Savona Restaurant — Restaurant in Upper Merion Township

🍷 Savona- KOP.  Here goes one of my more detailed reviews so buckle up (or keep scrolling...)  One of my most solid-splurge-worthy places. We came here on an extremely windy and chilly day and still were warm enough to be able to take our jackets off.  They have a massive, heated tent with very spaced out tables with a big open side....if you are being covid-cautious but still want to feel like you are fine dining and want some protection from the elements then this is an excellent choice. The generators are quite noisy.....it would have been nice if they had some nice relaxing music to add to the ambiance so you didn't just have to hear generators.  Their tent feels very upscale with the plants, lighting and billowy silks on top. They also have extremely comfortable chairs and sofas in the tents to sit on. 🐙 We ordered the  wood-fired octopus, salmon tartare, braised short ribs, plain pasta with butter, duck with roasted Cauliflower, French Green Lentils, Cherry Jus, drinks and desserts. The octopus was cooked and flavored perfectly... which is a very tricky dish to get the perfect texture , although the accompanying greens on the dish were way over-peppered (which I mentioned to our server, she replied she would "let the chef know" without offering to fix it or send it back which I found a bit odd. The Salmon tartare with avocado-lime cream sauce on top... I think the sauce overpowered the salmon but it was still very tasty.   The duck was just spectacular... it also came with mashed potatoes which were almost cold, but still delicious. They have an outstanding wine and cocktail program here.  The whiskey sour was crafted to perfection.... not too strong.   I can't remember the exact white wine I got, but it was whatever the server recommended with the duck and also paired perfectly. 🍨 For dessert we got the mango sorbet, cheesecake brownie and Blood Orange Creamsicle Cake with Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch.  I thought it would have a lot more chocolate flavor in it so I was kind of disappointed by this.  The mango sorbet was outstanding in it's simplicity and bold mango flavor. They make their own ice creams and gelatos daily. Service was friendly, prompt and attentive,.... it was a very slow Saturday for them and for most of the time we were the only people in the tent, but for covid-reasons that suited us just fine. For Open Table,  should I bother checking off if it's a special occasion in the booking form?  It's been a few times now that whatever special occasion I put it on was completely unacknowledged later.  I am guessing I should just assume it doesn't get noticed on the booking form and make a point to point this out in person. 🍰S Despite some of my minor nitpicking, this is still one of my favorite fine-dining places and would happily go back! A very memorable and...

I just don't know what to do on this one. Maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. This is now the 6th time that my wife and I have been to Savona. And it's probably the last. On the way to Savona today I was with my wife, we were both very well dressed, kind of having a last Friday before our 6 year old was off school. Last day to sneak out to a fancy lunch before summer starts. On the way there, the weather was so nice, we agreed that we would ask to sit outside. Little did we know what was awaiting us. We parked, walked in, and we greeted with a very aggressive person. Clearly angry that we were there. He started with "do you have a reservation" I said no and he was clearly upset by this. I asked politely, are you overbooked, he said "WE MIGHT BE!!". Which was weird cause it was about 1145 and the place was empty. Not to mention I had considered making a reservation before we left, but when I saw all the times were available I figured, why bother, they clearly aren't full. He then continued to speak to me in a completely unnecessary tone again. My wife and I wanted to sit outside, but we were both too afraid to ask. He then reluctantly sat us down in the main area and then walked off. He came over a few minutes later to explain his frustration. He said that most people want to get their points which is why he asked if we had a reservation. He was a bit apologetic, but not really. I thought it might be a good time to ask if could sit outside which I did, and he completely turned on me. The anger in his face grew. I just kept quiet. The good news is that then our waiter came to the table. He was calm cool and professional. Everything you would expect at a place this this. The angry man checked on us later, and asked how we were doing. It didn't matter what we thought of the food. Fear of him losing his temper made me keep my mouth shut. The octopus appetizer was WAY overcooked. Recommend if you are looking for a good octopus appetizer, try Devon on Rittenhouse. Ate their last week and 5 stars across the board. Regardless, the rest of the meal was solid and the waiter was outstanding. I went to the bathroom later and the angry man was hard at work, texting on his phone. I mean really. We left after and not sure if we will be back. I don't know why this fine restaurant would hire someone that reminded me of a restaurant owner that made soup in a 90s sitcom,...

I'm shocked at how well-reviewed this restaurant is.

FOOD: What a boring experience. As appetizers, we ordered the oysters (I believe these were New Brunswick) and the octopus. Let's say that the sad, boring oysters were the result of what's available at the market; the octopus was overcooked and dried into a rock-hard stick, far beyond the "charred" piece that we ordered. My bf had the risotto, which was a waxy flavorless paste; he liked the crab, which he ate despite the rest of his meal. Our third tablemate had the duck; her entire meal had no flavor outside of "duck meat," and she couldn't finish it. I ordered a salad; usually, restaurants pull together a salad dish that feels chic and satisfying if you want something small for dinner. This dish was sad, with a pile of massive pieces of lettuce and apple strings and some cheese haphazardly thrown on top; there was absolutely no care with how it was dressed. It felt like I was eating hospital food, both in terms of what was served and the environment (please keep reading).

DRINKS: Ok, here it excelled. We had a whiskey sour drink that was good, but then we had a gin-rosemary cocktail that was absolutely exquisite - bursting with flavor, not too sweet and you couldn't even taste the alcohol.

SERIVCE & AMBIENCE: It all started when we arrived. The valet parking attendants were frazzled and rude, and this uncomfortable tone continued into how loud and tight the restaurant space was. Also in poor taste: you could see some of the perhaps more "senior" members of the floor (dressed in black; one was a guy with his hair in a ponytail...?) shooting each other very dirty looks and gestures of frustration over the rest of the staff's actions. Just not behavior you would expect from a restaurant that takes hospitality seriously.

We were a party of three and I was seated on the same side as my boyfriend. I am a bit heavier than he is. The staff (including one of the people in black shooting dirty looks to the other team members) consistently brought every alcoholic drink and richer food item to me, despite my boyfriend having ordered it, and every lighter or non-alcoholic item to him. The way they consistently got this wrong became a running joke at our table, but that was just us being good sports about an insulting situation. Again, not really high-end hospitality here; we didn't have complex orders nor were we a large party - you can get our orders...