January’s Fond Farewells, Friendly Hellos & Focus On The Future: Rittenhouse Is Off To An Epic Year
The Birds are soaring, as are the number of retail, restaurants, and more that have come or are coming to the neighborhood.
January was a DOOZY for the neighborhood
We had expected closures—Devon Seafood Grill and The North Face being two of them—but there was so much news about amazing concepts and brands coming that were either highly anticipated or took us by surprise (and delight!) that it was kind of hard to keep up with! But we did our very best to keep up and sending out our thanks to the many Ramblers who helped us along the way!
This month’s numbers in a nutshell:
- We said farewell to 2 restaurants and 2 stores
- We’ll be saying farewell to Shiroi Hana and Vans in the near future
- We welcomed five businesses, one of them after 2 years
- The future is VERY focused: About 5 bars, 5 coffee & specialty cafes, 3 entertainment/eatertainment places, 2 residential real estate projects, 17 restaurants with 1 iffy one, 5 retail stores, and 2 service-oriented businesses are coming. Grand total? 38 after discounting the iffy one.
Find the deets below and email us at rittenhouseramblings@gmail.com with anything we may have missed or that you know is coming.
Fond Farewells
Devon |📍225 S. 18th St
Devon Seafood Grill, a neighborhood staple since 1999 (!!) quietly closed its doors on the Square right after New Year’s Day. Rumor has it that Stephen Starr is negotiating for the space but it’s NOT confirmed.
Kookburger |📍2102 Market St
Kook Burger, the restaurant famous for its crazy milkshakes and also the owner of Black Turtle coffee, closed unexpectedly. A handwritten sign was apparently left on the door saying they were closed but they had committed to Restaurant Week and never mentioned anything on their social media. The other locations in New York City and Brigantine are still open.
Pretty On You |📍1726 Sansom St
The cute Pretty on You women’s clothing and accessories boutique closed its shop after 2 years on Sansom. It was a lovely little store, however, getting foot traffic on Sansom can be a challenge.
The North Face |📍1515 Walnut St
The Retail Gods that taketh came for The North Face, which had been in that location for 15 years. The VF Corporation owns both The North Face and Vans and is struggling at the corporate level. So the news that Vans is closing next month wasn’t a complete shock. Maybe they’re struggling because they sold Supreme.
Soon-To-Be A Fond Farewell:
Shiroi Hana |📍222 S. 15th St
After 20 (!!) years, the owners of Shiroi Hana, a charming sushi and Japanese restaurant right next to Good Dog bar put the building up for sale as he plans to retire. ETA for closure is still pending and the restaurant is still open until whenever that is.
Vans |📍1702 Walnut St
Vans‘ comeback after having burned to the ground in 2020 was awesome. So, the news that its parent company is hurting and closing stores around the country was a bummer. In bitter-sweet news, Abercombie swooped in to pick up the lease. The last day for Vans is mid-February.
Friendly Hellos:
Curtain Call at the Kimmel |📍300 S Broad St
Replacing the Jose Garce’s Trading Co within the Kimmel Center is Curtain Call. Similar to its predecessor, Curtain Call is a cafe during the day, and a cocktail place at night (our FAVORITE kind of place, tbh). So coffee, lunch, tea, cocktails…you name it, they have it which is perfect for when you’re there for a show. And, as you can see, it’s quite stunning.
Equinox |📍1909 Walnut St
Hooray! Equinox finally opened on the 16th, months after it was supposed to but again, construction: notorious for not finishing up on time! The first floor has the front desk, a lovely small shop, a juice bar, and the sales offices while the 2nd floor has all of the studios, machines, and locker rooms. The locker rooms are way in the back; maybe because they needed to be close to the stairs to the 3rd floor with the pool and hot tubs, along with the spa? Anyway, it looks gorgeous, has state-of-the-art equipment you never thought existed, and more classes than you can shake a stick at. Check out the schedule here and this Redditor’s post for a deeper look inside.
New Balance | 📍1619 Walnut St
New Balance leapfrogged over the new Jordan store to a beautiful, much larger, and much brighter space, fitting for a hot brand. It slid smoothly into the former Ulta but just took the bottom floor (Ulta occupied 2 levels.) The design is modern and the store is stocked with plenty of apparel and accessories, with the shoes fitting organically into the overall design. We just heard that the floors above it are available for residential conversion so that’s exciting, although construction may be annoying to the great staff there.
Satori Laser |📍1921 Chestnut St
NYC export Satori Laser opened up their Rittenhouse location (and 2nd Philly one,) giving us even MORE options for self-care in a space that was vacated by Foreign Bazaar a long time ago.
