Manatawny Still Works to open tasting room on East Passyunk
It's taking a portion of the shuttered Chiarella's Ristorante, at Tasker Street.
Pottstown's Manatawny Still Works will open a tasting room and bottle shop on East Passyunk Avenue. September is the target.
Real estate MSC Retail announced that the distillery, makers of aged and unaged rum, whiskey, and gin, has leased 600 square feet at 1603 E. Passyunk Ave.
It's the rear portion of what used to be Chiarella's Ristorante. The front of the property, facing 11th Street, will become an outpost of Rival Bros. Coffee late this summer. It's next door to Izumi, on the corner of East Passyunk and Tasker.
Manatawny's Randy McKinley said the distillery wanted to pick up foot traffic that it doesn't have in Pottstown, where it's a destination. "We think people will stop in, have couple of cocktails, maybe buy a bottle, and go out for dinner," he said.
No distilling will be done on premises, and no food will be offered, at least at the outset. The Pottstown tasting room is "BYOG" - which he defines as "bring your own grub." Food trucks set up there on Fridays.
The busy East Passyunk strip already is home to a retail location of Pollyodd, the 'cello-maker, at 1908 E. Passyunk Ave. The Bottle Shop sells beer and snacks across the way at 1616 E. Passyunk.
In other East Passyunk developments: Nick Elmi's ITV wine bar - next to Laurel - is due in early July; Lou Boquila's modern-Filipino restaurant Perla is up for a summer opening at 1535 S. 11th St., next to Fond; a Lebanese cafe is planned for the former Frank's Appliance Repair next to Noir at 1907 E. Passyunk; and the strip's first chain - a Spanish wine bar called Barcelona - is looking at late 2016 at the former A Man's Image store at 1709 E. Passyunk.
In fact, check our guide to East Passyunk, which includes Craig LaBan's rundown of the restaurant scene.