East Passyunk lost a much-lauded restaurant in 2020, when the Malaysian BYOB spot Saté Kampar announced it was closing over failed lease negotiations. Now, the James Beard Award-nominated restaurant is returning in a new neighborhood with a new name.
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Kampar will open in a two-floor space at 611 S 7th St. in Bella Vista on Friday, March 22. Initially, only the upstairs will be available to walk-in customers. This space, which will be called Kongsi, will include a dining room and bar with an a la carte menu. Table service will not be available on opening day but will roll out at a later date, along with reservations.
The downstairs area will offer a fixed-price tasting menu crafted by chef Ange Branca and chefs in residency. Its opening date has yet to be announced.
The original Saté Kampar shuttered on May 18, 2020, with plans to reopen "in some form somewhere else as soon as possible." A GoFundMe launched around the time of the closure raised $7,506, a small fraction of its $250,000 goal. Branca did pop-ups at Bok Bar and The Goat while she searched for a new location, eventually securing the space formerly occupied by Nomad Pizza.
The Kongsi kitchen will be open Sunday, Monday and Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 5-11 p.m. The bar will also open at 5 p.m. and extend one hour later than the kitchen on all days of operation.
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