Reviews for Laurel Restaurant in Philadelphia, PA
It has been many years since we visited Laurel Restaurant. I remember following chef Nicholas Elmi on Top Chef and rooting for... him to win (he did!). Laurel was always difficult to get a reservation for, so I was not optimistic I would be able to get onefor this past Saturday. Shockingly it was very easy to get a reservation. It seems like they only do a tasting menu and I lovethose. It did not disappoint!! Everything looked phenomenal and tasted out of this world. I particularly loved the custardwith peas, the oysters with cantaloupe, the hiromasa with strawberry and almond, the wagyu, and the black forest chocolatepudding. Service was fantastic!! Never had been in the bar area (shows how long it has been since the bar opened in 2016). Read more
Started of as a great menu, really enjoyed first couple of dishes, wines and service. We got premium wine offer as well as extra... wagyu beef. As the night progresses, we didn?t enjoy our wines anymore. Duck was good but a little overpowering on spice. Wagyubeef was awful. Dessert was tasty but textures weren?t correct. you could see service started slacking as we were closer to theend of our meal. It was good but i would not come back Read more
Food: 3, Service: 3, Decor: 4, TLDR: "Left me wanting something they didn't offer". Can't recommend and won't be back. Went... for dinner on a Friday night for my wife's birthday. We were able to get reservations at 5:45 the day before and there wereempty tables at our seating. Outdoor dining was available at 7:30 on the Friday as well, so it's not a sold out place, muchless "reserve two months in advance" sort of thing. To preface this review...we paid $550 for two people. If you are going tocommand a premium, you need to deliver comparable food to others in the same price range - Daniel, Le Bernardin, Jean Georges,etc. I've been to those restaurants many times and have dined all over the world, so I am pretty familiar with what a $550dinner should be. This wasn't it. I wished it was. After moving to Delaware last year we have been looking for a great finedining experience and we had really hoped this would be the go to place. The decor is simple and rustic. It's a small intimateplace. No white tablecloths or comfy plush chairs, but its nice enough. The atmosphere is cozy although the music choice wasodd. The service is mechanical. I would have given it a 2, but at the time of our dining, many macro-economic events are stillcausing labor shortages in the restaurant sector, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. They brought the dish, made abrief explanation and hurried away. Attempting to engage in further dialog about the preparation or sourcing yielded fewdetails, so after a couple of courses I gave up. I think each course was brought by a different server. It was pretty clearthat they were trying to turn the table as quickly as possible to be ready for the 7:30 seating. For drinks we had Grey Goosecosmo. It was ok. I prefer mine with white cranberry which they didnt have. At $18 each they really should be outstanding. I've had a better cosmo at Two Stones Pub. The first dish (not on the menu) was a small chip with some s Read more
I went here with my boyfriend for my birthday and the food was exceptional. I really enjoyed each course that was brought out... and you had plenty of time to enjoy the meal before the next one was brought out. I also did the wine pairing which was nicetouch to go with each meal. The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this place for special occasionsyou will not be disappointed. Read more
Without question, one of the best restaurants I?ve ever had the pleasure to try out. The appetizers and main course were... phenomenal! Can?t wait to try it again! Read more
It was one of the top fining dining experience I?ve ever had! I am vegetarian, and i went with my wife and two others for an... anniversary dinner. I reached out in advance to request a special vegetarian creations by chef. Chef Nicolas Elmi was very kindenough to create almost identical creations to those they typically prepare and every single course was one beyond the other.Every single items were such a memorable, and one of the kind French plate. The plating of each item, as seen in photos,elevated the food experience. Each plating highlighted small elements of various ingredients that one can rarely think be onsuch fine plating, such as basil seeds, beet, portobello mushrooms, bread, etc? It was absolutely mind blowing creationaccomplished by special thanks to Chef Elmi and his staff at Laurel. To keep my lengthy detail of experience short, I highlyrecommend anyone in hunt of fine cuisine in Philly. This is probably the top place in Philadelphia (for vegetarian and nonvegetarian alike). #VeggieAbroad Read more
Living in Pennsylvania means my husband and I can do a self-unionizing marriage, and what better way to have a wedding than come... have dinner at the best restaurant we've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Our menu was beyond extraordinary, meeting NickElmi was the coolest part of the whole night, and to top it off, they made us this tiny little chocolate ganache-coveredchocolate mousse, and it's the best wedding cake I could have ever had. Thank you Laurel and thank you Nick, and all thewonderful chefs, servers, hosts and sommelier, I couldn't have asked for a better wedding dinner. This truly felt like a once ina lifetime experience. Read more
My husband and I went to Laurel this past Saturday for a birthday celebration. We were not sure what to expect as this is not... our usual type of outing. We ended up having 9 courses and most of them were interesting and good but not the best things wehave ever eaten. I was most excited for the duck course but the texture was difficult to eat. For spending over $500 I wasdisappointed but maybe we just didn't get it. Read more