The menu read great. The execution was disappointing and overpriced I found the dishes unsatisfying for the price. I had: Fall lettuces: excellent starter, nice balance Wagyu carpaccio: was closer to a deconstructed roast beef sandwich than a carpaccio Sweet & sour pigtails: a well executed sweet&sour pork dish from your local take out with bones and very little pork Rohan duck - excellent but order three for two people. Odd mix of garnish of cashews, mushrooms, etc. When I was done, I went down the street to order some bar food to fill me up. Disappointed. read more

Went for a galentines dinner with my girls. The portion of the food were told to be shared amongst the three of us. We ordered the foie gras toast and crab and leek beignets as a starter. I wish they gave us more bread for the foie gras. Then we had the surf and turf and squid octopus, which was amazing! The uni carbonara got me craving for more pasta since it wasn't a big portion. We also got the sunchokes which has a potato flavor with a cauliflower appearance. The duck was okay to me since the other girls ate the side cuts. More skin than meat tbh but the plating was pretty. read more

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Magnificent experience. Everything was perfect, the food, the service, and the atmosphere. Looking forward to come back!

Amazing food and restaurant! It was our first time here and we went for our anniversary. Pricey but worth it. Cocktails were great. My husband and I loved the ambiance. Inside was comfortable and warm, not overly crowded in terms of spacing. All the food was excellent. Can't wait to go again! read more

Chef Kearse and the Forsythia team care so very much about creating a space and experience that is delicious, warm and memorable. I brought my mother here for dinner and she reports that, "It was just the most amazing experience." She ordered the duck entree and the Cauliflower app and was simply delighted by the little small components - so very well executed - that when combined, made each dish art. Our experience was brought over the moon by Chef taking the time to make three dishes absolutely vegan. In a time where good enployees are hard to find, this team brought excellence, care and expertise to the table. Forsythia, you are a jewel. We are so grateful to have bathed in your luster. Thank you Chef, thank you Seth, and thank you to the incredible FOH + BOH team that made this night so special. xoxo, Erica Hope read more

Easily of the best meals I've had in Philadelphia. Everything from the escargot to the wagyu beef tartare to the arctic char was fantastic.

Good tasting food. There are a limited number of menu options. Staff is friendly. Prices are on the higher side

this place is incredibly lovely. the atmosphere is so chic and classy, it makes for a great date night or brunch with friends.

I am writing this review strictly based off how amazing the Parisian Gnocchi was! 11/10 would HIGHLY Recommend! It was surely the highlight of my night. This is definitely a fine dining experience you should indulge in at least once. The servers are professional and super knowledgeable. I tried the Escargot (8/10), Steamed Mussels (7/10), and Roasted Monkfish (7/10). I also tried and loved two diff cocktails; cocktail #6 and a fortunate situation. Lovely drinks and they did not skimp on the liquor. The restaurant was following social distancing guidelines and I appreciated that. Overall I would recommend this for a date night, anniversary, or romantic night out. The ambiance is very cozy and indulging. read more

Absolutely delicious. Came here with my buddy to introduce him to more food and he was blown away also. We sat at the bar and the bartender serving us was awesome very friendly and caring. Unfortunately we never got his name. Would definitely visit again read more

