Serpico

What a wonderful dining experience! We made reservations and were seated promptly. We were given the option to sit at the chef’s counter, which we gladly accepted.
The tasting menu was offered but sounded like very small portions, so we decided to order ala carte. The highlights of our dinner included the raw diver scallops, hamachi tartare and the duck breast! Highly recommended and would order again. In comparison to those dishes, the bacon wrapped pork fell short but was delicious.
We did not enjoy the crispy japanese snapper (they kept the scales on but they were not cooked crispy enough for us to eat it) or the beef short rib (very heavy on the hoisin sauce).
We will definitely return and hopefully we’ll try the veal shoulder or the roasted lamb. We watched in awe as they made those wonderful dishes from the kitchen.
oh, how can i forget dessert! Kudos to their pastry chef Jackie D’Elia. She was so friendly and her desserts were incredible. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors at the chef’s counter — we tried the stuffed puff pastry (which was amazing!) and the creasicle (not so amazing). We then ordered our own toasted apple cake, per the chef’s recommendation, and were not disappointed. I can’t wait to go back for more stuffed puff pastries.

This was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Everything tasted better than it looked (which is really saying something considering the gorgeous plating of these dishes).
The atmosphere is also quite attractive. Good for intimate dinners, and large gatherings with friends and family as well.

Average place with average food. Too much horse radish and pepper on everything. The king crab ramen was underwhelming and blah. There well know fried duck leg was in a trader joes potato bread hot dog bun… Who does that for a dish in the mid $ 20s. The only saving grace was the raw scallops and the service.
I would skip this restaurant.

Upon making our reservation to Serpico, I was very excited. Being a big fan of monofuko restaurants in the city, I was excited to try what Philly has to offer. The food scene is definitely improving in Philly, especially with higher quality techniques and talent. But like most places I’ve tried, the techniques was not translated to the dish. Serpico is beyond over rated.
To start, we had a few cocktails. The gin and mezcal cocktail was actually pretty damn good. Not very strong, but pretty tasty. I was hoping the food would be the same, but it wasn’t to be. We had 2 small dishes, 2 mediums and a large. We started with the warm green bean salad and the fluke. The green bean was over cooked and mushy. The dressing was a bit off and salty. The fluke was actually our favourite part of the meal as it was the only dish that wasn’t overly seasoned.
Next we had the chicken and snail lasagna and the Crispy snapper. Both dishes wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t a home run either. We couldn’t taste the chicken nor the snail. The pesto definitely over powered the dish while the texture of the fish skin with scales was very off putting. After getting past the scale in your mouth, the fish was ok.
The last dish we had was the seafood stew. A bowl of white rice was provided. If it wasn’t for the rice, we wouldn’t be able to eat the dish. It was so salty, and the both was suppose to be a bit spicy, but it wasn’t. We couldn’t taste the spice because it was so salty. It was also luke warm when it arrived to our table.
I really wanted to love this place, but the food was a big miss. Nothing wowed me, and a few dishes was ehh. I never been a fan of Stephen Starr restaurants. I only like one of his restaurants called upland.

Great service, food and drinks. Cute small restaurant located in the midst of funky South Street. Dishes are edgy with different twists on the ingredients. The cocktails are delicious.
The menu is quite mixed, blending ingredients from a variety of ethnic cuisines. I liked the shellfish stew, which has a light tasting stock but still embodies lots of depth. Other dishes were mixed, since some were too salty or bland. I recommend sharing dishes so you can try different ones — and maybe you will find that delicious dish that matches your palate for the day (without going over budget).
I would recommend the chef to introduce a revolving menu — and keep the unique dishes that everyone loves. It’s good to take risks with recipes, but without a theme (like Sampan or Vernick, or Double Knot), it could be challenging to retain a loyal fan base.

A dissapointing meal made even more so by its price.
I came to Serpico last night and ordered five dishes to share (two small, two medium, one large®. Some were better than others but almost all were oversalted and underwhelminging.
Raw fluke (tonburi, charred jalapeño, celery, soy): the fluke lies in a bath of soy sauce which completely overpowers the flavor of the fish. To taste the fish and avoid the pool of salt I had to tap off all the soy sauce before eating each piece. The fish was fresh but paired poorly.
Wagyu tatki (grated cashew, ginger, soy, olive oil): good meat but again oversalted (had to drink water after each bite) and not very interesting in flavor.
Chicken and snail lasagna (hazelnut pesto, pecorino, bechamel, yuzu): very heavy and a bit salty. the noodles had a nice consistency and crunch though.
Deep fried duck leg (hoisin, scallion, pickles, potato roll): the duck was tender and juicy and the pickles served on the side were great, but you definitely need a lot more than they give you to balance out the flavors/​to offset the heaviness of the duck and bun. The duck leg tasted similar to a bao, but not quite as good. One of the better items, but not worth the 20 you pay for the two small pieces.
Carper brined trout (smoked potato salad, peperoncini, crab, trout roe): this was maybe the best dish we had. The saltiness of the roe and creaminess of the potato salad worked really nicely together, amd the trout had a really great crisp to its skin.
While I wasn’t happy with the food or the price, I should say that serpico has a good atmosphere and the service is excellent. So while I won’t be going back, It wasn’t an all together bad experience, just not one I’d repeat.

