A Look at Ember & Ash’s Gastropub Glow-Up

Dishes on Ember & Ash’s new menu / Photograph by Mike Prince

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. Just a few quick things to get to this week — including (but not limited to) a new chapter for Ember & Ash, brunch at Little Walter’s, the closing of a Center City theme bar, and a big bacon and beer party coming to Fishtown. So let’s get things started this week with …

Ember & Ash Enters Its Gastropub Era

Open-fire cooking has been Ember & Ash‘s thing since the day it opened back in January of 2021. The restaurant focused on upscale versions of simple “peasant foods,” often combining flavors from Eastern and Western canons to excellent effect. (See the recent parsnip gnocchi with miso, yuzu, and roasted seaweed butter as an excellent example.)  Owners Scott and Lulu Calhoun have done collabs, holiday dinners, events, and seasonal menu changes; but last week, after four years of hustle on East Passyunk, they announced their biggest change yet.

Effective immediately, Ember & Ash is now a “New American gastropub.” And according to Scott, this isn’t just a menu refresh but a full rebranding of the restaurant and a physical statement of what live-fire cooking in Philly should look (and taste) like.

“The menu isn’t tied to one cuisine,” Scott says. “Rather, it pulls from inspirations from anywhere flavor lives, from classic gastropub comfort food to bold Asian influences.” So we’re talking burgers cooked over flame, served on toasted sesame buns, smoked chicken with lemongrass and cashew, glazed in a sweet/hot Crying Tiger sauce, steak frites, and whole-grilled fish. They’ve got black spaghetti made with squid ink, served with smoked tuna carbonara, grilled avocado with chili crisp, and a smoked chocolate pudding for dessert.

The beef shin that’s always been on the menu? That’s pretty much a definitional gastropub-style plate, so that’s staying. But in the universe of the new Ember & Ash, it’s now served with lettuce cups, rice noodles, sesame, and peanuts to give it an Asian street-food feel.

Grilled French toast at Ember & Ash / Photograph by Mike Prince

Plus, they’re adding a dedicated Sunday brunch service for the first time since the place initially opened and slung a few breakfast sandwiches in the morning to try and pay the bills. Now, though, they’re doing a full menu, with grilled French toast, Caesar salads, steak frites, and a breakfast sandwich (natch). They’re also offering a big chunk of the dinner menu for all-day service on Sundays.

“This place was always meant to be fire, flavor, and a damn good time,” according to Scott. “And now it actually feels like it. The food isn’t trying to be one thing — it’s just big, bold flavors we love, cooked over fire, and meant to be shared.”

And Lulu feels the same way: “We wanted to create a place that feels exciting without the fuss. We want to be a spot where you can settle in, order another round, and forget what time it is. Philly has an incredible restaurant scene, and we are grateful to be part of it.”

The new hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight (with the kitchen till 10 p.m.); and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The new menu is available right now, so go check it out.

Now what else is happening this week?

Speaking of New Brunch Services …

Tost z awokado at Little Walter’s / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

Guess who else is getting ready to launch one? Little Walter’s.

Originally scheduled to launch this weekend, chef Michael Brenfleck and his crew have pushed back the date by a week, but starting Sunday, March 23rd, Little Walter’s will be offering an all-day Polish brunch and cocktail service that’ll run every Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

And the menu looks like a killer. It’s got everything from a Polish avocado toast (tost z awokado) on toasted rye with a jammy egg and horseradish to babka, bialy, gołabki stuffed with brisket and brown rice, and the house favorite pierogi ruskie. Plus, Brenfleck and his crew are rolling out a special Niedzielny Kurczak — “Sunday Chicken” — family-style entree that’s basically a half or whole roasted chicken served for the table with herbed potatoes and cabbage. It’s one of those things you order for the group, then sit there picking at all afternoon while knocking back a Rewolucyjny, their take on the Bloody Mary made with Polish mustard, and a spike of horseradish and/or the house espresso martini, featuring Herman’s Coffee espresso and Polish vodka.

