Ardmore Is Buzzing Right Now. Here’s Where to Shop, Eat, and Play

Your guide to Ardmore’s Lancaster Avenue / Illustration by Melissa McFeeters

The Main Line enclave of Ardmore has it all — walkability, accessibility to the city, and, of course, the popular Suburban Square retail and dining hub. But let’s stroll Lancaster Avenue: From classic shops and restaurants to buzzy new spots, here’s what to explore right now.

To start with an old standby, Styche ❶ is a classic boutique that’s been keeping the Main Line effortlessly cool since the ’90s.

IYKYK: The Junior League Thrift Shop ❷ is the best spot around Philly to scoop up higher-end and designer clothes on the cheap.

The sleek, minimalist Rikumo ❸ stocks Japanese home goods.

Sherry Tillman’s Past Present Future ❹ has been Ardmore’s go-to since 1976 for eclectic art, gifts, jewelry, and collectibles like tin toys.

Whether you’re planning on doing Dry January or just cutting back, N/A bottle shop Wallace Dry Goods ❺ has you covered. Stop by for a tasting and take a few zero-proof spirits home.

Maido! ❻, named for the shopkeeper greeting used in Japan’s Kansai region, isn’t just an excellent Japanese grocery store — they’ve also got an affordable yet formidable lunch counter, aisles of cute stationery products, Baggu totes, and more. Pose for a selfie with the giant Totoro on the sidewalk.

The Brew Room ❼, Danny and Eleni Chrisidis’s love letter to Greek coffee culture, opened in October. Pair the shaken freddo espresso with a sweet, flaky bougatsa.

This year’s Best of Philly winner for New Bookstore, Mavey Books ❽, is a bibliophile’s paradise. They also host author talks, reading clubs, and fun workshops.

The little ones in your life can have a ball at indoor play space Lulu’s Casita ❾, then head down the street to toy wonderland pucciManuli ❿. Whether they’re more into arts and crafts or fancy European matchbox mice, they’re sure to fill up their wish lists with imaginative playthings.

Grab coffee and a pastry from Delice et Chocolat ⓫. Owners and brothers Joseph and Antonie Amrani have been operating this perfectly Parisian corner cafe for almost a decade, serving up everything from multicolored macarons to flaky croissants.

Ardmore Music Hall ⓬ is a must for live music in an intimate setting, from national acts to local tribute bands to kid-friendly covers at themed Rock and Roll Playhouse dance parties.

Izzy’s ⓭ opened this year and won us over with its “izakaya(ish)” (to quote food critic Jason Sheehan) cuisine and cocktails. The Money Talks is the scene-stealer here — a riff on the Last Word made with Chartreuse and Midori to give it that signature color.

By day, Char & Stave ⓮ is a cafe; by night, it’s a cocktail bar by Bluebird Distilling. Go for the best of both worlds and order the Coffee Old-Fashioned, made with coffee cordial, Bluebird bourbon, and house-made bitters.

Published as “Ardmore Has Its Day” in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.