Uptown Beer Garden, Love Park, Philadelphia

Center City's largest and most celebrated beer garden is back! Craft Concepts Group and Teddy Sourias announce the return of Uptown Beer Garden at a new permanent and year-round home at 1500 JFK Boulevard. The picturesque urban oasis comes complete with stunning views, expanded menus, additional shading, lush greenery, original artwork, more dining space and even bigger vibes. The 18,000+ square foot space offers seating for 350 guests and private event space for up to 700 guests. Chef Craig Meyers and his culinary team will fire up the menu using the concerted giant food truck that is now installed in Uptown's central garden. The menu features street food and Philadelphia favorites, including starters (smoked chicken wings, crab gravy poutine, crispy eggplant), salads (grilled peach, whole grain bowl), sandwiches (roast pork, cheesesteak, chicken cheesesteak, parm cutlet, eggplant Italian, crab cake), sides and desserts. For the bar program, look for nearly two dozen varieties of Craft and American selections in drafts, cans and bottles, plus wine, seasonal cocktails, frozen drinks and boozy ice pops. Uptown is now open Monday to Thursday, 4:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday, 4:00pm to 2:00am, Saturday, 2:00pm to 2:00am, and Sunday, 2:00pm to 10:00pm. Uptown is walk-up only for tables, with no reservations needed. For more about Uptown, follow @uptownbeergarden on social media or call 215-397-3308.

"Uptown Beer Garden is back and bigger than ever," said Sourias. "The opportunity to take over the space at 1500 JFK came to us during the pandemic and it was an amazing opportunity to build a new Uptown from the ground up. I am proud of my team for their energy and passion for keeping our restaurants open during the pandemic, while at the same time lending a hand for this major undertaking. We are so very proud of the final product. It is bigger, bolder and more beautiful than ever! We have secured a long-term lease that will allow us to invest more into the property, explore staying open year-round in some capacity, and bring the whole Uptown experience to an all new level. We have tons of surprises still to share for Uptown - and more surprises across the company. Uptown's grand opening is just the start of new and exciting things to come from Craft Concepts Group as we look forward to our city reopening and better days ahead. Big thanks to my staff, my family and all of our patrons that supported us. We can't wait to host you this summer!"

UPTOWN VIBE AND LAYOUT

"Uptown Beer Garden is a vibe all in itself this year," said Sourias. "We have all the basic elements you loved about the old Uptown but we took things up a few levels. While the footprint and seat count is larger this year, we also paid attention to the smaller details that will create intimate experiences within the garden itself. We didn't want to just move Uptown or recreate what was already being done, we really wanted to show off our creativity - and create a space that was truly unique and special. Whether you are looking up, down or at street level, there are so many unique city views and vantage points from the new garden. We wanted to have seating and dining space that let our guests soak in all that urban beauty."

For the new Uptown Beer Garden, Craft Concepts Group has created a giant outdoor restaurant in the middle of Center City in a space that was formerly an empty concrete sidewalk. Now the ornately decorated location features twinkling beer garden lighting, 20+ foot tall trees, lush greenery, colorful flowers, a koi fish pond, fountains made from recycled beer taps, graffiti street art from local artists, and an outdoor kitchen in a giant food truck. Additional design details include slab top tables, tree bark covering for utility polls, colorful directional signs, outdoor ceiling fans, green walls, and more.

Visitors and guests will enjoy the elaborate layout with seven different seating and event situations, including 35+ traditional low and high top tables, semi-private cabanas, outdoor loungers, wooden swings, jewel colored umbrellas and complimented cushions. Visitors will find ample seating, shade and covering at the two bars. The main bar measures 40 feet long and seats 25 people, while the secondary bar clocks in at 25 feet long and seats 15 people. Both were made from reclaimed wood harvested from Adamstown and Reading, PA.

For layout, Uptown's main entrance is directly off of JFK, with a second main entrance in the inner courtyard behind the garden that is accessible from 16th Street. Once inside the main entrance fence, visitors can take a right for low-top seating with a view of Love Park, or they can take a seat at the main bar. To the left and down the main pathway, visitors can enjoy high top seating under umbrellas, as well as swing seating around the Koi Pond. Beyond the pond and fountain, the second bar is ready to welcome guests with covering from the elements. Halfway through the main path, visitors will find the food truck, as well as the entrance gate to the VIP cabana area with covered loungers and rustic outdoor coffee tables. Additional seating will be added later this summer in proximity to the second entrance and the back bar area.

Inside, visitors and guests can find permanent air-conditioned bathrooms in the former 7-11 space, which also provides the kitchen with ample storage space for food and drink.

For design, Sourias worked with his internal CCG team and staffers, plus artist Scott Johnston and interior designer Anne White.

