Sao — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I was afraid the influencers were over hyping this place but damn was it good tonight. I got the hoe cakes and the scallops in crab gravy and everything was so flavorful and texturally perfect and literally could not have thought of any flaws in those dishes. I wish I could've ordered more (stomach space being a limiting factor), and that they had a few more non alcoholic drink options since the bar menu seemed pretty extensive... I just can't drink 😅

They are very friendly here and explain every part of the menu basically and can make recommendations easily. One thing to note that I don't think is in any of the reviews-- you get like 3-4 pieces of fish for those crudos per the $27. They did look good and I was very intrigued by the like 10 day(?) aged hamachi crudo but since I was dining alone I really had to be choosy with what I got. They do a lot of specials which seemed to be a hit with people as far as I could tell by glancing around. I sat at the bar and the Asian gal bartender was very sweet and friendly.

Btw I don't know if it's the same every time but they also provided fried peanuts with lime to squeeze over them as a little bar snack which was a pleasant surprise.

I'll have to fight people on open table for another reservation but I will definitely be returning here. The menu does change a little bit (sorry I didn't take a picture) so do note that the pictures you're seeing here on google maps are not a 1:1 to what you'll see in the restaurant, and the off menu, spoken specials are quite numerous. I'll have to try the specials at some point but I came here with my heart set on the hoe cakes and...

Sao is a different experience than Mawn, but it still feels familiar in some ways.

The menu is seafood-forward and everything sounds delicious! We tried oysters for the first time, and the Shigoku were my fave. They were a bit sweet and not as salty/briny as other oyster varieties.

The honey butter hoe cake is an explosion of sweet and salty flavors. It was the perfect combination and we ate it SO FAST!

The garlic fried chicken was so good that we were sopping up leftover sauce with the fried gizzards that were at the bottom of the bowl.

Our entrees were the Mee Caton and the Scallops in Crab Gravy. Both entrees were delicious and filling. Their cocktails were very well done - the milk punch was delicate and strong at the same time, but in a good way!

Lastly, our server, Demetrius, was super attentive and helped us pick a good selection of oysters. He also lit a candle and gave us Thai iced teas to celebrate my birthday!

We will definitely be back if we can snag another...

I started with the scallop crudo and it was easily the best thing I had all night. Everything after that went downhill fast.

The Seakist oysters weren’t as briny as expected. The mussels had zero flavor. The Mee Caton, which I was told was popular, was bland and forgettable. I instantly regretted ordering it, though maybe I can fix it up at home.

The Hoe Cake was a hard no. It tasted like tuna salad on a honey butter pancake. I never want to experience that again.

The server was friendly but clearly new and didn’t know much about the menu.

I’ve been to Mawn and absolutely love it, so I had high expectations for SAO. Unfortunately, this visit was a complete letdown. I’ll be canceling my November reservation and...