Philadelphia, PA - The pandemic brought us the emergence of the ghost kitchen, which has taken the nation by storm. Giving diners across the country can enjoy chef-driven cuisine from home without ever having to enter a restaurant.
Philadelphia Ghost / Virtual Kitchens
What is A Virtual Ghost Kitchen? - A virtual ghost kitchen serves food without a brick-and-mortar location, with customers either calling in or ordering via a website. The kitchen facilities are used solely for producing virtual brands either out of an existing kitchen space at an established restaurant or out of a space solely used as a Virtual Ghost Kitchen.
Empanada Alley
The second restaurant concept from the owners of Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar brings hand-crafted savory and sweet empanadas baked to order and delivered to your door! Inspired by two-time James Beard Award-winning Chef Guillermo Pernot’s culinary travels to Cuba, the fresh empanadas are available for delivery only.
Chicken Scratch
Offer's up a rotisserie chicken-centric menu developed by Chef Peter Serpico. Guest can choose from either a quarter, half, or a whole chicken is served up with a "stoplight" red, yellow and green sauce. As, well as sides such as Mom's Mac and Cheese, Fried Plantains, Banquet Rolls with whipped butter, and more.
The Commons Virtual Food Hall
The Commons is Philadelphia's first-ever virtual food hall. The concept is built out of Cira Green and Walnut Street Café. The Commons offers guest takeout, delivery, and socially distanced outdoor and indoor dining.
The Commons feature five restaurant concepts, including:
Age: Inspired by the spirit of the Aegean Islands, Agea channels the best of the Mediterranean. Chef Jack Peterson emphasizes local produce and bright, clean flavors with abundant salads, fresh couscous bowls, and pita sandwiches.
Philadelphia Wing Shop: High-end bar food from Chef Brandon Gibson-Boyd features nearly every type of wing under the sun — Buttermilk Fried, BBQ, Teriyaki, Chipotle, Mango Habanero, and Sweet Chili, to name a few.
Ghost Chicken: Pulling influence from Parisian rotisserie markets, expect delectable roast chicken, chicken fat fries, and seasonal sides to take dinner to the next level. This simple yet elegant concept is produced out of Walnut Street Café.
The Post: The flagship brings an extensive menu of Philly's best bar snacks and a lively beer hall atmosphere, which can still be enjoyed "IRL," too.
Sunset Social: While Sunset Social's season is winding down for the year just after Halloween, guests can still experience playful menu favorites. Such as the Philly Cheesesteak Burger to the Really Long Loaded Hot Dog via takeout and delivery well into the colder months.
Hunnie's Crispy Chicken in Philadelphia
Hunnie's is a Ghost Kitchen run by the Glu Hospitality's kitchen space at Vesper, at 223 South Sydenham Sreet. Where Chef Hee "Chino" Chang offers up homemade chicken to your home for pick-up and delivery. The menu features various crispy chicken sandwiches, such as Hunnie's Crispy, Buffalo, Crispy Caesar, and Hunnie's Chicken and Waffles. Hunnie's can order delivery through Grubhub and Door Dash, as well as a contactless pickup location in Center City.
Oath Pizza
Oath Pizza has opened a ghost kitchen in Philadelphia at 1308 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19123. Ghost kitchen customers can order from a menu of 10 craft pies or build-your-own pizza for pickup or delivery. The new Ghost Kitchen is the third in our regions, with two traditional Oath Pizza stores located in the Philadelphia Fashion District and Suburban Square in Ardmore.
Fuku Ghost Kitchen
Chef David Chang, Fried Chicken Joint Fuku. Fuku's has been available at Lincoln Financial Field for the past three years; this will be the first time customers can order on-demand delivery. Fuku's Neighborhood Kitchen is located in Northern Liberties. and is available for delivery across all significant delivery platforms, including UberEats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates
Jackass Burrito
Stephen Starr launched his own virtual restaurant concept, Jackass Burrito! A significant departure for Starr, representing the alter-ego of his well-established Philadelphia Restaurants. The burritos are enormous, gluttonous, comforting, messy, and unpretentious. The brand isn't afraid to get loose or inspire a little bit of controversy.
Pete’s Place
Developed by Starr Restaurants in collaboration with chef Peter Serpico, Pete’s Place is a “kinda Korean” noodle shop serving homemade, restaurant-quality dishes that are delivered directly to your door. They serve up seasonal noodles, rice, and soups, using responsibly sourced ingredients to emphasize freshness. The menu is traditional, yet modern, playful, yet refined; a delicate yet delicious dance of “kinda-Korean” dishes. And we’re authentically proud of that.
Livy’s Plant-Based Foods
Livy’s Plant-Based Foods will introduce Philadelphia to a diverse menu of affordable, sustainable, and high-quality vegan dishes inspired by comfort food favorites like the classic burger and fries. In recent years, Chef Jose Garces has developed a personal connection and passion for plant-based cooking following his daughter Olivia's decision—who serves as the inspiration for Livy’s Plant-Based Foods— to live a plant-based lifestyle. In support of her dietary choices, Chef Garces immersed himself in the cuisine style and challenged his traditional expertise and culinary training to constantly seek creative and innovative ways to deliver healthy, substantive dishes that feature-rich and decadent flavors.
The menu features a collection of decadent meatless burgers, with protein choices including ImpossibleTM or black bean 'chorizo,' that pair perfectly with sides ranging from crinkle-cut fries, sweet potato fries, and tots to charred corn and vegan mac & cheese.
Rustika Pollo a la Brasa
Inspired by his South American roots and explorations of Peru, Chef Jose Garces’ Rustika will introduce a concept dedicated to Pollo a la Brasa, a labor-intensive Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken technique that embodies his passion for building flavors and incorporating signature spices and savory Umami tastes. Each natural, hormone-free bird is carefully prepared for 72 hours. During this time, it is brined, marinated, dried, and cooked in a rotisserie oven to ensure the juiciest, crispiest, and most flavorful piece of chicken.
The menu for Rustika is centered around its signature Pollo a La Brasa Rotisserie Chicken, which is served in quarter, half, or full chicken portions, with your choice of seven different sauces options. Pollo a la Brasa is traditionally served with a side of potatoes. Still, Rustika kicks things up a notch with its rotisserie potatoes (peanut potatoes cooked under the rotisserie) and Papas a la Huancaina (rotisserie potatoes with spicy, creamy cheese sauce). Additional Latin-inspired sides include grilled Peruvian corn with Andean white cheese, cauliflower a la huancaina, asparagus a la plancha with parmesan emulsion lemon, marinated green bean salad, and more.
WING WING WING!
Starr is proud to announce the launch of their fourth Philadelphia virtual restaurant concept, WING WING WING! The menu features chicken wings in 7 different flavors. The Philadelphia launch comes after the successful launch of additional Starr virtual restaurant concepts: Jackass Burrito (gluttonous burritos), Pete’s Place (a “kinda Korean” noodle shop), and Chicken Scratch (rotisserie chicken).
While Philadelphia Ghost Kitchens have become the newest way for many Philly Restaurants to overcome the pandemic shutdowns and a new way to supplement and expand restaurant concepts to a new customer base, as the city returns to normal, will have to see if the trend continues as a new concept is food delivery.
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Joy Franklin
Food and Event Writer
My joy is aimed at food and foodie lovers. I enjoy covering trends, issues, and all things Philly.
