Shrouded by a window-layer of construction sheets and newspapers, the third iteration of Benna's Cafe -- no, not "B3," but Benna's West -- has been teasing passersby on the northwest corner of Broad and Dickinson streets for the past four months.
Nancy Trachtenberg, owner of Benna's Cafe (named so after her daughter, Benna), opened the original South Philly cafe in 2004 before expanding to East Passyunk Avenue in 2008 with B2. She told PhillyVoice.com that she's been considering a third shop for years but hadn't found the right location or building.
Then Newbold emerged as a neighborhood, and a "For Rent" sign at the Broad and Dickinson location caught her eye as she drove by one evening last fall. She immediately called and locked in a lease.
The exterior of Benna's West at Broad and Dickinson streets. The location was previously a Metro PCS store and, before that, a medical supplies shop. Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice
She says the location, despite its intentionally close proximity to her other shops (the "Bennasphere," she calls it), serves an entirely different audience.
"I think the whole Newbold neighborhood is starting to rise and, rightfully, they're demanding more attention and more services. It's a very underserved community," she says. "East of here, you have the Passyunk throughway and everything you could want, and my customers over at B2, so many of them actually live [west of Broad]. So even though it's only three blocks away, it's a whole different neighborhood, and this is an opportunity to help the neighborhood find its center. ... We hope to find our own identity here and not just be a sibling to our Benna's sisters."
The Benna's West sandwich and snacks menu -- a work of art in its own right -- created by wood-burning artist Crystal Stokowski. Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice
If you're familiar with the Benna's Cafe and B2 menus, you won't exactly be jumping out of your chair from a surplus of surprises: Old City Coffee, sandwiches, vegan-friendly baked goods, juices, smoothies and soft-serve ice cream all return for the Benna's West menu (pictured above). To freshen it up, however, she is adding salads, hot dishes and rotating seasonal specials into the mix -- all exclusive for Benna's West.
"We're bringing in healthy, creative, interesting options at a low cost," she says. "There are very few lunch options at all in this neighborhood, even on East Passyunk Avenue. And I think we've sort of cornered the market on those things, certainly for food."
The 900-square-foot space itself is a wonderland of wood. Inside are 27 pine captain's chairs and a mahogany bar that has baristas taking orders like bartenders, rather than standing stiffly behind a cash register -- socially, a "daytime answer to a nighttime question," she says. The lineup of tables, meanwhile, is crafted with yellow pine, salvaged from a torn-down barn in Delaware.
The inaugural Benna's West mural, created by Lisa Conn. Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice
What's most noticeable upon entry, however, is the massive mural painted -- Sharpie'd, rather (no kidding) -- on the wall overlooking the seating area. It was put together over a two-week period by Benna's Cafe employee and local artist Lisa Conn. Trachtenberg says Benna's West won't be doing the monthly art shows that Benna's and B2 host, but she will be switching out the mural on a semi-regular basis, as a way of continuing the artistic vibe of her shops.
Benna's West will open its door this Thursday. Still to come post-opening, she adds, are six additional tables for outdoor use -- one of the first spots on South Broad Street to usher in outdoor seating.
So, with all that in mind: Who should pop by?
"People who love people," she says. "Benna's has always seemed to attract people who wanted to be at Benna's, and it's a really diverse crew -- lots of young families, punks, artists and a really strong base of elderly people. Eighty percent of my Benna's crowd is regulars. It's like Cheers, and it's wonderful."