• Interior, tables, chairs, large windows
  • Exterior, patio, parasols, decorative lights

Gullifty's

About us

Est. 1975

One sunny afternoon in State College, PA., Andy Zangrilli, the founder of the Gullifty's concept, heard somebody say nifty gullifty. That evening, he called Gene Johnson, his cohort, in their tireless efforts to open a restaurant on Philadelphia's Main Line, and asked him what he thought of the name Gullifty's. Gillespie's, why would we want to call it that, Gene asked. No, no...Gullifty's, responded Andy, and we want to call it Gullifty's because no one will know how to spell it, how to pronounce it, or what it means. They both agreed that those were essential ingredients in giving a name to just about anything. And with that, Gullifty's was born!

Over 43 years later, Gullifty's is a Main Line Tradition. How have we maintained this lofty status for such a long period of time? Simple. Gullifty's means so much to so many people. To women and men alike, it's a noon time haven from the rigors of hitting the shops or working at the office. To families, it is the children's favorite spot. To singles, it is a place to eat, drink, and meet. To all, it is good food, good value, good service, and good times.

Gullifty's

Gullifty's? What is that? Irish? Italian?

Nope, it's as American as Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.
Don't you remember "X the Owl" from the land of
make-believe? In his neighborhood, everything
was "Nifty-Gullifty" as he would say.
And with a great neighborhood of our own to serve,
we thought that was pretty "Nifty-Gullifty" ourselves.

Read what Mister Rogers thought of the idea in
this two-page letter.

Mr Rogers

Our story