Branzino Restaurant Review

Family owned, new renovated BYOB near rittenhouse square. Everything is made fresh in house, and they have a decent sized menu of unique specialities. Don t miss out on the scallops, the pasta, or the desserts!

Despite suffering a major power outage the staff honored our dinner reservation, cooked us a delicious dinner (carpacio, branzino, shrimp tortelli plus an array of appetizers and desserts), and overall demonstrated very professional and welcoming service. We will go back.

This restaurant is the one I always prefer. I go to a lot of restaurants but here I go the most. The crew is very cordial and the cooking they offer is so fresh and tasty. I would always prefer to have a decent meal in this place. Highly recommended.

I went there Friday evening 6/5/20. The garden was beautiful at about 6:30. Unfortunately, it started to rain halfway through the gorgeous meal. The women maybe the owner.. found umbrellas for us. It was sweet .. all the tables were talking with each other. We all were troopers first night out to dinner in weeks. Who cared about some rain. We also brought little margarita ready to go bottles. They supplied ice, sugar , and salt. I enjoyed the food, atmosphere and staff!!

I had a reservation in the garden during restaurant week and will definitely be returning! 10/10 on atmosphere, service, and food. The garden is beautiful, the staff were all so friendly, and the food was all delicious- with a great variety of options. Great for special occasions or a night you feel like treating yourself al little bit extra!

Great restaurant! Attentive and polite staff! Uniquely delicious food! I want to express my personal gratitude to the owner of the restaurant, because my husband forgot his bag of documents, which was given to us personally! Thanks!

Very romantic, excellent food, BYOB and allows reservations via Open Table. Can't wait to try the courtyard dining in the summer.

Mushroom Risotto was to die for. Portions were a bit small for the price but overall great food!

went for restaurant week, great food, good atmosphere, would definitely come back

This is my new favorite Italian spot in Philly! I have gone to the restaurant & ordered from Grubhub. The food delivered was at perfect temperature & worth every penny!

The food and service was excellent. Thank you Mykel.

Went on a Friday evening for my daughter's 25th birthday with my husband and 8 of her ADULT friends. From the beginning the evening was
a disaster. We were not allowed to sit at one table for some unknown reason even though another group in the room had tables pushed together.
Then, my husband asked for bread for the 2 tables and was ignored. No wine was opened for us for at least 45 minutes. The food was salty and inedible, and the service execrable. I will never step in your restaurant again (my 3rd try) and neither will her friends. And these are the people you should be attracting- young, wealthy, social, and now never going to Branzino's again. Neither will their friends.

Elegance and sophistication class and style and the food is to die for it's absolutely fabulous! When they open back get yourself in there and enjoy yourself it's the perfect place to propose or just celebrate someone's anniversary, birthday or maybe surprise your husband by telling him you're pregnant . You can't possibly be let down while I go into this restaurant.

Enjoyed a fantastic birthday dinner at Branzino! The food was delectable, the service was charming and who doesn't love a good Philly BYOB. We shared the artichokes to start, then had a small portion of the pasta and a main - it was the perfect amount to get to taste many different things from the menu without feeling stuffed. We also split dessert. I am definitely looking forward to my next visit and sharing the experience with family and friends.

What a fantastic meal! I dined on branzino and rabbit, both were delicious. Highly recommended and super attentive service. Very reasonably priced. What are you waiting for?

Delicious three course meal!! In town for one night and found them because of restaurant week. I highly recommend this place, and will definitely be back next time I'm in town!!!!

Great spot to have lunch or dinner. going back again

So far this is my favorite Italian restaurant in center city. I always order the beef carpaccio and the mushroom gnocci. Cant beat the BYOB and decent prices.

We had such a great family date here at branzino. We brought our 2 kids here for dinner and the food was amazing and the staff was beyond kind to our Children. My daughter even left something at the table and the staff came
To follow our Uber to bring it to her after we left. Would recommend to anyone. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great service. Great staff. Perfect for a date or group.
We had gnocchi, gazpacho, salad, ravioli, dessert and more - everything was amazing.

