Here's a look at the best new Philadelphia restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private and party rooms to open this spring. These new and renovated Philadelphia venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
One of Philadelphia's most storied restaurant spaces is back in business. The Olde Bar opened in January in the building formerly occupied by Old Original Bookbinder's from 1898 to 2009. Helmed by chef Jose Garces, the venue is a new interpretation of a classic oyster saloon. The restaurant was designed with events in mind with amenities such as a screen, audio input options, and Wi-Fi. Several areas throughout the venue can accommodate groups of varying sizes: the Blackburn Room seats 200 guests or holds 250 for receptions, the Vessel Room seats 40 or holds 50 for receptions, and the Olde Bar seats 36 or holds 75 receptions. The Blackburn Room and Olde Bar can also be combined for receptions of 275 guests.
Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga opened his third Philadelphia outpost, Juniper Commons, in December. The 1980s-inspired restaurant features wood paneling, brass-toned metals, and neutral tones complemented by colorful accents. The food menu offers updated version of classic dishes like wedge salad, prime rib, and creamed spinach, while the beverage program includes a selection of spirits, house-made tonics, and wine coolers. In addition to a 24-seat private dining room complete with a flat-screen HD TV, the restaurant can be reserved for buyouts for 150 seated guests or 250 people for receptions.
Local favorite La Colombe coffee company opened a spacious 11,000-square-foot café in Fishtown in late 2014. The eatery offers a full bakery-style menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, and pastries, as well as beer, wine, and a rum bar. The industrial-chic venue holds as many as 200 guests for receptions. In addition to a built-in sound system, planners can bring in their own video gear to project images.
After reflagging as the only Radisson Blu on the East Coast in 2013, the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia unveiled renovated meeting and event space in February. Two executive floors offer more than 17,000 square feet of meeting space, which hold 1,000 guests for receptions or seat 500 classroom-style. The hotel's catering department creates custom menus and snacks, while Mainline AV provides on-site audiovisual support. As part of its meetings program, the hotel offers an concept called Brain Box, a think tank designed to boost productivity. Brain Box provides a creative environment using bright colors, flexible furniture, and the latest in audiovisual technology, all of which is meant to translate to a highly effective and tailored gathering.
A successful restaurateur in Linwood, New Jersey, chef Luke Palladino opened Palladino's on Passyunk in December at the intersection of Broad Street and Passyunk Avenue. The 2,450-square-foot space has a dining room and bar area that seats 80 guests. The outside area seats an additional 40 guests, making it one of the largest restaurants in the East Passyunk area. The decor mixes modern and classic styles, with dramatic black and white elements, pops of color, exposed steel, original artwork, a striking chandelier, Italian slate tiles, and an open kitchen. There are four 60-inch HD smart TVs that can be used to display photos, DVDs, or videos, and 21 built-in speakers can play sound from multiple sources.
After finding success at its two New Jersey studios, Grace & Glory Yoga opened a Philadelphia location in late 2014. Located in the historic Oxford Mills Building on the border of Kensington and Fishtown, the 2,600-square-foot studio can host private parties, teambuilding activities, fund-raisers, or corporate events for as many as 60 people. Grace & Glory also offers ample parking, surround-sound audio capabilities in the studio, and private catering from the on-site Griffin Café.
In December, chef Jose Garces transformed the basement of his Cuban diner Rosa Blanca into Nacional 56, a lively dance club. The space can be booked for private events and holds 70 guests for receptions. Catering is available from the upstairs Rosa Blanca kitchen.
At South Street eatery Me N Mo—shorthand for "meatballs and more"—the kitchen cooks up a selection of six to eight varieties of hand-rolled meatballs daily that are paired with more than six options for sauces. The decor blends modern and retro: vintage meat grinders serve as table-side lighting, plus there's original artwork and repurposed wood panels throughout the space. Guests can glimpse the chef making pasta at a station in the back. The 1,200-square-foot restaurant, which opened in January, seats 40 in the dining room and 14 at the bar or holds as many as 80 guests for receptions. Menus can be customized for large parties.
A modern-day tribute to the old-fashioned burger joint, P'unk Burger opened in East Passyunk in February. The eye-catching restaurant features green carpet, reclaimed woods, salvaged metals, a tabletop arcade game, cow-print accents, gooseneck lighting, and other fun touches. The intimate eatery measures roughly 500 square feet and seats 24 guests or holds about 40 for receptions. During warm months, the restaurant offers eight additional seats outside.
From chef Brian Ricci, the urban-chic tavern Brick & Mortar serves modern takes on comfort food with an emphasis on rotisserie meats. Opened in February in the Loft District, the 3,500-square-foot space was formerly a textile factory and now holds 150 guests for receptions. A fully stocked bar includes craft beer, cocktails, and wine on tap.