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One of the strangest dining experiences I've ever had. Pros: The Owner / Chef, the busser and most of the staff were extremely friendly. Some of the food (Tasso Ham & Black Truffle Beignets & Roasted Monkfish) was absolutely fantastic. The cocktail composure / wine was great. Cons: The food was wildly inconsistent (Philly Style Clam Chowder had more sand in the clams than the AC Boardwalk, Parisian Gnocchi was mostly salt, Crab Imperial Stuffed Trout was cooked well but the crab meat was dry (sitting under the heat lamp?). Meal pacing was non-existent. We arrived 5 minutes before our reservation and ordered our drinks / full meal during our first server interaction. The drinks took 5 minutes to appear and the appetizers 35ish minutes (no one came by during this period we just sat with empty glasses) this somehow lead to the server trying to speed up the meal (Which given the current restrictions make sense BUT it was the kitchen's slow delivery of the food throughout the meal that extended the dining time.) The bad: Things fell apart while we were finishing the main course, everything up until this point was fine and honestly I would usually chalk it up to a place that's not for me. The server kept coming to the table. I assumed this was an attempt to make up for the choppiness at the beginning of the meal....how wrong I was. We ordered desert (Caramelized Plum Upside Down Cake...so bad) and two drinks. Our server inexplicably took the order and came right back with our drinks, no desert and the bill (which included the desert). When they came back we showed them on the bill that we were charged for the dessert. She didn't apologize just shrugged and said "you did order dessert" walking away while leaving the check on table. She came back with the dessert quickly but she could have said "Let me grab that" or literally anything so we weren't as confused. We paid the bill while eating desert and the total bill came out to $186 and we tipped $40. We ordered an Uber to head out (~6 minutes wait time) and the same server came to the table and began picking up dishes / cleaning. Out of normal decency we said we ordered the Uber and will be out of her way in a minute. She responded with "There's heat lamps outside for you to wait at, there's other people waiting for the table........" I'm fine with time limits on tables, I'm fine with mistakes on entering food or bringing them to to the table. It's unacceptable for every course to come out late, forget items but still charge for them and end it with "get out" when 99% of the mistakes were on the restaurant. read more

Truly an amazing find. Great drinks, great wine, and the food was excellent. Table had the duck, trout and scallops. Duck was so much more than it was quacked up to be -- may have been the best ever. The scallops were the best ever, and the trout was swimmingly prepared. Not the least expensive place in town, but worth every cent. Only consideration is Seth. A senior employee who claimed that he opened the restaurant -- seems a bit far fetched. Also had strong opinions about New Yorkers and customers in general. Gave us a check before the last drink was served. Not sure how our interactions with Seth changed my opinion about the dinner. Actually, I do know -- Seth and all the staff were funny and a bit snarky. Long live Forsythia! read more

Beautiful place to celebrate a graduation. Seth made us feel so special and appreciated. Highly recommend this delicious restaurant.

Food was fine. Not spectacular. Server was fine but a bit pretentious for a B- level establishment (this is no Michelin star restaurant) and definitely tried to upsell. Ambiance was fine. However, the general manager will be the single reason we will never return to this restaurant. She was sarcastic... rude... condescending... and absolutely could not have cared less about making our dining experience memorable. It was like she was barely tolerant of the fact that we were supporting the establishment that pays her salary. We were with another couple and neither wanted to make the other feel uncomfortable so we tolerated this inexcusable behavior. When we finished our meal, we all agreed we should have simply walked out after the first of several sarcastic comments from her. Our visit was our first and definitely our last! read more

Forsythia - Wine - Modern European Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Stopped by Forsythia for a drink before my reservation at Amada. Me and my friend sat at the bar and both ordered one drink each. The drinks were really good and the ambiance was nice. We were looking forward to making that our next outing for girls night. Three days later I randomly check my bank statement and see that I was charged $38.20, no big deal, I figured I paid for both drinks. I checked with my friend to be sure, she said we split the check and she was charged $20.60. I found my receipt and the total was $17.60 and I added a $2.00 tip for a total of $19.60. I was confused why I was charged $38.20, so I called the restaurant and emailed my receipt. The manager responded quickly but the explanation he provided regarding the overcharge was off putting. He stated the bartender "fat fingered" the tip amount incorrectly, instead of entering $2.00 he entered $20.60 as the tip amount??? I was issued a refund for $18.60, but I am still a little disgruntled. Unfortunately I do not think I will be visiting this restaurant again or recommending it to anyone. read more

