Friday Saturday Sunday

Shame they’re closing, TANK BAR will be missed. Dean @that bar is professional, personable — we’d follow him or stay if he’s @ new incarnation. Bar snacks good

VERY good! The best pork chop I’ve ever had. Thick, tender and delicious! You can barely see this place from the street. You go in and go upstairs. It’s a very nice place. Great service. Awesome food and drinks. Hubs and I had a great time. Definitely worth a visit!

I just read about the sale of Fri Sat Sun. Really an admirer of this place. I began going there in the mid 70’s and have returned infrequently but regularly over the years.
It is a part of Philly restaurant history for sure and the fact that Mr Lilly has been able to manage through all that is required to run a restaurant for over 40 years is worth a big nod and a thank you. For all the great meals that have been served and the memories, I thank you.

Went there on double date with friends. Atmosphere very cozy and private. Everything was great, service, drinks, and food!

Service was slow but that could just have been attributed to the fact that there were only two waitresses that evening.
On another note, the three stars is for the food and ambiance. I ordered the ravioli because I was hungry, but only got 4 raviolis (sp?) on a small plate with basic tomato sauce. At $ 22, neither my wallet nor my tummy were happy. Finished my plate in five minutes and started picking at my husband’s full plate of roast duck and mashed potatoes. Yum! Should’ve spent the extra $ 4.
Ambiance: it seems the restaurant is trying for that intimate, gentle chatter, low light, soft music type of setting. But what happens is that the acoustics of the room don’t allow that. (Note here we sat on the first floor, so I can’t speak for the second floor). Rather, what you get is a dimly lit room, with music so low you have to strain to hear it. Other guest’s chatter is annoyingly loud enough that I can hear what the couple two tables down is saying. Definitely not romantic.
I had hopes for this place since it came recommended. If you’re interested, try it out. I did, once, and probably won’t be heading back anytime soon.

We came for dinner, having made a reservation from 6:30 — 8:30 for a party of 10, and, while the food was decent, the service was sub-​par. I’ll review the dishes first:
1. seafood farro salad with shrimp, lump crabmeat, and calamari: very good with plenty of tender calamari, crabmeat, and shrimp in a slightly spicy chili oil vinaigrette
2. cream of mushroom soup: okay but a bit on the bland side and I had to add salt
3. Caesar salad: pretty standard version
4. roasted fingerling salad with watercress and bacon: the potatoes were great but the bacon was very salty. I should also note that they forgot to bring the bacon, as well. The crème fraîche dressing was very good, though.
5. mushroom ragout: extremely salty although I did like the crispy polenta
6. grilled salmon: I ordered mine rare and it came out medium. However, the couscous was solid and I liked the crème fraîche drizzle.
7. roasted pork medallions: tender although they were very salty
8. chicken dijon: very good with a light, crispy battering and tender meat
9. butternut squash ravioli: tender pasta in a sage butter sauce. Savory and decadent
10. grilled fillet mignon: solid with a nice, rich Bordelaise sauce although their meats always tend to come out well.
The food however took 45 minutes to come out and our server actually refused to serve us dessert, asking us to move to the bar. Drastic logistics issues, for sure, and I felt that this could have been communicated to us in a much better manner. I should also note that while they did not have room to accommodate us for dessert, it DID take them over 15 minutes to bring us our check… Food is a 3 but service is a 1.

Reminds me of an old curry house or hookah bar. Fabric hanging from the ceiling and Christmas lights serve as the backdrop. It is cozy, and a great spot to catch up with friends. The service was great. The food was anything but memorable. Disappointed with the mussels, lacking the strong flavors I was expecting. They were served with a crostini that was slathered in mayonnaise. Not good. My husband ordered the lamb. It was tough and served with undercooked lentils. For dessert they boast a superior Jewish apple cake. I was underwhelmed. I have had better Jewish apple cake from a supermarket bakery. Maybe I was just let down because of the hype surrounding this place… I was told from a friend that he had the best meal of his life here. Maybe I just ordered the wrong things.

I wish I could give this place a 10!
I admit that I am a food diva when I dine out. Friday Saturday Sunday surpass my expectations every time I visit. By far my choice of top restaurant in Philadelphia.

