30 new restaurants and bars opening around Philly this spring

A sure sign of spring: more restaurant openings, as the post-pandemic restaurant opening surge continues.

I’ve tracked down 30 restaurants (well, 29 plus an ice cream shop specializing in affogato) due to open before the summer solstice.

Today, the first day of spring, marks the opening of Ardana Food & Drink in Newtown, Bucks County, as brothers Antoni and Mike Christou take over the former Solstice in the Village at Newtown with their Mediterranean bar-restaurant. (The first Ardana location opened in Warrington’s Shops at Valley Square in late 2019, following their nearby steakhouse, KC Prime.)

Here is first word of four significant spring openings:

Elma (431 E. Girard Ave.): Chef James Nardone, who’s been popping up as Nardone Pasta Co., plans a chill neighborhood 12-seater in Fishtown’s former Slice Pizza location serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Thursday to Monday. He’s going for laid-back, sunlit airs by day, somewhat moodier by night for a separate dinner menu. Debut is targeted for May 1.

Fringe Bar (140 N. Columbus Blvd.): La Peg — the vast industrial-look restaurant at the FringeArts Theater in an old pumping station at Columbus Boulevard and Race Street, across from Penn’s Landing — will get new life in mid-April under chef Kenneth Bush and Liz Boleslavsky, both of whom worked with La Peg operator Peter Woolsey there and at the former Gabi. As Fringe Bar, they plan a pub menu and better integration with FringeArts’ programming in its 220-seat theater. There will be a beer garden outside most of the year.

Next of Kin (1414 Frankford Ave.): Billing it as a “five-star dive bar” in the former Nunu space next to Cheu Fishtown, bar veterans and longtime coworkers Kyle Darrow (Kimpton Hotels, Fiorella, Fiore Rosso) and John Grubb (Prohibition Tap) and Darrow’s brother-in-law, Devan Roberts are setting up a casual spot. Menu of bar snacks will be offered during the week; chef friends will do pop-ups on Fridays and Saturdays. They’re looking at a soft opening sometime in April and a grand opening May 1.

Sweet Amelia’s (102 E. State St., Kennett Square): There is a sweet Amelia involved in this high-end BYOB targeting a May 1 opening in the former Verbena in downtown Kennett Square: She’ll be 8 months old next week and she’s the daughter of chefs Karessa and Zack Hathaway. (No relation to Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, the destination in Newfield, Gloucester County.) The Hathaways, 28, met in culinary school (Johnson & Wales in Charlotte , N.C.), worked in D.C.-area restaurants, and traveled extensively. “We kind of lost our marbles and decide to travel the world instead of being locked in basements and banquet halls for 80 hours a week,” Zack Hathaway said. “We went to Australia and converted our car into a camper van and drove all around Australia and lived in our car for a month.” He was at At the Table in Wayne; she is at Victory Brewing in Downingtown. Sample dishes: carrot cappelletti; lamb rack with za’atar, red lentil hummus, and carrots; and skate wing with grated cucumber salad and golden raisin. They’re also planning a partnership with R Five Wines.

Here’s a rundown of what else is expected this spring. Keep in mind that there’s a whole crop of projects tracking toward the summer, such as the High Street at Ninth and Chestnut Streets, the Mulherin’s spinoff in East Market, and chef Nicholas Bazik’s atelier Provenance on Head House Square. Fall should see the Two Locals brewpub at 37th and Market Streets.

Also: Note that “the Fishtown-Kensington Line” is not a country song. Map borders in these fast-developing neighborhoods are fluid; what’s “Fishtown” to some is “Kensington” to others and might even be “North Philadelphia” to someone else.

Bake’n Bacon (11th and Ellsworth Streets): Justin Coleman’s food trucks have been all about bacon, in sweet and savory forms. He’s extending that to his bar-restaurant, opening “this spring” in the former Devil’s Den at 11th and Ellsworth Streets in South Philadelphia. Get set for bacon throughout the restaurant and bar. Coleman thought he would open much sooner, but needed to replace all five roofs after he bought the building. “We are making sure it’s done to a standard we can be proud of,” he said.

Bark Social (3720 Main St.): This Maryland-rooted coffee house/sports bar/restaurant/retail store, all under one woof, has set an April 17 opening date at the former Manayunk Diner. Dogs stay outside in a play area off-leash, monitored by bark rangers, while humans may frolic, sit, and stay indoors and out. Founders Luke Silverman and Jeff Kurtzman have cinched partnerships with local groups and retailers including Wet Nose Rescue, Philly PAWS, and the nearby Pet Friendly Dog Bakery.

Black Hen (120 Chestnut St.): The fried-chicken shop from Felicia Wilson of Amina is targeting late April to open at 120 Chestnut St. in Old City, just down the block.

