Café by day and cocktail bar by night, Enswell comes from the team behind Philadelphia’s Rival Bros., Jonathan Adams and Damien Pileggi, and exists in partnership with New Liberty Distillery. Enswell is heavily inspired by the cafés of Europe that offer a convivial backdrop any time of day for coffee, cocktail, and fine food. Design from Stokes Architecture + Design balances the light and airy café vibe with the old-world opulence of The Touraine, the historic residential hotel that houses Enswell. Beverage offerings include a list of coffee-infused cocktails (powered by Rival Bros. Coffee) along with classics and modern updates powered by New Liberty Distillery’s slate of local spirits. On the culinary side, contemporary small plates are designed to complement the Enswell drinking experience. Additionally, the space offers a dedicated bottle shop of New Liberty Distillery and Rival Bros. products.
Coming from two teams known for knowledge in the beverage space, Enswell takes its lineage seriously across a craft cocktail menu designed by Vince Stipo of Superfolie, and is managed day-to-day by the Enswell bar team.
Enswell’s cocktail menu is powered by New Liberty Distillery — and redefines the coffee cocktail category across classic and coffee-infused full- and zero-proof drinks (ranging from $12-16), plus local beer and wine. Menu include:
- Haymaker / Rival Bros. Whistle & Cuss espresso, house orgeat, coffee liqueur, Kinsey Bourbon, froth
- 12th Century Limonana / tequila, lime, thai basil, cream, green salt
- No.2 Old Fashioned / brown butter-washed scotch, bitters, demerara
- Egyptian Limonana / green salt (zero-proof)
“Our partnership with New Liberty Distillery goes back to 2021 when we launched our Bourbon Barrel Aged Rival Bros. coffee beans, which are rested in their oak barrels,” explains co-founder Jonathan Adams in a statement. “We’re confident their artfully made, and delicious, local spirits will help propel Enswell to a world-class beverage program,” Adams continued.
Enswell’s kitchen is run by Executive Chef Andrew Farley (formerly High Street on Market and Pub & Kitchen) who serves a menu of contemporary small plates, ranging $12-$30, to be enjoyed with Enswell’s cocktails. Both Rival Bros. and Enswell are co-founded by Jonathan Adams, a stalwart of the Philadelphia chef community known for his time at Pub & Kitchen and The Diving Horse, as well as further afield experience including a stint at world-renowned Mugaritz in Spain and Gilt by Paul Liebrandt in NYC, now operating as Head of Culinary and mentor for the group. Enswell’s menu includes:
- Dirty Shrimp Cocktail / parsley, olive, lemon, caper
- Tagliatelle Pomodoro / whipped burrata, torn herbs
- NJ Skate Milanese / summer beans, creme fraiche, caper, grilled lemon
- Black Magic Cake / miso caramel crunch
- Daily pastries and viennoiserie
Midday service and weekend brunch will be available Saturday and Sunday in the weeks following opening.
Rival Bros. has partnered with the Spruce Street Commons team and owners of The Touraine, and Stokes Architecture + Design to complete a full-scale renovation of the space, which previously housed a Rival Bros. Café. The Touraine itself was built as a hotel in 1917 by architect Frederick Weber, later becoming home to luxury apartments. In the 1980s, the building was officially added to the National Historical Register. Today, the ground-floor (or street-level) space once occupied by The Touraine’s first restaurant, Le Trianon, is now home to Enswell. To properly integrate the original Edwardian/neoclassical details of the space Lance Saunders, director of design at Stokes Architecture + Design, looked to art deco as an aesthetic reference point. The result gives the space a sense of evolution and helps place the modern, intervening elements into context. Saunders’ design harkens to the salons of Paris and other cultural gathering places to convey the comfort and camaraderie of somewhere welcoming guests bright and early as well as late at night. Custom millwork, lighting, and art from Philadelphia craftspeople ground the space in present-day, with nods to the building’s storied past.
Leading with the cocktail bar side, Enswell serves as a meeting house for the community, industry, and visitors; with that, the space will be largely wifi-less to foster greater connection. Tying into the Rival Bros. boxing-centric brand, Enswell is named for a tool used in boxing to relieve pressure and strives to be a place where guests enjoy convivial relaxation.
“The inspiration for Enswell is really rooted in European café culture; we want Enswell to be a place anyone can go for coffee, a cocktail, or glass of wine, and even a bite virtually any time of day,” explains co-founder Damien Pileggi. “The design of the space speaks to this too, striking a perfect balance between old-world sensibilities with the casual ease of Philadelphia,” Pileggi continues.
Operating day-to-night, Enswell will offer coffee service and pastries from 7 to 11AM; the bar and kitchen open for midday service from 11AM until 3PM; Evening service runs from 5PM through 10PM on weeknights and until midnight on weekends. Enswell offers five bar seats, 30 interior seats, and 18 seats outdoors.
