Fast Times at Rittenhouse High: Welcome to The BTS Edition of Fond Farewells, Friendly Hellos & Focus on the Future
Summer school’s out & it’s back to business as highly anticipated launches cram for September & October debuts.
First bell of the school year means it’s time for homeroom roll call: Who’s back from summer break, who transferred in, and which classmates switched schools?
August played out like those lazy summer school session: not a ton of action on the retail front, but the restaurant kids were definitely showing up to class. Borromini made the kind of entrance that has everyone talking in the hallways, while Taco Bell slipped in through the side door and immediately became everyone’s favorite study buddy (sometimes the quiet ones surprise you the most)
Meanwhile, Vinyl was sent to juvie (last day to exit it is September 17th), McGlinchey’s cleaned out their locker and took off, and Mr. Wish transferred schools entirely.
September is shaping up to be busier than freshman orientation week, vs. last month. All those restaurants that couldn’t quite get their summer homework done? They’ve been cramming over break, and now they’re ready to show what they’ve learned: An expanded Amma is getting promoted to honors classes, Dance Robot is transferring in from Royal Izakaya, we have the relocated (and still quirky!) WineDive, Wonder aka the food hall, and the Philly Rhythm & Spirits are all planning to launch, giving us plenty of fantastic options for Indian, Japanese, Wine, and American plus more.
TL;DR: Rittenhouse’s restaurant scene is about to be more stacked than your September reading list. But first, let’s revisit August:
- The classmates that left us: The OG of smoking and dive bars, McGlinchey’s, called it quits after a GREAT run while the Rittenhouse Mr. WIsh is no more.
- New faces at the cool kids table: Borromini, Taco Bell, Studio23, 6060 arrived, Sonny’s Cocktail Joint reopened, and Tea House Cafe slides into seamlessly replace Mr. Wish.
- Transfer students: Spirit Halloween is doing it’s annual thing, i.e., popping up like a ghost.
Check out the full list below and, as always, if we missed anything or you heard something, please let us know via email rittenhouseramblings@gmail.com or DM us – we appreciate you!
Fond Farewells:
McGlinchey’s | 📍259 S 15th St
After a little bit of “they’re closing,” then “not closing just selling” one of the OG dive bars where you could still smoke indoors (!!) McGlinchey’s closed closed on August 22nd, 2025 after 88 years (!!!). We recommend this Hidden City article if you want to learn more about its fascinating history.
Mr Wish | 📍2100 Walnut St
They’re not a lot of bobba cafes around here so we panicked when a Rambler shared that Mr Wish had closed but – in what an AI would say is a plot twist – a similar new bubble tea and fruit drinks cafe has popped up in its place.
Friendly Hellos:
6060 | 📍1931 Chestnut St
Moving into the former California Closets, which was briefly Jonesy’s Accessories last year, is 6060 Eyewear, a brand known for offering free eye exams and affordable glasses, which they say you can get the same day. They have several locations in NYC and New Jersey, and one in Delaware but this is their 1st Philly location.
Borromini |📍1809 Walnut St
The wait is FINALLY over for one of Rittenhouse’s most highly anticipated restaurant openings: Stephen Starr’s Borromini officially opened, and we can’t deny that it’s giving main character energy in the best possible way. From the two-story hand-painted fresco over a marble staircase to the tin ceilings designed to look like 50 years of cigarette smoke, it’s hard to believe that this was once a massive Barnes & Noble.
Sonny’s Cocktail Joint 📍1508 South St
It’s been an eventful 2025 so far for Sonny’s Cocktail Joint but hopefully it’s calming down. After opening up in January after years of being forced to close due to water damage resulting from a fire, they were hit with a flood of water last month. Luckily, repairs only took a few weeks this time and they are back in the swing of things!