Not knowing the resteraunt had suffered a fire in between our last visit, it is as good as we remembered 5 years ago. Awesome food and great service! We will be back again next time we are in Philadelphia.

Food and service were both great! Seven of us each got different dishes and no one was disappointed.

Went to this restaurant in December, credit card was never charged until March and now it was just charged again for the same amount in June. Either they re incapable of managing their receipts or they re intentionally trying to steal your money. Food was average and didn t really match the price. Don t go here!!!

The Bronzino and Scallops very good choice for dinner

Fantastic restaurant with outstanding food, warm friendly staff, and a wonderful setting..try dining in the outside patio...charming! Everyone of our party of four was delighted with our meal. I personally loved the burrata and beet appetizer and the signature branzino was delicious, moist and perfectly sauced. Bravo!!!

We had a lovely lunch during restaurant week (September 20th). We sat in the garden and it was a lovely hideaway from the city streets. The food was very good and the female owner was exceptional as a hostess and server.

Follow up: Tonight we had dinner out (for the first time since the citywide restaurant shut down). Our food was amazing tonight. The grilled artichoke and caccio e pepe were incredible first courses. And our entrees, steak with wild mushrooms and veal reduction and the branzino (filleted table side) with lemon caper butter, were amazing. Our server, a beautiful young lady, was everything a server should be: attentive, but not annoying. The last time I visited Branzino, I gave four stars b/c I wasn't a fan of the service, but tonight? Upgrade!

Food was out of this world. Service was great. Atmosphere is beautiful

Staff was great , the food was delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful

Food was wonderful and service was outstanding! Definitely a recommendation!

It was OK, no what I was expecting for Valentine's Dinner Date. Service is lazy, food quality OK. Don't think I will go again.

Came for lunch during restaurant week. The food was delicious and the service very friendly.

I worked in this restaurant, the food is excellent and the Cheff is a sensible person but there is a problem, the Restaurant Manager who is also the owner uses a system that is used to pay tips to the wrong employees, she takes money from their Tips to waiters and helpers claiming that she also helps at work, however, that applies 8% to credit card tips, please be very careful when you go to this place to look for work since it is not recommended Places like that where clearly they steal our tips in the end what they do is enslave the workers.

Food was okay. Could have been better. Staff friendly

Delicious! The food is all fresh and hot! At the restaurant week, they also work for lunch from morning to evening! Everything is clean and comfortable! Recommend.

Owner insisted on opening while outdoor dining in Center City is still prohibited due to the virus, very unethical, cares nothing for customer's wellbeing. Do not patronize such a place.

Restaurant Week - Limited Menu - Sad take away = Waiter did not pour our wine

I was here with a date on July 29th, 2020 and enjoyed the restaurants outdoor seating. My date and I both had the four course prix fixe lobster special which was absolutely delicious. The best was the squid ink pasta course.

The service was excellent, very friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The meal was paced very leisurely which gave us a lot of time to enjoy each other's company, but we were told that we could ask to have it sped up if we wished.

As much as I'm sure I would have liked to have dessert, the portions of the meal were such that we were both too full for it. We did have some tea which was very nice and attractively served.

I had been concerned because it was hot outside that day, but the street was nicely shaded and we were both comfortable. I hope that next time I go back there will be seats available in the garden area because it looks really lovely.

An excellent experience that I would highly recommend.

I went there for restaurant week, and it was not good at all. The salad was so salty, the mozzarella was dry, and the pasta wasn't good. Definitely not worth the price.

Slow service,horrible overpriced food and rude staffing

Ordered chicken pizza and it was terrible. Chicken smell bad and clearly they use bad ingredients.

It's a BYOB media darling and for good reason. Tiny inside but delicious food.

New favorite restaurant in the city! Extremely well done with social distancing and safety precautions. Food was EXCELLENT and service was so sweet & genuine. Thank you, Branzino!

Absolutely amazing experience. Service was top notch. Food blew us away. Owner and her daughter came out and chatted with us. It's now one of my favorite restaurants in town.