Sonny’s Cocktail Joint | 📍1508 South St
It took 3 years – 3 years! – for Sonny’s Cocktail Joint to reopen after a fire but hooray, it IS back! Sonny’s is owned by husband/wife duo Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico (HRG) who are also opening up 2 new places on Sansom St, Liquorette, and an unnamed quirky wine bar. This, in addition to Wine Dive coming back, may make them the King & Queen of drink spaces here in Rittenhouse, in our opinion.
Focus on the Future:
1701 Market |📍1701 Market St
The former Morgan Lewis office building is getting ready to enter its luxury rental era this spring. JackPhillyRE shared that this project from Alterra, who owns The Versailles on Locust St among others, had been on and off for some time now. Maybe because converting office buildings to residential is both expensive and complex? But the sign is up so it’s happening (no takebacks!)
Abercrombie |📍1702 Walnut St
The Retail Gods LOOOVE to taketh and giveth, and in this one case, they’re doing it in one fell swoop as Vans will close next month and Abercrombie will take its place. We love a good brand comeback story, and Abercrombie does have some pretty cool offerings.
Amma’s II |📍1500 Walnut St
The former home of Max Brenner’s will house Amma’s, the popular South Indian restaurant that is currently on Chestnut Street. The new space is pretty big, so it’ll likely be the biggest Indian restaurant in the neighborhood, and the first one with a liquor license to boot. ETA is TBD and we haven’t seen any construction yet.
Aritzia |📍1725 Walnut St
Construction for the long-anticipated Philly Aritizia continues to move along quickly now, with construction crews hustling every day, aiming for a potentially late spring opening. You can follow our updates here.
Ayat |📍2021-23 Sansom St
The New York to Philly (and vice versa) love continues with the impending arrival of Ayat, a Palestinian restaurant, replacing the long-vacant Roxy Theatre space. This will be their seventh location, and first for PA. Construction had begun but stopped, so ETA is TBD.
Bond Vet |📍2101 Walnut St
In a surprising twist no one saw coming, moving into the former storefront for Carlo’s Bakery is NYC’s veterinary chain, Bond Vet. The best thing is they also offer emergency pet care, something that no city (we feel) can have enough of, as they can get super busy.
Borromini |📍1809 Walnut St
Construction is continuing to move along for Stephen Starr’s highly anticipated Italian restaurant on the Square, as it converts the OG Barnes & Noble (RIP) to a two-story Italian restaurant. ETA is summer.
Botld Expansion |📍119 S. 18th St
Botld opening up in 2023 was pretty unique if you know how weird and antiquated PA’s liquor laws are. Freestanding spirit stores are NOT the norm. Not surprisingly, Botld did well (being the official Eagles spirits brand doesn’t hurt either) expanding to other locations, and now they’re taking it to the next level with a sexy cocktail bar in the current location.
Cake & Joe |📍1735 Market St
More sweet treats are coming, and another local darling at that: Cake & Joe is slated to come to Market Street, offering a dessert option for a street that’s been hurting since the pandemic because WFH. Known for their gorgeous mousse desserts and drinks, this will be an intimate Cake & Joe store with “roughly 1,200-square-foot ground floor facing the garden area between the 1701 and 1735 Market St. buildings”. ETA is this spring.
Dance Robot | 📍1710 Sansom St
Getting a Japanese comfort food place to replace The Foodery (RIP) is great news, and even better with its snazzy new name, Dance Robot. However, hearing that it’s an offshoot from Royal Izakaya, one of the best chefs in the country, makes it even better. ETA is still TBD.
Dave’s Hot Chicken |📍1731 Chestnut St
Pending in the former South Moon Under boutique space – Dave’s Hot Chicken, the known national Nashville hot chicken chain across the US. Until then Hangry Joe’s, another franchise that opened up this year, remains the solo hot chicken QSR in the area. Construction IS underway and the South Moon Under sign is gone, so thinking we’ll have more options soon for delicious Nashville hot chicken!
Di Passare |📍151 S. 24th St
This old Sotto space has been empty for soooo long. So a dual functional space with a juice bar open during the day and a downstairs restaurant lounge open to guests in the evening sounds great! ETA is still TBD.
Five Iron Golf |📍3 Logan Square
At the same time the Rittenhouse location reopened after renovations, Five Iron Golf announced a partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust to open up a much larger space nearby at 1717 Arch Street that will an outdoor patio and Callaway club fitting. ETA is this spring.
Flight Club Darts |📍1417 Walnut St
The UK export Flight Club Darts coming to Rittenhouse is making progress! It’ll join Puttshack, Spin, 5 Iron Golf, Cellar Dog, and Garage Bar in offering the neighborhood places to eat, drink, and play (“eatertainment”). ETA is this spring and we’re tracking construction here.
Garage Bar |📍1501 Spruce St
In September 2023 it was shared that a 3rd Garage Bar was opening in the long-closed Fox & Hound space and was received with open arms, the others being in Fishtown and Easy Passyuink. This one would be the biggest one by far, “clocking in at 6,500 square feet plus a large kitchen” and bringing Skeeball machines, pinball, billiards, and more Eagles watch party options. BUT work has begun and the new ETA is this spring!
