{"id":46012,"date":"2025-11-27T07:58:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T07:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/46012\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T07:58:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T07:58:29","slug":"why-has-chestnut-hill-endured-a-string-of-restaurant-closures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/46012\/","title":{"rendered":"Why has Chestnut Hill endured a string of restaurant closures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chestnut Hill is one of Philly\u2019s most charming neighborhoods \u2014 with cobblestone streets lining Germantown Ave and neighborhood stores that have stood the test of time, like Kilian Hardware<\/a> and Robertson\u2019s Flowers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet recently, multiple restaurants in the area have faced closures, including Fiesta Pizza<\/a>, Campbell\u2019s Place<\/a>, Iron Hill Brewery<\/a> and Jansen<\/a>, in nearby Mount Airy. What\u2019s more, what used to be Roller\u2019s Express-O and Flying Fish<\/a>, have remained vacant storefronts for years now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents are starting to pay attention. Gregg Weinberg, a data analyst who lives in Mount Airy, has been dismayed by the lack of restaurant options on Germantown Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first moved here, there was Mica<\/a>, which was a great restaurant, which got lost to Covid,\u201d Weinberg said. \u201cAnd then Jansen opened a few years ago, which then recently closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Center City Philly, the restaurant scene is really nice,\u201d he added. \u201cIt just seems like, up here, there\u2019s a good population density, and so it doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margot Stern, a hospitality entrepreneur who lives in Chestnut Hill, agrees.<\/p>\n

\"\"Iron Hill Brewery closed in September. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really frustrating,\u201d she said. \u201cI have some friends who are restaurateurs in the city, and I\u2019ve begged them. I\u2019ve been like, \u2018Listen, come to Chestnut Hill, trust me, you will be full every single night of the week.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Weinberg noted that while Chestnut Hill has plenty of good tavern options \u2014 McNally\u2019s<\/a>, Cider Belly<\/a>, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company<\/a> \u2014 the neighborhood is missing a dinner spot where you can \u201cjust bring your family\u201d and \u201chave a nice meal, and not totally break the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Stern, when she goes out to eat, she hopes for a place that will truly wow her.\u00a0 None of the 33 Philadelphia restaurants that recently received a Michelin award, <\/a>including Bib Gourmands and Michelin selected spots, were in Chestnut Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I get a babysitter, I\u2019m going to go downtown,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood\u201d neighborhood, good restaurants?<\/p>\n

This sentiment \u2014 that Chestnut Hill lacks exciting food options \u2014 is a bit surprising, considering it is one of the city\u2019s most affluent neighborhoods. According to a 2025 report from the Pew Center Research<\/a>, Chestnut Hill\u2019s 19118 zip code has the highest property taxes in the city, with a median tax bill of $8,799.<\/p>\n

Stern believes that part of the issue is that rental properties in the neighborhood are pricing restaurateurs out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest problems is the landlords in Chestnut Hill,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re a young up-and-comer in the city, you can\u2019t afford a restaurant space here, right? It\u2019s really expensive, and so that\u2019s going to dissuade you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"(Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Ann Nevel, from the Chestnut Hill Business District, acknowledged concerns around the neighborhood\u2019s restaurant scene \u2014 noting the closures this fall. She said the recent closures do not represent a systemic neighborhood pattern, but were particular to each property.<\/p>\n

\u201cIron Hill Brewery was a regional chain, and it closed all of its locations that have filed for bankruptcy,\u201d she said. \u201cCampbell\u2019s Place on the other hand, shut down for the owner\u2019s personal reasons, rather than because of a decline in revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

She believes the restaurants in the neighborhood deserve to be celebrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got our beloved mainstays. We\u2019ve got McNally\u2019s. We\u2019ve got Chestnut Grill<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve got CinCin<\/a>, for example,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then we have several popular, newer arrivals, like Adelinas<\/a>, Cider Belly Hard Cider, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, and Char & Stave<\/a>. But everybody wants more choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Roller\u2019s Express-O and Flying Fish \u2014 once neighborhood staples\u00a0\u2014 they are empty in part because their owner, Paul Roller, had knee replacement surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Roller, 73, is sentimental for the restaurants that he ran for four decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love food. I love restaurants. I love the restaurant business,\u201d he said. However, he notes that his body isn\u2019t up to it anymore and he is waiting for the right tenant for the space he invested in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put in 150k and, you know, did the marble counters up front and the tile and this and that,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, I\u2019ve explained this to people. It\u2019s got a wonderful pressed tin ceiling. When I redid the back room, we found a press tin place out in the Bronx.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything in the world is about money,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, it\u2019s got to be worth doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there was the possibility of a Kismet Bagels<\/a> opening at the Roller\u2019s Express-O location earlier this year, Roller said that deal fell through due to \u201cirreconcilable differences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for spaces like Campbell\u2019s and Iron Hill, Nevel does not think they will be shuttered for too long. Already, she said, there has been \u201clots of action\u201d and an \u201cabundance of tours.\u201d<\/p>\n