Came here on Restaurant Week and am so glad I did! Everything was amazing! Loved the open kitchen so you can see the chefs while you wait for your food, and love the interior! For the food - everything was amazing! the truffle & ham hock beignets are delish, the roasted cauliflower was soooo good and the avocado cream just made it! Both my friend and I had the braised short rib and absolutely LOVED it! And the Profiterole was a great ending to a wonderful meal! Also, as someone from Levittown (where the chef is also from!) love that he named it Forsythia to pay homage to our hometown! Love the place, the food and the chef! read more

Atmosphere was wonderful, service was impeccable, wine was delicious. The focaccia with garlic butter was addictive. The oysters were incredibly fresh and the mignonette was bright. The Icelandic cod was... bland. Under Salted and lacking in any depth of flavor. That being said I would return for all of the aforementioned reasons and I'm excited to try a different dish the next time I go. One disappointment is not a reason to write off a restaurant altogether. read more

Take Out Review! My boyfriend and I decided to spice our night up and order in from a well reviewed restaurant. We chose Forsythia and the menu excited us to say the least. We ordered through a food delivery service and our order arrived quickly and with no issue. We chose a few things- Whole Roasted Hen of the Woods, Roasted Monkfish, Crab Imperial Stuffed Trout, Parisian Gnocchi, and the Steamed Muscles. Food came warm, could have been put in better insulated containers, but that is beside the point. We noticed sumac was used in a few dishes as well as on the butter. Great idea, but paired oddly. The Hen of the Woods came with an unidentified jam, the menu only saying "Smoked Ricotta, Madeira, Sumac. Also unsure of what aspect was Madeira, as I thought it was a region of Portugal but have never seen it on a menu, perhaps its referring to a wine product but this was a bit confusing. The smoked ricotta was somewhat overpowering. The airiness of the cheese was overpowered by the smoke flavor and seasoning of what I believe to be sumac. The mushroom was cooked well, but was delivered in a plastic container (like one for soup) so it became quite wet. The roasted monkfish was a great quality piece of fish, however it was under-seasoned and did not pair great with the sunchokes or shiitake, the Uni Beurre Blanc was nice, but overall the dish was not a hit. My boyfriend had the crab stuffed trout and thought it was done well, I tasted it and I agree. The meat was cooked well and it was paired nicely. Same goes for the gnocchi, although I did not try it all. We shared an order of the Steamed Muscles and thought they were fine, the meat was somewhat disturbed and opened, but this was not a big deal. They sent us two orders which was a bit confusing and unfortunately contributes to wasted food which makes me feel bad. I'm not sure if my standard for restaurants is higher being from NYC, but this seemed like the standard New American/ Modern European place to me. I would absolutely love to try it in house post covid, but until then I would give it around 3 stars. read more

Amazing food. Completely dedicated service. Seth was charming and didn't miss a beat anticipating our needs and making recommendations. Cocktails were delicious and original. The meal and service was wonderful before the pandemic. Nothing has changed. Just as special during pandemic. Forgot about the outside world for a few hours! The chef, bartender, and service are the best in Philly. Bravo! read more

Outstanding takeout tonight from master chef Chris Kearse. We enjoyed a very special dinner that makes these hard times so much better and was so enjoyable. We live close enough to have home delivery. Everything came right on time and was so beautifully presented and ready to eat. We started with the mushroom tartine and I had the pumpkin ravioli with short rib ragout on top that was absolutely to die for. I could have that every night of the week. My entrée was the yummy Bronzino and my DH had the duck. we both LOVED our dinners and are so pleased. Kudos and thanks to Chef Kearse. We hope to see you many more times when this is all over and be able to dine inside your beautiful restaurant, but in the meantime we are delighted to support you and thank you for the service you are providing to us and to your staff. read more

