Fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out early Thursday morning at Café Renata (4305 Locust St.), sending one woman to the hospital.
The woman, who has not been identified, lived in an apartment above the café and suffered from smoke inhalation. She was listed in stable condition this morning. Café Renata was heavily damaged in the fire, which firefighters brought under control after about 30 minutes. The U Do We Do Laundromat next door to Café Renata also suffered some damage but was open this morning.
Café Renata co-owners Kate Steenstra and Yasser Aiq rent the space for their restaurant. It was not clear this morning when it might reopen.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:14 am
I was so sorry to see this walking past this morning and wondered what had happened. Kate and Yasser, sending you and your neighbors lots of good wishes, and looking forward to coming to Cafe Renata when you reopen.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Man, that’s awful. Sending good wishes to Cafe Renata and hoping they can reopen soon.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:55 am
Horrible news, glad it looks like everyone will be OK.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Oh no! That’s terrible! Hope the injured neighbor recovers quickly. Kate and Yasser, so sorry to see this happen to your restaurant! Sending best wishes for you to be able to reopen as soon as possible.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
We’re praying for the neighbor and Renata!
Kate and Yasser, please rebuild! Nothing compares to renata.
March 12th, 2015 at 4:58 pm
I was so surprised to see this when I walked by this afternoon. I’m so sorry! Sending thoughts and prayers your way.
March 13th, 2015 at 9:34 am
Oh no, so said! I hope that the person injured recovers quickly and that the cafe is able to reopen. West Philly is sending healing thoughts their way!
March 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am
I’m going to miss the shakshuka so much. Hopefully something can be arranged like it was for Cedar Park Cafe and Elena’s… WPL (or Kate & Yasser): please let us know if there is anything we can do to help or pitch in.
March 16th, 2015 at 4:54 am
I live near the Renata and saw the fire trucks that night. The trucks lined the entire block, so I didn’t want to get too close. I didn’t know that the Renata was damaged by fire until the next day while walking to work. I was saddened to see this beloved neighborhood cafe damaged and lifeless. I have walked past the Renata many times and can see it from my living room window. I could tell that it was a popular spot. I never got around to actually going in and sampling the food and drink. I did smell it and it smelled wonderful. I always thought that it would be a great place to take a lady on a first date. I was going to wait until I found a woman stupid enough to let me take her out. Needless to say, I still have not found one that stupid. This could take a while. So it’s back to eHarmony for me. I hope the Renata reopens. Hopefully by then I will find a stupid and sweet girl to take to this wonderful cafe. Kate and Yasser, please reopen. My love life depends on it. Well, not really.
March 16th, 2015 at 9:27 am
This is terrible news. They’ve done a great job with Renata. I hope everyone’s okay, and we will see the café reopen soon.
March 21st, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Kate and Yasser I am so sorry that this happened to you. I pray that you will be back in business soon. Thank you for being such a great and accommodating restaurant for my gluten sensitive daughter Katherine.