April 05, 2024

Grand Opening: New Brunch Cafe Expands to Philly with Smoked Lattes, Tempura Fried Scrapple and Tons of Heart

April 05, 2024/ Almost Home General/ Kory Aversa

One of New Jersey's most popular brunch hot spots and coffee shops will make its grand debut in Old City Philadelphia starting next week. Robert Doran and partners Glu Hospitality present the grand opening of Almost Home General at 205 Race Street, in the former home of United by Blue, at the base of Bridge on Race apartments. Almost Home brings Old City District, a brand new breakfast, lunch and brunch cafe and coffee shop that offers unique and fun coffee and food paired with amazing customer service, priority on local ingredients and small businesses, and a welcome and ‘almost home’ vibe. The spacious and lofty 3,000 square foot space features seating for 60 guests.

August 12, 2022

Philly Sushi Whisperer Chef Kevin Yanaga and Glu Hospitality Debut Omakase by Yanaga in Fishtown

August 12, 2022/ Omakase by Yanaga/ Lexie Fleege

Philly's Sushi Whisperer Kevin Yanaga and Glu Hospitality announce the grand opening of Omakase by Yanaga in Fishtown at 1832 Frankford Avenue. Omakase is a Japanese cuisine style “menu” that is completely left in the hands of the Chef. Chef Yanaga will be preparing his Kaiseki style Omakase, in the intimate and exclusive eight-seat dining area attached to the already existing Izakaya by Yanaga restaurant. Through the discrete double doors to the back of Izakaya, each guest will enter a unique tasting room where they will sit facing Chef around a custom sushi bar, where Chef will perform his culinary craft nightly. Every diner will spend the 90 minute experience with the Chef watching his artistry, sharing stories and learning about the dishes. All 25 courses served will be specially selected by Yanaga. No two experiences are ever the same. Alongside the exclusive dining experience, sake and wine pairings tailored to the experience will be offered, as well as tea service and unique cocktails. Omakase by Yanaga is open Thursday through Saturday, with seatings at 6:00pm and 8:30pm. Reservations are required in advance.

May 24, 2022

Glu Hospitality and Temple Announce New Restaurant for Former Draught Horse

May 24, 2022/ The Peabody/ Lexie Fleege

Glu Hospitality and Temple University are proud to announce a brand new modern grill and sports bar in the former home of The Draught Horse. The Peabody will make its grand debut this fall at 1431 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, on the west side of Broad Street. The 6,000 square foot space will have 40 seats at the bar and another 150 in the dining area. A large private dining space can hold 50 guests and be split into two for private parties. There will also be outdoor seating on Cecil B. Moore. The menu will feature American cuisine presented by Executive Chef Chino Chang with a wide variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, entrees and more. The drink menu will include signature and seasonal cocktails designed by Glu's award winning beverage team that is known for cocktails at Leda and the Swan, Vesper Center City and Figo. In addition to cocktails, look for ten draft lines pouring, plus bottles and cans, with craft beer, popular domestic selections, ciders, hard seltzers and more. The food and drink menus are designed to cater to students, faculty, family, alumni and neighbors. When opened, The Peabody will offer lunch, happy hour and dinner seven days a week, with weekend brunch service.

April 20, 2022

Top 12 Restaurants for Cinco de Mayo in Philadelphia, Main Line and Suburbs

April 20, 2022/ Tio Flores/ Kory Aversa

Cinco de Mayo is around the corner and Aversa PR clients are going big this year with all day celebrations, early extended hours, DJs and live music, drink and food specials, outdoor tents, dancing in the square and even an all day block party on South Street. Tio Flores will close down the block and host an all-day Cinco BBQ Block Party. Stove and Tap will change their name for the day at THREE locations for a special Stove and Taco pop-up with a special drink and food menu all day in Lansdale, Malvern and West Chester. Anejo, El Camino and Pancho's Cafe will bring the food, drinks and music to Northern Liberties and Restaurant Row. Sueno will host an all-day celebration in Midtown Village and Center City. At the Jersey Shore in Cape May, Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille will open outdoor seating for the summer on Cinco and Mother's Day Weekend and offer $5 specials for the 5th of May.

February 10, 2022

Celebrate National Margarita Day with Specials at Eight Philadelphia and Suburb Restaurants

February 10, 2022/ Anejo Philadelphia/ Kory Aversa

Philadelphia and Suburban restaurants and bars will celebrate the region’s love of margs with National Margarita Day on Taco Tuesday, February 22, 2022. From classic to flavored, on the rocks to frozen, from salt rims to sugar, and everything in between, area restaurants will roll out specials and features all day with everything from $5 margaritas, $20 flights, bottomless tacos, food features, take-home kits, and much more. Save the date and come thirsty and hungry for National Margarita Day this year on Taco Tuesday. In the city, look for specials and deals at Añejo Philly, Buena Onda, Rosy’s Taco Bar, Cantina, Cantina Dos Segundos and Tradesmans. In the suburbs, get your margs on at Al Pastor in Exton and Lola’s Garden in Ardmore’s Suburban Square. On the Saturday before, Sueño is part of the Philadelphia Margarita Crawl that will feature all day specials at participating Center City restaurants.