Studio23 |📍1923 Chestnut St
Every time we THINK our Pilates guide is update-to-date we discover we’re very wrong. Case in point: Studio23 who just opened up quietly this month. The charming-looking studio flows nicely into the former Trek bike store (which bought and replaced Breakaway Bike & Fitness). They offer Yoga, Reformer, and sculpt classes in a space that includes infrared heated panels and a Himalayan salt wall (?!)
Updates to the Pilates guide to come but until then, do drop by to say hi!
Taco Bell |📍1614 Chestnut St
Rittenhouse’s first Taco Bell in forever may not be a Cantina, however, it IS open and right in the neighborhood, and on a street with other fast and casual restaurant options. So no booze, no alcohol but plenty of Gorditas, Mexican Pizza, chicken nuggets (???!), and other options. Currently they are not open late so hoping that changes in the near future.
Tea House Cafe |📍2100 Walnut St
In tea-rific news for all the bubble and fruit tea fans who were terrified when Mr. Wish closed, Tea House Cafe has opened in it’s place! The cups are different but the menu is very similar, and we enjoyed our milk bubble tea which was chockfull with bobba.
Focus on the Future:
2204 Walnut | 📍2204 Walnut St
It looks like, after a long period of hiatus, the new residential project at 2204 Walnut is FINALLY moving! Naked Philly, who has been long tracking its progress, shared “that the developers pulled a by-right zoning permit, which offers some indication of forward momentum after a couple years of radio silence.” and that it was pared down to 19, instead of the original 29, residential units.
ETA is likely 2027 (keeping our fingers crossed!)
Amma’s |📍1500 Walnut St
Popular South Indian restaurant Amma’s on Chestnut Street has been planning to move into the old Max Brenner space on 15th street for quite some time, and quietly working to make sure they’re able to open this September. We’re anticipating that the combination of the larger space and liquor license will likely make it an even more popular, and we can’t wait to see it!
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 Theater space. This will be their seventh location and first for PA. Construction has hit some snags but they are hoping to open it this October.
Banshee |📍1600 South St
Beloved Tio Flores may be gone, but its prime location didn’t stay empty for long. The Philly Inquirer announced that the team behind shuttered favorites Cheu Fishtown and Bing Bing Dim Sum has secured the lease. Their vision? Banshee, a bistro featuring clean Scandinavian design and an eclectic menu that defies easy categorization. ETA is September!
Botld Expansion |📍119 S. 18th St
Botld opening up in 2023 was pretty unique if you know how lovely PA’s liquor laws are. Botld has done pretty well and now they’re taking it to the next level with a planned cocktail bar in the back space. ETA is now 2026!
Cake & Joe |📍1735 Market St
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. Construction, however, hasn’t begun and they haven’t responded to our messages.
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 September!
Fashionphile | 📍 1616 Walnut St
A long, long time ago (2023, to be exact) the water damage resulting from putting out a car fire in the garage on Chancellor St, forced the CKO Kickboxing at 1616 Walnut St to close. Fast forward to this Fall: Fashionphile, the “high-end consignment boutique for secondhand luxury handbags & accessories in a stylish interior” will be moving in, right opposite Core Yoga. Currently at 1617 JFK Blvd this will give the fashionistas a more convenient location to hit up while shopping on Walnut.
Friday Saturday Sunday Expansion | 📍 261 S 21st St
In super exciting news for everyone wants to but can’t easily get into Friday Saturday Sunday, news from The Inquirer announced that they’re buying the home behind them on Rittenhouse Square. Per the article, that’ll allow them to accommodate about 40-50 more people at what they’re saying will be a “higher-end chefs table.” ETA is next summer!
Harper 2.0 |📍113-119 S. 19th St
The OG Cavanaugh’s and other businesses on Sansom by 19th Street are long gone to make way for Pearl Properties‘ Harper 2.0. Completion is a LONG way off: at the current rate of construction, which is nil for the moment.
