26 North BYOB

So good to have this place in the neighborhood!
Appetizers were pretty nice. Skate wing was great and the other members of the party had the steak and loved it as well.
Very nice setting and comfortable seating.
We brought an old bottle of wine and they offered a decanter.
Great new gem in the neighborhood!

I don’t know what a skate even is or why it has wings but it is legit. Go get it! Or don’t and leave it for other people. The bread is the only downside at this lovely neighborhood restaurant. I don’t think they make it in house, and if they do, maybe they need a new baker. I could just be spoiled but it’s hard to impress when High Street and Fork are so close by. The calamari and the octopus are also amazing. Barely had room for dessert but the panna cotta is a nice finish with the unusual garnish of grapefruit and pistachio. Thanks to the BYOB, it’s affordable. Definitely want to go back and try that lunch menu.

Stopprd by for dessert takeout. Chocolate hazelnut torte was disappointi. Too heavy, basically tasted like layers of mediocre fudge. Would not recommend.

Had a awesome experience here. The service was great. Walked in to be immediately greeted. Hosted was just full of smiles and really brought personality to the place. Server was also delightful. We shared the scallops appetizer and every bite was so fresh. I had the tuna entrée and it was perfectly cooked (rare). My gf ordered the stripped bass, it was perfectly cooked. Nice balance of heat, crunch & creaminess. Only suggestion is warm up your bread. It just doesn’t make sense to place cold bread on a table. Should always be warm. Makes it easy to eat and break. Overall, great place will be going again!

Unlike everyone else on Unilocal,I’m not going to pretend to be some expert seafood critic. I simply know what I like and what I don’t like. To that extent, myself, as well as all the other members of my group, thoroughly enjoyed 26 North. To put it shortly, the dishes were well thought out, tasted extremely fresh and well priced. Major plus to the fact that it’s a BYOB, something Old City seems to lack.
As for the service, I don’t remember the name of our server, but she couldn’t have been friendlier and more accommodating. Perhaps we just came on a good night but I feel that it’s worth noting.

How have I not heard of this place up until now? It sits right on North 3^rd, across from the outlet of Church Street (steps from my office, I need to be a better observer.)
Came for lunch with a better informed friend. Did not bring alcohol, but the bill was quite reasonable for lack of cocktails or wine.
We split two lunch entrees — the seared tuna tacos and the eggplant panini. Tuna on the taco was perfectly (and not over) done, toppings were light and lovely. Eggplant sandwich was heavier, with ham and cheese and dense and buttery panini pressed ciabatta. Both I’d get again. Fries were a nice touch, but pretty standard.
Server was helpful and kind, and split our plates for us so we had courses. Strange lack of music and being there at the tail end of the lunch shift meant we felt a little rushed (server was not at all rude, just the vibe in general).
Moral of the story — come here, tell your friends, bring your coworkers and bring some wine!

Don’t waste anytime; get over to 26 North as soon as you can!
We enjoyed an amazing dinner here last night and I can’t say enough good things about the experience. Our server, Kim, was super sweet and attentive. The décor and ambiance were rustic and cozy. The food was FANTASTIC!
We started with the octopus, cooked to perfection, and the Sicilian calamari. I’m pretty sure I could have eaten an entire mixing bowl of that calamari. My boyfriend had the striped bass for his entrée and I had the skate wing (apparently a signature dish at Little Fish) and let’s just say every plate from start to finish was cleared.
Everything was prepared carefully and the flavor profiles were simple and sophisticated. I couldn’t recommend trying this place out more!

This new restaurant was almost great. Everything we ordered was really good. The mussels, kale salad, bass, mahi mahi and desserts were interesting and well prepared and the portion size… just right. The onion soup was a bit disappointing but overall the quality of the food and the very pleasing ambience made this a «go back» place.
So I wonder why, having paid so much attention to food and setting, the owner would have paid so little attention to staffing it?
I hope this issue gets addressed because this restaurant could really shine.

Having a wife that is a pescatarian can sometimes be a challenge in the smaller BYOB’s, so having one that is seafood heavy is a great thing for us. Chef Stollenwerk hit this one out of the park. We had the Crab Cake and Octopus appetizers, and the Striped Bass and Skate for our main entrée. All the food was prepared perfectly. The Crab Cake had a good amount of lump crab meat. The Octopus was cooked perfectly, so many places tend to mess this dish up and make it too rubbery. All the dishes were well seasoned. We were very happy overall with our meal. It’s great to see the Old City are being revitalized these days.

