Couch Café Chef, Liz Grothe is Opening Her First Brick & Mortar “Scampi” Which Will Specialize in Italian Cuisine

If you’re a fan of pop-up dinners then chances are you’ve ended up at a Couch Café dinner. Chef Liz Grothe has been serving up her specialty Italian dishes at various locations throughout the city but now she has a place to call home. On Wednesday, December 4th Liz will open the doors to her first brick and mortar, Scampi at 617 South 3rd Street in the Queen Village neighborhood.

aScampi will focus mainly on cuisine from specific regions of Italy, along with its influences in America, and will also highlight dishes from Grothe’s personal experiences growing up in Oklahoma. Menus will change monthly, and dinners will consist of five courses with optional supplements depending on what’s available and exciting throughout the seasons.

Scampi will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays for dinner service, with two seatings per night beginning at 5:30 p.m. There are 26 seats, a four-seat counter for neighbors and walk-ins, and an outdoor patio for private dinners and other food-focused events. Reservations will be available on OpenTable.

“Scampi is a restaurant designed as a scrapbook of my life and experiences,” said Grothe. “My love for Italian food will be front and center, but there will be a lot of my history and personality woven into the food, the physical space, the merch, and the vibe during service. We’ve come a long way from the dinner parties that made Couch Café hum, and I’ll treasure those memories forever, but this will be an entirely different experience.”

Grothe got her start as a cook working under Jason Peabody at Oloroso in the spring of 2021. Shortly after, she launched Couch Café, a private popup dinner experience in her home in Northern Liberties. In the fall of 2022, she began working at Chef Marc Vetri’s Fiorella, eventually working her way up to Sous Chef. Following an extended trip to Italy, Grothe decided to focus on Couch Café full time last fall, and hosted a slate of Italian-themed dinners in 2024, including a three-month residency at Forîn, the European-inspired cafe and wine bar in Fishtown, followed by a residency at Wim Cafe at 226 South Street.

At Scampi, Grothe designed the space herself, putting her own touches on the interior while adding a wooden counter in the front window, and placing a grill and smoker on the back patio.

The opening month’s menu will feature Caesar toast, smoked trout culurgiones, beef cutlet, tiramisu, and a few surprises.