More than 60 new restaurants are set to open in the Philadelphia area in 2023

The Philadelphia restaurant scene has it all this year: expansions, comebacks, moves, and even a robot or two.

Restaurateurs appear to be looking beyond the uncertainty of the pandemic years. Far beyond, in fact.

My crystal ball of new restaurants for 2023 now shows at least five dozen projects of various scopes and stages: high-end, casual, BYOBs, bars, splashy, low-key, city, suburbs, celebrity restaurateurs, eager upstarts.

There’s even a restaurant with a cannabis-friendly theme planned for Kensington called Wake & Bake — not to be confused with the soon-to-open bacon-themed South Philadelphia bar-restaurant Bake’n Bacon.

The price of a restaurant liquor license in Philadelphia, a good barometer of the ecosystem’s health, is now about $185,000, said William Morrin, a lawyer who handles these transactions. That is just a touch below the all-time highs from pre-pandemic days. In late 2020, such licenses could be had for $50,000 less.

One wild card in restaurant openings is timing. Much construction is delayed as contractors are crushed by the volume of work and the scarcity of materials. And some restaurateurs are redecorating shuttered restaurants rather than gutting and starting from scratch.

Here are some of 2023′s expected high points.

Janine Bruno, who opened Homemade by Bruno, a pasta demo kitchen and gelato workshop at 15th and Wharton Streets in South Philadelphia last year, just signed a lease at Front and Morris Streets in Pennsport, the former Musi. She will call it Homemade by Bruno il Salotto, and it will be open “soon” for dinners, classes, and private parties.

Chef Joncarl Lachman, who closed Noord in South Philadelphia last year while keeping Winkel in Washington Square West, will return to Passyunk Square with Dankbaar, a Northern European BYOB, at 1911 E. Passyunk Ave. This is the space formerly occupied by Will, June, and 1911. Lachman wants to open by Valentine’s Day after minimal redecoration.

High Street is coming back, in a bigger way. Once next door to Fork at 308 Market St., Ellen Yin, Roberto Sello, and Eli Kulp closed it in September 2020 after 16 years, resurfacing as a to-go shop at 101 S. Ninth St., part of the Franklin. Come spring, it will take all of the Franklin’s full-service restaurant space (formerly Sandler’s) at Ninth and Chestnut Streets. Executive chef Christina McKeough will oversee High Street’s 38 seats and, in a new development, a 14-seat bar serving local pours by a.kitchen general manager Harry Jamison. High Street Bakery will become permanent, offering limited takeout. There will be private dining, meeting, and reception space for 30 to 40 people seated, plus reception space in the lot that can handle 100 people.

Post Haste, coming to 2519 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown this spring, calls itself a cocktail bar with “a farm-to-glass beverage philosophy and robust food program.” Partners Gabe Guerrero (director of operations, formerly at the Dandelion and El Vez) and Fred Beebe (beverage director, formerly at Momofuku and Sunday in Brooklyn) will serve spirits, beers, wines, citrus, herbs, produce, and mixers only from the Mid-Atlantic, as they support local companies and minimize environmental impact. There will be a similar emphasis on local sourcing in seasonal, modern American small plates. Post Haste does not mean great speed here, they say; it’s the opposite: a place to relax and unwind.

Chef Yun Fuentes and MilkBoy owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff are taking over the former Il Pittore (2025 Sansom St.) and have an April 1 target for Bolo, a Latin restaurant inspired by his chef-grandfather, Juan. Fuentes, a Garces alum, said that he will draw on his Puerto Rican roots but that the cuisine will span Latin America. First-floor bar, second-floor dining room.

Vinyl Bar & Lounge will replace the long-shuttered former Applebee’s at 215 S. 15th St. Owners Rob Wasserman (Rouge, Twenty Manning, Charley Dove), Mike Jackson (Get Lifted Film Co.), and Josh Zwirzina (The Ave Live) are aiming at patrons ages 25 and over, and seek a midyear opening. It will have a small-plate menu and an eclectic programming of live music six nights a week.

Chef Nicholas Bazik, last at 13th Street Kitchens after stints with The Good King Tavern, Lacroix at The Rittenhouse, and La Peg, is going for fine dining at the former Xochitl (408 S. Second St.), across from the Head House Square shambles. Provenance, focused on tasting menus featuring French seafood, will have a 12-seat chef’s table wrapped around the kitchen. Downstairs will be a dining room seating eight to 10, also for tasting menus, plus a four-seat bar with a la carte offerings. Natural and biodynamic wines will be stocked in the new wine cellar, and there will be a serious approach to beverages for those who don’t drink. Planned opening: August/September.

