The 28th international location of Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man opens in Philly this coming Wednesday, July 1, at 9 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Located around the corner from Butcher & Singer, just up the block from Good Dog and directly across the street from the brand-new Miga, the Israeli choco chain did its research as far as Center City geography goes. (They’re saying 1500 Walnut for the address — same as B&S — but the entrance is on 15th.)

The gregarious hairless dude Meal Ticket met with identifies himself as Max Brenner, but his real name is actually Oded Brenner — the company was founded 13 years back in Israel by he and partner Max Fichtman, who melded their first names together. Brenner eventually bought out Fichtman and co-opted the nickname Max for marketing purposes.

Oded/Max took us through a handful of items off the menu — same offerings as the chain’s two NYC locations — during our stop-in. The branding here is truly outrageous — everything’s hip and cute and cool and polished to a space-station-caliber sheen. Milkshakes come in slick ceramic cups that scream “DRINK ME.” Brenner’s ergonomic “Hug Mugs” are meant to be cupped with both hands to invoke your childhood beneath-a-blanket hot cocoa memories. A latte “Kangaroo Cup” features a “pouch,” or divot, in which you rest slowly melting pieces of hard chocolate. The kids’ menu features a giant syringe full of chocolate ganache you’re meant to insert in your mouth and squirt before popping a Gummy Bar. (All the chocolate Max Brenner serves is made from scratch by the company from raw cacao beans sourced from around the world.) Though you might not guess it, there are a slew of savory selections here, too, from breakfast and brunch through dinner. Brenner says the average check ends up being between $16 and $17 a person.

The space has 111 seats all told. There’s also a chocolate bar and a separate chocolate gift shop on the premises; the space will have a liquor license.

“When I go to a Cuban restaurant, I want to feel like I’m in Havana. When I go to a French restaurant, I want to feel like I’m in Paris. When I go to an Italian restaurant, I want to feel like I’m in Tuscany,” says Brenner of his desire for immersion when dining out — no wonder his stores exude such grinning, cartoonish otherworldliness. “And when I go to a chocolate place, I want a full chocolate story.”

Max Brenner will be open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to midnight, Friday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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