Def one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Small plate concept, which is great so you can try a bunch of different stuff. Between my wife and I we ordered 5 plates and it was just the right amount. I can’t choose which was my favorite bc I loved them all so much. So I’d recommend everything I had: scallops, king crab ramen, lamb chop, deep fried duck leg, and lamb bacon. Service, drinks, and atmosphere were all awesome as well.

One of my favorite spot in Philly!
Pre-​Dinner:
We arrived earlier than our reservation time, so we hung out at the bar. The bar is kinda small, but very well organized and most importantly produced some pretty damn good libations. Our bartender was very friendly and accomodating.
Service:
Our waiter was very knowledgeable, she was very accomodating. We were a party of 5 and we had to squeeze all in a booth which was cozy and nice. Your best bet if you want to sit on the chef’s table/​counter is reserve for a party of two. Other than that the service was flawless.
Food:
We ordered lots of food considering that there were five of us. Also, the portion is somewhat a tasting portion so if you have a party of five you would probably have to order a number of dish so everyone can get a taste of everything.
One of my favorite dish was the Alaskan King Crab Mazemen, it was amazing!
The grilled shrimp was also amazing!
There were more stuff that We got and I don’t feel like writing about, all you need to know-​they were all delicious!
Worth the trip!

The small tapas style dishes are great for ordering a bunch and sharing! It’s a hard choice to order just a couple! Definitely recommend sitting around the open kitchen to see what they’re preparing and get a better idea of what you want to order. The servers are knowledgable and recommend great choices!

From the warmth of entering the restaurant the dinner at Serpico started off very well. While parking was difficult, the staff was understanding and patient with holding our reservation.
We ordered the hamaki tartare as a appetizer, which was followed by entrees of duck breast, and venison. The hamake tartare was well flavored with ginger and a hint of wasabi with the added light «cracker» on top. The duck breast was seared well to allow the breast to cook to a wonderful medium rare and maintained a very crisp skin. The venison was cooked to a beautiful rare without losing the flavor of the meat or the seasoning. However, the side served with the venison could have better complemented the dish and was overly flavored with jalapeño. Overall, the food was on point and executed well with timely service of all dishes, which a minor miss on an entrée side can be excused.
To complement the meal is a wide selection of drinks with a very good selection of wine. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and recommended a red wine by the glass that was not listed. I was very impressed because the wine list by glass is decent so the availability of this other wine by the glass persuaded my girlfriend to have another. While I have heard the cocktails are decent, it was not an interest at our table, but fascinating to watch the bartender mix.
I would highly recommend this restaurant for those looking for modern American cuisine, especially for those looking for a special night out.

I used to be a very big fan of serpico but they are getting quite expensive for their portion sizes. When asked why they had taken way their happy hour, special ramen nights, and casual bar fare (RIP Korean fried chicken wings), the waiter responded that the restaurant was rebranding to cater to more highbrow tastes. I guess this explains the sky high prices for measly portions.
Food is good but does it matter when you leave hungry and poor?

The freeze dried fois gras tasted like astronaut panang curry. We had the Valentines Prix Fixe which was the only option. Unfortunately, my partner’s birthday is Valentine’s Day so this is often the case.
The service was good. If only the food could keep up. We had a lobster dish with Brussels sprouts in a bouillabaisse that tasted, albeit yummy like a packaged tomato bisque.
This meal was over $ 500 for 2 ppl, the pairings were ok at best. The Chardonnay especially overpowered the lobster dish.
I don’t know what else to say except I will stay faithful and spend my money on NY cuisine. This was a complete waste.

