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Came here for dinner on a Thursday evening. I didn't realize until after booking that there would be live music. The idea of it sounds nice but in reality, the music was too loud which made it difficult to chat and communicate with the server. The problem is the small space with a whole band. The music wasn't disruptive but just loud. I think it's nice to listen to if I wasn't trying to chat. There's happy hour menu 5-7PM with items from three large categories: ceviche, skewers, and fried starch. They don't post their HH menu online. We ended up ordering: caderas skewer, bacalaitos, short rib carne guisada, seafood asopao, vaca frita The server was nice about pointing out how our order of one regular appetizer with an entrée is already more expensive than going with their prix fixe with comes with an extra dessert. She allowed us to only have one prix fixe for the table, and she applied our most expensive entrée to it. Appreciate that! Skewer - I thought we ordered steak but it came out to chicken. Slightly frustrated about the language barrier. I legit tried to google and translate to find out what's what, and the quick search turned out wrong. bacalaitos - This was solid. The crab dip wasn't too creamy and filling. The chip was a bit oily but it was sturdy in holding up the dip. Kinda cool how the fish is in the chip. Short rib - It was tender. The red wine sauce was earthy. I think they gave too much sauce and it's a little too thin for what it is. A piece of food dropped from my fork and it created a big splash on my white shirt....I know it's my fault but I do think they can provide less sauce especially when there isn't bread or starch to soak it up. The variety of potatoes was pleasant. There were purple and yellow ones which all had slightly different tastes. Since we got the prix fixe we ordered the flan dessert. The server gave us complimentary buñuelos because we were celebrating a birthday. They only had three desserts on the menu, and my group struggled to decide which one to pick. Two of them didn't like coconut, so it was easy to eliminate one of them. I'm glad the complimentary dessert wasn't that one. The flan was the denser side with obvious air bubbles inside which indicates too high temperature and overcooking. The pickled papaya wasn't additive in terms of tartness or sweetness. The buñuelos came out warm. It was kind of bland without the sauce, but the sauce itself wasn't unique either. Overall my friends like the food. I think it's solid but could use some fine tuning. I was more bothered by the environment. I'm open to trying this place again but I might prefer to try new restaurants when I visit Philly next time. Also I think they're a bit pricier amongst nearby options. They have a 3% credit card surcharge which is added to the food subtotal, and tax is applied on top of the surcharge as well. read more

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Loved our happy hour experience at Bolo. The happy hour menu is full of options and a great deal! The service was good too. Will definitely return to try the full menu! Pro tip: Get the happy hour sandwich! You won't regret it! read more

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Went to the place on a Saturday evening. The vibes were very cool. We did the family thing for the food (i.e., treated it like tapas), which doesn't really work great with the way the food is served. Nevertheless, everything was very tasty. Particularly like the ceviche. The service was very good. We were a bit of pain having to get the check split four ways, but the waiter was very accomodating. read more

