Front & Palmer

I’ve never had to shop for a wedding venue in Philadelphia but I imagine there must be much better options for $ 150 +\- per person. The space is an interesting loft area but it would not be my choice for a romantic wedding.
The location is in an up and coming neighborhood. Some guests felt unsafe or uncomfortable. It’s fine as long as you stay inside or in the small gated parking area.
The wedding I attended used the space for the ceremony and the reception. Due to the lack of space they had the dinner tables decorated and pushed to the side which detracted from the ceremony appearance.
During the ceremony you could hear the traffic. If you want a wedding video, it will be ruined by traffic. First a very loud motorcycle and then the El. When the El comes through, the venue shakes a bit. Disappointing because it takes away from the romance of a wedding.
The dinner was buffet style and the food was served out of very small white serving dishes. The servers were constantly running to fill them and it just appeared as though they were trying to limit food. Some people were afraid to try items because they weren’t sure if they would keep filling them. I understand not wanting regular stainless serving dishes but this was not an upgrade. The food was good but not outstanding.
At my table, no one filled our water or offered us drinks. However, they were good about clearing the plates when we were finished.
Hope this helps you when deciding on your venue.

Front and Palmer was our first and last stop in our search for the perfect wedding venue. My husband and I knew what we didn’t want: your typical ballroom/​country club wedding. We were getting married in the beginning of April, so we were looking for a non-​traditional indoor space. Front and Palmer, with its rustic-​industrial feel (high ceilings, metal beams, hardwood floors, cool chandeliers), was better than we could have imagined. Guests are still commenting on how amazing the space was.
The food is incredibly high quality. Unlike many weddings, the food at Front and Palmer is not an after-​thought, it’s the main event. We received countless comments on how delicious the wedding food was.
On top of that, the staff was unbelievable to work with. Everyone we interacted with was professional, responsive and extremely helpful. Lini was a true godsend. Truly, it was like working with our own personal wedding planner. She promptly answered all questions, gave honest opinions and advice, helped schedule out our event, and then ensured that we were running on time on the day of the wedding. She has our highest praise and you’ll be in wonderful hands if you get to work with her. On the day of, we also worked with Joanne, who was fabulous.
There is a reason we didn’t feel the need to look at any other venues after visiting Front and Palmer. We cannot recommend this venue enough!

Used to work at a wedding venue, and spent several years in the service industry. I understand how hard it can be for staff and management to be «on» all the time. Still, I was underwhelmed by the staff at this place. Most of the people who worked there were friendly. However, our main contact Linny (sp?) was rude to multiple guests of the wedding, going so far as to insult me multiple times in front of other guests. This was before the ceremony (and the drinking) started, so everyone was sober. Not sure what her problem was.
The food was great, the venue is truly beautiful. Your guests will probably have a great time. Those who have to interact with management, be prepared for some unnecessarily stressed-​out and stressful people.

My husband and I were married here November 2015, and it was just perfect! Lini was such a pleasure to work with, very organized and professional. Everything ran so smoothly on the wedding day because of her efforts. The staff at Front and Palmer were wonderful too; delicious food and drinks, and our guests even commented about how attentive the wait staff was during our wedding. The venue is so beautiful on its own with rustic hardwood floors and gorgeous lighting, and they are flexible about décor – my husband even built and brought in the alter. I cannot recommend Front and Palmer (and Lini) enough!

Our daughter was married here on Thanksgiving weekend. It was fantastic! From the initial planning to the end of the wedding, Lini was professional and helpful and the staff at F&P were so accommodating. The food was absolutely delicious as well as lovely presentation, hot and perfectly cooked. This is such a unique venue with its chandeliers made from recycled items, it’s hardwood floors, and it’s open floor plan where rooms just flow into each other. We cannot recommend this venue enough!

Enjoyed attending a wedding of friends here and the venue really helped create a unique experience that just fit these two perfectly. The venue itself is pretty cool — super chic industrial and they pulled off herding everyone out of the ceremony into the cocktail hour so that the other room could be quickly setup for the reception. I was on insane amounts of cold meds so I didn’t drink very much, but they seemed to have pretty nice offerings in the booze department. I only got to try one desert, as they floated around on trays and I always seemed to miss them. They seemed to really take care of the bride & groom and their family, so it was a really perfect evening. I’d be happy to see this venue on another wedding invitation any day.

We were here this past weekend for my sister’s wedding and it was such a fantastic event! The venue is really unique and I enjoyed the layout and atmosphere. The repurposed chandeliers were one of the many highlights to the décor. Beautiful hardwood floors. The staff was very friendly and ran the entire event flawlessly. Food was fantastic as well, both apps and entrees. Bathrooms were clean and smelled fresh, parking was easier than expected. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to have a special event in the city.

We had our wedding reception at Front and Palmer and we and our guests couldn’t have been more impressed. We worked with Lini who was a true professional. She was responsive and helpful and went above and beyond our expectations. The food at both the cocktail hour and dinner were delicious. Our guests never wanted for a drink. Our guests were well fed and appropriately served through the entire evening. Ella was great and checked in with us often to make sure we did not need anything.
Don’t let the outside area fool you — the interior is beautiful, unique, and memorable! We added lots of string lights but it’s the type of venue that does not need much to impress. The old wood floors and the artistic chandeliers add so much character. We honestly wouldn’t have changed anything from the evening and would recommend without hesitation hosting a wedding reception here.

