Manayunk—This St. Patrick’s Day at The Cresson Inn, a building that has evolved from one iteration to another for over a century, they are opening their doors once again.
Originally the 111-year old building was an Inn before its first transformation into a new business venture; evolving into a shoe store with a speakeasy being run out of the basement, the Cresson Inn is tapping back into some of its roots. Aside from dealing with the not-so-ideal prohibition era—a time when adults who refused to give up the indulgence of alcoholic, and forcing everyone to be more creative with how and where they obtained their preferred boozy concoctions—the shoe store/speakeasy was appropriately and perhaps unintentionally giving a nod to the town with which the Inn is located.
Originally referred to as the town of Flat Rock, Manayunk received its iconic name at a town council meeting on May 4, 1824. The residents chose the name from the Lenape Indian word for the Schuylkill River “Manaiung” which literally translates to “a place to drink” in English.
And The Cresson Inn is once again returning to our area as a place to drink, as they re-open on March 17th as a new and improved ‘corner bar.’ The Cresson Inn has gone through a complete renovation of the space, with delicious new food and drink options to choose from.
Childhood friends Tracy Hardy and Nate Sanders decided to join forces to bring “The Original Yunkers” Bar back to life. Both Hardy and Sanders were born and raised in Manayunk and met while attending kindergarten at James Dobson Elementary. The Cresson Inn quickly became their second home once they turned 21. It was a spot to drink, eat, and build connections.
The bar has been in the Sanders family for half a century. Nate’s grandparents – Chuck Otis and Lucy Sanders founded the joint, which sits underneath the train trestle at the corner of Gay and Cresson Streets, and would eventually sell to Nate’s aunt and uncle, Dan and Shirley Sanders in 1981. After remaining in the family for the past 50 years, the Sanders sold the establishment to Tracy Hardy and his wife Jennifer Gomez-Hardy, who also own The New Lou & Choo’s Lounge in the city’s Hunting Park neighborhood.
“I’m really excited to be working with Nate, whom I’ve known my entire life,” said Hardy in a press release. “He’s an excellent collaborator, a better friend, and the guy you want in-house to help manage and run a bar. I can’t wait to get the doors open and serve our community in a place I’ve been hanging around for much of my life.”
The menu, which offers a streamlined selection of options, will include a variety of sandwiches like the Cod Sandwich (served on a brioche bun with French fries ~ $15); The Philly Anthem (hot sausage topped with seared ribeye, peppers, onions, and cheese served on a pretzel roll ~ $15); and A Grilled Ruben (stacked high with corned beef, slaw, and Swiss cheese on rye ~ $17).
You can also look forward to seeing interesting twists on old favorites, like their Seafood Stuffed Grilled Cheese (loaded with salmon, shrimp, and crabmeat ~ $20); The Chicken-Nut (fried chicken breast with sweet chili or hot honey sauce served on a glazed donut ~ $15); and for anyone looking to have a burger-hold-the-meat; the Cresson Inn also has a Beyond Burger ~$16.
And since #brunch is a favorite past-time too, The Cresson Inn will host weekend brunches with eight local craft beers on tap, and a specialty cocktail menu featuring what Sanders calls a ‘Manayunk Mimosa’ (sparkling wine and Mad Dog 2020 Orange Jubilee—only available on Sundays) along with a few other surprises.
The Cresson Inn is located at 114 Gay Street in Manayunk, and will be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more information and to see a full menu, you can go to: https://cressoninn.com.