Melograno
(215) 875-8116
2201 Spruce St
Philadelphia,
PA
19103
39.9488
-75.1782
Neighborhoods: Fitler Square, Center City
What People Are Saying About Melograno
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In Short
With a corner spot in a high-end neighborhood, this bistro's art-free decor allows patrons to focus on the food. Amidst big windows and white walls--one with a row of shelves holding glass vases of monochromatic flowers, loyal neighborhood residents dine on appetizers like homemade ravioli stuffed with potato and pecorino with fried sage. Entrees include fig-and-walnut-stuffed quail, bouillabaisse like shellfish stew and ruby-red herby lamb chops.
User Reviews
Jolin
May 27, 2009
In this bad economy, don't waste your time patronizing this establishment. The service is so awful that the food did not make up for any of the experience. There are PLENTY of other restaurants who are more deserving and will feed you equally well if not better, I organized a dinner for a group of friends there last week and the hostess was haughty and curt from the begining. Granted my group was large but she insisted that I cut down my number from 13 to 12 in order to not be forced to order from a limited prix fixe menu. I did not see the difference in one extra person and even offered to pay the prix fixe price just to be able to sample their full menu. She would not budge one bit so I was forced to uninvite one person from my group. The kicker here is that she ended up splitting our dining group into two tables anyway so the ordering was separate as was the check. In this light I don not see WHY she felt so high handed to limit our group since we were for all intents and purposes two separate tables. From the moment our party arrived she reminded us over and over again that we wre not allowed to stay past 8pm. Who DOES that? There are many polite ways to say it and perhaps ONCE is enough. Nevertheless we got the message when they rushed us through dinner. It was as if we were part of some marathon that we weren't aware of. Our waitress did not smile once during the meal and stood glaring while we looked over the menus. The server was rude too and yelled at a girl in our party when he couldn't remember who had what dish. When she tried to help clear some space on the table he even got tiffed. 15 minutes to 8pm, as we were finishing up our dessert the waitress flung our check on our table without even asking if there was anything else we needed or if we were ready. We would have gladly vacated knowing that there was another seating but the fact that there was no courtesy shown whatsoever throughout our entire ordeal there, needless to say we were all incredibly disappointed and by our experience. I believe that Melograno has gotten too caught up in the hype that it is such a hot spot that they forget that it's their CUSTOMERS who keep them that way. They are arrogant and rude so be warned if you choose to try your luck there. You can be sure that none of our party of 12 will ever go back there again.
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lindas
March 20, 2009
I went one Sat. at 5:30 with my 3 teenage daughters. I had been there several times recently with my husband and friends. We were treated very well then. But, with my daughters - we were treated very differently from any other time we had been there - and any other table our server was serving. Not once did our server ask how the dinner was - or if we needed anything. He was re-visiting the tables around us multiple times. We even tried to catch his attention, only to be ignored. I don't care how good the food is - when all customers aren't valued equally - there are plenty of other good BYO's in town. Right down the street - Porcini - everyone is treated like a valued customer and friend!
read full reviewsidewinder72
February 16, 2009
Melograno is definitely one of the shining stars of the Philadelphia BYOB scene. I'm not sure what the problem is with people who have complaining about the hostess and the service there. I've been there on multiple occasions (at both the old and now the new location) and never had any problems. Perhaps people just aren't used to what to expect at a BYOB? All such establishments live or die on a good table turnover so it's never going to be a place where you linger for hours over a couple cups of coffee. And it's pretty much standard that BYOBs (as well as other restaurants in Philly from bars to upscale) won't seat you until your party is complete. Show up early, show up with your party complete, and if you want to linger go somewhere else afterwards. End of the issue. Anyway, on to the food as that's the main reason to go here. I've never had a bad meal or dish. One of my favorite appetizers is the wonderful artichoke with seared scallops, though recently I got to enjoy a special of grilled langoustine which was comparable in quality to a similar dish I enjoyed in Venice. The stuffed quail is AMAZING and I am not normally a huge fan of "little birds". The sweet stuffing is an excellent counterpoint to the meat, and it's deboned perfectly for easy enjoyment. And while the Bisteak Florentine isn't quite what you'll get in the city of its namesake (a thinner cut and not Chianina Beef), it's as close as you're going to get in America, and they'll cook it true Florence-style (ie, truly rare) if you ask for it. The bread is excellent and warm from the oven; portions are perfect if you plan on ordering a starter and a main, and maybe a dessert to share. I'll never pass up an opportunity to eat here, though I'll always try to show up EARLY to avoid the wait!
read full reviewThe Details on Melograno
Know Before You Go:
First come, first served is the seating policy here. Expect a two-hour wait on weekends. But once you're in, you're in for as long as you'd care to stay.
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Smoking Permitted:
No
