SOMO Manayunk — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Starting the week off at SOMO Manayunk, made Monday less hard because that brunch food...MY GAWD! I've dined here for dinner and the food was amazing so I had no doubt that the brunch would measure up.

There are so many good menu selections, we wanted EVERYTHING. If you're with a cool party like myself, ordering different items so you can have a lil bit of everyone's meal.

RECS

RED VELVET PANCAKES: It tastes even better than it looks, and it looks so rich! The sweet cream cheese frosting definitely sets it off where you may not even need the syrup drizzle. The portion was so big I had to take it home and it was definitely the first thing on my mind when I woke up the next morning. LOL!

CRAB CAKE BENEDICT: I read a prior review that the crabcake wasn't good and tasted like it was taken out of a frozen packet. LIES. So savory & scrumptious. Don't let the small patty fool you, the meal is definitely filling.

CHEESY GRITS: Bayyyyybeee, I'm not even a big grits person and these are a must! If you have to pick between the Home Fries with Peppers & Onions and Cheesy Grits, GO FOR THE CHEESY GRITS!

FRIED CHICKEN FRENCH TOAST: Love how they switched it up from the typical chicken & waffles because french toast is always better. Super tasty and the chorizo gravy was definitely the star of the show.

Reservations are highly suggested otherwise you'll be stuck with either a long wait or sitting at the bar - and you gotta sit in one of the little outdoor greenhouses because the design and level of people watching gave me total Parisian vibes. Also note, parking in Manayunk can be hectic so arrive early to allot enough time.

Also, we didn't get the $26 bottomless mimosa add on because it was a bit pricey but instead opted for the Frosé which was a great pick - one definitely had us smiling and feeling niiiiice (I'm low-key embarrassed to admit this 😄🥂💗). They have a lot of cute cocktails on the menu too so would love to try others next visit.

I guess you can tell I'll be back at SOMO, huh? Not only amazing food but great customer service as Marissa, the manager, stopped by our table to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. And I love the fact that their brunch menu begins on Thursdays so you can miss the brunch rush, if needed. Looking forward to dining...

Why is this place popular?

To give an adequate summation of a SOMA brunch I would say… “Nothing offered that I couldn’t make at home, but better.”

This restaurant teases you with the $26.00 bottomless mimosa, certainly a come-on. I didn’t care. I was looking forward to a nice glass of bubbles tinged with OJ, refreshing and cool.

However, there were issues and I’m not sure what the problem was, you decide.

We ordered mimosas three different times and they were all flat. No fizz, nothing, just flat.

We started with the bottomless mimosas; they were flat. We took a sip then asked for another batch.

The server was apologetic and offered to give us fresh drinks.

She returned with two drinks.

Both drinks were flat. As we waited for the server to return we watched as another server poured pre-made mimosas from a pitcher for a table. We considered that maybe all the mimosas for the “bottomless” offerings were made this way.

So, we switched and asked for just regular mimosas. The server assured us that these would be made fresh, from a just opened bottle.

Of course, these were flat as well.

One server suggested that they used cheap prosecco; I don’t know. However, what I know is that I have NEVER opened a “fresh” flat bottle of prosecco in my home.

We switched to different drinks after this.

I ordered French Toast with apple cinnamon. pecan, coconut flakes, maple. whipped cream. Sounds delicious, right? Literally a depressing looking meal. The plating of thin slices of French toast, with pecans tossed underneath was sad. I’ve never had restaurant quality French toast that was made from thin slices of bread. I was told they used brioche bread, which I doubt. The uniformity of the slices and size leads me to believe it was anything but brioche.

My partner ordered the Seared Salmon BLT with slab bacon, avocado, tomato, iceberg and herb aioli. Instead of using salmon cut to size or maybe diced pieces, they used portioned salmon. A choice resulting in a large chunk of salmon down the center of the sandwich, with a good portion of the sandwich being nothing more than bread, lettuce and tomato. Either use rectangular shaped bread or dice the salmon, but no one wants to eat a sandwich that is so...

I had high hopes for this place. Cute on the outside, and promising looking menu. My hopes were dashed upon entering and realizing about 40 diners were packed in a single small room and being served by what looked like only a couple servers. There was very little room between tables and it was so crowded and loud that it felt like a middle school cafeteria. There was no atmosphere whatsoever.

Still eager to try the food, we ordered wings for the table, some drinks, and an entree for each of us. I ordered the breakfast sandwich, as it was brunch time.

I was brought out two pieces of dry bread with a thick layer of egg and a few vegetables. There was no cheese or bacon, even though the menu listed cheese and bacon in the description. I flagged down a waiter who asked if I wanted a side of bacon. No apology, not even a look or surprise. I kindly said no, I’d like it to be remade as it’s supposed to come. Our entire table was shocked. I can’t remember ever sending a meal back to be remade at any restaurant ever. The fact that he wanted to bring me a side of bacon instead of bringing me what I’d ordered was mind boggling.

A long time later I was brought out a new sandwich. Now it had cheese and a little bacon, but none of the other fixing it was supposed to come with - no avocado or onion or anything. There was no garnishing or condiments of any kind.

To have your meal made wrong once is understandable. To be made twice is pretty bad. But what blew us away was the apparent complete lack of understanding from the waiter. He didn’t seem to realize the problem with the fact that he’d given me a sandwich missing half the things that were supposed to be on it. Didn’t seem at all apologetic. Thought that a side of bacon would fix the problem. I’m not some entitled diner, never in my life have I asked to send my food back.

My girlfriend said her food was “edible” but not great. The wings had good seasoning but were very dry.

This was the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. You can get better food, better service, and better atmosphere for $50 less at lots of other...