Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

Whipped Bakeshop

NOW SEATING

Master bakestress Zoë Lukas, who's been running her custom cookie/cake/cupcake business off the Web for the past year and a half, finally has a storefront to call home. Located on the corner of Belgrade and Berks in Fishtown, Whipped's brand-new address serves as a workspace for Lukas' custom order business (more about that on her site), but there's also a walk-in element, with a rotating selection of cupcakes and La Colombe coffee. (To find out what they have, go to twitter.com/whippedbakeshop.) Hours: Wed. to Fri., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat. to Sun., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Monday; and Tuesday by private appointment only. More pics on Meal Ticket.

Holy boutique caffeine on wheels, Batman! Drew Crockett's Hub Bub Coffee truck, a tricked-out vehicle pouring Stumptown coffee, jumped into the West Philly lunch cart fray this past Tuesday. UPenn grad Crockett, 26, worked for Deutsche Bank in NYC before heading back to his hometown for this venture — he's invested more than $45,000 to outfit his truck with a La Marzocco espresso machine, Fetco coffeemakers and an on-board water filtration system, among other pimp java features. Aside from coffee, Hub Bub is offering teas, lemonade and snacks like muffin tops, cinnamon rolls and cookies. He'll hold down UCity Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and may just be roaming the streets for special appearances in the near future. Keep tabs on the truck's whereabouts at twitter.com/hubbubcoffee. Check out pics and more on Meal Ticket.

New in Old City is European Republic, a frites and wraps shop run by cousins Khaled Haddad and Ali Noor (Noor has the original location in Long Island). Fresh-cut fries with more than 20 different sauces/toppers (curry, roasted garlic, peanut sauce, lemon dill, etc.) accompany a wide variety of sourdough wraps and pastas, soups and salads. Plenty of options for the vegetarian contingent, too. They're serving Sunday to Thursday from 11 to 10, and will stay open till 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Full menu on Meal Ticket.