06/11/2026
The Chestnut Hill Community Association’s featured Passport Partner in June is one of the oldest in the neighborhood and one of the most synonymous with the start of summer: Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor!
Founded in 1889 by Bavarian immigrant Frederick Robert Bredenbeck, Bredenbeck’s found success bringing traditional German baking to Philadelphians in its original Northern Liberties location. As business thrived, Bredenbeck’s expanded into Northwest Philadelphia with bakeries in Germantown and Mt. Airy.
In 1954, Bredenbeck sold the business to two of his most trusted employees, Walter and Otto Haug, and a family legacy began. In 1983, Walter’s daughter Karen Boyd-Rhode brought Bredenbeck’s to its current home on Germantown Avenue, opening Bredenbeck’s famous ice cream parlor alongside the bakery. Now owned by Karen’s sons Jacob and Irvin, Bredenbeck’s has become synonymous not just with the Bredenbeck and Haug families, but with families across Chestnut Hill and Philadelphia.
From weddings and birthdays to graduations, wherever there’s a celebration, Bredenbeck’s treats are near at hand. And perhaps no other business is as closely associated with bright Chestnut Hill summer nights than a trip to Bredenbeck’s Ice Cream Parlor. While there are many beloved businesses along Germantown Avenue, precious few are as beloved and as quintessential to the Chestnut Hill experience as Bredenbeck’s.
CHCA members who bring their Passport to the Chestnut Hill Experience to Bredenbeck’s will find not one offer, but two: 1 Free Kid’s Cone from the Ice Cream Parlor and 1 Free Gourmet Cupcake.
