Little Fish

Cute space. Great food. Fantastic service. Must try: - According to the waitress, the Scallop Toast has been on the menu since they've opened. There's a reason. - The miso-corn soubise on the Grilled Black Cod was worth licking the plate. - We love Yuzu Kosho. The Butter Roasted Halibut featured such a lovely pop of flavor with said Yuzu Kosho

Finally checked out Little Fish after living in Philly all these years. I've heard great things, but after eating here last Wednesday for the first time, Little Fish has solidified its high-ranking on my list of best restaurants in Philly.Going in, you already know to expect lots of fish for dinner, and it was exactly that. My husband and I decided on the $90 pre-fixe menu, but I have to say the specials (available to order a la carte) sounded enticing. Too bad the restaurant does not allow substitutions on the pre-fixe menu. Everything from the pre-fixe menu was delicious:1. Big eye tuna crudo - two BIIIIG bites of thickly cut fresh tuna, dressed with shiso vinaigrette, red onion, furikake, it was a delicious palette cleanser, and great way to kick off a 6-course dinner. This place knows how to deliver on a crudo. WOW.2. Scallop Toast - sliced raw scallops dressed in chili oil, served on top of toast, sprinkled with chives. Nice creamy texture from the scallops, and was enjoyable (scallops are my fave), however, the chili oil was a bit overpowering and prevented me from fully savoring the scallopiness of the scallops. (For us, these first 2 courses came out pretty quickly, almost simultaneously, and got us worried that this was going to be a quick 6-course dinner, but thankfully, that was not the case.) 3. Shrimp and Scallop - good segway into the heavier courses. Shrimp and scallop were perfectly cooked. Served on top of fragrant coconut rice. So good.4. Grilled Black Cod - beautifully smoked and super tender. You don't even need to dip the cod in the miso-corn soubise. It was already great on its own. My husband and I were super blown away by this course. 5. Fish of the Day - we had the option to choose between the Butter Roasted Halibut and Pan Seared Red Drum, and both my husband and I went with the halibut. The Chinese broccoli and snow pea leaves that came with this dish were the perfect doneness -- nice and crunchy. The portion of the halibut was fairly large as well. At this point, I am super impressed. I could care less about the dessert. After everything we ate tonight, I am officially a fan of Little Fish. Dessert turned out to be a no frills tres leche cake, topped with cream and diced mango compote on the side. Not great, but not bad either. I think back to a certain restaurant in Center City with a $90 tasting menu and compare it to the $90 pre-fixe menu I just ate at Little Fish. There is no comparison. Little Fish wins. You get higher quality (sea)food here, portions are good (you will walk out of here full), the execution is flawless, and they're BYOB. There is a reason why it's almost impossible to get a reservation here. After almost 30 years, this place is going strong! Definitely secure your reservations as early as you can! FYI, they're closed on Sundays.

Little Fish has granted me new perspective that I've given out far too many five star ratings to other restaurants. Granted, this is my second time of visiting this restaurant my expectations have been exceeded for the second time in a row.EnvironmentThe environment is intimate(open kitchen), yet bright and the service is about two steps ahead of any presumptive request. FoodHands down this is my favorite seafood restaurant in the city. The menu varies but after two visits and trying half the menu on each occasion I can comfortably say chance will lead you to something delicious no matter what you select. It's easy to walk past the tiny restaurant but inside is a culinary adventure worth the cost. I'd recommend Little Fish for a date night or a quick sneak away to pamper yourself. Happy eats!

Un. Be. Lieve. Able. This place is LIFECHANGING. The interior is this cute little limited seating area, you def need a reservation. Open kitchen style so you can see the chefs working. The staff are so fun and friendly. It's BYOB, which was really fun. The food is just exceptional. Beyond exceptional. Every dish hit. Favorites were the scallop toast, the pasta, and the fish!! They have add ons you can pick for your meal, and we added on the pasta and the oysters, which were sooo worth it. The pasta was just incredible, nicely al dente with fantastic flavors. Dessert was a delicious tres leches cake!

My husband's co-workers who have since moved out of the city continue to rave and relish in their experiences at Little Fish. While the name was familiar to me from the "best of" lists, I had no idea that the restaurant had been a Philly staple for so long (30 years!) and has enjoyed success essentially the entire time. So, it was a no-brainer to try to score reservations for my husband's 30th birthday for our group of 6. I was so dedicated to celebrating here, I called multiple times way before reservations opened (apologies to all the employees who took my calls) but then ultimately was able to secure a table. Little Fish is on a quiet block in Bella Vista / Queen Village, and in typical South Philly fashion, it's located in a repurposed row home. That being said, the dining room is small (hence my obsession with res) but they do have some seats outside for overflow. Despite having reservations, we did have to wait about 20 minutes which was slightly inconvenient (especially for a celebration), but not the worst thing in the world. It was a nice night, so we just hung around outside and then were grateful when we did get seated. We were at a large table right at the front of the restaurant, and from our seats, we could see the folks at work in the kitchen while still enjoying some people watching on the outside. Of course, Little Fish is classically BYOB, so we brought a few bottles of wine, and our server kindly brought over a wine chiller to keep things cool during the meal. Since we did have a party of 6, the pre-fixe menu was our only option, which was more than fine with me (less decisions = better!). I appreciated being able to select our main dish though. This menu gave a little bit of everything, including bread to start, smaller plates that served as apps, somewhat larger plates that served as more main dishes, and dessert. Little Fish changes their menu regularly based on what's in season, but our waiter shared that the scallop toast is a fan favorite and therefore, a regular on the menu. And for good reason - this bite was certainly a highlight of the meal! The scallops were so buttery and smooth, and paired with a hint of spice and the crunch of the bread, I was thinking about it for days to come. My other favorite dish was the black cod - it was so meaty yet delicately prepared with great, but not overpowering, spice. Well done! I appreciated that dessert was shared (a seasonal strawberry dish) since I was comfortably pretty full by the last savory dish. The hospitality at Little Fish was great once we got seated - our server made sure our glasses were appropriately filled throughout the evening and made sure we all sang Happy Birthday to my husband. We took our time enjoying our meal, and I never felt rushed the whole time. Of course, the price is on the steeper side ($90 / person for pre-fixe menu), but the quality and quantity of food is well worth it, and the experience and ambience makes for a well-rounded experience that is worthy of the price. I'm so glad we were finally able to make it to Little Fish, and I can't wait to visit again. Would highly recommend Little Fish for anyone loving fresh, seasonal seafood dishes and who want to enjoy a delectable meal in a classic South Philly home. Thanks for a great night, Little Fish!

