Mixteca, a Mexican agave bar from a James Beard Award-winning duo, is planning to open in Philadelphia

A James Beard Award-winning New York cocktail team is bringing its agave-focused bar concept to Philadelphia, taking over the former Martha space in East Kensington.

Mixteca, an ode to tequila, mezcal, and Mexican drinking culture from industry veterans Jeff Bell and Euclides “Victor” Lopez, is expected to open next month at York and Martha Streets. It’s the former home of Martha, the acclaimed bar that closed in November 2024 after a decade.

Mixteca opened in New York’s West Village last July, with a limited food menu from Tacos 1986 next door.

The project marks the Philadelphia debut for both Mixteca and Apres Cru Hospitality, the New York-based investment and management company behind the expansion.

Apres Cru, which also works with such chefs as Marc Forgione and Ludo Lefebvre, initially announced that Martha would become a Philadelphia outpost of Pig & Khao, the Thai- and Filipino-inspired restaurant from Top Chef alumna Leah Cohen and her husband, Ben Byruch.

“But we got deeper into this neighborhood and this space, [Mixteca] just started to feel like a really good fit for here,” Chris Quinlan, Apres Cru’s vice president, said.

The former Martha, at 2113 E. York St., occupies part of the long-gone Weisbrod & Hess Brewery complex near Frankford Avenue. It’s in a fast-growing restaurant district — across from Picnic and beside Zig Zag BBQ, down the block from Philadelphia Brewing Co., and around the corner from the Monkey Bar. Emilia, Bar ILU, Fiore, and Little Walter’s are all within a short walk.

Mixteca will retain Martha’s indoor-outdoor appeal while significantly reworking the layout. The space will seat about 75 guests indoors, including a comfy lounge arena on the York Street side, with an additional 50 seats on the patio. A new balcony, seating about 20 and overlooking the dining room and bar, will accommodate private dinners and small events.

The design will draw heavily from Puebla, Mexico, where Lopez was born. Talavera tile, ceramic details, and a signature arched back bar inspired by a museum in Puebla will connect the Philadelphia location to the original West Village location without replicating it.

“I’m incapable of copy-and-paste,” Bell said. “Doing the exact same thing a second time isn’t inspiring to me.”

Bell and Lopez first worked together at the influential East Village cocktail destination Please Don’t Tell, known as PDT. Lopez joined the operation shortly after its 2007 opening after working at the bar’s associated hot dog joint, Crif Dogs, for five years. PDT won the Beard Awards’ first award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2012.

“If you ever drank at PDT since its inception, there’s a very good chance he made one of your cocktails,” Bell said of Lopez.

Mixteca’s concept grew out of conversations Bell and Lopez began nearly a decade ago about creating a venue centered on agave spirits and Lopez’s Mexican heritage. “He spent so many years making everybody else’s drinks, and this is a chance for him,” Bell said.

Mixteca’s calling card is La Bandera, a three-shot tequila ritual inspired by the colors of the Mexican flag and served in a tray over pebble ice. The order starts with a tangy, ceviche-like green juice, segues to a crisp blanco tequila, and finishes with a red, fruity sangrita chaser.

While tequila and mezcal remain the focus, Bell said the Philadelphia version will lean more heavily into food than the New York original. The menu is expected to feature house-made tortillas, tacos, guacamole, esquites, and other street-food staples, alongside larger dishes designed for groups and families. A small children’s menu and desserts such as flan or tres leches cake are also planned.

Bell said the East Kensington neighborhood helped shape the offerings. “In the West Village, it’s more about going out for drinks and late nights,” he said. “Here it’s more residential.”

“If there were a sliding scale, and New York was 80/20 drinks-to-food, here it’s probably more like 55/45 or 50/50.”

Cocktails will still anchor the experience. The bar plans to import popular features from New York, including a daily “Margarita Hour” offering discounted margaritas. Bell also said the menu will incorporate Philadelphia influences through agave-based interpretations of local classics such as the Clover Club and Fish House Punch.

The beverage program will also include a substantial selection of nonalcoholic drinks.

For a neighborhood that has become increasingly defined by destination dining, Mixteca will arrive as something slightly different: a cocktail-forward gathering place that aims to function as both bar and restaurant.

“We’re not going to impose our will,” Bell said. “We’re going to showcase our concept, try to ingratiate ourselves with the community, and evolve over time into whatever makes the most sense here.”