Port Richmond eats: New Wave Cafe
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The hand-painted sign at New Wave Cafe, boasting a restaurant, bar and disco, is decorated with sunny palm trees and a bobbing eighth note. The dining room feels more like a neighborhood meeting spot than a nightclub, but with what's going on in the kitchen at New Wave Cafe, you don't really need a DJ. On a sunny afternoon, an equally sunny bartender keeps patrons happy with icy Lech beers and little tumblers of schnapps and brandy, while gracefully running down the menu for newcomers. If you haven't tried the pierogis, you probably should, and she's happy to order you a sampler with two meat, two sauerkraut and two potato — all fried golden with a side of sour cream. (You can also get them steamed or boiled.) New Wave's take on bigos marries chunks of kielbasa with bright pickled cabbage. Their kopytka, potato dumplings reminiscent of gnocchi, are bathed in a paprika-scented pork sauce. You can round it all out with a palate-cleansing scoop of beet salad that mixes the earthy-sweet fuchsia root with sour cream, dill and chunks of white onions.
Recommended dishes: Kopytka with meat sauce, beet salad, bigos
2620 E. Allegheny Ave. • 215-634-3224 hours: Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (bar until 2 a.m.)