I been going to this restaurant 6 plus years the owners Dori and Luann are amazing! Very family oriented and service is superb! Food is absolutely amazing and delicious I love them like family! Must try , you won't be disappointed

Absolutely fabulous appetizer and mains
Go for lamb shank or any thing else. Wait staff exceptional

Had a very wonderful experience food was perfect and very friendly staff. We didn t know we could B.Y.O.B. Family owned and owner was so gracious to provide us complimentary 3 glasses of red wine.

Loved this place. Had the branzino, steak, some apps, and tres leches. Nice family run spot with a good summer vibe outdoor seating in the back. Staff and owners are very kind. Will definitely continue to return.

We had a great dinner here! No wait times, great atmosphere and very cheap too.

Wonderful, terrific service; high-end Italian; several gluten free choices. BYOB. Highly recommended.

We had dinner there last night, my wife's birthday with my adult children. The food was excellent and the servers were very attentive. I recommend highly.

Disappointing Italian food in Philadelphia is doubly disappointing, given the great Italian food that is available at so many places.

wonderful food in an intimate setting. just love it.

Delicious byob in Rittenhouse... beautiful building.... family owned and they care about the guests

I took my family and a close friend here to have a good Friday night dinner. I tried to order an appetizer of octopus but they were out of octopus. The sever did not notify us before giving us the menus that a few of the appetizers were out.
We ordered fish, scallops, and gnocci. The scallop was on the menu with puree on the side but it come with a tea spoon size of something that we couldn't understand (certsinly not puree), and when we asked for more mashed potatoes (puree) the server said sorry we don't have any.
Now to the fish "Branzino", like their name, it was unprofessionally cleaned, leaving all the guts, which give a very bad taste. And it was not very hot.
However, I will say we conveyed all of this to the owner and she addressed all of our concerns. She took the time to make it right, including discounting our meal and bringing out dessert on the house. Not every restaurant can have a perfect night every night but we appreciated the fact that she did what she could to improve our experience.

First time eating here, the food and customer service is wonderful! Very reasonable price, I definitely would recommend.

Horrible. Couldn't eat the food. Made a mistake of going there before reading the reviews.

What a lovely dinner experience! This is one of the nicer Italian restaurants so don't roll in here expecting breadsticks and meatballs. The menu does have pasta but it's mostly very nice fish and cuts of quality meat. The service is determined, relaxed and professional. The food was all fresh, served at a reasonable pace and on the lighter side. I ordered the Branzino and was delighted with the lite sauce, perfectly flakey texture and delicious veggies on the side. Would love to visit again.

Went for restaurant week and would highly recommend not going. Food portions were ungodly small and food took a while to come out.

Beautiful, stunning atmosphere. Impeccable service and even better food. My new favorite place!!!!

we had a large group out back on their 'patio'. it was the perfect place to host a large dinner party and the servers did their best to keep us happy. the food is reliable and tasty without straying too far from the traditional. the decor inside could use some updating, but they definitely stick with what works.

Branzino is presently closed (Oct 2016) due to a fire, but reconstruction is underway. It is owned and operated by a friendly Albania family that converted the first floor of a neighborhood brownstone into relatively upscale indoor dining rooms, with a private garden dining area for seasonal outdoor dining. Service is professional, but sometimes slow - which is acceptable for me but might be frustrating to some guests. The menu offers a nice range of traditional and modern Italian dishes (rabbit, veal, beef, chicken, seafood. ...), and the Chef will accommodate special requests to modify or supplement it.

Great service, great food, great indoor and outdoor dining.

Can t recommend this restaurant enough. Phenomenal food, super friendly service, and because it s a BYOB, you re out the door for pretty cheap! The veal cheeks were incredible and the Branzino (which is delicately prepared table side) is probably the best fish I ve ever tasted. Cap it all off with some espresso and the oh so tasty Albanian three milk cake. Can t wait to go back...

Came here after the Army Navy game with friends. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. The menu was simple and sophisticated. The gnocchi was really well done.

Food was good, but service was horribly slow (we did not get our entree for more than two hours).