Jason Evenchik (Time, Goat, Bar, Vintage, etc.) plans to open Starbolt at 1936 N. Front St. on the Fishtown-Kensington line, a bar, restaurant, and event space converted from an old ironworks. Star bolts and other iron items were once produced in the building. There’s no opening date.

Amanda Shulman, the chef behind Rittenhouse’s Her Place Supper Club, will partner with her fiancé, Alex Kemp Roussy, on a still-unnamed bar-restaurant at 2005 Walnut St. There’s no opening date.

Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby of Center City’s Vedge are in the opening days of Ground Provisions, a plant-based market and restaurant in the former Innkeeper’s Kitchen at Dilworthtown (1388 Old Wilmington Pike, West Chester). “Basically, it’s fancy picnic fare, like wine, prepared foods, some produce,” Landau said. The line will expand to pastry and baked goods. Hours for now are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. The restaurant is expected to launch in about two weeks.

Chef Townsend “Tod” Wentz has retooled the former Irish Pub at 1123 Walnut St., next to his Spanish restaurant Oloroso, into the Hayes. (This was Pearl Tavern in its short life before the pandemic.) The Hayes, Wentz’s middle name, is in soft-opening mode with a bistro menu (oysters, mussels, burger, onion soup, and brick-pressed chicken and roasted monkfish as entrees), wines, beers, and cocktails. This week, it’s open Thursday to Sunday at 4 p.m. Starting Jan. 10, it will be open every day for lunch and dinner. Wentz, who owns Townsend on East Passyunk Avenue and A Mano on Fairmount Avenue, plans to reopen his restaurant space at 2121 Walnut St. with an unspecified concept.

Gass & Main, an American BYOB with a vintage farmhouse look, is looking at a Jan. 12 opening at 7 King’s Court in Haddonfield, N.J. Dane DeMarco, who opened BurgerTime NJ last year in Audubon, Camden County, is behind this restaurant, which rocks the local/seasonal/sustainable credos. It’s named after the intersection in Las Vegas where DeMarco and their wife, Sierra, were married in 2020.

Wokworks, the fast-casual Asian-style bowl shop, is looking at Jan. 13 for its new location at 1429 Marlborough St., just off Frankford Avenue in Fishtown.

Curiosity Doughnuts is to open in mid-January at 800 Edison-Furlong Rd. in Doylestown.

Chicken or the Egg, the popular Long Beach Island diner, is a few weeks from opening an expansive second location with liquor license, in Marlton’s Renaissance Square, said owner Rob LaScala. He recently made over his LaScala’s Fire location nearby, and also has another LaScala’s Fire up for late winter in the Promenade at Upper Dublin, Montgomery County, where a Redstone Grill is also being built.

Jose Garces’ Garces Trading Co. will open later this month inside the Kimmel Center, near his Volvér. Garces also has a new Amada coming to 555 E. Lancaster Ave. in Radnor in the spring and has franchise deals out for his Buena Onda taquerias.

Founding Fathers, the South Street bar-restaurant, heads to Bucks County for its second location, taking the spot of the former Great American Pub at 2900 Street Rd. in Bensalem. Projected opening is mid to late January. (This company is not to be confused with Founding Farmers, the D.C.-based chain with a location in King of Prussia.)

Bankroll, an upscale sports bar from Stephen Starr and partners, is looking at early 2023 at 1910 Chestnut St., the former Boyd Theater.

Black Hen, a fried-chicken shop from Felicia Wilson of the new-ish Amina, is targeting mid-February at 120 Chestnut St. in Old City, just down the block.

Bower Cafe, which closed its shop on 10th Street near Spruce last week, is a few weeks from opening in snazzy quarters at 1213 Walnut St. Owner Thane Wright will maintain his quirky program of coffee and charcuterie.

Yankee Chipper at Elm and Pleasant Avenues in Wyndmoor is becoming a brewery, inspiring a sprucing-up of the BYOB. Owner Eric Connor said the changes would be apparent soon.

Joey Chops marks a retooling of the Stove & Tap location at 245 Lancaster Ave. in Malvern as owners Justin Weather and Joe Monnich believe that a stylish but family-friendly steakhouse is the antidote for the surfeit of casual-dining options in the area. They expect to open in February.

