East Falls welcomes two new businesses to Conrad Street

Margarita Collado, is the driving force behind a new grocery store in the 3400 block of Conrad Street in East Falls. 

After graduating from the Santiago University of Technology in the Dominican Republic, Margarita spent a number of years in the marketing departments of major corporations, including Pepsi International and Colgate, before moving to the U.S. in 2005 with her husband, Valentine. Both are now U.S. citizens, part of an extended family operating several small grocery stores in the Philadelphia area.

East Falls Grocery opened its doors on Jan. 13. The store is stocked with drinks, snacks, canned goods, cereals, beans, pastas, pet foods, and general supplies such as diapers, cleaning supplies and pain relievers. Additionally, customers can find kitchen staples such as breads, coffees and baking supplies, along with a selection of frozen foods, fresh fruits, deli meats and vegetables.

Margarita says the community has given her a warm welcome so far. She and Valentine are keeping long hours at the request of customers, opening at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday while closing at 9 p.m. most evenings.  The shop closes at 7 p.m. on Sundays. 

Laxmi’s Indian Grill 

In mid-February, Manu Dutt opened Laxmi’s Indian Grill at the corner of Tilden and Conrad Streets – a companion restaurant to Laxmi’s on Manayunk’s Main Street, which opened three years ago. The restaurants are named after Dutt’s mother.

Dutt knew East Falls would be a good location because the Manayunk restaurant was routinely getting orders for delivery to East Falls, with customers saying they preferred the convenience of home delivery to searching for parking in Manayunk.

Laxmi’s features an extensive menu of classic Indian foods. Appetizers include Vegetable Samosas, pastries filled with spiced potatoes, and chaats, crispy wafers with combinations of vegetables or shrimp.

Curry sauces include vegetable and cream mixtures using combinations of onions, peppers, tomatoes and spinach, plus spices and herbs. You can order the curries mild, medium, spicy or extra spicy with chicken, lamb, seafood or paneer (a fresh cheese).

The tandoor selections include chicken, seafood and kabobs cooked in the traditional tandoori style, which applies very high heat to spiced, marinated meats, paneer or seafood.

The menu includes lots of vegetarian dishes and many can be made vegan on request.

Takeout for pickup or delivery is available after 5 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday and open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner service begins at 5 p.m.

For reservations or information about takeout, delivery or catering, go to LaxmisIndian.com or call 267-335-3312.