Stephen Starr has been planning his eighth Rittenhouse Square restaurant. He now says a ninth is on the way.

Stephen Starr, constructing his eighth restaurant in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood — Borromini, an Italian restaurant in a former Barnes & Noble — has told The Inquirer that he intends to open a ninth.

Starr said he has an agreement with Allan Domb, the former city councilperson, mayoral candidate, and investor in Starr’s hospitality company, to take over for Devon Seafood Grill, which closed over New Year’s after 25 years. (The site, at the Parc Rittenhouse condo building, previously was a Houlihan’s, managed by the same company as Devon Seafood.)

The new Starr restaurant, whose concept has not been determined, will be next door to Parc, his popular French restaurant at 18th and Locust Streets. Its targeted opening is the latter half of 2026, Starr said. The roughly 9,000 square feet space is slightly smaller than Parc but larger than Barclay Prime, the swish Starr steakhouse in the Barclay on the southeast corner of the square.

“Rittenhouse Square is magical,” said Domb, who owns a passel of square-area properties, including the Parc Rittenhouse and Barclay. “It brings people together and I think it’s a very important part of the city for people who live here and come into the city.”

Starr is targeting a summer 2025 opening for Borromini at 1805 Walnut St. — also Domb-owned — which is intended to complement Parc in scale. Borromini, like Parc, will have extensive sidewalk dining. The newly announced restaurant also will have sidewalk space.

Starr owns 18 restaurants in Philadelphia, including the seasonal Cafe Click outside of the Comcast Center as well as the Ranstead Room, the lounge attached to El Rey at 2013 Chestnut St. He has been on a tear of openings recently in New York City (where he owns nine restaurants, including the chic Le Café Louis Vuitton); Washington (where he owns six, including the revival of the Occidental across from the White House); and South Florida (where he owns five and is planning his sixth, a Pastis location in West Palm Beach). He is also planning to take over Babbo and Lupa in New York this year.

Starr’s debut in Rittenhouse was Alma de Cuba, which opened at 1623 Walnut St. in 2001 and closed in 2020. His next, all still open, were Barclay Prime and Continental Mid-town (2004), followed by Parc and Butcher & Singer in 2008, The Dandelion and El Rey/Ranstead Room in 2010, and The Love in 2017.

In late 2003, Starr bought the bankrupt Striped Bass seafood destination and freshened it up for a reopening in 2004; he closed it in 2008 to make way for Butcher & Singer steakhouse, which previously housed a brokerage firm. Starr also operated an Italian restaurant called Il Pittore from 2011 to 2016 at 2025 Sansom St.; it is now Bolo.