Food:All the food was very delicious. We started with the bread and chimichurri, which wasn't anything too special. I would pass on these next time. The oysters were a refreshing delight. The scallop toast is definitely a must try here. The scallop melts in your mouth, but it was a bit over salted. Next we had the lobster ravioli which was the special. It was delicious. I'm not the biggest fan of ravioli normally, but this one was well executed. Lastly, we had the una Steaks, which were amazing. The horseradish, the sauce, the mushrooms and the leeks were a perfect combination of flavors that paired so well with the tuna. Chimichurri & Bread: 2/5 Oysters: 4/5Scallop toast: 4.5/5Lobster ravioli: 4/5Tuna steak: 5/5Service:Our waitresses were awesome. They were so funny and sensible. They definitely elevated the experience for us. Ambience:Always really cool to see the chefs cooking nearby. There's not too much seating but the small space definitely made the experience more intimate which was a plus. Overall:This is a must try for seafood in Philly. This place should have another .5 star.

I've been wanting to try Little Fish since I moved to the area a few years ago and am so glad I finally made it there! We had an exceptional experience. Its small size with 8 tables provides an intimate atmosphere and adds to the charm. Reservations and allowing extra time to find parking are a must, but the top-notch service and detailed explanations of each dish make it worth the planning. The scallop toast and pan-seared scallop were standout dishes, showcasing the team's creativity and expertise. The $90 prix fixe menu is a fantastic value, allowing you to try a bit of everything. A culinary gem that I highly recommend! I will be back!

Booked a reservation here for my girlfriend's birthday and I enjoyed the food more than I thought I would.Parking wasn't too hard to find but we were there at 9PM. The place is small so definitely book a reservation. It's cozy inside with little tables so it would be hard to book for a large party, if that's even possible.It's also pretty cool to be able to see the chefs work in the open kitchen.The staff is extremely nice and the vibes are great.The scallop toast was the perfect appetizer and set the tone for the rest of the night. It had all of us in a chokehold to the point that we'd come back just for that. The fish dishes were also so damn good that I'm disappointed that I know I won't be able to make it myself. We ate every part that was edible and each of the sauces complemented the fish so well. It never tasted like they were the same, each had its own distinct taste which kept things refreshing.As for the spaghetti, you'd think it's just spaghetti but that pesto sauce is something else. It's as if you took pesto sauce and just elevated it. If you told me that's all I could eat for the next month, I wouldn't complain.The seared scallops were also really good and that rich vichyssoise was heartwarming. The dessert of the day... I don't even know what it was but it put a perfect end to the night. It was sweet but refreshing because of the added fruits.I could go on and on but you're better off coming here yourself.Props to the wait staff and especially the kitchen for easily making Little Fish one of my top favorites.10/10 would come back again and recommend it to everyone.

The best restaurant in Philly. The space is incredibly small, which creates a cozy atmosphere. Everything on the menu is truly incredible and full of flavor. I'd highly recommend the prefix menu.

Little Fish is this very small (8 tables at best), restaurant tucked away in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, that is making some of the best food in South Philly!Obviously, by its name this place is seafood-centric but everything they serve you is excellent.It is a BYOB restaurant that charges you $0.00 corkage; which is a very nice touch.Us four brought two bottles of really wonderful white wine; we corked both and then we hit the "ordering" trail:* Their Crudo was this magnificent Hamachi with fried capers, shaved radish, citrus vinaigrette, gochugaru, roasted seaweed - Wow was it good* Scallop Toast with shaved raw scallops dressed in chili oil, soy, chives on buttery sesame toast - the best seafood dish I've had in years* Seared King Salmon in a cognac thyme cream, trout roe, charred shishitos, sorrel - ridiculous.....really* Crab Satay Noodles with jumbo lump crab, peanut chili sauce, chili panko, scallion, soft egg - OK, on this dish it was "game-over" for me! I melted like an ice cube it was so delicious * Pan Seared Red Drum with butter beans, calabrian chili, anchovy, herbs, grilled calamari - Great* Grilled Branzino in a spicy jjampong broth, leeks, shiitake,, napa cabbage - the game ender and rightfully so it was so goodYou just cannot find food this well prepared to a made so elevated that it actually stuns you. Whenever I'm within 100 miles of the City of Philadelphia, I am positively making a reservation at Little Fish!!!!!!!