Fishtown is what happens when a former working-class waterfront neighborhood — named for the shad fishing that sustained it through the 19th century, and then the tanneries and factories that replaced it — becomes the landing spot for a generation of artists, chefs, and musicians priced out of other cities. The transformation has been faster and more complete than almost anywhere comparable in the US. By the mid-2010s, Frankford Avenue had become one of the most interesting single commercial streets in Philadelphia, and by the early 2020s it was nationally recognized.
The spine of the neighborhood is Frankford Avenue from Girard north to Susquehanna: Wm. Mulherin's Sons (a converted whiskey blending facility turned restaurant and hotel), Suraya (an all-day Lebanese restaurant in a converted rowhouse), Laser Wolf (the Philadelphia outpost of Michael Solomonov's rooftop grill), and a string of bars that range from serious natural wine to neighborhood dive. The El runs overhead on Frankford, giving the street a particular urban texture. The music scene at venues like Johnny Brenda's has been consistently good for twenty years. Fishtown rewards wandering: the residential blocks are leafy and handsome, and the street art is excellent.