Stephen Starr's highly-anticipated Italian restaurant, Borromini, opens Monday in Rittenhouse Square's Alison Building, which most recently housed Barnes & Nobles.
It's the first restaurant Starr has opened in Philadelphia in three years. Borromini has a menu designed by a James Beard Award-winning chef and "authentically Italian" wine and cocktails.
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Borromini's interior spans 15,000 square feet over two floors. Its multiple dining rooms and patio seating allows the restaurant to accommodate more than 250 guests.
The menu, designed by chef Marc Ladner includes appetizers like clam pizzetta, arancini and beef carpaccio. Entrees include a 100-layer lasagna, lobster spaghetti and a seafood pasta with shrimp, mussels and calamari. There also are a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including branzino, lamb scottadito and porterhouse steak.
Ladner is known for his work at Del Posto, a former Italian restaurant in New York that earned a Michelin star.
Starr Restaurants said Borromini boasts one of the largest dessert wine lists in the city to go alongside its seven desserts, which include tiramisù, ricotta cheesecake and chocolate olive oil cake.
Borromini's interior — designed by restauranteur Keith McNally, designer Ian McPheely and Stokes Architecture and Design — pays homage to Roman architecture with its vaulted ceilings and mosaic tile work. A mural from artist Zach Bird wraps around the staircase between the two floors. It's designed to mimic an art piece found during the building's renovations and takes inspiration from ancient Italian frescoes.
"Borromini is a restaurant I have long dreamed of bringing to life," Starr said in a statement. "It's timeless, grounded in authenticity and thoughtfully crafted. The fishes are comforting and familiar, yet refined with a subtle nuance. Borromini will become a place guests return to for everything from special occasions to weekly family dinners."
Borromini will be open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesday and from 5-11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Lunch and brunch hours will begin later this year.
Reservations can be made online via OpenTable.