The White Dog Cafe in University City, known for its dog-themed décor and mushroom soup, has expanded into a neighboring brownstone, which formerly housed a hair salon.
82 seats and another bar have been added to the restaurant, which opened in 1983. The expansion coincides with the upcoming 35th anniversary of White Dog in January 2018.
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The new space was designed by Kate Rohrer of Rohe Creative, who wanted to keep with White Dog's tradition of making each room in the restaurant whimsical and unique.
At the back is a staircase, which leads to the lower level solarium.
"This area engulfs guests in floral fabrics, metal and rattan garden furniture,” explained Rohrer.
The new rooms are in addition to the "The Living Room," "The Porch" "The Oak Room" "The Den," "The Tea Room" and "The Wine Cellar" in the original trio of brownstones.
All White Dog locations – there's one in Wayne and Haverford, P.A. – use bold color, lots of texture, antiques and architectural salvage. Each location is also farm-to-table, with the majority of ingredients coming from farms in a 50-mile radius from the restaurants.
The University City location is open daily for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
White Dog Cafe University City
Open daily
3420 Sansom St.
(215) 386-9224