Chestnut Hill is one of Philly’s most charming neighborhoods — with cobblestone streets lining Germantown Ave and neighborhood stores that have stood the test of time, like Kilian Hardware and Robertson’s Flowers.
Yet recently, multiple restaurants in the area have faced closures, including Fiesta Pizza, Campbell’s Place, Iron Hill Brewery and Jansen, in nearby Mount Airy. What’s more, what used to be Roller’s Express-O and Flying Fish, have remained vacant storefronts for years now.
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.
“When I first moved here, there was Micah, which was a great restaurant, which got lost to Covid,” Weinberg said. “And then Jansen opened a few years ago, which then recently closed.”
“In Center City Philly, the restaurant scene is really nice,” he added. “It just seems like, up here, there’s a good population density, and so it doesn’t make sense.”
Margot Stern, a hospitality entrepreneur who lives in Chestnut Hill, agrees.
“It’s really frustrating,” she said. “I have some friends who are restaurateurs in the city, and I’ve begged them. I’ve been like, ‘Listen, come to Chestnut Hill, trust me, you will be full every single night of the week.’ ”
Weinberg noted that while Chestnut Hill has plenty of good tavern options — McNally’s, Cider Belly, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company — the neighborhood is missing a dinner spot where you can “just bring your family” and “have a nice meal, and not totally break the bank.”
As for Stern, when she goes out to eat, she hopes for a place that will truly wow her. None of the 33 Philadelphia restaurants that recently received a Michelin award, including Bib Gourmands and Michelin selected spots, were in Chestnut Hill.
“When I get a babysitter, I’m going to go downtown,” she said.
“Good” neighborhood, good restaurants?
This sentiment — that Chestnut Hill lacks exciting food options — is a bit surprising, considering it is one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. According to a 2025 report from the Pew Center Research, Chestnut Hill’s 19118 zip code has the highest property taxes in the city, with a median tax bill of $8,799.
Stern believes that part of the issue is that rental properties in the neighborhood are pricing restaurateurs out.
“One of the biggest problems is the landlords in Chestnut Hill,” she said. “If you’re a young up-and-comer in the city, you can’t afford a restaurant space here, right? It’s really expensive, and so that’s going to dissuade you.”
Ann Nevel, from the Chestnut Hill Business District, acknowledged concerns around the neighborhood’s restaurant scene — noting the closures this fall. She said the recent closures do not represent a systemic neighborhood pattern, but were particular to each property.
“Iron Hill Brewery was a regional chain, and it closed all of its locations that have filed for bankruptcy,” she said. “Campbell’s Place on the other hand, shut down for the owner’s personal reasons, rather than because of a decline in revenue.”
She believes the restaurants in the neighborhood deserve to be celebrated.
“We’ve got our beloved mainstays. We’ve got McNally’s. We’ve got Chestnut Grill. “We’ve got CinCin, for example,” she said. “And then we have several popular, newer arrivals, like Adelinas, Cider Belly Hard Cider, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, and Char & Stave. But everybody wants more choices.”
As for Roller’s Express-O and Flying Fish — once neighborhood staples — they are empty in part because their owner, Paul Roller, had knee replacement surgery.
Roller, 73, is sentimental for the restaurants that he ran for four decades.
“I love food. I love restaurants. I love the restaurant business,” he said. However, he notes that his body isn’t up to it anymore and he is waiting for the right tenant for the space he invested in.
“We put in 150k and, you know, did the marble counters up front and the tile and this and that,” he said. “And, I’ve explained this to people. It’s got a wonderful pressed tin ceiling. When I redid the back room, we found a press tin place out in the Bronx.”
“Everything in the world is about money,” he said. “You know, it’s got to be worth doing.”
While there was the possibility of a Kismet Bagels opening at the Roller’s Express-O location earlier this year, Roller said that deal fell through due to “irreconcilable differences.”
As for spaces like Campbell’s and Iron Hill, Nevel does not think they will be shuttered for too long. Already, she said, there has been “lots of action” and an “abundance of tours.”
