Candis R. McLean
No doubt, Philadelphians are suffering from a major dose of cabin fever. Luckily, we’re now in the Yellow Zone. And on Friday, June 12, many restaurants are taking service to the streets now that outdoor dining is once again permitted in the City of Brotherly Love. Restaurateurs are cautiously spacing tables and implementing other precautions while remaining excited to be able to expand service. Here are a few great places to stop by to have a phenomenal outdoor dining experience.
• Assembly Rooftop Lounge: Assembly Rooftop Lounge, located nine-floors above The Logan Philadelphia Hotel, re-opened on Thursday, June 18. Center City’s favorite rooftop lounge will operate Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with expanding hours coming soon. Guests can look forward to happy hour specials from 4-6 p.m. and a full menu of light fare, cocktails, wine, and beer through close while enjoying rooftop views of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• The Bourse: Under Philadelphia’s yellow phase guidelines, The Bourse, Old City’s modern artisanal food hall, is excited to welcome guests back into the building for to-go ordering as well as expanded outdoor dining starting Friday, June 12th.
The Bourse is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of guests and food hall vendors, including new “Stand on this Jawn” floor markers, directional arrows, hand sanitizer stations at both entrances, no-touch bathroom door pulls, and socially distanced outdoor tables. Please note: no more than ten guests can be in line at one time, all food must be taken to-go or enjoyed outside, and everyone must wear masks at all times, except when seated. Additional seating will be added to 5th St. patio and Ranstead St. sidewalk in the coming days.
Six vendors are currently open, including Abunai Poke, Freebyrd Chicken, Scoop DeVille Ice Cream Parlour, Prescription Chicken, Baby Buns and Grubhouse. Menagerie Coffee, Barry’s Buns, Bluebird Distilling, and Marino Bros. Cheesesteaks will be re-opening in the near future.
The Bourse’s updated hours are as follows:
Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Devil’s Den: Devil’s Den, one of the city’s best bars for serious beer lovers, is jumping into the outdoor during the Yellow Phase with a 28-seat footprint, reduced and modified to meet social distancing policies. The popular South Philly gastropub holds court on the corner of 11th & Ellsworth Sts., with plenty of sidewalk space, and will welcome groups up to six guests per table, with reservations only. Guests can look forward to enjoying Devil’s Den favorites as well as specialty dishes and cocktails. Devil’s Den is currently open Wednesday through Friday from 4-11 p.m. (kitchen open until 10 p.m.), Saturday from 12-11 p.m. (kitchen open until 10 p.m.), and Sunday 12-9 p.m. (with kitchen service until 8 p.m.) Hours of operation and days of service will expand later.
• Fond: Fond, one of the top restaurants on East Passyunk Avenue’s bustling Passyunk Square, will put out its outdoor tables starting this weekend. The restaurant, which has reimagined itself as a community market and take-out concept, will resume table service in keeping with its French-forward roots starting June 17, when guests will once again enjoy top-tier cocktails and elevated cuisine curbside at this corner haunt.
• Jet Wine Garden: Jet Wine Bar’s adjacent outdoor summer oasis, invites guests to take a break and relax in the shade with a glass of wine, cold beer or cocktail paired with delicious selections from the Garden Menu. This year, Jet Wine Garden will be operating table service as opposed to ordering at the bar. In addition to outdoor table service at Jet Wine Garden, Jet Wine Bar will continue to operate as a bottle shop, with wine, beer, sangria, and cocktails to-go — available for curbside pick-up or online order. Opening hours are Mon-Thu from 4-9 p.m., Fri-Sat from 12-10 p.m., and Sunday from 2-8 p.m. Reservations are not required.
• TheTwisted Tail: The Twisted Tail, the popular Southern-inspired restaurant and bar on Headhouse Square, is taking advantage of its street closing out front. Soon, diners will be able to lounge in an outdoor garden that spills into the area surrounding The Twisted Tail to enjoy a selection of bubbly, brews and bites. For tomorrow, however, diners and imbibers can expect a smattering of alfresco tables under umbrellas with fresh outdoor plantings.
