Jaffa Bar — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Updating my review to a 4 star, will likely visit after a few months to see if service kinks have been worked out.

One of the owners reached out the very next morning which signals sense of urgency & that they care to make it right, so have high expectations & hopes the service kinks will be remedied quickly. I really wanted to like this place, but the place had other plans.

I walked and asked for a seat of one. I looked at the menu ahead of time and I knew what I wanted. I ordered: morrocan bread (starter), Jaffa burger, & black lime tonic. $16 for a burger and no fries is quite insane, but I guess you're paying an extra $4 to dine in fishtown?

The server asked if I wanted my meals coursed. I.e. Appetizers first, then main to which I said yes. Within minutes, Steve Cook delivered my bread with a ragu pasta sauce like dipping sauce. As I tore the first piece of bread and dipped it in the sauce, I was approached by a runner with my burger who just left it at the edge of the bar and walked away.

I relocated my burger to a safer spot so it doesn't fall, and thought to myself I should eat the burger so it doesn't get cold. So I ate the burger, delicious but nothing a $12 burger elsewhere can beat. I regularly pay and dine at cooknsolo restaurants and don't mind their prices at all, but feel the need to comment on it there. Once I was done my burger, I finished my black lime tonic and returned to my bread starter, which was now cold and unenjoyable since my meals were not properly paced.

I thought I'd pack that home and eat it another day, but I did want to try the house cola and chocolate mousse, so I was waiting for until the bartender checked on me again to order it. Instead, the next I saw bartender, he approached me with a bill in his hand (mind you, I was only 25 mins into the seating). So I just bit my tongue, took the bill - it clear as daylight he had wanted to me leave. Did not even offer to wrap my uneaten starter. The bill total was $40.94, I left $55 cash. Because you know, I still tip even when the service was bad.

I was thinking to myself, how in the fux sake was a burger, mocktail and bread $40?????? Then I realized a 20% gratuity was already added to the bill before it even got to me. There's no mention of this anywhere on their website.

P.s. gimlet on their menu has lemon listed twice so attention to detail is prob not something you should expect coming to Jaffa bar.

Steve Cook is an idol, I left my corporate finance job inspired by him and opened a restaurant. He was the highlight of the night. Although, when you are in the game this long, not every batting is a homerun, but this was extra...

We visited Jaffa for the first time. Being neighborhood locals and regulars at Laser Wolf (on of their sister restaurant), we were curious to give Jaffa a try. We decided to sit at the bar for a couple of drinks and some oysters (which were very good) and after reviewing the menu, nothing really appealed to us. So we casually discussed heading to Laser Wolf for dinner instead. To our surprise, the waiter approached us and said, “We overheard your conversation about going to our sister restaurant, and we’ll do whatever we can to convince you to stay.” The approach felt completely inappropriate and unprofessional. It came across as pushy and uncomfortable, almost like we were being pressured into ordering food we didn’t want. The three of us felt “bullied” by this interaction.Reluctantly, we ended up ordering some food: While the food itself was good, it wasn’t what we wanted or how we envisioned spending our evening. We still went to Laser Wolf afterward for dinner. The whole experience left a bad taste in our mouths, and unfortunately, we don’t see ourselves returning to Jaffa if this is how customers are treated. It’s disappointing, especially since the two establishments are sister restaurants. Guests should have the freedom to choose where they want to dine without feeling guilted into staying. Additionally, the idea that staff were actively listening to our private conversation is unsettling. I expected better from a restaurant...

I never write reviews, but we just had such a nice experience at Jaffa Bar that I had to. Dinner was wonderful, with perfect service and food. From the moment we stepped in, the two hosts lit up with welcoming smiles, brought us to a great table by the barn door, and made us feel right at home. My wife and I had been there before, but it was our 9yo daughter's first time. And what a memorable time it was! All the food was great. We loved the panzanella and whole trout especially. Our daughter loved the shrimp cocktail. She tried our mussels and discovered she loved them too. But the service was really exceptional. When the server noticed our daughter hadn't drank much of the fancy NA cocktail, the server offered to replace it with lemonade. Toward the end of the meal, one host came by to ask about our experience, and we started joking about our daughter eating all the mussels. The host convinced her to try an oyster for the first time. She did, and got her picture taken for the wall behind the bar. We were ready to call it a night with such a perfect dinner, but then the server stepped out with a dessert on the house. Even on a quiet Monday, it was a very kind gesture and really made for a special dinner. We've been in the neighborhood for 15+ years and have eaten at basically every restaurant around, but this was an extra special night we'll...