Rittenhouse’s Only Speakeasy That Serves Guacamole

Welcome to Ranstead Room. Congratulations, because you've found it. Tucked away on Ranstead Street, in the middle of nothing, look for a black door with two red R's.  The quieter component of Stephen Starr's Mexican diner, El Rey, is  this dimly lit barroom. Vintage velvet wallpaper, scandalous artwork, and deep red booths all bring a hush to the room. The sound of 40's-era cocktails being made at the bar and the matching music all place you in a softer time.

Ranstead Room's cocktail list was developed by New York mixologist Sasha Petraske and bears concoctions like the zesty Piquin Cocktail, a complex sipper that features blanco tequila, chili piquin, lemon juice and sugar.  It gets even spicier as you reach the final drops.  The Brooklyn No. 2 takes on rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and maraschino. A bowl of guacamole and chips arrive from the connecting hall to El Rey, that only food runners are allowed to use.  If you've never even guacamole in the dark before, this is your chance.  It's delightful. There are three snacks to choose from for your tipples here.

If you're craving the rest of El Rey's no-frills Mexican menu, you have to head outdoors, around the corner to Chestnut Street, and through the front entrance of El Rey itself.  Here you have a bright diner with plaid-shirted servers and a view of the kitchen doors that the smiling staff swing through, holding platters of steaming enchiladas and queso fundido. Margaritas are not the sweet-and-sour regrettables that always seem like a bad idea, no, they are traditional and perfectly sweetened with agave nectar and fresh fruits like guava and mango.  El Rey might be the familiar, comforting room full of friends sharing a plate of churros, while Ranstead Room is the sultry drinking quarters where you go in search of some quiet reflection over a strong drink.

Take your pick, or have it both ways. But whatever you do, please introduce yourself to the guacamole.

El Rey/Ranstead Room
2013 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA
215-563-3330

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