Barclay Prime

06/30/2008 Posted by sudeepbose

Good food....but great service...the appetizers were great...the kobe slider appetizers were phenomenal....the kobe steaks were good but very expensive...great service

Pros: Great service

Cons: Very expensive

06/17/2008 Posted by goosemonkey

From the decor to the service to the melt in your mouth steaks and sauces, barclay is outstanding. why go to a chain when you can get great food here.

04/20/2008 Posted by remy4378

Ate here last night with my girlfriend. The atmosphere was different from other traditional steak houses (capital grille, Morton's etc) We found the atmosphere inviting and the seating very comfortable and not as loud (music) as some of the other reviews suggest. We were 15 minutes early and were given the option by the hostess to be seated in the dining room or to relax in the lounge with a cocktail. Our waitress was attentive and prompt. Excellent wine by the glass selection (they even have a super tuscan and a bordeaux by the glass). We had the bacon wrapped scallops that rested on fried green tomatoes. This simple sounding starter was cooked to perfection with all ingredients exhibiting their optimal flavour and texture. We both had steak for our entrees. She had the Kobe filet and I had the Kobe strip. While my steak was excellent, her filet was simply one of the most succulent pieces of beef I have ever had. We had truffle whipped potatoes and asparagus as our sides. I highly recommend the potatoes as they have a generous pool of truffle oil with lots of truffle bits atop (if you like truffles, i need not say more). We were quite full but had a relaxed dessert over coffee. We had the deep dish cookie (comprised of chocolate chunk, sugar and oatmeal raisin) with home made vanilla ice cream on top. This was accompanied with a rich chocolate sauce. While we were craving a spoon or two of something sweet, we were unable to exhibit restraint. We took a bit of time, but our waitress was acomodating and did not bring the cheque unit I asked for it after a couple refills of coffee. The cheque was steep but fitting for a dining experience that delivered on multiple levels. The only minor gripe I have with this restaurant is that the dining room is very open (I personally would not chose this as a venue for a romantic celebration) Other than that, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Pros: High quality food and service

Cons: Very large single dining room is not intimate

04/09/2008 Posted by cssino

I've been here twice now and wasn't impressed. The decor isn't anything special, the service isn't great, and the food is o.k. yet they charge such high prices. It wasn't the worst experience ever, but i definitely won't go back.

03/18/2008 Posted by citysearcher47

Barclay Prime can best be described as overrated. I have had a much better meal at a 1/4 of the price. Service was terrible. I have never been to a restaurant where the hostess felt it was a good idea to come to your table and flirt with your date. She came up to our table interrupting our meal, completely ignored me, even had her back facing me the whole time and flirted with my date. I was waiting for her to give him her phone number. It was pretty embarrassing and strange experience.

02/27/2008 Posted by griffin1996

My husband took me for dinner on saturday night for my birthday. The service was terrible our appetizers arrived before our cocktails did. Our food was good although everything was room temperature nothing was hot. I suspect our dinner sat waiting for our server. The restaurant is very loud and we used our candle to read the menu. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Cons: loud, dark , poor service

02/15/2008 Posted by flawedxfantasy

I went here for Valentine's Day and everything was perfect.. form the steaks to the waitor I couldn't have asked for a better experience and the food was delicious. We also received a complimentary treat as we left. Thoughtful!

Pros: food, service

Cons: none

10/24/2007 Posted by bafoolamagotz

Last weekend, my wife and I journeyed to Rittenhouse square to dine at Barclay Prime. I consider myself to be a kobe connoisseur and self proclaimed "foodie". We were very excited to dine at this particular restuarant because of a bone in kobe steak (which is unheard of in the U.S). The cut of meat was was a 36 ounce Tajima porterhouse offered at $245. Me and my wife split some wonderfull appetizers and salads. Then we embarked upon this porterhouse as well a butter poached lobster. The porterhouse was so tender and buttery, we were in steak heaven. To top it all off the service was stellar, our server was the best I've ever encountered , so knowledgeable and funny. I've dined at steakhouses all over the country (wolfgangs place, craft steaks, peter lugers, charlie trotters joint) and none of them were comparible to the all around service and food at Barclay Prime. Great job folks!

Pros: service, food, wine, specialty cocktails

Cons: valet was at corner not in front of restuarant

09/01/2007 Posted by malin1

seems there's only one group in filthadelphia who know how to run a restaurant. i've eaten at striped bass, alma de cuba and now barclay prime in the last couple of months. they were all fair. i found it funny that i called less than an hour before i wanted to get a table of a friday night and got in without a problem. we surely weren't in manhattan. the receptionist asked me if we'd be celebrating anything this evening. i said yes, we were celebrating my girlfriend's leaving the city alive after living there for a year. she said, 'oh, celebrating your leaving the city at the best restaurant in the country'. puh-lease. was given a table shoved over in a corner even though the room was half empty. waited a bit too long for any service, but the waiter was efficient enough. ordered 1/2 dozed oysters, 3 from the west coast and 3 from the east. they were fair. we split a 16 oz. austrailian kobe filet that was a special on the menu for $145. it was good and well prepared although too salty. the whipped potatoes were also too salty. the aparagus was forgettable. the desserts were ok. i had a vanilla cheesecake with a strawberry compote and my girlfriend had a banana cream thing that she enjoyed. bill was $283 with tip. if you like kobe beef then it's a good choice for a decent meal.

Pros: decent steaks

Cons: lighting too dim

05/07/2007 Posted by carnivalrex

This place is for rich folks who prefer to squander money on an 'experience' rather than getting a meal worthy of its pricetag. If it weren't, they wouldn't offer a $100 cheesesteak (gimme a break). The dining room is lovely, with a modern library feel to it that's actually a really neat vibe. Everything is done all fancy (and pretentious to the n'th degree). Everything is overpriced. You can end up paying $85 for a steak alone, not counting what you'll pay for sides, salad, appetizers, wine. Once you've ordered your steak, the waiter will come around with a plate of different kinds of knives and ask you to select which one you'd like for your steak. This is laying on the BS REALLY thick, now. I told the waiter I'd be satisfied with any one that cuts meat. The steak itself was decent, but I always prefer a juicy steak to the dry aged cuts they brag about. I found this to be an extravagant experience for an average meal at an outrageously inflated price. You're paying to be able to select your knife and feel important, if you're into that sort of thing.

Pros: neat dining room, friendly wait staff, you can laugh at how silly this place is

Cons: very pretentious, overpriced