XIX – Nineteen

Great view, but very overpriced for what you get on your plate. Pretty good wine selection, but not anyone to help us choose the best bottle for our meal. When I asked the first time, our waiter just said they don’t have a sommelier. After I chose my own bottle, he said their wine guy was off tonight. Luckily, the bottle of wine I chose was the best part of the meal!
I started with the lobster risotto, and it was barely warm. Plus, the lobster was cut up into the tiniest pieces imaginable so really it just seemed like eating undercooked rice with some lobster flavoring. My wife started with the cheese plate, which was fine but small. We both had the pork tenderloin and the portions put together might have made one normal serving. It was 4 bites of pork each with some spicy vegetables underneath. $ 250 ticket and we left hungry.
So many better places to visit! We went down the road to Davios for dessert and wine (suggested by their sommelier), and were way more impressed. Maybe give Davios a shot instead.

We went here for drinks and sat at a table for 20 minutes without anyone coming to our table. I asked the hostess if we had a waiter, she said he would be right over. We sat there for another 10 minutes and finally got up and left. I would think that for the prices they would have better service.

Summary: It’s OK, but nothing special. You can get a better brunch for less elsewhere in the city. DO NOT GO WHEN IT’S HOT OUTSIDE.
Three of us went for Memorial Day brunch. There were few tables filled at 11:30 but already they were low on shrimp, out of oysters and the salmon plate was empty.

Our entrees were fine. My friend particularly loved her waffle and the other thought the steak was good but very small. My crabcake benedict was ok, but the crabcake was oddly watery and cold.
A large group came in about 10 minutes after we did and they were very upset that so many dishes were empty. There were only two servers and so getting coffee or juice, etc. was a slow process. They knew it was a holiday weekend, so I’m not sure why they only had two people on staff.
The room was very bright and sunny, but it was so. hot. It’s not like the heat wave was a surprise. It was 90 outside, and the air could not keep up. It was so hot that the desserts started melting and many were dairy desserts, which didn’t seem like the best idea.
By the time we left, I think they’d refilled the oysters, but that was it.
It ended up costing $ 60 cause I had a mimosa with a drop of chambord in it for $ 10 which was definitely not worth it.
If you’re a tourist looking for a view, gotcha. Otherwise, either splurge for the super fancy brunch at Rittenhouse or try Parc or Royal Tavern or one of the many other places.

In Philly on business and went XIX for dinner. The best thing going for this restaurant is the ambiance and view. The food was okay but not worth a return visit. My lobster risotto was undercooked. We were unable to order specialty cocktails due to «administrative issues» and the wine list was lacking. Service was also very slow.

I had high expectations given the wait times and table availability. Looking back, I should have level set based on other reviews. At first walk through off the elevators, the open areas leading to the dining room were elegant and the décor matched the well architected building full of rich history. The bar was extremely crowded and the ambiance was lively and full of color. Once in the main dining room, the views of the city were priceless and seating arrangements spaced appropriately.
Having said that, the food and wait staff did not measure up to the standard presented by the restaurant and fell short of the built up expectations. The food was C+ at best with a complimentary wait/​food staff that did not know the menu or offer any sufficient description of dishes and wine. The cheese board along with the steak entrée tasted of grocery market quality (one of the cheeses truly tasted like deli cheese) and left plenty to be desired. The bland salmon was ok, but also room for improvement.
All in all, I would give this restaurant a B– overall, with the views of the city, décor and ambiance being the true draw. Without those, this is not a restaurant worth going out of your way for.

What a beautiful place. When you enter though and get to the hostess stand there isn’t a real «waiting area» it’s a bit awkward. The waiter we had was very nice. We were in private room with a curtain to give privacy but we heard everything. We were right next to maybe a waiter stand or something and heard several personal conversations and we weren’t being necessarily quiet ourselves (party of 6 celebrating).
The Calamari is a MUST! It is seriously the best I have ever had. Its perfectly crispy and almost melts in your mouth. The flank steak was also a great choice. Truffle friends… need I say more.
If you want views make sure you try to get a window table. We did try to see the view and weren’t really able.
The lounge/​bar area is very nice. We stopped for a few on our way out. The bartenders were very friendly and outgoing gave us some great recommendations for the evening and tips for the area which we loved!
This place is pricey be sure to take a look at the menu beforehand so you’re not shocked. I personally think it’s worth every penny
I have also heard they offer some great buffets/​special events etc.