Amazing food! We’ve passed by this place so many times, but don’t go on its unassuming exterior. Was pleasantly surprised with how crowded the place was for dinner.
Cozy ambience, great service and suberb food!
First course: Mushroom soup, and you can actually taste the shrooms in there. 5 stars
Second course: Mushroom ragout, the waiter said it was the best thing on their menu, but I’d beg to differ. 2 stars at most. Hubby had the pâté though, and it was delicious.
Entrée: Pan seared duck breast, soft, moist, perfectly cooked, served with roasted root veggies and mashed potatoes. 10 stars if I could give it that!
Dessert: Tiramisu, just perfect. 4 stars.
We will definitely be back again.

The mushroom soup was actually awesome. It’s true. Not good enough to outweigh the meh quality of the rest of the food, and the almost comically rude service.
I was going to write about the «staff» but that’s not fair — it was really just one server who really ruined this, and did so right off the bat. The food was fine, not worth the price or the aggravation. Won’t be back, wouldn’t recommend.

It can’t be a good sign when you look at reviews that you need to write and you go, «Friday Saturday Sunday… what the hell is that?» It took me a while (and a talk with the Mrs) to remember that I WAS indeed here. We went for restaurant week, so your mileage my vary for a regular dinner outing, but mine was as follows: upon arriving, I remember I was given the dirtiest look from the waitress because while waiting to be seated, I asked where the bathroom was. I guess she thought I just stumbled in off the street to use the facilities, but still. The bathroom, by the way, SMELLED like it had been used by numerous people just stumbling in off the streets to use the facilities. It smelled like the subway. Sat down and began the meal. Ordering off the restaurant week menu, we went with chicken liver pâté on crustinis (his), mushroom soup (hers), braised shortribs (his), mac and cheese (hers), and a variety of desserts that I don’t fully remember because I’m not big on dessert anyway, and the one I ordered ran out so they brought me a replacement (cheesecake, I think). I remember that I wasn’t terribly impressed with anything; from the food to the service, as most of the servers were a bit gruff and replete with resting bitch face. I have noticed that restaurant week brings out the worst in participating restaurants, which makes me wonder why the hell places keep participating in the first place. If I think back on it, 90% of my unpleasant experiences have been during restaurant week… but I digress. After dinner, we decided to go upstairs to see this Tank Bar that everyone was hyping up, and I expected to see some massive aquarium, full of tiny sharks and angelfish or whatever. What I got was a damn fishbowl. It was a tiny fish tank, at a tiny bar, in a TINY room. We walked up, made one lap and immediately left.
I wasn’t angry about my meal, but I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon to try it again.

Friday Saturday Sunday WAS one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The first time I went was about a year ago. Everything was fantastic — I would totally rave about this place to everyone. But then we went again to celebrate my birthday a few weeks ago with some friends and it just wasn’t what it used to be. What change? Everything was a bit flat. The cream of mushroom was extremely watery. Yes, I know it’s soup but it was as if there was not enough cream in it? Does that many any sense? More like a mushroom soup not a cream of mushroom soup.
I also had a sampling of a bunch of entrees and it was just okay. Whether it was not salty enough, overcooked… etc.
I almost felt like I lost my credibility in restaurant suggestions! Anyway, I will be giving them another try because I have faith in them and hope it was just a bad night.

I’ve been coming here about once a year for a very long time, usually sitting upstairs at the cozy but very small, cramped bar with a low ceiling, so low that you can hear everyone’s conversation even at whisper volume. The bartender upstairs is always very helpful and attentive, eager to be of service to his patrons.
Dining upstairs is usually a highlight of my visit, comfortable, warm, and inviting. But this night they were only serving downstairs in the least attractive section of this two story, corner, neighborhood place. After it took a bunch of minutes, no exaggeration, for the hostess to appear and that after we walked upstairs and down and stood uncomfortably in the corner waiting for her, we were seated.
The specials crammed on a blackboard high on the wall had to be read to us. The soups and salads we ordered were a tad better than average. The mushroom soup was kinda thin, and the salads had a mediocre amount of stuff in them.
The price for one drink each, one soup each and one salad each with tip? $ 85. So much for a light night out at a neighborhood joint.

