Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Avoid this restaurant like the plague! Opt for Barclay Prime instead, where they actually understand the meaning of respect and dignity, even when you're paying a premium.

On the disastrous evening of Sunday, December 3rd, our group of 6 adults and 1 baby had reservations at 9:00 PM. We were in town for the Eagles vs. 49ers game and, despite the chaos of the game, were looking forward to a delightful meal at one of the top-rated steakhouses in town - either Barclay Prime or Del Frisco's Double Eagle.

At 8:55 PM, we had the courtesy to call the restaurant, informing them we'd be 10 minutes late. Despite the standard 15-minute grace period for reservations, we wanted to be considerate. The hostess assured us, "Absolutely no problem, we'll see you by 9:15 PM."

However, upon entering the restaurant, the manager (or someone with a severe lack of managerial skills) standing beside the hostess, who we later confirmed was the same person we spoke to on the phone, declared, "We are no longer seating anyone."

Initially, we thought it was a joke, perhaps some playful banter due to our 49ers attire. However, our laughter quickly faded as we realized he was dead serious.

Our nightmarish experience summed up:

-"Our kitchen closes at 9:15 PM. It's 9:10 PM, we can't seat you."

-Questioning why they accepted 9 PM reservations if the kitchen was closing imminently yielded no answers.

-The hostess tentatively offered to seat us but with the caveat that we must order immediately, earning her a disapproving side-eye from the manager.

-Then, we were told we couldn't be seated because our friends with the baby were a mere 2-3 minutes behind us, and they wouldn't serve them when they arrived due to their hard cut off.

-Despite our prior call and approval from the hostess, they denied ever speaking to us. Conveniently, amnesia set in, and they made no effort to investigate further, as if they have 10 different hosts/hostesses answering the phone. At maximum there may be 2-3 more like any other restaurant, and it could have been inquired. Regardless, we knew who we spoke to.

The root cause? Our 49ers gear. Not only did they refuse to seat us, but they did so with an air of rude, unapologetic, and utter inconsideration. We have never felt this disrespected at any restaurant, let alone a high end one where the quality of staff and level of professionalism should be a primary factor. Especially of a host/ess, and a manager. Both of which set the tone upon arrival, and the manager throughout the restaurant staff.

I will say we got upset, voiced our displeasure and outright called them out as we were leaving that we understood the reason for the denial of service. No raised voices, no profanity. Yet, we were told to leave the restaurant. Not that we wanted to stay at that point having encountered such distasteful individuals, we were walking out regardless.

Putting sports rivalries aside, treating visitors disrespectfully in a supposedly 5-star establishment is outrageous. It's one thing for this behavior in a stadium; it's entirely another in a high-end steakhouse. It's bad for business, unethical, and downright wrong.

We promptly called Barclay Prime, which gladly accommodated us with a 9:45 PM reservation. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and outstanding service.

If you seek professionalism, steer clear of this den of lies and denial. Head to Barclay Prime, where dealing with professionals is the norm, not the exception.

There were plenty of great people in Philadelphia, including at the game. This manager and hostess just happened to be one of the few bad apples. If we ever come back to Philadelphia, we'll be going to Barclay Prime, Steak 48, Butcher and Singer, or even McDonald's for dinner before I ever consider going back to a Del Frisco's or any other Landry's group restaurant for that matter.

Shame on Del Frisco's/Landry's group for not screening for professionalism before hiring these misguided and unruly "passionate"...

Dined here last night for a 50th anniversary dinner. Our reservation made by our daughter was for 5 PM. Unfortunately a PATCO delay & then gridlock at 15/16 & Locust and Walnut meant we had to hoof it to the restaurant.

Called the restaurant at 5 to inform them of the delay- but only received an automated apology. Seems impossible anymore to reach a human being.

Left a message we were running late. Might have made it before 5:15 if we were 50 years younger. Arrived around 5:20 which is pretty good for two seniors.

On check in, received an apology that our reservation was cancelled due to a 15-minute late policy. Apparently the message I left was not listened to. We were asked to wait by the coat-check area while the manager was called.

The restaurant was busy & the staff were hustling, most likely due to restaurant week. We dressed up as we were informed of a strict dress code. Believe that's a matter of opinion.

I would have preferred wearing shorts & polo shirt. No big deal as I was only concerned with the person sitting across from me. She prefers seeing me in a sports jacket.

Met the manager & he would see what he could do & offered us to wait at a high-top table. Might have worked except my wife had gone downstairs to use the ladies room, so I waited where I knew she could find me.

Kudos to the manager as he must get a week's worth of steps in every dinner service.

