Manayunk Restaurant Week is back after a five-year hiatus!
Philly eaters can head to Main Street for a variety of cuisines from 20 restaurants. Deals include two- and three-course meals from $15 to $45 for dinner and lunch, varying by restaurant. Tubby Robot, for example, is offering $15 ice cream flights.
Janine Gasarowski, the branding and digital marketing manager for the Manayunk Development Corporation (MDC), said that the week is perfect for curious eaters with a variety of budgets.
“We have a mix of bargain deals versus more fine-dining experiences — a wide range for all customers,” she said. “In the small area, we have Mexican, Italian, American food, Greek food, Japanese — everything condensed on one block.”
In many ways, Main Street in Manayunk is its own walkable culinary hub — located only 15 minutes outside Center City and tucked along the Schuylkill River.
“I’ve been here 20 years,” said Nongyao Krapugthong, also known as Chef Moon, owner of Chabaa Thai and Yanako. “Main Street has a lot of small businesses. We are independent, and we are a very unique group of entrepreneurs.”
Krapugthong is offering three-course meals for $35 at both of her restaurants. She suggests checking out Chabaa Thai’s take on a classic green curry, or at Yanako there’s a Sushi Deluxe selection — seven pieces of nigiri curated by the chef.
Instead of staying in and ordering from Grubhub or Doordash like you usually might on a weekday, Krapugthong is hoping Philadelphians come out and show their support.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and culture in this country. You can order almost everything online — even food,” she said. “Walk in and come to visit us. Hand your hard-earned dollars to us who also work to earn a living.”
Brendan McGrew, the director of operations at Mia Ragazza and The Goat’s Beard, is hoping that the week changes some misconceptions around what and who Manayunk represents.
“I think historically, people hear Manayunk and they think of a younger, college drinking town,” McGrew said. “That’s what it was 20 years ago. It’s really a town of professionals, young, middle-aged, older, younger families. There’s such an eclectic mix of everybody here in town, and with the amount of restaurants we have that are all offering varying price points, [it] really allows there to be something for everyone.”
Bringing back deals
So why did Manayunk Restaurant Week stop in the first place?
“Prior to the pandemic, we did a restaurant week for, I want to say, about six years, and it was really successful,” McGrew explained. “During the pandemic, [restaurant week] was not the way to get people to come out, and it kind of lost some steam.”
McGrew is also a restaurant representative on the board of the MDC. He’s been working in Manayunk for around 30 years. He brought up the idea to bring back restaurant week in a restaurant group meeting.
“We do quarterly meetings. About 20 different restaurateurs attend … and the response was awesome,” McGrew said. “People were really looking forward to it, especially once we found out that Center City was not doing their fall Restaurant Week.”
The Goat’s Beard is offering three-course dinners for $35 and Mia Ragazza has the same offer for $45. McGrew is excited to share deals for the week, building the restaurant week menus around “fan favorites,” like The Goat’s Beard’s TGB nuggets.
“They’re just such a signature item of buttermilk-marinated chicken thighs, deep fried, tossed in the sriracha honey lime sauce,” he said. “They just have a sweet, spicy zing. They’re just fantastic.”
“Passion behind every single dish”
According to McGrew, more Manayunk restaurants than ever are participating in the week’s comeback. Krapugthong hopes that the deals won’t just attract diners, but also highlight and celebrate the important work that Manayunk’s restaurateurs are providing to the community.
“It’s such a crucial and meaningful transaction and exchange,” she said. “When you visit a small, independent restaurant, you inspire them. You give them encouragement to continue doing what they believe is worthwhile. Before [the food] comes out, there is a lot of hard work and soul and passion behind every single dish.”
McGrew is proud to see an evolution of Main Street’s culture, which he said was quite different even a decade ago.
“There was a lot of bickering back and forth,” he explained. “Different restaurants and bars would try to out-special each other. One person’s doing something for 20 bucks, and somebody has to do it for $19.”
Now, however, restaurants are working together and organizing for weeks like this one to help reinforce the community.
“Everybody’s supportive of each other,” McGrew said. “There was a water main break last week… Everybody was worried about how to help out the other person. How are they going to get through? What can they do? And I think that’s unique. You don’t find that in a lot of places.”
Manayunk Restaurant Week starts Sept. 8 and runs through Sept. 14. McGrew encourages people to begin making reservations now, but noted that many spots are anticipating walk-ins and will have full menus at their bars.
“You’ll likely meet the business owner when you walk into the restaurant,” Gasarowski said. “They’re all super-involved with their business. It’s cool to see and support the local businesses here.”
Check out the list of participating restaurants:
- Bar Jawn
- Bayou
- Blondie
- Cactus Restaurant & Bar
- Chabaa Thai Bistro / Yanako
- Jakes & Coopers
- Lucky’s Last Chance
- Manayunk Brew Pub
- JD McGillicuddy’s Manayunk
- Mia Ragazza
- New Leaf
- PHS Pop Up Garden
- Somo Manayunk
- Taqueria Amor
- The Brass Tap
- The Couch Tomato
- The Goat’s Beard
- The Rook
- Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory
- Zestys
