Early in 2023 I had a whirlwind stay in Philadelphia resulting in a whirlwind romance with Harp & Crown. I had the pleasure of visiting this charming, inviting and full of character restaurant for dinner one night and fell in love. Amazing food and wine set aside. The interiors make exquisite use of various textures, patterns and materials to create a modern, rustic yet classy ambiance.
I would say that I actually have yet to see an interior which makes such extensive use of a wide variety of materials as cleverly as Harp & Crown. And I truly believe that it is this eclectic mix of design elements which gives this restaurant a refined, rich yet down to earth personality. For example, the below image is of the lower level bar lounge. We see deep dark teal couches with a velvet fabric which add a colourful touch, but the fact that these are set against this mahogany wood shelving which houses a collection of thick encyclopedia like books along with objects that seem to be collected through the adventures of a well travelled individual (along with the dimly lit Indiana jones type of lantern) make me feel like this space is for a James Bond type of character.
A character who is wise, fun, daring, not afraid of danger and adventure. The champagne patterned wallpaper on the left with the brass like gold tone frames add a touch of softness to bring about balance to this James Bond character. The panelled ceiling which appears to be made of refurbished panels interestingly grounds this space and pulls together the dark adventurous, soft and down to earth personality personified by this seating area.
Basement Bar Lounge
This hospitality space is organized similar to classical palaces in the sense that as soon you walk in you are met with an anteroom, the small dining room which precedes the large dining room and then there are stairways going to the bar and lounge downstairs which have an adjacent lounge attached to the bowling alley. Thus, the space starts with the most public spaces and follows into the most private areas.
Anteroom
Main Dining Room
Passageway to Underground Bowling Alley, Bar & Lounge
Furthermore, each area evokes a different type of feeling further adding to the interest of the space and thus, I found myself as much an explorer as I was a conversationalist at the dinner table. The dimly lit lighting in the main dining hall along with the wood paneling provided a cozy and intimate ambiance which made me tune into the dinner table conversation; but, at the same time my visual senses were stimulated by the exposed brick next to the wall papered wall. The space is expanded by the mirrors framed by a dark black wood which added depth and character. I felt like Indiana Jones in the main dining hall.
Main Dining Hall Lounge
Main Dining Hall Lounge
Main Dining Hall
Main Dining Hall
Main Dining Hall Lounge
I felt like I was in an intimate, homey cabin getaway in the anteroom. The downstairs Bar adjacent to the bowling alley transported me to a James Bond adventure. In the Bowling Alley Lounge I felt as if I was invited to a top secret Charlie’s Angels meeting. Never have I ever seen such a sophisticated and classy looking bowling alley.
Basement Bowling Alley
Bowling Alley Lounge
I never thought I could even use classy and bowling alley in the same sentence until I visited the Bowling Alley at Harp & Crown. The design of Harp & Crown is ultra successful because it is very intricately woven and set up to take the visiter on the adventure of a lifetime all in the matter of a few steps. May times the use of so many eclectic materials and items can cause a sensory overload causing the observer to lose interest but this design has the perfect balance between exploration and reeling the patron right back into the dinner table conversation. Harp & Crown is a marvelous dining experience.