Beatrice Forman

Almost Home’s Old City coffeehouse shutters, months after severing ties with troubled Glu Hospitality The relationship soured early last year, as allegations against Glu surfaced. Almost Home founder Robbie Doran says he plans to open other locations in Philadelphia.

Pour one out for the Old City location of coffee shop Almost Home General, which closed this week after under two years in business.

The nail in the coffin, according to management: A failed health inspection that went viral. (Not to mention their now-dissolved partnership with Glu Hospitality.)

A tale of two festivals: Philly Bierfest wants NYC-rooted Philly Beer Fest to stop confusing customers After dealing with confusion for two years, Philly Bierfest, from the German Society of Pennsylvania, wants a new festival with a nearly identical name to stop scheduling on the same date.

A battle of the beer festivals is coming to a head: Philly Bierfest is asking Philly Beer Fest to back off after its creators scheduled their event for the same day

Beer Fest's NYC organizers say it's a coincidence, but emails obtained by @inquirer.com reveal tensions have been brewing since 2024.

A new kava and kratom lounge in Old City wants to demystify the controversial substances with mocktails.

I tried Old City Kava Co., which spikes lattes and N/A bevs with botanic kava and kratom. Its owners say its nothing like the synthetic gas station variety.

🎁 link: share.inquirer.com/1bjAD5

🚨 new sexy philly burger alert 🚨

NYC's viral Dominican smashburger chain El Sazón R.D is officially open in Northern Liberties, where they are topping their patties with perfectly golden queso frito.

🎁 link from @inquirer.com: share.inquirer.com/tIvtMQ

I present to you: Friday Saturday Sunday (Lego edition).

Lovers Bar regular Gene Gualtieri loves the Michelin-starred restaurant so much that his son Leo designed a Lego replica for him. It took 3,233 legos, $1,500, and a lot of finger calluses.

🎁 for the full story: share.inquirer.com/PL7Uwg

Lou Capozzoli, steward of Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in South Philly, has died at 86 He was an accomplished singer and saxophonist who performed for Sophia Loren and opened for Diana Ross before taking over his father's bar and transforming it into a top-notch dive.

NEW: Lou Capozzoli, the owner of beloved South Philly dive Ray's Happy Birthday Bar, has died at 86.

Lou was a "showman's showman," friends said, with an infectious personality that made for illustrious career in entertainment. Owning Ray's, they said, was the cherry on top.

🎁 from @inquirer.com

12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs Skip the struggle to get into the oversubscribed hotspots and book a Valentine's Day table at one of these charmers instead.

The streets are telling me that you haven't made your Valentine's Day resy yet ... which is why the team @inquirer.com put together this map of sneakily romantic restaurants in Philly + burbs.

And yes, some of them still have tables available. Full list ⬇️

Philly’s ultimate dive bar map Hundreds of Philadelphians submitted recommendations for their favorite dive bars. These 20 spots, from Center City to Northwest Philly and Kensington, are tried-and-true bests.

Philly's dive bars are a dying breed, but they're also the last bastions of a rare type of a community feel, where you can come as you are, make a friend, and get a cheap beer.

@inquirer.com mapped Philly's best dives, according to our readers (and bar regulars!).

🎁 link:

Fourth base or football? The story behind the viral naughty bears outside a Southwest Philly strip club. A video of a lost driver discovering Sin City Cabaret Nightclub's naughty bear topiaries went viral earlier this month. The club's owner claims the sex is in the eye of the beholder.

Earlier this month, the internet discovered a Philly gem: The bushes outside of Southwest Philly strip club Sin City that look like — well — two bears having sex.

For @inquirer.com: I wrote the official history of the Sin City bears, which cost $18K and were designed by an ex-Disney employee.

Why is everyone so excited about University City’s new Taco Bell? Philadelphia Redditors couldn't hide their excitement for Philly's newest Taco Bell location at 3901 Chestnut Street. Why they cared so much remains a mystery.

Last month, I kept seeing posts in the 95K-member strong r/philly subreddit about a new Taco Bell in University City. It was the kind of word-of-mouth marketing every restaurant dreams of.

