Laurel

We tried the 9 course tasting. The food was amazing. Each course somehow topped the previous one. We can’t wait to go back when the menu changes!

Food was good. The portions too small. Service was not up to the expectations. Poor communication regarding pricing of day specials. Overall a good one night experience but not a restaurant to repeat.

The creativity of the menu is from chef is superb! His dishes and the wine pairings are perfect. This place is inspired. The courses were a revelation with fresh ingredients, excellent timing and chef actually taking time to serve the tables one if not two of the courses. A must if you are in town. I was there for a visit and promised that I would visit first opportunity I get

Amazing food great experience. Would definitely recommend

The food was exquisite and the service was excellent. We enjoyed the 9 course tasting menu and added the gnocchi. Overall it was an wonderful dining experience.

Amazing 6 course tasting with wine pairing.

Excellent service and food

World class food, knowledgeable staff, and great value for the money!

Amazing food and wonderful wine pairing! Great ambience! Expensive but an overall worthwhile dining experience!

I’ve been lucky enough to dine here 3 times. Every time is amazing and delicious and unique. Few places in Philadelphia are able to be this unique and imaginative on a consistently great basis.

The food was certainly exceptional. Service was great. Imho, the wine pairing is not worth $100 each. I should have brought a bottle, but that's my own fault. Get the wagu if they offer, it's very much worth it.

Awesome food and flawless execution. 8 courses on V Day and no disappointments.

We decided Valentine’s was a good enough excuse to go to Laurel and pay the $150 prix fixe menu. We learned later on after seven courses plus amuse bouche that the exercise was not good value. The food that was presented was fair, overly intricate with regard to favor profile but to no added advantage, and sometimes just missed the ball entirely. Just think, in the same seating, we were served preserved etrog, oysters with chamomile, puffed fish chips, and honeysuckle syrup. After a while, we were just waiting for the gold-leafed Amazonian ant to arrive (but didn’t). If the tasting had been a symphony, it would have covered the whole gamut of classical music from Charpentier to Chopin — just way too spread out and complicated. We thought the chef tried too hard, the menu too contrived, if pretentious, and the flavor profile and combinations often just too much to swallow (no pun intended) — like caviar with maple syrup? cranberry and grand marnier sorbet? Finally, we were last at Laurel pre-renovation and we thought the new sconces on the wall (that’s really the gist of the renovation) would help elevate the atmosphere of the place but we were proved wrong. Overall, we thought the experience was just not good value (at $150), despite efforts from the chef to explore on flavor profiles. The good thing that came out of the evening was that Pat’s Steak was just three blocks away. Hail the mighty cheesesteak and drop the poached oysters with molecularized sweet cream at Laurel.

Amazing food and presentation! Each course was presented and described by our servers. Elegant dishes with such unique flavors.

Food was great but service was uneven, slow, and not very friendly. We ordered cocktails to start which the server forgot. When we reminded her, they finally came, with no apology for the long wait. I ordered a glass of wine during the meal which never came (again with no apology). The description of the various courses in the tasting menu was lackadaisical at best. With so many amazing places to choose from in Philadelphia, I’d think twice before going to Laurel, mainly because of the service.

So to enjoy this restaurant, you need to be willing to surrender ourself to the Chief's vision. That has plusses and minuses. There were some dishes that we just great, and others that were just OK. The service is impeccable as was the the intimate confines. I am not sure that you will leave full, but you will have lots to discuss.

Exceptional in every way! 9 course tasting menu was delicious and incredibly creative. Server was knowledgeable and personable and made our experience terrific. Quiet environment allowed for conversations. This is truly special. One of the best meals I've had. Highly recommend!

Absolutely wonderful! This was the finest dining experience I've had since partaking of the chef's tasting at Le Bec Fin many years ago. I so appreciated Chef Nick coming out of the kitchen to greet us. He's an artist, no two ways about it!

Food was too gimmicky and not always tastily combined. Wait staff was aloof. Disappointing i every way.

The food is absolutely spectacular and the wait staff and servers could not be more attentive! We will definitely be going back.

This was the second time my wife and I dined at Laurel, they never disappoint. The food, drinks and the ambiance is amazing. The staff is great. In my opinion, it is the best restaurant and in philly.

A wonderful restaurant that may not be for everyone. The menu is fixed, and not for the less adventuresome diner. there were some raw fish dishes that tested my wife's palate. The additional pasta course for an additional $65 was a high point gastronomically but not economically. Interesting wines by the glass.
Budget 3 hours. Service was attentive and professional, but slow. We were a twosome and were there 2:45.

Uh, it was...weird. We’re still a bit confused about the wine selection but, at the same price point as The French Laundry, we aren’t sure we would say this meets the same level of dining.

Perfection! Can’t wait to come back!

Another terrific meal at Laurel. Always new and while not every dish was A+ the experimentation is worth the effort. It's a lovely setting and the service is spectacular.

Phenomenal food and wine pairing. A truly fantastic experience for foodies.

Laurel was so unbelievably near-perfect that when they left off a single onion on our steak dish it actually felt like a big deal at the time. Seriously one of the best meals I’ve had in Philly or anywhere.. fun, innovative, worldly and delicious.

