PHLReview
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Laurel
Included In
Have you ever had anyone try to tell you an epic, life-changing story? Maybe it was about their wild night in Vegas, or a World Series win in the final inning by the Phillies? No matter how much they try to put you in the moment, you’ll always come to the same conclusion: you just had to be there. A night at East Passyunk’s Laurel is like that. Sure, a friend can tell you about the gorgeous, perfectly cooked dishes and warm, seamless service, but the magic of dining at the city’s best restaurant, like a once-in-a-lifetime story, can only be understood by experiencing it.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
We first met Laurel in 2013 when SEPTA still took tokens and the small French restaurant was strictly tasting menu. After an expansion into the now-shuttered ITV that would make the Property Brothers proud, the result is a space that is at once upscale and casual while also romantic and friendly. It’s somehow as appropriate to wear a suit and tie as it is to wear your laundry-day tee and jeans.
Friends celebrate birthdays with drink specials written on the colorful chalkboard menu, couples clink glasses on a sexy 5th or 50th date, and someone jokes about buying the Laurel cookbook near the plant wall—just so they can bring up the food to anyone who enters their home. Erykah Badu or Otis Redding plays while elaborate floral arrangements—brought in by the chef’s wife—sit in each corner. And, thanks to the low lighting, everything down to the mirror-lined wall has the glow of a lantern festival and feels just as enchanting.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
None of this should be surprising, considering the restaurant comes from the team behind (the also-glimmering) Lark. And just like their sister in Bala Cynwyd, Laurel’s service is flawless. So whether you’re sitting at the roomy bar (where they serve the full menu), at the private dining patio out back, or in the main dining room, you’ll think the staff knew you in a past life. It’s all formal, but not fancy, and proves that a special occasion doesn’t have to be a stuffy one.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Dining at upscale restaurants can, occasionally, be a blur of the same crudos, pastas, and New York strips. Laurel’s seasonal menu feels like a welcome record scratch to the routine. The menu is now a la carte, but you can also let the chef take the wheel with a six-course, $98 carte blanche tasting. Either way, you’ll be met with dishes brimming with so much originality that it will feel like you’re eating the ingredients for the first time. Oysters are topped with pickled serrano and gelée, boquerones are layered on buttery sourdough brioche, and beautifully salted mussels wear blankets of red baby romaine instead of sitting in a broth. While some dishes look simple, each combination is a revelation in texture and taste (especially the gnocchi, which are the best in the city).
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
You’ll want to try everything on the menu (and that can get pricey), so save it for when you want to go all-out without an ounce of overblown extravagance. A night at Laurel is up there with a random Allen Iverson encounter—an experience every Philadelphian needs to have to believe.
Food Rundown
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Oysters
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Boquerones
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Celery Salad
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Parisian Gnocchi
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Clams
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Scallops
28-Day Dry-Aged Beef