Soon, the Spanish flavor of downtown Philadelphia may be heading west.
A new restaurant headed by Jose Garces - executive chef of Center City's Amada and El Vez - will be coming to the Hub at 40th and Chestnut streets.
The restaurant, with 8,400 square feet on the Hub's first and second floors, will be the largest of Garces's three restaurants, though all other details of the project - including its planned opening date, name, theme and menu - will not be determined until the summer.
"People look for the next thing he'll do," said Ahsan Nasratullah, CEO of project developer Teres Holdings. Garces "has a really tremendous track record [and] is the darling of chef world."
The restaurant will be targeted toward a younger population, but not necessarily students.
Still, Nasratullah promised it will be "very chic."
Community leaders believe Garces, who has an undeniable following in the Philadelphia area, could cause many to view University City's unique dining scene in a new light.
"We are thrilled to be having another upscale dining establishment," University City District spokeswoman Lori Brennan said. It "will add to the quality of restaurant options in the neighborhood."
A top chef opening a restaurant in this area may have sounded unusual a few decades ago, but this is only further indication of the changing environment of the University City District, said Barry Grossbach of the Spruce Hill Community Association.
"I think the area is growing," Grossbach said. "I think it has a degree of vibrancy that it didn't have before."
The Hub creates a more stable population base and is a significant real-estate development for the neighborhood, he added.
And although Center City, especially the Rittenhouse Square area, is known for its superior dining, University City may soon be able to compete.
"It's going to bring a destination restaurant to Penn's campus," Real Estate Services spokesman Tony Sorrentino said.
And it seems as if Penn students will be excited by the prospect of a Center City-style restaurant just off campus.
"The city loves food," College freshman Rachel King said. "It will have success, at least at first."
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