Kwame Onwuachi Will Open His Second D.C. Cheesesteak Shop Next Week

Philly Wing Fry will open a counter next week at Union Market, closing a loop that opened two years ago when Top Chef alumnus Kwame Onwuachi introduced his cheesesteak-centric fast-casual concept as a pop-up at the food hall in NoMa.

Onwuachi tells Eater the second Philly Wing Fry will welcome its first customers on Thursday, December 13, just about two months after he opened his first location inside the South Capitol Hill Whole Foods. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ever since that 2016 pop-up, Onwuachi kept an eye on Union Market. But he said stalls rarely come up for grabs, especially ones with the ventilation hood he needs to cook Philly cheesesteaks with 50-day dry-aged beef from Roseda Farm, sour and spicy tamarind-chile wings, and waffle fries. He says he “jumped at the opportunity” when Union Market approached him with an offer to take over a counter vacated by D.C. Empanadas.

“Being able to stay in the D.C. area and expand upon this brand is everything I wanted for this,” says Onwuachi, whose Kith and Kin restaurant was recently voted as the reader’s choice for Restaurant of the Year in Eater D.C.’s 2018 awards poll.

It was also important, Onwuachi says, to make Philly Wing Fry more accessible to people who haven’t made the trip to eat the sandwich in Southeast.

To ring in the opening of the second Philly Wing Fry, both locations will sell a new special conceived by executive chef David Paz-Grusin. A new chicken Parmesan sandwich will be dredged in herb-seasoned bread crumbs and served with a Philly Wing Fry marinara sauce, Mozzarella cheese, and a garlic lemon aioli. The bread for the sandwich will be toasted in roasted garlic oil.

Both the beef-packed cheesesteak and a spicy mushroom version will be sold at the Union Market Philly Wing Fry as well. Customers can also ask for a not-so-secret off-menu item: loaded fries topped with beef, cheese, house sauce, and pickled onions.

Philly Wing Fry/Official

• ‘Top Chef’ Alum Opens a Cheesesteak-Centric Restaurant Within Whole Foods [EDC]
• Vote Now for D.C.’s Restaurant of the Year