This was the second stop on my Friday’s night bar hoping with my friend. She wanted to go here to see the sunset. We spent a little too much time over Charlie is a Sinner that we missed the sunset. However, the view of the city was still very nice from the balcony by the time we arrived.
I didn’t order any foods, only got a drink. Therefore, i’m giving the place a 4 stars based on the location and the view of the city.

After a long day of traveling, settling in, ironing, and resolving my Internet connectivity issues it was finally time to eat. I had nothing since breakfast so decided to hit the hotel restaurant. I quickly noticed the refined décor and attentiveness of the wait staff. I went big and bold because I starving. The fish and chips and a Guinness were very tasty and satisfying. The fresh succulent fish was not overpowered by the batter. The tartar sauce was exquisitely flavored to give a perfect pairing. The chips were golden brown and served hot. The Guinness was a perfect pint served at the perfect temperature!

The restaurant itself is absolutely stunning. However, the service ruins the atmosphere. We had a reservation and we ended up having to wait to be seated and once we walked in plenty of tables were open. We were celebrating a birthday and when we were carded the waiter didn’t even look at our id and did not even mention happy birthday. What’s interesting is when I had called for the reservation the hostess asked if we were celebrating anything I said yes a birthday and requested that the waiter acknowledge that we were celebrating an occasion. So what is the point in asking when you do nothing to make your guest feel special? Other than that the food was delicious, which is expected at a restaurant of this caliber.

Ah, the old Crystal Tea Room!
Ambiance = obviously beautiful, the old crystal tea room shines in all of its chandelier’d glory!
Drinks on point
The food varies, but I’ve enjoyed my experiences there overall

Great place in the city for girls night, date night, or anything in between! It’s located on the nineteenth (duh) floor of the building. I’ve only had cocktails here and nothing has disappointed me.
Heard they do brunch! Can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and try that option out. Until next time!

My husband and I went here for our fifth anniversary. We decided to check out their lunch special. You get 3 courses. The first and third course was all you could eat… and with the third course being dessert what more could you want?! The main course I chose the pasta and my husband chose the steak. They were phenomenal! The price couldn’t be beat either. A great meal for people who want to do something special on a budget. They even gave us a surprise dessert for our 5^th anniversary. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great meal!

Wow! Booziest $ 6 happy hour drinks in the city! I had two and accidentally got drunk. The first one was a gin drink that was a bit too sweet for me (Time after Thyme I think it was called), while the second one featured tequila and citrus and was much more well-​balanced.
We decided to have a quick bite as well before a performance at the nearby Kimmel Center. I went with the crab cake and side of XIX salad (only $ 2 extra to get a small salad with the crab cake). The crab cake was really meaty with very nice chunks of lump crab meat. It was fully coated with a light layer of breadcrumbs and I believe was fried, which was OK but I prefer a crab cake without the coating and broiled. The side salad was tasty and worth the extra $ 2. It made a nice, light dinner.
My companions had the mussels and the calamari. The mussels were overflowing their pot and swimming in a tasty wine, butter, and fennel broth. The calamari was house made, lightly coated, and perfectly fried. All in all everyone was very pleased with their meals.
This place is a little pricey, and the food is good but nothing special. You’re paying for atmosphere, which is admittedly quite tony. Come here to feel fancy.

This place is pretty fancy. It has a nice view of the city. There were a lot of wine/​alcohol choices but there wasn’t much for food. The choices for food was very limited. It was a little pricy. I had the lobster risotto and it was great. However, it was on the saltier side. It would be a nice place to go for a date but I wouldn’t go frequently. I had a lot of fun with my girls here.

I came here on Sunday to have some me time with a few of my girlfriends. The atmosphere is very chill and relax.

