Here are the Philly area’s buzziest new restaurants — and not all cost millions of dollars to build

Have a million to spend on a new nightclub or restaurant? How about $8 million? Or “north of $10 million”?

There are a few budget-busters — such as 9 Prime, Midnight & the Wicked, and Almyra — amid the latest crop of drinking and dining establishments in the region.

But most cost a fraction to open. Take Shiso, the smart-looking ramen and sushi restaurant that opened last weekend at 604 South St. It’s the former Serpico, whose nearly 10-year run ended during the pandemic. Former owner Stephen Starr said he spent about $750,000 on the open show kitchen and ventilation system in 2014 — a figure that he said would be double today.

Shiso owner Alan Su, who said did not need to do much to modify the kitchen or dining room, spent a small fraction of what it would have taken to build the restaurant from scratch.

» READ MORE: More than 75 restaurants are due to open in 2024

Here is a rundown of some openings in the last three months. If there are trends to be observed, it’s the rise of Korean tabletop barbecue (due in part to a new tabletop ventilation system with built-in fire suppression being imported from South Korea) and the expansion of high-end sushi.

But first: This week will see the openings of Kismet Bagels Luncheonette, a breakfast-lunch spot in Lower Merion, and Mr. Rabbit, a coffee shop near Fitler Square.

Kismet Bagels Luncheonette, 801 Montgomery Ave., Penn Valley: Bagelmeisters Jacob and Alexandra Cohen have come to the Main Line with their most ambitious project yet: a casual eatery (open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), dishing bagel sandwiches, doughnuts, and shakes.

Mr. Rabbit, 2301 Spruce St. Cary Borish and Mike Parsell, who own Sally, have turned the former dry cleaner’s across the street into a bright coffee shop, partnering with Borish’s sister-in-law, Julia Shaw. Sally will provide bread and pastries. Parsell and Borish recently opened Pizza Richmond, as a similar neighborhood amenity for Port Richmond.

Dolsan Korean BBQ & Sushi, 3747 Church Rd., Mount Laurel: For his second South Jersey location, which opened last weekend, Craig Vogt of Cherry Hill’s Dolsot Korean BBQ has stepped up the K-BBQ experience.

At dinner, he offers a series of tables containing barbecue cooktops. Order various sets of meats, and staffers serve banchan and cook for you, supplementing with soups, sides, and other à la carte dishes from a varied menu. The tabletop experience starts at $95 for two people, and tops out at $268 for a feast for four with all sorts of meats and seafood. There’s also a full sushi menu. The weekday lunch menu includes bento boxes and maki rolls. It’s BYOB, an easy call since Mount Laurel Wine & Spirits is next door.

Vogt said the seven-figure price tag for the restaurant’s 4,000 square feet covered a total renovation including custom granite, glass, and millwork, ventilation and HVAC, and 11 imported hoods.

Top Pot, Hartford Corners (1311 Fairview Blvd)., Delran: The tabletop cooking is DIY and all-you-can-eat at this mini-chain, which offers Chinese hot pot or Korean barbecue. That’s correct — both soups and stir-fry at the same table. Choose one style for $20.99 at lunch and $30.99 at dinner, or get both for $5 more. You get instructions, tongs, scissors, ingredients, and two hours at the table.

This growing chain — coming to Montgomery Mall and Willow Grove in the spring — is from Philly entrepreneur Eddie Zheng, founder of Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao and Takumi Bistro & Bar and owner of dozens of Tsaocaa bubble tea shops. There’s a location in University City, where it’s called Latao Hotpot.

Mr. Pig, 1001 Vine St.: At this K-BBQ destination on the edge of Philadelphia’s Chinatown, staffers do the cooking. Vietnamese-born owners Dan Ngo and his wife, South Korea-born Eun Park, had been in the restaurant business a decade ago in Virginia, and when their boys expressed interest in attending college in the Philadelphia area, they decided to relocate and dive back in.

Mr. Pig is the largest, and potentially the liveliest, of the new tabletop experiences. (There’s a full liquor license and large tables, which equal a fun night out.)

You can order kitchen items, such as soups and stews, dumplings, cheese tteokbokki, bibimbap, stir-fried squid, and buckwheat cold noodles, but you might just go for the show.

They’ll set you up with salad and step up to create a pork combo (pork belly, pork ribs, and spicy stir-fried pork) or a beef combo (sliced beef brisket, bulgogi, rib-eye, strip loin). Figure on $50 a person or so for the tabletop cooking, plus extras. There’s a full liquor license.

