Downscale fine dining comes to Rittenhouse Square as Restaurant Aleksandar opens to serve.
A new kid has emerged on the Philadelphia food scene, which already boasts an array of bistros, brewpubs, food trucks, and steakhouses. Named after the owner and founder, Aleksandar Stojnic, this American-Slavic restaurant is a fusion of tasty menu twists, likable libations, and scrumptious desserts. Online the restaurant is described as “downscale fine dining with a wine and spirits library.”
After landing in Philadelphia as an exchange student a dozen years ago, Stojnic was hooked on the city’s culture. During the pandemic, he renovated the Rittenhouse Square double-wide brownstone, previously home to V Street, a popular vegan restaurant.
With curved walls, purple wallpaper, exposed brick, and bold paintings painted by his mother, Svetlana Alimpijevic, Restaurant Aleksandar’s dining room decor is labeled “recovered industrial.” Due to the age of the building, the property is exempt from ADA regulations, so there are several steps to enter.
Executive Chef Montana Houston, a native of South Jersey, oversees Aleksandar’s entire menu and has worked in restaurants throughout the northeast corridor, including the Catskills, New York, Braddock’s Tavern in New Jersey, and Zahav, where he was mentored by owner Michael Solomonov.
The venue will offer daily lunch/brunch, dinner, and late-night hours, and private events can be held at the bar, in front of other dining areas, in the middle, and in the back, allowing for a total of four areas for private events.
Restaurant Aleksandar is located a block from Rittenhouse Square at 126 South 19th Street, open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
Images: Eddy Marenco, Society Hill Films
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