One of New Jersey's most popular brunch hot spots and coffee shops will make its grand debut in Old City Philadelphia starting next week. Robert Doran and partners Glu Hospitality present the grand opening of Almost Home General at 205 Race Street, in the former home of United by Blue, at the base of Bridge on Race apartments. Almost Home brings Old City District, a brand new breakfast, lunch and brunch cafe and coffee shop that offers unique and fun coffee and food paired with amazing customer service, priority on local ingredients and small businesses, and a welcome and ‘almost home’ vibe. The spacious and lofty 3,000 square foot space features seating for 60 guests. Additional outside seating will be added when nice weather breaks. Signature dishes include Tempura Fried Scrapple with Olive Oil Poached Egg, Truffle Fondue and Crispy Potato Sticks on a Hoagie Roll; Triple Flash Fried Chicken Thigh with Umami Sauce, Hot Honey Butter on a Seeded Milk Roll; Chopped Cheese-style Ribeye with Cooper Cheese and Duck Fat Braised Onions on a Kaiser Roll; House-made Lamb Sausage with Gorgonzola Dolce, Dried Cherries, Sesame Brittle on a Hoagie Roll; Eggplant Cutlet with Piri Piri, Brie De Nangni on a Vegan Hoagie Roll; and Pork Roll with Fried Eggs, American Cheese, Dill Pickle Aioli, House-Made Ketchup on a Fresh Brioche. From the coffee shop inside, look for Smoked Maple Latte, Smoked S’mores Latte, Old Fashioned Cold Brew, Pour Over Coffee (Macerated Natural/ Columbia and Washed/ Guatemala), Cold Brew Lemonade, Butterfly Lemonade, Charcoal Lemonade, Purple Haze Matcha, Cereal Latte, Bee’s Knees, Rose Lemon Espresso Tonia and their signature Shaken Espresso. Almost Home General is currently open for a preview, with the grand opening and ribbon cutting set for Thursday, April 11, 2024. Hours will be seven days a week, 7:00am to 3:00pm. Down the road look for later hours and late night bites and dinner offerings. For more information, visit almosthomegeneral.com, call 267-807-2392 and visit @almosthomegeneral on social media.

Almost Home is a family-run and oriented breakfast/lunch cafe and coffee shop designed to be a home away from home for anyone looking for a place to sit down in a comfortable setting, where you can be yourself, and enjoy great food, coffee and conversation. The design and concept is meant to be welcoming, comfortable and inviting - not stuffy and not like a library.

Doran likes customers to think of the welcoming front of house team as "family" - where they get to know customers first names and orders - and who are always ready to make suggestions for those feeling adventurous to those wanting the simpler classics. Almost Home is always family friendly, with high chairs available and kiddos welcome.

Almost Home is a concept created by Doran that originated in New Jersey, where he owns and operated six other locations with his New Jersey business partners (and extended “family”) Andrew Datre (Gianni’s Pizzeria in Monmouth County) and Braxton Berrios (former NY Jet and current Miami Dolphins wide receiver).

The idea and inspiration for the name was a dream of Doran, who lived in Asia and discovered his passion for coffee during his time in countries like Thailand and Vietnam from November 2019 to February 2020.

He found inspiration in the variety and quality of coffee shops, the brewing techniques and blends, and in the culture. He fell in love with the family-like atmosphere and wanted to bring that back to America. He wanted to create the comforting and relaxing feel that made him feel "welcome and like almost home" every time he set foot in the door.

He returned to America ready to open his first shop and was read to recreate that same feeling heading into 2020,, but the pandemic hit - and his dream was put on hold. He moved to Florida and waited for times to improve - and the opportunity presented itself to open two shops in New Jersey. His friend at the time, who later would become his business partner, Datre had found two locations for this dream to take shape.

Doran headed for New Jersey from Florida, but as someone who goes all out and puts a ton of heart into things, he did it in his own special way. He thought flight was risky with the pandemic, and he also was training for Ironman Triathlon, and loved the challenge of the ride. He also turned the ride into a fundraiser to support New Jersey baristas and small businesses.

He got on his bike and rode 1,800 miles in 24 days from Florida to finally return home to New Jersey. During that time, his partner and best friend messaged him and encouraged him along the way to keep riding - even in the toughest of those days.

