Ember & Ash — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Disappointing Brunch Experience—Won't Be Back

We decided to give Ember & Ash another shot after hearing that they had revamped their menu and started offering brunch. We weren’t exactly thrilled with our previous dinner experience, but a friend assured us that brunch was a whole different story. So, on Sunday, March 23, at 1 PM, my husband and I, along with four friends, ventured back—hopeful but cautious.

First Impressions? Mixed. We were surprised to be seated upstairs, which we didn’t even know existed. It was spacious and had only two other groups—a party of three and a very large group of 10-12 with children who, as the meal progressed, turned the space into what felt like a Chuck E. Cheese with zero parental intervention. Screaming, crying, and an impressive amount of food, napkins, and cutlery strewn across the floor—not exactly the calm, boozy brunch vibe we were hoping for.

Service? Enthusiastic but Overwhelmed. Our server was bubbly and excited to showcase the new menu, which we appreciated. We all ordered a variety of brunch cocktails—a screw driver, an espresso martini, 2 bloody marys, and a glass of wine. But then… we waited. And waited. And waited. It took over 30 minutes to get our first round of drinks.

While waiting (and listening to the brunch equivalent of a daycare meltdown), we decided to check Instagram to get a better sense of the food because, honestly, the menu descriptions weren’t cutting it. That’s when we noticed the table next to us was one of the owners. Imagine our surprise as we watched her and her group help themselves to mimosas straight from the bar while we were still parched. To make it worse, we later found out that our server was the only server upstairs, trying to juggle several tables, including the owner’s large group, with only one food runner and one host.

Pro Tip: If you're going to open a second floor, maybe staff it appropriately.

Bloody Hell, Literally. When the drinks finally arrived, I took a sip of my bloody mary—only to be met with whole peppercorns. Yes, WHOLE peppercorns. Think of boba tea, but instead of sweet tapioca pearls, you get pepper bullets. It was watery, bland, and just plain bad. I had to send it back, which is not something I do lightly.

Trying to Be Low-Maintenance, but Nope. To make life easier for our server (because we could tell they were drowning), we collectively decided to switch from cocktails to two bottles of wine. Less fuss, right? Wrong. It still took forever, and by the time we received the first bottle, most of us were already done eating—if you can call it that.

Food Fail. Speaking of the food… my husband and I ordered the chargrilled gem lettuce Caesar salad with salmon and fries. I was expecting a beautifully grilled piece of salmon to complement the char on the lettuce. What I got instead? Lox. Yes, lox. Like the kind you’d expect on a bagel, not on a Caesar salad. Needless to say, the dish was completely unappetizing, and we just pushed it around the plate. I’m attaching a photo for reference because words can’t do it justice.

Wine, Finally… But What’s the Point? By the time the wine arrived, the table was collectively over it. We told the server just to bring one bottle instead of the two we initially ordered—at that point, prolonging the experience felt like punishment.

Final Thoughts? Thanks, But No Thanks. What left the worst taste in our mouths (aside from the lox Caesar) was the sheer disregard from the owner. Watching her enjoy mimosas with her friends while her staff struggled and her patrons waited endlessly was disappointing at best and disrespectful at worst. If you’re going to promote a new brunch menu, maybe—just maybe—support your team and ensure guests have a decent experience.

We won’t be giving Ember & Ash a...

One way to describe Ember & Ash is that it's aggressively on-theme. The first thing I noticed upon walking in for dinner on Saturday was a burnt smell similar to the one that emanates from my HVAC system when I forget to change the filter. It was midway through the pointedly nonlinear dining experience that I realized the source: an open kitchen with strategically placed open-fire charcoal (or wood?) oven visible to any patron sitting facing the back of the restaurant. "Ah, it smells like this because it's a bit rustic", I said to my companions self-reassuringly.

Even the food on this menu that you think couldn't possibly taste like ash or fire has if by accident or design a bitterness to it that evokes the core schtick of the kitchen. The broccolini caesar salad comes compressed into a cake-like structure and substitutes the tangy brightness of the type with a strong bitterness. The crispy potatoes (lauded by one of my companions) and served with a spicy patatas bravas sauce are rendered to the point of acridity.

It's worth noting at this point a critique not of Ember & Ash specifically but of an ever-encroaching trend in trendy restaurants. This the dismaying experience of being told that your food will be served "Tapas style", and that as a result you should 1) order a ton of it and 2) not complain when things are brought to your table in slapdash combinations and timing that may interrupt what you're currently trying to experience.

I honestly don't see what the point of this is from the perspective of the customer. It absolves the kitchen and the wait staff from the responsibility of delivering dishes on time, but at what cost to the experience?

At separate points during this meal, my companions and I were supposed to be wrangling with several completely different, non-complimentary dishes at the same time. Should I eat another dry, ashy chicken wing, a bite of bitter salad, or some more salty burrata with peaches on it? Should I drink a sip of Grillo in between bites of (very good) ribeye with its inexplicably blackened and acrid romaine lettuce accompaniment and my next oyster to clean my palette? Is this customer-becomes-curator experience supposed to be somehow revelatory?

I ordered the scorpionfish large plate and then was after a span of several minutes informed that it was in fact unavailable and would be substituted for sea bass. Seeing little opportunity for adventure with the more well-traveled fish I opted to replace this with a full dozen oysters. Upon attempting to learn of their provenance—usually a standard piece of trivia offered to anyone who orders oysters in a restaurant—I was informed at first that they were "Blue Fin, I think", then "White Fin...from Massachussetts probably", and later, presumably correctly, "Great White."

These were served well though closer to room temperature than is typical (no ice). The vinaigrette was swimming with so much course ground black pepper as to drown out even the signature pungency of the Cape Cod oysters. I am not sure whether this was an honest mistake or a sincere attempt to make even raw seafood taste somewhat like fire. Fortunately these oysters were good on their own.

The star of the show here was the burrata with raw cabbage and lightly baked peaches. It was deliciously salty, which ran well with the sweetness of the peaches and...cabbage-y-ness of the cabbage. I can see myself coming to the bar here for one of those and a glass of white wine for a light dinner. Though that would run me over...

I highly recommend this place!!!. Me and my partner have come three times, one for our anniversary, a casual dinner and most recently my birthday. We had a great experience the three times. Since we entered, they were all kind, our waiter helped us the first time, he guided us through the menu and we had a great anniversary dinner.

On our most recent visit for my birthday, our experience began very well with my name printed on the menu (a small detail that is appreciated), we saw that there were new dishes that we decided to try them without thinking twice. We had the mushrooms to start with and it had become our favorite dish because we always ordered them, we continued our dinner with the broccoli that was quite good with a crispi texture, we had the kung pao cauliflower that had a great taste and it was also a great complement to start with and also the grilled avocado that I was excited to try, I was not disappointed at all, it was delicious and quite good for a dish that sounds simple. We continued with the Fried Octopus that my partner totally loved, the combination of flavors from the taste of the octopus along with the passion fruit sauce was incredible, we had the gnochi that was quite good, we continued with the lamb ribs, it was a great dish I did not expect I to like it so much since initially I thought I would not like the bittersweet taste but I loved it and I RECOMMEND YOU TRY IT YOURSELF!!!!. Finally, I got the steak frites and my partner ordered the seared hallibut, she loved the taste of the hallibut and as it was complemented by the crab salad, I finally loved the steak frites, I loved the taste and the steak was cooked perfectly. I honestly went to a great dinner and I will return to this place more times, I want to thank ALL the staff for the great birthday I got at Ember and Ash.

Of course, I will return in the future excited to try new dishes 10/10 I'll recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good night and have...