The New Mexican Restaurant From the Pizzeria Beddia Team Is Now Taking Reservations

Last week, the Mexican-themed coffee shop El Cafe debuted at the new Pod Philly hotel in Center City, and now we’re on to the main event. Condesa, a 140-seat Mexican restaurant from the group behind Suraya and Pizzeria Beddia, opens Tuesday, October 1, at the hotel, at 1830 Ludlow Street.

The restaurant is led by executive chef Nick Kennedy, who’s a co-owner along with Greg Root and Al Lucas. Their Defined Hospitality group is known for Suraya, the Lebanese market, cafe, bar, garden, and restaurant in Fishtown; R&D, the cocktail bar formerly known as Root, also in Fishtown; and, with Joe Beddia, Fishtown’s red-hot Pizzeria Beddia.

Like Suraya, Condesa is big, with a dining room, bar, lounge, and patio and an airy, clean look. It’s named after a neighborhood in Mexico City, but the menu pulls from cuisines across the country for tacos, tamales, tostadas, ceviche, and heirloom corn tortillas made with volcanic stone–ground masa. The buzzword here is tradition: The team studied traditional cooking techniques and flavors from Mexico to replicate them at Condesa. (There is, of course, already plenty of Mexican food in Philly at Mexican-owned restaurants.)

To go with the food, the drinks list designed by Aaron Deary — who has the same role at Suraya and R&D — is heavy on mezcals and tequilas.

Pod Philly [official photo]

Starting this week, Condesa serves dinner nightly, from 5 to 10 p.m. during the week and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Look for lunch hours (11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) to follow. Reservations via Resy are available now.

With Condesa and El Cafe open, there’s just one more Philly is waiting on at the same address: El Techo, the taqueria with a retractable glass roof located on the 11th floor of the hotel, should open mid-October.

• The Suraya Team Is Opening a Mexican Restaurant in Center City
• Line Up for Conchas and Breakfast Tacos at El Cafe, the New Destination From the Suraya Crew
• The Highly Anticipated Second Incarnation of Pizzeria Beddia Is Now Taking Reservations
• Here Is What’s on the Menu at the New Version of Pizzeria Beddia