A cozy all-day cafe shifting into an upscale bar after dark is slated to open in Philadelphia next year, offering a home-away-from-home atmosphere.
Palm Vintage, whose tagline reads “Coffee inspires. Sushi indulges. Cocktails ignite.”, will open inside the Ritz-Carlton with Mihail “Mike” Beja and Houston Yang leading the project.
“Houston and I, we’re both from the Philadelphia area, and we love to travel. We visit New York quite a bit. We both love to visit Miami. We go out to these places because we like the scenery, we like the ambiance, and we just like the scenes at these restaurants, bars, and lounges. We have this opportunity now at the Ritz-Carlton, so why not bring that sensation to Philly?” Beja told What Now Philadelphia.
While the space draws inspiration from their favorite travel destinations, it will keep its Philadelphia charm, creating a perfect escape.
“It’s an open, light, airy, relaxed ambiance, where you feel like you’ve left the city, all while you’re still in the heart of the city,” he said.
Beja said the space will feature refined tones of off-white, cream, oceanic blue, bronze, and gold.
“It’s almost a washed color, something that screams, ‘This is vintage!’ Our architect did a really good job of blending that design with what’s surrounding the area of Palm Vintage–City Hall. He’s incorporated some organic arches throughout the place to kind of replicate that older architectural design,” he said.
Palm Vintage will operate as a cafe from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and transform into a high-end sushi restaurant and bar from 4 to 10 p.m.
“We love to utilize all parts of the day because there’s so many different groups of people. You have your early birds–they want a coffee, they want a pick-me-up. We’re bringing in commercial-grade coffee machines. We’re pairing that with typical elevated cafe food,” Beja said.
The restaurant will serve elevated sandwiches, paninis and salads during this time.
“Then, we want to shift the focus–more ambient, more comfortable. We’ll have signature cocktails, craft beer and high-end wine that’ll pair with finer foods,” he said.
The menu will feature traditional sushi, raw fish, seasonal and raw oysters, crispy tuna rice, tuna tartare and introduce personal hotpots.
“Hotpot is like a soup-based dish where you get an option base that’ll be pre-prepped with its vegetables, and then you’ll have an option of having wagyu or a seafood-based protein. This is all on a personal level; we want to bring it to a single client,” Beja said.
He continued, “The setup of this is really neat because you get a personal little hotpot bowl that has boiling hotpot at your side. It’s actually getting cooked as you place in your raw protein. It comes on a tiny tray with the pot, side dishes, sauces, and seasoning for you to cook it to your liking.”
Beja and Yang are eager to introduce the new concept to Center City.
“I’m excited to see people’s faces. I like to see them smile. That is something I want to deliver to them. They’re here, they’re happy, they’re enjoying the moment,” Yang told What Now Philadelphia.
“I hope to create a home for a whole section of Philly. I really hope to see regulars. I want to be able to say these clients, these people–I’ve become friends with them because they come in, enjoy the food, enjoy the drinks, enjoy the ambiance, and feel at home. I also hope to be a very cool spot for people who have visited Philly for the first time,” Beja said.
Palm Vintage has not yet determined an official opening date, but the team plans to open in January. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
