Stephen Starr and Questlove to Open Chicken Joint on South Street? We Can Dream…


As the countdown continues to the opening of Serpico–the much-hyped Stephen Starr restaurant that has foodies in a lather–real estate watchers are hopeful but puzzled. The new restaurant will be at 604 South Street, right in the middle of, well, Sixth and South. Can Starr work his magic there?

Let’s look at the surroundings, shall we? At the corner is a vacant building that was once a McDonald’s with a large, colorful mural. The mural was painted over in preparation for the Roots Mural, which will now be on Broad Street instead. Next door to Old McDonald’s is the wrap-and-fries spot European Republic–casual fare. Then: Starr. On the other side of Serpico, there will be Sneaker Villa, which will take Walgreen’s place. Across the street, there’s Fire Station 11.

The evolution of that corner property will greatly determine what happens next. If there were still going to be a Roots mural on the building, we’d venture a guess that Questlove and Starr were going to buy the building and open a Philly branch of Hybird, a new chicken-and-dumplings joint they’ll soon hatch in Chelsea. In fact, maybe that’s their plan anyway. It’s not like Questlove requires an enormous image of himself on the side of a building to start a business.

A commenter on Naked Philly said the building is slated to be residential. Last year the speculation was it’d be a 7-11. Sending a message to Ahmir…

Off the Menu: Chelsea Market via Eater Philly [New York Times]
Serpico coverage on Foobooz
Shoes Store Coming to Long Vacant Commercial Space on South Street [Naked Philly]