The Rewolucyjny at Little Walter’s / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

So, this all starts next weekend. And the only drag here? You will probably (read: absolutely) need reservations. The place has gotten ridiculously popular, and though I love it all the way down to its sour-cream-slathered little heart, I do miss just being able to walk in whenever I was in the mood for some excellent pierogi and a glass of the house-made cherry nalewka.

Still, I’m nothing but happy for the place. And brunch sounds great. So check it out if you’re the making-plans-in-advance type.

The Chef Conference Is Back in Philly

The 2025 Chef Conference (not to be confused with the annual Philly Chef Conference at Drexel) is returning to Philly next month, with events, lectures, demonstrations, keynotes, collab dinners, and all the other conference-y things.

It’s a big deal, and it is drawing some very big names. Plus, wanna know what’s cool? This year, they’re hosting Noma Projects and doing a whole series of dinners and events with the team.

Okay, so talky-talky stuff first. The conference has Greg Vernick and Marc Vetri talking about kitchen leadership, Nok Suntaranon and Michael Solomonov on indie restaurants (which, I grant you, is an unusual choice in panelists), Brett Anderson talking business, Andrew Zimmern talking about restaurant disasters with Katie Button, Jason Collis, and Courtney Storer — chef and co-producer for The Bear, and a bunch of other big-time national names spitting wisdom from the stage. You can find the full agenda, schedule, and registration info here.

But there’s also a whole series of collab dinners happening, too. The crew from Noma Projects will be getting together with South Philly Barbacoa on April 4th, Goldie on April 5th, and Pizzeria Vetri on April 6th, then a whole bunch of Resy-sponsored one-night stands with various restaurants. As of right now, the lineup looks like this:

• Bar collab: Robert Simonson at Palizzi Social Club — Friday, April 4th at 6 p.m. (details HERE)
• Co-Op x Anju: Collaboration Brunch – Saturday, April 5th at 11:45 a.m. (details HERE)
• Kasama, Atomix, and Jesse Ito at Picnic: Saturday, April 5th at 12 p.m. (details HERE)
• Tam Tam at Irwin’s: Saturday, April 5th at 5 p.m. (details HERE)
• A Filipinx House Party at Mish Mish: Sunday, April 5th at 6 p.m. (details HERE)
• Food & Wine Best New Chefs Dinner: Saturday, April 5th at 8:30 p.m. (details HERE)
• When Southern Women Cook brunch: Sunday, April 6th at 2 p.m. (details HERE)
• Budonoki at Royal Izakaya: Sunday, April 6th at 5 p.m. (details HERE)
• Wolf’s Tailor at Tresini: Sunday, April 6th at 12 p.m. (details HERE)
• Acamaya at Kayala: Sunday, April 6th at 5 p.m. (details HERE)
• Penny + Saltie Girl at Jaffa: Sunday, April 6th at 5 p.m. (details HERE)

Yeah, I know. It’s a lot. But if you’re looking for more info, you can find it all right here. The Chef Conference takes place on April 4th through the 7th.

Bad News for Blade Runner Fans

Inside Chika Ramen Bar / Photograph by Cody Aldrich Photography

Okay, so this hurts — and yet isn’t really at all surprising.

You guys remember Chika Ramen Bar, right? It was the underground, Blade Runner-themed Center City ramen-and-cocktails joint opened by Glu Hospitality late in 2023.

Yeah, well, it’s closed. And it looks like the Bagels & Co. location above it (and also owned by Glu) is going down, too.

According to the Inky, Chika’s liquor license expired back in October of last year, but they’d been serving anyway — which is a clear violation. For a little while, they tried to operate as a supposed BYOB, but that didn’t seem to make much difference. And as of now, the joint is dark — a shutdown that is allegedly temporary.

But here’s the thing. Glu co-founder Derek Gibbons told the Inquirer that the cost of renewing the liquor license was just too much for Chika to bear and that it couldn’t keep up financially. Which sounds like the place was already struggling pretty badly. And why?

