Hardly anyone posts anything in phl.food any more.
That's too bad because the foodie scene in Philly offers
much to talk about. As such, I thought I would start a
new thread here.
To those of you who grew up in the Philly area, what
are your favorite restaurants in the Philly area that are
no longer in business?
Geno's, the fast food chain. I used to love their Sirloiner
burger. It had a very meaty flavor and it was always made
fresh. A friend of the family used to be a district manager
for Geno's. He would sometimes bring home a batch of
raw Sirloineer burgers and barbecue them for us. That
was some good eating!
When I was a kid growing up in the Northeast, there used
to be an Italian restaurant called "Italian Takeout" which
was on Bustleton Ave. It went out of business after it moved
to much bigger quarters. My mom would sometimes let us
order pizza or a steak from there. Their pizza was always
delivered hot and bubbly. I used to like their cheesesteaks
too. They would be delivered in a cardboard box along with
a serving of fries. The cheese would stick to the top of the
box sometimes.
There used to be a Jewish deli style restaurant on Philmont
Ave. in the far Northeast where my parents would take my
sister and I to eat frequently. I am not sure how long ago that
Barson's closed, but there's another similar restaurant by the
same name in NJ where Routes 70 and Kings Highway meet
that's quite good. I am not sure if these two places are related
in any way.
I also have fond memories of Horn & Hardarts at Large St.
and Cottmon Ave. That was a cafetaria type restaurant, not an
automat and they had the best cherry pie!
When I was little, I seem to recall that my mom used to take me
on the el down town and we would sometimes eat at a deli
called Bains, which I guess is the forerunner of the Bains delis
that are found in some food courts now. This Bains a cafeteria
type restaurant where you would stand in line and point to what
you want, then for each item, as I recall, the customer was given
a ticket. The tickets were then added up at the cash register at
the end of the line. Does anyone remember this place?
I also used to love getting a quick bite to eat at the Levis' hotdogs
on 6th Street near South when I lived down town some ten years ago.
Its a shame that place closed up. When I was a kid, Levis' opened
up a restaurant in the northeast near the Budco Orleans movies. That
place did a booming business. If I remember correctly, its an ice
cream store now.
Right across the street from that northeast Levis's was, for a short
time, a branch of Pat's Steaks of South Philly fame. That place was
terrible! Now, in the Roosevelt Mall, there's a Jim's Steaks which
is quite good. They even sell french fries, which is unlike the original
Jim's on South Street.
So what are your favorite old time Philly restaurants?