Coffee and Japanese Fare Tie the Double Knot in Philadelphia

Double Knot in Philadelphia. Photo by Neal Santos.

Renowned Philadelphia restaurateur Michael Schulson has opened a new day/night concept, Double Knot, next door to his six-year-old small-plate restaurant Sampan in Midtown.

An upscale coffee shop by day occupies Double Knot’s street-level space, featuring exposed brick, beams, reclaimed and distressed wood, tile, antiqued mirrors, and other markers of a modern industrial yet inviting coffee bar.

The bar features roasts from Evan Inatome of Elixr Coffee brewed as espresso or pourovers through a Modbar system, with a range of espresso drinks and a roster of five coffee-based cocktails, as well as nitro brew on tap and a daily batch brew. The pourover program currently features four single-origin coffees.

Photo by Neal Santos.

Pastries come from Philadelphia baker Roxxanne Delle Site, while $7 lunches include bahn mi or bowls heaped with a selection of proteins and fresh vegetables over a base of rice, noodles, salad or bread.

As the coffee bar transitions into the evening hours, many of Double Knot’s patrons may be found warming up for dinner downstairs, where after passing through a series of doors and a red-lighted hallway they can find a full-service Japanese restaurant helmed by executive chef Kevin Yanaga with a sushi bar, a robatayaki menu and an additional small plate and side dish menu.

The Double Knot coffee bar is open daily on weekdays beginning at 7 a.m., and on weekends at 9 a.m. at 120 S 13th St.