The view is really great. Unfortunately, the balcony is closed during fall and winter so if you’re going anytime during those months, don’t expect to be outside. The service was fine. Everyone was super nice and we even got the chance to meet one of the chefs. I got the lobster club sandwich and a Lychee Kiss cocktail. The sandwich was pretty good, and the drink was also. The lychee kiss is really sweet and puts you in the mindset of drinking a grown up Shirley Temple (without seltzer). I also tried the Steak Frites that my friend had ordered. It was pretty good. Both of our meals came with a side of French fries, which is something that I did not expect from an upscale restaurant. Overall, the food was just average and menu has limited options. This will be a great place for brunch but definitely not dinner.
P.S: The prices are not that bad as others may make it seem. 2 cocktails, and 2 meals came to $ 76. I typically pay about $ 60 for myself at any upscale restaurant so I was shocked to see how cheap dinner for 2 was. One more thing. Make sure you take note of the elevator (s) you use to get to the 19^th floor. Not all elevators take you back down to the lobby.

Dined here Saturday night with 2 other couples. Nineteen is a beautiful restaurant; classy, elegant space with great views of the Philadelphia skyline. For me, the room was the best part of my experience. While the food was good (not great), it was very expensive with very small portions. The kind of portions that leave you hungry when done — and we all had 4 courses.
The service was disappointing for such an upscale restaurant. Salads came out with our appetizers, silverware not being replaced when taken with finished courses, not being offered coffee with our desserts. The staff seemed generally untrained. This may not seem like much, but when the tab comes to $ 100/​pp you should expect a lot. At least I do.
Dining at Nineteen left me underwhelmed, but with confidence that I won’t be returning at least for dinner. Their bar on the other hand was great. A cozy, upscale environment with great bartenders serving very well made cocktails. I wouldn’t hesitate to return to the bar, if not the restaurant itself. Cheers!

I went to this restaurant last night with 5 of my friends for Valentine’s Day it was extremely overpriced. Food was not up to par to say the least. The check ended up being over $ 850 for 6 people and we left hungry. I just chalked it up as another restaurant I would never go back to. To my surprise I woke up this morning I checked my balance on my credit card and it was overcharged by 20%. I called my other 2 friends that also split the check with me their cards were also charged an extra 20% each. So not only was the food not as good as I was expecting, the restaurant extremely overpriced, but they also ripped us off upon paying the check. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy. By far one of the worst Valentine’s Day dinner experiences I’ve had in my life. Save your money go to a restaurant that has good food good service and doesn’t rip you off.

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? food and service remain quite good but «yikes»
who ripped out the drapes, the hanging pearls, & stuck some thick branches in the
middle of the center table & began eroding the elegance?

If I could give a zero star I would! Went to get a drink with some friends at the bar; the place was busy and understaffed. Ordered 4 cocktails which were fine; told the waitress to run my card. As we were about to leave, asked to close my tab and took them 45 minutes to find my card. Finally the manager just barely apologized. The customer service is just horrible. They do not take care of their customers. It’s a beautiful place to see but pls don’t spend your money here.

Came here for a birthday dinner and had a private dining area. The restaurant, although very dark, is very nice and clean. A good place for a romantic dinner.
Service: ⁵⁄₅ — waiters/​waitresses were on point. They answered every question we had about the menu and also helped us plug in out iPhone for some music, so we had some nice 2 Chainz (who?!) music at an elegant place.
Food: ²⁄₅ — I originally wanted the scallops, but it was the hit for the night, so they were out of scallops. I then opted for their catch of the day, a whole fish (trout I think). Texture was good. Taste was bland. Didn’t finish it and had my «date» of the night pick off my plate. I picked off his and cheated on my vegan diet. He had steak and it wasn’t too bad, however, for it’s price tag, I would assume it would blow me away, but it didn’t. It tasted like simple salt and pepper on a t-​bone.
Drinks: ⁵⁄₅ — we got a couple of bottles of wine and they were great wines! I sipped some cocktails and they were yummy, but I am not a fan of cocktails =D .
Overall: this place is nice to at least try once. Awesome view. Nothing that wowed me enough to come back.

The staff was extremely friendly. The restaurant was elegant and very nice. I came here for restaurant week but ended up ordering a dish outside of the prefixed menu. The waiter was very accommodating and provided complimentary desserts.

