R2L

We went to R2L last night to enjoy nice cocktails with friends and we were extremely disappointed with the drinks and service we received. We spent $ 150 on the worst cocktails we’ve had in awhile, and our cocktail waitress was rude and condescending when I politely sent my drink back. When she came back with my new drink (an old fashion), it was as bad as the first. Finally I just ordered a beer… figured they couldn’t screw that up. This place has a nice view, but the bartenders have no clue how to make proper cocktails and they charge a ridiculous amount for these drinks. None of us will be going back.

My boyfriend and I had an amazing experience here during CCD Restaurant Week. I’d give 5 stars for the atmosphere alone, but the food and service solidified my rating. I had the salmon frites and he had the beef medallions from the restaurant week menu. The presentation on the desserts was fabulous as well! Definitely want to make a habit of enjoying the views at the bar during happy hour.

Super friendly staff. It was my friend’s bday and Chris, our waiter was beyond nice.
We went a little earlier than our reservation time and were seated immediately. Though we only sat in the middle, it was still nice.
A seat by the Windows would have made the experience that much more enjoyable… We went during restaurant week and the menu was OK. Got the filet and salmon, both not bad. The other options were so so. Don’t know if I’d go back, maybe just for drinks and bar menu.
Actual sit down dinner not completely worth it. But overall, enjoyable experience!

R2L is just okay. If you go for the food you will likely be disappointed. For the price you are paying more for the rent than the chef. The service is great and the view is really great and you can see the city from the lounge better than most tables anyway so skip dinner and just get a drink.

We were lucky enough to pick R2L during restaurant week. What a great gustatory experience! Such different and exotic food parings! Our waiter Matthew could not have been more attentive. Will definitely be watching for more from this great restaurant with beautiful views of Philadelphia!

The atmosphere was very pleasing, presentation and taste of the food was OK, not all that. Ive eaten better in tower restaurants with views, way cheaper. My bill was $ 120 for 2 drinks and 2 plates of food 2 adults. Drinks range from $ 14 and up, food LOL jus go to website for prices, so overpriced to say the least. Not a huge menu, but offering something for adults, not kid friendly. Martini’s were tasty, not watered down. The shop was both clean and tidy, not alot of seating make reservations. The hostess/​waitress was attentive at all times. Staff members there greeted us in/​out when we left. The food was not really filling, hubby wasnt thrilled. We will not be returning. Great views of the city tho…

R2L was recommended by a colleague. I cannot say I was impressed. Drinks were good and the cheese plate too. However the view was not incredible comparing to other cities but what I liked the less was the bread coming with the cheese. they put only 2 pieces of «good bread» with the green pesto part and then the rest is crackers way tooooooooo salty. that night, I had to woke up 3 times to drink water… The bartender were nice but I would recommend to go to some place more local and less «show off» as there is nothing to really see upthere.

My experience at R2L was excellent on so many levels. I attended a private party with my company, right before Christmas. The ambiance and views were unbelievable. I’ve never seen the city from the 37^th floor of a building and I can’t wait to do it again.
The staff was welcoming, warm, and friendly. The plates we were served were beautiful AND delicious. I can’t even pick a favorite dish because each one was so good!
I can’t wait to go back.

Oh my dear God, dare I say this is the best meal I’ve ever had in Philadelphia in my 9 years of living here? Do I dare?
I am so happy we chose this place to celebrate our anniversary, it was perfect. Service was top-​notch, professional yet relaxed (aka it didn’t feel too hoity-​toity.) The food was beyond compare, and well beyond my expectations. The price tag is high, but I’ll get into that later. Let’s talk about the food.
The food is 5 stars all around.
The stars of the night are: Lobster Mac and cheese, the gnocchi and the Salmon Frites. Please don’t let the $ 20 price tag on the lobster mac scare you, get it. The portions are to share between two people as an appetizer, but it’s WELL worth it. Perfectly cooked lobster, so fresh and generous, in creamy cheesy sauce with al dente noodles — I’m dreaming right?
I am a gnocchi freak — and this is definitely one of my favorites. I did favor the potato gnocchi much more than the green basil herb gnocchi though. The Salmon Frites — I will never be able to eat salmon anywhere else again. The server stated that the chef recommends the salmon medium rare, and I always go with the chef. This was the most well seasoned, flake and melt in your mouth piece of fish I’ve ever place in my gullet. I can’t stop thinking about any of this food.
We also highly enjoyed our lobster bisque, rock shrimp, and soufflé for dessert.
The preserntation was wonderful for all dishes, especially the soufflé — poking the middle and pouring that ooey-​gooey pot-​de crème down the middle.
Cocktails were also amazing. I like my drinks strong — and the Vieux Carre and Manhattan both hit exactly what I wanted.
They were also kind enough to have a cute little «happy anniversary» dessert snack for us, along with a mint marshmallow to complete the meal. I couldn’t be happier.
Based on this — um, YES I’ll be returning! Not even just for dinner — definitely will be a new happy hour spot for me since the drinks were so on-​point.
Prices — our dinner came to approximately $ 260 after tip for all the glory we consumed, and two rounds of drinks per person. The quality that was served, I was happy with everything. However I will mention, that we came with a gift card we were trying to use up the full $ 200. Had we not, we would have ordered differently as we brought a decent amount of food home. I would say, on average a meal between two people without drinks plus or minus dessert would probably be easily achievable around the $ 150 range, which again with the quality scenic view I think is 100% worth the price. Thank you R2L for such a memorable anniversary we will never forget!

