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On Wednesday, October 6, the Stephen Starr empire will expand by one more business when the Philly restaurateur known for his over 30 restaurants in the U.S. will open LMNO, a Baja Mexican restaurant that is also an art gallery, bookstore, vinyl listening room, and music venue. The whole shebang is located at 1749 N. Front Street in Fishtown.
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The restaurant had been on Starr’s mind for over three years, he told the Inquirer, and he’d planned to open its doors in April of 2020. The space has long been painted black and vibrant pink on the outside of the former granite warehouse, but the pandemic forced Starr to push the opening back by over a year. Now, with executive chef Francisco Ramirez — who worked for Starr as a dishwasher in his teens before going on to lead some of Philly’s best kitchens — LMNO will bring tostadas, aguachiles, adobado tacos, and coal-roasted seafood to Fishtown five nights a week.
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The restaurant itself will center around a live fire “grill room” where Ramirez and his team will cook dishes like Pacific sea bass in a dashi-achiote marinade and adobo lamb shank, but the LMNO experience doesn’t end at the grill. The 200-seat space was designed by Serge Becker, known for NYC’s La Esquina, and with 6,000 square feet and a $5 million budget to play with, the restaurant is also home to a bookstore, art gallery, and music venue with a vinyl listening room in the back.
“LMNO isn’t like anything else. It’s a dynamic space that, beyond a laid back, authentic dining experience, lends itself to live music, art exhibits, DJ sets, workshops, cooking classes, and anything collaborative” Starr said in a release. In other words, when you’re at LMNO, you can choose your own adventure.
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LMNO is located at 1749 N. Front Street. It opens on Wednesday, October 6, and will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Reservations can be made on LMNO’s website.