Pumpkin

06/01/2008 Posted by fillydweller

Recently visited this place after hearing many positive things, but left fairly disappointed. Good-- very charming small space, which is intimate and romantic. Super friendly staff Bad -- smallest portions that I have seen outside of a 7 course tasting menu at Le Bec Fin. We both had an appetizer, entree and dessert and left hungry. Food was decent but not spectacular. restaurant is also on an "up and coming" block. The prices were also obnoxious given the tiny portions. There are so many better byob options in the city that this is not even in the top 50% of byobs.

05/16/2008 Posted by ben_stein

As I said; I go to Pumpkin fairly often. And what I said before still goes. But Now! Ian has a new and wonderful new chef in the kitchen who is apparently a Desert Head. And together they make even More magic. And they are deserts clearly prepared by a 'food guy': tastes, and textures, and colors all perfectly combined; 'layered' together. Yummy stuff and another excellent addition. Sadly, my favorite waitress left but there are two new ones that I like. Iona and Harriet. So anyway: Try The Deserts!

Pros: It's all good. No wait; sometimes other people make too much noise.

Cons: Sometimes I can't eat there

04/21/2008 Posted by squachy

Was interested to see what this place would be like, considering it has some excellent reviews on here and also some terrible reviews. Overall, I enjoyed my time at Pumpkin. I went on a Friday night and found the restaurant to be full, but not cramped. Service was very good, although it was a little weird how the bread is brought over one piece at a time. Food was delicious, and although small on the portion size, I walked out of there full. Must have been the wine. Would recommend Pumpkin, but there are so many good BYOs in the city that I can't say it was my all-time favorite.

Pros: BYOB, great food, good service

Cons: Small, can get loud, small portions

03/12/2008 Posted by s3p4r2

I was at Pumpkin recently and after reading some reviews, it was exactly what I expected, but better. The waitress was excellent, she was comfortable and knowledgeable, and I have to say this is the first time that being vegan has not felt like a hassle. She was happy to accomodate and rather than getting the feeling like the Chefs were grumbling in the background, she made me feel like they enjoyed the challenge (although, it probably wouldve been smart to mention it in my reservation). The presentations were lovely and while the portions are smaller, even my father (who has quite an appetite) was satisfied. Now, the food does take a while, but here's my advice. Bring a few bottles of wine, sit back and relax- its Dinner! Whats the hurry. The waitress, was not absent or avoiding us and to me, that makes all the difference. My vegan dish-kale, mushrooms, quinoa, parsnip puree with a spicy mustard taste was so good, I was practically licking my fingers!

Pros: Great Service, Vegan-Friendly

Cons: Cash Only, Smaller portions

02/12/2008 Posted by IROeater

Pumpkin is always great. The food is always well done, with great care. Full of flavor, fantastic presentation, and interesting combinations. I recommend this place highly. As a regular, I am always given a amuse course, and the chefs are always willing to talk shop, whether it be food, ingredients, or wine. Now, since it seems many people lack BYOB etiquette, let me inform the masses. First, for the prices you pay and the quality you get, you cannot beat this restaurant, along with a few other notable byobs (melograno, mercato, etc). As someone who works at a fine dining establishment in philly, a filling, delicious meal for 2 under $100 is great. But, with that price you lose some of the luxury's of fine dining. If you want somewhere with a "never say no, customer is always right" mentality, go to The Fountain or Le Bec Fin. And, expect to pay upwards of 200 per PERSON! I routinely wait on tables of 2 that spend upwards of $500. Otherwise, you have to deal with certain unavoidable compromises. For one, staff and service. They won't be stellar, but good enough, just because the great ones go to where they make more money. Two, if you sit for a long time, don't be surprised if you're asked to leave. As a BYOB makes no money off alcohol (with its huge profit margin), a customer who is sitting, just drinking wine they bought elsewhere is losing that restaurant lots of money. Please be courteous to the staff, and waiting customers, and leave in a reasonable amount of time. Lastly, trust a restaurant if they say they can't seat you, because they cannot seat you. No one will turn you away if you can be sat. But since most byobs are so small, if a they are booked for an evening, they cannot shuffle things around. If tables are open, but you cannot be seated, it means reservations for them are coming in shortly and must be honored. Next time, make a reservation.

