Abbraccio to downsize, Vietnam Cafe to expand
West Philly's Vietnam Cafe will expand into its neighbor, Abbraccio, which will move nearby.
The West Philly building housing Abbraccio has been sold to Benny Lai, owner of the Vietnam Cafe and Fu Wah grocery store next door (and Vietnam restaurant in Chinatown).
Abbraccio's Roger Harman told me that the space was simply too large for the Italian restaurant.
Abbraccio will remain through mid-February as Harman and partner Vincent Whittacre renovate a smaller place at 4800 Baltimore Ave. into a BYOB/coffee shop. The Gold Standard -- taking the name of the previous operation owned by Harman and his late partner, Duane Ball -- is supposed to open at March.
Lai told me that he will expand the cafe and will assume Abbraccio's liquor license.