Nestled in between the West Passyunk and New Bold areas in South Philadelphia is your new favorite neighborhood spot, Stina. This casual BYOB is opening this weekend and bringing much more than just incredible Mediterranean fare and wood-fired oven pizzas, they are offering a true labor of love.
New South Philly hotspot Stina opens this weekend
“Stina is my love letter to my wife, and is our celebration of food and community,” said Chef Bobby Saritsoglou in a release. “This is my first restaurant on my own – and Stina is also our first time working together. We spent years designing a restaurant concept that brings together our core values. This isn’t just a business, but it is an extension of our home and our life. We can’t wait to play host for the first time when we open this week – and invite you all inside.”
As soon as you step inside Stina, you do feel like you’re home. The decor is eclectic yet warm and welcoming, almost as if you walked into the dining room of someone’s house and are stopping by for an incredible dinner. That’s the vibe Saritsoglou and his wife Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou (who the new hotspot is adorably named after) wanted to go for, and since they only live a few blocks from their new eatery that only makes sense.
“Walls are like canvas for me,” said Kallas-Saritsoglou in a release. “I’ve spent my entire life curating collections of vintage and thrift items. I’ve spent a majority of my life inside Philly AIDS Thrift where I daily find the joy and beauty in discarded and donated objects. This is my biggest piece of art and I’m proud to show off the story we created. I want people to have a unique, inspiring and challenging space for community and conversation. While people will remember the food, first and foremost, I want them to also remember the space and the fuller experience they are walking away with.”
Serving the local community is also a vital ingredient in Stina’s already impressive recipe for success. The new eatery will offer delicious brick oven pizzas and Mediterranean fare made from the finest and freshest locally sourced produce at an affordable price. The food may taste like a million bucks but it was important to the Saritsoglous to not make the incredible edible offerings cost a hefty amount. Stina is also giving back by donating a portion of its sales on a monthly basis to many local charities, community projects and school programs. As residents of Newbold for over a decade, this was also an important aspect to the couple’s delicious plans.
“We want to serve good food and at the same time serve the local community around us – this is important to who we are and our beliefs — and the two go hand in hand,” added Saritsoglou in a release.
Expect to be absolutely wowed by the food. The menu items are comforting, flavorful and absolutely appetizing. You can really taste the care and love that goes into making each dish. Menu options include fire-roasted potatoes, a kefta kebob, octopus, fattoush salad, falafel, chicken shwarma, lasagna, manti (Turkish dumplings), and a plethora of wood-fired pizzas including a spicy soppressata, Margherita, bolognese and more. The food is incredibly enticing, and you know it’s the real deal when you walk in and see the massive 4,000 lb. Morello Forni wood-fired oven shipped directly from Genoa, Italy. “The wood-fired oven will be the heart of our operation, from pizza to bread to roasted meats and vegetables all gently kissed by smoke. This will be our only cooking implement so it will be our work horse,” said Saritsoglou in a release. Lunch will offer slices of pizzas, dinner service will offer full pies.
Stina is truly an amazing addition not just to South Philadelphia, but to the City of Brotherly Love as a whole. The food is indulgently delicious, the atmosphere is incredibly welcoming and the owners are truly looking out for the community– not something you see every day, and that is more than refreshing.
Stina (1705 Snyder Ave.) opens today, May 31 at 5 p.m. Hours this weekend are Friday and Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hours after opening weekend are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information visit stinapizzeria.com
