Over the summer, we lamented the number of vacancies on the 600 block of South St., pointing out prominent retail spaces that have been empty for years. According to a recent thread on Philadelphia Speaks, one (or possibly two) of those spaces will soon be filled.

Awesome sign

Progress coming soon

602 South St., formerly home of the extremely underrated Salsolito Cafe, will apparently soon become the second Philadelphia location for European Republic, a french fries and wraps place that currently operates out of a Chestnut St. address in Old City.

Quite the logo

Hilariously, on the About page of the company’s website, the first sentence characterizes the establishment as “a restaurant serving up fresh and healthy European wraps in the Philadelphia area!” Huh. Not exactly what you’d expect from a place with french fries in the logo. But apparently, they do serve numerous wraps, salads, soups, and pastas (pasta primavera! of course!). We’ve walked by this place dozens of times over the past couple of years, but being calorie and cholesterol conscious, never actually stepped inside. If we’d only known!!!

Hopefully, this new business will bring some much needed energy and stir the pot a little bit on this block. Perhaps even more interesting and awesome, the same person on Philly Speaks who confirmed that European Republic is coming to 602 South St. also indicated that the former McDonald’s location on the corner might actually be getting a new tenant in the near future. No details were given, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on…