September 13, 2018

Trolley Car Station diner up and running at 40th Street trolley stop

But Hell's Kitchen chef Barbie Marshall is already out as executive chef

By Emily Rolen
PhillyVoice Staff

Trolley Car Station//Facebook

The two-story Trolley Car Station restaurant, at 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue in West Philly, includes outdoor seating. The diner, which already had its soft opening, serves alcohol. The grand opening grand opening will be Sept. 27,

It took eight years for Trolley Car Station diner to fully claim its spot next to the 40th Street trolley station in West Philly. But the train has finally arrived for its soft open.

The two-story restaurant at 40th and Baltimore Avenue with an outdoor seating area with trees and a bike share station joins Ken Weinstein's Trolley Car Cafe in East Falls and Trolley Car Diner in Kensington. A grand opening will be on Sept. 27.

Philly chef Barbie Marshall, the two-time Hell's Kitchen contestant, is already out as executive chef, Eater reported. Marshall created the menu and staff, but just one week into its opening, has left due to obligations with her catering and consulting business, as per Eater.

Trolley Car Station's menu has a decent brunch display and classic American-style diner dishes for lunch and dinner. It's heavy comfort food — fried chicken, biscuits and sausage gravy, pancakes, waffles, grilled cheese, bbq skewers, burgers. It's also got a few veg options like the Seitan Tatsoi (vegan lo mein), some vegan salad options, seitan skewers, hummus and avocado toast.

The diner also serves alcohol. Eater said a Pho-flavored cocktail is on the menu, although the drink menu is not on Trolley Car Station's website yet.

Based on social media posts, the restaurant's preview night on Aug. 30 was met with good reviews.

Lovin @trolleycarstn opening event in my neighborhood (40th & Baltimore) chef @BarbieMarshall doin her thang! More to come... pic.twitter.com/QhWsRDJjYs
— Tinsel & Tine (@tinseltine) August 30, 2018

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News flash!!! The @trolleycarstation opens to the public on September 27th, located at 3940 Baltimore Avenue. And guess who’s the executive chef...it’s @barbiemarshall 🙌🏽 congrats on this new adventure! I’m so happy that this is located in an area I’m from. West Philly seems to be a popular area these days for new restaurants. Let’s keep the momentum going! These are just a few shots from a light preview last week. I enjoyed light bites and a few mocktails. I can’t wait to go back to try a few items with my family. This restaurant is spacious and there’s a beautiful mural in the upstairs dining area. Mark your calendars, I’ll definitely will be back when it opens🍴😊🍴 Thank you sooo much @phillygrub for inviting me 🤗 I appreciate it!

A post shared by Karen Macaraya (@fun_philly_foodie) on Sep 4, 2018 at 5:15pm PDT