Strong drinks and small plates set BAR ilu and Grace & Proper apart in Philly’s buzzy bar scene

There are few Spanish bar snacks as satisfying — or so hotly debated — as a properly made tortilla Española.

If you’re lingering in the hot southern cities of Andalusia, where the iconic potato-and-onion omelet is typically served room temperature or cold, the eggs are fully set.

“But from Madrid north to Basque Country, it’s traditionally made to order and served warm and custardy,” says Patrick Iselin, 50, the co-owner of BAR ilu, who spent half his childhood in Spain and now splits time between Philadelphia and the Madrid apartment once owned by his grandmother, Iluminada “Ilu” Prellezo Inchausti.

So it follows that the eponymous new corner bar at Dauphin and Martha Streets — which happen to share the 40th parallel north with Madrid — serves its tortilla Española with a loose and edgy Kensington flair: “runny af,” as noted on the menu. Served as a wedge, with olive oil-fried potato chunks and sweet onion laces bulging from its glossy middle, a warm forkful of this eggy wonder is as transporting as it gets.

Wash it down with a bracingly crisp glass of La Gitana Manzanilla sherry on draft, plus a fistful of crunchy Marcona almonds, a forkful of tangy boquerones, and a crock of olives warmed with orange zest and herbs, and it’s hard to deny that BAR ilu is an appealing development for this rapidly changing corner of Kensington. It is perhaps also a little dissonant for those who know the neighborhood history. This stylish Euro concept, complete with its undulating circular bar and foam-topped glasses of vermouth, has landed in a space previously occupied by the Old Philadelphia Bar, one of the last unreconstructed dive bars from what co-owner Scott Coudriet calls Kensington’s “pre-hip-storic” days.

Coudriet, who owns Fishtown’s Lloyd Whiskey Bar, is also partnered with Iselin at nearby Cormorant bar. Their other partners in ilu are Salvatore D’Amato and Jason Evenchik, whose Vintage Syndicate hospitality group operates Vintage, Starbolt, Time, Bar, three Garage locations, and the Goat Rittenhouse.

This veteran team is keenly aware of the sensitive dynamics of change at longstanding bars. That’s why Iselin was adamant about keeping prices reasonable for Kensington locals — no more than $14 a plate, and $16 for distinctive cocktails that would easily cost a few dollars more in Center City — while building this tribute to Spain in his adopted city.

Iselin wanted to craft this 40-seater with as few clichés as possible (no hanging hams, no toro horns, no sangria), but rather the feel of a modern tapas bar he might frequent in Madrid today. He had no idea he was also tapping into the latest evolutionary trend for the Philadelphia bar.

Twenty years ago, the smoky old taverns of yore were being replaced by the gastropub movement of the early aughts, where local craft beers flowed and house charcuterie and pickle programs anchored ambitious seasonal menus that gave a cool new vibe to the neighborhood restaurant. In some cases, they helped redefine the neighborhoods themselves.

Philly’s bar scene is now officially in its grazing phase, with curated drink menus centered around culinary cocktails, natural wines, and non-alcoholic drinks with food offerings often so limited that a hungry fellow like me might need to order three-quarters of the menu to make a meal. Supérette, the charming French wine bar beside East Passyunk’s Singing Fountain, captured this development perfectly in 2025. Owners Chloé Grigri and Vincent Stipo described these snack-centric bars as a “generational thing” for 30-somethings who want a stylish place to hang for in-between meals with friends without committing to an entire evening.

A similar approach is at work through a Japanese lens at Almanac, the cutting-edge Japanese cocktail bar (with wagyu hot dogs and kombu-cured celery sticks) above the omakase room at Ogawa. The food menu at Chris Kearse’s new cocktail bar in Washington Square West, Known Associates, lists only a dozen items, counting the cool ranch freeze-dried peas. Same with the recently opened Lillian’s Bar in Point Breeze. As Chris Fetfatzes told me about Grace & Proper, the Portuguese-inspired bar with “tasca” nibbles he debuted in 2022, this template — a distinctive drink program bolstered by a small menu that can be produced with limited service and light kitchen investment (i.e. no hood) — makes perfect business sense in the post-COVID era.

