Honeysuckle Restaurant Announces Opening Date

Omar Tate and Cybille St.Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle / Photograph courtesy of Honeysuckle

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. We’ve got some pretty big news this week and lots of stuff you need to know about — including (but not limited to) a much-anticipated opening, awards season updates, new ice cream, Yemeni coffee, and a major expansion for a local favorite. But let’s kick things off with the week’s biggest news …

Honeysuckle Has an Opening Date

Yup, for real. After months of preparation from chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate and their team, it looks like there’s finally an opening date for their long-anticipated new restaurant, Honeysuckle.

It started with a friends-and-family dinner last week that looked incredible. I mean, there’s never been any doubt that Omar and Cybille could cook, but this was next-level gorgeous. Chef Valerie Erwin (ex of Geechee Girl Rice Cafe) was there and posted about it on Instagram, and it was stunning. It started with lacto-fermented collard stems, ended with a Haitian chocolate torte, and, in between, there were oysters with house hot sauce, plantain and cassava fritters with shrimp and scorpion peppers, roasted chicken with grilled collards and candied lemon, tilefish wrapped in chard with black garlic mojo, and so much more. It was a menu that made a statement, that taught lessons on history and geography, and it came with cocktails.

And then, over the weekend, Omar dropped the announcement: Honeysuckle Restaurant is now accepting reservations for April and May. The new space is at 631 North Broad Street, and it looks like the first official day of service is going to be April 24th.

There’s no menu posted yet. Not a lot of official details at all. But the pictures of the space are lovely (big windows, long tables, lots of light), and the description of the place seems to sum up what Omar has been working toward since before the opening of the original Honeysuckle Provisions in West Philly: “Honeysuckle is more than a restaurant. It’s a network of community spaces centered around the values of ancestry, nourishment, and reclamation… Now positioned in the North Broad area of Philadelphia, Honeysuckle offers a fresh perspective on food systems — expanding the idea of Afrocentricity in food by redefining the limits of a restaurant and celebrating the legacies and recipes of those that came before them.”

Now what else is happening this week …

Just in Time for the Warmer Weather

We’ve got news of a new ice cream shop getting ready to open.

Ilissa Shapiro spent last summer slinging handmade, custard-based, small-batch ice cream out of a refurbished trolley at Cherry Street Pier as part of Cantina La Martina’s La Placita. And she’s going to be doing the same when Cherry Street reopens for the season.

But in addition, she’s opening the first stand-alone, brick-and-mortar location of her new ice cream shop, Irv’s, on April 18th at 932 East Passyunk Avenue in Bella Vista.

Ilissa named the place after her grandfather, who had an old-fashioned soda fountain in his basement (which is such a classic grandpa move). Now, she’s going to be bringing that generational love of ice cream forward with her own spot, focused on small-batch flavors, milkshakes, floats, and scratch-made toppings.

The grand opening will be at noon on Friday, April 18th. And Irv’s will be celebrating the big day with $1 off all full scoops, shakes, and floats from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Oh, and as a bonus, the new location will also have one of those Flakely Pastry ATMs that I told you about a few months ago. So if you’re looking to score some ice cream and a gluten-free baguette, this place should totally be your jam.

Middle Child Gets an Airport Location

A rendering of Middle Child’s new PHL location / Rendering courtesy of Middle Child

What started back in 2017 with a little sandwich shop on South 11th Street has now become a full-fledged Philly institution with the announcement that owner Matt Cahn’s Middle Child will be taking over a space in Terminal D at the Philly International Airport.

Back in the day, Middle Child existed as a kind of homage to the old-school Philly diners and neighborhood delis that Cahn grew up in. It was a breakfast spot and sandwich shop that took food seriously, that sourced well and took chances, and that came up with sandwich ideas that became indispensable. The Shopsin Club and the So Long Sal were genius ideas stuck between slices of bread — wild, borderless, and innovative. And it was no surprise at all when the little sandwich shop that started it all expanded to a 120-seat location in the heart of Fishtown called Middle Child Clubhouse with a bar, pool table, and a vibe that was like, what if every 14-year-old boy in Philly just … never grew up?

MCCH killed it from day one. It screwed up parking in Fishtown forever. It serves fusion latkes, burrata with apple jam, eggplant manicotti, a General Tso’s sandwich with Frito-fried tofu, and a clarified cachaca punch spiked with serrano chile. Since the start, it has been one of Philly’s defining restaurants, so considering the airport is currently on this whole “Founded In Philly” kick (“celebrating Philly-born-and-raised restaurants and brands that highlight the city’s rich culinary legacy,” according to MarketPlace PHL), this partnership with Middle Child makes perfect sense.

Middle Child’s Phoagie featuring hoisin eggplant, fresh and frizzled onions, cilantro, and pho sauce / Photograph courtesy of Middle Child

The storefront location (which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025) will offer seating for 50, a full bar, a menu made up of the greatest hits from both existing locations, plus some airport-exclusive surprises. The Chase Sapphire Lounge at PHL is apparently already serving food from the Middle Child menu, so none of this will be a stretch for the MCCH team.

The new Middle Child will join airport outposts of Sabrina’s, Chickie’s & Pete’s, and Elixr, already in service, and announcements have already been made that Federal Donuts and Oyster House will also be opening locations at PHL later this year.

