Look Inside Porta Before It Officially Opens Tonight

Porta, the stylish new pizzeria on Chestnut Street, opened its doors just before Christmas with limited hours, got settled in over the slow holiday period, and is now officially opening Friday night (January 5). To mark the occasion, the restaurant is throwing a pizza party with free marinara and margherita pies from 7:30-8:30 p.m. It opens at 4 p.m. and the pizza will flow until 1 a.m.

This is the first Philly location for Porta, which has branches in Asbury Park and Jersey City. The space, at 1216 Chestnut Street, is divided between Porta and Brickwall Tavern, also from the Smith restaurant group. Look for Brickwall to open in the spring.

Porta is known for its Neapolitan pies, made with flour and tomatoes imported from Italy and cooked in pizza ovens brought over from Naples — not exactly revelatory, though the New York Times did praise the food at the Asbury Park location. The weekend brunch menu focuses on pizza (there’s a Nutella pie), along with more breakfast-y plates like French toast. To drink, there are reasonably priced wines (reasonable for Philly, anyway), beers on tap, in bottles, and in cans, and a list of more than 20 cordials.

Take a look at the decor:

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz

Andrew Holtz