Houston Hall is getting bougie.
Beefsteak, a veggie-centric restaurant that will soon open near the lower entrance of Houston Market, claims to provide “crave-worthy food.” Between the Insta–friendly bowls of steaming quinoa and gleaming vegetables (good luck finding the right lighting in Houston, though) and the convenience of Bursar-ing what you would normally pick up at Sweetgreen, Beefsteak already has a niche in the Penn community. And it’s not just Penn students who are excited–Philly Mag’s food blog and The Philadelphia Inquirer have been hyping up Beefsteak’s opening since last fall. Maybe Penn’s dining options, of all things, will attract more visitors to campus.
Any Whartonite can appreciate the beauty of Beefsteak’s business model. The chain joins the trend of “casual fast” dining—the idea that fast food doesn’t have to ruin your spring break diet or include enough processed ingredients to horrify your middle school health teacher. Beefsteak comes to campus at a time when Chipotle is a less appealing option (or at least you’d think—the E. coli outbreak hasn’t seemed to shorten the line on Walnut Street) and Penn students increasingly flock to lunch at Pure Fare or Hon- eygrow. We’re so enamored with the concept of vegetable bowls that even Cosi’s started selling them. Add in Beefsteak’s propensity for food puns—case in point: “Frida Kale” (a bowl with rice, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, scallions, corn nuts, cherry tomatoes, black bean and spicy tomato sauces, and, of course, kale)—and we’re hooked.
Beefsteak’s appeal also lies in its founder, celebrity chef Jose Andres. What exactly qualifies someone as a celebrity chef? This guy was on Time’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World—plus he’s got his own show on PBS. Beefsteak will become the second celebrity chef–branded restaurant on campus (remember Frontera? That place where all your dining dollars went? What we’d do for another seemingly–free queso torta), leaving us with only one question: When can we get Jamie Oliver on Locust?
TL;DR: A new Vegetarian spot in Houston brought to you by celebrity chef Jose Andres.
Don't Miss: The home-made juices
Skip: Feeling guilty about being ten minutes late to DRL so you could wait in line.
When to go: As soon as it opens! We’re predicting a grand opening sale (fingers crossed).
Location: HOUSTON MARKET
Price Range: $