The food, service, and ambiance was amazing. I highly recommend the scallops, kale salad and the panna cotta! And it’s BYOB!!! We got so much food without doing hardly any damage.

My husband and I enjoyed our date night at 26 North on Saturday. For a BYO, the restaurant is surprisingly big and has a gorgeous bar in the middle that is currently being used as a prep area for starters and desserts. I was really into the vibe and I think it would be a fun place to go with friends as well.
The bread service is on point. The bread was soft and dense, and was served with some marinated chickpeas, a delicious garlic pesto olive oil, and some butter with sea salt.
I started with the crab cake, served in shellfish butter over marinated artichokes. It was very nice, with very little (if any) filler, though there were a few bits of shell. Next up, I had the tuna, which was seared and served over mushrooms and Chinese broccoli, with a thick black garlic sauce on the plate. This dish was simple and delicious. I was very happy with my pick.
We skipped dessert but there were several that caught my eye on their way past our table. Definitely putting this one near the top of my list of BYOs to get back to sooner than later.

A group of us came here after hitting the spa a few doors down to continue the indulgences of a girls spa day. We did not have reservations but thankfully the spa owner walked us over and we were giving a table right away for lunch.
The space itself is very aesthetically pleasing with brick walls, dark wood tables and dim lighting. It is a great place to grab a casual lunch and can easily become a romantic dinner for two. Although the menu is not very long, it had great options. We decided to order a few different things in order to get a taste for the place. As the food was being prepared we also popped a few bottles to get the juices flowing.
We started off with the curry mussels, which I was the MOST apprehensive about but ended up being my absolute favorite! It was a seemingly small plate of mussles in this AMAZING coconut, cilantro curry sauce. As someone who can not let good sauce go to waste, I asked our server for some dipping bread and she was so confused. Apparently there was a shortage of bread and she never came back with any.
By this point our other plates had arrived, I was going halfsies (splliting) a Frieda burger and a Crab cake burger with a friend. The crab cake burger was a million times better, it was packed with crab and very little filler. What was even better was this aioli sauce that came with it. The Frieda burger was good, but not great, the beer cheese wasn’t what I was expecting and didn’t add much of anything but grease to the plate. Although I do like my burger well done, this was a bit overcooked and dry.
Now, I really wish I could give this place a perfect review, but considering we were basically the only people at teh restaurant except one other two person table, the service really lacked. Our table was given either wine or water glasses, which is odd, considering most places you get both, she seemed annoyed to have to get more glasses to our table. Then there was this super odd ketchup issue… we all had fries with our burgers and for six people were given a tiny 3 oz ketchup bottle to share (it was the size of my thumb). When we asked for more, she gave us one more tiny bottle! Add that to the odd bread shortage, and it just seemed unnecessary to not accomadate us.
Overall, the food was great, ambiance was good, too — if they could just accomadate small requests from guests that would make this an easy 5 star review.

Great food, super environment, reservation was recognized on time! I appreciated the healthy food selections.
Definitely recommend.

I’m blown away. I went for dinner last night and we had the perfect experience from start to finish. We were waiting for a third friend, who ended up getting stuck at work, and they were so patient. They just kept bringing over more bread– thank you! We ordered the mahi mahi and the wing skate. Both dishes were fantastic– perfectly cooked, seasoned, and with a great mix of textures on the plate. The wing skate was my favorite. I can’t stop talking about it. The restaurant itself is decorated to perfection– exposed brick, industrial lighting, so hip and modern. I want them to come decorate my house. A fantastic BYO, although definitely a little pricey. I will be back and would definitely recommend to a friend!

I was there last night. LOVED it. The atmosphere is quite wonderful and very fitting with Old City with exposed brick. I really really like the bar for eating. It is great for a couple or a single who wants a great dinner but doesn’t take up a booth or larger table. I expect there are plenty of singles who might like a way to eat dinner without sitting solo at a regular table.
On to the food — –I had the Portuguese soup. Server said it had some kick to it. That kick was super subtle which suits me. Since our group had apps at home I wasn’t super duper hungry so had the grilled octopus for my main course. I often have two apps. The server didn’t snarl at me ordering an app for my entrée. The octopus was delish. I will definitely come back since I am in the ‘hood. I recommend this for all fish lovers. Hubby loved his dish as well.

