section after spending the two halves surrounded by Ecuadorian fans. The momentary rivalry eventually gave way to high-fives and kudos.

    “Everything is good,” he said.

    While the Ecuadorian and Ivorian communities in the Philly-area are small — less than 15,500 residents claim Ecuadorian ancestry, and the number of Ivorians is difficult to estimate because the Census Bureau doesn’t tabulate them — their fans had no dearth of fervor or conviction.

    Anything for your team

    In the days and hours leading up to kickoff, celebrations have spilled into streets and SEPTA stations across the city — and supporters have been undeterred by oppressive heat and threats of severe weather. On Saturday, a wave of yellow, red, and blue flooded the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as thousands of Ecuadorian fans rallied and basked in their pride.

    The Broad Street Line Sunday afternoon was inundated with Ecuador fans. Teeming train cars were full of yellow jerseys standing shoulder to shoulder, men and women alike. As the train pulled in, a song arose; full throat and deafening in the hot, cramped subway car.

    “Let’s go, let’s go Ecuadorians, tonight we have to win!“

    As the throng made its way out of the NRG Station, the fans’ hearts and voices swelled again.

    A young Ecuadorian soccer fan sits under the Ecuadorian flag during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
    World Cup in Philly: Latest thunderstorm forecast; fans begin arriving for tonight’s game; major upset blows U.S. group wide open

    Pacho Flores would go to any length for “La tri,” the nickname for the Ecuadorian national team. He had traveled from New York City and had paid $650 a ticket for his family of eight to see his team play in Philadelphia.

    “It’s the most beautiful thing in the world,” Flores, a 62-year-old Ecuadorian native, said. “We have to follow the team to every game. It’s a blessing to have them play so close.”

    Pacho Flores (left) and his son, Alex, dance wearing thickly knit Diablo Uma masks ahead of Ecuador’s World Cup match against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia Sunday, June 14, 2026.Michelle Myers /

    Despite the 90-degree day, Flores and his son, Alex, wore thickly knit masks of Diablo Huma — an Indigenous protective sacred figure from the highlands of Ecuador — to represent his native town of Cañar.

    “It’s not that hot inside the mask,” Alex said, wiping sweat from his brow, “and it’s worth it because we have to win.”

    “Either way, we will still love the team,” his father added.

    Ecuadorian soccer fan Demetrio Govrea watches fans during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The family won’t have too much time to idle: They head back to New York City on Monday morning to pack for La tri’s match in Kansas City on Saturday against Curaçao.

    Ivory Coast fans Justin Bambara, Samska Lejah, and Couby Ouedraogo flew from Niger to New Jersey, then drove two hours to Philadelphia, and were confident in their team’s chances.

    Members of the Ivory Coast national football team react while watching the Sixers Stixers drum line perform following their practice at Subaru Park in Chester on Friday, June 12, 2026
    Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    “The yellows,” Bambara, 49, said, referring to the Ecuadorian fans’ jerseys, “need their support; we don’t need that, we are going to win.”

    “We will invite them to beers once they lose,” Lejah, 55, said.

    Fans celebrate ahead of the first Wold Cup match in Philly

    In the middle of it all, there seemed to be a marriage being put to test. Aurora Brown of Jacksonville, Fla., was attending FIFA Fan Festival with her family Saturday and said she is cheering for her home country, Ecuador. Her husband, Jamaal Brown, who had to stay back in Jacksonville, recently found out through a DNA test that he has Ivorian connections and is rooting for Ivory Coast.

    Aurora Brown and the family pick out a soccer jersey for dad at FIFA Fan Fest in Philly. Dad Jamaal had to stay back home in Jacksonville, where he will be rooting for the Ivory Coast. But Aurora is sticking with Ecuador.Michelle Myers

    “If they weren’t playing against Ecuador, the whole family would be Ivory Coast fans,” Aurora said.

    “Ivory Coast is going to win and I will celebrate with some drinks,” Jamaal said over the phone.

    “We are winners.”