I wanted to know: Is this Taco Bell actually worth all the excitement?

The answer: Not by a long shot.

Reservation scalpers are headed for Philly. Can restaurants clap back? After a customer tried to auction off multiple Mawn reservations, its owners say they'd like to ban the seller from making future reservations — but they don't know how.

Reservation scalping has made it to Philly — and some restaurant owners say they feel "powerless" to stopping them.

I found tables for sale at Pine Street Grill, Kalaya, and Barclay Prime on Appointment Trader, where some were selling for $200+.

🎁 link courtesy @phillyinqfood.bsky.social

Crust Vegan Bakery has officially moved to East Falls after 5 years on Main Street in Manayunk.

The larger space means there's (finally) coffee and tea, plus more space for fan favorites: pop-tart dupes, vegan soft serve, and dairy-free cheesecake.

share.inquirer.com/A2YHZD

Gluten-free bakery Flakely levels up with a new and bigger storefront in Bryn Mawr Lila Colello's acclaimed gluten free bakery will move from an industrial kitchen in Manayunk to a fully functional storefront at 1007 W. Lancaster Ave. by February 2026.

big news for the gluten free in philly: acclaimed GF bakery flakely is moving from its manayunk takeout window to a full-fledged storefront in bryn mawr.

opening is set for feb. 2026. for more details on how to get your hands on fresh gluten-free croissants ⬇️

south philly has a new shoppy shop — and at this one, you can customize a hat with with patches on the spot.

welcome inside east passyunk ave.'s red gravy goods, where you can also find unofficial eagles merch and pasta-shaped candles.

🎁 link from @inquirer.com: share.inquirer.com/3yrnZ8

Does your restaurant need caviar? Philly’s got a guy named Gary CaviarXS supplies thousands of dollars of caviar to 50 Philly restaurants, including all of its Michelin-starred spots, Its owner delivers door-to-door, like an old-school milkman.

All of Philly's Michelin-starred restaurants get their caviar from one guy: A dude named Gary, an ex-night club owner who delivers thousands of dollars of fish eggs like the milkman.

“It’s about the way you make them feel," he said. "Chefs like when you hold their hand."

🖊️ for @inquirer.com

Enough with the holiday bars There’s no sentiment behind the displays of miniature nutcrackers and colorfully wrapped (empty) gift boxes, just profit motive.

The Emo Christmas bar beneath the Divine Lorraine put me off all other holiday bars, perhaps for good.

Why? It strips away the whimsy and up-charges for something nefarious: A holiday bar that preys on nostalgia with thoughtless (misspelled) decor, watered down drinks, and a skinny Santa.

Full details for @phillyinqfood.bsky.social:

NEW: The largest U.S. location of Vietnamese coffee giant Trung Nguyên is in South Philly.

The 5K sq ft. franchise spans 2 floors and a roof deck, and is open until 8:30 p.m. daily. Lots of space to WFH, and the DIY coffee services have first date activity potential.

Tell us your favorite dive bars in Philly As some of Philly’s most enduring dives disappear, we want to celebrate the ones that have stuck around.

Philly: What's your favorite dive bar in the city, and why?

For @inquirer.com: I'm helping map the city's most special dive bars, as told in the words of some of their most dedicated customers (aka you — hopefully!).

to nominate a dive: fill out this form ⬇️ or reply below!

Stephen Starr to face union-busting charges brought by the National Labor Relations Board The investigation covers a set of complaints union Unite Here Local 25 filed on behalf of St. Anselm workers, who alleged Starr himself made promises and threats that muddied that organizing efforts.

🚨EXCLUSIVE for @inquirer.com: The NLRB is pursuing charges against Stephen Starr over union-busting allegations at his D.C steakhouse St. Anselm.

The charges allege Starr interrogated an employee about their union involvement and promised improved benefits in exchange for votes against the union.