Was checking in here to have my 5^th anniversary and the staff was incredibly rude. This is a terribke neighborhood and I felt completely unsafe. This is supposed to be a renovated place and it honestly looks like shit. Renovated my ass, it looks like something straight out of that 70’s show. I had their sampling menu for my event and it was honestly terrible. I’m pretty sure I got food poisoning. The bouncers are assholes, the staffers suck ass, and this venue was terrible. Please save yourself and go to an event space by Cescaphe or honestly anywhere else. My family and I have never felt more disrespected.

I went to a friend’s wedding at Front and Palmer. The modern venue was beautiful. The ceremony was very nice. Afterwards, you are moved to a smaller room for Cocktail hour, which was cramped (my friend had about 100 guests). It also got very hot in the cramped room (which I later found out was because the photo booth was sitting on the main air vents. It was hard to get much food during cocktail hour as well (and I heard they didn’t pass out half of the food!) The music was never very loud either in the cocktail hour room or in the main room. Service was also lacking. Whoever was handling the open bar kept a tight lid on pouring alcohol and didn’t have the best attitude. They cut the bar off 15 minutes before it should have actually closed and seemed annoyed at the guests. Also, towards the end of the night, they were indirectly telling us to get the heck out. I know that the venue is only booked until a certain time, but many of the guests really felt rushed by the staff to leave.
The wedding was a lot of fun (mainly because we were with great friends) and the venue was beautiful, but the venue just needs some work on their service.

Very cool venue in an inconspicuous area of Fishtown! I attended the inaugural Cooking Up Couture event at Front & Palmer on Friday night. The venue has several different areas which makes it perfect for a party that has to transition from cocktail hour to the main event. The décor was pretty industrial and open; brick walls, wood floors, exposed ductwork, etc. The only issue that stood out to me was the acoustics; the music and announcements seemed to echo around the larger room which made it hard to understand yet still extremely loud.
Because of the location, I probably wouldn’t host an event with lots of out of town guests at Front & Palmer, though I’d absolutely host some type of cool function focused on city dwellers.

My daughter and son-​in-​law had their wedding at F&P almost 10 days ago and I still can’t get over how beautiful the venue was, how well organized everyone was, and the food, yowza. We had about 165 guests at their wedding, and they all felt the service was great and the excellent food was abundant! If you are lucky to have Lini as your wedding coordinate, consider yourself in good hands. We live in Los Angeles and as a MOB, I was super worried about having to coordinate wedding plans from across the country, but Lini was so calm, positive and more importantly a great listener. She worked with my daughter and helped guide the process, while working with me as needed across the country.
The venue is urban and chic, and by the end of the evening, it felt like we were hosting a fabulous party in our own home! To repeat, the food amazing, the venue awesome, and Lini — the best.

My husband and I hosted our recent wedding at Front and Palmer, and we cannot say enough about the venue, and specifically about Lini, the coordinator who worked with us throughout the process. When we got engaged, we didn’t really think of ourselves as «wedding people,» and we decided what we really wanted was a big cocktail party. Lini completely understood what we had in mind and went above and beyond to make it happen. She took our vision and brought it to life in every way, exceeding all expectations. From advising us on when to start locking in vendors to figuring out timelines for the night, to going over all the details we never even thought about, everything couldn’t have gone better from start to finish. She also made sure to get to know all the main players (the parents, bridal party) and treated us all with such warmth and kindness. By the end, we truly felt she was almost as excited for our wedding as we were!
But, let’s talk about the space itself. This gorgeous and very unique room is both modern and warm, with some rustic touches as well. It helps you create a mood that can be as fancy or informal as you like. The chandeliers, the wood tones… we got so many compliments on how it all looked.
As for the food: Anyone who has ever eaten food prepared by Feast Your Eyes, the catering company for which Front and Palmer is the home base, knows that they are exceptional. We had them set up two tapas-​style food stations instead of a traditional sit-​down dinner, and people just couldn’t get enough. Everything was outstanding.
The staff here is also incredibly top-​notch. Many of our guests commented on the quality of the service. And as a bride or groom, if you are lucky enough to have your wedding here, they will keep your glass full, your plate full, and make sure you are taken care of in every way.
Front and Palmer is by no means a «bargain» wedding venue (few places in the city are). But we did not find it overpriced, and frankly they could get away with charging more for what they do. This might seem obvious, but you are paying for others to take the work out of your hands and make the night run smoothly, from setting up to welcoming guests to cleaning up to packing up your leftover cake and decorations. We also got a full-​on wedding planner with Lini, not just someone in charge of the night itself. We felt almost ZERO stress because we knew there were such capable people in charge. Lini also understood our desire to minimize costs where we could. She was very accommodating in terms of helping us find corners here and there where we could shave off a few dollars. This was not even something she had to do, but we really appreciated that she did.
In conclusion, I’m glad my wedding is over, but I’m actually going to miss going to Front and Palmer to plan it! I hope someone else we know gets married here soon!

