Corio — Restaurant in Philadelphia

While I totally appreciate that this spot is new, I do think it has some growing pains to go through before realizing its identity.

The menu itself has a few things that could be interesting. We started with the Caesar: there was a bit of a paucity of dressing, the lettuce wedge was a bit hard to eat, and while I fully recognize that Caesar dressing has anchovies in it I am not a fan of serving actual anchovies on top of the salad as I don't feel like it adds anything and if anything detracts from the experience. Spicy bolognese pizza was fine, nothing terribly special and crust could be a bit firmer as the pizza itself was a bit floppy. The bucatini with crab was a total miss, which was disappointing. The sauce totally overpowered any opportunity to taste what (little?) crab there was.

The pricing is a bit on the higher end, which could be fine if the food were a bit more elevated. But what I think needs the most work is the overall personality of the restaurant. Everyone was nice enough. But it felt like I was in a hotel lobby the whole time in terms of decor, interactions, etc., and I feel that they would benefit from a bit more...

I don’t plan to go back unless someone else is paying.

The atmosphere felt quite sterile — uninspired and awkwardly unfinished. The vibe just didn’t feel comfortable.

The Crispy Potatoes was the best thing I ordered. They had a perfectly fluffy interior, a crispy exterior and were heavily salted, which I enjoyed but beware if you have sodium restrictions.

Unfortunately, my main, the Short Rib Sandwich, was memorably one of the worst things I’ve eaten in a while. It tasted like fish. Imagine the smell of less than fresh, funky, almost rank fish. That’s how it tasted. I love fish and may have been able to accept that flavor if there was a good reason but there was nothing in the ingredients that should have caused that flavor. I did not finish it.

If I go back, at someone else’s expense, I’ll try a pizza. Those...

My wife and I had a rare, but excellent lunch date at Corio. The location, right in the heart of UCity on Market, is perfect. The restaurant itself is beautiful with a nice drink and food selection. We decided to go with the Crispy Potatoes and the Hazelnut Pesto Pizza, we also got a nice white bean salad. I am not too keen on salads or veggies (I am not a rabbit), but this salad was excellent! I think I even surprised my wife with how much I ate. The potatoes were hot and crispy, the scallion dip accompanied it quite well. Lastly the hazelnut pesto was to die for! I had more than my fair share, and then some. The staff was very attentive and the whole experience wants us to come back ASAP, hopefully for dinner this time. Corio did not disappoint, it did the opposite and we can't wait to dine here again!...