Bolo (2025 Sansom St.): Chef Yun Fuentes and MilkBoy owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff are shooting for an April opening for this Latin rum bar/restaurant in the former Il Pittore. Before joining MilkBoy, Fuentes worked at Jose Garces’ Tinto and Village Whiskey, Stephen Starr’s Alma De Cuba, and at Center City’s The Wayward. He is taking inspiration from his grandfather, who was a chef in Puerto Rico.

Bower Cafe (1213 Walnut St.): Thane Wright is getting close with his Washington Square West coffee house, which is relocating from 10th and Spruce Streets to 1213 Walnut, a residential building. Besides a high-ceilinged cafe with a quirky menu including charcuterie, this Bower will house a studio, facing the street, for recording podcasts.

Cake & Joe (2012 Frankford Ave.): Sarah Qi and Trista Tang’s specialty coffee and dessert shop, now in Pennsport, is looking at the end of April on the Fishtown-Kensington line.

Dock Street Pub (1229 N. Front St.): The Fishtown tasting room from the Old Guard Philly brewery seems to be a few weeks out (as indicated by its Instagram). So is Manatawny Still Works (1321 N. Lee St.), the Fishtown-Kensington tasting room from the fast-growing Pottstown distillery.

Essen North (110 W. Berks St.): James Beard Award-nominated baker Tova Du Plessis of Essen in South Philadelphia is adding a second bakery/cafe on the Fishtown-Kensington line, which will have a line of bagels for breakfast and lunch sandwiches. She’s now looking at late May or early June.

Martorano’s Prime (1001 N. Delaware Ave.): South Philly-bred restaurateur Steve Martorano’s high-end Italian steak house is down for “spring” inside Rivers Casino.

My Loup (2005 Walnut St.): “Optimistic spring” could be the name of a band, but it’s the opening guess of chef Amanda Shulman (Her Place Supper Club) for the bar-restaurant she is opening with fellow chef and fiancé Alex Kemp.

Nipotina (21st and Wolf Streets): The long-delayed South Philadelphia sandwich shop from Marlo and Jason Dilks of P’unk Burger and Slice Pizza has set an opening date of April 13.

Pizzeria Salvy (Comcast Technology Center, 18th Street near Arch): Marc Vetri’s latest ventire is a pizzeria and it is targeted for May.

Post Haste (2519 Frankford Ave.): The Kensington cocktail bar with “a farm-to-glass beverage philosophy and robust food program” and seasonal, modern American small plates from Gabe Guerrero (formerly at the Dandelion and El Vez) and Fred Beebe (formerly at Momofuku and Sunday in Brooklyn) is looking at April or May.

Starbolt (1936 N. Front St.): Jason Evenchik (Time, Goat, Bar, Vintage, etc.) is headed to the Fishtown-Kensington line for a bar, restaurant, and event space converted from an old ironworks. He’s saying May.

» READ MORE: 60 new Philly area restaurants are due in 2023

Blue Point Grill (3 West Rd., Newtown, Bucks County): The well-regarded Princeton seafood destination’s branch in Newtown Shopping Center, next to TD Bank, is aiming at June.

The Borscht Belt (2124 S. Eagle Rd., Newtown): Mike Dalewitz and chef Nick Liberato’s Jewish deli is relocating from Stockton, N.J., to the Village at Newtown South, with an April opening targeted.

Cafe Carmela (2975 Philmont Ave., Huntingdon Valley): The popular Northeast Philadelphia Italian family restaurant is planning a May opening next to the John’s Water Ice shop.

LaScala’s Fire (1135 Market St., Dresher): Rob LaScala’s popular wood-fired Italian restaurant is targeting April at the Promenade at Upper Dublin, where a Redstone Grill and Spread Bagelry are also getting closer. (Spread is also spreading to Bethlehem and Butler Pikes in Ambler.)

Lu & Aug’s (28 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore): Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Ash and Pretha Kailath are aiming at late April for their forthcoming ice cream parlor, named after their teens, Laiyla (“Lu”) and Augustine. Specialty will be affogatos.

Shake Shack (28 Airport Square, Montgomeryville): The former Wendy’s on Route 309 is getting the Danny Meyer touch.

The Stables (160 Park Rd., Chester Springs): Chef Michael Falcone and David Backhus are saying “mid- to late-May” for their beer garden next to their Bloom Southern Kitchen. (The beer garden previously was operated by Levante Brewing, whose new location at 14 W. Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore is still in the works.)

Cafe Le Jardin (34 W. Merchant St., Audubon): Richard “Todd” Cusack and Christina Cusack of Collingswood’s June BYOB are targeting April 6 for the opening of their French cafe/brasserie.

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood (2000 Route 38. Cherry Hill, NJ): The high-end restaurant, which has a branch in King of Prussia, is expected to open in the former Grand Lux Cafe space outside Cherry Mill Mall.

Reunion Hall (206 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township): “Why can’t we build a restaurant in Jersey that people from Philly would want to go to?” asked David Welsh. That was years ago. He’s prepping for a June opening of a vast indoor-outdoor food hall with three kitchens, 56 beers plus wines and cocktails, and a courtyard.