Human Robot Brewery expands to a surprise third location, overlooking the Schuylkill in Center City

Kensington’s Human Robot Brewery opens a Center City outpost on Thursday, in prime Walnut Street digs with a deck overlooking the Schuylkill, a circular 30-seat marble bar, and a state-of-the-art kitchen.

It’s Human Robot’s third location — besides its small North Fifth Street home, it has a large Jenkintown brewpub — and it’s been in the works for, oh, about 45 days.

Co-owner Jake Atkinson said the surprise satellite came about when the folks at Spread Bagelry emailed him out of the blue, asking if Human Robot would like to share the space with them. Spread took over the space at 2401 Walnut St. in 2019 and turned it into its Spreadquarters: They sling bagels, sandwiches, and coffee there from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or sell-out while they bake up Montreal-style bagels for its 11 area shops, and then they let the bar side take over. (Previously, Spread was partnered with King of Prussia’s Workhorse Brewing.)

Human Robot’s brewery license allows it to open two satellite locations; its Jenkintown location operates under a separate license. That meant all Human Robot’s crew needed to do was bring in glassware, paint branding over a few columns, and install two LUKR side-pull taps. Voila, a Center City taproom that straddles Rittenhouse and University City.

As of May 11, Human Robot Schuylkill Banks will operate there from 3 to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. It’s beer only for the first few weeks, but there will be draft wine from Wayvine, cider from Ploughman, and a “robust cocktail program” once some licensing issues are settled.

While you can enjoy beer and bagels together on Saturdays and Sunday — when Spread and Human Robot’s schedules coincide — the taproom will initially have a bring-your-own-food policy after 3 p.m. (There will be Side Project Jerky to fulfill its legal requirement to provide food offerings.)

“We don’t ever run our kitchens and we don’t want to start doing that,” Atkinson said. Poe’s Sandwich Joint and Herman’s at the Haus provide in-house food offerings at Human Robot’s Kensington and Jenkintown locations, respectively. He’d like to find a partner to do something similar at the Schuylkill Banks spot.

“Hopefully we can figure out something — there’s literally a $100,000 pizza oven over here,” he said. (The oven is a holdover from one of 2401′s former tenants, Jose Garces’ 24 Wood-Fired Grill; Spread uses it to bake off bagels in the morning.)

Because the space is so much larger than its 40-person taproom at the Fifth Street headquarters — there’s capacity for 165 people — Human Robot plans to offer it for private events. Another difference? Kids (and dogs on deck) are welcome anytime.