Jose Garces’ Bar Volver isn’t as expensive as you think

Bar Volver is located in theKimmel Center, at Broad andSpruce streets.
Credit: Steve Legato

Much of the buzz around Volver has been focused on the price. Jose Garces’ ticketed restaurant — opening April 16, after a few delays — will offer prix fixe seatings currently priced from $75-$175 a head (future menus may go up to $250). But it is possible to dip into the space’s elegance and sample the “carefully crafted” food and drink without breaking the bank, promises Gordana Kostovski.

Kostovski is the sommelier at Bar Volver, a 60-seat lounge designed to complement Volver’s adjacent dining room. It’s a more approachable, more accessible take on the decadent dinner guests digging into eight or 12 courses will experience, she says.

Bar Volver opens tomorrow night. It’s “first come, first served,” with no tickets or reservations required.

“The lounge is meant to be relaxed, not formal dining,” says Kostovski, a Penn grad most recently at Azure in the Revel in Atlantic City.

At Bar Volver, the emphasis is on wine, especially sparkling; a wine wall has Champagnes in the center case, with temperature-controlled units for reds and whites flanking it. Patrons can order off a small plates menu that includes caviar, oysters, tartars and brochettes.

And yes, you can drop $2,000 on a rare bottle. But most of the glasses are in the $10-$16 range — comparable to other Center City spots. The nine signature cocktails on the menu (including a truffle lavender honey bourbon concoction) are each $12.

“We didn’t want the price point to deter guests,” Kostovski says. “You can choose the extravagant Performance [dinner] or you can still be in the space and not break the bank. You chose whatever ride you want to ride while you’re here.”