During that ride he had the idea for "almost home" that would feel like the experience from Asia - where one would always feel like family even when you are far away from your own home. The shops he would then open would strive to each be unique to each neighborhood and town, but always create the atmosphere where customers could walk in as strangers and leave as family. He wants everyone to feel welcome and comfortable as if they are in their own home. During the ride he couldn’t wait to get back to New Jersey and bring this vision to his home state and family/friends. Now Doran is bringing that same "almost home" feeling to Philadelphia.

For Almost Home in Philadelphia, Doran brings his passion for coffee to the city of brotherly love - plus his appreciation and respect for Philly’s food scene. He looks forward to joining the bustling coffee industry that is growing fast stretching from Old City's cafes, to the fast growing scenes in Northern Liberties to Fishtown and East Kensington. While the industry is very competitive, his experience so far is that everyone is very supportive and looks out for one another, and competition drives everyone to do better - for the love of coffee, food and the customer.

For values and menu, Almost Home and Doran prioritizes local ingredients, supporting local farmers, raising up other small businesses and serving simple breakfast and lunch dishes just done right by spotlighting the community and adding Doran's "almost home" touch to them. Drinks are meant to showcase a creative side of coffee that balances both the seriousness and quality of sourcing with some of the best beans from the best family owned farms in the world; as well as keeping things fun. Doran said, "We really strive to test the boundaries of traditional coffee drinks."

FOOD

For the kitchen, look for a focus on local ingredients and sourcing, with a priority on supporting other local small businesses. The goal for the menu is simple dishes done right. They aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, but are definitely cooking out of the box on their variations on the classics - with duck fat braised onions, truffle fondue, wasabi tiger sauce, tempura fried scrapple, house blended sausage and more.

Menu features include breakfast sandwiches, morning plates, all day sandos, sides and add-ons. Signature dishes include Tempura Fried Scrapple with Olive Oil Poached Egg, Truffle Fondue and Crispy Potato Sticks on a Hoagie Roll; Triple Flash Fried Chicken Thigh with Umami Sauce, Hot Honey Butter on a Seeded Milk Roll; Chopped Cheese-style Ribeye with Cooper Cheese and Duck Fat Braised Onions on a Kaiser Roll; House-made Lamb Sausage with Gorgonzola Dolce, Dried Cherries, Sesame Brittle on a Hoagie Roll; Eggplant Cutlet with Piri Piri, Brie De Nangni on a Vegan Hoagie Roll; and Pork Roll with Fried Eggs, American Cheese, Dill Pickle Aioli, House-Made Ketchup on a Fresh Brioche.

Other selections include Croque Monsieur, Almost Home Benny, Smoked Salmon Bagel, Avocado Toast, Biscuit Sando, Fancy Duck Homefries, Tater Tots, Truffle Parm Fries, Breakfast Sausage, Turkey Bacon, Pork Roll, Scrapple and much more.

Look for fresh baked pastries and sweets, plus other menu items to be added.

COFFEE + DRINKS

For the coffee shop and drink program, look for dozens of drinks including Philly Specials, Matcha, Almost Famous Signature, Smoked Drinks and Coffee Mocktails, Lemonade, Pour Over and Tea.

Philly Specials include:
Salted Caramel Latte
Rose Lemon Espresso Tonic
The Philly Special
The Bean

Match includes:
Matcha Latte
Purple Haze Matcha Latte
Rose Bud Matcha
Matcha Man Lemonade

Almost Famous Signature includes:
Bee’s Knees
Shaken Expresso
Cereal Latte
Dirty Yoo Hoo
Aerocano
Monochrome
Moon Milk

Pour Over includes:
Macerated Natural/ Columbia
Washed/ Guatemala

Smoked drinks include:
Smoked Maple Latte
S’mores Latte
Old Fashioned Cold Brew

Lemonades include:
Cold Brew Lemonade
Butterfly Lemonade
Hibiscus Lemonade
Charcoal Lemonade

Teas include:
Black, Green, Hibiscus, Earl Grey, Peppermint, Chamomile

For beans, they come from a small batch roaster in NJ that are personally curated blends and single origins picked by Doran under his coffee company called "Just Rob's which are used at all Almost Home locations. Doran is also pushing third wave coffee scene, with beans light roasted which is not traditional).

Doran said, "While we take our coffee very seriously in terms of quality and sourcing and flavor we like to have fun with our menus and incorporate creative specials like cereal lattes, smoked maple lattes, old fashioned coldbrews, an amazing and creative matcha menu where we source our ceremonial grade matcha powder from a family owned farm in Kyoto Japan."

