On Friday, May 9 at 7 a.m., Jonathan Adams and Damien Pileggi, co-owners of Rival Bros Coffee, a Philadelphia-based small-batch, custom coffee roaster, will officially open their flagship coffee bar in the city’s Fitler Square neighborhood. They will serve their handcrafted coffees, along with a seasonal menu of baked goods and fresh breads from High Street on Market, a highly-praised all-day café and restaurant in Philadelphia’s Old City section, seven days a week.
“It was always our plan to open a brick-and-mortar coffee bar and we couldn’t be more excited to open our first in a great neighborhood like Fitler Square,” says, Adams, a former chef who launched Rival Bros in the fall of 2011 with Pileggi. “We hope to make this a comfortable atmosphere for our guests to enjoy a great cup of coffee any time of day,” adds Pileggi.
At the Rival Bros coffee bar, Adams and Pileggi will offer drip coffee and espresso beverages from their proprietary line, which is roasted daily at their facility in the city’s Frankford section. Leading up to the opening, the pair trained their team of knowledgeable and friendly baristas to work with top-of-the-line coffee equipment, including a Fetco Extractor coffee brewer, Mahlkoenig grinders and a custom matte black La Marzocco GB/5 espresso machine handmade in Florence, Italy. Additional beverages, from a variety of whole leaf loose teas from Philadelphia’s House of Tea to grab-and-go bottles of water, juices and Fentimans all-natural sodas, will also be available throughout the day.
For the food component, Adams and Pileggi worked closely with Executive Chef Eli Kulp of High Street on Market, who was most recently named a 2014 “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine, to create an enticing menu of breads and pastries that will be delivered fresh daily. Offerings will include classic pastries with a slight twist to highlight regional flavors and ingredients. In addition, guests will be able to purchase breads by the slice, toasted and served with Trickling Spring Creamery butter and signature jam from Green Aisle Grocers, or by whole loaves to-go. They will also sell 12 oz. bags of their coffee beans alongside some of the best coffee merchandise they recommend using for at-home brewing, including Chemex coffee makers, Hario scales and grinders and Bonavita electric kettles.
The coffee bar’s large windows looking out onto Lombard Street create a bright, inviting atmosphere and a color palette of black, slate and white enhances the interior’s sophisticated atheistic. Light oak wood flooring throughout brings balance to the room’s handsome, dark leather, tufted banquettes and custom-made sapele wood tabletops from local craftsman Matt Pappajohn. A mix of textures will be used throughout the space, most notably on an accent wall covered with a Hicks hexagon wallpaper, a small scale geometric design made up of gold, black and grey hexagons with metallic highlights which will serve as the backdrop for a customized wooden sign made by local artist Ryan Katrina of Neuarmy Surplus, Co. Guests may enjoy complimentary WiFi and outdoor seating will be available in the upcoming months.
Rival Bros’ blended coffees, influenced by both brighter and lighter-roasted West Coast coffees and the bolder, more traditional East Coast coffees, currently include: Whistle & Cuss, an espresso blend with the perfect amount of sharpness, clean nutty aroma, caramel flavors and a soft berry finish; Revolver, a drip coffee made from a Latin American-based blend of Indonesian and African beans for chocolate and spice notes; and Palooka, a decaf coffee with a bold balance and a toffee and thyme finish.
Their single-origin coffees are all roasted on the lighter side and vary in flavor and complexity depending upon from which country the beans are sourced, and currently include: Kenya Chania Estate,dynamic and quenching with notes of sangria and cola in the finish; Papua New Guinea Kunjin,thick-bodied, herbaceous and rounded out with brown butter and grapefruit; and Honduras Guachpilin Micro-lot, lightly roasted with a creamy flavor that shines with hints of lemon, apple and chocolate. Rival Bros Coffee beans will be available for purchase at the coffee bar in 12 oz. bags and can also be ordered online and shipped anywhere in the country by visiting their e-store.
In fall 2011, Adams and Pileggi, who grew up together just outside Philadelphia in Bucks County, debuted Rival Bros Coffee from their mobile café, a retrofitted delivery truck. Prior to its debut, Adams and Pileggi spent years working to perfect their coffee by combining their talents – Adams, a former chef made a name for himself working in some of the city’s most avant-garde kitchens and Pileggi, who worked with Philadelphia-based La Colombe, including three years in San Francisco as their West Coast brand ambassador.
The Rival Bros Coffee bar will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at 2400 Lombard Street in Philadelphia (corner of 24th & Lombard). The Rival Bros Coffee truck is available for private events. For more information about the coffee bar or truck, please visit their website, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and like them on Facebook.
- Photos: Rival Bros.