Of course, the Spanish have been doing this for centuries with tapas, a light-bite evening repast that reflects their cultural preference for a larger meal earlier in the day. And yes, Amada has been serving tapas here for 20 years, but always alongside a much broader menu with large plates and paellas.

Considering all the new small-plate projects that have come online recently, including Bar Cicci, Ellen Yin’s all-day aperitivo bar, Philadelphians may have finally embraced the concept on its own snacky terms.

BAR ilu has a slightly more substantial food menu than most. And part of its appeal is the natural ease with which it blends a Kenzo vibe (see the mismatched thrifter style of its floral-print wallpaper, black tin ceiling, and teal barstools) with an inventive drink program and classic Spanish plates lightly updated by chef Andrew Butler.

Fig leaf oil adds a shade of coconut-vanilla to a familiar pairing of juicy cantaloupe with shaved serrano ham. Smoked olive oil brings a whiff of earthiness to ripe summer tomatoes with cucumbers and piquillo peppers. A juicy burger topped with Manchego cheese, pickled red onions, and aioli firmly anchors the menu with one can’t-miss comfort option that even the least Spanish-inclined customer will embrace.

But the Spanish flavors, both on the plate and in the glasses, are what have me hooked. Aside from the tortilla, there’s a double-crusted Galician-style empanada stuffed with tuna and cooked-down tomate frito. Plump head-on gambas al ajillo take on a flicker of chili oil heat. Crisp spheres of perfectly fried croquetas harbor lusciously creamy béchamel centers flecked with serrano ham or, my favorite, salty flakes of bacalao.

There were a few misfires. The patatas bravas were pale and lacking crisp. The flattened confit artichoke heart was mushy. The seared mushrooms were oversalted. But these were minor complaints compared to winners like the crusty bocadillo sandwich overstuffed with paprika-fried baby squid drizzled with lemony aioli and more tomate frito. Along with some tiny olives stuffed with briny anchovy, every morsel seemed deliberately calibrated to stoke a thirst.

I especially enjoyed BAR ilu’s creative approach to sherry and vermouth, both in cocktails and poured neat. A crisp Manzanilla, already one of my favorite pre-dinner quaffs in summer, added a bracing dryness to Cynar amaro and gin for Remember the Alimony. Vanilla-scented Licor 43 from Spain pairs with chilled Cafe Bustelo for a carajillo whose pebble ice is dusted with coffee-orange powder, and is now one of my top-five coffee cocktails in the city.

The Fire Drill is a refreshing tropical blast of passion fruit swirling in mezcal smoke, with an herbal whiff of Lo-Fi gentian amaro to counter the fruity sweetness. A whole Granny Smith apple is juiced to order for the simple Booze & Juice, paired with the spirit of your choice (make it mezcal).

Meanwhile, unless you order a glass of dark, sweet-tangy Pedro Ximenez to cap your meal, try the Barquero vermut on draft and top it with orange foam, a combo that tastes like flat Coke dolloped with an orange-creamsicle cloud. There is actual dessert here, too: a perfectly fine almond cake with macerated peaches and cream. But that foamed vermouth was satisfyingly herbal, sweet, and mysterious — and one of the best things I drank all summer.

If BAR ilu represents a modern interpretation of tapas culture in Philly, the vintage vibes at Grace & Proper’s Italian Market space reflect a different take on Iberian bar culture, this one influenced by the Portuguese roots of co-owner Chris Fetfatzes’ family.

