Laurel

Came back to Laurel after several years and the quality of the food did not disappoint. The nice thing is that they offer an a la carte option which wasn't available when I went last. For my bf's birthday, we decided to go with the tasting menu. The tasting menu was $120 pp with a total of 6 plates with dessert w/ an amuse bouche. -Amuse Bouche: raw oyster w/ roe and pickled peppers which was nice and savory w/ a little saltiness that balanced the dish.-Fava beans w/ ricotta which was light and refreshing-carpaccios w/ pickled strawberries which was very delicious and refreshing-oyster mushroom w/ crème and fried potatoes (on the a la carte menu also) VERY DELICIOUS and probably my favorite of the whole tasting menu-trout w/ roasted poblano pepper which was delicious as well-pork cheeks(?) - can't exactly remember the cut but it was good yet fatty. Some parts were slightly more chewy than the rest. Dessert - cherry sorbet w/ chocolate mousse which was very refreshing.For drinks, my bf got the Negroni which was phenomenal and I got a glass of wine. Service was fantastic and our server was extremely attentive. The ambiance was intimate w/ a great playlist. Overall the food was great but I would go with the a la carte menu rather than the tasting. It didn't seem quite worth it especially for the price. Otherwise, we will be back!

The ingredients might have potentials but sadly the flavors did not go well together. Most of the citrus flavors over-powered the others. Meat texture was not as tender as expected. The fish slices were too thick to soak up the sauce or it wasn't in the sauce long enough to pick it up. Don't even get me started on the drinks. It's upsetting to be served food that aren't on the level of its price point.But if you must go here (based of someone else's choice), then I'd go with the bread and butter (yes it's an actual app, there are no complimentary bread) and the scallops (that's what the extra star is for).

Wonderful anniversary meal! The staff were great, appreciate the server explaining the menu and tasting/pairing options before we even had to ask. The space is a little tight though.We had a 6 course tasting, chef's choice, with wine pairing. Started with an oyster amuse bouche. The squash is so delicate you wouldn't know what it is as a composed dish. Love crudo, nicely done. The eggplant was something different, good different. The fried fish with squid ink sauce was the tastiest fish I've had in a long time, loved it! And the beef, OMG! We could have ordered another round of that. I'm a cheese lover, so I enjoyed the last course but would have preferred it sooner. The beef was last bite good. But it's all cheese, if that's not your thing. And I don't remember what the dessert was but of course we finished that. We had a funky red paired with a course that I would never think to buy, but it worked. And the Grutner was definitely my favorite. Good choices!Great night, would definitely go back. Thanks, Laurel for a lovely anniversary dinner.

We walked down charming and vibrant Passyunk Avenue on the way to our 7:45 p.m. reservation at Laurel Restaurant. We initially entered via the bar door, but then we were quickly directed to the restaurant reception desk. We were a party of three persons, and were immediately seated at a postage-stamp sized table meant for two at which a third chair was squashed by the restaurant staff on the outside. Luckily we are all thin. The woman at the table next to ours took pity on our dilemma and kindly offered that we could move our table closer to her table to allow for a bit more breathing room. When the issue was brought to the attention of the staff, they stated "nothing was available" but when it did became available, they would let us know. That moment occurred about an hour after our arrival, which would have been a great interruption of mood to move mid-meal, so, of course, we declined. We ordered a French wine. However, an incorrect vintage was delivered by the waitress. Accordingly, we selected another wine. The restaurant does not have special wine glasses per the waitress, so apparently one size fits all at Laurel.We were aware before our dining experience that Laurel no longer solely offered a prix-fixe dinner, but was now a la carte as to primarily shareable "small plates". We were deciding what dishes to order when the waitress suggested we consider "four to five dishes PER PERSON". To that, I commented "You mean for the TABLE?" To which she responded: "No, per person". Of course, that would signify the three of us would basically have to select the entire menu. I thanked her for her input and suggestion, but added that we were familiar with dining out and would order the number of dishes that were appropriate for the three of us. We actually ended up ordering five dishes plus all three of the desserts offered that evening. I asked that each dish be served separately and that they be served in the order we had requested----we are careful in meal planning, light to heavy, certain flavors and tastes before others. The young Italian waitress, who was kind and efficient, concurred and we thereafter awaited the meal with anticipation. Unfortunately, a kitchen waiter delivered the third item we had requested first. When I expressed surprise, he stated "the chef just sends out dishes when they are ready". I am used to that comment in large and raucous Chinese restaurants, but not here. We ate the dish, of course, but the Italian waitress came by and saw the kitchen timing error. She apologized and stated the kitchen waiter was wrong and that the dishes going forward would all be served in the order as initially requested. All went smoothly thereafter, until the last two dishes arrived from a kitchen waiter at the same time. When I again expressed surprise, he simply remarked "which one do you want me to take back?" Another staff member added "Oh, we serve dishes 'tapas style'". We are aware of the serving of Tapas, which simply refers to smaller portions of the item, but it does NOT necessarily mean more than one small plate must be placed on the table at the same time. Moreover, going back to my prior reference to our tiny, postage stamp-sized table, with our plates and bottle of wine, there would NOT have been sufficient room for two dishes to be placed on our table at the same time even if we had so requested!