Harper Square |📍113-119 S. 19th St
The old Cavannaugh’s and other businesses on Sansom by 19th Street are thoroughly gone as demolition is now fully completed to make way for Pearl Properties‘ Harper Square: A residential building with plans for 215 units over 54 stories. OCF Realty has a nice deep dive into the project. Feeling for the neighbors, though, as completion is a LONG way off: 2027 to be exact.
HRG’s “Quirky” Wine Bar |📍1534 Sansom St
Things in the news that catch our eye: “quirky” and “wine” together. Is it hard to believe? Maybe, until you know it’s coming from Hawthorne Restaurant Group, the team behind Wine Dive and Sonny’s Cocktail Joint. The wine bar is replacing the long-closed Nails by Anna D on the fun street that is Sansom. And because they leased the entire building, Rittenhouse will also get a 2nd drinking spot called Liquorette. Launch is this year but exactly when is TBD.
Jordan Brand’s World of Flight |📍1617 Walnut St
When the news dropped that the Jordan Brand was opening its first US World of Flight store after Tokyo, Seoul, China, and Milan in Philly and NOT New York, it was a pretty BFD! The construction team is hustling albeit more slowly as they reenvision the interior. We’ll continue to share construction updates here.
Josephine Cafe | 📍1620 Sansom St
New window decals, new details: The new Josephine apartments on Sansom adjusted their plans which revealed that Boqueria was not coming, however, what IS coming a super nice, super high-end sushi concept, Uchi! Also coming is an entertainment sports bar and an artisanal cafe that will fill out that side of Sansom and give The Happy Rooster some nice neighbors. ETA is unknown.
Kissho House | 📍1522 Locust St
The “Law Offices of Thomas More Holland” is being reborn as a multi-level modern and luxury Japanese restaurant, with a “vibrant” first-floor bar and a basement “sanctuary” that houses an omakase room from Royal Izakaya and Hiroki Chef Zhengmao “Jeff” Chen, per The Inquirer. We can’t wait to see it, and hopefully soon as the ETA is this year!
La Jefa |📍1605 Latimer St
The electrical fire that affected Tequila’s, and forced it to shut down, allowed the Suros family to re-envision what the space could be. Luckily for us, not only will Tequila also return but we’ll get a Guadalajaran-inspired coffee and cocktail cafe. ETA is this Spring so be sure to follow them on social here for updates.
Liquorette |📍1534 Sansom St
Sometimes, when you plan to launch a “quirky wine bar” on the first floor, you may also plan to launch a bar bar on the second floor. However, if you’re the team behind local faves like Grace & Proper (vintage European vibes) or Sonny’s Cocktail Joint (“where high brow meets low brow“) you know you’re making a bar that’s probably going to be a very unique and cool one. The current ETA is the first half of 2025.
Madis Coffee Roasters | 📍1441 Chestnut St
Sweet news out of University City for Rittenhouse: Madis Coffee Roasters is expanding to this side of the Schuylkill with 2 locations. One is coming here and will occupy the corner of 15th and Chestnut, at the base of The Element Hotel, which has never been occupied. Fall 2024 was the original target, but work hadn’t begun.
Malai |📍 260 S 18th St
Another NYC gem on its way to our neighborhood: Malai ice cream, right next to Starbucks on 18th in the former David David art gallery, and fitting for what looks like an elegant ice cream parlor. You can find more about them in our article here and they are planning a spring debut!
McDonald’s |📍1604 Chestnut St
Speaking of comeback stories, McDonald‘s is also returning to the neighborhood. Only this time it’ll be on Chestnut Street, replacing the old Portabella that moved into bigger, nicer digs just the next block over. It’ll give the new Taco Bell Cantina a run for its money and us more options to pick from at 1 am.
Mitchell & Ness | 📍1513 Walnut St
In yet another example of one business taking over the lease of another, one of our favorite sports stores, Mitchell & Ness is reportedly moving into the gorgeous Brooks Brothers store. And it makes sense on so many levels because with the incoming Jordan World of Flight, the new New Balance store, and JD Sports not too far (plus the many athleisure stores on the street) it’s really a perfect fit.
Mr. Edison |📍 200 S Broad St
After years of renovations, it’s been great to see The Bellevue coming back to life, with a beautiful new look. And that journey back to its former grandeur continues with a brand new restaurant called Mr. Edison from famous restauranteur Jeffrey Chodorow. It’ll slide right into the former Polo store on Walnut, and keep the incoming Flight Club Darts across the street company.