December 03, 2021

Get Frozen In Northern Liberties As Figo Debuts A New Igloo Dining Experience

December 03, 2021/ Figo/ Guest User

Glu Hospitality invites you to get frozen in Northern Liberties with the debut of the city's newest and most lavish Igloo experience, plus the return of Princess Brunches at the Igloos, and a brand-new heated cocktail garden. Starting this week, partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu bring a new holiday and winter experience to Northern Liberties Restaurant Row with the debut of enchanting and weather-proof sparkling Igloos at Figo Ristorante (1033 N. 2nd Street). The Igloos at Figo are neary 12 feet wide, seat up to eight people, and feature over a hundred clear sustainable panels, a table-top fire pit, festive decor, and a view of the night stars and the new Northern Liberties Christmas Tree. Along with the Igloos, Glu brings back Enchanted in Northern Liberties: Princess Brunches at the Igloos at Figo in partnership and a pivot with A Dash of Magic Events, running every Saturday and Sunday through New Year's Eve. Families can "Igloo-distance" themselves from other families and the Princess, as she goes Igloo to Igloo, and table to table, and interacts and delights young children. Appearances confirmed so far include Cinderella, Beauty Queen (inspired by Belle), Snow Queen (inspired by Frozen/ Elsa) and more! Figo and Glu also announce a brand-new outdoor winterized Holiday Cocktail Garden with heated, covered indoor-outdoor seating for up to 50 guests, which is great for private parties as well as nightly dining.

October 12, 2021

Figo Ristorante and Figo Pizzeria to Debut in Northern Liberties by Glu Hospitality

October 12, 2021/ Figo Ristorante and Figo Pizzeria/ Guest User

Glu Hospitality and partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu announce the grand opening of Figo Ristorante and Figo Pizzeria this Friday, October 15th at 1033 N. 2nd Street. The two side-by-side restaurants will debut in the heart of the Northern Liberties Restaurant Row, in the former home of Darling's Diner and Wahlburgers, next to the Piazza. When opened, Figo will be the largest restaurant in the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District, offering nearly 10,000 square feet of space and 250+ seats. Figo Ristorante will be a full service restaurant, kitchen, bar and outdoor patio offering Italian cuisine by Chef Hee "Chino" Chang, with craft cocktails, espresso martini flights, Italian soda flights, two dozen taps, and over two dozen wines by the glass, bottle and flight. Opening services will include dinner, indoor dining, outdoor dining, delivery and take-out, with late night, happy hour and brunch service to be launched later in the fall. Next door, at the North end of the property, Figo Pizzeria will offer pizza pies and stuffed hoagies with lunch, mid-day and dinner service, with cafe seating outside and take-out/pick-up and delivery.

August 30, 2021

Philly's Sushi Whisperer Kevin Yanaga Debuts Izakaya by Yanaga in Fishtown

August 30, 2021/ Izakaya by Yanaga/ Guest User

Glu Hospitality and Philly's Sushi Whisperer Kevin Yanaga announce the opening of Izakaya by Yanaga in Fishtown at 1832 Frankford Avenue. Yanaga brings over 10 years of experience in the the top sushi restaurants in the region, including at Izakaya at Borgata, Double Knot, Pod, Morimoto and Zama. After working with Stephen Starr, Michael Schulson and some of the biggest names in the business, Yanaga will now open his very first restaurant as Executive Chef and Partner. For his first outing, Yanaga will debut two concepts under one roof. Izakaya by Yanaga will open first just in time for fall dining season, followed by chef's tasting room Omakase by Yanaga in late fall. Izakaya will open for a Labor Day Weekend preview on Thursday, September 2 to Saturday, September 4, 2021, from 5:00pm to 10:00pm nightly.

August 20, 2021

Glu Hospitality Debuts Leda and The Swan Popup Cocktail Garden in Northern Liberties

August 20, 2021/ Leda and The Swan/ Guest User

Glu Hospitality presents a limited-edition end-of-summer experience with the grand opening of Leda and The Swan Pop-up Cocktail Garden at 1033 N. 2nd Street, running from Saturday, August 21 to Sunday, September 5, 2021. The new al fresco cocktail and music hideaway will pop-up outside of the former home of Wahlburgers, next to the Piazza and across from El Camino and SET No Libs. This outdoor space come September will be part of one of the city's largest openings of the year when Glu will debut two side-by-side restaurant concepts Figo Ristorante and Figo Pizzeria. While partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu put the finishing touches on the new restaurants, they wanted to activate the gorgeous outdoor patio and covered bar with a cocktail garden featuring the best of Leda and The Swan's carefully curated menu that was designed by well-known cocktail veterans Ryan Fenton and Zach Kessler.

June 14, 2021

Glu Hospitality Grand Opens Bagels and Co. in Northern Liberties at The Piazza

June 14, 2021/ Bagels and Co/ Guest User

Northern Liberties, the years of waiting are over and Philly's hottest food neighborhood finally will get its bagel shop! Glu Hospitality debuts its first-ever breakfast and lunch concept Bagels and Co (1001 N 2nd St) with a grand opening celebration between Friday, June 4 and Sunday, June 13, 2021. Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu, the dynamic duo behind Germantown Garden Grill, Vesper Dayclub, Leda and the Swan, Germantown Garden Grill, Hunnies Crispy Chicken, The Igloos at Germantown Garden and Vesper Center City, are proud to debut a 1,100 square foot breakfast, lunch, coffee and bagel cafe and shop that is modern, clean, simple and stylish, complete with an opening menu filled with over a dozen varieties of Brooklyn-style Bagels, over two dozen inventive, creative and signature cream cheeses and spreads, along with fresh made-to-order sandwiches, salads, baked goods and other goodies. On the coffee side, Bagels and Co. is ready to give the neighborhood a jolt with fresh-brewed coffee in partnership with D’Amico Coffee Roasters.