Post Haste is known for its inventive cocktails, but the Fishtown destination is now making a different kind of statement — one centered on accessibility, community and food.

Every Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m., Post Haste opens early for a pay-what-you-can dining program that allows guests to decide what they can comfortably contribute for their meal. Food items are listed on the check at no cost. (Note, bar items are not included.)

This specific initiative was inspired by a visit Chef Ari Miller made to HAGS in Manhattan to a pay-what-you-can brunch. After collaborating with HAGS chef Telly Justice on a pop-up last fall, he brought the concept to Post Haste.

Essentially, diners receive a check listing everything they ordered, but food items are priced at zero, allowing them to contribute an amount that reflects their circumstances. For Miller, the goal is not to give away free meals, but to remove barriers that can make restaurant dining feel out of reach for some.

‘Culinary is community’

The Sunday initiative is just one example of a broader evolution underway at Post Haste. Under owner and bar director Fred Beebe and Miller, the restaurant has transformed from a cocktail-focused destination into a fully realized dining experience where food and drink are treated as equal partners.

“Culinary is community,” notes Miller in a statement. “It’s the farmers and producers we source from, the team in the kitchen, and the guests who choose to spend their time with us. Our role is to bring all of that together in a way that feels thoughtful, approachable, and meaningful on the plate.”

And Miller knows how to build a menu. Most recently, he served as executive chef at the Rosewood Hotel in Washington, D.C., working alongside Wolfgang Puck, following his run as chef-owner of Musi. The Philadelphia restaurant earned national recognition, including a place on Eater’s list of the 16 Best New Restaurants in America and a Best Chef award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2019.

A menu built on creativity

The dinner menu reflects Miller’s style, balancing familiar formats with unexpected details. Dishes range from a house-baked soft pretzel served with Valley Milkhouse Witchgrass cheese and apple mustard—or topped with Golden Osetra caviar—to handmade pastas like Silk Chili Bow Ties with duck bolognese and the playful (and must-try) Wine Mac & Cheese, featuring wine-infused pasta baked in a wine cheese sauce.

Larger plates include Pennsylvania-raised steak frites with latke fries and guava katsu sauce, East Coast scallops paired with green vichyssoise and pickled mushrooms, and the showstopper here — a Moulard duck breast served with duck fat gravy, asparagus, and baby leeks.

Post Haste is also beginning to roll out a few new dishes like Hoagie Softshell Tartine breaded and fried on flax and rye milk bread with crabby sauce and citrus supremes. Or, diners can opt for popular staples like the Billion Layer Fried Lasagna with herbaceous green filling and creamy tomato sauce.

Miller’s kitchen is built around the idea that ingredients should be utilized in every way possible. So, egg whites become pasta dough, herb stems are folded into fillings, breadcrumbs are made from house scraps, and surplus produce is transformed into hot sauces and seasonings here. Whey from local dairy partners is incorporated into pastry dough, cauliflower trim becomes puree, and even used fryer oil is collected and converted into biodiesel. Sustainability is woven into it all as well—oyster shells are diverted to reef restoration projects and citrus pulp is re-extracted into aromatic sprays at Post Haste.

Elevated bar program

The bar program continues to evolve alongside the kitchen. Beebe’s team works primarily with East Coast producers, sourcing ingredients from independent makers and collaborating with farmers to grow alternative citrus varieties like kumquat and limequat. Cocktails begin with what is seasonally available and are built outward. The Neighborly Espresso Negroni, for example, repurposes espresso grounds collected from a nearby café, while the Sage Against the Machine incorporates brown butter from the kitchen, which is later returned and used in a pasta dish.

In addition to the full dinner menu, Post Haste also offers a bar-only menu, filled with elevated takes on classic comfort foods, including a three-cheese grilled cheese, a rye bread party melt, and the Duvet Dog, a pastry-wrapped all-beef hot dog finished with seasonal chimichurri. Happy Hour features rotating experimental cocktails, wine, and draft beer specials, while dessert features bites like wine-poached apple nuggets and halloumi with compressed apples.

More than a meal

The restaurant’s physical space has also been transformed recently with a redesigned back dining room featuring a mix of intimate and communal seating. The space now also serves as a rotating gallery curated by Philadelphia artist Caitlin McCormack, with exhibitions changing every four months.

Together, these changes represent more than a menu refresh—they mark the maturation of Post Haste into a restaurant where food, drink, design, and community are aligned under a shared set of values.

To learn more about Post Haste (2519 Frankford Ave.) and to make a reservation, visit posthastephilly.com

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