Philadelphia’s Gran Caffe L’Aquila is no stranger to tragedy. In fact, the landmark Italian concept in Center City was born out of it. When the original cafe in L’Aquila, Italy, was destroyed by an earthquake in 2009, the local location was designed and built in the European country before being shipped to Philadelphia piece by piece.

The authentic bar and restaurant at 1716 Chestnut St. then opened in 2014. The company survived the earthquake by learning to adapt and change, said Founding Partner Riccardo Longo. So when Covid-19 steamrolled Philly’s hospitality industry in March, Gran Caffe L’Aquila knew it had to do it again.