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Washington Square hosts two side-by-side eateries, connected by a patio and a joint partnership between Stephen Starr and Aimee Olexy, Talula’s Garden and Talula’s Daily both celebrate the bounty of local ingredients, homemade breads and excellent cheese.
Talula’s Garden, an expansive flow of indoor and outdoor dining rooms lavished in color and greenery, serves sit-down dinner and brunch with special-occasion-level seriousness.
Talula’s Daily caters to a more ad hoc daytime crowd who come in for morning espressos, house-baked muffins and lunchtime sandwiches and salads as well as gifts and gourmet foodstuffs. At night, it transforms into a dining room with a preset tasting menu that changes monthly.
Together, the two spots cover just about all of the edible bases, with reliable rustic panache.
Talula’s Garden’s elegant-country cuisine, helmed by chef Charles Parker, reinvents familiar flavor combinations in unexpected ways that, once tasted, seem inevitable.
That could be an oregano-stamped fettuccini with yellow tomatoes and whipped ricotta, a cauliflower “cobbler” with tallegio Mornay sauce and breadcrumbs, or a chocolate tahini mousse bar with sesame brittle.
Aimee Olexy's family of establishments showcases her passion for hospitality and her seemingly limitless creative energy.
A well-rounded wine list includes bottles from New World and Old as well as lesser-seen selections by the glass. Cocktails, with inspired additions like seat peas and cherry blossoms, are another safe bet.
At Talula’s Daily, breakfast, lunch, coffee, wine and beer come from a counter.
Customers can order from the menu, take grab-and-go selections from the case or assemble picnics from the stunning array of charcuterie and, naturally, cheese.
Dinner (five courses for $55) changes to reflect seasons and themes, but an early spring menu might include salmon rillettes, duck cassoulet, a trio of triple crème cheeses and hazelnut profiteroles.
At the Daily, guests can opt for an additional beverage pairing or choose a la carte beer, wine and cider.
Talula’s Garden and Talula’s Daily both celebrate the bounty of local ingredients, homemade breads and excellent cheese. — Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
In 2001, Aimee Olexy’s opened her first venture, Django, which redefined Philadelphia dining by showcasing how a small BYOB eatery could have huge impact. Four years later, she sold the restaurant and opened up Talula’s Table, a country market in Kennett Square with a single coveted chef’s table for multicourse tasting dinners that has been called the “toughest reservation in the U.S.”
The personal service and always thoughtful cooking garnered national attention, and the restaurant still holds a yearlong waiting list for reservations.
In 2011, Olexy returned to Center City and partnered with seasoned restaurateur (and her former employer) Stephen Starr to launch a city spinoff.
Two years later, Talula’s Daily opened, capturing much of what diners love about the Table: a chic market/coffee bar by day and an intimate dinner restaurant by night.
Homegrown talent Aimee Olexy never does anything casually, and her Talula’s family of establishments showcases her passion for hospitality and her seemingly limitless creative energy in making each experience feel special.
Whether it’s a cocktail on the patio on a warm summer night or a full-blown birthday dinner with a cheese tasting, there’s an unmatched attention to detail and a lasting impression of warmth and welcome.
At Talula’s Daily, breakfast, lunch, coffee, wine and beer come from a counter. — Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
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 blending of multiple neighborhoods
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