We had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday at Laurel this past weekend. It was everything I expected and more. We showed up a little early for our reservation and enjoyed a cocktail next door at ITV, while we waited for our table to be ready. ITV had Christmas themed specialty cocktails and I went with the Christmapolition -it was very good! We opted not to do the wine pairings and ordered cocktails instead. The staff were all super friendly and welcoming and I would like to thank everyone who signed my cookbook! I am a huge fan of Top Chef so I was super excited to see that Chef Nick Elmi was serving a few of the courses. He made it around to every table - so if you are a fan, it seems safe to say that you will most likely meet him.

We went for the 9 course tasting menu and added the two additional courses. Gnocchi and A5 Waygu. The Gnocchi was by far my favorite dish of the night - it is easy to see how Chef Nick won his first win on Top Chef with that dish. I would recommend adding the gnocchi! The crab, duck, octopus, and waygu courses were some of our favorites of the night as well. By course 7, we were starting to get full and couldn't believe that we still had a few courses to go. We probably would've been find with the 6 course menu but I'm glad we were able to experience all 9 courses. We left full but we didn't feel gross or heavy after. They do not give you a menu, but it's very easy to look online before to get an idea of what you will be served. I also kept an eye on their Instagram page for a sneak preview of some of the courses.

The atmosphere was great, it's a small 22 seat restaurant - it was intimate but also felt very relaxed. The table next to us was close - but we didn't feel cramped. I've read a few reviews stating they were shocked at the price - we feel the price is on point. You are at a top ranked restaurant in the city and the food and service are phenomenal. I would highly recommend dinning at Laurel if you have the chance.

This was the best meal Andrew and I have had in at least the past year.

We did the 6-course option, and every one was special in its different way. Our guest from Houston, a former Philadelphian, kept saying what a good choice this restaurant was. And it wasn't only the spectacular food: the service was immaculate from first to last.

I think I'd have to go back to our first meals at JAMES on Eighth all those years ago to approach an equal.

We were looking for a one of kind restaurant to take my out of town family to and Laurel did not disappoint. With is choice of either the 6 course of 9 course tasting menu, you can sit back and enjoy all the wonderful food to come. We decided to go with the 9 course tasting menu and we were so glad we did. Each course was delicious and one of a kind. The service was spot on, the space is intimate and warm, I look forward to taking more Foodie friends with me for another culinary adventure!

We had the 9 course menu and it was an incredible experience, lots of fun to share. This is our second time there and we will definitely return!

Everything about it was fantastic; food, wait staff, ambience & cost. We would give it more stars if we could.

Coming in, we heard great things about Laurel from multiple sites. However, our experience did not match the rumors. The dishes were not dating or creative, and they failed to hit on the tastes that were there. At one point, one of the dishes reminded me of canned spinach.

The service was akin to what you would get at an Outback Steakhouse. While the hostess was nice, the waiter and runner did not seem excited about what they do and did not have any details or input on each dish.

The ambiance is very basic. It wasn't bad, just wasn't memorable either.

Overall, we went in expecting to experience flavors that one does not get to taste normally, and this expectation was not met. The value just isn't there.

Side note, we ordered an additional dish that was not part of the tasting menu, the gnocchi. This is not part of this review, but it was amazing. Probably the best gnocchi I have had in my life. The chef nailed the texture and flavors and was just different enough that we will remember it for a long time.

....... that's all I need to say! No words can do this place justice. A-m-a-z-i-n-g.

Wow, wow, and wow! That is how I would describe our dining experience. I enjoyed this experience more than the 3 Michelin star restaurant we went to the week before in Vegas. Far more thought out and nuanced dishes that delighted the palate and were served well in a unpretentious and romantic setting. Kudos to chef Nick and team for a wonderful evening. Will definitely be back.

Service was slow. 1/2 hour just to get a cocktail. Mackerel was fishy. Octopus was too sweet. Best dish was the cod. Wine pairing was below average.

It’s a cute, intimate space, with what feels like a handful of tables, all close together. The service was good, largely friendly. We’ve dined at a handful of Michelin star restaurants and although Laurel isn’t Michelin star, there’s a level of service and quality of food that still expected when you’re spending $600 on a dinner for two, granted we did add on the wine pairing which was great - compliments to their sommelier/ beverage manager.

We opted for the 9 course tasting menu and 4 of the nine dishes were great: memorable, impressive, delicious. The others left something to be desired, almost felt unfinished.

The caviar dish was incredible, probably one of my favorite plates of all time although I found its placement in line odd as it is such a sweet dish, I would have loved to end on that dish as it was such a highlight and probably could have altered the entire experience. The beef tongue taco was additionally fantastic. I’ve had beef tongue many times throughout my travels and this was seasoned perfectly and had a great texture, not to mention it was such an interesting take on the delicacy.

I love risotto, but it’s one of those dishes that can be a gamble if it’s not cooked properly. At a restaurant of Laurel’s recognition, I expected perfection and we opted for the add-on to the menu - it was far from perfection, unfortunately. It was undercooked and lacked a creaminess I was craving, although the truffle flavor was there.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll see ourselves returning as the experience was mediocre for the cost.

Worth the price, the service was incredible, and the food was even better! Come hungry!

Phenomenal!

Excellent food accompanied by excellent service.