Southwark Restaurant — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I’m in town visiting my friend for his birthday and staying across the street from Southwark in an AirBnb. We have had a great time in Philly so far for our first visit to the city with nothing but excellent, friendly service. We went to Royal sushi in the neighborhood and after a fabulous dinner they recommended Southwark as a place to get a cocktail after dinner. We walked in around 11:30 with our masks on and with our vaccine cards ready to be able to have one drink at the bar, and immediately felt like the energy from the two people behind the bar was very strange, despite this, we thanked them for water and the offer to have any menu explanation. My boyfriend and our friend felt like they were having holes bored into them from the stares from the employees, and after five minutes we were asked if there was a drink we could have. Before I could even finish my order the bartender very aggressively said “yeah sure” I immediately felt a pit in my stomach as his attitude felt really defensive and I asked if everything was okay. We basically just kept going back and forth and he said that he had had good interactions with everyone else that night and I asked him multiple times what the issue was and what energy we were giving that was unsatisfactory. We just decided to leave and not order a drink and as we were walking out the bartender kept saying “what happened, what’s going on.” I’m not sure what was going on but we were looking forward to a nightcap in our neighborhood for our last night in Philly after a lovely dinner and all left very confused and feeling anxious and like we had done something wrong. I have no idea what we did but if we ever find ourselves in Philly again we will not be going here. As a longtime food and bev worker, I understand what it’s like to be in this line of work and I’m always an engaged and gracious guest. Really just...

It has been a while since I was truly surprised by a restaurant and this was a meal I did not see coming.

From the outside, it's a pretty unassuming spot from the outside, sitting next to the sister restaurant Ambra. Admittedly, we would love to try Ambra but the pricepoint for the tasting menu is a bit intimidating so we may ultimately not. When you walk in, it's easy not to realize how big the place actually is. We were seated at a huge table in the back just inside the outdoor seating, which also would have been a nice option.

We were not expecting the complimentary amuse-bouch, so that was a nice touch. We started with the warm breads, which came with a fascinating ricotta spread. Next was the whipped pork confit which at first I thought may be a skosh salty but in the end was reminiscent of a nice spreadable pate (that they were nice enough to give us extra bread for). The salad with trout and chili breadcrumbs also started off on the saltier side, but once you mix things together it ends up very well balanced and quite nice. For mains, we went with the lamb shoulder (my favorite of the two) and the tilefish-the latter was the recommendation of the waitress and we were so thankful it was as we probably wouldn't have chosen it but really enjoyed it.

The real gem of the experience, however, was the service. It's such a homey vibe and not only was the food quick, but the servers were so delightful at every turn. They even folded our napkins every time once of us stood up, which I hadn't seen at many other non-course restaurants. Truly made for a...

The high rating of this restaurant is apparently due solely to the bar, not the quality of the food or the attitude toward customers. I do not recommend this place if you don’t want to ruin your evening. The chef here doesn't even know the difference between the levels of doneness for meat, despite it being the most expensive dish on the menu. I got my steak raw instead of medium as I requested, and it was tough to chew, indicating low-quality meat. The waiter offered to cook it further, which would have been a great solution, but they served it already sliced, with all the juices leaked out. Also, the manager refused to remove the dish from the bill or even offer a discount. Instead, without asking, she brought us a single dessert to share, serving it as if tossing a bone to a dog. No one even bothered to check if we could eat sweets. The waiters here, when they ask if everything is okay, apparently don’t expect any answer other than enthusiastic praise. Without a doubt, the bread was good, but everything else was very mediocre considering the menu prices. The salad was extremely sour, resembling sauerkraut. Perhaps it was meant to be that way, but even the potatoes served with the beef gravy had a sour taste. It is not about the money but about the attitude toward customers. In decent restaurants, the chef always comes out to speak with guests in situations like this, or the manager offers a reasonable solution for both sides. But in this place, nobody cares about the restaurant’s reputation or the people...