Birthday dinner review!
For the past couple of years of reading reviews that praised Serpico for its innovative and elevated take on food, and being dubbed a culinary bad boy for the best reasons possible. Its definitely not too shabby for a spot on South Street that used to house a Foot Locker! between the reviews and the food images that I’ve scoped out on Instagram I knew it was the perfect place to celebrate another year in, and it definitely delivered a winning dining experience!
In passing I’ve marveled in disbelief over how Serpico managed to get such an inviting and accommodating restaurant interior out of a spot that used to house a retail shoe empire. But it really does justice when you walk in and see the perfectly set restaurant lighting, open space bar, eclectic seating arrangements to fit groups of all sizes comfortably, and food and drink menu posted on the walls throughout the building. Add in the attentive staff who catered to our meal throughout our stay and everything was on point throughout.
Between an extensive list of wines by the glass and bottle, a smart selection of bottled/​canned beers, and seven blissfully crafted cocktails, Serpico has quite the wonderful bar selection. my vodka cocktail was a delicious blend of Tito’s w/​Crème De Violette, fig, elderflower, and lemon. for starters we grabbed the duck liver mousse and the amazing mushroom tartare. While small the puff pastry filled the decadent mousse and two variations of beets was tantalizing enough to have me wanting to lick the plate. Being the fungivore that I am I’ve had my fair share of incredible mushroom dishes. But the medley of mushrooms combined with the seaweed powder and slowed cooked egg of gooey proportions made for the the best one I’ve had yet!
For main courses my party enjoyed the deep fried duck leg, Elysian Fields lamb bacon, and chicken & snail lasagna; even if some of the portions were a bit on smaller side. Meanwhile I was absolutely wowed by the shellfish stew which had shrimp, clams, squid, and butternut squash in an XO Sauce broth. Aside from the Creamsicle, the dessert menu was one that had us wanting one of each. But since I was craving chocolate I found solace in the Rocky Road which blended frozen chocolate pudding with toasted marshmallows and candied walnuts.
Overall it was an exciting dinner that has me looking forward to checking out Serpico on other special occasions to come.

Arriving at an unassuming corner on South St, my boyfriend and I found the way to our early Valentine’s Day reservation at Serpico. We were greeted by friendly hosts and were able to be seated quickly at the chef’s counter.
Our server for the night was a perfect balance of friendly, helpful and prompt. I tend to ask a lot of questions (yanno, just to make sure I’m making the right decision!) and he was very patient. I ended up choosing the Gin cocktail with a strong, fresh ginger syrup. My boyfriend got the Rye, which he has announced as his new favorite cocktail in the city. He proceeded to have three.
After reviewing the menu and munching on our complimentary sesame rice paper with edamame hummus, we opted for a few small and medium plates rather than the larger entrees. Starting with appetizers, the raw hamachi and mushroom tartare. The raw fish was a immaculately balanced dish with the perfect ratio of sweetness from the fish, acidity from the citrus, a hint of spiciness, and umami from nori strips on top.
The mushroom tartare was not what I was expecting at all. The mushrooms were dried out and served with an intensely smoky seaweed powder and a soft poached egg. The flavors blew my boyfriend’s socks off. If I was looking for a small complaint, it would be that the egg was cooked just one touch more so that the white was a liiiiitle more done.
Next, we had the deep-​fried duck buns and king crab ramen. These were definitely my two favorite dishes of the night. The flavors were intense and rich and buttery. The duck leg was cooked to perfection: crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They were served on soft potato buns with fresh pickled vegetables and sriracha. Imagine if peking duck and Shake Shack and banh mi were all infused into one perfect little sandwich. This. Is. It.
The king crab ramen is a dry ramen (not soup) in a butter old bay sauce. The crab is served in large chunks and the old bay and chili gives it the perfect simple kick. We both fell in love with this dish.
We saw the Specials board and couldn’t resist trying one. Since we both love lamb and it was served with greek yogurt and eggplant, we chose this one. Unfortunately it was not what we expected. The sweet hoisin-​tasting glaze was a little much for us, especially on top of the fatty cut that was served. The natural flavor of the meat couldn’t shine through. The greek yogurt sauce was also a curd-​like consistency, not smooth. A little disappointed on the way the meal ended, we opted for another round of drinks we knew we’d like rather than dessert.
My boyfriend described this meal as «wanting to have a little more of everything after the plate was clean,» especially his favorites: the mushroom tartare and crab ramen. While the price tag was high, we felt it was definitely worth the experience because it’s truly innovative food that you can’t find anywhere else in the city. Though, stick to tried-​and-​true items on the menu that do change every now and then (seasonal vegetables, pastas, etc.) and skip the experimental specials that they’re currently innovating on.

Came here for a birthday dinner. When you walk in you can’t help but notice the layout of this place! No windows, chalkboard walls, open kitchen, and an oval island for a bar. It looked almost like a speakeasy, except for a restaurant.
Servers are super attentive and nice. Somewhat fusion style American food items. Some items were amazing, but personally I thought some were a miss. Overall an enjoyable experience.

