Asbury Park’s Smith Group Expands to Philly
Porta and Brickwall Branches To Open in Center City
The Philly-Asbury connection continues as Smith moves to open branches of their Porta and Brickwall Tavern eateries on Chestnut Street in the east side of Center City, according to a Philly.com article by staff writer Michael Klein.
Smith landed in Asbury Park in 1996 as Knockout. Their flagship restaurant Brickwall Tavern and Dining Room opened in 2006 and they have since established a reputation for creative design and innovative cuisine, most reflected at their French brasserie Pascal and Sabine. Smith also owns the Art Deco building on Bangs Avenue that houses not only the french restaurant but a mix of offices and 23 luxury condos.
“At its core, Smith is about transforming great American cities through hospitality,” junior partner Mark Hinchliffe told Edible Jersey in 2015.
The local restaurant group won Zoning Board of Adjustment approval to turn the 20,000 square foot space into side by side branches of their local restaurants. The restaurants will seat about 275 people and employ about 120, according to the article.
Porta, which also has a location in Jersey City, will sit on the northern half of the property with an entrance off Chestnut Street. Brickwall Tavern, which has a location in Burlington, will be located south with it entrance on Sansom Street.
The restaurants are expected to open in the fall.
—————————————–
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.