I’ve been wanting to visit this restaurant since I found out about it but never had the $$$ to visit until now. I went yesterday for an early bday dinner with my hubby. The service was amazing and the food was delicious. Our server name was Brittany I believe lol, now I feel bad. Anyway she was wonderful, she let us sample some wine before buying an actual bottle and it went perfect with our entrees. I had the lobster and he had the salmon, both were AMAZING! I can’t wait to go back again. I highly recommend!

My experience here was unique, since it was a privately hosted event.
The views are indeed incredible. Our service and food were all outstanding. I chose to dine on the Scottish salmon from a limited menu and it was not overcooked– perhaps management read previous Unilocal reviews? All I know is my salmon was a perfect medium rare and succulently seasoned (though for those less saltily inclined, I could see a complaint being made) in a bed of roasted onions and mushrooms.
I also got to try some salmon and cucumber toast points and some truffle toast, along with a simple but well made garden salad lightly dressed with an oil and vinegar mixture.
Our event served one red and one white wine. I only tried the red– a Malbec– and it was very good: fruit-​forward but less intense and full-​bodied than a Cab Sav.
Only complaint is with the signage– it’s very confusing trying to find the «right» lobby at 2 Liberty. It’s one of the entryways off of 16^th– not in the main shopping center! And look to your right once you enter: there’s a sign that leads you to a corridor where the elevator is for the restaurant. Geesh!

I really didn’t expect the food at R2L to be fantastic but it was! I didn’t expect the service to be great but it was! I expected a great view of the city and I got that too. This is a superb spot for a special occasion or drinks and dessert. It is really a special place because of the view, food, and service.
The menu seemed a bit odd in terms of the combinations such as Mac and lobster. Having said that, the recipes are subtle and complex. I had an endive, Parmesan salad the came with two sauces with a base of puréed endive. It was lightly dressed and the sauces added a little punch to the salad. It was wonderfully complex in terms of its taste. My entrée of figs, risotto, and pork tenderloin was equally interesting and memorable. Dessert was also good. Five stars for the food. My only complaint was the cool draft on our window table and the menu which seemed to be a bit out of sync with the fine dining atmosphere at R2L.

The view is spectacular! I went there at Thanksgiving eve and fall in love with this place.
The service was excellent and professional, and the food we had were simply fantastic. The garden salad was very refreshing and delicate, and the turkey are very yummy and beautifully displayed.
We had a nice night there. UnilocalERs, if you came to Philly, this is the place you have to try for some special occasions. I am sure you will have a lovely night with your special one.

R2L
50 S 16^th St, Philadelphia, PA 19 102
(215) 564‑5337
Arguably one of the best views in the city, R2L sits atop the 37^th floor of Two Liberty Place, featuring garage and valet parking, a private entrance, and elevator to add to the «exclusivity» of the venue. R2L offers up what it calls «creative American cuisine» which include their signature dishes of: grilled truffle flatbread, lobster mac & cheese, steak tartare, variations of lamb and skate wing with fettuccine. We arrived there for dinner reservations around 830pm and were seated in the «lounge» area until a table opened up.
The lounge had some nice couches and chic tables where a nice mix of businessmen, yuppies after work, and other professionals had drinks, wine, beer – a full bar was available. The lounge offers gorgeous full panel glass overlooking the Philadelphia city skyline. A breathtaking view, and even more so later when the city is lit for the night.
This was a view of the Philly skyline from our table in the lounge area. The one huge plus this restaurant has going for it is the view. The entire restaurant is flanked by these huge floor to ceiling windows which offer amazing, quite romantic views of the city.
I started the meal with a cocktail. The cocktail: come on get happy: bombay sapphire east, pear liqueur, pear nectar, lemon juice, orange bitters + cardamom bitters. It certainly was appropriately named, and I daresay I had another.
Bread service was relatively uneventful. The bread does come in a wooden box, which is something, but the bread itself was just ok.
CRISP RISOTTO peas, smoked ham, young garlic aioli. This was certainly a unique was to do risotto. Traditionally, risotto is a north Italian rice dish cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetable. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine and onion. In this case, the risotto is actually inside these fried balls that have been seasoned with the aioli sauce. Aioli or aïoli is a Provençal sauce made of garlic, olive oil, egg yolks, and lemon juice.
LOBSTER BISQUE vegetarian scrapple, lobster, pepper jelly + louis cream. To start the meal I had a bowel of their famous lobster bisque soup. It was creamy and full of flavor. The presentation was excellent and the tradition of pouring the soup in front of the patron never ceases to impress.
BUTCHER’S FILET braised short rib + steuben bean chili, potato + farm veg «slaw,» basil
SMOKED PORK LOIN braised shank, crisp tête, whole grain risotto, radish + pickled ramps. The pork was cooked medium, perfectly prepared and the accouterments complemented nicely.
Dessert was a nice touch with some toffee cookies to go and some cream puffs and toffee. Delicious way to end the meal.
Of Note:
Gorgeous bar area
A lovely contemporary sculpture in the middle of the dining area.
Well stocked wine cellar.

