Ralph’s in South Philly opens a food shop 2 doors away

Ralph's Restaurant, which bills itself as the oldest family-run Italian restaurant in the country, has something new two doors away:

Ralph's Grab & Go, a shop selling made-to-order sandwiches ($9 to $12) and square pizzas ($13 to $16), as well as refrigerated South Philly-style prepared foods, such as sauces, mozzarella, roasted peppers, and entrees such as chicken Parm, eggplant Parm, lasagna, and manicotti. (I got two excellent meals out of one $13.95 container of chicken scallopine.)

It's at 764 S. Ninth St., and it's run by Ryan Rubino, his father, Jimmy, his uncle Eddie, and cousin Anthony Barone.

The rowhouse owned by Eddie and Jimmy's mother, Elaine, sits between the shop and Ralph's. (Ryan and Anthony also own Bar One, a bar across the street.)

Ralph's Grab & Go is not entirely takeout, as there are several tables in the window seating about a dozen people.

It's open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.