Kennett Square’s impressive menu of dining destinations includes a new entry as 4AM Hospitality recently celebrated the opening of Letty’s Tavern at 201 State Street.

The tavern offers modern interpretations of elevated pub-fare, blending fresh West Coast flavors with house-made and locally sourced ingredients. 

Downstairs from the tavern is Letty’s Bottle Shop, which features a curated and  rotating selection of in-demand bottles of wine, local independent brewers, distillers, and seasonal releases.

Letty’s Tavern is named after the resident ghost, a precocious child named in honor of William Penn’s daughter. There have been sightings of her roaming her former home from time to time. The tavern is the creation of 4AM Hospitality, which was founded by Dan Daley, Matt Killion and Jacob Short. 4AM Hospitality already had a presence in Chester County—it owns and operates the popular Saucey’s in West Chester.

The Letty’s Tavern menu offers something for everyone, from small plates to soups and salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and entrees for plant-based, gluten-free, and omnivores alike. House-made and from-scratch elements dominate the food and cocktail menus, including aioli’s, dressings, pickles, the orgeats, and bitters. Menu standouts include Mushroom Toasts with whipped ricotta, duxelle, and crispy sage ($8), Marinated Olives with Meyer lemon, garlic, thyme oil, and grilled halloumi ($6). The Parker House Rolls with honey butter and blackberry jam are recipes from Jaclyn Short, a pastry chef who is also married to one of the owners.

Sandwiches and entrees showcase house-made elements such as the KFC, Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich starring brined and fried chicken with house-made kimchi spread, chili, daikon, carrots, cabbage, and cucumber ($14). The Steak and Potatoes is the marriage of familiar elements of a perfectly grilled and seasoned hangar steak with smashed potato and zhoug, a spicy green chili cilantro sauce alternative to the ubiquitous chimichurri ($28). Pizza ranges from traditional Margherita ($15) to White Pesto with mozzarella, ricotta and pesto ($16).

The distinctive and painstaking beverage program shines with a section entitled Letty’s Libations, a rotating, seasonal cocktail menu featuring The Cheech Marin made with St. George Terroir Gin and Bruto Americano, sweet vermouth, and lapsang tea ($13) while the OVC is made with sage-infused Boardroom Spirits vodka, Aperol, lemon, Peychaud’s Bitters, grapefruit oleo saccharum ($12). Cocktail enthusiasts can find familiar and classic flavors in the Clover Club ($12), Penicillin ($12), and Brooklyn ($14).

“Dan, Matt and I created Letty’s Tavern to be a favorite spot for the neighborhood and beyond that continues to surprise with unparalleled hospitality, sophisticated, approachable fare and a knockout beverage program bringing a true cocktail culture to Kennett Square,” said Jacob Short, one of the owners of 4AM Hospitality.

The renovated dining room peeled back layers of dated décor and is now a fresh take on historic interiors with soft gray walls offset by charcoal accented crown molding. Natural light floods in through the large State Street-facing bay windows while the gray drapes soften the edges. The black matte and bronze wall scones balance industrial and traditional notes offset by touches of Americana and whimsy from Normal Rockwell reproductions throughout the dining room and bar. 

The bar is a contrast in warm wood tones and cool grays echoed from the dining room. A vintage phone booth is tucked in a corner with an even older crank phone around the corner at the restroom entrance. Upon closer inspection, brand elements of Saucey’s, 4AM Hospitality’s pizza concept in West Chester, can be found in and around the bar.

Operating hours are  11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each Sunday to Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday to Saturday.

 Letty’s Bottle Shop is open Monday to Thursday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.