About nine months ago, I left the wonders of Center City Philly living to move to South Montgomery County (or SoMoCo) with my other, and often better, half. Located just across the city border from Chestnut Hill (CH), our new home in Erdenheim combined plentiful access to city, parks, and turnpikes in the middle of all the people we knew. While we had visited the area a number of times and found there were plenty of known beer and food establishments to keep us busy, I wondered if giving up the plethora of hidden dives I had downtown would just be an acceptable price to pay for cohabitation.
Turns out, I was wrong. With September marking its 230th birthday, this county has had time to create unrivaled clandestine treats. Truthful tales have been told of the Schmitter at McNally’s (although I always grab the George Bernard Shaw myself), the ghosts of the General Lafayette (now Barren Hill), and the local Iron Hill fixture, but there is an overabundance of fabulous venues hidden away that you only need to be a resident to find.
This series, The Secrets of SoMoCo!, endeavors to seek out those diamonds in the rough, town by town, of this glorious county. Starting with my own “hood,” our Behind Chestnut Hill edition presents four locations that transport you from the CH crowds to an aged, local world of great sandwiches, dimmed lighting, friendly conversation, and, of course, beer.
The Secrets of SoMoCo: Top 4 Spots In & Around Chestnut Hill
Cisco’s, 1538 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown
Officially in Flourtown, this place swiftly became one of our faves. Opened by Jim Cisco in the 1950s, never has there been a more neighborhood bar than this. With parents who were off the boat from Sicily, Mr. Cisco is equally renowned as boxing enthusiast and Erdenheim community activist. The walls of this bar are covered with the people he met and the things he achieved; any server will dish endless stories of his successes. It is always Christmas, both in decoration, charm, and cheer. The beer is served just how your granddad liked it (cheap—at $1.50 a glass—and always refilled unless told otherwise), and they make all their food behind the bar.
Their headliner is the (in)famous cheesesteak hoagie. This Italian sandwich, piled high with salami, provolone, tomato, and onion, and seasoned with olive oil and Italian herbs, is topped off with half a pound of freshly chopped cheesesteak. If that does not whet your appetite, I always go for what I believe to be the best cheesesteak in all of Philadelphia: one pound of meat, 7 slices of cheese, and whatever combination of self-served sweet, jalapeno, and crushed red pepper your heart desires. You think you will only eat half, but you are only lying to yourself!
The Mermaid Inn: 7673 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia
When it was built almost 300 years ago, this tavern and adjoining shop were the hub of activity and growth in SoMoCo. Nowadays, with the lights dimmed, the place always looks closed from the outside.
However, inside, you can enjoy a hefty selection of craft beer, live music ranging from classic rock to New Orleans bluegrass (infrequently for a cover), and all the legal drinking age ranges you could look for in a space the size of my living room and appearing at capacity at 30. Coupled with the delightful bartendress, this tiny joint is bursting with character five nights a week and well worth a visit.
Campbell’s Place: 8337 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia
This is the only place on the main CH drag to make my list of favourite secrets. The local pride of these owners and longtime residents, The Mullens, is evident from their use of local ingredients and promotion of local artists on a monthly rotation. As a nationally renowned chef who has catered for stars across the music industry (he has toured with U2, you know), Rob Mullen has created decadent menus for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Every snack or meal I’ve eaten here has been unique and delicious. So belly up to the 100-year-old bar or take a cozy seat in the booth and let the time pass (because it mysteriously will, quickly) as good times are had by all who enter here.
Fatty’s: 812 E. Willow Grove Ave., Wyndmoor
I met the owners of this place at a great wedding at the Venetian Club two and a half years ago; I now rue the fact that it took me two years to get here. This place, again, is as neighborhood as it comes; I’m pretty sure the servers all live down the street and know everyone else in Wyndmoor.
The beer and food lists are crafty, cost-effective and extensive. The only sandwich I might pick over a Cisco’s cheesesteak is the buffalo chicken cheesesteak in this fabulous joint. A perfect combination of buffalo and blue cheese sauces ooze through, over, and out of this footlong. This establishment is also rife with weekly food specials including a non-PBR on draft for $3 everyday. Sports fan? This place has more than 10 indoor and outdoor TV screens and is open on Sundays for American football.
So, do you have a SoMoCo ‘hood in which you think it’s high time for a look? Leave a message below and we’ll swing on by. In the meantime, next stop for me is Where the Keswick People Go.
Photo credits: Cisco’s, Mermaid Inn and Campbell’s interior credited to Gayla Fecher; Campbell’s exterior credited to Nina Lea Photography; Fatty’s images credited to the restaurant.