Food- it's prob well know that this places food is pretty solid. I didn't know that until now. But now I know and I'll come back to have more of it. Bartenders Charlie and Shannon (I hope I got that right) were very professional and courteous. Thank you. It's a Nice, quaint spot that fits the refreshing theme of a bunch o spots and restaurants down on the strip. Was my first, most certainly won't be my last trip there.

I think the uniqueness to Laurel is that, there aren't many places in the city that truly give you a Michelin Star type of experience...but Laurel is there. From service, to creativity in the dishes, to the innovative plating...they capitalize on the experience. It comes at a Michelin price, but I would say if you value good food, quality service, and a fine-dining atmosphere, then it is worth the visit. They have a wine pairing to compliment their 6 course pre-fixe menu. I also want to call out that they are great at accommodating vegetarians. They provided my wife with her own meal that matched the main menu. Below is what we had to eat, with some pictures to go along with it. I can say upfront, I thought the quail was the most interesting dish. It was a tender piece of meat, with some oily factors similar to duck, and just totally elevated with the truffle and caramelized onion. Really nice combination of sweet and savory. Surprisingly, I thought the dessert stole the show, which was a Pomelo-Yuzu Curd with Olive Oil, Rose, and Coconut. While it was a fantastic way to cap the evening on such a refreshing disk...it does leave me wondering this question of how good was the food really...if the dessert is what ultimately stood out as the "WOW" dish? Course 1: Bowfin Caviar, Egg L'Arpege, Brown Butter Maple Egg Mousse, BriocheCourse 2: Bay Scallops, Roasted Parsnip Dashi, Kumquat, Pickled Spruce Tip, Coconut Course 3: Brown Butter ROasted Striped Bass, Sunchoke Shiitake Mushroom, Trout Roem Fig LeafCourse 4: Black Tea-Brined Quail, Caramelized Onion, Black & Tan Rice, Date, Truffle Course 5: Dry Aged Beef, Preserved Berries, Parsley Root, Salsify Course 6: Pomelo-Yuzu Curd, Olive Oil, Rose, Coconut Now I have to share the mistake we made, to hopefully save others from doubling down, but we started with drinks and small plates at In The Valley (ITV), which is their sister restaurant & bar right next door. I have a separate review for this location, but the small plates at ITV mimicked what was offered at Laurel. So that was a bit of a let down...since we didn't know what was being served at Laurel. Especially considering the cost as is, it would have been nice to know to just get drinks at ITV and save the food for Laurel.

