A wood-fired pizza restaurant with a creative twist plans to heat up Center City this year.
Bar Nostra, owned by Aakash Patel, will bring a touch of Italy to 2102 Chestnut St., taking over the former Mix Bar and Grill space.
“It means ‘Our bar’ in Italian. We want people to feel at home. We want them to feel like they can come and dine every day—not just when they’re celebrating or on a special occasion,” Patel told Whatnow Philadelphia.
Patel brings experience to the new venture. He took over Spuntino Wood Fired Pizzeria and opened Bar1010 in 2023, a Northern Liberties spot known for its wood-fired pies.
“The owner [of Mix Bar and Grill] wanted to wind down, and he reached out to me. I did this a couple of years ago and wanted to expand. The space looked exactly like our Bar1010 setup—it has a nice brick oven and a nice bar,” he said.
Patel plans to refresh the space with a renovated dining room, new flooring, fresh paint and updated furniture while keeping the existing bar intact.
The menu will feature elevated yet approachable dishes, including salads, pasta and the signature pizza.
“What we’re known for is our international fusion pizzas. On our current menu, we have a chicken tikka pizza with a cilantro lime chutney. We have a Korean barbecue pizza with sesame seeds, scallions with housemade barbecue sauce. I’m excited to bring that into the neighborhood because I don’t think something like that exists in Center City just yet,” Patel said.
Patel is also looking forward to introducing a cocktail menu featuring clarified drinks, which undergo a filtration process to achieve a smooth texture and refined flavor. The menu will include a variety of seasonal shrub cocktails.
Bar Nostra is awaiting construction completion and final approvals, with plans to open by late fall.
“It’s been in the works for about 10 to 11 months now, but now we’re just getting started, so just excited to get it open,” Patel said.
Stay tuned!
