PhilaPlace

Anthony's Italian Coffee and Chocolate House

Anthony's Chocolate House exterior. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania

903 South 9th Street

This café was formerly the home of Tony Anastasio's produce store, established in 1938. Tony's grandson, Anthony, opened this coffee shop in 1995, and it has since become a prime people-watching spot. (The Anastasio produce company continues as family-run wholesale operation.) The store still has hooks that were used for hanging produce embedded in the ceiling. In addition to espresso, biscotti and panini, inside Anthony's you'll find old photos of Ninth Street, including a shot of Anthony's great-grandfather, Vernando Pagano, in his poultry store further south on 9th Street. Pagano and his daughter pose near a sign bearing the store's motto: "Please pay before killing" — a relic of the pre-supermarket era.

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