The Streetery at A.Kitchen

We are proud and excited to announce that the streetery at A.Kitchen+ Bar, located at Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, is officially open! 

The streetery is an inviting outdoor space characterized by its strong, clean form accented with natural wood detailing and lush perimeter plantings. The simple structure belies the high degree of ingenuity involved in incorporating the latest City of Philadelphia streetery construction standards and the persistence necessary to attain a valid permit. With the city’s updated regulations for as-of-right streeteries, our team embraced the challenge of designing and building an open-air structure that adheres to the latest safety standards as an opportunity to create a more vibrant dining environment.  

There has always been a demand in Philadelphia for outdoor dining, but when Covid struck, it became necessary. Streeteries were built quickly and without much regulation.  As the situation normalized, new regulations were introduced that create seemingly contradictory demands on the design team and increase the cost of permitting and construction.  These new requirements emphasize the importance of durable, yet easily to disassemble construction.  For safety reasons, Streeteries are now required to have stronger pedestrian protections and to comply with the building code.  On the other hand, streeteries are required to be freestanding and easily to disassemble so that they can be removed with little notice when adjustments are needed for street work or other city mandates. Streetery width is currently limited to seven feet which calls for careful allocation of space and design detailing. 

To address the new city requirements, we adopted a modular approach for detailing the A Kitchen Streetery.  This thoughtful design allows the structure to be easily broken down and stored offsite when necessary, ensuring flexibility without compromising on style or safety.  The planters integrated around the structure, create a green visual buffer that softens the view of the busy street beyond and conceal a robust protective wall required by the most recent city regulations.  This project is the result of a successful collaboration between A.Kitchen + Bar, Korman Communities, and the very smart and capable folks at North Standard Fabrication and Millwork. Together, we’ve created a carefully detailed outdoor seating area that complies with the new city regulations regarding ease of assembly, accessibility, and user safety.

We invite you to come and enjoy the new streetery at A.Kitchen + Bar—where great food meets a fantastic outdoor atmosphere!