A new neighborhood café and aperitivo bar will host its soft opening on August 18. James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Ellen Yin is behind the new concept. The café will open in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse neighborhood as part of High Street Hospitality Group.
Bar Cicci to Open in Rittenhouse
Pronounced ‘CHEE-chee,’ Bar Cicci will operate as an all-day café and aperitivo bar. Located at 1620 Sansom St., the café draws inspiration from Yin’s travels through Milan and Venice and the daily rituals of Northern Italy.
Bar Cicci will serve espresso and house-baked pastries in the morning before transitioning to cicchetti, wine, and aperitivi in the evening. It will be a 30-seat, 600-square-foot café featuring the essence of an Italian neighborhood bar.
Cicci is the plural of “Ciccio,” which means “little ones” or “little bites” in Italian.
Bar Cicci will be open Tuesday through Friday for coffee and pastries at 8 a.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. The café will close at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. Hours are expected to change this fall.
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Inside Bar Cicci
Bar Cicci will be led by Yin. High Street Hospitality Group Culinary Director Christina McKeough will oversee the food program. Designed by Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, the intimate space is inspired by the design of 1960s Milan.
Inside is a natural stone bar, banquette seating, marble-topped tables, rustic Italian clay tile, and a color palette of orange, black, and blue.
Italian equipment and design details include a Faema Jubile E61 espresso machine. A Berkel flywheel slicer will be used to prepare thinly sliced prosciutto and mortadella. Vintage fashion sketches line the walls, reflecting Milan’s fashion and design history.
All-Day Italian Cafe and Menu
Bar Cicci will serve espresso, Italian pastries, and Northern Italian-inspired snacks during the day. The selection will rotate seasonally and include Pizza Bianca, Sfilatino, Maritozzi, Cornetti, Cannoli Cruffin, and Budino di Riso.
The small plates will include cheeses, meats, seasonal vegetables, and fish. Guests can order the small bites in groups of three or five.
Guests can also enjoy freshly sliced salumi like mortadella, coppa, bresaola, and prosciutto, along with Wagyu Beef Carpaccio Tonnato. Dessert options will include Zabaglione with seasonal fruit, house-made Campari Sorbetto, classic tiramisu, and a variety of Italian biscotti.
The wine program will be overseen by Frank Kinyon, Wine Director of High Street Hospitality Group. The cocktail program at Bar Cicci is created by Omy Bugazia, formerly of The Sergeantsville Inn and Detroit’s Ladder 4 Wine Bar.
With the upcoming soft opening of Bar Cicci, guests can get a personalized Italian dining experience in the Rittenhouse neighborhood.
