Double Knot | An Interesting Hidden Underground Japanese Restaurant

🍧The first time I heard about Double Knot was actually from a friend’s negative review. She went there during Restaurant Week and was told that the entire table had to choose the same set menu, with no option to order different dishes. It felt pretty restrictive, so I didn’t have a good impression of the place. However, last week I suddenly craved yakitori, and my friend happened to ask if I wanted to give Double Knot a try, so we went. 🍽️ Ambiance & Positioning Making a reservation was quite interesting. You could choose between the first-floor bar, first-floor table, or the underground bar and table. We opted for the underground table. The waiter led us down a very long, cellar-like staircase—it felt like we were entering a secret underground club. Pushing open the door was quite an experience: it was bustling and had a lively, speakeasy vibe. There was also a sushi bar. The overall atmosphere was great, but the lighting was so dim that we had to rely on candles to barely see the menu. If you’re really hungry, I’d suggest just letting the waiter recommend dishes for maximum efficiency. 🍹 Cocktails The drinks were recommended by the waiter because the menu was completely illegible. The first cocktail I tried was a spicy, Mexican-inspired vodka drink. It tasted a bit odd but was still acceptable. My friend commented that it felt like drinking a dish. The second one was a sweeter rum-based cocktail. I only remember the waiter mentioning it had lychee in it. I can’t recall the name at all (the menu was really impossible to read, and their cocktail names seemed like they were generated by an Excel macro). But it was well-made, so no complaints there. The third cocktail was their signature “Double Knot.” I ordered it because I saw the table next to us had a beautiful one. The waiter smoked the bourbon with cinnamon right in front of us, giving it a very earthy flavor. #PhiladelphiaRestaurant #PhiladelphiaRestaurantHunting #PhiladelphiaFood #JapaneseCuisine #Speakeasy #Philadelphia #Philadelphia #StudyingInPhiladelphia #UniversityOfPennsylvania