Philly’s 10 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings, Spring 2020

From Stephen Starr’s upcoming Mexican restaurant in Fishtown to Ember & Ash on East Passyunk Avenue, plus pizza in South Philly, steak on Broad Street, and barbecue in Callowhill, here are 10 highly anticipated eateries expected to open in Philadelphia from now through June, listed, roughly, in order of expected opening date.

Pizza Plus

Location: 1846 S. 12th Street, East Passyunk Crossing

Key Players: Daniel Gutter

The Situation: Dan Gutter of Circles and Squares, who first made a name for himself as Pizza Gutt on Instagram, heads to South Philly with this city’s two favorite things: sandwiches and pizza. The takeout shop, set near the East Passyunk Avenue restaurant strip, sells hand-tossed pizzas, personal pan pies with crispy cheesy edges, and chicken tender sandwiches, including a chicken parm on a Sarcone’s seeded roll. If that’s not enough, he’s also planning smash burgers, onion rings, and curly fries.

Projected Opening: The second week of March

Pizza Plus [official photo]

Eeva

Location: 310 W. Master Street, Kensington

Key Players: Gregory Dunn, Mark Corpus, Mark Capriotti

The Situation: Sharing a building with ReAnimator Coffee Roasters is this bakery and restaurant from ReAnimator’s Mark Corpus and Mark Capriotti and chef Gregory Dunn. The bakery will open first, with sourdough loaves, bagels, and pastries available at the ReAnimator cafe and a succinct lunchtime menu of sandwiches and salads. Once that’s underway, look for Eeva to add dinner hours, staying open after ReAnimator closes to serve sourdough wood-fired pizza and natural wine and beer from local and small producers.

Projected Opening: Early spring

Añejo

Location: 1001 N. Second Street, Northern Liberties

Key Players: Derek Gibbons, Tim Lu

The Situation: Can this hip New York City restaurant break the Piazza curse? Named for the aged tequila, Añejo is a stylish spot with agave-based spirits and modern Mexican dishes. There are two locations in New York; Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu of Glu Hospitality are teaming up with the Añejo crew to bring it to Philly. Glu, which owns Leda & the Swan, Vesper, and Germantown Beer Garden, is also working on a Northern Liberties location of Set, a Lower East Side gastropub. Look for Set to open across from Añejo at 1030 N. Second Street (Liberties Walk) late March or early April.

Projected Opening: Late March or early April

Anejo [official photo]

The Lucky Well

Location: 990 Spring Garden Street, Callowhill

Key Players: Chad Rosenthal

The Situation: Food Network chef Chad Rosenthal took a break from working on his Philly outpost of the Lucky Well to open a location of the restaurant in Warrington, but now he’s back in the city putting on the finishing touches and getting ready for a spring opening. Like the original in Ambler, the upcoming Lucky Well is a barbecue destination with ribs, brisket, wings, and sausage, plus smash burgers, large-format dry-aged steaks, and vegetables prepared on a custom-made wood-burning grill brought in from Texas. Order at the counter, find a seat, and wait for the meat while you sip on a classic cocktail, like a whiskey sour or old fashioned, or one of six local beers on tap.

Projected Opening: The first or second week of April

Steak 48

Location: 260 S. Broad Street, Center City

Key Players: Brothers Mike and Jeff Mastro, Scott Troilo

The Situation: This sprawling, upscale steakhouse on Broad Street is from Prime Steak Concepts’ Mike Mastro and Jeff Mastro, who just made the James Beard Awards semifinalists list for Outstanding Restaurateur. Located in the newly renovated Atlantic building, the 12,000-square-foot Steak 48 will serve all the steakhouse classics, like seafood towers, shrimp cocktails, Maryland-style crab cakes, and hand-cut rib eye, New York strip, and filet mignon.

Projected Opening: May

Steak 48 [official photo]

LMNO

Location: 1739 N. Front Street, Fishtown

Key Players: Stephen Starr, Serge Becker

The Situation: Stephen Starr heads to the border of Fishtown and Kensington for his next Philly project. LMNO, a collaboration with nightlife expert Serge Becker of New York City’s La Esquina and The Box, is a Mexican restaurant with an entertainment component, combining food, music, and art. Look for a menu inspired by coastal Mexican cuisine, a cocktail lounge, and an outdoor patio.

Projected Opening: Spring

Google Maps

Ember & Ash

Location: 1520 E. Passyunk Avenue, Passyunk Square

Key Players: Scott Calhoun, David Feola

The Situation: Two chefs with impressive resumes are opening this “nose to tail, and root to leaf” restaurant that makes use of whole animals and whole plants, co-owner Scott Calhoun says. Calhoun and David Feola, who met at Jean-Georges in New York, are sourcing locally as much as possible and buying from farmers and other purveyors embracing sustainable practices. The plan is for every dish to have a component that makes use of the custom-built wood-fire hearth. Feola is coming from Vernick Food & Drink; Calhoun worked at Marc Vetri’s Osteria and Lo Spiedo, Stephen Starr’s Parc, and Jennifer Carroll’s Spice Finch.

Projected Opening: May or June

Le Cavalier at the Green Room

Location: 42 W. 11th Street, Wilmington, Delaware

Key Players: Tyler Akin, PM Hotel Group, the Buccini/Pollin Group

The Situation: Stock’s Tyler Akin heads back to his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to turn the iconic Green Room at the historic Hotel du Pont into a more casual French brasserie. Le Cavalier will be open all day, with a menu that pulls from Provence and North African cuisines and riffs on French classics. The look of the 125-seat restaurant is from Stokes Architecture & Design, the team behind notable Philly spots like Parc, Suraya, and Pizzeria Beddia.

Projected Opening: May

Neal Santos

Sor Ynez

Location: 1800 N. American Street, Kensington

Key Players: Jill Weber, Evan Malone, Lucio Palazzo

The Situation: The restaurateurs behind Cafe Ynez on Washington Avenue head to Kensington for this expanded version of their popular Mexican restaurant. Named for Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17-century nun, philosopher, and writer, Sor Ynez will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a focus on vegan and vegetarian options, though there will be meat and seafood too. Expect dishes like eggplant barbacoa on nopales tortillas, drinks made with fresh-pressed juices, and room for about 50 diners inside and another 75 to 100 outside.

Projected Opening: Late spring

La Chinesca

Location: 11th and Spring Garden streets, Callowhill

Key Players: Michael and Jeniphur Pasquarello, Nich Bazik, Derek Gregory

The Situation: The 13th Street Kitchens crew (Kensington Quarters, Cafe Lift, Prohibition Taproom) is taking inspiration from the cuisine of La Chinesca, a Chinese neighborhood in Mexicali, for a new restaurant going into what was a Jiffy Lube next to music venue Union Transfer. Outdoor seating is the highlight here, with about 100 seats under a canopy in front of the restaurant and in a backyard area. Rohe Creative, the team behind some of Philly’s coolest-looking restaurants, is in charge of the design.

Projected Opening: Late spring or early summer

Google Maps

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