Philadelphia restaurants Hiroki, La Calaca Feliz, and the Lodge by Two Robbers have announced their departures in the last week.
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The latest announcement was Hiroki, sushi chef Hiroki Fujiyama’s serene omakase room behind Wm. Mulherin’s Sons in Fishtown, which posted Friday that Aug. 8 would be its last service.
In an interview with The Inquirer, David Grasso, a principal in owner Method Co., called the closing “a strategic repositioning rather than a retreat from fine dining” and added that the decision was driven by a desire to stay ahead of customer preferences and culinary trends, not by problems with the restaurant or a broader pullback from fine dining. Method is planning to open a new concept — so far undetermined — in the space on Lee Street next year.
Method also has several new fine-dining concepts planned for other markets. Fujiyama, former head sushi chef at Morimoto, remains involved with Method, including a Detroit project called Hiroki-San, Grasso said.
La Calaca Feliz’s last day at 2321 Fairmount Ave. in Fairmount was Saturday. Owner Brian Sirhal, who opened the Mexican cantina 15 years ago with fellow Garces alumnus Tim Spinner, said its lease expired. Sirhal owns Cantina Feliz in Ambler, while Spinner’s holdings are Taqueria Amor and Riptide Tavern, side by side in Manayunk.
The Lodge, the Bella Vista offshoot of Fishtown’s Two Robbers at 11th and Fitzwater Streets, announced on social media Thursday that its last call would be Aug. 9 after barely a year. The post said it would operate as a pop-up and private-event space “for a period of time.” Vivek Nayar, who founded Two Robbers as a hard-seltzer business with his twin brother, Vikram, said they decided to focus on scaling their wholesale beverage line and running their Fishtown location.
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These closings do not necessarily point to an industry in retreat. More often, such changes reflect the constant reshuffling of a business in which closures and openings tend to move in tandem. Many of these addresses already have suitors or redevelopment plans, and there is never a shortage of projects in the pipeline.
Latin mainstay Mixto in Washington Square West closed July 12 after 24 years. Lori Penrose, owner of the former South Philadelphia sports bar Toll Man Joe’s, purchased the property at 1141 Pine St. She hopes it will open in late August.
Three Center City Federal Donuts & Chicken locations and three Goldie falafel eateries are bowing out, as founders Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook announced July 14. In the city, the FedNuts shops at Sixth and South Streets and Seventh Street and Fairmount Avenue are remaining, as is the Goldie at 1911 Sansom St.
Pita Pocket Eatery in Cheltenham Village wrapped a 15-year run on July 23.
The Langhorne Hotel, a landmark bar and restaurant in Langhorne Borough, closed July 18 after 54 years under the Asta family. New owners Joe and Megan Kontz told the Bucks County Courier Times that they plan to spruce it up, change the name to honor the town’s original name (Four Lanes End), and open late this year.
A series of chain restaurants have shut down recently, including the Perkins in Drexel Hill, the Cracker Barrel in Downingtown, the Miller’s Ale House in Springfield, Delaware County, and the Brio Italian Grille locations in Marlton and Cherry Hill.
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