Im gonna start by saying I would absolutely give this place a second try. Yesterday must have been an off day. So pull up a chair, lemme tell ya a story. While on my short hop over to Philly I was in the mood for a restaurant with character /flavor and ran across Bolo on Google. I read the article about how it came to be & I was sold immediately. I made the reservation within an hour and the check in was seamless. I love that you are transported into a cafe you would fall into on the island. Staff was all wecoming and friendly which is a great 1st impression. Yaay Bolo. I scan over the menu & realize they have a prefix menu which I wanted to opt for. However I also see that the skewers that I had my eye set on was not a part of the snack portion. However I ask the waitress can she ask the manager if I can have one of the $9 skewers instead of one of the $20 starters to accommodate that portion of the meal. Unfortunately she came bk with news that broke my heart. The answer was no. I respect that. Confused but respect. Now I opt to just do a la carte. I decided to order 2 skewers & the Imperial Chicken rice & my friend ordered the Vica Frita. The moment of truth arrived and the shrimp & chicken skewers were everything I hoped for! I was equally excited about my chicken & rice because I just know im gonna be blown away by a flavorful marinated chicken breast. Mmmmm. The food arrives & it looks phenomenal. Im going in fast for my 1st bite and womp womp womp, it was simply eye candy. The chicken portion was a bit dry & flavorless unfortunately. However the dish redeemed itself with the saffron rice. That was delicious although I only had a few bites. My friend's steak was EVERYTHING! Presentation, spice, juicy and simply gives you a foodgasm. Bunuelos dessert was on point and the puuuurfect size for sharing. Now that the meal is about over this is where confusion comes into play. The waitress comes over & asks "How is everything?". I look at her & say the chicken dish is very underwhelming, just wrap it up I will figure out what to do with it at home. She didn't even attempt to offer the manager to come over to smooth things over or ask would I like something else instead especially seeing that the entire chicken is still sitting pretty on my plate. Lol. She then asked did we like anything else, I said just the check. She then confirmed she is going to go wrap this dish to go & handed us the check. Lol I do not complain much & never do so to get anything free. I do however love feeling like my opinion matters & you will attempt to make my experience the best. So in closing I will come back for the live Thursday music & happy hour. read more

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Delicious Puerto Rican food in a lively atmosphere. My husband and I came for dinner and shared two entrees and a side of tostones. We went with the two traditional entree options: half chicken chicharrones and the suckling pig dinner. There was a ton of food. We definitely would have been fine with just one entree and the tostones as each entree came with sides. Everything was fantastic, really fresh and well made. We took half of our meal to go and actually ate the leftovers (they held up well!) They also had a decent wine/cocktail selection. Definitely make a reservation for a weekend dinner- the place is fairly large but certainly packed with many people waiting to be seated. read more

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I stumbled upon this place by accident and I'm so glad I did. We stopped in for happy hour and ordered the bartender's delight and several of the bites, all of which were incredible. Between the awesome aesthetic at the bar and Akin's awesome service, I will be back for sure. read more

The food was delicious! The short ribs were flavorful and melt-in-your mouth! I also loved the dessert that was similar to a rice pudding in a pineapple sauce! Ambiance also wonderful. read more

Love it here. Near my house. The chef is super nice and they have great food. A change of cuisine in the area.

Bolo was an amazing place to stop in for dining during Restaurant Week. For $45 per person there was the option of a snack, an entrée, as well as dessert. I tried the bacalaito and then the seafood apoyado before the temple Que and it was all delicious. Our server was friendly and adorable, conversational and accommodating. I want to come back and experience the live music again and the casal and not overly loud ambiance. read more

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I love this place and recommended it to my friends while visiting from NY. It appears the prices went up since the last time I went, but the food was just as delicious and the portions were also a great size. We probably ordered more food that we needed to, but we were able to share and try a little bit of everything. For the service, the servers were great, we did come a little on the later end and pretty much closed the place. No one kicked us out, but we tried to leave a soon as we finished our meal. The restaurant itself is nice, moody, and we'll decorated. It's not casual, but also not super fancy. Will continue to come back for special occasions and happy hours!, read more

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I enjoyed my visit to this establishment! It has a good vibe..staff are friendly and attentive! The drinks and appetizers were top tier! I will definitely come back to enjoy the entrees! read more

Bolo - Drinks on Tap - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Vibes: casual, upbeat with lively background music; bring a friend or the whole crew to sit on either floor Tasting notes: - Ceviche Trio: unique sauces for the tuna, salmon, snapper; one portion can lightly feed 2 people - Half-chicken chicharrones: extremely crispy and slightly addicting - Yuca brava: great ratio of crispy exterior to soft interior - Lamb Pastelillos: very flaky, buttery pastry with flavorful filling - Vaca Frita: while beef itself is slightly crispy and very buttery, contrasted by bright, refreshing, fresh tomato and avocado - Short Rib: tender meat in a rich gravy - Snapper: flaky fish that picked up the light, slightly creamy sauce well - Maduros: large pieces with excellent caramelization Other thoughts: - Big plus that the prix fixe is not required for the entire table but rather on an individual basis - Flan and panna cotta were rich and more shareable between two people - Above meal was satisfying for six moderately hungry adults Impression: very solid option when craving Puerto Rican cuisine! read more

