Restaurant boom coming to West Market St.

Naf Naf Grill to join a growing roster of restaurants on Market Street.

by Michael Klein

Published Dec. 8, 2015, 1:04 a.m. ET

It's no secret that West Market is an area on the rise.

In her column last Friday, colleague Inga Saffron recapped a retail influx that could enliven what she calls "Philadelphia's most boring street."

From the restaurant side, 2016 and 2017 are shaping up nicely.

There's Ruth's Chris steak house, under construction at the Sonesta Hotel (18th and Market Streets), taking the former Elephant & Castle space late spring 2016.

Here's another: Just signed to occupy ground-floor space in the mixed-use building at 1919 Market St. is Naf Naf Grill, a Middle Eastern quick-serve out of the Chicago suburbs. Opening is penciled in for May 2016.

"We were looking at different markets up and down the East Coast," Sloan said. "We fell in love with Philly. .. We like the fact that Philly has our core customer: highly educated, in an area of high daytime population, similar to the Loop."

Another deal is on the boards in South Jersey. Sloan said the area can accommodate 15 to 20 Naf Nafs.