Friday Saturday Sunday was completely not what I expected from the recommendation of my friend. I’ve had this place on my list for a while, and when I saw it was participating in restaurant week, I made a reservation with my favorite restaurant week buddy right away. Apparently this place has been around for over 40 years (if you can’t tell by the, let’s call it interesting, décor). I arrived earlier than my friend, so I grabbed a seat upstairs at the «tank bar.» I’m guessing so called due to the tropical fish tank in its center. There are three beers on tap (and always an IPA). The bartender was appropriately attentive.
When my friend arrived, I went back downstairs for seating. After a few harried moments (including one where a party with a reservation 30 minutes after ours was seated before us), the hostess sat us at our table for two. We both checked out the restaurant week menu, but the siren song of the full menu caught our attention. I started with the cream of mushroom soup and ordered the chicken dijon for my entrée. My dining companion ordered the duck breast (cooked to medium rare). We were served bread and butter while we waited for our appetizers.
The cream of mushroom soup was very rich and indulgent and full of actual pieces of mushroom. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The portion size was large and I wished I saved myself some of the bread!
The chicken dijon is described as pan-​fried, and fried it is. It came on a bed of mashed potatoes with a side of well-​roasted vegetables and no shortage of the dijon sauce. The chicken was juicy, the breading was light, and the sauce was amazing. This was my favorite part of the meal.
My friend ordered the duck, which also came with mashed potatoes and a much smaller provision of berry sauce than my serving of the dijon. i thought the duck was good and well-​cooked. However, I found it a bit bland. Of course, this may be because by the time I tried it, my friend was out of sauce.
For dessert, we split the bread pudding, which is three small slices of the pudding with a vanilla sauce. It went well with the port we got to accompany our last dish.

I love this place … having been here many times, I can confirm all those positive reviews, especially about the romantic atmosphere and ambiance. So much so that I proposed to my girlfriend here. (Yes, she accepted!) Add in the hugely popular menu and attentive servers — the «tank bar» alone is worth a visit. A great date restaurant indeed, but often I see groups of families and friends dining here. Somewhat of a historic site, too, as one of the original Philadelphia Restaurant Renaissance places — there’s a reason why this restaurant has survived over the years when so many have not.
Another thing I love about FSS is that they have hosted Dining Out for Life beginning in its first year– and it’s now been 24 years! On Thursday, April 24, 2014, they’ll be donating 33% of your food bill to support local HIV/​AIDS services. I’ll be there as an Ambassador representing ActionAIDS. Please come out and join us for a great meal in support of an important cause!

What a gem for date night! Came here a while back and never had the chance to write up a review. It’s VERY charming and cozy inside (it is somewhat narrow and the tables are pretty close together) with an equally romantic and intimate atmosphere. The service was excellent — you can tell the staff members really love their restaurant.
We started off with the mussels, which came in a delicious white wine broth. We were obsessed with the grilled French bread and the garlic aioli that came on the side. Really rich and creamy.
The homemade butternut squash ravioli was delicious, but it is meant to be a sweet dish — if you’re like me and prefer salty, savory flavors for your entrée, I would recommend ordering something else.
I had the pork tenderloin for my entrée and it was cooked PERFECTLY. They give you a generous portion and I was stuffed by the end of my meal.
If you’re looking for a place to bring somebody special, I would highly recommend FSS!

It took me ages to remember the name of this restaurant off the Square. Affectionatly nicknamed ‘Weekends’, I had come here on a date several years ago and remembered to take friends (or, actual people I liked) on subsequent visits.
Although it’s been a very long time, I recall it being very tiny, but we always managed to find ourselves a table. We were closely tucked in to each other and other diners, but not overly intrusive (like Mr. Chow out in LA). I always ordered the chicken dijon, which I thought was served with rice, but seems to be potatoes now. Even though I tried other items off of fellow diners plates, this would be my consistent go-​to dish.
If I ever wanted to escape the flashy Starr establishments of the city, Friday Saturday Sunday would be my getaway destination.

Friday Saturday Sunday has a nice old-​fashioned home-​like feel. It is small, the lighting is quite low for dinner, and a neon billboard showcases the daily specials and desserts. We came here on a Friday for Restaurant Week. I tried:
Cream of Mushroom Soup — 4 stars — mushrooms, chicken broth, cognac & cream — perfect for the cold night — (
)
Horseradish-​Panko Crusted Tilapia with cilantro-​lime beurre blanc — 3 stars — this dish was good but not spectacular — (
)
Dessert — fruit tart — 4.5 stars. (
) Dessert was unexpectedly the highlight here. Some of the other choices (cheesecake, banana pudding, are also quite good).
The service was generally attentive. However, when I asked for hot water the waiter seemed quite disappointed and was kind of rude. «That’s it?!? You only want HOT water?» Given the temperature outside, I didn’t feel that the request was unreasonable, although he probably would have preferred that I ordered a beverage (tea) so he could have charged for it. Overall, the cost was ~$ 45 /​person for Restaurant Week after tax and tip. They definitely make an effort with the food and service here, but the soup and main course seemed more like items one could whip up at home, and not quite up to par with other Restaurant Week restaurants.