New restaurants on the block<\/p>\n

The timeline for opening a new restaurant is always uncertain, but Nevel said she\u2019s seen places open within a year of first contacting the business district, while other spots have taken three or four.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The neighborhood, she said, is filled with buildings that have \u201cinherent visual appeal and historic significance.\u201d However, that historic charm can be a double-edged sword.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause [buildings are] quirky and sometimes too small in the eyes of the more commercial developers and restaurateurs, these spaces can also pose challenges as commercial rental properties,\u201d Nevel said.\u00a0 \u201cFor a restaurateur to choose to open in one of these kinds of spaces in Chestnut Hill, they have to be confident, financially, professionally, creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a few new restaurants preparing to open in Chestnut Hill. One of the first in line is The Blue Warbler<\/a>, set to open in Winter 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"A view of Germantown Avenue (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should be really fun and casual,\u201d said its owner, Fred Mogul. \u201cA lively Happy Hour scene, but also a lively family scene \u2026 We\u2019re trying to push the envelope of what constitutes comfort food. We\u2019re going for something very unfancy and unfussy and very hearty.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the Blue Warbler, Lovat Square is scheduled to open just off Germantown Avenue at the top of the hill. The space will include a wine store, a bar and a fine dining restaurant, according to Nevel. Its owner, Damien Graef, worked as the sommelier for Jean-Georges<\/a> at the Four Seasons. What\u2019s more, Matines<\/a>, a Parisian cafe, has recently opened a new, larger location, and turned its old location into a \u201ckid\u2019s cafe\u201d called Petite Matines<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Arthur de Bruc, who co-owns Matines with his wife Amanda, has two kids \u2014 5 and 6 years old. The couple got the idea for revamping the spot after their children complained about their long work hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re like, \u2018Well, you know what, guys, we\u2019re gonna do something for you. We\u2019re gonna do a cafe for you, and you\u2019re gonna help us to create that place,\u2019 \u201d De Bruc said. \u201cSo they did the menu with us. We\u2019re like, \u2018What would you like?\u2019 \u2018I like mac and cheese.\u2019 So we\u2019ll do mac and cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea is a cafe with food for kids and adults that will have games, books, art and activities, and might be a little loud and noisy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can just relax and just breathe and say it\u2019s fine,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re in a safe place. It\u2019s made for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to love it\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, The Blue Warbler\u2019s Mogul is excited to join the Chestnut Hill restaurant family scene. He is a Chestnut Hill resident and former WNYC reporter turned restaurateur.<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked all over Philly and nearly leased a couple cool spots in cool neighborhoods \u2014 several of which fell through after many months of negotiations at the 11th hour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Then, he found the rental at 8001 Germantown Ave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe space in Chestnut Hill really is very Goldilocks,\u201d Mogul said. \u201cIt\u2019s not too small. It\u2019s not too large. It\u2019s got a lot of historic character. The landlord [Bowman Properties] has been a phenomenal partner and has always wanted a restaurant in this space \u2013 the former Foster\u2019s Drugstore that dates back to the 1920s \u2013 and so the landlord has put in an immense amount of resources, and I\u2019m putting in an immense amount of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Bruc\u2019s restaurant is also owned by Bowman Properties<\/a>, which owns multiple storefront properties in Chestnut Hill.<\/p>\n

\"\"Matines Cafe (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Mogul lived in Brooklyn and later in Center City in Philly. He said that before he lived in Chestnut Hill, he had a certain misconception about the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI always kind of pictured it as this very posh place up on the hill,\u201d he said, comparing it to tony spots like Greenwich, Conn., or the Hamptons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get here, the reality is really much more eclectic,\u201d he added. \u201cThere are, indeed, multi-generational mansion dwellers. You know, the latter-day Gilded Age. But there\u2019s a lot that goes well beyond that. There\u2019s a lot of great apartments. There\u2019s a lot of modest row houses that support a much more eclectic community in Chestnut Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Bruc, an expat from Paris, also moved to Chestnut Hill and chose to open his cafe there due to the neighborhood\u2019s cozy vibes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fell completely in love with Chestnut Hill \u2014 a lot of green areas, lots of parks,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very charming neighborhood \u2014 plenty of history, and we\u2019re very sensitive to all of that coming from France, so that really speaks to us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nevel believes that anyone can open a successful restaurant in Chestnut Hill. However, they have to have the right passion for it. Anne McNally, owner of McNally\u2019s Tavern, which her family has run for more than a century, has seen a lot of restaurants come and go in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of people listen to the negative,\u201d McNally said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of our society, but Chestnut Hill has blended the community and the business to work productively. It\u2019s always sad when a restaurant or business closes, but it gives opportunities for new businesses to come and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that new restaurateurs looking to succeed in the neighborhood needed to come in with passion.<\/p>\n

\u201cRestaurants are really a lot of work,\u201d McNally said. \u201cMy sister is here at 6 o\u2019clock in the morning. Our staff does seven or eight hours of work a day. It takes a lot of time to get it up and running.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to love it,\u201d she added. \u201cYou have to like talking to people and serving them great food. It\u2019s hard work. If you enjoy all those things and long hours, then a restaurant is a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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