Martorano’s Prime, the Philadelphia return of celeb cook Steve Martorano, is looking at a February or March opening at Rivers Casino in Fishtown.

The group behind Jasper’s Backyard in Conshohocken is prepping Catch 101, specializing in seafood, at 101 Front St. in Conshohocken, replacing Jasper’s Westside, which it closed in March 2020. The group is also opening WestSide Bar & Grill down the street, at the former Baggataway Tavern (31 Front St.). Both restaurants, under executive chef Hilary Hamilton, are expected to open in a month or so.

Tacconelli’s in Maple Shade is looking at spring for its location at 164 N Haddon Ave. in Westmont.

Manatawny Still Works will open a tasting room at 1321 N. Lee St. in Fishtown in the spring.

Barcade, the arcade-bar now in Fishtown, has a summer plan to open in the Hale Building at 1326 Chestnut St. (This is a lively stretch, given Tradesman’s across Juniper Street and Blind Barber on the building’s Sansom Street side.)

Chef Michael Falcone and David Backhus are taking over the Stables property, formerly operated by Levante Brewing, next to their Chester Springs restaurant, Bloom. The Stables, a beer garden and kitchen at 160 Park Rd., is expected to open in May or June.

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, a high-ticket chain, is due at Cherry Hill Mall this spring, replacing Grand Lux Cafe.

Rival Bros Coffee has signed a lease for a café at Poth Brewery, at 3145 W. Jefferson St. in Brewerytown. There’s no opening date yet.

Rival Bros is also behind Enswell, an all-day café and bottle shop opening this summer on the ground floor of the Touraine (1528 Spruce St.). It will offer breakfast in the morning and a full coffee/beverage menu. The bar will shift from coffee to cocktails featuring local New Liberty Distillery spirits, Pennsylvania beer and wine, and light fare in the evening hours.

There’s no date yet for Wm. Mulherin’s Sons’ East Market location (1175 Ludlow St., next to the Iron Hill Brewery).

Dim Sum House by Jane G’s will add a location at Kensington’s Liberty Square (1214 N. American St.) this summer.

The Peabody, a sports bar from Glu Hospitality, will replace the Draught Horse on Temple University’s campus (1431 Cecil B. Moore Ave.) this summer.

Glu also has locations of Bagels & Co. coming to 30th and Master Streets in Brewerytown, 1526 Sansom St. in Rittenhouse, 17 S. 11th St. in Washington Square West, 1431 Cecil B. Moore Ave. in North Philadelphia, 2201 Washington Ave. in South Philadelphia, plus one exported to Wilton Manors, Fla.

Kensington’s Forîn Café will open a second location this fall simply called Forîn. It will be a 10-minute walk away, at 2525 Frankford Ave. Owners Seth Kligerman, Kyle Horne, and Will Landicho plan expanded hours and a bar program highlighting local producers as well as Forîn-made honey wine accompanied by craft cocktails tapping flavor profiles from the morning menu, such as ube, pandan, baked peach, and chaga. This shop also will sell clothing and goods from local, regional, and international makers.

Fearless Restaurants plans to open a second location of its Italian restaurant Rosalie (now in Wayne) in the former Ruby’s Diner space at the Shoppes at Britton Lake in Glen Mills later this year. Fearless owns a White Dog Cafe in the same center and also plans to open a White Dog Cafe at the former Vickers Tavern in Exton later this year.

Gilda, a Portuguese-inspired market and cafe (say it “JILL-da”), is looking at a late-February opening at 300 E. Girard Ave. in Fishtown. It’s the former Girard restaurant, which chef Brian Oliveira used to own. Brian Mattera was bartending, back in 2017, and he would come in for “breakfast” about 2 p.m. He caught the attention of Oliveira, who made sure to deliver the breakfast himself. They ended up working together, launching their catering brand (Happy Hour Hospitality) as well as their Portuguese side project, Cozinha, and in 2021 they got married.

Cafe Lift will move from its home of 20 years (13th Street near Callowhill to roomier quarters at 1124 Spring Garden St., the corner of Ridge Avenue and Spring Garden Street, this spring. Owner Miie Pasquarello is also planning an Italian restaurant called Little Sister for a spring or summer debut nearby at 448 N. 10th St.

