CAMDEN—Wolfpeach, a Camden restaurant at 50 Elm Street, has undergone some pivotal changes since it opened in 2021. First, it opened as a pop-up to meet the community’s needs while renovating the restaurant’s interior; then, as a full-scale restaurant, which was named as a semi-finalist for the James Beard awards. And it is now, as what owners Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard call “wolfpeach 2.0,”—a more casual, neighborhood establishment.

“We’re still the same name, same team, same space, it’s just the food and beverages we offer are now different,” said Acero. “We’re going back to our roots with sourdough pizza, which is what Derek was making when we first met.”

“I think we accomplished what we wanted to with wolfpeach 1.0,” she said. “The vision was always to be a neighborhood spot for the community, but whether it’s the reality of the price points or the perception of us as fine dining, we became the place that was only for special occasions. And that wasn’t our goal. We wanted to be the place you could pop in for a beer and a snack.”

The other major change wolfpeach has made from its original non-tipping model, is to return to a tipping model with a lower price point on menu items, which Acero said was another factor in the menu change-up.

“We did the no-tipping structure for two years and I feel really proud of that,” she said. “I still think tipping is still a problematic structure, but it’s also one that is so deeply entwined in the way restaurant finances work. The non-tipping model was also perceived as ‘very fancy’ and it’s important to us that the restaurant is perceived as fun, casual, and family-friendly. As a tipped model, it’ll feel more familiar to people.”

The restaurant still has the cozy bar from the original Drouthy Bear. They now serve oysters with lemon and mignonettes, a crudo, naturally leavened pizza, salads, and house-made ice cream. On the beverage side, Acero said they are relaxing their limitations around only serving Northeast beverages and will have a unique selection of classic cocktails (think: martini, Sazerac, daiquiri, Negroni), cheap, natural wines by the glass from Italy and Austria, and affordable beer ranging from Narragansett and Peroni as well as local craft options like Sasanoa.

They held their grand re-opening Saturday, April 1. Stay in touch with their website and on Instagram.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com