So, my sister emailed me today and asked if I remembered “The Hungry Pilgrim” restaurant.
Of course I do. She asked where it was.
I think there were two. One in the Willow Grove/Warrington area (I think).
The other locale I am certain of: It was at Germantown Pike and Plymouth Road.
It was The Hungry Pilgrim. Then it became B. Rathbone’s. Similar menus.
I remember one menu item: Pizza Soup.
It had a “crust” (kind of like French Onion Soup has that bread at the bottom) at the bottom.
It had a tomato sauce style broth – and baked cheese. And pepperoni baked into the cheese if you wanted.
It was awesome. I remember eating it as a kid. The rest of the menu was typical american fare. It was a good place to grab a bite.
Rathbone’s folded up shop around the turn of the century (20th to 21st). Pizza soup was taken off the menu a few years before that. Coincidence? I think not!
It is now a Mattress Giant.
If you stop in and try the Sealey or the Serta mattresses clear your sinuses and take a good whiff. You might just smell the pizza soup in the kitchen.
Funny memory. Loved the pizza soup story. I worked there (at the Pilgrim for 2 yrs. as a waiter) There was actually only one location: Ply Mtg. Mall. Rathbones was a sister bar owned by the same people. We were also known for our fajitas; I dreaded bringing them out with grease splattering everywhere…
The original structure was actually a little motel called Campbell’s Oasis. To my recollection, they at one point also advertised selling bait, presumably if you were hopping onto the NE extension of the Turnpike to go fishing in the Poconos. The front brick wall, which has a characteristic stepped pattern, is a vestige of the side wall of the motel. (I’ve driven past there many times.)
Along the same lines, you may recall the George Washington Motor Lodge on the opposite side of Germantown Pike. Torn down to allow expansion of Plymouth Road, this establishment, I think, probably rented rooms by the hour. It was also a good place to get your car stolen from.
OMG I remember this soup. There was on in Plymouth Meeting Mall in Phila I think. Where are they now?
I LOVED this resturant as a kid… wish it was still around… as I remember it was actually attached to the mall not at the mattress giant building, because I remember it being right next to te skeevy “Supercade” arcade. Everytime we went I got the same thing, kids fried shrimp basket and a shirley temple, I used to love that the cherries were on those little plastic swords.
i have some of my clearest memories of that place reason being, that pizza soup was the first thing i ever tried to re-create in a kitchen. now 12 years later i’m a rather succesful chef who still can’t put my finger on that EXACT flavor and would LOVE if someone had the recipe.
In the 80’s the Hungry Pilgrim was on Ridge Pike near Butler Pike. B Rathbone was where the Mattress Giant now is. They were owned by Brian Odner (sp?) who also owned the Gin Mill in Fort Washington. I worked at B Rathbone around 1983. Wonderful place. I miss the crab chowder.
B Rathbone was the Matress Giant and The Hungry Pilgram was connected to the PM mall.
B Rathbone had really hot girls as bartenders. I use to close it four or five times aweek…
With the short black skirts. So hot. I loved when they had to search for a beer in the ground cooler with their butt in the air….
Pizza soup was A-mazing! I worked there for 4 years around 89-92 as a busboy/ waiter/ bar back. The place was great! Favorite menu item was the quesadillas and Karaoke night. Memories!
I worked there in 89 also.. hmm..
If you are craving that pizza soup you had as a kid, I just saw on Fox 29 that a place called Race Street Cafe serves it. I looked on the website and didn’t see it on the menu so I would call just in case it is a soup of the day.
http://www.racestreetcafe.net/ordereze/1000/Page.aspx
I was a busboy at the Pilgrim when it was on Ridge Pike, near Butler Pike. It was my first job. Then his landlord (who didn’t like Brian one little bit) realized that his lease didn’t allow him to have a full restaurant, just bar with finger food. The Pilgim closed, becoming Porky’s, still owned by Brian. The landlord was hoping Brian would leave, but he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I worked there until it became Porky’s, but I was too young to work in a bar.
Later, the Pilgrim moved into the Plymouth Meeting Mall and stayed there until again, he lost his lease, because the mall was hoping to get a Sears Hardware store at that location, but it never happend.
We had some great people who worked there. I still remember the head waitress, Carol; Donna, a blonde waitress who always had me do her receipts and Chris, a dishwasher who went to PW with me. Ah… good times!
Wow, can’t believe this wonderful blog about the Hungry Pilgrim. It was the brain child of Brian Odner and his chef partner Bill ( sorry can’t recall Bills’ last name) Anyway, they opened the Pilgrim on Ridge and Butler in 1974. I remember how excited I was to get a job there. I was young, and it was a happening place. Lot’s of fun!! Then Brian and Bill parted ways. Brian did open a few more places, like “The Pilgrim” in the Plymouth Meeting Mall, The Gin Mill of Fort Washington, and Marmadukes up on 202 in Center Square. Bill moved down to Jersey and opened a restaurant on or neat Long Beach called the Grapevine. Don’t know whatever to both of them, but thanks for this website. It sure brought back a lot of fond memories
I was a waiter at the Hungry Pilgrim..back in 89-90. then got a job working full time at Hess’s Department store next door. Good Memories. used to go home every night smelling like those damn sizzling fajitas.