April 05, 2024
Provided Image/Kory Aversa
Almost Home General is now open at 205 Race St. in Old City.
Almost Home General, a cafe and brunch spot with six locations in New Jersey, is now open in Old City with a menu heavy on breakfast food and creative beverages.
The expanding business took over the former space of apparel company United By Blue, which closed last year on the ground floor of the Bridge on Race apartments at 205 Race St. The shop is already serving customers, but the official grand opening is Thursday, April 11.
The coffee shop gets its name from an 1,800-mile bike ride that founder Robert Doran made from Florida to New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Doran had been traveling in Asia during the year before the pandemic and was inspired by the cafes he saw in Thailand and Vietnam. He wanted to open a business of his own, but returned to the U.S. to find an industry in turmoil. His 24-day trek gave him time to dream up a plan for Almost Home General, which opened its first location in Lincroft in 2021.
Some highlights from the breakfast menu include tempura fried scrapple with a poached egg, a hoagie stuffed with truffle fondue and crispy potato sticks, and homemade lamb sausage with gorgonzola dolce, dried cherries and sesame brittle served on a hoagie roll. There will also be a selection of all-day sandwiches, sides, fresh pastries and sweets.
The drink menu covers a variety of lattes, rotating specials, teas and lemonades. Coffee beans come from a small-batch roaster in New Jersey with a selection curated by Doran.
"While we take our coffee very seriously in terms of quality and sourcing and flavor, we like to have fun with our menus and incorporate creative specials like cereal lattes, smoked maple lattes and old-fashioned cold brews," Doran said.
The 3,000-square-foot space has seating for about 60 people and additional outdoor space. It was given a brighter look with couches and lounge furniture surrounding the main dining room.
Almost Home General is teaming up with Glu Hospitality, whose restaurants in Philly include Vesper Center City, Izakaya Fishtown, Figo Ristorante, Bagels and Co. and Brewerytown Food Hall. Doran also partners at his other Almost Home General cafes with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios and Andrew Datre, who owns Gianni's Pizzeria in Monmouth.
The other New Jersey locations are in Atlantic Highlands, Sea Bright, Jersey City and Belford. The business plans to open at least three more Almost Home General locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the coming year. Doran hinted in an Instagram post that Philly can expect a second outpost.
Initial hours at the Old City shop will be seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