Fetfatzes, his wife, Heather Annechiarico, and their Happy Monday Hospitality partner Susan Freeman, who also own Wine Dive and Sonnys Cocktail Joint, leaned into the antique charm of the distressed tin ceiling, tiled floor, and exposed brick walls that were uncovered during renovations of the old pharmacy (and Italian deli) that once occupied this corner space at Eighth and Carpenter. Fetfatzes was hoping to create the cocktail counterpart to Fountain Porter, the 14-year-old craft beer destination in East Passyunk known for its $7 burgers and pickles that, perhaps, helped mark the beginning of the minimalist-nibble bar.

Given Grace & Proper’s compact space, with just 15 bar stools and 26 table seats sidled into window banquettes (plus 30 more outside in fair weather), it’s amazing how its 200-bottle collection of amari, vermouths, Ports, whiskies, Madeiras, sherries, agave spirits, and indie Euro wines somehow fits into the tall shelves behind the bar. If you’re a fan of funky Asturian cider, there’s a proper porrón carafe to stream it directly into your mouth from an arm’s length away, ideally while watching Premier League or MLS soccer. Or try the Philly-Portugal Lisbon Wide hybrid, a draft of Super Bock Portuguese lager paired with a shot of ginjinha, a house-made cordial steeped from Morello sour cherries harvested in Northeast Philadelphia.

Grace & Proper doesn’t post a food menu online, but it’s substantial enough to anchor your table for a couple hours of snacking, from an irresistible pile of truffled potato chips feathered with spicy Calabrese salami to soulful onion soup infused with Port and lardo, a crock of white bean stew with kale and breadcrumbs, piri piri-spiked Buffalo chicken dip, and sweet-tart-smoky bacon-wrapped prunes with black garlic aioli.

I didn’t care for the overly firm meatballs and their unbalanced blackberry romesco or, for that matter, the presentation of cheeses as crumbled nuggets. But these are all quibbles. Because there is really a single essential reason to visit Grace & Proper: the bifana, a classic sandwich of wine-marinated roast pork on a molete roll from Teixeira’s Bakery in Newark that comes perched over a paprika-orange pool of zesty gravy. Equal parts lemony, garlicky, winey, and scented with bay, that roasted pork essence is so good, the gravy is also offered as a chaser to the Piggy Back shot (oloroso sherry and Armagnac).

All you’ll need after that is a custardy sweet pastel de nata (also baked by Teixera’s, according to G&P’s recipe) and what might well be the best crema-topped shot of espresso at any bar in Philly. Grace & Proper is one of the precious few that actually adds fresh-pulled coffee to its espresso martinis, but I still prefer this coffee solo. I value the energy boost because, in these days of no-commitment sip-and-nibble bars, I’ve still got places to go.

2118 E. Dauphin St., 267-807-2466, iluphl.com

Menu available 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Bar is open 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Plates, $4-$14.

Dining room is wheelchair accessible via a ramp off rear of building off Martha Street. Bathrooms are not accessible.

Not ideal for gluten-free diners, aside from some small snacks.

Menu highlights: croquetas (ham and bacalao); anchovy-stuffed olives; serrano ham and chips; tortilla Española; ham and melon; cheeseburger; gambas al ajillo.

Drinks: Cocktails built around sherry and vermouth are the most distinctive opening move, while straight fortified wines on draft, including La Gitana Manzanilla or Barquero vermut with orange foam, are also highlights. There are also 10 affordable Spanish wines by the glass.

941 S. Eighth St., graceandproper.com

Menu served 4 p.m. till midnight Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; noon to midnight Friday through Sunday. Bar is open till 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Plates, $7-$15.

Not wheelchair accessible.

About 40% of the menu is gluten-free or can be modified.

Menu highlights: bifana; bacon-wrapped plums; salami and truffled chips; Porto lardo onion soup; pasteis de nata.

Drinks: The vast 200-bottle collection is a sipper’s delight, from amari to fortified wines, extensive whiskies, and a surprising agave spirits collection. Don’t miss creative cocktails made with the company’s new house-distilled spirits, including a Chartreuse-inspired “Green Monk” or the ginjinha cordial, steeped from Northeast Philly sour cherries, served in the Lisbon Wide as a sidecar to a draft of Super Bock.