Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
There are few Spanish bar snacks as satisfying \u2014 or so hotly debated \u2014 as a properly made tortilla Espa\u00f1ola. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019re lingering in the hot southern cities of Andalusia, where the iconic potato-and-onion omelet is typically served room temperature or cold, the eggs are fully set. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut from Madrid north to Basque Country, it\u2019s traditionally made to order and served warm and custardy,\u201d says Patrick Iselin, 50, the co-owner of BAR ilu, who spent half his childhood in Spain and now splits time between Philadelphia and the Madrid apartment once owned by his grandmother, Iluminada \u201cIlu\u201d Prellezo Inchausti.<\/p>\n
So it follows that the eponymous new corner bar at Dauphin and Martha Streets \u2014 which happen to share the 40th parallel north with Madrid \u2014 serves its tortilla Espa\u00f1ola with a loose and edgy Kensington<\/a> flair: \u201crunny af,\u201d as noted on the menu. Served as a wedge, with olive oil-fried potato chunks and sweet onion laces bulging from its glossy middle, a warm forkful of this eggy wonder is as transporting as it gets. <\/p>\n Wash it down with a bracingly crisp glass of La Gitana Manzanilla sherry on draft, plus a fistful of crunchy Marcona almonds, a forkful of tangy boquerones, and a crock of olives warmed with orange zest and herbs, and it\u2019s hard to deny that BAR ilu is an appealing development for this rapidly changing corner of Kensington. It is perhaps also a little dissonant for those who know the neighborhood history. This stylish Euro concept, complete with its undulating circular bar and foam-topped glasses of vermouth, has landed in a space previously occupied by the Old Philadelphia Bar, one of the last unreconstructed dive bars from what co-owner Scott Coudriet calls Kensington\u2019s \u201cpre-hip-storic\u201d days. <\/p>\n Coudriet, who owns Fishtown<\/a>\u2019s Lloyd Whiskey Bar<\/a>, is also partnered with Iselin at nearby Cormorant<\/a> bar. Their other partners in ilu are Salvatore D\u2019Amato and Jason Evenchik, whose Vintage Syndicate<\/a> hospitality group operates Vintage, Starbolt, Time, Bar, three Garage locations, and the Goat Rittenhouse. <\/p>\n This veteran team is keenly aware of the sensitive dynamics of change at longstanding bars. That\u2019s why Iselin was adamant about keeping prices reasonable for Kensington locals \u2014 no more than $14 a plate, and $16 for distinctive cocktails that would easily cost a few dollars more in Center City<\/a> \u2014 while building this tribute to Spain in his adopted city. <\/p>\n Iselin wanted to craft this 40-seater with as few clich\u00e9s as possible (no hanging hams, no toro horns, no sangria), but rather the feel of a modern tapas bar he might frequent in Madrid today. He had no idea he was also tapping into the latest evolutionary trend for the Philadelphia bar. <\/p>\n Twenty years ago, the smoky old taverns of yore were being replaced by the gastropub movement of the early aughts, where local craft beers flowed and house charcuterie and pickle programs anchored ambitious seasonal menus that gave a cool new vibe to the neighborhood restaurant. In some cases, they helped redefine the neighborhoods themselves.<\/p>\n Philly\u2019s bar scene is now officially in its grazing phase, with curated drink menus centered around culinary cocktails, natural wines, and non-alcoholic drinks with food offerings often so limited that a hungry fellow like me might need to order three-quarters of the menu to make a meal. Sup\u00e9rette<\/a>, the charming French wine bar beside East Passyunk<\/a>\u2019s Singing Fountain, captured this development perfectly in 2025. Owners Chlo\u00e9 Grigri and Vincent Stipo described these snack-centric bars as a \u201cgenerational thing\u201d for 30-somethings who want a stylish place to hang for in-between meals with friends without committing to an entire evening. <\/p>\n A similar approach is at work through a Japanese lens at Almanac<\/a>, the cutting-edge Japanese cocktail bar (with wagyu hot dogs and kombu-cured celery sticks) above the omakase room at Ogawa<\/a>. The food menu at Chris Kearse\u2019s new cocktail bar in Washington Square West, Known Associates<\/a>, lists only a dozen items, counting the cool ranch freeze-dried peas. Same with the recently opened Lillian\u2019s Bar<\/a> in Point Breeze<\/a>. As Chris Fetfatzes told me about Grace & Proper<\/a>, the Portuguese-inspired bar with \u201ctasca\u201d nibbles he debuted in 2022, this template \u2014 a distinctive drink program bolstered by a small menu that can be produced with limited service and light kitchen investment (i.e. no hood) \u2014 makes perfect business sense in the post-COVID era.<\/p>\n Of course, the Spanish have been doing this for centuries with tapas, a light-bite evening repast that reflects their cultural preference for a larger meal earlier in the day. And yes, Amada<\/a> has been serving tapas here for 20 years, but always alongside a much broader menu with large plates and paellas. <\/p>\n Considering all the new small-plate projects that have come online recently, including Bar Cicci<\/a>, Ellen Yin\u2019s all-day aperitivo bar, Philadelphians may have finally embraced the concept on its own snacky terms.