The good… service was excellent (Bruno i think our guy was called). Good drinks but pricey. Call ahead to get a seat by the window though. They really haven’t made the most of the views though… far to few tables near the windows. The lights are positioned badly so it just reflects so you can’t see much until you r right up against the glass.
Food was good. Atmosphere was pretty good. Coat take was nice. Will need shoes and a collar. Can get away with nice jeans.
Probably won’t rush back to be honest… wasn’t worth the $$ in my eyes.

Second stop for Center City Restaurant Week: R2L, dinner for $ 35 each.
On the 37^th floor of Two Liberty Place is a very fancy-​cool restaurant/​lounge where you can get a bird’s eye view of the city! Group of us went to dinner here together after a day of meetings. Didn’t get one of the tables facing the windows, but still had great views of the sunset and city by night. Again, multiple choices for the three courses, but I chose to start with the crisp peas/​ham/​garlic risotto [balls]. Main course was the Butcher’s Filet (braised short rib + Steuben bean chili, potato/​farm veg slaw and basil), which was quite heavy since there was also meat in the chili as well. The dazzling dessert to finish it off was the milk chocolate + hazelnut pudding served with salted caramel and coffee to melt the chocolate, and candied almonds on the side. A bottle of wine for the table as well. Food was great, waiter was awesome (making sure to warn me that the risotto came in ball form rather than a bowl, for instance), very classy experience.

Update — I finally came here for dinner not during restaurant week, and my faith has been restored in R2L. Impeccable service, food, and views.
I would highly recommend the oysters. Though pricey (4/​each), they are cleaned perfectly and topped with an interesting watermelon garnish. I would also highly recommend the rabbit. The meat is wonderfully juicy and tender, and it’s quite the portion size!!! Desserts are still mediocre, a bit too fancy for my liking haha.

R2L is a very classy dinner and cocktail place on the 37^th floor of Two Liberty Place. Come for the drinks, which were strong, and stay for the gorgeous panoramic views of Philadelphia.
This is a perfect date spot.

It was like love at first sight. Then I took a second look, and still the love is there. R2L by far my favorite place in Center City. I think it is one of Philly’s hot sophisticated spots.
Everyone is smiling, very friendly and eager to please– always. Last week, we went for Restaurant Week (August 2015) and I had another flawless experience, thanks to our waitress, Alyssa, who was more than amazing. I started with the hot and juicy roasted shrimps, followed by flavorful, and tender beef short rib & butcher’s filet due over a bed of steuben bean chili & basil purée. Delicious milk chocolate hazelnut pudding ended off the extraordinary dinner. R2L never fail to impress me.
A side not to be missed, is the fabulous panoramic view.
Note: This is «THE» perfect date spot, that will keep a the ideal balance between spaciousness and intimacy.
Because everyone deserve to be pampered,
Five Unilocal

It seems that this summer I have been touring rooftop (or elevated) bars all up and down on the East coast, so obviously a trip to R2L was necessary.
R2L is not a rooftop but is located on the 37^th floor of the building next to Liberty tower. The restaurant opens at 5pm and I was lucky to arrive around 5:15pm. Within the hour the bar area was full of people. There are about 20 seats around the bar itself. Next to the huge window (with the fantastic views) are tables and couches. Our server was attentive with our drinks and apps. I opted for a Malbec wine and the truffle flatbread with arugula which was delicious.
I would say the most enticing aspect of R2L is the view of the city. I would recommend at least coming to check out the views.