Torresdale - Philadelphia, PA Area Guide

Torresdale was home of early Philadelphia’s rich and famous. The farms and estates included power brokers, bankers, industrialists, politicians and more. By the 1890s some of the first electrification illuminated the waterfront. By the 1930s the Torresdale estates began to look attractive to developers as the automobile let residents seek other retreats and encouraged visitors. The post WWII housing boom set Torresdale’s destiny as a suburb within the city. Like earlier times, the Delaware River remains a popular workplace and recreation area for young and old.

Glen Foerd On The Delaware, a grand riverfront estate, resides on Grant Avenue and offers historical tours to the public. Philadelphia's all-bug museum, The Insectarium, educates children and adults alike on Frankford Avenue.

Every Labor Day weekend, Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein on Acadamy Road hosts a three-day Oktoberfest.

Most restaurants reside along the popular Frankford Avenue, with most of the cuisine being American fare and pizza. Be sure to choose Buffalo House, where a large selection of gourmet homemade pizza, cheese steaks and buffalo wings garner many rave reviews.

You can find The Dining Car and Market featured in Guy Fieri's book, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, an All American Road Trip." Not your average 24-hour diner, this family-based destination features a full-service bar, bakery and market in an art deco atmosphere. Try the French onion soup and "Philly's Best" Jewish apple cake, two of the recipes they are famous for.

For craft beer, fun food and an equally fun atmosphere, head to Three Monkeys Cafe on nearby James Street. Be sure to try their Potato Chimps, fresh cut chips with a variety of toppings such as lump crab meat, cheese steak or hummus. Equally as popular is the specialty mac and cheese. Lobster, short rib and broccoli options make a childhood favorite even better.

Torresdale has a laid-back nightlife scene, but its closeness to Center City allows the option for high-energy weekends as well. Maggie's Waterfront Cafe on North Delaware Avenue hosts Quizzo every Wednesday and karaoke every Thursday nights. Weekends get lively with DJs and dancing. Live music plays outdoors during warmer months, with spectacular views of the river. The Taggart House on Frankford holds a casual atmosphere with a jukebox, outdoor patio with a big screen TV and live music on the weekends.

Torresdale tends to be a highly car-dependent neighborhood, but SEPTA provides public transportation with the Trenton Line Regional Rail servicing the Torresdale train station. There are a few taxi services in the area that will require you to call ahead and will cost around $30 to get to Center City, whereas Uber will run about $20.

While there are some sidewalks in the neighborhood, it doesn't sway to the pedestrian-friendly side. Bike lanes travel from Linden Avenue in the far northeast to O Street adjacent to the Erie-Torresdale Station. Due to the slightly more suburban nature of the area, most parking can be found in free public lots, and access to major highways such as Route 1 and 95 is easy, depending on traffic.

Pleasant Hill Park on Linden and Delaware avenues draws adults and children alike with lovely views of the Delaware River. A playground and fish hatchery where youngsters can fish provide entertainment for kids, while adults enjoy the peacefulness.

Fluehr Park sits on 64 acres on Grant Avenue between I-95 and Frankford Avenue. This very active park stays well-maintained with several ball fields, soccer fields, a paved jogging path and even a duck pond. Often you can see as many as 30 dog owners with their dogs in the park, as this can be considered the closest park to a dog park in Northeast Philadelphia.

The parks remain free, as does the parking. There are no annual activities or events held in these parks.

Renting in Torresdale, PA is quite affordable. A one-bedroom apartment typically falls around the average of $1,200 per month, offering a cozy and wallet-friendly space to call home. Renting a house might be just the ticket if you're yearning for more room and a taste of suburban living. Houses for rent in Torresdale usually range from $1,800 to $2,500 per month, granting you not only extra space but also the joy of outdoor relaxation. And if you're contemplating taking the homeownership plunge, the average house price sits at approximately $260,000, presenting an exciting opportunity to plant roots.

Along with restaurants, Frankford Avenue also hosts much of the shopping in Torresdale. Although the options consist mostly of chain retail shops, drugstores and florists, the Philadelphia Mills mall sits about 4 miles away with over 200 popular stores, making it Philadelphia's largest outlet and value retail shopping destination. A movie theater and a Dave and Buster's on the property add to the experience. The Andalusia Bookman on Bristol Pike provides a magical escape from the everyday. With a stock of over 60,000 books covering a wide range of items but specializing in 19th- and 18th-century illustrated books, rare anthropology, early hermeneutics, natural history, first editions and signed items, Beat lit, '60s material, unusual occult, erotica and esoterica, there's sure to be something special for any bibliophile. They also carry also a vast collection of ephemera, art work, movie posters of the 1940s and '50s, art journals and a collection of rare jazz records. Old World craftsmanship and dedication to quality are still alive and well on Frankford and can be found at Summerdale Mills Fabric and Home Decorating Center, a one-stop source for fabric, with over 1 million yards in stock at unbeatable prices, custom window treatments, drapery, bedding, shades, shutters and furniture. They also offer re-upholstery service and will even come to your house to help with measurements and fabric selection. ShopRite, Giant and Save-A-Lot grocery stores service the area, and the Dutch Country Farmers' Market operates in the nearby Rhawnhurst neighborhood.