Ogawa Sushi & Kappo, 310 Market St.: Washington, D.C.-based sushi chef Minoru Ogawa has landed in Philadelphia with 23-course, $200-a-head omakase experiences in Old City, set to a new-age soundtrack and accompanied by top-end sakes.

Shiso, 604 South St.: South Street’s late, great Serpico has given way to this sushi-ramen specialist from Alan Su of Nom Nom Ramen and Umami Steak & Sushi Bar. He’s kept the cool environs and that sick million-dollar open kitchen, adding a noodle machine and turning the place into a showcase for one of Philly’s great unsung sushi chefs, Yonten Gyamtso. Shiso is in soft-opening mode now with a BYOB format and limited hours. The counter will become an omakase experience.

Yuhiro Sushi, 2146 E. Susquehanna Ave.: Chef Xiangyu “Sam” Lin of Queen Village’s Sakana recently opened what he calls an “affordable omakase experience” just off Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, a $68-a-head, 12-course meal, plus the city’s only a la carte handroll bar, specializing in the barely wrapped handrolls known as u-maki. Sake flights, soju, beer, and wine make up the drink list.

Almyra, 1636 Chancellor St.: Modern Greek food and sumptuous, earth-toned surroundings from the Pashalis family, which owns the fancier Estia and the casual Pietro’s Italian, have come to the Rittenhouse corner that formerly housed Little Pete’s. There are 177 glass roses in the chandelier over the bar. Pronounce the name “al-MEE-ra,” even if you take the Tacony-Palmyra to get there.

Bake’n Bacon, 1148 S. 11th St.: Porcine pleasures are the focus of this vibey South Philadelphia bar run by food trucker Justin Coleman. Bacon informs the whole menu: sandwiches, platters, even the drinks and the caramel sauce atop the pound cake dessert.

Dizengoff, 1625 Sansom St.: Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook have expanded and reopened their Tel Aviv-inspired restaurant in Rittenhouse, now offering full-service dining and a bar. Of course there’s hummus.

Midnight & the Wicked, 1500 Sansom St.: Subterranean nightspot with a Roaring ’20s look, built for a reported $8 million, anchors the city’s hot 1500 block of Sansom with cocktails, late hours, and live entertainment nightly.

Miss Saigon, 1316 Walnut St.: Midtown Village/Gayborhood gets a restaurant and lounge with three bars and a South Vietnamese-influenced menu of street food; it converts to a cocktail bar and music lounge at night. The founders say the name has nothing to do with Broadway show; it’s a tribute to their mothers and wives.

9 Prime, 9 N. High St., West Chester: Chester County’s First National Bank has been converted into a posh steak house overseen by Top Chef alumnus Fabio Viviani, now in its opening week. Coming soon is a private speakeasy-type lounge accessible through a back alley.

Oltremare, 2121 Walnut St.: Chef Townsend “Tod” Wentz goes the Italian seafood route at his romantic corner spot in Rittenhouse, where the ossobuco is not to be missed.

Paloma Restaurante, 703 Haddon Ave., Collingswood: Tim Dedja’s stylish newcomer on Collingswood’s restaurant row fuses traditional Mexican cuisine with modern American touches. It’s BYOB with a great selection of mixers.

Pizzata Birreria, 1700 E. Passyunk Ave.: LaScala’s Birra on East Passyunk has given way to a bar-restaurant from the guys behind Fitler Square’s Pizzata Pizzeria. The menu has expanded beyond the naturally leavened pizzas, and values abound on the happy-hour menu.

Reunion Hall, 206 Haddon Ave., Westmont: This long-awaited beer hall in Haddon Township has 56 taps and three food concepts, including plant-based tacos and soft serve. A spacious outdoor space awaits spring.

Soko Bag, 95 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville: Shea Roggio and Alice Chang, who met in Dubai and refined their recipes in South Korea, are slinging Korean fried chicken and pouring house-made beers in Chester County. It’s best to time your arrival around opening, because sellouts have been frequent.

Two Locals Brewing Co., 3675 Market St.: Brothers Richard and Mengistu Koilor have opened a vast taproom in University City that is Philly’s first Black-owned brewery. Liberty Kitchen’s food menu is a mix of pub favorites informed with the flavors of the Koilor family’s Liberian roots.