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Ok, I'm in the industry and on a rare Friday night off I took the wife to Chef Kearse's new spot. From the minute we got onto 95 I knew we were gonna be late, from the first call which received with a cheerful "no problem, see you when you get here!" to the gracious greeting by our server Brad's unique and awesome tableside manner, the GM and floor manager stopping by, Chef Kearse's personalizes birthday card to my wife (he spelled and accentuated her name Andrée correctly) to the special added touches amuse etc. WOW. I've cooked in some nice places and it's afforded me some vip treatment but the service here was, literally, in my humble opinion the best EVER. Not overbearing or stuffy, just like the food, it was like eating at a friend's house. I could see Chef Kearse looking over periodically to see our progress. His exec sous brought one of the courses to the table to introduce himself as well as the GM and floor manager. Now the food. I love what he does with fresh herbs in the non traditional escargot and the clams. The foie was smooth as silk with perfectly toasted brioche. The spaghetti chitarra with shrimp butter delicate but hearty. The tuna collar, an easy protein to screw up was cooked perfectly, charred yet moist. Kettle corn creme brûlée with just the right nuance of corn. And the tiered dessert assiette an elegant end to an amazing night. Brad I expect you to make sure there's chamomile next time Chef Kearse and his entire team back and front of house amazing. read more

Exceptional food, with great ambiance and service! Went here for my grandmother's birthday and we all could not have been more pleased with the experience. Will definitely be coming back read more

Order the Foie gras from their Canapé (extra small plate) menu, it's the best! I can just keep eating it till full. The tempura frog leg is pretty good too, so is the hen of the woods (which is grill mushroom with cream). The service is good too. Overall meets my expectation. read more

Awesome new spot in the middle of old city. Really nicely decorated and they didnt miss an inch. The bar is long with lots of seating and looks luxurious. All of the staff is very friendly and the owner walked around socializing with the guests. We tried a lot of the menu loving the short rib, duck and the scallops. I forget the name of the specialty cocktails but my wife said they were a little sweet but still good. Great restaurant with awesome service. Will come back! read more

Had a great time tonight for our anniversary. Food was delicious and so were the drinks. Our server Shilo made great wine pairings recommendations for our entrees and when we inquire about after dinner drinks she send someone (manager?) who knew more about them rather than giving a made up answer. Loved how small and personal the space felt. Would definitely recommend. Thank you! read more

Very good. Didn't have a bad bite. Chef was great and service was top notch. Well done

In mid-February 2020, my husband and I went to Forsythia for the first time and had one of the best meals of our lives. We ordered the roast chicken, hen of the woods mushrooms, and several other scrumptious, small plates. Forsythia soared to the top of our favorite restaurant list (quite the feat in Philadelphia's food scene). But before we could patronize them again...the pandemic hit. And our restaurant visits screeched to a halt. Fast-forward one year to Valentine's Day 2021. Forsythia was our first choice for the special dinner and we were excited to see that it was available for delivery through UberEats. We ordered our meal four days in advance, and then, thirty minutes before it was due to arrive, we received a notification from UberEats that our order had been canceled. Disappointed, we phoned Forsythia and explained the situation, hoping that we could order from them directly. We learned that Forsythia had blocked UberEats orders for the holiday, but somehow, ours had slipped through the cracks. The employee we spoke to was beyond kind, going so far as to offer us a takeout meal, free of charge. Upon arrival, we found a Valentine's themed four course dinner, complete with wine pairing and beautiful packaging. They refused to accept payment or even gratuity. This restaurant goes above and beyond in both product and customer care. We cannot wait to support this fabulous restaurant again in person--hopefully very soon! read more

Overall, the food was very tasty and creative. Loved the agnolotti app and the sweet breads were great! Only reason it is not getting 5 stars is because every dish was very heavy and it didn't seem like any of their dishes offered were lighter. We left feeling overly full. read more

Forsythia - Modern European Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Beautiful interior, great staff, food was beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Mussels could use a bit more kick to it!

