Renata’s Kitchen is expanding into the two-story restaurant space at 3940 Baltimore Avenue (former Trolley Car Station restaurant location).

The two-story restaurant space at 40th Street Trolley Portal Gardens, formerly occupied by the Trolley Car Station restaurant, is finally getting a new tenant. Well-known West Philly restaurateur couple, Katie and Yasser Aiq, the owners of the popular cafe and brunch spot Renata’s Kitchen on Baltimore Ave., have signed the lease for the space and expect to open this winter (“in the next month or so”), with immediate plans to serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

The restaurant, which offers a mixed menu of Mediterranean and American dishes, is not only expanding into a bigger, 125-seat space at 3940 Baltimore Ave., the owners are also planning to eventually launch dinner service, as well as an “inventive drink” menu when they secure the liquor license that comes with the space.  Continue Reading

September 12 Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll map (click to enlarge).

This year’s second and last Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is happening on Thursday, Sept. 12 and will feature hundreds of $1 items (food, drinks, merchandise, theatre tickets, and more!), as well as live music and entertainment. The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. from 43rd to 52nd Streets, and there will also be a special performance at 40th and Baltimore.

Thirty-six Baltimore Avenue businesses and 15 community food and merchandise vendors will participate in the September edition of the Dollar Stroll. Check out this map for more details.  Continue Reading

University City Dining Days, the popular annual dining promotion, will be held from Thursday, July 18 through Sunday, July 28.

This year, over 30 restaurants will offer three-course menus for either $15, $25, or $35, including first-time participants like Mediterranean-influenced restaurant The Common, Argentine empanada shop Jezabel’s Cafe, and upscale sandwich joint KQ Burger. For the first time, many restaurants will also be offering lunch options for 2019 Dining Days.

Make your reservation directly at a restaurant of your choice. The menus and contact info of participating restaurants can be found here.

Mariposa Food Co-op will be closed on Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18 for a “store reset” which includes installation of new shelving units and thorough cleaning. The store will also close early (at 7 p.m.) on Tuesday, July 16.

“Along with getting new shelves and the deep cleaning, we’ll also be updating our product selection to bring on lots of new items, revamping pricing, switching up placement and much more!” reads an announcement on the Mariposa website.  Continue Reading

The highly anticipated restaurant serving authentic Mexican dishes, Don Barriga Mexican Grill, has opened at the corner of 45th and Spruce. It was very short notice for the restaurant’s grand opening on Sunday (the owners announced it on Saturday evening), but it was enough for the locals to swarm the place with calls and orders, prompted in part by half-off prices for everything on Sunday. The crowds forced Don Barriga to close for a few hours in the afternoon. One of the partners apologized on Facebook for some orders taking too long. “It was the grand opening and we were packed,” he wrote on our Facebook page. “We will improve every day.”  Continue Reading

The new Panera Bread has opened at 40th and Walnut, in the former Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar space:

The new @panerabread at 40th and Walnut is now open. pic.twitter.com/zM7XE2ydiK

— University City (@ucdphl) June 12, 2019

This is the third and largest Panera location in Philadelphia. The two-story restaurant features several conference rooms, community tables, and even a private room for meetings and studying, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. There’s also an outdoor patio with approximately 40 seats.