He added, "I collaborate with our baristas to come up with new drink specials both every month, and every season. Together we put out a full new drink menu for winter / fall and then a new one for spring / summer while also putting out monthly special menus made up of 3-5 additional drinks. We love to see the baristas get creative and bring their own specialty drinks to the table."

VIBE + LOCATION

For location, Almost Home signed the lease in November of 2023 and immediately got to work to open by spring of 2024. The location was ideal and just what Doran was looking for with a combination of great street value, an open lofty space that could also give that feeling of home, floor to ceiling windows and great natural light. He also loved the coffee culture developing across the waterfront neighborhoods, and wanted to be part of the great energy of Old City.

For mood, Almost Home General aims for a bright, airy and yet cozy feel. The space interior design is meant to energize with natural lighting and unique elements - but feel welcoming and like home. The tall ceilings allow for the cafe to nestle inside - plus the cozy cabin in the back corner brings out that treehouse like home feel as well.

The first thing patrons will notice is the stunning floor to ceiling custom bookcase color coded in a rainbow of colors to catch your eye, plus the interior "home" that will be converted into a special cozy nook down the road (details TBD). Cozy couches and lounge areas dart the corners of the main dining room, with a scene for everyone to feel comfortable. Coming in to do school work or business? Coming in to relax and chill? Having a meeting? Connecting with friends? There is ample space and set-ups inside for all of that and more. Floor to ceiling windows allow for beautiful natural light, with the hints of the waterfront down Race Street visible and Old City to one side and Northern Liberties to the other. The new subway tile coffee counter and latte art is also new signature additions to the space.

For look and feel, Doran said, "When we took over the space it felt dark and overwhelmed with wood. We developed a new color palette that included our brand colors we are known for and love to utilize whenever possible which is a light pink and teal color. These are inspired by the jersey shore summer and warmer happy weather. We chose to do rich, natural tones of oak impart a sense of timeless elegance and ground the space with an earthy warmth. Chestnut leather accents add a touch of luxury and comfort, offering a cozy and inviting atmosphere for guests to unwind. Pastel tiffany blue subway tiles introduce a refreshing pop of color, evoking a sense of tranquility and modernity."

For favorite design piece, Doran’s first item he brought into the space to make it like “almost home” was a rustic metal Restoration Hardware chest that acts as the coffee table. It was one of the first pieces of furniture that Rob purchased when he got back to Jersey City - and it means the world to him - and he wanted to share that with his new Philadelphia family.

NEW FAMILY IN GLU

For Almost Home's expansion to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, Doran has teamed up with Glu Hospitality and partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu. Glu Hospitality is one of the fast growing hospitality and restaurant groups emerging out of the pandemic, with a portfolio that now includes Vesper Center City, Izakaya Fishtown, Figo Ristorante, Bagels and Co., Brewerytown Food Hall, Leda's, 1225 Raw and Chika. Glu has also partnered with Simple Venue on Sushi Suite; and on Anejo Philadelphia with owners David Feit and Chef Ricardo Camacho. Glu is currently in the process of grand opening Bagels and Co. Midtown Village/ Center City, and Sushi by Bou (with Simple Venue) Midtown Village/ Center City. Glu has plans to open nearly a dozen other properties in coming months - that include Bagels and Co. in Philadelphia, Main Line, Penn State, Florida and beyond, as well as new noodle shop concepts, and the much-anticipated opening of The Peabody at Temple.

NOW IN NJ + PA

Almost Home currently has six locations in New Jersey, including Almost Home General in Lincroft (original location), Almost Home Red General in Atlantic Highlands and Almost Home Coffee in Sea Bright, Jersey City and Belford. Almost Home General in Old City is the seventh location for Almost Home. Locations are as follows:

Almost Home General - 276 Sunnyside Road, Lincroft NJ (our first location!)

Almost Home Red General - 101 Navesink Ave, Atlantic Highlands NJ

Almost Home Coffee - 1136 Ocean Ave N, Sea Bright, NJ 07760

Almost Home Coffee - 315 15th St, Jersey City, NJ 07310

Almost Home Coffee - 10 Harbor Way, Belford, NJ 07718

Almost Home General - 205 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

Down the road, Almost Home is set for future expansion with plans in the works for at least three Almost Home locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the next year.

For Almost Home General in Old City, look for more than a half dozen employees to start, plus staff support from other locations - with room for more jobs as spring begins and later hours start later toward the start of summer.