<\/p>\n BAR ilu has a slightly more substantial food menu than most. And part of its appeal is the natural ease with which it blends a Kenzo vibe (see the mismatched thrifter style of its floral-print wallpaper, black tin ceiling, and teal barstools) with an inventive drink program and classic Spanish plates lightly updated by chef Andrew Butler. <\/p>\n Fig leaf oil adds a shade of coconut-vanilla to a familiar pairing of juicy cantaloupe with shaved serrano ham. Smoked olive oil brings a whiff of earthiness to ripe summer tomatoes with cucumbers and piquillo peppers. A juicy burger topped with Manchego cheese, pickled red onions, and aioli firmly anchors the menu with one can\u2019t-miss comfort option that even the least Spanish-inclined customer will embrace. <\/p>\n But the Spanish flavors, both on the plate and in the glasses, are what have me hooked. Aside from the tortilla, there\u2019s a double-crusted Galician-style empanada stuffed with tuna and cooked-down tomate frito<\/a>. Plump head-on gambas al ajillo take on a flicker of chili oil heat. Crisp spheres of perfectly fried croquetas harbor lusciously creamy b\u00e9chamel centers flecked with serrano ham or, my favorite, salty flakes of bacalao. <\/p>\n There were a few misfires. The patatas bravas were pale and lacking crisp. The flattened confit artichoke heart was mushy. The seared mushrooms were oversalted. But these were minor complaints compared to winners like the crusty bocadillo sandwich overstuffed with paprika-fried baby squid drizzled with lemony aioli and more tomate frito. Along with some tiny olives stuffed with briny anchovy, every morsel seemed deliberately calibrated to stoke a thirst. <\/p>\n I especially enjoyed BAR ilu\u2019s creative approach to sherry and vermouth, both in cocktails and poured neat. A crisp Manzanilla, already one of my favorite pre-dinner quaffs in summer, added a bracing dryness to Cynar amaro and gin for Remember the Alimony. Vanilla-scented Licor 43 from Spain pairs with chilled Cafe Bustelo for a carajillo whose pebble ice is dusted with coffee-orange powder, and is now one of my top-five coffee cocktails in the city. <\/p>\n The Fire Drill is a refreshing tropical blast of passion fruit swirling in mezcal smoke, with an herbal whiff of Lo-Fi gentian amaro<\/a> to counter the fruity sweetness. A whole Granny Smith apple is juiced to order for the simple Booze & Juice, paired with the spirit of your choice (make it mezcal). <\/p>\n Meanwhile, unless you order a glass of dark, sweet-tangy Pedro Ximenez to cap your meal, try the Barquero vermut on draft and top it with orange foam, a combo that tastes like flat Coke dolloped with an orange-creamsicle cloud. There is actual dessert here, too: a perfectly fine almond cake with macerated peaches and cream. But that foamed vermouth was satisfyingly herbal, sweet, and mysterious \u2014 and one of the best things I drank all summer. <\/p>\n Grace & Proper<\/p>\n If BAR ilu represents a modern interpretation of tapas culture in Philly, the vintage vibes at Grace & Proper\u2019s Italian Market space reflect a different take on Iberian bar culture, this one influenced by the Portuguese roots of co-owner Chris Fetfatzes\u2019 family. <\/p>\n Fetfatzes, his wife, Heather Annechiarico, and their Happy Monday Hospitality partner Susan Freeman, who also own Wine Dive<\/a> and Sonnys Cocktail Joint<\/a>, leaned into the antique charm of the distressed tin ceiling, tiled floor, and exposed brick walls that were uncovered during renovations of the old pharmacy (and Italian deli) that once occupied this corner space at Eighth and Carpenter. Fetfatzes was hoping to create the cocktail counterpart to Fountain Porter<\/a>, the 14-year-old craft beer destination in East Passyunk known for its $7 burgers and pickles that, perhaps, helped mark the beginning of the minimalist-nibble bar. <\/p>\n Given Grace & Proper\u2019s compact space, with just 15 bar stools and 26 table seats sidled into window banquettes (plus 30 more outside in fair weather), it\u2019s amazing how its 200-bottle collection of amari, vermouths, Ports, whiskies, Madeiras, sherries, agave spirits, and indie Euro wines somehow fits into the tall shelves behind the bar. If you\u2019re a fan of funky Asturian cider, there\u2019s a proper porr\u00f3n carafe to stream it directly into your mouth from an arm\u2019s length away, ideally while watching Premier League or MLS soccer. Or try the Philly-Portugal Lisbon Wide hybrid, a draft of Super Bock Portuguese lager paired with a shot of ginjinha, a house-made cordial steeped from Morello sour cherries harvested<\/a> in Northeast Philadelphia<\/a>. <\/p>\n Grace & Proper doesn\u2019t post a food menu online, but it\u2019s substantial enough to anchor your table for a couple hours of snacking, from an irresistible pile of truffled potato chips feathered with spicy Calabrese salami to soulful onion soup infused with Port and lardo, a crock of white bean stew with kale and breadcrumbs, piri piri-spiked Buffalo chicken dip, and sweet-tart-smoky bacon-wrapped prunes with black garlic aioli. <\/p>\n I didn\u2019t care for the overly firm meatballs and their unbalanced blackberry romesco or, for that matter, the presentation of cheeses as crumbled nuggets. But these are all quibbles. Because there is really a single essential reason to visit Grace & Proper: the bifana<\/a>, a classic sandwich of wine-marinated roast pork on a molete roll from Teixeira\u2019s Bakery<\/a> in Newark that comes perched over a paprika-orange pool of zesty gravy. Equal parts lemony, garlicky, winey, and scented with bay, that roasted pork essence is so good, the gravy is also offered as a chaser to the Piggy Back shot (oloroso sherry and Armagnac). <\/p>\n All you\u2019ll need after that is a custardy sweet pastel de nata (also baked by Teixera\u2019s, according to G&P\u2019s recipe) and what might well be the best crema-topped shot of espresso at any bar in Philly. Grace & Proper is one of the precious few that actually adds fresh-pulled coffee to its espresso martinis, but I still prefer this coffee solo. I value the energy boost because, in these days of no-commitment sip-and-nibble bars, I\u2019ve still got places to go.<\/p>\n BAR ilu <\/p>\n