Came here to celebrate my fiancé’s birthday. When I made the reservation they asked if it was for any special occasion so I told them it was for her birthday.
As other reviewers have noted, the deep fried duck leg is a must eat item. It’s a mash up of Chinese Peking duck and Viet hoagie but prepared American style. Extremely thick cut piece of duck with an extremely crunchy skin in a small hoagie bread.
All of the other food items we ordered were decent. The desert we ordered was some sort of cornbread cheesecake which was actually quite delicious.
The restaurant has an open kitchen so the staff are always in view, they were very attentive. Ambience was nice as well, very contemporary with brick and wood everywhere.
The little surprise of the evening was that they brought out a small cake square with a candle on top for my fiancé’s birthday. I could have probably eaten it all in one bite but it was quite tasty and we appreciated the gesture.
All in all it was a very pleasant experience and I would go back just for the deep fried duck leg.

We talked about how good this meal was for DAYS afterwards. Came on a Friday evening for a fun little double date to celebrate birthdays and graduations and citizenships and all kinds of big things. I snagged the most ridiculously convenient parking spot on 6^th, a mere 500 feet from the restaurant, no hunting required! Off to a good start.
A coworker of mine who is obsessed with food, a serious world traveler, raved about this place and ranked their scallop dish as one of the 10 best things she’s ever eaten. So obviously, we got that. We ended up each picking 2 items from the menu and shared them all family style. This included one item from the right side of the menu (entrée-​sized) and a bunch from the left and middle. We also got one extra item, a double-​order of the duck leg instead of just one, so we could all have a little sandwich. It was the perfect amount of food — room for dessert but we were pleasantly full at the end.
Scallops: Sweet baby Jesus. The favourite of the night for the whole table. Not much food, and pricey, but the flavours are so, so worth it.
Mushroom tartare: Very unique, and tasty, but for me the seaweed powder was a little overpowering. The one who picked it really loved it, and I certainly enjoyed eating it. Definitely not something you could easily make for yourself, which was a theme of all the dishes.
Cope’s corn ravioli: Unnghhh. Unbelievably good. Surprising, well balanced, addictive. A hearty dish in an appropriately-​small portion.
Deep fried duck leg: Delicious, but the least unique or innovative item of the night. The technique is cool and the flavours reminded me of the pork bao buns at Chifa. Loved it, just wasn’t as exceptionally special as the rest,
Seared foie gras: Yowza. They brought this last, which was well-​planned on their part. The sweet apple, six-​spice, and chestnut accompaniments transitioned nicely to dessert and it was so very rich. A beautifully-​seared lobe of fatty liver. F was in heaven.
Chicken escargot lasagna: I was super happy I picked this one, since by the table rules that meant I got the last bite. Phenomenal, and also quite rich and hearty like the ravioli. Loved it.
Lamb bacon: Two of my favourite foods, together at last. Lammby and bacony, with a delicious congee and perfectly soft-​cooked sous vide egg. I could eat it for breakfast every day.
Caper-​brined trout: I don’t usually love trout, but this was exceptional. Crispy skin, moist flesh with a nice tang from the capers, and the smoked potato salad and crab meat base was delicious.
For dessert we shared three selections among the four of us.
Toasted apple cake: hands-​down winner. We wished we had gotten three of these. Phenomenally good, unexpected twists, and perfect for winter.
Rocky road: I adored this. Most intensely chocolatey ice cream imaginable, and the marshmallow cream was a delight.
Creamsicle: I don’t usually like creamsicles but this changed my mind. Light and refreshing, like a bowl of ambrosia.
My main squeeze pulled his patented «go to the bathroom and slip the waiter his credit card» trick, so I don’t know exactly how much it was, but he said it was around $ 70 per person. We didn’t order any drinks, so it’s not cheap, but it’s the kind of food that worth spending for. You can’t do this at home, the ingredients and techniques are so special and interesting you will remember it for a long time. We also had PLENTY to eat. We left satisfied, full but not painfully-​so.
Also, you can have a yummy meal here and not break the bank! Some items were heartier than others, so if you want to sample just a little and not spend a fortune, get the pasta dishes, duck legs, or an entrée.

