Medusa Pizza opened its doors about a month ago at the corner of E York & Gaul, adding to Fishtown's embarrassment of pizza riches. We first told you about this project almost three years ago, when we shared the news that a red warehouse that most recently housed a meat packer would be replaced by a new commercial building housing a 140-seat pizza restaurant. The project moved rather slowly, as framing was still ongoing when we visited in the fall of 2014. But the speed of construction doesn't matter anymore, as the business is now operating and pushing out pizzas on the regular.
Unfortunately, when we snapped this photo, they weren't open- we should have looked at this Philly.com story which provides the hours and some menu info as well before making the trek. The story also includes this image, which gives you an idea of what the place looks like on the inside.
Since they weren't open when we visited, we didn't have a chance to try their wares, but we will certainly try to sample some 'za the next time we're in the neighborhood.
But we don't just bring this place to your attention today to get you excited for lunch. We also think it's worth it to point out that this project is purely commercial new construction on a mixed-use corridor. And we can't think of too many examples of this in Fishtown or any other neighborhood for that matter. Five blocks away on Frankford Avenue, we see plenty of ground-floor commercial with apartments above. A few blocks away on Aramingo Avenue, we see plenty of commercial uses without accompanying residential, but that's happening in and around shopping centers.
Across the street, 2424 Studios, with its a mix of office space, event space, and a diner, is a solely commercial building. But it's a different animal because it's an old warehouse that's been reused, not a new building. Looking at some of the development that's taking place nearby, we see almost exclusively residential projects.
It's cool, for a change, to see a new building that's purely commercial, even though it probably isn't the most lucrative use for the parcel in question. Surely, the hungry neighbors and folks that work across the street don't much care whether there are apartments above Medusa Pizza- they're mostly concerned with the tastiness of their lunch or dinner.