The Dutch — Restaurant in Philadelphia

You know it's a bad experience when you're sitting in the car writing the review.

We're seated after an hour wait As we sat down we were told there's only one chicken and waffle left so we quickly claim it before we even order any of our other items. We place the rest of our order for a sweet Dutch, avocado toast, chorizo hash, rueban sandwich, and steak and eggs (medium rare). Two parties, one of 2 and one of 4 get seated after us and order. We wait and wait and wait. We ask in the midst of our waiting (50 mins to be exact) how much longer and we're told we're the next table. Great! One of the two parties had gotten their food and was well into their meal. The other party of 4 had gotten their food (burgers and pancakes) and is well into their meal now too. Yet we were the "next table" but we were still starving and waiting.

Another waitress comes and says they're plating our food. One by one the food comes out. The avocado on toast with a side salad came with onions had to be sent back because that person requested no onions because she can't eat them.

The Sweet Dutch comes out and we requested fruit and my daughter specifically asked which fruit and we were told blueberries, strawberries and bananas ($4 charge). Her dish came without strawberries. We asked another waitress and she said they have to check if they have any. Why is no one on the same page? She brought out the sliced strawberries.

The waitress comes out mid meal to ask how our meal is. Mid honestly. She asked if I wanted extra hollandaise sauce (upcharge $1) and then shortly after a man comes out the back, I'm assuming the chef and goes "who asked for more hollandaise? And I said me and he says "we're out". Whatever I'll enjoy the rest of the dry meal.

My husband tells the original waitress the disappointment in the service and the meal and she says she'll get the manager to see what they can do. No manager comes out. Another waitress does and we explain the same thing verbatim as I typed above and she says there's nothing they can do because every table waited over 45 mins and the other tables ordered things that didn't take as long and we had a large party. We had 5 adults and 1 child. Ma'am we were seated at 1:30pm the restaurant closes at 2 if you thought that what we ordered would have taken an hour to arrive, someone should have said so. Also what exactly in our order took an hour? Trust me we did ask and she said the steak and chicken. Especially since the steak looked like a 6oz and again medium rare. The chicken is chicken. What chicken thigh takes an hour to fry? But she also people who ordered burgers and fries allegedly waited 45 mins? So we're just okay making customers wait for basic food? I don't accept that excuse or the standard this restaurant sets for itself. It was such a back and forth with changing stories and excuses.

There was no accountability and everything was an excuse for why the "manager" who never came out didn't come out. Apparently the man who asked me for hollandaise was the owner. The waitress asked if we want him to come back out. It really just felt like if he was the the owner, he was sending his waitresses to handle his problems.

The bill came $238 with 20% gratuity, liquor tax etc included. I hope our $238 keeps them afloat because not even trying to accommodate or at least apologize for the inconsistent service, communication, incomplete dishes and just bad vibes leaves much to be desired.

Would I recommend this spot? Hard pass on the taste of the food and service overall, but it's in a great area so there's plenty of other awesome spots in neighborhood. It's never fun to leave a bad review but when the taste in your mouth after leaving an establishment makes you wish you never visited in the first place, what other choice do you have but to...

No one paid the slightest attention to our party of four when we waltzed into the restaurant on a bustling Saturday late morning. We stood there like awkward mannequins—no foyer, no designated waiting area, just us blocking the way. Eventually, a busser, who looked as surprised to see us as a dog at a fish market, asked, "Can I help you?" I almost burst out laughing, but instead, I said, “Yes, I’d like to get my tires rotated,” because clearly, this was a place where anything could happen.

When I clarified we wanted to eat, suddenly they were eager to clear a table. Things were looking up! Until we remained standing in the way like some sort of human furniture.

Next, a waiter appeared with a tray of what looked like the coffee version of a Hollywood celebrity—impressive and intense, but with an attitude. He zoomed past us, looking irritated, and barked, “You have to wait outside,” as if we’d accidentally wandered into his secret lair. No “please,” no “we’ll call you when ready,” just rude, brusque orders. So our brave party got kicked outside, mostly to scare us into leaving, I think. But then, seeing our table was finally ready, I heroically went back in, sat down, and then—because apparently no one thought to tell the rest of my party it was safe to come in—I had to vanish again to wave them in like a banquet captain.

Now that we were seated, getting the waiter’s attention was a quest worthy of Indiana Jones, especially since he was the same guy who had earlier sent us outside. Now we were basically cast as extras in the “Unwelcome Brunch” episode. Finally, he took our order and delivered our drinks. Our food took an eternity, and when I asked about it, he scoffed like I’d questioned his favorite sports team. "Look around," he sneered, “we’re busy.” Yeah, no kidding. My coffee was getting colder than my ex’s heart, and they didn’t bother refilling it or paying us much mind at all.

When the food finally made it to the table, my Dutch Baby was lukewarm to cold—but hey, at least it tasted good. We paid the giant bill, endured the ambiance that was a cross between “I forgot to turn the lights on” and “forgot to care,” and left wondering if the staff had a secret vendetta against brunch.

In short: the food was pretty good and the decor bespoke, but the service/vibe was awful. No one needs to feel like an unwelcome arsehole while dropping serious cash on eggs and...

The Dutch is known for being a brunch restaurant, but I took my mom (visiting from out of town) there this past Saturday and was blown away by the dinner food and service. More people should go here for dinner. The food and experience are exceptional and at a roughly $145 bill (including tip), well in the reasonable range for a chef-designed, well-executed small menu in this area.

It was quiet for a Saturday night, though this was in the middle of the summer.

They make the Dutch After Dark fixed-price menu available a la carte, so we ordered partially from that, partially from their daily specials, and partially from the standard dinner menu. Even with all three of those categories in play, the selection is small—which is a good thing. The best restaurants know and execute what they do well.

I believe that the dinner menu is taken from or inspired by the one from Fond, a now-closed restaurant run by the same chefs. The food was outstanding, portion sizes were extremely generous, and prices eminently reasonable.

The man tending bar (one of the owners, I believe) was making "milk cocktails" with tequila and lime, and expounded upon the old-fashioned technique. The product, garnished with chili and jalapeno, was an extremely smooth twist on a traditional margarita.

I ordered the duck hearts, which were a special that night, and was delighted to receive the hearts of fifteen (!) ducks skewered and presented atop rich greek yoghurt and pickled chow-chow vegetables. The Dutch's frequent inclusion of PA Dutch techniques and flavors is interesting and unusual. This dish alone would have been sufficient for an entree at many restaurants.

I followed that up with the pork belly with corn risotto, from the fixed-price Dutch After Dark menu, which was also exceptional. The "crackling" part of the pork was crispy, if a bit tough to wrangle with even a steak knife, while the fleshy underside was extremely tender. To my delight, the corn risotto did not drown out the delicate flavor of the fresh corn.

My mom had the chicken liver mousse (I believe) from the standard dinner menu, which was also excellent. This was an ice-cream-scoop sized ball of flavorful, partially-melted-peanut-butter textured mousse served with blackened sourdough pieces. We ran out of bread and they brought us more.

She moved forward with the savory dutch baby, which likely requires no commentary given the...