We were thirsty & hungry; I wasn't in the mood to wait for any period of time. Grumpy old man? Nah. Just tired.

Good news: by the time she returned, we were informed of a table on the mezzanine with a nice view. It was. Thank you.

Gabrielle was our server. What a superstar with the attention she provided us while also handling a large party and a number of other tables.

For only the second time in our marriage, my wife ordered a cocktail, a VIP. I ordered a blood orange guava margarita. Kudos to the mixologist.

The Caesar salad was spot on with no more or less of anything. Could have been served on a chilled plate- perhaps it was. I enjoyed it.

The entrees were served before we finished our starters. Not a problem as there was plenty of room on the table.

The filet was a great cut of beef, perfectly cooked, & served on a hot plate. Seasoning was good, but a little heavy on the salt for my palate- didn't stop me from devouring it all.

My wife enjoyed the crab cakes. She doesn't often get crab cakes with much crab meat. The two crab cakes last night were loaded with crab.

The best part came at the end when the manager informed us fresh coffee was being brewed. Gabriella presented us with a Happy 50th Anniversary surprise plate with our desserts. The coffee was strong & spot on.

Marked down service & atmosphere- why?

After being seated, seemed to wait forever (maybe 10 minutes- don't really know as I was too busy focusing on someone special) for water. It was hot & we were thirsty. Was halfway through the filet before a glass of wine arrived. My bad.

Should have ordered a glass prior to the steak being served. The cabernet, btw, is out of this world- a perfect pairing with the filet IMHO.

The dessert surprise was served with some kind of sparking something. Was too brut for us. Would have preferred only coffee which arrived after the ice cream had melted.

I don't often have a chance to enjoy a good cup of black coffee as good as what was served last night. Last time was 44 years ago on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.

The atmosphere would have been perfect if the music wasn't so loud as it is up on the mezzanine level where we dined. It was a little difficult to have a conversation. But then it was an almost full house. Despite being extremely busy, the entire staff treated us like VIPs.

Bottom line? The only thing that counts was the smile on my wife's face. Would I done here again?...

I had ordered an aged ribeye double seared and cooked medium. I received an undercooked steak and was not seared as requested and recommended. When I advised one of the servers they smiled and no one returned to inquire about my concern. My wife and two others ordered the sea bass that tasted like it was frozen. My wife said it didn’t taste right nor have the texture that it should, as she orders this normally from upscale restaurants. The sea bass is supposed to be tender and fork cut. Basically it resembled something like a piece of rubber. That night and the next morning my wife was not feeling well. She ended up vomiting what was the sea bass that was served earlier that night. The other two in the party weren’t feeling well either but did not become sick as she did.

I contacted Double Eagle on Monday and spoke to a representative who stated that a manager would be in contact with me later that day. Two days later, On Wednesday December 13 manager John contacted me via telephone and I explained to him what occurred. John began to challenge what transpired by saying my wife had a bug and that no one complains further stating that no one complained all night about the batch of sea bass. I found that not to be proper business like mentality. He really didn’t want to hear what I had to say. I advised him that my steak was undercooked and for a steak of this quality really didn’t have any taste.

I am a steak monger and love to frequent the nest steak restaurants in Pennsylvania New York and New Jersey. The ambiance and decor of Double Eagle was very nice but the quality of the meal was left undesired. I also have frequented Sparks, Gallaghers, Lugers, Morton’s Captiol and others. I found that my experience and quality of the meal that transpired this past Saturday was not close to being comparable.

After a conversation with the manager John, he appeared to be more concerned with challenging my experience then attempting to mitigate the situation. John stated that I should have advised the staff at that time and I responded by advising him that I did. As it turns out the staff took my plate away with the steak thinking that they were going to return with a new steak or cook the steak to medium. At this time the rest of the table was finished the waitress issued the check and no steak was found. I asked one of the servers where the steak was and they gave me back the steak that was cooked rare. I paid the bill and exited the restaurant without further explanation. I advised John the manager that we were with friends that we meet annually to experience high quality restaurants. This year we chose Dels Double Eagle, and didn’t want to ruin the night by sitting there after we ate complaining and making the night experience less then desired. At that point I had lost my desire to have anything else based on the treatment of the staff and the bizarre circumstances of holding my steak in the kitchen then returning it. I wondered if they pulled it out of the trash because if they presumed I didn’t want it or didn’t make another or cook the same to medium then it must have been discarded.

I am very distraught of the experience and circumstances that transpired. I appreciate you hearing me out. After talking to John I feel as if I was rushed off the phone he said oh thanks for the feedback and...