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A Spot Burgers Brick-and-Mortar Is Happening, It's Really Happening

Josh Kim's beloved burger cart is making the leap, but not in the neighborhood we originally thought.

Spot/Facebook

Last fall brought word that Josh Kim, owner of the renowned Spot Burgers cart, was looking to set up a more permanent shop. At that time, he was looking to crowdfund the endeavor, and hoped to stick close to the cart's most frequent home in West Philly, but much has changed since. Now, according to a report from Drew Lazor for Philly.com, a lease has finally been signed — and it's official, Spot is headed to up-and-coming Brewerytown. A fall opening is targeted.

Kim tells Lazor he considered various spots in the months since those first murmurs, including the Rittenhouse area, but ultimately decided to stay away from Center City because he "wanted to be more neighborhood." This spring, Kim landed a $15,000 grant toward the project from the Enterprise Center, at which point he told the PBJ that Brewerytown and South Philly were both in his sights.

Once the new restaurant opens, burgers and cheesesteaks will still provide the backbone of the menu, and it sounds like his new "Philly Jawn" will be there, too:

The Jawn. Ribeye, sloppy Joe, Whiz, onions, fries. 7/22/14 @ 33/Arch #secretmenu

A photo posted by josh (@spotburgers) on

One thing from the earliest plans remains the same: The shop's design will be handled by Kim's brother, Samuel Kim, a partner at Ambit Architecture. The firm's previous restaurant work has been seen at Stock and Dos Tacos, among others. The existing cart, which remains open for now but will be retired once the restaurant opens, will reportedly factor into the new design in some way.


Spot Burgers, 2821 W. Girard Ave., opening fall 2015.