I celebrated my birthday at Serpico (visiting from NYC) with the exquisite Chef’s Tasting Menu. I have been a big fan of Chef Peter Serpico from his days as the first Executive Chef at Momofuku Ko in NYC, and this was my 4^th dinner at Serpico so I knew I was in for a special treat.
I had requested to be seated at the Chef’s Counter so I would be able to see everything.
Too many courses (and some were changed from the listed menu) to list, but some of my favorites were:
Sun gold tomatoes in sun gold tomato broth, fried shiitake stems, horseradish;
2 different cold foie gras preps: shaved foie gras with apple, peanut and Thai basil; foie gras terrine with peaches and bee pollen;
Egg custard with caviar, brown butter chicken stock, cauliflower mushrooms and crispy potatoes;
Diver scallops carpaccio, brown butter sauce and tomatillo vinaigrette;
Duo of lamb chop and rib;
Cheese (soft cow’s milk);
Honeydew and cantaloupe granita with shortbread and mint;
Corn fritter with anise hyssop sugar;
Toasted apple cake, burnt applesauce, brown butter, vanilla ice cream and caramel (this was a special request not part of the Tasting Menu since I was very full and was afraid that the chocolate coffee ganache might have been too heavy – will try it next time).
Service (as always) was very friendly and attentive.
3 hours of a wonderful birthday dinner. Look forward to my next dinner at Serpico!

Came here for dinner during my 1 day philly roadtrip and we were not disappointed. You will easily miss this restaurant if you are not purposely looking for it as the outside is just a steel wall with no window to look into the restaurant, but once you walk in, the restaurant is pretty impressive with a modern industrial vibe and the whole menu and wine list written on the wall all around the inside.
We were seated at a 2 seater right by the open kitchen so it was very interesting to see the team work. I am a big fan of those cooking competition shows so when i saw the chef called out our order and the team immediately went to cook the magic, and seeing the main chef tasting all the dishes, i was instantly excited for what to come!
Our server recommended 2 – 3 dishes per person to share so we ordered 5 dishes, but we were so full by the 4^th dish that I think 4 plates for 2 people are enough. We started with the raw scallop, korean fried chicken wings and an egg custard with mushroom and pickled jalepeno special. The plating of the raw scallop was simply beautiful with the white and green sauce, the color was so vibrant and the taste was amazing too, i never had raw scallop before and these were really sweet and fresh. The fried chicken tasted just like those i get from korean places but the star is the egg custard special! The sourness of the pickled jalapeño and the creaminess of the egg and mushroom blended so well together, I never had that kind of flavor combination before, I was impressed!
Main entrée we got the duck breast and the pork belly. Both were very good but I was so full I could only eat a bite of the pork belly. i strongly recommend getting the orange creamsicle dessert to share as it was very refreshing and light, especially after a heavy meal. Also make sure you get the Sparkling cocktail, its with gin, sparkling wine, fig and edenflower and its very refreshing and gave me the right amount of buzz too.
Overall really good restaurant with some interesting food and attentive service. I will definitely be back, one critique is that I feel they have way too many people working there, most of them just stood around and chit chat and we had multiple people stopped by asking us how was the food after every single plate and we had to constantly stop our conversation to tell them the food is great. I appreciate the attentiveness but maybe better to tone down a notch? Other than that I really like this restaurant and highly recommend!

As a self proclaimed foodie, I’m pretty open to new flavors and dining experiences. Having read numerous reviews, I was pretty wxcited to finally make it into Serpico.
We were going to do the 11 course tasting menu but didn’t have the 2 hours required for the meal (although dinner ended up taking 2.5 hours for us!).
The four of us ordered 5 appetizers and a salad to share. The salad uses a butter lettuce, way too sweet for the salad and not at all a good fit with the daikon and snow peas.
The famous white corn ravioli comes in a dark red tomato sauce, which can only be described as «spicey», but not in a hot way, just too many spices going on.
The shrimp and grits was good on its own, but doesn’t live up to its description. Didn’t taste and couldn’t detect any shrimp in this bowl. Grits were nice and creamy, the poached egg went well with the bits of porkbelly.
The ramen noodle bowl also came with a poached egg, now our third appetizer dish to do so. At this point, its just too much, I don’t eat this much egg at breakfast! The bowl of noodles is short on noodle and short on broth, with way too much filler (still not exactly sure what they were serving). The entire bowl is covered in a rich green powder that looks like mold… and doesn’t taste much better. I assume its some type of powdered seaweed, but all I know is its tastes nasty and ruined the dish.
The vegetable plate is a huge portion, but the beets and root veggies were still a little undercooked and too firm while the overall flavor profile was just bland.
The duck breast plate is a typical french magret de canard dish, but instead of your usual thin slices you get the full breast cut into 4 sections, just making it look unappetizing and requiring unnecessary work to eat.
The 22 oz dry aged steak special had such a gamey taste, I thought they messed up and brought out the venison instead, def avoid this dish!
The halibut dish was ok, just not memorable.
The porkbelly entrée was good, but would better be served as an entrée.