FOOD AND DRINK

For 2021, Uptown Beer Garden will fire up its largest menu ever - featuring a mixture of Philadelphia summertime and street food favorites. Chef Craig Meyers and his culinary team will serve up everything from giant handhelds, wings, salads, boardwalk fries and dessert. The kitchen team will operate out of a giant food truck that Sourias secured during the pandemic and have transported here all the way from Texas. Sourias also has designed ample prep and storage space inside the former 7-11, giving Meyers use of Uptown's largest kitchen ever. Uptown will start with dine-in, take-out and catering service. Uptown is exploring potential delivery service later in the summer or early fall. The starting menu is as follows:

Starters
Smoked Chicken Wings $10 for 6 $15 for 12 (gf)
- caramelized peach/chipotle or Cajun buffalo, blue cheese
Crab Gravy Poutine $14 (gf)
-lump crab, red sauce, mild provolone
Crispy Eggplant $8 (v) (gf)
-Japanese eggplant, green goddess

Salads
Grilled Peach Salad $12 (v) (gf)
-red watercress, pickled green beans, cashew ricotta, agave mint vinaigrette
Whole Grain Bowl $12 (v) (gf)
-red quinoa, rye berry, charred corn, heirloom tomato, long hots, cilantro, citronette

Sandwiches- All come on a seeded roll unless otherwise noted
Roast Pork $12
-braised pork shoulder, broccoli rabe, longs hots, provolone (sharp or mild)
Cheesesteak $12
-ribeye, w/ or w/o caramelized onions, wiz (regular or cooper sharp)
Chicken Cheesesteak $12
-chicken breast & thigh, w/ or w/o caramelized onions, wiz (regular or cooper sharp) Buffalo +$1
Parm Cutlet $12
-breaded chicken breast or eggplant, red sauce, provolone (sharp or mild)
Eggplant Italian $12 (v)
-crispy eggplant, red sauce, cashew ricotta, broccoli rabe
Crab Cake Sandwich $16
-lump crab, spicy dill remoulade, heirloom tomato, romaine, snowflake roll

Sides
-Boardwalk Fries $5

Add-Ons/Extras
-Cheese Sauce $2
-Broccoli Rabe $1
-Long Hots $1
-Marinara $1
-Chicken Breast $4
-Jumbo Lump Crab $8

For the bar program, Uptown will of course showcase the best in local, state and national craft beers, plus American beer favorites. Uptown will start with eight drafts on tap, plus over a dozen selections by the can and bottle. Uptown will also feature wine, seasonal cocktails, frozen cocktails, pre-batched pouch cocktails, boozy ice pops and more.

Starting draft selections include: 2SP Brewing: Up and Out IPA, 2SP Brewing: Pony Boi Golden Lager, Cape May: Always Ready Pale Ale, Sly Fox: Royal Weisse, Sly Fox: Pikeland Pils, and Evil Genius: There’s No Crying in Baseball.

JOB CREATION

Uptown Beer Garden will create 75 part and full time jobs with room to grow. The operation also provides work and supports up to 90 employees in other parts of the company.
SPECIAL EVENTS, PRIVATE RENTALS, PETS
Uptown Beer Garden will again host special events starting with Sunday Social and After Work Wednesdays. This fall look for Uptown Oktoberfest to return in an all new format.
Uptown is also available for private events for up to 700 people. Contact Hank Henson at Hank@ccgphl.com for more details and to book your event.

Well behaved dogs are welcome at Uptown Beer Garden if on a leash.

LOCATION

Uptown Beer Garden is centrally located just feet away from Love Park and City Hall, at the intersection of JFK, 15th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. As the workforce returns to the office, graduate students move back to town, and neighbors continue to get out and about, Uptown is ready to welcome them all for all their outdoor food and drink needs. This new site also puts Uptown in the very middle of redevelopment efforts around the Parkway on a larger scale. Midtown Village neighbors Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, and Safran Turney Hospitality, have opened The Lawn at Loveluck pop-up directly across the street in Love Park in preparation for their full scale restaurant coming in the future. Pearl Properties will grand open The Terrace on 18th later this summer in the former home of Embassy Suites. Victory Brewing Company is set to open at 17th and the Parkway in late summer or early fall. Federal Donuts is opening a new location in the fall that boasts its largest outdoor footprint at 18th and the Parkway. Other new businesses have also been announced for that immediate area - and that area positions Uptown and other new businesses just a few feet in walking distance to some of the city's largest employers, insurance companies, media outlets and more. As the city reopens, it is Ready, Set, Philly for Uptown and the surrounding area.

HOURS

Uptown is now open Monday to Thursday, 4:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday, 4:00pm to 2:00am, Saturday, 2:00pm to 2:00am, and Sunday, 2:00pm to 10:00pm. Uptown is walk-up only for tables, with no reservations needed. For more about Uptown, follow @uptownbeergarden on social media or call 215-397-3308.

ABOUT CRAFT CONCEPTS GROUP

Craft Concepts Group is presented by Teddy Sourias and partners, and includes BRU Craft & Wurst, U-Bahn, Finn McCool’s Ale House, Uptown Beer Garden, Tradesman’s, Kontrol, Tinsel Christmas pop-up bar, Secret Soirée semi-monthly events, Craft Concepts New Year’s Eve, CCG Catering, Blume and several yet-to-be-announced new concepts. The collection of CCG restaurants, bars, beer gardens and pop-up concepts focus on showcasing and being a driver in the elevation of Philadelphia’s thriving craft beer scene. CCG works to also diversify craft beer and cider tastes by exposure to local, regional and national quality craft companies. CCG concepts are proud to pour one of the region’s most diverse craft lists that includes a wide selection of ciders and sours, rare and hard-to-find ales and IPAs, as well as exclusive beers and ciders made exclusively for CCG. When in full operation, CCG concepts are pouring on over 120 taps - with dozens more to come! Craft Concepts Group concepts are proud members of Philly Loves Beer and collectively host dozens of annual events for Philly Beer Week.