Ember & Ash

This was my first stop for dinner in Philly and everything was delicious! It was a short walk away from our AirBNB, so I got to see a bit of the neighborhood as well.The restaurant is small, but very sleek and welcoming. I liked the big windows letting in sunlight.I was so busy catching up with friends that I can't remember the name of everything, but the cucumber dish was easily my fav. It was so pretty and the flavors were poppin.I tried a cocktail and a wine, both hit the spot. The only thing we didn't try was dessert since we were so full.Our waitress was on it all evening and gave great suggestions. There were people filtering in and out throughout our meal and the bar got more packed over time.Seemed like a great spot to get an evening cocktail or have a date night.

This restaurant is amazing. I ventured here with friends while visiting town for the weekend. It's such a fun neighborhood spot located in South Philly. The space is surprisingly large with an upstairs that can seat larger groups. We had a reservation, so I would recommend making one for bigger parties. All of the food we had was incredible. They do mention each person should have 2-3 small plates. Our group felt the estimate was a little high and you could get away with ordering less. We felt 1-2 per person and were perfect, with most of us ordering pasta dishes as our main for the meal. The cocktails were unique, but they also have a full bar if you want something classic. I definitely suggest trying this out if you're looking for a great dining experience. Cheers!

We really enjoyed our dinner at Ember & Ash! We were seated upstairs, which had a cozy feel to it...dark toned paint complimenting the dark wood floors. It is simple, but one of those places you feel like you could go as a group (we were a party of 6) or just be on a date, and you don't feel overwhelmed by the space or other patrons...it is spaced out rather nicely. They have music playing on both floors, and I am sure this is just an oddity of the night we went, but it felt kind of "dead" upstairs. Only a few other tables were seated the entire evening (and in some instances, that could very well be appreciated) but I left wishing the same energy I saw walking out of the restaurant on the first floor, was matched upstairs. Downstairs was certainly more full and had a fun crowd at the bar (could be a good sign of somewhere to just pop in and get a drink/apps.) Our service was good overall - she provided some nice direction on the menu and drinks. She was a bit assertive in her recommendations, not totally consultative with what our interests/preferences were, but none the loss, can appreciate the conviction (and she wasn't steering us to the most expensive options either). We had mentioned in our reservation that we were celebrating a birthday, and they had some nice touches there (menus printed with "happy birthday" on it, and they even wrote the date & restaurant name on our wine cork and gave that to us as a little momento. The food was solid...menu definitely accommodating for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Fresh & summer-forward ingredients. It feels built out to where you should get 2-4 small plates to share with the table (again reference to a part of 6), and an entree per person. They obviously have a focus on their wood-fired stove, and what I thought was cool is that you see this executed in a variety of ways. From their cocktails, to their bread, to their main dishes. Their toasted bread is a must-get for the table, perfect for dipping in pasta dishes, or just eating stand alone (they had a spicy strawberry butter). Their pasta dishes were killer - I had the gemelli (oxtail ragu)...this stole the show I think. One dish, that I personally thought was a letdown, was the Lancaster chicken. It was served as a couple of pieces on the bone, and buttered beans/salsa verde just felt kind of bland for the amount of chicken that came with the dish. Our octopus and burrata app's were also memorable! We got a kick out of their desserts. Waitress sold us on the cheesecake, and that did not disappoint - this was a unique dish since it was a basque-style cheesecake. You don't often see that, but it must just be cooked in a different way - definitely lighter and more custard like texture (less dense), but coupled with the caramel sauce...mmm, mmm, mmm! We couldn't pass up on their funnel cake - very nostalgic, but the strawberry rhubarb vanilla ice cream also gave it an elevated finish. Would we go back? Absolutely! Will we go back before trying more places in the city...probably not, but all in all, it was really nice experience.

Great service great food and was in great taste. Not ideal for large groups but we managed to get Reservations for a party of 8 and was seated in the back near the kitchen. They had fantastic craft drinks, delish foods to share like family style and great ambience! Located in a cute neighborhood although it was a little scary to drive to in very narrow streets that are one way, so glad we Uber-ed there since the street parking was a bit cramped as well. Highly recommend!

Recommendation: Pan fried the leftover shin and madetacos. Softened up w crispy edges. Like a whole new meal.

We had stopped here almost a year ago for a quick drink and we tried a special tripe appetizer which was amazing so we were excited to try a full meal. The two of us ordered one small and two large plates to share. The oxtail ragú was delicious and I would come back just for that, perfectly seasoned and balanced. We started with the burrata which had the completely wrong texture, it was hard and chewy instead of delicate and creamy. The pistachio pesto was a little too bitter, but the charred delicate squash was yummy. Something just didn't connect with all the flavors. We also got the ribeye which came out cooked to the right temperature but it was cold by the time it made it to us, the fat had started to congeal and it just wasn't pleasant to eat. It came with a radicchio salad that had a sweet barbecuey flavor to the dressing, it was ok but again the flavors didn't completely work together. Disappointing for a $50 entree. Service and wine were both great and the ambience was good, based on the meh experience in two out of three dishes not sure if I'd be back.

Such a great dinner! Cute spot right on passyunkGreat cocktails, food, and service. We shared a fewThings and the butternut squash ravioliWas my favorite! Will definitely be back!

WE LOVED IT HERE. Food: bananas good Cocktails/wine: fantastic Service: amazing Highly recommend sharing so you can try many things on the menu. Top items were crispy potatoes and the cabbage small plates. Right behind those were the seasonal pasta (summer squash and blossoms with fettuccini), roasted broccoli, fried chicken sandwich, and scorpion fish. I'd place the scallop crudo at the bottom of the pack but that bottom is a high one! And I also don't love raw scallop so that didn't help. The pickle beet martini is quite possibly the best cocktail I've ever had. If you like pickles, definitely do not miss it. Incredibly creative and delicious. The service was attentive and so friendly and made our evening even more amazing. Plus the music they had playing was top notch. Can't wait to come back!

Excellent food, very fresh oysters with an amazing strawberry vinaigrette and the smoked chicken was beautiful and tasty. The Italian red wine was great - they only have Italian but it's so good and a very relaxing atmosphere!

I truly wanted to give this place at least 4 stars, but my experience last night wouldn't let me. My friends and I have been eyeing E&A for a while and once we had a chance to get together I suggested we go to this place once and for all.The place is nice and cozy; a quaint place to go for 1st date or just hanging out with friends. We got there and was welcomed by 2 kind hostesses. But, thats about it thats pleasant. I'll start my review.Food: i read some of the reviews and saw "hit or miss" so I guess last night was a miss for us. -cocktail: watered down-bbq dry rub wings: taste not so bad, but nothing you'd be dreaming about. You can go to your local dive bar for those.-mussels: this is the first resto ive been to that they did not provide lemons/any type of sauce to go along with it. Unless your mussels are A1, which they were not, then I suggest start including them.-Octopus: salty af - the best thing on that plate probably was the potatoes-Ribeye: salty af and we asked for medium but it came out more on the medium-well.-Gemelli - indifferent about this-BEEF SHANK - this is the main dish that we were ohsolookingforward to but was hit with a major disappointment. -another salty af taste and a bit on the dry side. Us three people couldnt even finish 1/2 of the portion.Service: i won't blame her, but maybe they need more servers? Asked for water and never got it until I had to ask again towards the end. Sorry, your food is salty af - i had to wash it down with plenty of H2O.Price: i absolutely will not pay for that $90 sodium overload beef shank. Location: absolutely love East Passyunk - go to the POPE for awesome wings!Anywho, please still go to this place and try it yourself. Who knows maybe it'll be a hit for you. I know I wont.