“Back in a little while, babe. I’m going to The Jim.” Meanwhile, your elbow is getting the real workout at the snug, brand-new corner bar in South Philadelphia by Jim McNamara and Fergie Carey of Fergie’s Pub and The Goat Rittenhouse.
The bar opened last Monday at the southeast corner of Eighth and Morris Streets on the former site of JC’s Chinese Restaurant, which closed in 2020 after more than a half-century of serving American Chinese food such as pu pu platters, fried rice, and wings.
The Jim is a joint venture between Carey, McNamara, and restaurateur Tony Rim, who owns 1225 Raw and Zushi and recently closed the Foodery in Center City. Rim oversees the food menu, which will feature Korean fried chicken, wings, and dumplings, when it becomes available.
Food orders will be taken and served at the bar. For takeout, Rim will have a separate entrance about 50 feet south on 8th Street.
The Jim has eight beers on tap, assorted drinks, and Bret Arterbridge and Noel Chesters behind the bar. It opens at 4 p.m. daily.
Incidentally, the tiny barroom with its horseshoe bar has been only lightly redecorated from its days as JC’s under Joe and Renae DiCristo, who succeeded their parents, Sylvio and Frances.
Though the deal was announced last October, the kitchen needed to be gutted and remodeled.
Other news around the neighborhood: A restaurant called Sun Up Root Down will replace a nail salon at 10th and McKean Streets. Owner Dan Rubin, a Realtor, calls himself “a high-maintenance eater” because he follows a gluten-free, dairy-free diet with as few animal proteins as possible. He said the restaurant menu will accommodate this. He’s hoping to open this winter.