Fuel, the casual fitness-themed cafe, has closed its location at 1225 Walnut St. in advance of an expected March opening nearby at 105 S. 12th St., next to a Shake Shack. Center City residents can still get Fuel delivered in the meantime by using the Fuel app.

Dave Magrogan is planning to move his Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar location in North Wales from the Shoppes at English Village to the freestanding building across Route 309 that previously housed Pizzeria Uno and later Greene Turtle. He’ll get a covered patio, outside bar, and better parking. He said he hoped to move in late spring or early summer.

Maison Sweet, a dessert shop with coffee, is coming up this month from Anna Chen of A La Mousse at 2930 Chestnut St. in University City.

Cake & Joe, Sarah Qi and Trista Tang’s specialty coffee and dessert shop (which opened two years ago in Philadelphia’s Pennsport neighborhood), is expanding with a second location, due to open late this winter at 2012 Frankford Ave. on the Fishtown-Kensington line.

Cloud Cups, the artisanal gelato and sorbet company, will open its first scoop shop this spring in a partnership with Pizza Brain. It will fill the former Little Baby’s ice cream shop at 2311 Frankford Ave. in Kensington.

Two Locals Brewing Co., Philadelphia’s first Black-owned brewery, is looking for a summer opening for a brewery and taproom at uCity Square, a mixed-use development on the Drexel University campus at 37th and Market Streets in University City.

Dock Street Pub is looking like late winter at 1229 N. Front St. in Fishtown for a tasting room.

Two new neighbors:

Two bars are opening to cater to dogs and the humans who love them:

Reunion Hall Beer Garden is up for late spring at 206 Haddon Ave. in Haddon Township, a testament to the will of founder Dave Welsh, who overcame four years of challenges to get this going.

Chef Anthony Pasceri is behind Wake & Bake, that cannabis-friendly social space with attached restaurant. He said he and partners have secured 1706-10 N. Second St. but don’t have a projected opening date.

Tapster, a nationally syndicated self-service bar and tasting room, will take the former Philadelphia Runner spot at 16th and Sansom Streets, most likely in June, per founder Roman Maliszewski. Tapster houses more than 60 beers along with wine, cocktails, coffees, and kombucha, all on tap.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, a chain that is now in soft-opening mode at 1721 Chestnut St., has a robot named Kur-B that delivers water and soft drinks to tables. Kura is as close to an automated restaurant as you’ll find. Customers select plates of sushi from the conveyor belt and pay per plate. Non-sushi items are dispatched to tables on another belt.

Lucy’s will be a sports bar (with live bartenders) at 1720 Chestnut St. from Avram Hornik, projected to open in the late summer or early fall.

(The new Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao at Towne Place at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill uses a similar robot to deliver plates of food, and Wokworks is planning to program a robot to do wok cooking at its Fishtown location.)

MAWN, a Cambodian-owned noodle shop, will fill Kalaya’s former spot at 764 S. Ninth St., possibly in late winter.

Nipotina, a sandwich shop from Marlo and Jason Dilks (SliCE Pizza), is projected to open at 21st Street and West Passyunk Avenue in late February or early March.

Bake’N Bacon, the brick-and-mortar debut of bacon-forward food-truck operator Justin Coleman, is looking at March for his restaurant at 11th and Ellsworth Streets in South Philadelphia, the former Devil’s Den.

Alice, the ownership debut of chef Dave Conn, is targeting “spring” at 901 Christian St., the Italian Market space that was Butcher’s Cafe.

Chotto Matte, a chic Japanese-Peruvian restaurant centered on a bar and robata grill, will open in Jessup House, the 20-story high-rise at 12th and Sansom Streets — but not till fall.

The Bulletin Building across from 30th Street Station, a.k.a. the Brandywine Realty Trust’s Schuylkill Yards development, will get a food hall from Urbanspace, a New York-based developer of public markets. There will be room for 16 national and local vendors, none of whom have been named. It’s due to open in late 2023.

Dumpster Juice, the vermouth from Zach Morris and Tim Kweeder at Bloomsday, is getting a ramp-up. Under the brand Fell to Earth, Morris and Kweeder are aiming to open their own production facility this summer at Capogiro’s former gelato plant in East Falls. They hope to add a tasting room eventually. It’s now made by Vox Vineti Winery in Lancaster County.

I know you’d ask about the reopening of Royal Tavern (937 E. Passyunk Ave.), still in its pandemic-era slumber. Management is searching for a chef.