Roxanne, Taco Heart, Pizza Wheel, and Enzo’s Pizzata are among this week’s restaurant openings
Two pizzerias, an ambitious BYOB, a Georgian bakery/specialty shop, and an Austin-theme taqueria are among the openings expected this week.
The Philadelphia area is in the midst of a restaurant boomlet.
This week, two pizzerias are just days old, while an ambitious BYOB, a Georgian bakery/specialty shop, and an Austin-theme taqueria are among the openings expected this week.
Nicky Apadula, who has 30 years of South Philly pizzamaking behind him, is partnered with Dejvi Furxhi of the Burrata restaurants on a corner takeout pizzeria at 19th and Wolf Streets that serves New York-style pizza and Philly sandwiches built on Sarcone’s rolls. Gluten-free pizza is available.
It’s takeout only; delivery is available only through Uber Eats.
1849 Wolf St., Philadelphia. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Dan Katz of Jenkintown’s West Avenue Grille has ventured across Old York Road with brick-oven pizza, salads, and Italian entrees in a family-friendly dining room; there’s a dedicated entrance in the back for takeout. (Tip: You might ask for the pizza to be baked “light”; the crispy bottoms can be too dark for some tastes.)
314 Old York Rd., Jenkintown. Open: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Monday.
Alexandra Holt is going her own way with Roxanne BYOB, a 26-seater in the former Sabrina’s Cafe at 912 Christian St. in the Italian Market.
Holt, a 2013 Culinary Institute of America grad who trained at Michelin star restaurants in Europe, will start with an eight-course, $75 tasting menu of daring plates that will change frequently. This week’s includes beef cheek culurgiones with badger flame beets and pumpkin vines; nixtamalized hibiscus with huitlacoche; and roasted kombu ice cream, espresso, and nigella seed from Green Meadow Farm.
Holt loves to mix sweet and savory; sample dishes include togarashi canele filled with pimento cheese; sfogliatelle filled with pea, morel, and goat chevre; éclair with an everything-spice choux and crab salad filling; vanilla bean croissant grilled over charcoal with Portuguese egg tart filling and lacto-fermented stone fruit; and poppyseed strudel with beets, stracciatella, and za’atar.
A la carte service may be available later at night.
Hours will be similarly free-flowing. To start, Roxanne’s Tock reservations are offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with Monday added Oct. 10. Days of operation will change over time. Holt also will sell pastries occasionally during the day; sales will be announced on Instagram.
912 Christian St.; see Instagram for hours.
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The soft opening for Saami Somi, featuring the foods of Georgia, could begin as early as this week at Reading Terminal Market. Siblings Donna and Michael Kolodesh specialize in the sourdough “cheese boats” known as khachapuri, plus pkhali, khinkali, and eggplant rolls, as well as groceries.
Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Filbert Streets; market hours.
This week, Nano Wheedan brings Austin-style breakfast tacos to a shop in a triangle-shape building on Seventh Street just north of Washington Avenue. To streamline ordering at least initially, he’s instituting an online slotting system Wednesday to Sunday.
Though the specialty is the handmade flour tortilla, he will offer corn tortillas from the nearby Tortilleria San Roman. Customers can walk in to buy tortillas, puffy chips, queso, guacamole, housemade salsas and drink mixers, and beverages.
1001 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia. 7-11 a.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
You should also know
The bar at Ember & Ash, 1520 E. Passyunk Ave., will be open for tonight’s Eagles-Vikings game with a TV (and a burger on the menu) as chef-owners Scott Calhoun and Dave Feola embark on a more accessible menu in a bid to appeal to the neighborhood.
Lincoln Mill, at the shuttered space that was Mad River in Manayunk, will be a haunted house built on a novel theme: Hurricane Ida. Brian Corcodilos, who owns the building, is working with creative guy Jared Bilsak, who will have 40 scare-actors, production-quality sets, props, animatronics, and special effects such as fog, strobes, and flashing lights.
In September 2021, Hurricane Ida flooded the mill, significantly damaging the interior. That much is true. The Lincoln Mill story says a hidden chamber containing bodies was found. During the 1930s, according to the made-up story, the mill owner tormented and experimented on his workers, whose spirits continue to haunt the mill.
Grand-opening will be Oct. 7, with hours Thursday to Saturday for five weeks. Tickets start at $29; a dollar from every ticket sold will go to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.