Amada

08/26/2008 Posted by jossfan23

Leaving Amada we decided to walk home because we were so satisfyingly full. This was my 2nd favorite meal I've eaten in the 7 years living in Philly. The food & drinks were wonderful and we were never rushed - though the room was full they allowed us to spend 2 hours lingering over the wonderful tastes we were having. Go and eat there with a great group of friends.

Pros: white sangria. slow-paced meal. varied menu

Cons: food was slightly salty for my tastes - but wonderful.

07/28/2008 Posted by patrickrh

I went to Amada this past weekend. It was a wonderful experience. We arrived for our 9:30 reservation and were promptly seated. Not that I would have minded otherwise, I never mind having a drink at the bar first. The service was informative and the menu extensive. Lots of little plates enable you to try several items. There were 4 of us and we each chose about 3 dishes. The server staggered them so we always had a couple on the table at a given time. The food is DELICIOUS. I am vegetarian and there was plenty dishes for me to choose from. Be prepared to be there for a while if you're in good company, we were there about 4 hours!

06/06/2008 Posted by annmintz

Amada is a place for people who enjoy food. The combinations are traditional yet imaginative-- salmon with saffron emulsion and spiced almonds paired with tempura-fried artichokes and grilled onions. Shirred eggs with shrimp and wild mushrooms and indescribably luscious crostini. (My dining partner said this was what breakfast must taste like in heaven.) Green salad spiked with sliced figs and almonds, the whole thing rolled in Serrano ham. The only caveat-- hardly a complaint-- is that these are not small "small plates." A few-- two, three at most-- make a lovely meal. The service is delightful and this popular, yes, trendy restaurant makes you feel extremely welcome. Try the white sangria. No, try the red sangria. But go to Amada. If you like food.

Pros: Food, service, ambience

Cons: Parking in Old City is never easy. Amada offers valet.

05/27/2008 Posted by norak82

My two girlfriends and I went to Amada on a Wednesday night because we had heard great things about it. We were not impressed. Even thought we had made reservations, we had to wait at the bar for a good 40 minutes. The sangria was tasty, but I can't same the same for the food. We thought everything tasted ok, but nothing spectacular. They certainly did charge above average food prices--it's not worth it. I wouldn't go back for dinner, only for drinks.

Pros: Tatsy sangria

Cons: Food is overpriced!

05/17/2008 Posted by Robyngonzalez1

This is the first time I have ever felt compelled to write a review but after eating at Amada I felt it was absolutely necessary to give compliments to Chef Jose Garces. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the staff is friendly and professional and the food is absolutely amazing! My husband and I ordered the Chef's selection as we had never eaten authentic Spanish tapas before. They brought out three separate courses, all small plates of tasty foods, unique salads, lamb meatballs, flatbread, shrimp, etc. Everything tasted exquisite. Every time one of the staff members brought out a new dish they gave a brief explanation of what it was, how it was made, etc. Not to mention their signature drink "Sangria" is soo good! We didn't get to see the Flamenco dancers, but maybe next time. For anyone looking for a truly unique restaurant, place this at the top of your list - You will not be disappointed.

05/08/2008 Posted by crimekate

I love spanish tapas, and have been dying to try Amada ever since it opened. What a disappointment! The food was just...wrong. We ordered some traditional tapas as well as two of the "flatbreads". The pan con tomate was tasty, but not authentic - it was more like a bruschetta. Traditionally it's a garlic-and-tomato rubbed toast, here it was covered with a thin layer of well-seasoned tomato puree. That was the best thing we ate. The duck flatbread (the menu identifies it as coming with dates, serrano ham, and cabrales) was an abomination.. When it arrived it was soggy, covered with orange zest, and there was no cabrales in evidence, thought there was some kind of bland cheesy substance. After tasting it I asked the waiter about the cabrales and he said "oh, it's cabrales CREAM'.' (It doesn't say that on the menu, btw) I wanted to say - "what, made with monterey jack?". The serrano ham was completely unecessary and clashed with the other flavors (there were too many ingredients to start with). The beef-horseradish-bacon flatbread was a little better, though I didn't taste any bacon, and only a little bit of horseradish in one bite. That was also covered in orange zest, and soggy. Yuck. The fried baby anchovies, when they arrived, looked like Andy Capp's hot fries. They were completely coated with smoked paprika. Why? Smoked paprika is a strong flavor that can easily overpower a dish... especially something as delicate as fresh anchovies. Inexplicably, there was a soft-fried egg perched on top of the pile of neon-red fish. It was, in a word, disgusting. Completely inedible. The ham croquettas were also inauthentic and not very good. In Spain, I fell in love with these creamy fried wonders... here, they were too gamey, flavored with waaay too much serrano ham, and greasy. They just didn't taste right, or even good. I guess they're trying to impress with high quality ingredients, but flavor and authenticity ought to count for something.

Cons: food is not authentic, and not good

03/23/2008 Posted by chellysue

This place just didn't do it for me. The meats and cheeses were good, and paired well with their acoutrements, but some of their prepared foods were not good. The spicy potatoes were nice, the fried baby anchovies were like little sea-tinged french fries (a good thing). I understand it's "traditional," but if that means over salted, over oiled and under marinated, then maybe traditional isn't for me. The same oil/herb/salt marinade was all over everything else we ordered, which was booring, and often there was way too much of it. The flavors in their salads and even in their sangria tasted like they had no time to come together. Maybe it was because they were busy, or maybe that's how it is.

Pros: Meats, cheeses.

Cons: Oil, salt and herbs all over everything else.

03/17/2008 Posted by mkelch1

My girlfriend brought me here for a dinner as a treat to ourselves. One of my few complaints was that our 8:00 reservation resulted in a seat finally becoming available for us at 9:15. While the food was delicious (we opted for the large Paellea platter instead of just tapas) the noise is overwhelming. The restaurant is packed very tightly, you almost sit in somebody else's lap. Not bad if you are the friendly type, but it could be a bit akward for some. The waiter was full of knowledge and gave us the history of tapas in general, not that we needed it as my girlfriend is native of Argentina. The chocolate wave dessert was amazing, the sorbet not as much. Also on wed. nights they offer a free show of authentic Spanish dancing. My girlfriend actually knew the one dancer, and she has been dancing for years, it was quite a nice show. I would probably go back, but i would definitely not make any plans afterwards.

Pros: Food, Show, Small plates allow for a good sampling

Cons: small place, long wait, sorbet

03/10/2008 Posted by winelover17

This restaurant is fabulous. We sat at the chefs table and enjoyed watching all of the food being prepared. Our server was fabulous and we had an overall wonderful time.

03/09/2008 Posted by alici34

My husband and I decided to try out Amada and watch Flamenco last Friday night. We made our reservations 5 weeks in advance, asking for a table close to the stage on a Friday night. When we got to Amada, we found out that the location of stage had been changed since we made the reservations, and the Flamenco show could only be viewed from the bar. My husband and I were ready to leave, as we weren't informed about this change till we asked about it and we had waited for 5 weeeks to reserve a good table. At that point, Kevin, one of the managers at Amada, came to our table, very nicely explained the reason for the stage location change, and promised to reserve chairs for us right by the Flamenco show at the bar. So my husband and I enjoyed the great tapas selections, then moved to the bar (to our reserved barstools) enjoyed the great Flamenco show, and we asked for the check only to find out that our dinner was on Amada for the night. Overall, we had a great night with great customer service, however it is important for the restaurant not to highlight the Flamenco on the website as most of the customers would not be able to view the show and the food/drinks/and the atmosphere are more than enough reasons to chose this restaurant!