Pros: Unbelievable food, approachable chefs

Cons: can be tight and loud if full. Small kitchen can mean long waits when busy

01/03/2008 Posted by mncl425

We have dined at Pumpkin three times. The food is very good, but also very OVERPRICED, especially for the portion. The first time we went the service was great. The second and third times, the service was just okay. We felt rushed like others have, even though there were several empty tables.

12/14/2007 Posted by poodleheadmikey

I have eaten at Pumpkin literally dozens of times beginning almost at their original opening. I find them not only wonderful, but improving. The servers are good looking, pleasant, witty, and efficient. And the chefs are really excellent in a special way which has them consistently surprising me with their ability to top their prior excellent renderings. They are genuine and talented artists pairing ingredients, textures, colors, and flavors in unexpected and wonderful ways. I find it a rare experience to be both surprised and delighted by food. But Pumpkin routinely accomplishes it. After reading through the detracting 'reviews' here the thought came to me - they must have been written by competing restaurant owners. <g> Perhaps I have simply been accidentily fortunate in my experiences. But maybe your should come in when I am going to be there and share in my good fortune. E-mail me and we can coordinate reservations. CJE@snip.(put the word for what fisherman use here) --------------

Pros: Convenient and inexpensive parking right across the street

Cons: Sometimes they are closed when I want wonderful food

11/18/2007 Posted by lilamielia80

Well if you have the stomach of an eighty year old then this is the place for you. I was super excited for my dinner at Pumpkin but now I'm super sick! Not that the food wasn't pretty good, the Pumpkin experience was bland bland bland... The service was numbing and the portions of each dish was nonexisting. A huge white bowl contained my small lil entree that depressed and amused me. Laughter followed shortly after for the measly entrees wouldn't satisfy a three year old. If it wasn't for the vodka I'd probably have a worse experience. Anyway, if you want to spend 80 buckaroo's on din din and then head to Lorenzo's for dessert, enjoy!

Pros: I can't seem to find one!

Cons: Where do I begin?

11/18/2007 Posted by girldriver

My recommendation: eat before you go. We went for dinner last night. The menu is expensive for a BYO. Entrees were at least $23 and appetizers were $8-10. The price doesn't matter, but the portion size for the price DOES matter. The entrees are served in huge bowls, but the serving in the giant bowl is the size of a bevnap. When we got our entrees, we looked into our huge bowls, looked at each other, and burst out laughing, the portions were so small. The bevnap reference is not an exaggeration. I had the short ribs, and my portion was literally the size of a bevnap. The menu should say "short rib" instead of "short ribs". My friend had the marlin, and her portion was even smaller than mine--it was the size of an appetizer portion. My entree was supposed to come with potato gratin. The gratin was literally a few slices of potatoes. If the food was outstanding, I would give some leeway for the smaller portions. The short rib entree was good, but not anything special. The appetizers were good (escargot, razor clams), but again, not anything special. The marlin was very good, but again, just too small to qualify as an entree. When we asked for bread, we were served ONE SLICE EACH from a big basket. Later, during the entrees, we had to ask three times for more bread, and then we were again served one slice each. The bread wouldn't normally matter, but we were hungry and the tiny portion sizes didn't cut it. And to top it off, the bread was stale. Also, the only beverages they have are water, coke, diet coke, and sprite. If you are bringing something to drink other than wine, there are no mixers other than coke and sprite. If you don't drink alcohol, be prepared to drink one of those three choices. I was happy I had a bagel an hour before we went. We were hungry when we left. Not what I expect when my meal is $80 without drinks. The quality of the food does not justify the tiny portions. It gives the impression that the restaurant is cheap.

11/01/2007 Posted by sps3arch

I went for dinner last night and felt while the atmosphere is tempting from the street it was not at all what i expected. I felt the PRICES are a bit out of control, there are many established byobs in the area with much higher quality food for almost 7 to 10$ cheaper per plate, like on 20th and spruce, anyway the wait staff had a bit of pretention about them, even though they tried very hard to be relaxed and when your in such a small space all the details matter, this was a large one. The meal was pretty good, the bill was nuts. no entree under 23$ last night and for a byob....i wont go back

Pros: local, byob

Cons: attitude, PRICES