Our Story

Midnight Iris (formerly Keen Philly)

When trying to think of a new name, a picture of an iris flower kept popping into my head, which was my mom's favorite flower. I looked up the meaning and it summed up everything that I wanted this new transition to embody:

"The iris flower earned its name from the ancient Greek Goddess Iris, a messenger to the gods who was thought to use a rainbow as a bridge between heaven and earth."

It has a celestial connection to Astral Plane (the ground breaking restaurant that made its home here for 30 years before us) and the building's history, a family connection for me, and the rainbow is a unifier to connect us all. We added midnight because this place really comes alive at night and our guests are truly beautiful late night flowers.