More Details Emerge on Termini and Michael Schulson’s Giuseppe & Sons

Giuseppe & Sons, the Center City collaboration between Michael and Nina Tinari Schulson and the Termini family, is shooting for a late spring opening at 1521 Sansom Street. The red gravy Italian restaurant will be located next to the Schulsons’ Harp & Crown but mimic the operation of their hit Double Knot, with one style of restaurant upstairs and a second below street level.

Giuseppe & Sons feels like a departure for Michael Schulson, who’s better known for high style, not homey spots — see: the moody Double Knot and Sampan, both on 13th Street, and the barely lit Izakaya in Atlantic City’s Borgata. But with the Termini family on board, the team is going for an old-school Italian feel.

The Terminis are legendary for their South Philly bakery, opened by Sicilian immigrant Giuseppe Termini in 1921. His son, Vincent, expanded the family brand beyond cannoli and cookies when he opened the restaurant Mr. Joe’s Cafe across from the bakery (1523 S. 8th Street) in 2004. Grandsons Joseph and Vincent Jr. run the bakery, which now has four locations.

Walk by Double Knot at 120 S. 13th Street and you’ll see what looks like an artsy coffee shop with breakfast and lunch offerings. But head downstairs at dinnertime for an entirely different scene. The basement is a low-it, high-energy Japanese restaurant complete with a sushi counter and sake by the bottle. Look for the same dynamic at Giuseppe & Sons, where the street level space will house a bakery and lunch spot with food available for dining in or to go. The dining room, serving classic Italian-American fare, will be downstairs. Stay tuned for more details on the menu.