Joan Shepp |📍1905 Walnut St
Don’t call it a comeback, but…the high-end fashion boutique Joan Shepp is making her fashionable way back to Walnut St, after having done a pretty long stint at 1811 Chestnut. ETA is towards the end of September.
Jordan Brand’s World of Flight |📍1617 Walnut St
It feels like FOREVER since Nike announced that the first US “World of Flight” experiential retail store – a trend we’ve been seeing manifest itself here on Walnut Street – was coming to this gorgeous townhome. Based on our construction tracking here we’re really, really, really hopeful that 2025 is still in play.
Libbie Loup Hospitality Restaurant |📍2227 Pine St
ANDDDDD we finally have what likely will be a new fave restaurant to replace the old local fave that closed in 2024, Cotoletta per the Business Journal: A new concept from Her Place Supper Club and My Loup’s owners Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp aka Libbie Loup Hospitality! The Business Journal notes it may be late 2025 so we’ll send out the good vibes!
Liquorette |📍1534 Sansom St
Sometimes, when you plan to launch a “quirky wine bar” aka the lovely Wine Dive on the first floor, you may also plan to launch a bar bar on the second floor that’s a “high-end, technique-driven cocktail bar that’s inspired by luxury European cocktail bars.” ETA is late 2025, even possibly 2026 as the owners are focused on launching Wine Dive and reopening Sonny’s Cocktail Joint.
Lululemon Expansion | 📍1718 Walnut St
Not only are new businesses arriving, and some shifting into larger spaces, we’re now also seeing the beginning of what may be a new trend: expansion! And setting the way is none other than Lululemon whose landlord, according to the Business Journal, is actively engaged in helping us get some extra Lululemon love by allowing next-door neighbor Indochino to exit their lease early AND helped find them their new digs at 1519 Walnut St aka the former home to Bonobos. ETA is 2026 should this be the plan.
Madis Coffee Roasters | 📍1441 Chestnut St
Madis Coffee Roasters announced last year that they were expanding to this side of the Schuylkill with 2 locations: one of them is planned for the corner of 15th and Chestnut, at the base of The Element Hotel, which has never been occupied. ETA is still 2025 per last we heard!
McDonald’s |📍1604 Chestnut St
In a highly anticipated comeback story, McDonald‘s is 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. Permits and zoning notices are up on the building but we’re thinking we won’t have some McNuggets to nibble on until late 2026, maybe even later as no work has begun.
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 moving into the former Brooks Brothers (RIP). This is a much larger, bi-level space which gives them plenty of room to give us even more of want we want – more Birds & Phillies merch! ETA is likely 2026.
Mr. Edison |📍 200 S Broad St
The Bellevue‘s return to being the Grand Dame includes a brand new restaurant, Mr. Edison from famous restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. It’s sliding into the former Polo store on Walnut and keep Flight Club Darts, which is across the street, company. ETA is 2026.
Prime Tobacco Zone |📍124 S 16th St
Coming soon (we’re taking their sign literally and holding them to it) is Prime Tobacco Zone next to Joe’s Pizza on 16th Street. For a hot moment that space was home to an artisan luxury goods collective called The Narrative after long-time tenant Sun Myst Tanning Spa left.
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., food with no rules, live music, and best of all – brunch! ETA is September.
Sev | 📍1525 Chestnut St
Moving into the space right next to the Five Guys Burger and Fries that may have been on Chestnut since the prior decade is Sev. A boutique med-spa with locations throughout the country and the closest one to here in Fishtown, it’s moving into the Pomerantz building that has been vacant for over 18 years (!!) However, one of our fave RE people JackPhillyRE noted that SEV may not be moving forward.
Spirit Halloween | 📍1628-36 Chestnut St
Once again, we are here to remind you that there are only 3 things certain in life:
🪦 Death
💸 Taxes
🎃 Your building will one day become a Spirit Halloween
ETA is soon!
