Kampar has closed for the foreseeable future due to damage caused by a fire that broke out at the Malaysian restaurant and bar early Saturday morning, the owners said.
Firefighters responded to the restaurant at 611 S. Seventh St., just below South Street, after smoke was seen pouring from the roof of the building. There was no one inside at the time of the fire and no injures were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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In an Instagram post Sunday, the owners said Kampar's bar was destroyed in the fire and they will need to shut down while repairs are completed.
"We are working hard to get it done as quickly as possible and are fortunate to have some amazing contractors helping us do so," the post said. "Our beautiful bar is unfortunately gone. But, our Guinness sign survived and is still a symbol of invigorating strength."
Kampar is the second Philly restaurant from chef Ange Branca, who grew up in Kuala Lumpur and moved to the United States in the early 2000s. Her first restaurant, Saté Kampar, showcased Malaysian street food when it opened on East Passyunk Avenue in 2016. The following year, Saté Kampar was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the foundation's best new restaurant category. The business closed in 2020 after a rent hike during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting Branca to turn to a series of pop-ups and collaborations with other restaurants in the city.
Branca's revamped Kampar opened last year in the Bella Vista storefront formerly occupied by Nomad Pizza. The two-story restaurant has an upstairs bar and tasting room called Kongsi, which brought back staples from the original menu along with new additions from China's Hakka cuisine that pay homage to Branca's descendants. In January, Kampar was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for best new bar, a new category in this year's version of the foundation's prestigious honors.
Kampar set up a GoFundMe campaign seeking donations to help staff impacted by the restaurant's closure. By late Monday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $9,700.
"We will be back, better than ever, but for now we are grateful to be surrounded by such a loving community here in Philadelphia," business said.