Front & Palmer — greatest wedding venue ever? I think so. Maybe it’s because I had my wedding here, but it really is amazing!
We worked primarily with Lini, the coordinator that comes with the venue. She was incredible the whole time, very quick to respond to all of our silly questions & concerns. Lini helped us choose menus, work out timelines and organize everything — I cannot imagine what the wedding would have turned out to be without her help.
The staff was amazing. Throughout the night we always had someone (in a non pesky way) ask us if we needed a drink, wanted to have dinner, etc. it was so nice to be reminded to enjoy all of the food & drink that we decided on having for the day.
My husband and I felt that the pricing was very fair, given all of the things included and the quality of service that we received. We looked at a lot of other venues in the city and felt that none came close to F&P. I highly recommend going here & checking it out. It’s gotten pretty popular as a wedding venue and the accolades are WELL deserved.
Thanks Front & Palmer!

I came to Front & Palmer as a guest of an event here recently and had a wonderful time. As far as venues go, it’s a place that’s off-​beat, informal, and yet hipster-​gorgeous with high ceilings and unique touches.
Front and Palmer stands out as being one of the most well-​run venues I’ve attended in years. The servers were all incredibly attentive throughout the night and made sure that we were all hors d’œuvre’d, stuffed, and drunk by the end of the evening. The catering was simply out of this world — though not a traditional wedding meal by any means, the buffet-​style finger foods were incredibly delicious and left us with full bellies.
I opted to park outside underneath the El as there was plenty of street parking, but my friends assured me there was also free parking provided in their lot. Free lot parking in this day and age of overinflated valet parking? Gasp!
Ladies, be warned — the only downside to Front and Palmer is that the wood flooring upstairs is fairly uneven with significant gaps between the planks. If you’re unsteady on heels like I am, you’ll definitely be tripping a lot — not good when you’ve had a drink or few!

Lol. Hilarious. This place will run you around $ 25,000+ (for 125 guests)…and it’s in Fishtown. This is absolutely insane. INSANE!!!

This review is over a month in the making, which is a disservice to such a great venue with such great people running it.
We held our wedding there September 1, and it’s pretty hard to describe anything about it as less than perfect.
–Lead-​up: Lini made sure that every detail and decision was accounted for. This resulted in some phoning and emailing in the week before the event to keep us in-​line/​on-​track/​etc. It was much needed, since, of course, we were all «oh no, we don’t need to hire a planner,» and we are incredibly grateful for the organization and guidance.
–Setup: Everything was extremely smooth with vendors coming in and out; we really didn’t need to think about it (save the arcade rental people leaving their units there – another story, though). Also, we were able to access the space to add some personal touches, though this may depend on whether there is an event on the day immediately preceding yours; in our case there was not.
–Décor and ambiance: Really, it’s hard to put it to words. The place almost needs nothing. It’s incredibly striking what they’ve done to the whole property. It’s industrial; it’s rustic; there are extremely wacky chandeliers that suit the vibe perfectly. Over and over, guests noted that the space was very beautiful.
–Service during the reception: I can’t speak highly enough of it. Ella was our go-​to person for issues big and small throughout the night, but really all the staff was extremely attentive and generous. Everything went as it should have with all food and drink, and on top of that there were some above-​and-​beyond efforts that really helped make the night more memorable.
–Food: I don’t know what anyone is talking about that the food leaves anything to be desired. Steak that can be cut with a butter knife, guests telling me they’d never had better potatoes au gratin, a wedding cake that was incredible, and cheesecake on a stick. ‘nuf said.
–Beverage: BYOB, which is awesome, and the bartenders were good and incredibly chill.
To wrap it all up, I know we weren’t the easiest couple to deal with (hopefully, we weren’t the most difficult, though!), and every step of the way, the folks at F&P were helpful and thoughtful. There was a level of personal investment and interest in us as a couple (from Lini, who we worked with from day one, to the night-​of service staff) that I never would have expected.
Okay, gonna stop gushing now, but we are incredibly grateful. Best night of my life.

The space is amazing. I love what they have done to the old factory but the food is not the best. I have attended 3 events and each time i was disappointed with the food. Most of the staff was great except for this one women who did not like to answer questions about the food. I think she was one of the managers.
This is a beautiful space but the food is not.

I went to an anniversary party here. I’m from Philly so the neighborhood didn’t phase me, although I could see it being intimidating to some. I had heard there was lots of up and coming places being renovated in the area, still I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice this place was. Well lit parking lot and gorgeous space inside. perfect for a small get together or wedding reception.

This place is located lovingly under the El in the Kensington Arts District. The drive? …A little intimidating at first, I mean, come on… I felt like I was driving through the hood and prayed for safe parking. The parking was guarded and well lite and the building was very unexpected. The place is absolutely amazing inside, set up as a cozy loft setting with great staff, I was overly pleasantly surprised. Can I say that?
Yes, it’s a BYOB and the event I went to was set up great for food and drinks as well as dancing!
We left around midnight and the guard was still at the parking lot, the entire area was well lit for us to get to our cars.