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Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh, the geniuses behind the perennially-packed Cheu Noodle Bar and Bing Bing Dim Sum, officially signed the lease yesterday to their new spot on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown. The duo chose to take over one of the most iconic buildings in the neighborhood, the old Bicycle Stable, a once-police horse stable converted into a bike shop before it closed in 2015.
Puchowitz quipped, "We're all out of tricks," when asked to divulge the concept for the new space at 1420 Frankford Ave. It'll be Cheu, just the same as the one in Washington Square West with all of its ramen and chicken wing goodness, but maybe with a different name (they're toying with Cheu Fishtown or Cheu North). "It's a lot bigger, so we'll be able to do more things."
Puchowitz acknowledges that, at this point, Cheu is a more replicable model. Now three years old, the Cheu concept is completely solidified — recreating its success in Fishtown would be a smarter move than trying to clone the ever-evolving beast of an operation that is East Passyunk's Bing Bing.
They're shooting for an end-of-summer opening. Stay tuned for more details.