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The food was fine, the service was all over the place. 1) Took over 20 mins to get seated despite having reservation 2) Food took a long time to come, 10-15 mins between courses after it was finished 3) and finally, the complimentary chips was served after all courses were over, clearly an after thought read more

Came here when we couldn't decide where to go for dinner on a Friday night, we were able to snag a last-minute reservation. However, we hadn't realized it was Restaurant Week so unfortunately the menu was a bit limited and they were out of a couple items - but that is on us. We still were able to try the Yuca Brava (cassava root tots), Fufu (mashed sweet plantain and citrus pepper mojo served with plantain chips), and Pan con Queso (whipped goat cheese, bacon removed). There were also two specific entrees for RW - I tried the Sweet Plantain Canoas (maduros filled with mushroom picadillo, spinach, and cheese). The starters were fantastic! We enjoyed all of them - I thought the goat cheese dish would be my favorite but I actually loved the fufu and kept going back for more bites. The cassava root tots were also tasty - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and tossed in a delicious sauce. Unfortunately the canoas was just okay, I got a little tired of eating it around half way through, really interesting mix of textures and sweet / savory flavors but it didn't hit perfectly for me. We would likely come again and try these same small plates + the Sorullitos (cornmeal fritters) which they ran out of when we were there. read more

Bolo - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Wow, what an incredible experience. Lovely space, excellent waitstaff, I really felt welcomed and valued as a customer. I opted to do the prix fixe menu which gave you a snack, an entree and a dessert for an excellent price. So I started off with the LAMB EMPANADILLA (lamb shoulder picadillo, smoked green olive aioli) which was absolutely crazy good. My entree was the SHORT RIB CARNE GUISADA (adobo cured shortribs, braised in red wine guisada, served with marble potatoes, baby carrots, topped with manzanilla olive tappannade). WOW I have had short rib before but this was next level - 10/10 For dessert I went with the TEMBLEQUE (cinnamon spiced coconut panna cotta, pineapple coulis). I mean, how can you go wrong with panna cotta, it is so creamy and dreamy and a perfect ending to a meal. I cant wait to return to Philly to come here again. Trust it is that good! read more

Bolo - Interior, 2nd floor - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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One of my fav restaurants! This time around I had the ceviche sampler, the snapper was my fav and next I would say the tuna - the salmon was so so, probably should've been better chopped up more instead of thick slices. The mussels are fantastic, the bacalaitos with the crab salad is great. My friend had the chicken chicharrones with a side of black beans (which I tried, they were good) and rice - would've been good if they gave more rice - the rice and bean ratio was off (looking at other tables who ordered rice they had a lot more in their pot then we did) . My friend also thought they should have that as a dish instead of separate items - but overall they were good. My cousin had the green empanadas which she said was good. We also ordered the tostones - which are always good. I will definitely be back. read more

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The presentation was cute. But the steak was dryer than my skin in the Arizona heat. The salmon pineapple ceviche should be a crime not the best. And my Pina colada was nothing but ice. Overall for the price getting a slice of pizza next door would've been better. read more

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Food, service, and vibes were all great! I met a girlfriend for HH and sat at the bar. We got a to try a little of everything. The bartender was very friendly and the food came out quickly. We got the chicken and lamb skewers, chicken empanadas, 3 of the 5 ceviche shooters (tuna, salmon, and snapper), and the smashed plantains side. Definitely would recommend! read more

Bolo - One chicken skewer and one lamb skewer - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Such a great experience! From the ambiance, the good food, the amazing service and the music was a vibe!! The tostones are hugeee and delicious. The chicken skewers were charred nicely and paired well with the bread that comes with it. The Vaca Frida was so tender and the black beans were sooo tasty. The dessert, the Buñelos were like mini beignets with a dulce de leche sauce that was so good! Light and airy and the sauce was also light and not thick. Great way to end the meal. 10/10 overall read more

I had a great meal at the bar with a friend. The bartender was great and made me want to become a regular. Good food, excellent drinks, and delightful hospitality. The bar is stylish and cozy. Their happy hour specials are good. read more

Great happy hour and restaurant week participation! Love the Latin flavors here and the ambience inside.

