While Hinge Café, situated on a cozy corner in Port Richmond, might be best known for its delicious food, owner T DeLuca said the shop originally started as an art gallery and coffee house.
“In the beginning, it was just going to be a coffee house with art. That’s where the name ‘hinge’ comes from,” DeLuca said. “We wanted to hinge arts with the community. Now, here we are, eight years later.”
As Hinge has an entire room dedicated to showcasing and selling artwork by mostly local artists, DeLuca said she is always impressed by the talent of the artists that share their work with Hinge diners.
She said that the gallery and restaurant brings in new artists’ work mostly through “word of mouth,” and she tries to keep the exhibitions rotating to present a wide variety of work.
In fact, she said the diners are often the toughest critics.
“The diners here are often artists themselves, and they are great critics,” she said. “We try to treat our food as an art form as well.”
Smiling as she learned of Hinge Café’s win in the contest, DeLuca said that she was happy that so many people appreciate the work the café does to showcase local artists’ pieces.
“This tells us that this is still alive and kicking,” she said. “We’ve accomplished what we’ve sought out to do, and it’s so rewarding.
Swing by Hinge Café at 2652 E. Somerset St. to check out the current exhibition, or call 215–425–6614.
-Hayden Mitman
Runner-up: Portside Art Center at 2531 E. Lehigh Ave.
