Bolo in Rittenhouse Square meshes rollicking rum bar with Cuban paladar
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Bolo is a new Latin American restaurant in Rittenhouse featuring a rum bar on the first floor and Cuban paladeres, private homes that open their doors as small family restaurants, on the second.
And top to bottom, it oozes an island vibe.
Chef Yun Fuentes is the man behind the menu.
He grew up in Puerto Rica where his grandfather was a chef. As children, he and his cousins struggled to say abuela, the Spanish word for grandfather, and so his grandfather became known as Bolo.
In naming the restaurant Bolo, Chef Yun wanted to pay homage to his grandfather, who is now 103!
Chef Yun's caught the cooking bug at a French Restaurant in San Juan. He then moved to New York, so determined to work with a chef there who was elevating Latin American cuisine, that he offered to work for free.
He then came to Philadelphia to work with Chef Jose Garces and quickly decided the city would become his home.
In the rum bar part of the restaurant, you'll find a mix of island classics like mojitos and Pina coladas with house made coconut cream.
The Coco Bolo is the restaurant's signature drink, a riff on the fresh coconut drinks sold on the island but with coconut soda and old Granddad bourbon.
The food is a mix of small plates and entrees big enough to share and just like at Bolo's house, rice is always on the table.
2025 Sansom St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
267-639-2741
