Jose Andres Bringing Veggie-Driven Beefsteak to Philadelphia

Superstar chef Jose Andres (Minibar, Bazaar, Zaytinya, et al.) is finally coming to Philly, with the announcement that Beefsteak will open on the Penn campus early next year, as first reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian. It will be the first location outside of D.C. for the veggie-driven, fast casual concept, which offers custom-built, globally inspired bowls built on grains and vegetables. Though the focus is on plant-based fare, diners have the option to add toppings like chicken, eggs, or salmon. (Check out the menu here.)

The restaurant will be located in Penn's Houston Market, which also recently added an outpost of Pure Fare. It will be operated in partnership with Bon Appetit Management, who runs all on-campus dining options, but will be open to the general public.

Last year, another celeb chef came to Philly via the campus-dining route: Rick Bayless opened Tortas Frontera at Penn's ARCH Building in February 2014. Meanwhile, the most recent murmurs of a possible Andres presence in Philly came in 2013, with the announcement of a new SLS hotel (for whom Andres serves as culinary director) coming to town. The most recent reports on that development suggest it will not be completed until spring 2018 at the earliest, so it will be some time before we learn which restaurants will take up residency there.