Fleur’s, A New Two Floor Restaurant, Hotel, Event Space, and Rooftop Bar is Opening Near Norris Square in Late Spring
Right on the border of Norris Square along North Front Street, a new multi-faceted project is coming. Fleur’s – a 14,000 square-foot property with a two-floor restaurant, a six-room boutique hotel, event space, and rooftop bar with an open-air patio – will be opening at 2205 North Front Street.
The concept comes from Philadelphia hospitality veterans Josh Mann, Graham Gernsheimer, and Chef George Sabatino, all of whom have spent their careers in the Philadelphia restaurant industry, with more than six decades of combined experience between them. The restaurant will feature cuisine that Sabatino describes as “inspired heavily by French techniques” with “every dish on the menu having something identifiable as French.” The three partners are eying a mid-to-late spring opening.
The partners will be hosting a preview titled “A First Taste of Fleur’s” on Saturday, April 19th at Citrine Studio at 1834 E. Hagert Street in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. Tickets to the BYOB dinner are $135 apiece, and can be purchased at citrinephl.style/events/p/fleurs. There will be two seatings – 5:30 and 8 p.m. – along with a five-course menu which will include sourdough miche and an uni custard tartlet, dry-aged yellowtail, spring pea nage, steak au poivre, accompaniments for the table, and fresh vanilla custard.
The multi-story restaurant spans 3,200 square feet over the ground floor and a mezzanine, with 130 total seats, including 18 at a bar that transitions to a raw bar, along with a dozen seats in a private dining room. The first floor and mezzanine will be opening together in the spring, while the roof and events space will debut later this year. The building itself features six levels, one of which is a 2,000 square-foot rooftop bar, a four-seasons dining room, and two open-air patios all highlighting stunning views of the city. The boutique hotel, with six guest rooms will also open later this year, along with a fifth-floor event space that contains a dedicated kitchen and stunning skyline views.
When Fleur’s opens, the restaurant will serve dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Weekend brunch will follow shortly after, with service offered Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. While the final details are still being worked out, expect to see a 4 to 6 p.m. weekday happy hour featuring oysters, clams, crudos, and small plates, as the raw bar will contain a serious focus on the best available East and West coast oysters and clams.
“We will be building the menu around what’s available at nearby farms,” said Sabatino. “I spent time in 2021 working on a farm, which really invigorated my love for the region’s bounty of produce, and inspired me to take my approach to vegetable cooking to new heights. The menu won’t change every night, but it will represent the six growing seasons in which the region’s farmers grow. Garnishes and little things will change often, and we will feature a handful of signature dishes that will give us a lot of seasonal flexibility. We will be focusing heavily on preservation and what’s available both from local waterways and the farms, but on a pretty large scale. This is an opportunity for me to be the most focused and intentional that I’ve ever been, putting all of my knowledge of hospitality into one package. Our goal is to simply produce the best food we can in a beautiful setting with outstanding hospitality and without any egos or pretense. We’re a very tight team, and this is really exciting for all of us.”
Sabatino, who hails from Hamilton, NJ, started cooking in Philadelphia more than 20 years ago. He spent time in the kitchens at Fork, Monk’s Café, and Ansill before joining the Safran Turney Hospitality team in 2006. During his tenure, Barbuzzo was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2011. George undertook his first executive chef position at Stateside on East Passyunk Avenue later in 2011, earning several accolades including Philadelphiamagazine’s 2012 “Best Chef” and “Best Restaurant in Philadelphia” recognition. In 2014, he opened his first restaurant, Aldine, in Rittenhouse Square, to critical acclaim. Sabatino says his introduction to French cuisine came while working under Chef David Ansill.
Mann, a South Philadelphia native, has been working in front-of-house and management positions for the past 25 years, having spent the past four years with Defined Hospitality, working at Condesa and El Techo, Suraya, and Kalaya. Mann, whose childhood home was the social hub for his big Italian family, would help prepare meals for every Sunday dinner, holiday, and birthday alongside his grandmother. Mann said: “The foundations of hospitality, presenting food, and setting a great table all came from my grandmother. I gravitated towards restaurants pretty naturally. They always felt very comfortable to me. They felt like home.” Mann bartended his way through college, beginning his career at Caribou Café before landing a few years later with Stephen Starr as a bartender while at Temple University. He spent 16 years with Starr, including six as a bartender and 10 as a manager, working at Tangerine, Continental Midtown, Continental Old City, Fette Sau, and Frankford Hall, the last three of which he served as General Manager.
“I’m really proud to be opening this restaurant in Kensington with George and Graham,” he said. “Our goal is to support and become a part of the community. We want to work with as many local businesses as possible to help shine a spotlight on the Kensington neighborhood.”
Gernsheimer grew up in Pennsylvania’s farmland, in Bernville, PA before attending Temple University in 2007. He worked his way from a dishwasher and a line cook in high school before bartending in college and ending up as Assistant GM at the Fishtown Loco Pez. He then moved to the Vetri family, bartending at both Amis and Osteria before taking a management position at Frankford Hall. He went on to serve as Assistant GM of El Vez and Suraya and as the GM at Hungry Pigeon/Fitz and Starts, and is now the Director of Operations for the Loco Pez Group.
Fleur’s was designed by Lisa A Calabro (cfTETTURA projects), in partnership with Parallel Architecture Studio. Calabro and Mann met during the opening process at Frankford Hall, and Calabro has had her hand in the design of many of Fishtown’s restaurants.
“The building has so much character – it was screaming to be loved,” said Calabro. “I wanted to highlight the double-height space, preserving its original exposed tin ceilings and vintage light fixtures while introducing modern upgrades that keep the design light, simple, and timeless. For me, this project ticks all of my boxes. I am excited to revitalize a building that has stood vacant for over a decade, giving it new purpose, while honoring its history and sharing it with others to enjoy.”
According to Mann, Calabro designed everything from the basement kitchen to the roof of Fleur’s, which broke ground in August 2024 after the team settled on the property in April of 2024. The concept was conceived in April of 2022, which is also when the team initially went under contract on the building.
