The Raven Cafe quietly slid into action on Friday inside The Dovetail at the Glenside Lanes, bringing a compact, community-minded coffee bar to 2256 Mount Carmel Avenue. Co-owned by Glenside locals Jason Dooney, Lara Witt and Rhiannon Punzo, the cafe is pitched as a daytime third place that will pull double duty as a live-music spot down the line. For now, the lineup is tight and straightforward: Rival Bros coffee, Rishi tea and pastries, with plans to bulk up seating and roll out shows later this year.
According to a press release, the Raven's current hours are Monday 7 a.m.–2 p.m.; Tuesday–Friday 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m.–2 p.m. The ownership team said the cafe grew out of more than a year of local-music programming they produced at the attached CO Lab, and they hope the shared-building setup will help offset the costs of opening a new brick-and-mortar. A story by Glenside Local notes the Raven officially opened on Friday, and photos there show the shop tucked into The Dovetail space at the back of the lanes.
Built Around A Shared House Of Small Businesses
The Raven sits inside The Dovetail's multi-tenant Glenside Lanes collective, a retail and creative hub at 2256 Mount Carmel Avenue that also houses the CO Lab and other small businesses. The Dovetail's website lists owner Rhiannon Punzo and describes the space as a mix of boutique retail, maker markets and community programming. Owners say the collaborative footprint let them pool resources and bring a cafe to a block that was already hosting live music and makers.
From The CO Lab To Coffee
Dooney and Punzo spent more than a year producing shows at the CO Lab, including a 2025 summer residency by the local band Who In The Room?, which the owners say helped them test the neighborhood's appetite for regular events. "The business model for our entire building is built around community," Punzo told Glenside Local. Dooney added that they aimed for a cafe reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s - comfortable, friendly and a little quirky - and that he hopes to run evening shows once the space expands its hours.
What To Expect
Right now the menu centers on espresso drinks from Philadelphia roaster Rival Bros, Rishi tea and pastries, with plans to add more seating and regular live music nights. Rival Bros lists itself as a Philadelphia specialty roaster that does wholesale partnerships with local cafes, which lines up with the owners' stated desire to partner with a values-driven supplier. The Raven's operators said they want coffee that "honors the process from cultivation to brewing," and that their programming will lean local and collaborative.
For the latest hours, menus and event announcements, the Raven's Instagram is the main channel owners point to for updates: @ravencafe.glenside. The CO Lab's website posts the collective's programming schedule and will likely host the cafe's first music nights, according to the ownership team: CO Lab.
