Something very special is happening at the corner of 33rd and Chestnut in University City. Nestled within The Study At University City, behind a white brick and glass facade that is as sleek and serene as something you would see in Malibu, is CO-OP Restaurant & Lounge. A wall of garage doors opens fully to the busy street outside UPenn and Drexel’s campus, Philadelphia’s first Co-Op University, hence the restaurant’s namesake.
Tranquility off Chestnut Street
Upon entering CO-OP, you’ll find that it’s way more than your average hotel restaurant. Geometric wooden windows offer a seamless transition from outdoors to indoors and immediately greet you with natural tones, white marble and the white subway tile enveloping the open kitchen. Rustic wooden tables contrast with soft, inviting leather in neutral tones, creating a calming setting for Chef Craig Russell’s creative cuisine.
Chef Russell, a Philadelphia restaurant veteran who earned his chops at beloved small BYOBs Will and Pumpkin, brings inventive dishes to the University City epicurean scene. His food is both uncomplicated and elevated, with luxurious ingredients presented in an inviting way and each dish intricately layered with flavor, temperatures and texture.
Grab a table at the wooden-clad, marble-topped bar with Madmen-esque stools in buttery cream leather. Then try the Doctor’s Order, a zingy combo of oak-aged gin, turmeric cordial, ginger liqueur and elderflower liqueur topped with an apple slice. If bourbon is more your style, raise a toast with the Weather Report, a rosy coupe glass full of Mitcher’s bourbon, Earl Grey syrup and housemade orange-vanilla vermouth.
Start It Up
Need something to soak up that cocktail? Start with the potato bread, an eggy, fluffy almost challah-like bread served with warm ricotta and spinach dip. It’s rich and creamy but layered with a lemony kick, making it the perfect starter for both the warm or cold months.
Other appetizer highlights are the Maryland Crab tartine with gribiche, or a mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce, piled high on sourdough bread and sprinkled with vaudovan spice, an Indian curry blend with a hint of shallot and garlic. A fan favorite is the rohan duck breast tartine, a sinful bite of duck confit, lentils, pickles, miatake mushrooms, parsley and savory brown butter. If you like liver, try the unctuous chicken liver mousse atop a crisp cracker with pickled shallot and a vinegary pop of mustard seeds.
For a lighter take, the crudite with ash-roasted eggplant baba ganoush fits the bill. Picture crisp zucchini and pepper sprinkled with charred vegetable dust for a hint of smoke contrasted with silky smooth baba ganoush with flecks of spice and black pepper.
Main(stays)
Don’t fill up on apps just yet. CO-OP offers seasonal entrees that truly sing on the plate. Paying homage to the sea, the mahi-mahi is seared and set atop creamy Israeli pearl couscous, wax beans and savory pearl onions with charred white asparagus. The blue crab fettuccini is like spring on a plate. The freshly made pasta is perfectly al-dente and chock full of asparagus, the umami of beech mushrooms, crunchy sugar snap peas and herbaceous basil pesto with shallots on top.
Thinkin’ chicken? The rotisserie green circle chicken is sure to satisfy. According to Russell, green circle chickens eat a free-range diet consisting of vegetable scraps from some of the best restaurants in the world, producing a super flavorful meat, especially when finished in a rotisserie oven. Surrounded by spring vegetables, lemon, bright and acidic salsa verde and fresh nasturtium leaves, this one’s a real winner.
Order the cauliflower dukka, and you won’t be disappointed. Layers of spiced, roasted cauliflower, pistachio, fennel, sesame, cipollini onions and shreds of crispy carrots and microgreens make this vegetarian option remarkably satisfying and bursting with flavor.
Hungry yet? Hop on the subway to University City for a visit to CO-OP. It’s well worth the trip.
Find CO-OP at 20 S. 33rd St. in Philadelphia; phone: (215) 398-1874.
- CO-OP exterior, cocktails, starters, chicken, mahi mahi photos: CO-OP
- CO-OP interior, cauliflower photos: Hannah Moulden
