Here’s a list of assorted local businesses and their holiday hours. We’ll update the list as more information becomes available.

Coffee shops, restaurants

• Coffee Market (45th and Pine): Thursday (Dec. 24), Saturday (Dec. 26), Sunday (Dec. 27): 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Friday (Dec. 25): 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Green Line Cafe (45th and Locust): Thursday (Dec. 24): 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Friday (Dec. 25): Closed; Dec. 27 – Jan. 1: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (43rd and Baltimore): 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. until Saturday, Jan. 2.

• Honest Tom’s Taco Shop (44th and Spruce): Closed Dec. 24, 25, 26, 27 and Dec. 31, Jan. 1, 2, 3.

• Renata’s Kitchen (46th and Baltimore): Thursday (Dec. 24) & Friday (Dec. 25): Closed; Open for the rest of the week and New Year’s (serving New Year’s Day brunch!).

• Rx The Farmacy (45th and Spruce): Closed until Thursday, Dec. 31.

Grocery, liquor stores

• Mariposa Food Co-op (49th and Baltimore): Thursday, Dec. 24: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 25: Closed; Saturday, Dec. 26: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 1: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Supreme Shop ‘n Bag (43rd and Walnut): Dec. 24 & Dec. 31: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Dec. 25 & Jan. 1: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

• The Fresh Grocer (40th and Walnut): Open 24 hours

• Fine Wine & Good Spirits (43rd and Chestnut, 49th and Baltimore): Dec. 24: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Dec. 25 & Jan. 1: Closed; Open regular hours on Dec. 31.

Clarkville in September 2015 (Photo West Philly Local).

(12/3/2015): Here’s the latest update:

Official word—”Not opening today.” We’ve got our fingers crossed for tomorrow—Stay tuned! A special growler reward for your patience awaits!

— Clarkville (@clarkvillephl) December 3, 2015

(12/2/2015): The opening of Clarkville bar and restaurant at 43rd and Baltimore is getting closer. According to its owner Leigh Maida, who we spoke to in the fall, the tentative opening date was Dec. 1, but it hasn’t opened yet. Clarkville’s opening was postponed a couple of times before, with the latest reason for delay being problems with electricity in the building. Maida and her business partners Brendan Kelly and Brendan Hartranft are renting the two-story, former Best House Pizza space at 43rd and Baltimore. But here’s some encouraging news. According to their latest tweet, the restaurant’s opening is very close. The executive chef has also been revealed on the Clarkville website. It’s Justin Bennett, who has been in charge of Local 44’s menu for the past three years. Earlier this year, Clarkville owners said that it would be “a little less beer forward and a little more food forward” than Local 44. Stay tuned for more information. 

Clarkville’s opening is so close we can (quite literally) taste it. Stay tuned for our opening announcement! pic.twitter.com/G7leBzAL9K — Clarkville (@clarkvillephl) November 28, 2015

This is a follow up to some of our recent and not so recent restaurant news.

• The new owners for Gold Standard Cafe, a popular establishment at 48th and Baltimore, have finally been revealed. In July, we reported that the business was up for sale when the old owners, veteran restaurateurs Roger Harman and Vince Whittacre, decided to retire. The new owners, Joseph Oh and Alice Park, previously operated a Japanese fusion restaurant in North Philly, but as they told the local weekly University City Review, their plan regarding The Gold Standard is to keep everything the same, with some minor tweaks to the menu. “They said they might put one Korean dinner on the menu at some point but otherwise keep the same general theme,” Harman told the Review regarding the new owners’ plans.  Continue Reading

Here’s an update on some local existing and upcoming restaurants.

• Work is at full steam to prepare Clarkville bar and restaurant for opening this Fall. The building at 43rd and Baltimore across from Clark Park, which used to house Best House Pizzeria, recently had some parts of the old facade stripped off to expose the red brick underneath. Check out these “before” and “after” photos:

And here’s what it looks like from 43rd Street. The building already has a large green “Clarkville” sign painted on it.

The opening date for the new bar and restaurant hasn’t been revealed yet. We’ll keep you posted. By the way, the owners, Leigh Maida, Brendan Kelly and Brendan Hartranft, who already own three restaurants in Philadelphia, including West Philly’s Local 44, are opening a Montreal-inspired bistro, called Coeur, on 8th and Christian on Sept. 15. More information about Clarkville is available here.  Continue Reading

Here’s a short roundup of some latest news from local restaurants, bars and cafés.

• University City Dining Days kicks off this Thursday (July 16), with over 30 restaurants participating in the event. During the 11-day promotion, you can choose a pre-fixe three-course dinner menu best suiting for your wallet: for $15 – at Dahlak, Desi Village, Dock Street Brewery, The Gold Standard Cafe, New Delhi, Vietnam Café, and more restaurants; for $25 – at 48th Street Grille, Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House, The Farmacy Rx, Han Dynasty, Harvest Seasonal, and more restaurants; or for $35 – at City Tap House, Distrito, Penne Restaurant & Wine Bar, Pod, and White Dog Cafe. Reservations should be made directly at participating businesses.

In addition, you can win some great prizes offered by the event organizer, University City District (UCD), including an iPod Touch, an Apple TV, and a $200 bundle of restaurant gift certificates. For more information go to: www.universitycity.org/university-city-dining-days.

• UCD has installed a new and the largest parklet in the area – on 40th Street between Walnut and Sansom, in front of the retail space that hosts several eateries, including Hai Street Kitchen, Jake’s Sandwich Board, and Zesto Pizza. The new parklet, designed by Shift_Design, measures about 60 feet long and is among the longest parklets ever constructed. Now you can enjoy your sushi burrito outside.

• We’ve been keeping an eye on the progress of Cafe Renata‘s opening at the new location near 46th and Baltimore. As we reported earlier, Renata co-owners Katie Steenstra and Yasser Aiq, were planning to open the new location this summer, after their old space near 43rd and Locust was heavily damaged in a fire in March. They even participated in the recent Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll (pictured right). It turns out, the opening will not happen until later this summer because Katie and Yasser are busy preparing for a big personal event – they’re getting married early next month! Once they’re “refreshed with marital bliss” they’ll be “back on the street” figuring out the opening date. We’ll keep you posted. By the way, the name of the new place is Renata’s Kitchen.

• The Gold Standard Café is hiring Front of House staff, including a busser/runner (for weekend brunch), a server (3-5 days a week), and a barista. Please drop off your resume in person at 4800 Baltimore Ave. or stop in and ask for an application on Monday-Friday from 10-10:30 a.m. or 2:30-5 p.m.. For more information, check out this Facebook post.

University City Dining Days, a popular annual event helping drive traffic to local restaurants during slow summer months, will return on Thursday, July 16 and you can make your reservations now. This event is a great chance for those who like to eat out, but can’t always afford it, or want to check out some new restaurants in the area. As always, the event is based on the concept “3 course, 3 prices” – a pre-fixe three-course dinner special for $15, $25 or $35.

Thirty three restaurants, including craft beer bars, cozy BYOB’s, celebrity chef and ethnic restaurants, are participating in this year’s Dining Days. Six restaurants are participating in the event for the first time: 48th Street Grille, Hai Street Kitchen & Company, St. Declan’s Well, Wahoo’s Tacos and More, William Street Common, and Zavino University City.

See the full list of participating restaurants, menus and prices at www.ucdiningdays.com. Please note that prices are for dinner only and do not include tax, gratuity or alcohol. Reservations should be made directly through the participating restaurant.

The event runs through July 26.