Caletta is a cocktail lounge and piano bar at Hotel Anna & Bel in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. Set to open its doors on October 3, 2024, Caletta is a partnership between Chef-Partner Tyler Akin (he/him) of Form-Function Hospitality and Foyer Project. The 24-seat lounge features an Italian-leaning menu of bar snacks alongside a progressive, seasonally-driven cocktail list that is both inspired by the Mediterranean and incorporates global influences.
Under the culinary direction of Tyler Akin, Caletta offers a luxe and distinctively Italian menu of bar snacks and small plates. Inspired by places like Cagliari’s San Benedetto Market, where he sampled fresh seafood, bottarga and an array of local produce and baked goods, Akin weaves elements from his travels throughout Italy – particularly, Sardinia – throughout Caletta’s menu.
“Caletta offers snacks inspired by Sardinia and southern Italy with luxe touches like truffles and caviar, standing in contrast to the more traditional and proletarian Sardinian and Corsican influences found next door in Bastia,” says Chef-Partner Tyler Akin in a statement. “Whether Caletta itself is the destination, a place to warm up for a meal at Bastia, or the most convenient bar to enjoy a cocktail after a meal across the hallway, Caletta can be so many things to our hotel guests and to the community. In any case, it will be delicious, creative, and seasonal. Our local farm deliveries will very much inform both the food and drink,” Akin continued.
Bar bites include:
- Italian Sturgeon Caviar with pane carasau and a colatura-cured egg yolk in a fines herbes salad
- Burger with grass-fed bavette, roasted tomato, balsamic aioli, and Perrystead moonrise
- Ribeye Spiedini with walnut pesto and grilled radicchio
- Saffron Arancini stuffed with smashed fresh chickpea and mint on top of black truffle fonduta
Caletta’s beverage program, designed by Beverage Director Benjamin Kirk (they/them), strikes a balance between offering cocktails that feel familiar alongside adventurous flavors. The drinks maintain a lightness while exploring global flavors and transportative ingredients, including pandan-infused Lustau Fino Sherry, persimmon-infused mezcal, and umeboshi cordial. Drinks at Caletta incorporate ingredients not traditionally found behind the bar, like grilled pineapple skin in oleo saccharum with matcha, barbecue bitters and more. Marrying creativity with a sustainable outlook, Kirk taps house-made infusions, preservations, and cordials to deliver a range of cocktails from spritzes to milk punches.
“We’ve taken some room to play and explore with the beverage program, and every drink on the menu was crafted with the purpose to surprise and delight, using unconventional ingredients and techniques that push the boundaries of what a cocktail can be,” said Benjamin Kirk, beverage director.
Cocktails include:
- Caletta Spritz – Bitter Bianco Blend, White Port, Salvia e Limone, Preserved Lemon and Quince Cordial, Prosecco, club soda, sage
- Cicero Can’t Hang – Honey nut squash and turmeric leaf infused Genever, Aquavit, Creme de Cacao, L’Herboriste, Amari, bitter honey simple syrup, lemon
- Saturn Descent – Pasubio, St. George Aged Rye Gin, Yuzu Sake, pomegranate and umeboshi cordial, Mirto, shiso, bbq bitters
The menu features a selection of ingredient-forward non-alcoholic cocktails and hand-selected non-alcoholic wines, such as Prosecco Poggio Costa, Paltrinieri Solco Lambrusco and Isola del Satiro.
Spirit-free drinks include:
- Phlegrean Fields – Dhos bittersweet, mandarin and burnt rosemary cordial, sparkling n/a wine
- Lapwing – Fig leaf-infused n/a gin, Lapos Aperitivo, coconut, pineapple, lime
Dor Berkovitz (he/him) of Foyer Project with design and architecture house, B March, and Form-Function Hospitality. The interior of Caletta was designed to evoke a sense of warmth and sophistication, reminiscent of a Mediterranean vacation. The walls are adorned with warm tones such as terracotta, amber, café, and bronze, creating an inviting and intimate atmosphere. The space is carefully curated, featuring a beautiful black piano and small stools scattered throughout. The grand windows and doors allow natural light to flood the space from the adjacent courtyard, giving it the ambiance of an old Mediterranean mansion, complete with a touch of rustic elegance.
The piano bar programming consists of a rotation of local and visiting musicians, with some evenings featuring live performances and others offering an open invitation for hotel guests to join in and play.
Caletta is open from Thursday through Saturday from 4pm to 11pm. The bar welcomes walk-in guests and does not take reservations.
Caletta is located at 1401 E. Susquehanna Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125.