I left my credit card there, because they require you to give them your card if you're drinking at the bar , fine.... But their policy is , they cut up your card if you leave it. Needless to say, never going back there. read more

The dishes were okay the only real standout this go-round was the Yuca dish. Both The SEAFOOD ASOPAO which was Mahi Mahi over a saffron and pigeon pea porridge with shrimp, scallops and calamari and the vaca frita-steak with white rice, black beans, tomato and avocado needed done oomph and the pickled red onion on the vaca was too acidic. As some others have mentioned, restaurant week dining seemed a bit rushed, with entrees coming out before we were even a quarter of the way through our starters, and the bill being plonked down as we were starting on dessert. Most of the cocktails were in the $17 range-excessive in our opinion. With all of the good restaurants in Philly, we won't be rushing back. read more

Bolo - Vaca Frits - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Husband and I went for happy hour before a show. We were pleasantly surprised to know their happy hour ended at 7pm. We were served right away and the staff were attentive and kind. Our drinks were good and everything we ate was amazing. The happy hour menu had ceviche shooters and for me, they were the star of the show. Fresh, acidic, rich bites of seafood (drool). My husband loved the pernil Cubano sandwich. The pork belly pincho was great as well. Will definitely be coming back to try more of their menu. read more

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Had a wonderful experience at SIPS here! They have great deals for food and we made sure to try every item on their sips menu. My favorites were the sweet plantains, the ceviche shooters, and the fufu. I thought the tostones were a tad too salty but everything else was solid. Great service too! read more

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Do you want the best of the happy hours? Come here. This is a lively place with great atmosphere and delicious food and drinks! We ordered pretty much everything off of the menu and the bartender, as she was making room for all of our food said, "it's a fiesta!". Because it was. Tostones, Pastelillos, ceviche, plantain, yucca, mojitos, sangria, rum drinks galore, great music, lovely bartender and a night that feels just so right. Their dinner menu is next for me. I saw the pre-fixe option which looks just right. Come to Bolo. Believe me. read more

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*******WARNING******* Before I even get into my actual experience, let me tell you someone took the liberty of changing my tip and I am in the process of disputing that with my bank right now. How unscrupulous and dishonest. I found the restaurants decor very charming especially the outside seating at the window. The hostess was very sweet and gave me my choice of upstairs or downstairs. I opted for a high top opposite the bar. Very dark back there but my table had a candle. Of the options presented to me on the classic menu, RW menu and the bar bites menu, I chose the RW Salmon, the Bacalaitos and the flan. The Bacalaitos, a dish unfamiliar to me, was interesting. The fritter was a little salty but crispy. The crab salad tangy from the horseradish but this isn't something I was over the moon for. The salmon on the other hand was a winner. Not only did I enjoy the quinoa mix beneath it but this salmon finally made me understand the appeal of crispy skin. It was cooked to perfection. Of the drinks I had a glass of rose and a cocktail in the smallest coup glass possible and while both were tasty, the amount of alcohol given is not worth the price. And that brings me back to the nasty business of someone changing the 3 to a 5 on my tip and the fact that I sent the business an email when I discovered it and they didn't even acknowledge it. Can't recommend on the strength of that alone. read more

$40 3 course meal for restaurant week. interior has skylights and sophisticated decor. I can see this place hosting a wedding rehearsal easily. service was attentive and professional. quality of food was excellent for me (pincho pollo + salmon entree). I would like to come back here to try the suckling pig as i've never seen a whole pig on a menu before read more