The selection at this restaurant is limited however the two entrees that we had were delicious. We had the Skate Wing and Pastrami Spiced Mahi Mahi both were cooked perfectly and the portion was just enough. My only dislike was that there were no sides to the entrees it was just the meat. The price of the entrees are a little high but for seafood I guess it is reasonable. The restaurant itself had a very rustic feel which made the dinning experience.

My partner and I ate there last nite and overall it was slightly above average. Ambience was nice and the place had a very nice atmosphere. We each had baby kale salad which was ok, but nothing special… had to hunt to find the blue cheese. Talulah’s has GREAT salads! For the entrée, my partner had the striper in a tomato sauce which was overall excellent– nicely cooked and seasoned. Bit strange however the fish was laid on top of open clams …
I had the pastrami mahi mahi which was below average. Nowhere on the menu or did the server hint how spicy it would be. Too nice a piece of fish to kill with so much spice. Just needed a bit of salt and pepper and a scalding hot fry pan!
We will try the restaurant again, but not in a rush.

I’m going to round up my review, since Unilocal doesn’t allow 4.5 stars. My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary dinner, made reservations about a month in advance and had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. Given the fact that they opened merely a few weeks ago, I was very impressed with the service and the food. We started with the salmon belly and mussel appetizer. My boyfriend and I loved the mussels so much that we started slurping the sauce down with our spoons until we cleaned the bowl. For our entrees, we had the mahi mahi and skate. The skate was my favorite dish with a crispy top and a buttery simple taste and a nice relish on top.
The ambiance, service, and food at this new restaurant in old city is a gem for the area and frankly, should have been added to the area a long time ago. Amongst mostly loud bars and clubs, 26 North is a local favorite that I will definitely go back to. My only critique was the wait prior to being seated with a reservation.

It’s nice to have a fresh option when it comes to BYOBs. The regular suspects get old at times, and going to a modern new hotspot with a special chef is just what Philly ordered.
While we had to wait about 5 minutes at the hostess stand for anyone to notice us (7:30p on a Monday night, approximately 8 customers in the restaurant), I enjoyed my meal at 26 North very much. Did it knock my socks off? Nah. But definitely solid.
Thai style mussels and Sicilian style calamari (flash fried, not breaded, insanely tender) were great to start. The calamari comes with pastini and could actually be eaten as an entrée if you were looking for something light. Zack got the pastrami Mahi Mahi, which is unique idea but the flavoring was quite mild. I tried skate wing for the first time (that’s what Mike Stollenwerk is known for, right?) and enjoyed the parmesan truffle broth and texture. Kind of like a very sturdy whitefish. Our server described it like lobster, but I didn’t really vibe with that comparison. Very good sized portions all around.
December 21 and all sugared out. We skipped dessert.
While I’m not dying for a return visit, I would absolutely come here again. The atmosphere and décor is super trendy (would be great for a girls night out or birthday dinner!).
Two apps + two entrees, tax + tip = $ 100
Note: they serve you bread one piece at a time here, with tongs, despite the fact that they offer up a nice hunk of butter and pesto oil to start. Let’s skip the niceties and give us a breadbasket, yeah?

Ladies and gentleman… the skate wing is BACK!
After Fish closed a few years back, my husband and I have felt a small void in our life which we refer to as… the skate wing void. As one of our favorite dishes in Philly, when we read about Stollenwerk’s return AND the fact that the menu would have some of his classics aka THE skate wing, we couldn’t get there fast enough and thankfully were not disappointed at all.
When walking in, it’s clear that they are still working out some kinks with their service. It took a little while to get us seated, get things rolling and even to get some food but this was week two for them so I have complete faith that will be worked out. I will say all of our service came with a smile and friendly attitude.
I should also mention that the space is very cool. Exposed brick and reclaimed wood tables, etc. Really nice.
On to the food.
We started with the Salmon belly, crab cake and scallops. The standouts were absolutely the belly and the scallops and for me the belly was the best. I loved the combination of flavors having a citrus crema, pickled fennel, pumpernickel crisps, and little chick peas. It was heaven. The scallops were also delicious having a perfect char and a wonderful combination of currant flavors and cauliflower purée. The crab cake was good… it was just a little bit dry for our liking.
Onto the main dish… Obviously I got the skate wing and yes it was everything I remembered and more. The parm broth is served tableside which helps to keep the skate nice and seared. The truffled speatzle had a great sauté on the outside. It added a great texture. I believe the melted leeks were an addition and a wonderful one at that. I highlight recommend this!
Welcome back Mike Stollenwerk! Boy has Philly missed you.