November 25, 2024

Italian restaurant from Couch Cafe chef coming to Queen Village

Liz Grothe's first restaurant (outside her apartment) opens in the old Neighborhood Ramen space Dec. 4.

By Kristin Hunt
PhillyVoice Staff

Mike Prince/Peter Breslow Consulting & Public Relations

Liz Grothe, the chef behind the Couch Cafe supper club, is opening Scampi on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The restaurant will offer 'regional tours' of Italy through its menus.

A chef who made her name serving pasta out of her own kitchen will soon open her first restaurant in Philadelphia.

Liz Grothe gained fame in foodie circles for Couch Cafe, a supper club run out of her Northern Liberties apartment. Now, she's preparing to launch a restaurant much farther away from her front door. Scampi opens in Queen Village on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

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The BYOB spot, located at 617 S. 3rd St., promises "edible tours through regions of Italy." Though the opening menu is still in the works, Grothe prepared dinners based on the cuisines of Rome, Florence and Bologna for Couch Cafe. Dishes from those meals ranged from a ribollita, or Tuscan bread soup, to balanzoni, a bright green pasta made with spinach that's similar to tortellini.

Grothe is a veteran of River Twice, Oloroso and Fiorella, the Marc Vetri pasta bar. She began Couch Cafe in 2022 to develop unusual recipes like paella arancini, a fusion of classic Spanish and Italian dishes. Customers dined in her living room, only after securing a reservation via Instagram and Venmoing the chef $55.

Reservations for Scampi are available via OpenTable. It will take over the space last occupied by Neighborhood Ramen.

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