Supper Sessions in Mt. Airy: 4 Nights, 9 Restaurants, Lots of Fun

by 
Bradley Maule, for the Shuttle

Supper Sessions on the Avenue

5:30-11 p.m. Tuesdays in September:
Sept. 5, 12,19, 26
7100 block Germantown Avenue

More Info: mtairyusa.org

On Tuesday evenings this month, plan on taking a trip downtown — downtown Mt. Airy. 

With the second annual Supper Sessions on the Avenue, the 7100 block of Germantown Avenue will again transform into an outdoor café, one that happens to have 11 different chefs. 

The nine restaurants on the block — Chef Ken’s Cafe, Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange, Earth Bread + Brewery, Golden Crust Pizza, The Juice Room, Jyoti Indian Bistro, McMenamin’s Tavern, Mi Puebla and Trattoria Moma — bring tables, chairs and friendly service out onto the Belgian blocks and trolley tracks; cars and buses will reroute as the historic corridor opens up to folks on foot. 

This summer, four of the free outdoor movies shown at Pleasant Playground and Trolley Car Diner were rained out, so we’ve decided to bring those to the Avenue, too. Drop a blanket or unfold your camping chairs in the side yard at Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church for showings of recent classics including “Moana” and “Bend It Like Beckham.” Titles roll about 7:45 p.m.

In the same space, we’ll kick off each Supper Session about 5:30 with story time for children featuring local readers and kid-oriented musical performances. Grown-up performances by local heroes Bethlehem & Sad Patrick, Ryan Tennis and others go live near the Sedgwick Theater a bit later. 

The Sedgwick’s resident company, Quintessence Theatre Group, will open the lobby to preview their upcoming season — and lure you into their speakeasy, with local distilleries sampling cocktails featuring craft spirits made here in Philadelphia. Likewise, the three bars on the block (Earth Bread, Grain Exchange and McMenamin’s) will have beer specials: $1 off a select draft when you use a collectible Supper Sessions glass. Mt. Airy USA has them for sale online ($10) and on the Avenue. 

Several businesses of the non-food-and-drink variety, including Blacqskirt and The Shop on the Avenue, will stay open late, and local artists and artisans will be showing and selling their works. Expect businesses from other parts of the neighborhood to put their services under the Avenue’s spotlight. For example, Y2BFit, winner of this year’s Philly.com Readers Choice poll for best yoga studio in Philadelphia, will lead a free yoga class on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The same night, Handcraft Workshop will set up 15-20 sewing machines near Queenie’s Pets for a free sewing workshop. 

In addition to our nine brick-and-mortar restaurants, we’ll also have some of the mobile variety on hand. Each week will feature two rotating local food trucks, a sweet and a savory, to bring back a small taste of Supper Sessions’ predecessor, Street Fare. 

All told, we’re very excited for this second edition of Supper Sessions. Follow us on social media @GoMtAiry for the latest updates, and see you on Tuesdays! 

Brad Maule is a Weavers Way member and a publicist for Go Mt. Airy and Mt. Airy USA. Reach him at bmaule@mtairyusa.com.