Rival Bros Sets its Sights on Center City

Jonathan Adams and Damien Pileggi, bro-friends behind Rival Bros, the Philly roaster and cafe born out of a truck, are going for the coffee shop hat-trick: their third planned cafe location will be smack in the middle of Center City on the ground floor of the historic — and newly refurbished — Touraine building at 1528 Spruce Steet. Rival Bros’s first coffee shop opened in Fitler Square back in May of 2014. Then, earlier this year, they announced their second location in the former Chiarella’s overlooking the Singing Fountain in Passyunk Square.

Number 3, like it’s Fitler Square sibling, will be a full-service espresso and coffee bar, including a single-origin hand pour menu, and it’ll offer a similar food menu of High Street pastries and toasts, plus Lil’ Pop Shop pops, Weckerly’s Ice Cream, Sugar Philly and Nathan Miller Chocolate. The Spruce Street location will be the largest location, by far (though, that’s not saying much since the original is tiny), with ample seating featuring wrap around banquets, lounge tables, a counter in the front window and a 10-seat communal table.

If all goes according to plan, they’ll likely open sometime this winter. As for Passyunk’s Rival Bros, things are moving along slowly but surely. The original plan to open in summer of 2016 was obviously scrapped—spring 2017 looks more likely.