UPDATE: As of Friday, July 10, Northern Liberties has postponed its planned July 11 Easy StrEats event.
It’s going to be a party on 2nd street in the Northern Liberties—a socially distanced party that is.
Northern Liberties Business Improvement District recently announced their plan to shut down one half mile of N. 2nd Street this weekend to allow for nearly two dozen businesses to offer open street styled and al fresco dining.
Easy StrEats will take place this Saturday, July 11, from noon to 8 p.m., and Philadelphians who head to the northern neighborhood of the city can expect traffic shut down from Germantown to Spring Garden to accommodate for this outdoor event. Easy StrEats is said to be a perfect opportunity for patrons to explore the area’s eateries while still practicing social distancing, and for the participating eateries, this is also the first step to getting things a bit more back on track after having to shut down when COVID-19 first hit.
“Easy StrEats in Northern Liberties is a way to support dozens of our top restaurants and eateries who have been affected by the global pandemic and recent shut-downs,” said NLBID Executive Director Kristine Kennedy in a release. “Easy StrEats is a way to enjoy our amazing and diverse food scene with expanding outdoor seating under the blue skies. We encourage everyone to please make your reservations ahead of time, wear your mask to and from your table, socially distance while taking part of the event, and to put safety first in all aspects of your experience. We have wanted to close down North Second Street since Philadelphia hosted their successful Open Streets event here — and this brings back that casual and relaxed atmosphere plus we have added the al fresco dining element to support our business community. This is not a festival — but a chance to eat, walk, bike and spread out safely as you enjoy our neighborhood. We’d like to thank the City of Philadelphia for providing the opportunity for expanded seating and entrusting the BIDs to work with our restaurants to make this successful for all.”
Easy StrEats marks the city’s first temporary street closure pilot program. Other areas of Philadelphia such as East Passyunk were also open to the Open Streets design, but as of now, any plans of that sort have been postponed indefinitely.
According to the release, on top of dining under the blue skies, patrons are invited to stroll, run and bike with their family and household on blocks where restaurants will not be set-up. However, this is not a festival, so safety protocols will be put in place, and there will also be no live music, games or any extra activities. Guests must follow all city and state safety protocols, including wearing masks when moving to and from their table, using hand sanitizer and practicing good hygiene, making reservations when necessary, socially distancing from other guests, and opting to stay home if you are not feeling well or have been exposed to someone with a positive case of COVID-19.
Some top spots from the Norther Liberties area will be participating this weekend, and there will truly be something for every palette. Añejo will be serving up their enticing Mexican fare and “imaginative” drink list in their new wood-and-brick space that is set to open officially later this month; Bourbon and Branch will be offering their American dishes with plenty of whiskey to go around as well; Green Eggs Cafe will be serving up their popular breakfast and lunch offerings if you’re in more of a brunch mood; Hello Vietnam Asian Bistro, a BYOB, will be plating up their most popular dishes; Just Cravings will be enticing passerby’s with their assortment of frozen yogurt and espresso drinks; and Soy Cafe will be setting up garden seating and offering their mouthwatering salads and sandwiches with both vegan and vegetarian options as well.
Other participating restaurants include Cantina Dos Segundos (Mexican fare), Dolce Caffe (a premier espresso bar and pastry shop), El Camino Real (Tex-Mex and Southern smoke house), Hudson Table Philadelphia (culinary creations), Rustica Pizza (neighborhood pizza parlor), SET NoLibs (gastropub with eclectic cocktails and Asian-inspired fare), Standard Tap (American fare and local beers), The 700 (bottleshop), Urban Village Brewing Company (brew-pub offering pizzas and small plates) and a few more to be added to the growing list.
All restaurants will be serving the public in expanded seating area with adjacent parklets and/or with outdoor cafe seating outside of their businesses.
*Please note this event has now been postponed*
To find out more information on Easy StrEats, visit explorenorthernliberties.org