Went there once in November. Food was sub-par, so I went across the street after finishing my entree. The annoying part was that they had a "glitch" which caused them to re-charge me multiple months after. I got to the bottom of that and forgot all about it. Next thing I know, on june 11th I got another unexpected charge from them, so half a year later, during the quarantine. Anyways, now I need to wait for a new card. Ya'lls basic.

Slowest service I've ever had. Subpar food and it also came out cold. Would not come back again.

I'm not huge on Italian food, but my family loves it. The raviolis were delicious and the owner prepared a special steak for me, which was not on the menu, after I didn't like the sauce on the pasta. The owners were both very nice and professional, even brought out an appetizer for me, for free when I was waiting for my new entree. I would recommend this to anyone who was looking for a great atmosphere and dining experience.

Fantastic dinner! They sat us immediately in the back outdoor patio. Ambiance is amazing! I had the branzino was tender & flavorful. Table had salmon, scallops & mushroom ravioli and all was delicious. Owner is attentive & constantly buzzing around checking on the guests.

Great for groups & large parties. I will come back again.

Just opened after 3 years rebuilding from a fire, Branzino has retained its extraordinary service and exquisite menu. Our party of six had a delightful evening. Can't wait for an excuse to return.

It might be an unfair rating just because I'm not fond of Italian food. The selection was not very appealing to me, so ended up with the appetizer salmon but entree size. It was way too small and pricy. The rest of the party seemed to really enjoy their meals. Also the ambiance was a bit too formal and music too romantic haha. I guess judging by the rest of patrons it's more for couples to have a romantic dinner experience and impress your significant other! My 2 cents...

We had 6 PM reservations this evening and we're not seated until 7:30. The owner/hostess was very rude and acted as if we were lucky to get a seat (we had a party of 6 which they struggle to accommodate). The wait staff were very nice but skill set did match the price level of this restaurant. I just saw one of the reviewers say that the owner/hostess keeps a percentage of their tips which would explain a lot. The food was fine but I was very disappointed overall. There are too many nice restaurants in Philly to settle for this one.

Went for a rehearsal dinner, the pork chops were amazing

Elegant surroundings, scrumptious food, and polite, efficient, wait staff

Excellent, authentic Mediterranean food. The grilled mushrooms were outstanding, the spaghettini with anchovies melted in the mouth and the branzino was delicious (we would have liked it with crisp skin ... next time we'll ask). The outside dining was intimate and beautiful. If you come ... bring a special bottle of wine - it's a venue that deserves it.

Well prepared and presented dishes in a quaint courtyard.

I was the for a wedding rehearsal dinner. It was good.

I grant it was valentine's day, but whomever is running this restaurant seems to be pretty crass, and have little respect for their customers. While requiring a credit card to make a reservation for two and calling twice to ensure I knew I would be charged $75 were we to cancel within 48 hours of the event, we arrived for our 7:30 reservation to a room full of mostly angry people. Those seated seemed annoyed by patrons surrounding their tables, while those standing were furious about not having been seated for their 6:00, 6:30, or 7:00 reservations. All other restaurants were of course booked, and we had taken a cab to get there, and the hostess (claimed we would be seated "very soon") so we (regrettably) waited a full hour to be seated, and didn't get out of there until 11:30, and frankly, the $30 salmon was very dry. No discount was offered.

From their point of view, they claimed some people had shown up very late, but the restaurant seats probably about 150 people, and I think it unreasonable to make those people our problem. It is clear that they were greedy, massively overbooked with a large cancellation fee, and destroyed their reputation for many of its patrons.

Dining at Branzino was a superior experience. The staff were warm and welcoming and the food was delicious. Such a lovely family owned restaurant and the garden seating is the perfect spot for a little getaway from city life. One of my new favorite Philadelphia restaurants, and I will be dining here again soon!

Wow. Just amazing. We had the octopus appetizer and brussel sprout salad (verdure) to start. Our entrees were the scallops and the steak. For dessert, tiramisu and panna cotta. Everything was amazing! Even the mushrooms and I don't like mushrooms!

I was disappointed. For the price it was all a bit off. Not amazing food. There are better places to go in the city for the price. It is BYOB, which can be nice. The server was very friendly but it all felt a bit forced.