Queen Village Cafe Revamps Into a Comfort Food Restaurant

Anthony and Damon Mascieri, the brothers behind Philly’s three Plenty Cafes, have decided their newest location needs a makeover. The Plenty Cafe at 705 S. 5th Street in Queen Village, which debuted in November 2016, will close this weekend and open next month as Village, a restaurant and bar with American comfort foods.

Plenty Cafe also has locations in Rittenhouse and on East Passyunk Avenue — they’re not changing. The concept started out as more of a coffee shop with breakfast and lunch sandwiches, but has evolved into a fuller restaurant with alcohol.

At 2,000 square feet, the Queen Village venue is the biggest of the three. It will shut down after brunch on Sunday, February 17, and, if all goes according to plan, reintroduce itself to the neighborhood in a few weeks as Village.

The new menu will make use of a newly installed fryer for plates like crispy cauliflower bites, fries with shallots, and wings with honey harissa and yogurt-tahini sauce. Also planned: mussels steamed with Allagash White wheat beer, truffle-bacon mac and cheese, South Philly Toast with long hots and provolone on sourdough, a cheeseburger on a potato bun, and steak frites. Village will also serve several pasta dishes.

Village [official photo]

At brunch, look for cannoli French toast, biscuits and gravy, and eggs in purgatory. To drink, there will be wine and beer on tap, beer in bottles and cans, and cocktails.

The Mascieris, with executive chef Kenneth Kunz, are planning a big kids’ menu too. Ten percent of profits from the kids’ menu will go to the neighborhood’s Meredith School.

The restaurant is also adding TVs.

“This is something we’ve been throwing around for a while, and we’re confident that this new concept will fit neatly into the Queen Village neighborhood, which is undergoing a restaurant boom right now,” Anthony Mascieri said in a press release.

Lively Italian restaurant and wine bar Cry Baby Pasta — from Bridget Foy and Paul Rodriguez of Bridget Foy’s (closed after a fire but being built) — just opened at 627 S. 3rd Street. Neighborhood Ramen is up and running at 617 S. 3rd Street. On Front Street, Fiore is in its first phase, with daytime service happening now and dinner to follow.

Village [official photo]

• Queen Village Gets Its Very Own Plenty Café Next Month
• Inside the New Plenty Cafe, Now Open in Queen Village