09/03/09

Want to take a good mood and turn it bad? Go to Dimitri's!

by Sangapoe

My boyfriend lived in Philly years ago and used to love Dimitri's so after talking about going for so long we had a friend leaving town so we all went last night. The place had 3 tables in it that were full-all the rest wide open (it was 7:30). There were 3 of us and they put us at a 2 top with 3 chairs. We nicely asked if we could move and they said it was against their policy. SO the 3 of us who ordered 8 items off the menu sat with out knee's banging each other. The bread is served with oil-with barely any spices. I asked the server for butter. Oh no. They do not do that. I practically begged her. She acted like I asked her for her kidney. The food was average at best. You cannot even order app's and then order dinner a few min after ordering them. The order must be done at once. They are so mean and nasty. Why anyone would want to tip them is beyond my understanding. I will never go back.

• Pros: BYOB
• Cons: Everything.

06/14/09

Disappointment abounds

by Foodie1777

I had eaten before at this restaurant and had a memorable experience. But, when we went as a group of six, the staff made every effort to make us uncomfortable at a small table for 4 with no reasonable attempt to accommodate our request for more comfortable seating. So, we took our business elsewhere.

• Pros: BYOB Quaint neighborhood
• Cons: Unreasonable seating 'policies'

05/19/09

Snooty/Overrated

by Foodie22222

I lived in Philadelphia about 10 years ago and loved Dmitris. It was always a long wait but the food was great and service good. I was back in town for a 15th year college reunion and decided to reminisce by coming here again on a MONDAY night for a good friend's birthday celebration. When I arrived at 6:30pm - the restaurant had many empty seats. We were a party of 5 but only 3 of us arrived early. We were seated immediately. The rest of the party came about 20 minutes later. After 5 minutes - our waitress came over with an irritated "Is the rest of your party coming soon?" After another 5 minutes - they basically said very rudely "Where are they?" Meanwhile - there were still MANY empty tables (another table of 5 open) - I looked and there was nobody waiting. When the rest of the party arrived, the waitress came over immediately to announce the specials of the day before my brother's butt touch his seat! They're undercurrent was still hostile at best. The restaurant did not fill up until 30 minutes after our entire party arrived and no more than 2 people were waiting at a time to be seated the entire time we were there. I felt that the waitresses were rude and acted like it was some kind of sacred privilege to eat at Dmitris. To add insult to injury - the food was NOT the way I remembered it. The grilled octopus was dry and did not taste fresh. The rest of the dishes were okay-good but not spectacular. I feel that Dmitris is resting on its previous laurels. I read a few yelp reviews and many complained about the rude waitstaff. I will not patronized this establishment again and informed my Philly friends and family of the same. This is America and who wants to pay to eat at a snooty mediocre place?

• Pros: Lots of seafood.
• Cons: rude, snobby waitstaff

11/14/08

Nasty Service

by tomike

Dmitri's was my all time favorite restaurant in Philadelphia. I've been dining there since the beginning (16 yrs?) when the waitresses knew your name and were known for their great style. On our last visit, we were sat next to another couple with, literally 1 inch between tables. there was no way that you could have a conversation without them knowing every detail. It was uncomfortable and we decided to move the table 2 inches away, I'm not exaggerating. We didn't think it would be a problem since there was about 6 ft of empty space to our right. Anyway, the waitress shoved the table back and scalded us saying "you are not allowed to just move tables around"!. After all those years of great food, its sad to think they could treat customes like that. All I can say is "goodbye Dmitri's" there are a million great places in the city, we wont be going back!

08/04/08

Fresh is the word.

by Frontierfish

Saturday, July 19th. Two working stiffs from downtown out looking for a meal with value. Professional service with seamless teamwork. We did the requisite visit to the corner tavern across the street for a local beer and ap an the hostess came to our table there to announce we could join them for dinner. Once seated in tight quarters we enjoyed whole Striped Bass and Blue Fish the way they do it best - fresh, plain, and hot. This simple preparation only works with excellent quality seafood so it was a delight to see a kitchen team do it perfectly in the midst of the Saturday Night crush. And all created in a kitchen space that might be 20' x 6'.

Follow up service on every part of our meal was flawless.

07/12/08

Better BYOs are out there..

by gobosox22

When we first moved to Philly Dmitri's got rave reviews from everyone we talked to so we tried it out for ourselves. We were thoroughly disappointed. I usually find BYOs charming even if the seating is a little tight. However, we felt like sardines at Dmitris. We were so close to the couple next to us that we might as well have merged our tables. It made an otherwise romantic restaurant feel awkward and uncomfortable. The service was average at best. Because of the way the tables were crammed in the waitress could barely get to us to serve our food and open our wine. It put both my husband and I in a bad enough mood that even the delicious food couldn't pull us out of it. So, yes, the food was great. But was it worth it? I've been to many better BYOs in Philly. I'd skip it.

• Pros: Great seafood
• Cons: You'll be a little too close to your neighbor

05/11/08

Get a table if you can!

by teddyz

We have lived in the area for two years and without a doubt, this is our favorite place. Not expensive, not fancy but just great food in a very friendly atmosphere. Go during the week for an easier time in getting a table or be prepared to wait or sit at the counter.

The fish is fresh and well prepared and the vegetables are fantastic. Try the soft shells if available! You won;t be disappointed!

03/16/08

Dimitri's

by marchi6

Best in town, one of my favorites. I have been going to Dimitri's for over 10 years, I can go over a month not going, however every time I return, it never changes or disappoints me. If you don't mind the wait it is worth it.

• Pros: Great mussels
• Cons: parking if you have to drive

12/17/07

Resting on their laurels

by billybob235

I've been to the other Dimitris in Rittenhouse several times and have never been disappointed. Last night however, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the food.

We got the octopus appetizer, which was pretty good. Then our "platters" came. I had the lamb and my date had the scallops. While the meats were fairly tasty, each platter came with rice and greens. The rice was so disappointing, obviously an afterthought. It literally tasted like cafeteria rice. I'm not exaggerating when I say that any rice-in-a-box you can get at a supermarket would have been far better. And the greens were soggy and uninspired, just laying there. Not even sauteed in garlic or anything, it just seemed like they had been steamed and thrown on the plate.

I expect everything on my plate to be somewhat tasty, interesting, or inventive. What I got was completely run of the mill, uninspired and pedestrian. It seems as though the chefs at Dimitris have stopped trying, or stopped caring. I would never let sides like that leave my kitchen, and I'm not even a chef.

Service was good, and the atmosphere was nice.

10/26/07

Charming with Great Food

by montecarlo221

I have never been dissappointed with any of the meals I've had at Dmitri's. Sure, it's not fine dining, but it's a BYO and the food is reasonably priced and delicious! I always share the enormous order of grilled vegetables with the rest of our party. The scampi is excellent. The grilled pita is a nice touch that goes great with the baba ganoush. I wish, though, that they had more to offer in terms of specials. It always seems to be tilapia served in a white wine and lemon sauce. Summer time is my fave at Dmitri's when you can have their tomato and mozzerella salad. Desserts are ok- a little bit slapped together. But the female servers are always on top of things. They move quickly and get your food to you in a timely manner.

• Pros: large portions, BYO
• Cons: hard to park