    Ticketing woes continue

    This is the most expensive World Cup ever, and astronomical ticket costs and “dynamic pricing” have been a big gripe for many soccer fans.

    Day-of, there were no tickets available for Ecuador v. Ivory Coast on FIFA’s last-minute marketplace, Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek. Tickets for Friday’s match between Brazil and Haiti were selling for at least $1,600 on StubHub.

    Jayden Quezada, 17, and his parents spent $4,350 on Saturday to get three tickets to the next-day game through TickPick, a resale website. The trio traveled from Bensalem to Philadelphia hoping for an Ecuadorian victory. By the time they arrived at the stadium Sunday, the tickets were yet to be transferred to their FIFA app.

    They were turned away at the door.

    “They have been the biggest fans since before I was born and they don’t get to go back often because of work,” Quezada said of his parents who were trying to reach TickPick representatives on the phone. “We are probably going to try to get a refund but missing the game would be really sad because we were looking forward to feeling the Ecuadorian pride.”

    Like the Quezadas, more than 50 people waited for help with their failed tickets, including Monica Rojas and Jose Avil who bought a pair of tickets and parking on StubHub for $2,000, only to learn their purchase had been refunded.

    “I don’t know what we are going to do,” Avil said. “It feels defeating — now all we have is the tickets and the desire to watch them.”

    Fans wait outside SEPTA’s NRG Station near the stadium following Ivory Coast’s victory over Ecuador Sunday night.Michelle Myers

    Fan festivities

    Meanwhile, watch parties were underway from Spring Garden to South Streets.

    Ecuadorian singer Johann Vera commanded center stage at FIFA Fan Festival, roaring “¿Listos?”— “Ready?” — to a sea of yellow jerseys dotted by Ivory Coast orange.

    “I thought there were more Ivorians in Philadelphia but I guess not,” said Swann Nemin, a Temple University student from Ivory Coast, visiting Fan Festival with her two Ivorian friends, Ornella Kouame and Naïke M. Their friend, Phoebe Mattes, who they joke is “Ivorian by preference,” joined too.

    Ecuador takes the field for warm-ups before facing Ivory Coast in the World Cup Group E soccer match in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 14, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    The World Cup brought the friends together who were looking forward to dancing and celebrating with people from all over the world.

    “I feel like it’s not only people from Ecuador but also people from South America that are cheering for Ecuador, in the same way that people from all over Africa are repping Côte d’Ivoire,” Nemin said.

    Aleyda Alvarado, a Fishtown resident originally from Mexico, admitted that she isn’t the biggest soccer fan, but the World Cup always gets her and her friends to come out and celebrate.

    “Everyone is here from different countries, but during the World Cup, we’re all just fans,” Alvarado said before kick-off. “That’s how soccer bring people together, and what makes me love it.”

    At the dozens of tables across Brauhaus Schmitz, the German beer hall in South Philly, beer steins were dangerously close to empty. The Caddick family eagerly watched TV screens around the bar and rang cowbells as their team, Ecuador, closed in on the net.

    Soccer fans watch Ecuador take on the Ivory Coast during a World Cup soccer watch party at Brauhaus Schmitz on Sunday, June 14, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Karina Caddick, 56, of Horsham, was born in Ecuador, just outside Guayaquil, a port city and the country’s largest metropolis. She moved as a baby, but her family made sure to instill in her the importance of and love for soccer.

    To watch her native country’s team compete on her home country’s soil is quite special, she said.

    “It’s unbelievable that we’re able to watch [the game] here,” Caddick said. “To be in Philadelphia and see all the yellow shirts, it’s incredible.”

    But not everyone gets the hype. Outside Brauhaus, a man was overheard asking, “Why does everyone like soccer so much?” For those with connections to one of the participating countries, the answer is obvious.

    “Soccer is everything to Ecuador,” Caddick said. “It is the main sport. It’s their spirit. It’s what calls them.”

