April 02, 2026
Provided Image/dancerobot
The brunch menu at dancerobot in Rittenhouse features traditional Japanese flavors and dishes with a contemporary twist.
When crafting their brunch menu, the team at dancerobot knew they wanted push the boundaries.
Acclaimed chefs and co-owners Jesse Ito and Justin Bacharach began serving the midday meal at their Rittenhouse restaurant less than a month ago. By swapping the traditional bacon-and-eggs for dishes with authentic Japanese roots — including red bean toast and deep fried rice balls — they are daring their diners to think differently about brunch.
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The owners, who both worked at the award-winning Royal Sushi & Izakaya in Queen Village, opened dancerobot in September to much fanfare, boasting a full waitlist for its first 30 days of operation.
Ito, who was named as a finalist this week for a James Beard Award for the best chef in the Mid-Atlantic, has said his mission is to push the Philly food scene forward.
“The brunch menu at dancerobot is inspired by Japan’s past and present food culture as well as my own personal breakfast tastes,” Bacharach said. “We are also doing something pretty unique to Philadelphia. The dishes and flavors we’re playing around with aren’t things you would generally see on a restaurant’s breakfast menu.”
Among its offerings are a Kare pan dish made with braised beef cheek, spicy Japanese curry and seaweed; a Katsu curry made with spicy curry sauce and koshihikari rice; and bacon, egg and cheese served in the form of an onigiri, or deep fried rice ball. The menu also includes an Omurice omelette cut tableside to reveal its creamy insides, which Bacharach called one of the most popular dishes, and the item that people “judge” the restaurant on the most.
“It’s the most familiar set of flavors but in a different package,” he said. “It’s something we’ve hyped for a long time. Many of our guests … whip out their phones the moment it is brought to the table, expecting a viral moment.”
The risk in introducing a new flavor palette to brunch customers has seemed to pay off, especially with dancerobot’s Teishoku, a traditional Japanese breakfast dish that consists of a choice of fish, miso soup, rice and Japanese pickles.
“I think people are surprised when they order this by how much it makes sense as a morning meal,” Bacharach said. “It is personally my favorite item on the menu and my favorite way to eat breakfast … and is the most traditional Japanese item we are serving.”
The sourdough pancake at dancerobot was the most difficult item to plan on the restaurant's brunch menu, co-owner Justin Bacharach said.
It was dancerobot’s deceptively simple sourdough pancake, served with red miso maple syrup and lemon zest, that took the most amount of work to pull off.
“Everyone these days has a signature brunch pancake and a lot of people have a particular perception of Japanese-style pancakes, so I wanted to work hard to make something special,” he said.
Bacharach said he and Ito got inspiration from a wide range of sources — from experiences in New York City to a restaurant in the basement of Tokyo’s Ginza 5 shopping center to Philly's brunch and breakfast staples.
Dancerobot’s concept plays into the idea of Kissaten-style restaurants found in Japan, which were popular in the mid-20th century and are known for their retro ambience. Bacharach said it was something he was always interested in as a chef, and credited Little Pete’s, the beloved 24-hour diner in Center City that closed in 2017, with upholding the “timeless and classic” vibes that a Kissaten establishment emanates.
When Bacharach worked as head chef at Royal Sushi & Izakaya, he would schedule staff field trips to Ocean City Restaurant in Chinatown to eat dim sum, which he calls the “closest parallel” to what dancerobot is offering now. The bustling energy of Parc on Rittenhouse Square was also something he hoped to replicate.
“We sought out the best versions of certain items … and then I brought those memories back home and put our own creative spin on them,” Bacharach said.
Brunch at dancerobot is currently only available on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations can be made online.
