Schmear Bagel Parlor is now open at 44th and Spruce. (Schmear Instagram photo)

The wait is over. Spruce Hill-based bagel lovers can finally get their daily fix of fresh bagels and schmears at a newly opened Schmear Bagel Parlor at 265 S. 44th Street.

The shop owners, Penn alumni Dave Fine and Brett Weinheimer, announced their plans to take over the space, formerly occupied by Lil Pop Shop, last spring. They also announced a cooperation with Lil Pop Shop which continued selling popsicles at that location through the fall. After being closed for renovation since December, the store has reopened this week as Schmear Bagel Parlor.

Philadelphia’s first Schmear Bagel Parlor location will have a brand-new menu, plus “you can enjoy Lil Pop Shop popsicles, Weckerly’s Ice Cream sandwiches, and Rival Bros. coffee all day,” according to Schmear’s Instagram post. Initial hours of operation will be Monday and Tuesday 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and Wednesday-Sunday 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Continue Reading

                           Puyero spread.

Here are some interesting developments on the West Philly restaurant scene, from new openings to updates on existing businesses.

Puyero is bringing authentic Venezuelan cuisine to the heart of University City along the iconic Sansom Row, at 3428 Sansom Street. The restaurant serves authentic Venezuelan street food. Their “comida callejera” revolves around the arepa, a round corn flour patty that is stuffed with a variety of fillings and enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Their most popular arepas are the Reina Pepiada (chicken-avocado-salad) and the Pabellón (beef, beans, sweet plantains, and white cheese). Other must-try menu items include patacones, tequeños, and a memorable tres leches for dessert. The business was founded in 2017 by three Venezuelan immigrants: brothers Gilberto and Simón Arends, and Gil’s wife, Manuela Villasmil, who runs the kitchen. The idea behind Puyero was to share Venezuelan culture and identity, but most importantly their food with the city of Philadelphia. For more details about the restaurant, go to: www.puyeroflavor.com.

Continue Reading

The new Schmear It bagel shop at 265 S. 44th Street will be selling Lil Pop Shop’s handcrafted ice pops and Weckerly’s ice cream.

Here’s some exciting news for locally made popsicle and bagel lovers. Two popular local businesses, Lil Pop Shop and Schmear It, have announced that they both will be offering their goods at 265 S. 44th St., Lil Pop Shop’s former location. What’s even better, Lil Pop Shop, whose owner Jeanne Chang announced permanent closing of the shop in Fall 2023, has already restarted its operation at the store (the re-opening date was Thursday, May 23).

The shop is now owned by Schmear It founder Dave Fine and his partner Brett Weinheimer, both Penn alumni. Schmear It will begin serving bagels, schmears, Rival Bros. coffee and espresso, and drinks in the coming months, according to Weinheimer. He says that him and his family used to live in Spruce Hill and have been long-term customers of the Lil Pop Shop.

“The Schmear It team is especially excited to share that the store will feature Lil Pop Shop’s all natural ice pops as it has for over a decade. Lil Pop Shop’s team, led by founder Jeanne Chang, will continue to craft and deliver their amazing creations for the Schmear It team to sell at Lil Pop Shop’s former 265 S. 44th St. storefront,” Weinheimer wrote in an email.

Continue Reading

A new bagel shop inspired by sojourns to legendary Manhattan shops like H&H and Zabar’s has opened in the Powelton neighborhood last week.

Brothers Brett and Kyle Frankel opened Bart’s Bagels at 3945 Lancaster Ave. The shop was recently featured on 6ABC news. The brothers grew up in Philadelphia and reportedly often visited their uncle in New York where they were bit by the bagel bug, according to the report.

The new shop includes a kitchen, and all bagels (about a dozen varieties!) are handmade on-site, according to the report. Meats are also roasted on-site. The shop also serves schmears and sandwiches. Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Schmear It.

If you’re tired of following around the Schmear It truck for your daily bagel fix, here’s some good news. Philly’s only bagel truck has finally found a brick-and-mortar home in University City at 3601 Market St. in the uCity Square complex along with other businesses, such as Herban Quality Eats. As of last Wednesday, the store is officially open to the public.

Thanks for an amazing opening, everyone!! We are sold out but look forward to much more schmearing tomorrow!

— Schmear It (@Schmearit) November 2, 2016

Currently, their store hours are as follows: Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday – 8 a.m – 2 p.m.  Continue Reading

When Dave Fine founded Schmear It six months ago, he was on a mission to “spread some good.”

Schmear It in University City (From Schmear It’s website)

Touted as Philadelphia’s first and only bagel food truck, Schmear It is an experiment on wheels in food-meets-social impact—a model based on the social good of brands like TOMS Shoes and the customizable options of chains like Chipotle. Four days a week, Fine—who has a non-profit background—rolls through the city, selling build-to-order spreads (or “schmear”) on South St. Philly bagels while featuring a variety of local causes like The Monster Milers or Challah for Hunger every two weeks.

Since August, Schmear It has raised over $800 from sales for its featured causes—its current one being Repair the World (Facebook page), and in the future, the West Philly Alliance for Children.

“Obviously food trucks in this city are fun, flexible, very useful, [and] they’re exciting, so it made sense for this unique idea to do with a food truck, where it literally can be a vehicle for social good,” Fine, 24, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, told West Philly Local. “That is ultimately the goal of Schmear It: aside from producing really good bagels and schmear, to become a grassroots fundraising and marketing platform for local causes.”

Every Tuesday in February, West Philly bagel lovers can stop by Schmear It at The Porch at 30th Street Station from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and order their unique combination of schmears and bagel for $3 to $7. Of course there’s the signature mainstays like the Loxsmith (cream cheese, chopped lox, scallions, tomatoes and cucumbers) and Nutty Naner (peanut butter, Nutella and bananas), but adventurous spirits can customize with imagination. Pick a schmear base from cream cheese (vegan available!) to egg salad, and fold in ingredients like maple syrup, wasabi, jalapenos and apples, spreading it all on a bagel of your choice. And you can wash it all down with a cup of La Colombe coffee.

But, while Philadelphia is a booming food truck town, it’s not exactly known as a bagel city, so why launch Schmear It in the first place? According to Fine, it’s precisely because there’s a bagel-sized hole in the city’s heart—especially among us New York City transplants.

“There are a couple of bagel shops here and there [in Philadelphia], but they’re not necessarily convenient,” the Baltimore native said. “There’s certainly not prevalence and for a city that has such a booming food truck culture, why not do a bagel food truck? It sort of made sense to me.”

Editor’s Note: Apart from The Porch at 30th Street Station on Tuesdays you may be able to catch Schmear It around 42nd and Locust for brunch on Sundays and at 33rd and Arch on Saturdays. Since the locations and hours may change, we suggest following Schmear It on Twitter or Facebook.

–Annamarya Scaccia