Philly Po’Boy Co. brings some New Orleans to Kensington
They’re baking the distinctive rolls for the sandwiches and frying beignets.
Greg Lynch has spent the last year and a half trying to make a loaf of bread that Philadelphia bakeries don’t ordinarily produce.
In the home of the roast pork and cheesesteak, roll-baking is increasingly being elevated to an art form. But Lynch has been pursuing something different from the sturdy, chewy bread that defines Philadelphia’s sandwich culture.
The goal was a light, fluffy loaf with a thin, crackling crust — the bread that makes a New Orleans po’boy a po’boy.
“It’s almost a contradiction in baking,” Lynch said. “You’re developing this very tight gluten structure, working the dough so it can stretch almost like a balloon. But you don’t want it to become dense like a bagel.”
The results will be on display Friday, when Lynch and his brother Chris open Philly Po’Boy Co. next to the Berks stop of the Market-Frankford Line in Kensington. (Its address is 102 W. Berks St., but the entrance is on Front.)
The counter-service restaurant, tucked behind a courtyard, will specialize in New Orleans fare. From a window of a brick kiosk on the sidewalk out front, they will sell café au lait and beignets to morning commuters.
The Lynches call the concept “Noladelphia,” a mash-up of two cities with strong opinions about sandwiches.
Their opening coincides with a mini-New Orleans spike in Philadelphia. Creole- and Cajun-influenced dishes inform the menus at Bourbon & Branch in Northern Liberties and Carolyn’s Modern Vietnamese in Rittenhouse. Rougarou Baking in Queen Village blends Creole and Jewish traditions, and the new Lafayette’s Creole Kitchen & Bar at Philadelphia International Airport serves gumbo, étouffée, and po’boys.
The Lynches, originally from Newtown Square, are taking a narrower approach, concentrating on sandwiches, gumbo, and beignets, amid a tight menu including staples such as Creole potato salad, braised collard greens. Po’boys are $13 to $15 for a 6-inch half and $16 to $23 for a full 12-inch sandwich; fried oyster will be market price.
Greg Lynch, 40, who spent a decade working for Stephen Starr, will run the kitchen. Chris, 52, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who has spent most of the last 30 years cooking in New Orleans, developed the gumbo recipes and helped shape the menu. He will split his time between Philadelphia and New Orleans, where he has been executive chef at Atchafalaya since he returned in 2021 after spending four years as executive chef at Commander’s Palace. His wife, Alicia, has family in Media.
Their brother Mike, 51, a sociology professor at Lincoln University, created the restaurant’s murals and music-themed artwork.
The family collaboration took shape when Greg spotted a vacant commercial space while walking to his last Starr job, executive chef at LMNO, two blocks away.
The brothers had considered opening a sit-down restaurant with a liquor license. But Greg wanted something smaller, where he could cook rather than manage a more complex operation.
“I still want to cook. I want to be involved every day,” he said.
Greg FaceTimed Chris from the space and convinced him to come north.
Behind the brick kiosk and the courtyard, the brothers built an industrial-style dining room with exposed ductwork, concrete floors, and colorful furnishings. Mike’s artwork includes a “Welcome to Noladelphia” mural and a surreal collage of New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral, Philadelphia’s Divine Lorraine Hotel, a brass band, and a flying SEPTA trolley. A sign promises “Delicious Jawnbalaya Served Here.” Greg’s wife, Tina, designed the interior and helped train the staff.
Chris’ connection to New Orleans began before his 1996 graduation from the CIA. After visiting friends there, he moved to the city. He later moved to New York to work for Danny Meyer in Manhattan, before returning to New Orleans, where he also was a chef de cuisine at Emeril’s.
Greg entered restaurant work at 15, taking a dishwashing job to earn money for a drum set. He never bought the drums, choosing a culinary career instead.
Philly Po’Boy Co.’s menu will include fried shrimp, oyster, and catfish po’boys; roast beef debris, made with slow-cooked beef and gravy; and hot sausage. Specialty versions will feature barbecue shrimp, root beer ham, and fried chicken.
Sandwiches come in half and full sizes. Sides include chicken-and-andouille gumbo, Cajun fries, Southern-style potato salad, and Zapp’s potato chips.
The brothers are using Blue Plate mayonnaise, Patton’s sausage, and coffee roasted in New Orleans by Applied Arts Coffee.
But the bread has consumed the most attention.
Greg initially consulted Philadelphia bakers about producing a New Orleans-style loaf, then decided to make it himself. He studied bread from Leidenheimer Baking Co., whose rolls are fixtures in New Orleans po’boy shops.
Over 18 months, he baked about 150 test batches, made repeated research trips to New Orleans, and brought home samples for comparison. Many early attempts resembled baguettes — too dense and chewy for the sandwich he envisioned.
The challenge was producing bread strong enough to hold substantial fillings and gravy yet light enough to compress easily when bitten.
“Some of the best bread you’ll ever have is made in Philadelphia,” Greg said. “But you can’t make a proper New Orleans po’boy on a hoagie roll.”
Chris said New Orleans bakeries were reluctant to share their methods.
“They might let you look in the window, but that’s about it,” he said. “It’s proprietary.”
Greg kept experimenting until he achieved the texture he wanted.
“We want somebody to eat a shrimp po’boy here and feel like they’re in New Orleans,” he said. “We don’t want it to feel like a shrimp sandwich on a Philadelphia roll.”
The beignets received similar attention. Greg tested numerous recipes, consulted New Orleans chefs, and used Café du Monde as his benchmark. Fresh batches will be made roughly every 10 minutes during morning kiosk service.
The kiosk will operate from 7 to 11 a.m. Wednesday through Friday, with longer weekend hours planned. The restaurant’s regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
For opening weekend, Nov. 6-8, hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., or until the bread runs out. The regular schedule begins Nov. 11.
Greg eventually hopes to add Monday service, featuring red beans and rice.
For now, the brothers’ focus remains on getting the po’boy right.
“It’s the same as a hoagie,” Greg said. “Like they say, the bread makes the sandwich.”