People are obviously enthusiastic about this establishment, and rightly so. They’ve really been around for an ungodly amount of years. What other restaurant in the area can you say is 30 years old? We talk about the Philadelphia dining scene in single digits, for the most part.
The place is literally a block from my apartment, and I honestly didn’t know it was there until I walked a different way home one day. Its tiny and unassuming, on the corner of Rittenhouse Sq (the actual road) and 21^st. It blends in with all of the other old row homes.
We walked in on a Friday night around 7:30 expecting to able to sit right away-​it was one of those nights, go somewhere semi casual where we won’t have to wait. I have to say I am fairly sure we got lucky because when we walked in with out request for a table for 2 upstairs the response was, «well, if you have a reservation.» The host was gracious enough to check for us and then give us a detailed outline of a potential wait-​which wouldn’t have been too bad, but then told us there was a bar table available. That was out bad, I should’ve been more clear-​the more causal the better-​and so we sat at a perfect little corner table upstairs near the bar. The bar with the huge fish tank.
The first thing my boyfriend said was that the place reminded him of a European café, maybe something you’d find in Amsterdam. Really tight, low ceilings, no fancy or designer décor. I have to say that resonated with me-​I feel like I was transported back to my trip the the Netherlands. The tiny corner table was just what we wanted.
If you sit at the bar, you order from the bartender. Though he was busy, he was very friendly and accommodating to us. We ordered our food and couple glasses of house wine to start. Being beer drinkers (snobs), I would say that we skipped the 3 taps for lack of excitement. I guess this isn’t a place that fits in with the typical Philly craft beer scene-​though, they were here first so I’ll let them have it.
The food came out and we were blown away by the mussels, probably the best I’ve every had. Yes actually, ever. I am pretty sure because they were cooked in mostly butter. But duh, butter. We also shared grilled veggies and the fish special of the day which was a cod with «Mediterranean sauce.» The veggies were up my alley-​not all the typical grilled veggies you’d assume but included fennel and sweet potato. The fish-​not so exciting. It tasted «healthy,» and what I mean by that is a little bland.
We enjoyed our food, a perfect amount of food for two people, and chatted with some locals. The couple next to use raved that this was their favorite restaurant that they’d been frequenting for 12 years-​and they lived across town. Try the mushroom soup! They said. Next time… next time. Honestly, I would come back here, but probably only under the same circumstances of relaxed/​casual bar table in the cozy little corner near the fish tank. I don’t see this place as being somewhere I’d take someone I’d want to «impress» with the Philly food scene, but someone I actually want to talk to an enjoy a casual meal out with.

Had the BEST experience at Friday Saturday Sunday last night (or as my mom mistakenly called it: Thursday Friday Saturday).
It took me a long time to decide where to go for my graduation dinner (didn’t want something too expensive for my frugal family who rarely goes out in the city, but wanted something nice enough/​delicious for them to enjoy it –but not too crazy, and wanted a new place for me to try and enjoy). So glad I settled on this place. It was perfect.
The service was AMAZING. The waiter had noticed my note on Opentable that this was a grad dinner and when it came to pouring the champagne (you can BYOB one bottle for a $ 10 corkage fee) he asked for the graduate first, even brought me back the cork as a souvenir, AND put a candle in my key lime pie. He also basically is best friends with my mom now, after she asked him to rank and analyze every dessert on the menu, and this turned into a 20 minute debacle.
Décor/​atmosphere was adorable, intimate, and perfect for the occasion. The mirrors and Christmas lights are adorable. Tables were separated enough that we were able to laugh, cry, and enjoy our meal without disturbing others.
The food was also spectacular, especially the Rack of Lamb (perfectly tender, juicy, and crispy outside) and the Caribbean Sweet Potato Bisque they have right now. The Cream of Mushroom soup was reaallly mushroom-​y, you better love mushrooms to order it. The Ahi Tuna salad was very good but the wasabi dressing will really clear out your sinuses: get ready. Calamari salad: YUM, but grilled, not fried, which I like, but not everyone does. Smoked Fish trio was great, and so was the duck. Portions were ample but not overwhelming. The key lime pie got devoured as if we weren’t already stuffed, SO GOOD.
Great spot, highly recommend for special occasion, family dinner, or date!