If Philly were a Michelin star city, Laurel would be a Michelin star restaurant hands down. Based off this seasonal tasting menu, Laurel has earned its spot as my favorite restaurant in Philly, and top 3 restaurants I have ever had so far. I can't believe I didn't try this place out earlier. From the staff, to plating, to taste, Nicholas Elmi did a phenomenal job of running this establishment. Before I get to the food, let me say service and hospitality is an A+. Very knowledgeable around the menu, hospitable, comforting, attentive, and gave us space to enjoy the food and our company. You can tell the staff had a formula for setting the table, the environment, and of course explaining each course. I will always appreciate a well coordinated staff and well constructed experience.Now onto my favorite part, the food.Fois Gras starter: an impressive first bite. Creamy, burst of flavor, and a nice crunch to prepare your appetite and have you wanting more.Artichoke custard with Bowfin Caviar and Sunflower seeds: A very delicate and delicious dish. The custard and saltiness from the caviar paired very well, while the sunflower seeds elevated the dish by giving it texture. Each ingredient was so fresh and the dish itself was so well balanced. Lastly, can I just say this plating was magnificent. It encompasses Fall so well.Kanpachi with Green Apple jelly and Yuzu Snow: extremely refreshing with the yuzu and jelly. A very creative take on what I assume is a crudo. My palette was cleansed and eagerly waiting for the entrees.Brown butter roasted Cod with Shiitake mushrooms and topped with trout roe: an excellent and delicate bite. The brown butter perfectly glazed the fish and marinaded well with the mushrooms. I honestly thought the mushrooms would overpower the fish, but to my surprise, it was a nice addition that didn't take away from the silky and well prepared fish. Black Tea Brined Quail with tanned rice and topped with truffle: this was the best quail dish I have ever had. Period. Super tender and juicy to start. The tanned rice along with some foam, that I can't remember for the life of me, was such an amazing pairing. I found the foam light, flavorful, and necessary for a seamless, homogeneous, and unforgettable bite. The whole dish low key brought me back to some of my Asian roots. Long Island Duck with Squash and Lobster Mushrooms, drizzled with Hay Jus: goes without saying, duck was cooked to perfection. Very tender, and was very much the highlight despite the amount of savory items on the plate. Wagyu A5 with Celery Purée, vegetables and a miso dip ($80 addition for 1 plate, which is more than enough): My significant other and I decided to give it a shot, and easy to say, it was a bite worth every penny. Of course, like the rest of the night, Wagyu cooked to perfection, melted in your mouth. After this dish, I learned that I love celery purée. So smart to compliment this with the meat because it was light, refreshing, and only slightly cut the fat from the wagyu. I was very pleasantly surprised and almost wanted to order another plate. The miso dip was also a very nice touch to elevating the vegetables. And lastly, come on, this plating is beautiful.Pomelo-Yuzu Curd with rose and coconut: seriously, very impressive. You can see each seed was hand picked and lightly frozen to give texture and another layer of depth. Each bite, you would get the freshness and sourness from the pomelo, but then the custard and yuzu took it down a level and balanced the dish completely. The rose and coconut also rounded out the dish. I absolutely adored the sensation. I am not a pomelo or grapefruit type of person, but I would order this dessert over and over again. What's more to say? One of the best showings I have ever had. From service, to plating, to presentation, to execution, to timing, to taste, a very solid showing and I would highly recommend to anyone from the city or out of town. Every dish was well balanced, had you eagerly waiting for the next course, and some of them even made me a little emotional because of how delicious a bite was. I can surely appreciate the craft, the art, the thought, and the hard work put into each dish. Like I mentioned, Laurel deserves a Michelin and the owner and staff should be very proud of what they created, at least for my meal. And out of all the tasting menus I have tried in Philly, this one takes the cake. I am so glad that Philly has this gem of a restaurant. I will surely be returning in the near future. Bravo. 12/10.

One of the finest culinary experiences in South Philadelphia and possibily all of Philadelphia but is it worth it?I changed my mind approximately four times on choosing a restaurant to go to for a big birthday number for myself however I decided upon Laurel as this birthday was a milestone and I had never had a wine pairing dinner before this occasion which Laurel offered.First of six courses started with a magical presentation of two large oysters over gorgeous rock pebbles that had water poured into them by our server to elicit a smoke rise from the small bowl. Presentation A++. Oysters were bathed in Honey and Camomile on the left side of the oyster. This was a great way to start the experience but I feel obligated to mention when you break down the cost you just ate a $30.00 oyster LOL. Ahhh...Talk about splurging for a birthday.I enjoyed all the wine pairings except the last pairing for dessert. Only criticism I have concerning the wine pairing is I hear most venue's refill pretty quickly once you finish the glass. One of the servers refilled my glass once. Now to be fair the food is coming out very fast at this restaurant, entree after entree very quickly, so it is hard to really time to refill a patron's glass before the next entree/wine pairing, but for $115 for premium wine pairing I think that is worth a mention. You can choose the $85 wine pairing or the $115 premium wine pairing, in my opinion if you are electing to go to a restaurant of this stature opt for the premium and trust the wine sommelier that they task with this service.To summarize, romantic atmosphere creating an intimate dining experience with delicious high end food accompanied with elegant service. Only you can decide if you prefer a more traditional dining experience that is more laid back or a six course set menu prepared by some of the finest culinary masters.As always people SYOY!!!

Came with a gift card and had the tasting menu for 2. I was expecting to be blown away given the price, but it was very forgettable meal. None of the 6 courses really wowed. I couldn't tell you what I ate the next day.

Homie vibe and great food. Both representation and flavor are very creative. And the price is great for the experience.