In revamped South Philly row homes, chefs like Jason Cichonski create a dining club experience. Dinner at the Club is a behind-the-curtain look at one of these members-only clubs, with recipes, cocktails and history.
Philadelphia social clubs reveal many sides of our social life, including communities of non-English immigrants and the struggle for abolition. The PAS and Benezet’s efforts weren’t just about money or racial status; they were about education and uplift.
Union League
The Union League of Philadelphia was founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of Abraham Lincoln. It laid the philosophical foundation for other Union League clubs across a nation torn by civil war. It has hosted presidents, heads of state, industrialists, and entertainers, and supported the American military in every conflict since.
The Club’s success at balancing social and civic goals is an example of the way private institutions can serve public needs without diminishing their own significance. In the 1920s, Union League members endorsed Radical Reconstruction, including Black civil rights, and helped push for streetcar desegregation in Philadelphia.
The Union League is a beautiful venue for weddings and other special events. Guests can enjoy cocktails and appetizers in the Library before entering Lincoln Hall for the reception. This elegant reception features a black-tie dress code. Getting ready photos are often taken in the lavish suites, which feature traditional portraiture of presidents.
Venetian
The Venetian Social Club, located on Germantown Avenue, was established in 1924 by artisans from the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region of northern Italy who moved to Chestnut Hill for work on luxury homes. The club served as a bridge between the old world and the new, where families could be themselves, speak their native dialect and celebrate the culture of their homeland. It also allowed members to support one another.
Getting in: You have to know someone to join this East Passyunk mainstay, which requires a membership fee of $40 a year and dress code rules that include not wearing jeans with holes in them. But if you’re lucky enough to get in, you’ll enjoy a swanky lounge with a state-of-the-art fitness facility and a sleek pool.
With a large dance floor and full-service bar, this is one of the best Philly rental halls to host your next party or event. It is a great choice for weddings, dinner dances and birthday parties.
Fitler Club
The Fitler Club is a Philadelphia based country club membership event venue that offers many different spaces for any type of party. The spaces range from a beautiful outdoor area to a modern, edgy indoor space. They also offer a number of different culinary options for your guests to enjoy.
The club also offers a variety of fitness classes and spa treatments. They have a full-service concierge for all of your needs. You can even hire a personal trainer to help you reach your goals.
The Fitler Club is a game-changing “work/stay/play” destination for a new generation of leaders. The facility features a 14-room hotel, world-class gym and spa, two restaurants, private office suites, and refined yet relaxed culinary and event spaces. It is located in the heart of Center City and steps away from 30th Street Station.
Palizzi Social Club
A swanky social club in Philadelphia may feature state-of-the-art fitness facilities and stunning ballrooms, but it also might have an arduous application process and limit membership to the socially wired. These clubs can offer a lot more than just cheap beers and sumptuous cuisine—they can provide a cloistered environment where people can connect with peers over a stiff drink or critically acclaimed pasta.
A South Philly row house steps from where Chef Joey Baldino grew up, Palizzi Social Club is a time capsule of its neighborhood’s past and a vibrant living part of its present. In Dinner at the Club, readers get a behind-the-curtain look at this exclusive members-only establishment that’s captured the imaginations of native Phillyers and visitors alike (and made the pages of Bon Appetit and Esquire). It’s a place where you can be yourself and enjoy food and drinks in a welcoming atmosphere. Members of this club are descendants of the Knights Templar and the Free Masons, ancient orders with medieval-sounding ceremonies.