Because Philly hates theme restaurants. Philly hates theme restaurants as much as it loves crudo and whole roasted branzino. This city hates a theme restaurant the way it hates Cowboys fans and the PPA — instinctively and completely and generationally.

I mean, seriously. Can you tell me one theme restaurant that has ever thrived in this place? And I’m not talking about Dear Daphni’s Mediterranean beach vibes or Kalaya’s Thai inspirations. Putting a whole-ass tree inside a place does not make a theme restaurant. But I mean Mad Rex with its love of apocalyptica or Sbraga’s wine coolers and old newspapers at Juniper Commons. Oh, sometimes a place like that can be fun for a minute. That cereal bar pop-up we talked about last week made a few headlines, after all. But I don’t think I can remember a single operation that went hard on a whole theme as its raison d’etre that survived long enough to make an impact here. There’s just something about the places that make them feel inherently false to a Philadelphian — that make the entire experience kinda squidgy and uncomfortable. Like, if you don’t fully buy in the minute you walk through the door, then you just become the person watching all the fun from the outside, and that’s not something that I think your average Philly resident feels comfortable with.

I dunno. Maybe I’m overthinking this. And regardless, Glu is having enough problems right now with their finances that this closure (along with the Bagels & Co. and 1225 Raw, which was shut down by the city over unpaid taxes earlier this year) is not at all surprising.

Anyway, Chika is gone, like tears in the rain.

Now who has room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Bacon-broiled oysters with Irish butter and a Guinness at The International Bar / Photograph by Kory Aversa

Fishtown and Kensington are celebrating two of life’s greatest joys (beer and pork products) by bringing them together for the first-ever Stouts & Snouts event, happening simultaneously at more than 20 restaurants in the neighborhood(s).

It works like this: On Saturday, March 15th, from 11 a.m. until all the bars and restaurants close, participating joints will show off their best stout beers, pork dishes, and “snout-inspired cocktails” — basically whiskey drinks. They’ve got everyone from Fette Sau (doing Love City Sylvie Stout and pulled pork sandwiches) to Kraftwork (Brooklyn Brewing Chocolate Stout, pork poutine, and bánh mì sandwiches) and R&D (Guinness, scotch eggs, and an Old Fashioned with reduced stout demerara) playing along, but if you’re looking for the full list and details, you can find them all here.

Meanwhile, Stella in New Hope has a new(ish) promo for those with a sense of humor. They’re doing “Adult Happy Meals” on their bar menu from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. What’s an “Adult Happy Meal,” you ask? A martini and an order of fries.

And that’s it.

There are actually a couple versions available (with a beer or a glass of wine), and the fries are served with truffle aioli, sambal aioli, or curry ketchup. But basically, we’re talking parmesan frites and a gin martini for $20. Which sounds like a pretty happy meal to me. Oh, and the restaurant has a brand new bar menu, too. So maybe check that out while you’re there.

Stella of New Hope’s new “Adult Happy Meal” features an order of french fries and a martini. / Photograph courtesy of Stella of New Hope

Finally this week, we already know that Starr has a big new Italian restaurant coming to the former Barnes & Noble space in Rittenhouse Square. Borromini is scheduled for a summer opening this year and looks to be more or less on track. That’ll be two (or possibly three) stories and is being pitched as a sort of Italian version of Parc — perfect for outdoor dining, people watching, and, one would assume, drinking in the sun.

But over at the Inky, they’re saying that Starr has another project planned for the Square, and that he and partner Alan Domb have also picked up the space next to Parc, formerly occupied by Devon Seafood Grill, and are looking to turn it around for an opening sometime next year.

It’s been a long time since Starr’s attention has been so focused on the city that gave him his start. And these two projects together? They’re going to bring a lot of fresh energy (and a lot of new seats) to what has historically been one of Philly’s hottest restaurant neighborhoods — even if, lately, the news has mostly been about smaller openings (Levain, Little Water) and big closures (like the aforementioned Devon).

Regardless, this is just another big project that we’ll be keeping our eye on. As always, you’ll know more as soon as we know more.