Philadelphia, PA
- In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, the City’s Department of Commerce is working with immigrant-owned restaurants on Passport PHL, an initiative designed to encourage residents to explore the city’s diverse neighborhoods and businesses. The third iteration of Passport PHL, which runs June 1-30, 2018, will take place in the Oxford Circle neighborhood.
Throughout the month of June, Philadelphia residents can patronize any of the four participating businesses and collect stamps to earn a special discount. Individuals can pick up a Passport PHL booklet at any of the participating restaurants or download and print their own at home. Every time they make a purchase, they will receive one stamp, and once three stamps are collected they are able to present their passport at the fourth location for a 10% discount at the restaurant.
Participating Oxford Circle businesses include:
Bisho’s Cafe & Bakery, 2329 Cottman Avenue
Bishara Kuttab moved to Philadelphia from Jerusalem five years ago. Bisho’s is offering specials during Ramadan, specifically for iftar, which is when the fast is broken in the evening each day. The restaurant will be offering a full meal, including traditional items such as dates, homestyle stews, rice, and chicken or lamb. All year round, Bisho’s offers Middle Eastern cuisine, including commonly known items like falafel, hummus, and flatbread.
Buccann, 7254 Castor Avenue
Sal Nunez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved around between New York and Boston for years before settling in Philadelphia, where he has lived for the past 20 years. After working in construction and owning a pizzeria, Nunez decided to build a Latin Caribbean restaurant. Buccann is a year and a half old and is full of details hand-crafted by Nunez himself, with the help of his son. The menu includes Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine, along with American foods like steaks, made with a Latin flair.
Pho Saigon, 6842 Bustleton Avenue
Chuong Le came to Philadelphia from Vietnam 15 years ago, and since moving here he has worked hard to build his Vietnamese restaurants around Philadelphia. The Pho Saigon location in Oxford Circle opened a year ago and serves Vietnamese food with a French influence. Traditional pho, banh mi served on French baguettes, grilled pork chops, and Vietnamese iced coffee are a few of the menu options. The restaurant works to create high-quality food to introduce people to Vietnamese cuisine.
Villa Brazil, 6905 Castor Avenue
Villa Brazil is a family-owned operation that has been open for more than a year. Edinei Almeida began the restaurant with his mother, brother and wife, who came to Philadelphia from Rio de Janeiro in 2005. The buffet-style restaurant has a menu that represents the basic elements of Brazilian food, along with a salad bar and desserts like flan.
Residents can share their experiences at participating restaurants on social media using #PassportPHL.