Philly is in festive mode: The holiday bars are here. 18 holiday pop-up bars, from mini-golf courses with greased North Poles to private cabins and a Christmas tree cocktail tower.

the holiday bars are hitting philly — and this year’s include a decked out mini golf course, throwback movies inside a casino, and a swanky hotel lobby bar from high street.

i rounded up all the ones worth going to for @inquirer.com:

It can take two years for a restaurant to get approved for outdoor dining. One Philly councilmember is trying to make it easier Councilmember Rue Landau introduced legislation to expand areas where sidewalk cafes can exist without a special zoning ordinance.

Want to set up some tables and chairs on the sidewalk outside of your restaurant in Philly? It could take years, an architect, and a lot of $$$.

New legislation proposed in City Council could remove one step from the already messy process and add significantly more space primed for outdoor dining.

Percy rebrands to all-day diner after mixed reviews The switch-up comes after spate of mixed reviews for the Forín's team's first restaurant, which will now serve pancakes, club sandwiches, and other diner classics until 9 p.m.

tired: letting philly mag call declare your business "philly's most disappointing new restaurant."

wired: rebranding as an all-day diner, lowering your prices, serving pancakes 'til 9 p.m.

welcome to the new percy, for @phillyinqfood.bsky.social

🚨 the la colombe cafes in philly have wifi now🚨

all locations except for the OG one in rittenhouse have internet, and it will NOT be turned off on weekends. big win for the WFH and little treat crowd.

full deets for @phillyinqfood.bsky.social here: share.inquirer.com/TTchDx

For the Philadelphia Zoo’s animals, pumpkin-feeding season is special The Philadelphia Zoo doled out roughly 150 pumpkins to hippos, tortoises, primates, and vultures, among other animals.

Happy Halloween — and the end of pumpking season at the Philadelphia Zoo!

For @inquirer.com: I went behind the scenes of the zoo's iconic hippo and tortoise feedings, which involve organic restaurant-grade gourds from Riverwards Produce, naturally.

🎁 link:

Inside Chums, a new Ardmore dessert shop that sells tanghulu and TikTok-inspired dry yogurt bowls The cat-themed store draws students from the surrounding colleges and invokes a touch of froyo shop nostalgia.

Tanghulu has hit the Philly area thanks to the Chums, a cat-themed yogurt shop (!!!) in Ardmore that sells the TikTok-famous Chinese street snacks for $5 a pop.

I tried Chums for @phillyinqfood.bsky.social, which also sells "dry yogurt" (yes, another trend) and excellent smoothies.

🎁 link:

A photo of a reddit post in the R/Philly subreddit where a user posted a photo of a flyer with a photo of a crumbly, disintegrating burger patty on a unseeded bun. "Two Robbers pub burger," it reads. "This is literally the burger that came out on [on] Oct. 10, 2025."

Will the real pub burger please stand up?

I looked into r/philly's burgergate, where a flyer claiming Two Robbers was responsible for the nastiest burger known to man went viral. Turns out, it was a ketchup-coated smear campaign.

🎁 link:
share.inquirer.com/waTpMD

At Philly’s first and only vampire beauty pageant, contestants compete for cash and a chance to feel immortal Held at Doom, 13 contestants donned their best vampiric drag as they waded through an interview and talent portion not unlike the one at Miss America.

philly's first ever vampire beauty pageant was held at a heavy metal bar, naturally.

for @inquirer.com: meet Miss American Vampire, the only pageant to combine bloodsucking with the competitive spirit of Miss USA.

🎁 link: share.inquirer.com/xL01lY

How to have a Perfect Philly Day according to Yun Fuentes, the James Beard Award-nominated chef behind Bolo The acclaimed chef spends a rare Thursday off grocery shopping in the Italian Market, buying comics, and trying to beat crowds for his favorite pastelillos.

For @inquirer.com: I chatted with Yun Fuentes — the chef behind Philly’s James Beard nominated Puerto Rican restaurant Bolo — about how he would spend a perfect day off in the city.

It involves lining up for Amy’s Pastellilos, buying comic books, and grocery shopping.

share.inquirer.com/kfKQuP

White words on a black background read: 50+ Immigration agents have the authority to detain whom they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino. ~130 Agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfered with or assaulted officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers. ~20 Among the citizens detained are nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.

I did it because the government isn’t.

This is what I found.