Abe Fisher

Having been here three times, Abe Fisher was a phenomenal experience each time, taking Jewish Ashkenazi food to unprecedented heights. I’m so sad they are closing. The menu during my last visit was the “Greatest Hits” menu. The service was incredible, Justin was the best waiter we ever had in Center City. We started off with the Roll Right In cocktail which was magical with the za’atar finish. Then the challah rolls came in with the spreads, each delicious. Then came the roasted sweet potatoes and the heirloom tomato caesar salad, both were very tasty. Then came the latke fries which are the best I’ve tried. Then came the veal schnitzel tacos which are some of the best tacos my gf and I have had in our lives. Finally, the short ribs arrived. What can I say? It’s perfect pastrami on another level. Unforgettable. Last came the desserts, of which my favorite was the bacon and egg cream. All in all, this spot will go down as one of the legendary places I’ve been to. The chefs behind the kitchen are truly some of the very best chefs in all of Philadelphia. Really sad they are closing. Apparently it’s due to marketing reasons as Abe Fisher’s sister restaurants Zahav and Laser Wolf are typically booked a month in advance where as Abe Fisher isn’t. The idea is to reopen Abe Fisher in a few years with the right timing so that it can be as busy as the sister restaurants. It’s all about timing really, as Abe Fisher opened too early and didn’t catch the heat from its subsequent sister restaurants. If I’m correct, then I can’t wait until the new Abe Fisher returns a few years later bringing back the Jewish Ashkenazi cuisine to the scene.

Went out here while traveling for work. Morgan was incredible. I usually just let the server take the reins and order for me because I eat everything and every single thing he brought out was delicious. After I reached my daily max for my work budget he also brought an extra glass of wine to have with my meal. Compliments to both the chef and the service. The latke fries are both the best fries and the best hash browns I’ve ever had (not to mention amazing cocktails). Seriously good.

One of those places where the dining experience is completely divorced from the review hype. We went for dinner before the big rush when the place was about one-third full. It took the waiter more than 35-40 minutes to take the order - for anything. No bread, nothing but water, served in the meantime. The staff is obviously primed to push the most expensive prix-fixe menu. Furthermore, the only place on the menu which lists the "signature dish" - the short ribs - is the prix-fixe menu. The short ribs have deliberately been left off the printed list of "entrees." Essentially everyone at the table feels compelled to go the prix-fixe short ribs route. In our case, one person decided they would rather have a different entree and ordered that. Whereupon after the appetizers were served everybody got the short ribs - and the person who ordered the different entree sat there with nothing to eat. The waiter was impossible to flag down. Whenever he could be reached, the answer was "I will ask the kitchen." FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later - after we said if it doesn't come right now, forget about it - the other main course showed up. Everybody else had finished. We asked for a bag to go so everyone else could get the pre-paid (and pre-ordered) desert and leave. Any other respectable establishment would not have charged for that entree. Instead, they automatically added 20% tip. The staff was pompous. The atmosphere was unpleasant. The wait at every step left us miserable and the dinner uncomfortable. And as for those supposedly fabulous short ribs? A serious Jewish cook (they advertise themselves as specialists in "Jewish cuisine") knows they were called "juicy" because they were extremely - and unnecessarily - fatty. Perhaps best described as: fat with some meat attached. And the rest? The so-called "challah rolls" were dry and not served warm. The Macaroon Cake was so dried out, it could have been (likely was) sitting around for days. In other words, this place is an embarrassment for Jewish (and non-Jewish) cooks everywhere. Spare yourself the pain both financially and spiritually and don't go!

Food was greasy and didn’t taste well. We couldn’t eat the main course as this was fried and full of oil. Waiter didn’t even ask why we didn’t eat. Would not return.