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So, I found Bolo through a "best of" article in Philadelphia Magazine. Worth the price of the subscription. WOW! Every aspect of my meal was perfect. I opted for the fixed price option, thanks to the kind recommendation of my bartender/waitress. In fact her recommendations carried the evening. Bacalaitos, beef short rib, and bunuelos. A wonderful experience! read more

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The first time we went we ended up leaving after waiting 60 minutes beyond our reservation time since we still hadn't gotten a table, so I was ready to write this place off. Shortly after, though, they messaged us through Resy apologizing and gracefully offering to have us back, which I actually was very impressed by. I was ready to hate my experience here the second time but could have not been more pleasantly surprised. The menu has a ton of different options and we had a tough time ultimately choosing what to get and definitely got too much: - Salmon ceviche: I'll never be a ceviche fan but I liked this more than most. It wasn't as sour as most are and had a nice mango-esque-ness to it. - 2 skewers: the octopus and the scallops. I could've had 100 of the scallop skewers, maybe a highlight of the night. Each came with 2 different sauces, all of which did service to the meat. - Cuban bean dumplings: We eat a lot of dumplings so I thought nothing of this but it was recommended. It was such an interesting texture and the sauce was divine. I wish I could've done more with the sauce and hated to give the extra back. - Calamari: If we got rid of one dish it would've been this. The calamari was so light and fluffy so don't get me wrong it was delicious. The sauce wasn't my favorite but it didn't need it. - Seafood asopao: An interesting combination of textures which works. Healthy portion of various seafood. Not a ton of rice but I didn't mind that. - Vaca frita: The texture of the meat was perfect. This with the beans really was a hit. I don't think I needed the other side of the dish (the tomatoes and avocado), but that's fine. - Flan with candied papaya: Not personally a huge flan guy but I think this was done nicely. Maybe it was because we were invited back but the service was super attentive and everyone was so pleasant. There was a bit of a gap between two of the courses and we did spend a full 2 hours, so it's not a short meal but it didn't feel like it necessarily dragged on. The space itself is nice-we sat upstairs and the roof is a bit of a skylight. Their window seating looks really cool because you can sit half of your table on one side and the other half on the other side (outside), which is a great use of this little counter. Overall, really made up for itself and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. read more

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It is restaurant week in center city so decided to try Bolo for the 1st time! Upon entry noticed that there was live music downstairs in the bar area. The restaurant is two levels and I was seated upstairs for dinner. I ordered the CHICKEN PASTELILLOS (10/10), Vaca Frita ( 8/10) and FLAN CON Queso (10/10). The service was executed flawlessly but I did feel a little rushed. My entree came out and I barely finished the starter. But it is restaurant week and it was very busy so maybe they wanted to make sure everyone could be seated on time! Not sure but I will give Bolo another try because the food and ambiance is great ! read more

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Love the food here! Walked in after work and ordered a few dishes during their happy hour at the bar. Fufu and Cuban sandwich are the highlight! read more

Bolo - Latin American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Very cute place and decent service, 2nd floor with floor to ceiling window is pretty nice. Tried their restaurant week menu, 1st course very small portion, 2nd course sizes are descent, 3rd is dessert (only 2 options). They have a good selections of cocktails, rum is their specialty. Not much wine options. 8 options for apps, pretty nice flavors, only bite size (ex. 1 skewer per plate, 2 empanadas, etc.). If you have more than 3-4 ppl and want to share, may need to order repeat items to get a taste. Main courses are pretty good portion and options, ranges from vegetarian, chicken, fish to beef. 3rd course dessert lacking variety- both are pretty much flan-like and overly sweet. read more

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The service and food were outstanding. Everyone enjoyed their meal. The food was fresh and well Seasoned plus the drinks were great too. The decor is Latin American/ Caribbean which only added to the experience and ambience. read more