  • A 100-unit apartment building with a rooftop pool is the latest new development slated for North Broad

    A 100-unit apartment building with a rooftop pool is the latest new development slated for North Broad

    A Long Island-based developer is planning a six-story, 100-unit apartment building — with a rooftop pool — at 639-53 N. Broad St.

    The property is owned by the Bill Wolf Petroleum Corp., which has expanded into retail and residential properties from its original focus on gas stations and other fuel-related real estate.

    The company has already redeveloped smaller buildings in Philadelphia at Fifth and South Streets and 12th and Walnut.

    The company acquired the Broad Street property in late 2021 for $6.9 million, according to city records. This week, Bill Wolf Petroleum obtained demolition permits for the existing auto-oriented and light industrial structures on the lot.

    The architect for the project is Stuart Rosenberg of SgRA Architects, who has worked with Bill Wolf Petroleum on its other Center City buildings.

    “They are looking for dense, urban, Center City development opportunities. They did not want to be on the outskirts like Northern Liberties or Port Richmond,” Rosenberg said. “They like Philadelphia. At the end of the day, you can build stuff here, so that’s why they’re investing in Philadelphia.”

    Documents posted on the Department of Licenses and Inspections website show a 72-foot-tall project, which includes the potential for over 4,500 square feet of bi-level commercial space fronting on North Broad Street.

    A parking garage is planned in the rear of the property with space for 33 vehicles as well as bike parking. It also sits directly above SEPTA’s Broad Street Line Fairmount Station.

    The property has some of the most flexible zoning in Philadelphia, allowing Bill Wolf Petroleum to move forward easily.

    The unit mixture will mostly be one- and two-bedrooms, with a few studio apartments. On the top floor will be between eight and 12 bi-level apartments.

    For the exterior, Rosenberg is planning designs in keeping with the surroundings on North Broad Street.

    “It’s going to be a classic, industrial type of vibe,” Rosenberg said. “It’s the aesthetic you’d see in a lot of New York or Philadelphia.”

    The acclaimed interior design firm Stokes Architecture & Design, which has worked on properties such as Parc and La Colombe’s Fishtown flagship, is being retained as well.

    The entrance to both the front lobby and garage will be on Wallace Street on the north side of the site. Retail will front on North Broad Street. In addition to the roof deck with a pool, there will be private balconies for the bi-level units on the top floor and a U-shaped courtyard on the second floor featuring additional outdoor space.

    Bill Wolf Petroleum’s project is just the latest in a burst of apartment developments proposed on North Broad Street.

    In the last eight months, 1,221 units have been permitted between City Hall and the southern border of Temple University’s campus. Much of the activity is clustered around the former Hahnemann University Hospital.

    “This part of the city [North Broad Street] is just really dynamic right now,” Rosenberg said.

    Some of the projects, however, are unlikely to break ground any time soon. Property owners like Brandywine Realty Trust obtained zoning permits after Councilmember Jeffery Young proposed a housing ban around the former Hahnemann campus.

    142-44 N. Broad St. is another property slated for apartment development. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Although that bill was put on hold in the face of opposition from most stakeholders in the area — no one outside Young’s office ever publicly spoke in favor of it — the legislation prompted a rush to secure 824 apartment permits before it was shelved.

    Bill Wolf Petroleum’s project, which is outside Young’s proposed ban area, stands out because it is one of the only efforts that would not involve redeveloping an existing medical, industrial, or office building for residential use.

    The current interest in the North Broad Street corridor comes after an earlier boom, which saw developers like Alterra Property Group, Eric Blumenfeld, and Bart Blatstein scooping up struggling properties and vacant lots after the Great Recession.

    Some of those projects came to fruition, such as Alterra’s 410-unit Tower Place at Broad and Spring Garden Streets. Others had a more circuitous fate.

    North Broad organizations are watching the new developments with wary optimism.

    “I’ve learned to not get excited until there are shovels in the ground,” said Shalimar Thomas, executive director at North Broad Renaissance.

    But “it’s the main thoroughfare; it’s a great transportation hub, easy walkable,” Thomas said. “The potential and the bones and the structure are there. Maybe now more developers are starting to see that.”