The concept and vibes have not been shared but, based on his previous well-known restaurants such as China Grill, and Asia de Cuba, and the new ones he’s been launching, you know it’s going to be as equally fabulous as the new Bellevue. ETA is this year and we’ll keep you posted on updates!
Rhythm & Spirits |📍1617 JFK Blvd
If you’ve ever been to the Rhythm & Spirits in AC, well, you’re in luck as it’s making its way over to the former Classic Cake cafe in Suburban Station! Rhythm & Spirits Philly will be similar, i.e., Italian food with no rules (must find out more about that), live music, and best of all – brunch! That’s a great area for tourists and visitors to Dilworth Park so it’ll be sure to be in demand. ETA is late fall.
Saints Restaurant |📍1901 Chestnut St
Cocktail place Noche quietly closed last year and the space was immediately snapped up to be re-envisioned as an African restaurant and lounge by the owners of Pepper Fish Bar & Restaurant, and “will serve African dishes along with American and Italian menu items.” They nixed their plans for a late-night lounge, however, and ETA is TBD (it was originally the fall of last year).
Sandbox VR | 📍1528 Chestnut St
Someone asked Santa for a full-body VR experience and voila! Sandbox VR is coming to the floor above JD Sports. This is in the former H&M store which had 2 floors, however, JD Sports only took the ground floor, leaving plenty of space above for Sandbox. This will join nearby Puttshack as a fun activity option for sure.
Taco Bell Cantina |📍1634 Chestnut St
LATE SPRING – that’s (still) the latest ETA we’ve heard from the franchise owner for this particular Taco Bell that will be a Cantina. We think it’ll be a hit, judging by the reception of our post. However, ONE IMPORTANT UPDATE: There is no alcohol, so our hope for a boozy Mountain Dew Baja Blast Freeze will continue to be on hold.
Tacodelphia |📍2051 Walnut St
Fellow Rittenhouse rambler jessierose1 tipped us off that a new food place was coming to the former Chase location at 21st and Walnut, which philly_junebug confirmed was Tacodelphia, a fast-casual restaurant that was formerly known in the area as Illegal Tacos. Work is progressing but we’re not sure of the new date.
Teddy Sourias Project | 📍 1515 Market St
We’ve been waiting for more details on this, so we’ll share what (little) we know: Teddy Sourias, the founder of Craft Concepts Group, who has many restaurants you’d recognize in Center City including Uptown Beer Garden, is planning a Japanese-inspired restaurant at 1515 Market that includes a 4,000-square-foot patio.
Tequila’s |📍1602 Locust St
It’s been a long, long time coming since the electrical fire shut them down in February of 2022 but Tequila’s getting ready to reopen soon, bigger and just as glamorous as before along with a tequila/mezcal tasting room (we hear). Combined with their new coffee and cocktail bar, La Jefa they are on track to be one of the most anticipated reopenings. We’re going to take a gamble for a February opening.
Uchi | 📍 1620 Sansom St
We finally know the name of the high-end sushi place is coming to The Josephine: The award-winning, Austin-based restaurant Uchi. Their Miami and other locations look stunning but they’ve hired the same designers whose creativity can be seen at Schulson’s restaurants. So you KNOW the vibes will be amazing and while the food looks stellar we hear it’s even more delicious than it looks. ETA is 2025 so we’ll keep you posted on updates beyond that!
Undisclosed @The Bards | 📍 2013 Walnut St
It was in the neighborhood for 26 years but hospitality is tough, and the pandemic unfortunately forced The Bards to close. The Philadelphia Business Journal noted that the Bards’ building and the Irish Pub + Cafe were up for sale but no buyer was noted. With a new alcohol application up we’re tracking this but, since we’re not seeing any construction happening, we’re going to remove this from our list next month.
Unnamed Hair Salon | 📍 1608 Latimer St
Not 100% sure WHO is coming to the former Commonweal Gallery that’s right next to La Jefa but we do know that it’s a hair salon! Our thanks to fellow Ramblers Emily and Angie who shared the news with us and who are just as eager to know who it is. We’re guessing the ETA is this year as construction is hustling.
Veronica Beard | 📍 1709 Walnut
And just like that, the final empty ground-level store on Walnut, in the former rockstar spot occupied by Allbirds is going to be filled by the cool, chic, and classic brand Veronica Beard! Our thanks to fellow Rambler Roberta for letting us know and sharing our excitement! We reached out for an ETA but we’re thinking it’s going to be this year.
Weckerly’s | 📍 1600 Spruce St
Incoming to Rittenhouse – Fishtown ice cream darling Weckerly’s. The Business Journal reported that they were looking at 1600 Spruce which was occupied by, well, 1600 Spruce, and the renderings they submitted to the city seem to confirm it. They’re shooting to open in 2025 for sure; follow our updates here.
Know of anything else coming or in the works? Shoot us an email at rittenhouseramblings@gmail.com so we can watch their progress together!