Stephen Starr’s 3rd Restaurant on the Square | 📍225 S. 18th St
As Borromini preps for its day in the sun, Stephen Starr is turning his attention (and stellar crew, we’re sure) to the former Devon Seafood space. And if you ever had the chance to go to Devon, you probably remember the beautiful arches, the ceiling print, the tiles, and the expansive space in the back, down the steps – it was a story and vibe in itself. The name is NOT confirmed but the concept is rumored to be Japanese or seafood.
ETA is 2026!
Tacodelphia |📍2051 Walnut St
Tacodelphia, the local fast-casual restaurant formerly known in the area as Illegal Tacos, seems to still be coming as they have a snazzy new sign up. It’s been a LONG time since construction began but with this sign we’re thinking 2025 is still in the cards.
Teddy Sourias Project | 📍 1515 Market St
Teddy Sourias, the founder of Craft Concepts Group, who has many restaurants you’d recognize in Center City, including Uptown Beer Garden, was planning a Japanese-inspired restaurant at 1515 Market that included a 4,000-square-foot patio. ETA and new news is TBD.
Time Mission | 📍 1534 Chestnut St
Time Mission, a social gaming experience where teams travel “through time to save the future,” is joining Sandbox VR to give us two experiential options in the neighborhood! Per a review of the Cali one:
“At Time Mission, each new portal took us to a different destination with a new challenge to solve together as a team. This over-world tied together a collection of artistic, unusual rooms filled with creative contraptions or other physical or mental playgrounds.”
Time Mission will live above JD Sports, which used to be a 2-level H&M. ETA is still 2025.
Uchi | 📍 1620 Sansom St
The award-winning, Austin-based restaurant Uchi is coming to the Josephine, and construction is moving (albeit slowly in this insane heat). Their Miami and other locations look stunning, and they’ve hired the same designers whose creativity can be seen at Schulson’s restaurants. ETA is late 2025, and we’re tracking construction here.
Unnamed Diner | 📍1526 Sansom St
Upon Glu Hospitality’s closing of Bagel & Co and Chika Ramen, No Name Hospitality snapped up the leases. With Bagel & Co now Shay’s Steaks and More, we’re now just waiting to see who moves into the ex-Chika Ramen restaurant that’ll apparently be an “old-school” diner open until 3am on the weekends, joining a growing number of desired late late-night/early morning options in the neighborhood. ETA is this year!
Unnamed Italian Bakery @The Josephine | 📍1620 Sansom St
Good news: Every commercial space within The Josephine is taken! And next to the incredible-sounding Uchi will be a Philly-based Italian bakery, which will continue to make Sansom between 16th and 17th pretty awesome. ETA was this year so hoping we hear (or see) something soon!
Unnamed Sports Bar @The Josephine | 📍1620 Sansom St
LET’S GO SPORTS BAR! Apparently, the entire 2nd floor of The Josephine will be a known-brand name sports bar. ETA was this year although we haven’t heard anything about it recently so keeping our fingers crossed for something super exciting!
Unnamed Residential Project | 📍26 S. 21st St
The recent project added to the residential construction projects in (slow) progress: A 200-luxury apartment building is being planned for a current parking lot, and:
The project would be outfitted with underground parking, a second-story restaurant with an outdoor patio, and a 16,000-square-foot ground-floor retail space, which they anticipate attracting a national retailer. There’s no current ETA but they were planning to break ground in 2025.
WineDive | 📍1534 Sansom St
It’d been a while since we had any new updates on the quirky wine bar that was coming to the former Nails by Anna D space, so we were getting a tiny bit worried. But thanks to Wooder Ice we’re not worried anymore because Wine Dive itself is moving from South St. And, as you can see from their recent story, it’s looking like the kind of dive you’d love to drink wine at. ETA is September!
Wonder | 📍1600 Chestnut St
Finally, something more valuable than a bank is opening in a former bank space! Wonder, a unique and buzzy food delivery, takeout + dine-in brand, is coming to town. ETA is September and we’re tracking its progress 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!
