When it comes to natural wine, one frequent question from restaurant guests is, “What is it, really?” At a.kitchen+bar, right off Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, that question is answered with a thoughtful and well-researched wine program, one paired with bistro dishes that tap into flavors from across the globe.
High Street Hospitality restaurateur Ellen Yin took over a.kitchen+bar at the AKA Hotel in 2014, where it earned national recognition and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. New York City–based designer Edward Asfour created the sleek and slightly Scandi interior, including sleek unstained shelves for backlit bottles.
The restaurant describes chef Eli Collins’ cuisine as “American small plates,” and the dishes have international touches throughout: Kimchi adds a kick to traditional shrimp cocktail; chicken liver toasts are served with miso-poached pears; the half-chicken is complemented by sweet-and-sour red cabbage as well as potato dauphinois. Collins joined the restaurant team in 2017, following years at Daniel Boulud’s Grand Award winner Daniel in New York; he was also the executive chef at Boulud’s now-closed brasserie, DBGB Kitchen.
Shareable plates include a foie gras torchon with hibiscus marmalade and octopus Lyonnaise served with lardons, a soft-boiled egg and mouth-popping trout roe over frisee. Other staples on the menu include the Comté cheese and black pepper gougères and the cheeseburger with cornichons, American cheese and Dijonnaise on a freshly-made sesame bun.
Natural Wine, Simplified
The wine list opens with the statement that “Natural wine is just wine.” Breaking down that definition, wine director Frank Kinyon notes that, to be on the 350-wine list, wines should have minimal ingredients: grapes, native yeasts and, perhaps, some added sulfur. To that point, all of the wines in the cellar are organically produced, and the restaurant gives priority to biodynamic bottles. Kinyon came to a.kitchen+bar after serving as the wine director for Award of Excellence winner Osteria, also in Philadelphia.
The wine list sections are broken down by style, each interspersed with portraits of winemakers such as Saša Radikon of Radikon in Italy’s Friuli–Venezia Giulia. Categories run from minerally white wines—pulling together Aligoté, Grenache Blanc and Albariño—to herbaceous reds like Cabernet Franc, País and Syrah. Another section is devoted to skin-contact wines, with selections divided into “Dip Your Toes” and “the Deep End.” While Kinyon’s list includes new names and smaller-production bottlings, guests can expect a few cult favorites from the likes of Arianna Occhipinti in Sicily and Hirsch in Sonoma.
Kinyon’s wine program is available throughout the day. The restaurant is also open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday, serving cornmeal pancakes with lemon curd, Boursin-filled French omelets, tomato soup with a three-cheese grilled cheese sandwich, and lamb chili dogs on milk bread buns. Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday.
In late 2024, a.kitchen+bar opened a second outpost in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., at the Hotel AKA Washington Circle. It offers a similarly organic-focused wine list and some of the same small plates, though the menu shows a bit more Southern influence (think buttermilk biscuits rather than gougères).
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