There’s no need to find a dog-sitter, or leave your furry friend home alone, when heading to Fairmount’s newest hangout.
The Boozy Mutt, a dog-friendly bar and restaurant, opened Wednesday at 2639 Poplar St. The 7,500-square-foot venue includes an outdoor, off-leash dog park and a two-story interior that houses a 140-seat restaurant, private event space, retail area and dog-wash room.
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The restaurant serves customers of the two-legged and four-legged varieties. People can choose from options like smash burgers, caesar salads, Mexican street corn or falafel-encrusted salmon. There will also be weekend brunch service featuring sourdough french toast, omelets and “fried chicken & woofles.” The drink menu includes cocktails, local beers and seasonal wines.
For dogs, there are snacks, treats and main courses ranging between $4 and $6. Options include coconut chicken “nuggies,” pumpkin-and-egg-white quiche and a housemade biscuits platter.
“It’s kind of like your place away from home that you can bring your dog when you don’t feel like cooking,” co-founder Allison Mattiola said last fall.
Patrons who would like to bring their dogs can choose from several membership options that start at $10 for a weekday pass. There are also monthly or annual passes, which offer access to amenities like food and drink specials, invites to special events, retail credit and complimentary dog washes. Canines must be registered through the Boozy Mutt website with up-to-date vaccinations before entering the venue.
Along with vaccination requirements, The Boozy Mutt team plans to ensure canine safety by hiring dog-CPR-certified “rufferees” to refill water bowls, monitor dog play and enforce rules similar to ones put in place by doggie daycare businesses.
People without pups are welcome to come to the bar, as long as they are over 21 years old. There is no entry fee for guests without dogs.
Allison Mattiola and her husband, Sam, have worked for nearly two years to bring The Boozy Mutt to fruition. They first had the idea for the unique venue while quarantining in Olde Kensington during the COVID-19 pandemic. They had added a dog, Buda, to their family during the pandemic and were faced with the challenges of exercising and socializing a dog in the city.
The Mattiolas started bringing Buda to a nearby field for pandemic-style happy hours with friends and their pets, when they began realizing how much fun everyone was having together.
“Clearly, having happy hour with your dogs is something that a lot of people enjoy,” Allison Mattiola said. “(The Boozy Mutt) kind of started from just an idea and a side project to keep us busy in the pandemic, to hiring consultants and trying to make this dream a reality and recognizing that people would be really excited about it.”
The Boozy Mutt takes over the space of the former North Star Bar, a one-time staple of the Philly music scene that closed down in 2015. Demolition and redevelopment to the venue began in 2019, and the Mattiolas signed their lease in July 2022.
“We’re incredibly honored to be the next tenants of the former North Star Bar, and I think just even seeing people’s reaction when you bring up the North Star Bar is incredible,” Mattiola said. “There’s so many good memories that have happened at that location. And so our hope is that we can just be another gathering spot for both two-legged and four-legged community members, and help them create memories.”