Philly restaurants and bars are getting creative for summer and fall 2020.
Across the city, Philly’s entrepreneurs and chefs have found new ways to offer diners inventive outdoor food-and-drink experiences this year.
That includes a Vietnamese soup restaurant dishing out seafood (Anchor Light at Stock Rittenhouse), a Center City pub teaming up with a notable chef to offer Malaysian street food (Saté Kampar Pop Up at The Goat),and a board-game shop pivoting to boozy milkshakes (Thirsty Dice Scoop Shop and Espresso Bar).
Pro tip for visiting pop ups this year: Plan ahead. Reservations are required or recommended at some spots. Masks are mandatory when not seated. And social-distancing requirements are in effect.
And lastly, don’t wait! Pop ups are temporary by nature, so if you really want to, for instance, cook meat at your own table at Char Kol, go sooner rather than later.
Read on for a roundup of cool pop-up experiences in Philadelphia for 2020, below.
In the warm-weather months, the rooftop of South Philadelphia’s former Bok High School turns into a spacious rooftop bar with unreal skyline views, a variety of drinks and fun (socially distant) programming. For 2020, the folks at Bok team up with big-name food partners like Kalaya and Mission Taqueria to offer a rotating pop-up food experience. Check Bok’s site to see who’s serving, make a reservation, and enjoy.
Where: Bok Bar, 800 Mifflin Street
For 2020, the team at Schulson Collective (Double Knot, Independence Beer Garden) unveils Char Kol, a fun and interactive pop up near Rittenhouse Square. Guests use personal tabletop grills available at each table to grill their own Koren barbecue food. Make a reservation to check it out.
Where: 1523 Sansom Street
Pair delicious fried-chicken sandwiches with views of Independence Hall at this aptly named Fridays-only pop up outside Old City’s Bourse Food Hall. Grab-and-go Freebyrd Chicken Sandwiches go down well with one of the adult beverages on the menu. (Our rec: a Yards Brawler.)
Where: The Bourse Food Hall, 111 S. Independence Mall East
An Instagram-ready technicolor mural serves as the backdrop for food and drinks at this new-for-2020 beer garden in Fairmount. To snag a spot at the space’s socially distant picnic tables, follow The Land on Callowhill on Instagram and make a reservation online.
Where: The Land on Callowhill, 1823 Callowhill Street
The new-for-2020 Philly River Stroll brings three new beer gardens and eateries to the Delaware River waterfront. The River Beer Garden at Race Street Pier offers 100-plus socially distant seats, as well as local craft beer; The Garden at Cherry Street Pier now offers reservations-required seating in its 20,000-square-foot oasis with killer views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge; and The Water Garden at Spruce Street serves as a reservations-required floating restaurant on the Delaware River. The new spots supplement the existing great public spaces at Spruce Street Harbor Park, Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest, Cherry Street Pier and Race Street Pier.
Where: Various locations, including Spruce Street Harbor Park, 301 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
Honduras native Ana Caballero, a former chef at Lost Bread Co., now helps support Philly’s Latinx community by managing Proyecto Tamal. Each week, Latinx cooks make tamales that hungry patrons order online and pick up at a handful of Philly locations (including Lost Bread Co.). All proceeds go directly to the cooks.
Where: Various locations, including Lost Bread Co., 1313 N. Howard Street
Restaurateurs Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran pivot from Spain to seafood (and ice cream) this summer. Midtown Village’s Jamonera has transformed into Salty’s Seafood & Ice Cream Shack, offering a deep menu of seaside favorites (steamers, lobster rolls, calamari) and drinks (plus margarita slush pops!) for delivery, takeout and outdoor dining at its 70-seat space on 13th Street.
Where: Salty's Seafood & Ice Cream Shack, 105 S. 13th Street
Mission Taqueria brings the Jersey shore to Rittenhouse Square with its Sansom Street Surf Club pop up. Post up at 15th and Sansom streets for tacos and salsa and guac, and wash it all down with beer or cocktails — including spiked snow cones.
Where: Mission Taqueria, 1516 Sansom Street
Cristina Martinez’s South Philly Barbacoa space welcomes a rotating cast of chefs all summer long for exciting multi-day pop ups. Past pop ups have included Filipino food from Unkle Harold’s, Cambodian food from Kreung and more. Stay tuned to South Philly Barbacoa’s Instagram page for announcements.
Where: South Philly Barbacoa, 1140 S. 9th Street
Rittenhouse Square’s The Goat welcomes a special guest for summer 2020: Saté Kampar’s Ange Branca. Guests can order out or snag one of the spot’s outdoor tables to enjoy Branca’s Malaysian street fare, including the raved-about Ramly Burger, featuring a double patty wrapped in an egg.
Where: The Goat, 1907 Sansom Street
Spring Arts Beer Garden brings together four breweries from Callowhill and Northern Liberties — Yards, Love City, Triple Bottom and Roy Pitz — for a fun collaborative weekends-only venture featuring the perfect combo: tons of craft beer and pizza.
Where: Spring Arts Beer Garden, 1006 Buttonwood Street
This summer, popular Vietnamese soup restaurant Stock adds seafood to the menu of its Rittenhouse Square location. Anchor Light dishes out rolls (both lobster and crab), crinkle fries, fried chicken sandwiches and more via takeout and delivery five days a week. Pro tip: Pick up your order, then walk a couple of blocks to Rittenhouse Square for a scenic spot to eat.
Where: Stock Rittenhouse, 1935 Chestnut Street
Fairmount’s board-game cafe is now the spot for ice cream from Bassett’s (with an option for boozy milkshakes), selections from an espresso bar and “scoop shop food” like the JAWN Dog, a spicy Italian sausage and a fried provolone stick with roasted garlic and house-made pepper spread on a hot-dog bun. (Whoa.)
Where: Thirsty Dice, 1642 Fairmount Avenue
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.
Warm-weather spots for alfresco drinks and bites...