The Singing Fountain Block Is Filling Up With Rooms You Book Ahead

Daniel Solway's first dinner parties were in his South Philadelphia apartment. He hid extra furniture behind hanging bedsheets, borrowed folding chairs from his father's house, and served tasting menus on mismatched thrift-store plates. The Philadelphia Inquirer told that story in May, when Solway signed a lease at 1546 E. Passyunk Ave., right across from the Singing Fountain.

Three days before that, the Inquirer reported that Miled Finianos had signed for 1515 E. Passyunk Ave. That's the permanent home for Habibi Supper Club, the Lebanese dinner series he'd been running in borrowed spaces around the city. The two addresses face each other. Next door to Santé, an artist studio is under construction. Five months on, the busiest block on the Avenue is getting businesses that think in bookings, events, and programs more than in walk-in tables. Heading into November, none of their doors are open yet.

Three Doors Around the Fountain, and Where Each One Stands

Here's the block as each business describes it on its own site, plus the most recent projected dates from local press.

The dates have slipped a little, as storefront build-outs do. In May, Finianos hoped to open in October or November "if construction and permitting cooperate." By September, the Inquirer's fall restaurant forecast had moved that to possibly the end of the year. Fountain Studios says it will contact interested artists once construction is close to done, so the studio is a sign-up list for now.

These Rooms Are Built Around the Calendar

Each tenant's plan starts with how a night in its space gets organized.

Solway described Santé Social to the Inquirer as an outgrowth of an events business. "We're in the events business, and my background is in wine, so we do a lot of wine tastings, classes, dinners, events, and collaborations," he said. "This space is a natural evolution of that." He plans weekly programming around beverages, art, and community. The room is meant to switch between a class, a tasting, and a dinner. Cocktails are being developed with Danny Childs of Slow Drinks. Walk-ins are part of the plan but a small one.

Habibi runs on a similar clock. The Inquirer described daytime brunch and lunch that hand off to ticketed supper clubs on weekend nights. Finianos launched the series in December 2023 around Lebanese flavors and communal dining. He has also said he wants it to stay open to everyone. "I don't want there ever to be a paywall behind culture," he told the paper. "I want it to be highbrow, lowbrow." That split means a casual daytime door and a reserved nighttime one, both at the same address.

Fountain Studios fills in the third piece. Santé says it plans to collaborate with the studio's rotating artist residency on exhibitions and creative programming. The studio is also pitching First Friday events and artist-led workshops. Put the three together and the fountain corner has a calendar of its own, with wine on one side, Lebanese suppers on the other, and gallery nights next door.

The Inquirer places Santé and Habibi in a citywide pattern. Its May report called them "only the newest underground-style supper clubs formalizing their ambitions in brick-and-mortar settings." It listed Amanda Shulman's Her Place Supper Club, Liz Grothe's Couch Cafe, now Scampi, and RJ Smith's Ocho Supper Club before them. On East Passyunk, two of those businesses chose the same block.

Why These Leases Landed Here

Both operators gave reasons that had to do with the place itself. For Solway, two things lined up: "The opportunity to get a liquor license, and to find a great space in a neighborhood that I love." Finianos spent nine months looking for a South Philadelphia location. He ended up in a former accountant's office, which amuses him because he used to work as an accounts-payable accountant. "I feel like Habibi is very tied to the identity of South Philadelphia — East Passyunk and the Italian Market," he told the Inquirer.

Some space is opening up on the Avenue for a quieter reason. A few blocks south, the three connected buildings that housed Mamma Maria's went up for sale in August. The Inquirer reported asking prices of $1.5 million for 1637 E. Passyunk Ave. sold with the kitchen building at 1632 S. Jessup St., and $2 million for 1639 E. Passyunk Ave. The restaurant had been closed since 2020. The family said it hopes a buyer brings a fresh vision.

Days later, the Inquirer folded Mamma Maria's, which opened in 1992, into a broader story about what one commercial broker calls "the gray wave." Longtime owners across the region are reaching retirement, often with no heirs who want to take over. Douglas Green of the commercial brokerage MSC explained in that piece that a restaurant property's value follows the sales it can support. "The more volume they do, the more rent they can pay," he said. The same article noted the turnover doesn't point to a shrinking restaurant market. The paper counted 86 area closings in 2025, against more than 100 new restaurants and bars planned for 2026.

The former Marra's at 1734 E. Passyunk Ave. shows the turnover running in the other direction, with an established restaurant moving in from elsewhere. PhillyVoice reported in December 2025 that EMei, the Szechuan restaurant from Chinatown, would take over the space. In September, Eater Philly's fall preview listed it for "late fall," with the team hoping to open before year-end. For now, EMei's website still lists only its Chinatown location at 915 Arch St.

What You Can Actually Book in November

None of these East Passyunk doors are serving yet, but the businesses behind them are still running events. Here's what's on the calendar.

1. Habibi's November Teta's Table. Finianos's November supper is a Lebanese-inspired Thanksgiving menu with spiced rice, sweet potato, and pumpkin kibbeh. Tickets are $90. Seatings are Nov. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20 at 7 p.m., and the listing gives the location only as "South Philly. BYOB!" The Nov. 5 and Nov. 12 seatings were already marked sold out in late October, so the other dates are the realistic options.
2. Santé's public events. Santé keeps a public events calendar until Santé Social opens. Its October events were held at partner venues, Philly Cheese School and Yay Clay, so check the venue on each listing before you go.
3. Love & Honey Fried Chicken, 1523 Passyunk Ave. This is the walk-in option on the same stretch. It celebrated its grand opening on June 27 and serves hand-dredged fried chicken, house-made sauces, and comfort-food sides.
4. Fountain Studios interest list. If you make art and want a studio a few steps from the fountain, the studio's site has a form, and they'll reach out as construction wraps.

Habibi has already tried out its new address once. The East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District listed a one-night Habibi and Philly Hummus Girl pop-up at 1515 on Oct. 1.

When the Fountain Block Fills In

In May, the Inquirer placed Habibi "across from Ember & Ash and down the block from the new Love & Honey Chicken." Ember & Ash's own site currently lists the restaurant as temporarily closed and preparing to reopen, with no date posted.

The latest projected dates from local press are "possibly by the end of year" for Habibi at 1515, "this fall" for Santé Social at 1546, and "late fall" for EMei at 1734. Until those doors open, the Nov. 6 Teta's Table is the earliest of these dinners still listed without a sold-out mark.

Storefronts turning into event rooms is the kind of block-by-block change we pay attention to, and it matters when we stage and market a rowhome a few doors from the fountain. If you're thinking about what your place on Tasker or Morris could look like to the next buyer, Philly Home Collective would love to walk the Avenue with you first. Work with us.