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I desperately want to gatekeep Bolo but alas I must spread the good word with you all. Bolo is amazing. I spend a lot of time on this block of Sansom in rehearsals and shows, so having Bolo here for a speedy drink is a gamechanger. I went in and sat at the bar for a drink and a snack and left with much more than I bargained for. The atmosphere in here is SO fun and the staff clearly loves what they do. From the music to the vibes to the decor, you feel totally transported. I went with a Pina Colada (duh) and two snackies. The pinchos are a great place to start as every little bite was perfect. I originally ordered the pork belly but they were out, so the bartender steered my towards the chicken thighs instead. Fabulous! The Yuca Brava is a must-have as well and would feed two hungry people. The charismatic Yun Fuentes brough dishes out to the bar where I was sitting directly which is just such a special and hospitable touch. I am going back for the prix fixe sooner rather than later and bringing all of my friends to go listen to live music. Thanks for existing, Bolo! read more

Found street parking within a walkable distance. They have window seating that looks out to the street. Made reservations prior. Was greeted by the hostess who escorted us upstairs. While waiting downstairs you see the bar with various rums waiting for you to drink. We were greeted not too long after being seated and told who our server would be. After ordering drinks I couldn't help but just look at the walls full of beautiful artwork. (P.S. despite sitting upstairs, you are still offered the Rum book) While waiting for our goods we were provided plantain and yuca chips with pico de gallo sauce. We didn't order an entrée, we shared appetizers. 1st the Sorillios, the masa was good but I didn't care for the cheese inside, it tasted like sharp cheese. The tostones were amazing with the garlic and garlic sauce. It was the perfect amount, a lot. The pincho (chorizo y camarón) was good but I didn't care for the sauces. The red one for me tasted like oil, even when mixed, with no real flavor; and the bacalaitos were good, nice, and crunchy. I can't remember what came with it but it wasn't for me but the bacalaitos were fine without it. The owner was out serving food and checking in with each table. Felt comfy, welcoming, and relaxed. read more

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I've been here three times and have never been wowed. The food is pretty hit or miss--especially given the price--and a little lacking in flavor. The drinks have been ok but, like the food, not very memorable. It's a great spot ambience and decor wise. Definitely worth checking out for that! read more

We had a reservation at Bolo and were seated upstairs immediately. I was surprised by how large the restaurant is given the additional upstairs seating. The decor was really cool and eclectic. Our waiter was really knowledgeable of the menu and offered many suggestions, which was helpful as this was our first time there. We ordered the skewers for the table (pork belly and mahi mahi), which were tasty, well-seasoned, and cooked well, but pretty small for the price. I got the short rib. It had okay flavor (though not super memorable), and it was so dry. The accompaniments were not memorable either, so it made the dish fall flat for me. The maduros were good and the yuca were surprisingly good and flavorful with the paprika aioli. We kept eating those. My coworkers got the salmon and the imperial chicken rice, which they said they enjoyed. ***Honestly, I would not come back because nothing (except the yuca) stood out to me and my only other memory is dry short rib. read more

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Slowest service I have ever experienced. A real shame as the food wasn't that bad and the vibe inside was nice. Had a 530 reservation (on a Tuesday night mind you). Seated on time and got water quickly. Gave us a menu and took our drink orders at 545. Drinks weren't there by 6pm but we asked to at least put in our food order (group of 4). Drinks got there at 610. 630 no food had yet to arrive. Went to inquire with the hostess who had someone else look into it. Someone came out and said our food was on the way and if it was ok if our apps and entrees came out at the same time. We said that would be great. Apps came out on their own at 645. Waiter came and said entrees were "on their way." Entrees didn't come until 655. We told them we had to leave by 715 and to please have our dessert boxed and brought out which they said sure to. He even asked when we needed to leave and we said 715, please bring the dessert by 710. We were walking out the door at 720 and I had to go and ask someone to go find our desert in the kitchen. Absolutely ridiculous. Waiter was apologetic and they took our one round of cocktails that took 20min to make off the bill, but didn't make up for our frustration that ruined the meal. Couldn't even really enjoy the food because we were rushing to eat everything at the end before we had to leave. Won't be back unfortunately. read more