Meanwhile, for the Late-Night Coffee Shop Crowd

Husband-and-wife team Hamza Shaikh and Farah Khan are currently in the soft-open phase with their new Yemeni-style coffee shop, Haraz Coffee House, in University City.

This is kind of a new thing for Philly. Yemeni coffee shops are essentially cafes that stay open late, providing a place to hang out during the day (or after work) that doesn’t center around alcohol or full meals. They focus on coffee service, Middle Eastern snacks, and large dessert menus, and just generally offer a more chill atmosphere than your average neighborhood bar.

Khan and Shaikh opened their new spot at 3421 Chestnut Street at the end of March but are looking at April 17th for their grand opening. Haraz is part of a chain with more than a dozen locations in the US, mostly focused in Detroit and NYC — two places where the idea of these Yemeni coffee shops have already taken hold. And while the Philly outpost is new, according to Haraz’s stats, they’ve got 128(!!) new locations already signed and prepping to open.

So yeah, this is probably going to be a thing in the future. Something to keep an eye on, for sure.

Over at Philly Voice, they’ve got an interview with Khan and Shaikh about the growing popularity of these coffee houses, and it’s worth a look if you’re interested. Me? I just saw the details about Turkish coffee, copper-pot pours, and milk cakes and was instantly sold. Much as I love a bar, sometimes that coffee shop vibe is exactly what I’m after. Plus cake.

Right now, the hours at Haraz aren’t really late-night-ish. They’re opening at 9 a.m. and running ’til 5 p.m. But once they get the opening behind them, Khan and Shaikh are planning on having service run until 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on the weekends. All of which is good news for the city’s night creatures.

Now, who has room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

The Paffuto team and Marc Vetri / Photograph by Mike Prince

Okay, so last week I told y’all about a bunch of seasonal spots getting ready to open up for the warmer weather. And while today may not be a great example of summer being right around the corner, that isn’t stopping the announcements from coming.

Liberty Beer Garden returns to Independence Mall on April 16th with snacks, twinkle lights, local beer, and canned and draft cocktails.

Parks on Tap is also gearing up for the season. The roving beer garden will be visiting 24 parks in 27 weeks, serving up cheesesteaks, burgers, hot dogs, a smoked cauliflower bánh mì, cubano, desserts, kids’ meals, and, of course, beer. Philly Mag deputy editor Laura Swartz has all of the details here.

Also, the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park kicked things off over the weekend with more than 70 vendors for the 2025 season. The market will be up and running most Saturdays and Sundays from now until October, but they’ll be running a split schedule with everyone setting up for half the season near the South Broad Street entrance, and then, come June, everyone will move to a picnic area near Edgewood Lake and the Taney Baseball field. All the information about schedules, vendors, and anything else you need to know can be found here.

Over at Dahlak, a new menu just dropped. We’re talking doro wat sliders, stir-fried Berbere-spiced beef tibs, shiro and gomen, and a cardamom and salted caramel date cake for dessert. It looks awesome. So if it’s been a while since you’ve checked out one of Philly’s best Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants, now’s the perfect time to go back.

Bonus: The place does both an early happy hour (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and a late-night version from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Couple things you might’ve missed last week amid all the cheesesteak reporting. Philly has four finalists going to the James Beard Awards in Chicago in June. Phila Lorn from Mawn, Jesse Ito from Royal Sushi and Izakaya, Amanda Schulman from Her Place, and the Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday all advanced to the finals and will be repping our fair city at the awards gala.

Also, Stephen Starr is making a big move in Atlantic City, opening two concepts at Ocean Casino Resort this summer. Originally, these were going to be Schulson spots, but that deal fell through. Now Starr has moved in to take over.

Cool thing about this deal? They’re both new concepts. Neither have been named yet, but Victor Fiorillo has this: “According to this report in Forbes, one of the new Stephen Starr restaurants in Atlantic City will be all about comfort food, like meatloaf and Thanksgiving dinner served throughout the year. The other is going to be a concept focused on something Starr knows a thing or two about: French food.”

And sure, Thanksgiving dinner on the beach in August wouldn’t be my first choice for dining options in AC, but a nice French restaurant? That’s just my game. Word is, both of these concepts are supposed to be coming this summer. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on things in the meantime.

Finally this week, a chance to experience some of Philly’s greatest chefs — in panzerotti form.

The crew from Pafutto are launching a new “Legends” series that will pay edible homage to some of Philly’s most iconic cooks. Beginning April 9th, they’ll be running a new special every other week for two months. Marc Vetri is up first with two different panzerotti representing his achievements: “One featuring braised rabbit and fennel sausage ragu, and a vegetarian version that will include Swiss chard, brown butter, ricotta, and mozzarella – a play on Vetri’s famous gnocchi.”

After that, it’s Greg Vernick, Nok Suntaranon, Shola Olunloyo, Randy Rucker, Cristina Martinez, Pierre Calmels, and, as a grand finale, a blueberry “pie-zerotti” in honor of pastry chef Abby Dahan.

Prices will vary. A portion of the proceeds from each special panzerotti will be donated to a charity of each chef’s choice. And Pafutto will be announcing the details on each chef’s panzerotti homage on Instagram every Monday, so stay tuned …