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A restaurant can change the game if it has an ambitious, original and wholly unexpected vision. Such is the case with Suraya, a concept best described as a Middle Eastern dining complex.
A partnership between Café La Maude’s Nathalie Richan, her developer brother Roland Kassis and Root Restaurant and Wine Bar’s Nick Kennedy and Greg Root, Suraya brings a refreshingly new experience to Fishtown.
Celebrating the flavors of the Levant – the area that includes Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Iraq — and serving them up in a gorgeously designed setting, Suraya compels American eaters to more seriously explore the rich culinary traditions on offer.
The open-all-day complex features a market and a café and wine bar, and will eventually encompass a full-service restaurant and outdoor garden.
At the market, diners can purchase cookbooks and handmade kitchenware and linens, along with pantry staples like olive oil, spices and gift baskets.
Suraya compels American eaters to more seriously explore the rich culinary traditions on offer.
The cafe plates up Lebanese specialties such as man’oushe (flatbreads topped with za’atar, cheese, egg and other ingredients) and ma’amoul cookies flavored with dates, walnuts or pistachios, plus Middle Eastern-inflected French pastry. It’s no wonder pastry chef James Matty was a 2019 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef,
Salads with grilled meats and falafel, stuffed pita sandwiches and plates of hummus and ful madammas turn up at lunchtime.
On the beverage side, there’s a full coffee bar brewing Stumptown beans, and heady potables like orange blossom iced tea and jallab (date molasses drink with raisins and pine nuts), plus a small selection of wine, cocktails and beer.
The restaurant offers a broader spread of shareable dishes both large and small from the expansive charcoal grill and Woodstone oven.
The cafe at Suraya plates up Lebanese specialties. — Photo courtesy Suraya
With 12,000 square feet of natural-light-infused industrial space, Suraya has plenty of room to embrace multiple functions, with each flowing effortlessly into the next and converting from day to night service as needed.
Richard Stokes Architecture draws on Middle Eastern motifs in the tile work, windows and hanging lanterns while mixing in modern elements such as whitewashed brick, stainless steel tabletops and herringbone wood flooring.
The visual delights extend all the way through the back of the restaurants, where an outdoor oasis greets guests who want to sip delicious cocktails and wines while enjoying classical Arab music.
The effect is pure eye candy.
At Suraya, Richard Stokes Architecture draws on Middle Eastern motifs. — Photo courtesy Suraya
“Behind the Eats: Philadelphia,” our eating-around-town video series produced in partnership with Bon Appétit, tells the stories of three distinct chefs — and dishes from their restaurants — in three vibrant Philadelphia neighborhoods. Here, Andrew Knowlton, a long-time editor of Bon Appétit, cooks and chats with co-owner Nathalie Richan and chef Nick Kennedy of Suraya in Fishtown.
— Photo courtesy of Bon Appétit
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) and overnight hotel accommodations.
A guide to the stellar eats in one of Philly's most popular neighborhoods...
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