The Twisted Tail’s current hours are as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays, guests can order takeout starting at 12 p.m., with dinner served from 4-9 p.m., with the restaurant closing at 10 p.m. On Fridays, takeout starts at 12 p.m., with dinner from 4-10 p.m., with a close at midnight – leaving imbibers time to finish their beverages. On Saturdays, brunch runs from 11-4 p.m., followed by dinner from 4-10 p.m., with another midnight close. Finally, the Sunday brunch crowd can linger from 10-4 p.m., or stay for dinner from 4-9 p.m., followed by the restaurant’s close at 10 p.m. The Twisted Tail will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays, for now.
• Urban Farmer: Urban Farmer, Logan Square’s modern American steakhouse, is ready to welcome guests on its breezy and expansive patio overlooking The Swann Memorial Fountain on Logan Square. For the time being, Urban Farmer will be open Tuesday through Saturday, with happy hour from 3-5 p.m. and dinner service from 5-10 p.m., before eventually going back to operating seven days a week later this summer. The restaurant will also continue its carry-out service during operation hours with $1 from each take-out order being donated to Feeding America’s COVID-19 first responders. Weekly Beer-B-Q specials with local brewery partners will be communicated on Urban Farmer’s social channels. Reservations for outdoor dining are highly recommended.
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Rex 1516 Launches Bird-Inspired Cocktails to Benefit Campaign Zero
Rex 1516, Philadelphia’s home for elevated Southern cuisine, and Heather Rodkey —Director of Operations for the restaurant’s parent company, Sojourn Philly — and local artist and bird enthusiast (@theirdamnbirds) launched a menu of avian-inspired cocktails in support of Campaign Zero this week.
The politically-inspired cocktails aim to focus attention toward the black bird-watching community (#birdingwhileblack) and will be offered for two weeks – while supplies last. $5 of each sold cocktail will be donated to Campaign Zero.
Imbibers can look forward to six unique bottled cocktail creations for curbside-pickup from Beverage Manager, Alex Tack. Each bottle features a printing of an original drawing courtesy of (@theirdamnbirds).
Imbibers can look forward tosix unique, delicious bird-themed cocktails created by Rex 1516’s Beverage Manager, Alex Tack. Options include the Deep South ($10) with rooibos-infused vodka, lemon juice, salted honey syrup; Burrowing Owl Boulevardier ($14) with bourbon, sweet vermouth, ancho chile-infused gentian aperitif; and Gin Mot Mot ($12) with gin, aquavit, sage, lemon juice, and black pepper tincture. Each cocktail bottle features a printing of an original drawing courtesy of (@theirdamnbirds).
“Black Birders Week formed following a Central Park bird watching incident and aims to augment the voices of blackbird enthusiasts,” said Rodkey. “In an effort to continue bringing attention to the #birdingwhileblack hashtag, we are offering a selection of fun cocktails while raising money for Campaign Zero.”
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 4-8 p.m., as well as Sunday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Rex 1516 will also offer their signature Southern-inspired fare, including fried chicken, shrimp and grits, their award-winning hamburgers, and more.
“The drink list was created pre-quarantine in anticipation of spring,” said Tack. “It was a lot of fun to suddenly have this great artwork and concept to fit them. We are a diversely staffed restaurant, and we all have a great deal of respect and admiration for each other. The cause behind them was a perfect fit, especially since we all support it so strongly.”
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Devil’s Den Launches Cocktail for a Cause
Meet Bunker Bitch, a cheeky cocktail to-go inspired by the Cheeto-in-charge ($25 quart, $9 16 oz.) featuring:
- Russian Standard Vodka: an homage to the collusion accusations
- Budweiser: Because, ‘Merica
- Florida Orange Juice: The home of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort (and he also tried to register to vote in Florida using an out-of-state address)
- Garnished with Tang: because we presume that’s what’s in the bunker that the President was “rushed to” during last week’s protests
100% of the proceeds will benefit Reclaim Philadelphia — an organization committed to continuing the political revolution in the City of Brotherly Love. Offered through the end of June, Devil’s Den will be matching 100% of the donations to Reclaim Philadelphia to support the non-profit’s fight for racial, gender, and economic justice in the city of Philadelphia.
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Parks on Tap Reopens
Starting this weekend, the nomadic beer garden Parks on Tap will re-open at a stationary location. Stop by the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center at 100 North Horticultural Drive for some delicious food options at the outdoor restaurant and a wide variety of brews.
You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].
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