After three years of repairs, Sonny’s Cocktail Joint officially opened back up to the public last weekend. The space from restauranteurs and husband/wife duo Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico originally opened in 2022, and suffered a fire shortly after. Now with years of rebuilding under its belt, the venue has made some updates to its surroundings and its menu.
“Sonnys Cocktail Joint was designed to be a special bar for everyone where your glass is always full. Isn’t that what we all need during these times?” Fetfatzes said in a statement.
Fetfatzes and Annechiarico are no strangers to the local food scene; Philadelphians might recognize some of their other spots around town like Grace and Proper, Wine Dive and the recently closed beer cafe, Hawthorne’s.
“As professionals in the industry, we craved a watering hole that had quality cocktails without judgment, so we created one. The resulting highbrow/lowbrow bar offers an array of seriously crave-able food and ever-evolving innovative beverages. With a strong focus on craft spirits and cocktails, Sonny’s offers a little something for all — from Hawthorne Cafe’s deep craft beer roots [to] branching out to a small but thoughtful all natural wine program from Wine Dive. Real people serving real drinks, Sonny’s Cocktail Joint is everyone’s bar.”
As Fetfatzes noted, Sonny’s atmosphere in particular is aimed to create a laid-back experience with no reservations, vintage art peppered around the perimeter, and a large (and covered) outdoor patio that they’ve dubbed “The Backyard.”
“We wanted to take the best of what people know as a neighborhood bar (the casual atmosphere, the low pressure, the come-as-you-are attitude) and pair [it] with expertly made cocktails, a banging menu, a bad a** chef and amazing vibes,” he continued.
From the bar, locals can sip on creations made by Beverage Director Scott Rodrigue. Rodrigue broke the libations down into different categories: draft cocktails, nitro infusions, forced carbonated, sub-zero draft freezer cocktails, draft beer and draft wine.
“Sonny’s beers range from dirt cheap to highly allocated American craft beer. Cocktails span time and space: Our aim and direction is for everything on our back bar—and for that matter the whole beverage menu—to be tightly curated and balanced in scope,” Fetfatzes noted.
On the food side of the sphere, while here, Philadelphians can try a menu from Steven Seibel (who the venue refers to as “Uncle Pizza Party.”) Seibel comes from his previous stint at Hawthorne’s and will be serving up elevated pizzas and his own twist on comfort food bites. Standouts include crab rangoon dip, bang bang chicken, a double smash burger, buffalo chicken dip and an assortment of “Bar Pies.” With the latter, guests can find pizzas with honey-whipped ricotta, sausage with long hots, seasonal greens and more for $12.
As a release notes, Sonny’s was renovated from top to bottom for “design, efficiency and safety.” Inside, look for seating for 60 guests in the 2,500 square foot space in the bar, lounge and dining room. In the covered and eclectic backyard and patio, seating for around another 20+ guests is available. For private events, Sonny’s can also hold up to 100+ guests cocktail style.
“Heather, Susan and our entire extended family at Sonny’s has been waiting nearly three years to come back to South Street. We missed everyone — and this is such an amazing and emotional time. Our staff have hung in there with us through so much — and after closing Hawthorne’s this month, we have a lot of exciting surprises in the works starting with this reopening. We are still sad to see Wine Dive shuttered from the fire next door, but we are moving forward and who knows what the future brings. We always have a trick or two up our sleeve.”
Hours are 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday (kitchen until midnight), and closed Mondays and Tuesdays (which will change in the spring, along with extended hours). To find out more information on Sonny’s Cocktail Joint (1506 South Street), visit sonnyscocktailjoint.com