New restaurants on the block
The timeline for opening a new restaurant is always uncertain, but Nevel said she’s seen places open within a year of first contacting the business district, while other spots have taken three or four.
The neighborhood, she said, is filled with buildings that have “inherent visual appeal and historic significance.” However, that historic charm can be a double-edged sword.
“Because [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,” Nevel said. “For a restaurateur to choose to open in one of these kinds of spaces in Chestnut Hill, they have to be confident, financially, professionally, creatively.”
There are a few new restaurants preparing to open in Chestnut Hill. One of the first in line is The Blue Warbler, set to open in Winter 2026.
“It should be really fun and casual,” said its owner, Fred Mogul. “A lively Happy Hour scene, but also a lively family scene … We’re trying to push the envelope of what constitutes comfort food. We’re going for something very unfancy and unfussy and very hearty.”
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 at the Four Seasons. What’s more, Matines, a Parisian cafe, has recently opened a new, larger location, and turned its old location into a “kid’s cafe” called Petite Matines.
Arthur de Bruc, who co-owns Matines with his wife Amanda, has two kids — 5 and 6 years old. The couple got the idea for revamping the spot after their children complained about their long work hours.
“We’re like, ‘Well, you know what, guys, we’re gonna do something for you. We’re gonna do a cafe for you, and you’re gonna help us to create that place,’ ” De Bruc said. “So they did the menu with us. We’re like, ‘What would you like?’ ‘I like mac and cheese.’ So we’ll do mac and cheese.”
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.
“You can just relax and just breathe and say it’s fine,” he added. “They’re in a safe place. It’s made for them.”
“You have to love it”
For his part, The Blue Warbler’s Mogul is excited to join the Chestnut Hill restaurant family scene. He is a Chestnut Hill resident and former WNYC reporter turned restaurateur.
“I looked all over Philly and nearly leased a couple cool spots in cool neighborhoods — several of which fell through after many months of negotiations at the 11th hour,” he said.
Then, he found the rental at 8001 Germantown Ave.
“The space in Chestnut Hill really is very Goldilocks,” Mogul said. “It’s not too small. It’s not too large. It’s got a lot of historic character. The landlord [Bowman Properties] has been a phenomenal partner and has always wanted a restaurant in this space – the former Foster’s Drugstore that dates back to the 1920s – and so the landlord has put in an immense amount of resources, and I’m putting in an immense amount of resources.”
De Bruc’s restaurant is also owned by Bowman Properties, which owns multiple storefront properties in Chestnut Hill.
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.
“I always kind of pictured it as this very posh place up on the hill,” he said, comparing it to tony spots like Greenwich, Conn., or the Hamptons.
“When you get here, the reality is really much more eclectic,” he added. “There are, indeed, multi-generational mansion dwellers. You know, the latter-day Gilded Age. But there’s a lot that goes well beyond that. There’s a lot of great apartments. There’s a lot of modest row houses that support a much more eclectic community in Chestnut Hill.”
De Bruc, an expat from Paris, also moved to Chestnut Hill and chose to open his cafe there due to the neighborhood’s cozy vibes.
“We fell completely in love with Chestnut Hill — a lot of green areas, lots of parks,” he said. “It’s a very charming neighborhood — plenty of history, and we’re very sensitive to all of that coming from France, so that really speaks to us.”
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’s Tavern, which her family has run for more than a century, has seen a lot of restaurants come and go in the neighborhood.
“Lots of people listen to the negative,” McNally said. “It’s part of our society, but Chestnut Hill has blended the community and the business to work productively. It’s always sad when a restaurant or business closes, but it gives opportunities for new businesses to come and thrive.”
She said that new restaurateurs looking to succeed in the neighborhood needed to come in with passion.
“Restaurants are really a lot of work,” McNally said. “My sister is here at 6 o’clock 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.”
“You have to love it,” she added. “You have to like talking to people and serving them great food. It’s hard work. If you enjoy all those things and long hours, then a restaurant is a good place.”
The post Chestnut Hill lost a bunch of restaurant staples. Will they be replaced anytime soon? appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
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