The Vetri Family empire replaces Lo Spiedo with Bar Amis at the Navy Yard and we welcome this new concept in its place. Located right next to the Navy Yard gate at 4503 South Broad Street, executive chef Brad Spence takes the helm of this Italian tapas style eatery. Another location opened in Westport, CT this year but in order to save yourself the hike, we’ll cover the East Coast location.
The spacious location offers whatever dining style you may feel that day – indoor bar style setting, more formal dining upstairs and outside patio style with views of the magnificent wrought iron gate and ships docked in the port. Since Vetri sold the successful, Roman-style Italian restaurant on 13th Street to Urban Outfitters in 2015, it only made sense to keep switching it up. With South Philly and Navy Yard becoming a booming mecca and destination, this relaxed eatery idea makes perfect sense.
And since the Marc Vetri family has been showing Explore so much love lately (wait for it… we’re having a Vetri week!), we were happy to take our lazy summer selves to the Navy Yard to show you what’s good.
Upstairs at Bar Amis before the happy hour rush is cool and open.Peaking out the upstairs window at Bar Amis, we see some Navy Yard ships.A private dining room at Bar Amis at the Navy Yard.A view out the private dining room offers views of the sports stadiums.A fantastic metal chandelier hangs inside Bar Amis at the Navy Yard.The bottom floor bar at Bar Amis where the bartender cheekily stuck his tongue out.Just in case you forget where you are, there’s a blue neon sign to guide you at Bar Amis.A book shelf with some of Marc Vetri’s best sellers greets guests upon entry at Bar Amis.Looking into the bar when you walk into Bar Amis.Some super stellar happy hours for those who want to dip their toes in first at Bar Amis.Some ice cold Karamoor merlot rose always hits the spot on a hot summer day at Bar Amis with it’s soft, rich and refreshing flavors.Starting off with the small plates section of the menu, the roasted cauliflower with herbs was a delicious semi-healthy option at Bar Amis.This shrimp toast is everything at Bar Amis with its doughy bread and smoky, almost salmon flavor.Because you always have to try the calamari at a true Italian joint, we liked the not too greasy flash fry and the chunky homemade marinara sauce at Bar Amis.Baked pecorino with hazelnut honey is pure brilliance as the honey brings out the salt, just eat it quickly before it coagulates at Bar Amis.Moving on to some buttery whites for dinner, we enjoyed a tasty lime and peach Selbach riesling while our guest enjoyed a tart chardonnay.The winning entree at Bar Amis was this bucatini (hollow spaghetti like homemade pasta) with jalapeno and almond pesto. We added octopus to ours which are those thick, large juicy pieces that look like chicken and taste like heaven.Not one to usually gamble, we gave the waiter our two faves on the menu – salmon or steak – and let the chef decide. He returned with the chef’s favorite dish, pork chop parmesan, which left us wanting the salmon. Note to self: don’t gamble and go with your gut.When we noticed the homemade ginger beer in regular or peach on the menu, we had to try it. Not too gingery, the ice watered it down a bit too much but still delish at Bar Amis.They really wanted us to try the frozee (frozen rose mixed with rum) and just those little shots kicked our butts as it tasted like a strawberry popsicle at Bar Amis.The chef’s family rice pudding recipe was utter perfection with the nuts adding a nice crunch to the creamy texture at Bar Amis.With a cappuccino machine in the hallway, we had to taste this classic Italian potent drink at Bar Amis. It tasted like Italy!When we left, the sun was just starting to set outside and people were packing the place at Bar Amis.We were wondering where the limoncello was as we stumbled upon a cordials and aperitif list outside which our waiter must have forgotten about. Whomp, whomp.Literally inside the gate, it makes an easy pickup for your Uber, Lyft or Navy Yard shuttle to take you home.