All i can say is WOW. Chef Kearse has really outdone himself with this beautiful new restaurant. My friends and I ordered 2/3 of the menu and loved every bite from start to finish. Some real winners were the Wagyu carpaccio, beignets, panisse, foie gras, rohan duck, corn agnolotti, chocolate bouchon, pavlova, tuna collar, petit four tower... Everything! Well done all around. read more

I never ever leave bad reviews. And I think the lowest review I have ever left up until this point was a 3 star review but I had to come and review this place. I truly had a horrible experience. My waiter was incredibly rude the whole entire night to the point that I think she tried to be rude. I will say the presentation of the food was very pretty but the taste wasn't great at all. I was super duper excited to go here as the photos of the food looked amazing. But the taste was often too overpowering in the worst way. There is such an amazing food scene in philly and I highly highly recommend trying a different great Resturant instead read more

We decided to try Forsythia for our wedding anniversary dinner since we never had a chance to experience Will before it closed (same chef), and boy were we impressed. We snagged a later (the last) dinner reservation on a Saturday evening in October. We were greeted with complimentary glasses of bubbly to start while we looked over the menu. Our server happily suggested a few options of red that he felt would go with most of the food items we were looking to try. We were not disappointed. Each course also came with a complimentary dish for us to try in addition to what we ordered. The portions were perfectly sized for two of us to share. Everything was delicious and we left perfectly full. Highly recommend! read more

I came here for my best friend's birthday ... Forsythia went above & beyond to make her feel special. The food and drinks were exquisite, the vibe was cozy and cool, and the service was impeccable. Every restaurant in Philly should aspire to these standards. read more

Forsythia offers creative, delicious food in an elegantly modern setting. The corn and truffle beignets, duck breast, and chocolate mousse were all great. They also have really good wines by the glass. Service was friendly and attentive. All-in-all a great meal. read more

Fabulous!! I came in with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday and we had such a wonderful experience! We all shared about ten different plates as well as two desserts and each dish was more delightful than the next! We had excellent service and the cocktails were absolutely next level! Can't wait to come back and try every seasonal change to their menu! read more

Beautifully designed restaurant, friendly staff and overall great food! We had one main issue: Since all the plates are "made to share," we asked about sizing, etc. I felt that our server recommended that we order way more plates that we really needed. (We could have easily been perfectly fine with three fewer dishes). On the positive side, we had a lot of leftovers, but we really didn't need all that food. I would definitely return, but will be more aware of the plate sizes next time. read more

Delighted to have discovered this new addition to the Old City neighborhood, lured in by the sexy interior as viewed through the open French doors to the sidewalk, emitting a beautiful glow and sultry music. My visit was just for a glass of wine, and my French Pinot Noir was delicious and well priced. Can't wait to come back for dinner because everything sounded and looked great. Excellent decor, it works really well read more

Forsythia - Breezy refreshing interior - well done - Modern European Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

One of the nicest interiors it felt so cozy and the food was amazing. Just go here. 10/5 lol

My girlfriend and I dined at forsythia this morning for my girlfriend's first ever mother's Day. Our server, Bennett was absolutely amazing. He made us feel like we were part of his family. Now getting to the food, I've been in Philadelphia for 10 years and this restaurant is without a doubt the best restaurant that I've been to in philadelphia, and I've been to pretty much every single restaurant in this city and that's no exaggeration. This food was second to none. Chef Chris, who happens to own the restaurant despite his talents and without a doubt being one of the best chefs in the city of Philadelphia is probably one of the nicest human beings that I've ever met in my entire life. All I did was ask a simple question about his pizza oven and he took it upon himself to invite me into the kitchen to show me the pizza oven and tell me all about everything else in the kitchen and the history of the restaurant. His talents surpass any chef that I've worked with in the industry in the past 30 years that I've been in it. Thank you so much for Cynthia for a wonderful brunch and making it so special for the love of my life. read more

Had an absolutely fabulous dinner. Greeted by very personable hostess. Sat at the bar for appetizers and drinks before dinner. We ordered all of the appetizers offered for happy hour. Did not disappoint. Everything was delicious and different. The wait staff explains everything so you know exactly what you are eating. We then moved on to dinner. All great but my dinner companion let me taste his chicken dish. It was so moist and tender it was a revelation. I highly recommend this restaurant if you to be a little adventurous. read more