Took a date here and was extremely disappointed with the entire experience. Room looks very nice at first but certain areas are in much need of cleaning and or paint.
First round of food we ordered was cheese and meat board. This was the only item that I was no disappointed in. Very nice spread with multiple cheeses and meats.
From this point everything went completely downhill. From the moment we ordered our entrees, it took about an hour and 45 min until we received the entrees or saw our waitress again.
I ordered the ravioli which was cold and consisted of about 3 raviolis, and my date ordered the steak frites. Her dish looked like they threw it together at the last second, steak was average at best.
Service was horrible. When I was finally able to get the check I couldn’t even get someone to take it from me when I was ready to pay!
Avoid this place at all costs. Extremely over priced, terrible service.

Excellent Food, Excellent Service, Excellent Views of Philadelphia!
Located in the «Historic Bellvue Stratford Hotel» «XIX» is class all the way. Start with one of their Signature Drinks such as their «Lychee Kiss», by the fireplace in their Cozy Lounge. After that you’ll be led to the Beautiful, Ornate Open Dining Area with Beautiful views of the City.
Service is Attentive, Fast, and Knowlegeable. To Start, my friends started with the Grilled Spanish Octopus. Perfectly Grilled and Tender. I «LOVED» the «CRAB CAKE APPETIZER». Just enough, Full of Lump Crab Meat served with Pepper Jam and Traditional Mustard.
Two friends thoroughly loved the «STEAK FRITES– Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak Grilled to perfection served with Truffle Fries. I had to have my Favorite Dish «Duck» in this case it was an «5 Spiced Duck» cooked Perfectly and accompanied with White Quinoa Pilaf, Cara Cara Oranges, Foie Gras, Orange Gastrique. Wine was suggested by the Waiter (Also a Sommelier).
Fresh, Crusty, Artisan Breads all served Warm with «REAL BUTTER!»
Parking is in the attached parking garage. Make sure you bring your receipt to get validated by the Maitre D. Be sure to stop in and visit the local shops such as «Tiffany’s».
Truly a nice experience for a Special Occasion!
Enjoy,
Chef Gary Curry

How ironic on the same night, someone with the same first name, also a party of four makes a ressie for around the same time? Roy Lan, if you’re reading this, yes this happened to us. You checked in just a taaad before us, under our name, and was given our table by the window, looking down into the city. Luckily, I was there with great company., so that sorta made up for it.
While waiting to check in, my party and i found the area to smell of. urine. Did anyone else notice that on Friday night? It kind of grossed us out since we saw people dining not too far from where we were waiting to be checked in.
If this is your first time, like it was ours, locating the restaurant would be confusing. The Palm overlaps XIX’s sign, so you can easily drive or walk past the place. But it is the same entrance as The Palm, only once get in, you’ll take the elevator up to the 19^th Floor.
We went for restaurant week. For an additional $ 14, you can pair your dinner with two glasses of wine (you get to choose from 4 – 5 of their selections between red and white). Food came out relatively slow. There was a long gap between our appetizer and entrée being served. So from the restaurant week menu, i ordered:
Grilled octopus — you get one tentacle. i was expecting octopus, not just the tentacle? It was ok. It tasted like it was overflowing with lime juice. I’m not sure, it was too sour for me to even taste any other possible flavor.
Red Snapper –I’ve picked out at least 6 fish scales that was still on my snapper. Why?
Chocolate Mousse — Maybe because i’m a chocolate lover, this was the best part of the meal. The chocolate was heaven.
I would probably be back to try their regular entrees but definitely no more Red Snapper for me.

I can only give four stars because I, admittedly, came here during restaurant week and I feel like that isn’t a great judge of a restaurant’s normal operation/​menu. Also, I didn’t try any cheese which is normally the number one factor in me rating any restaurant because I won’t go back if I don’t like your cheese.
THAT SAID. Based on my first visit last week, XIX is worth every penny.
We came on a Friday night, just before Blizzard 2016 started. It was pretty empty but we think the impending snow scared a lot of people away. Their loss!
You enter through the Bellvue front steps, then take an elevator on the right up to floor 19. Once upstairs, there are windows to your left with a great view of the Ben Franklin Bridge, and there are also bathrooms. If you want to enter the restaurant, turn right when you get off the elevator. They had a long table there, so I’m not sure if there is normally someone at the elevator to greet you or not.
The hostesses were very personable and friendly. They suggested a seat off the window since we were looking for the view and we took the advice. They offered us coat check, which I always love. The hostess who took our coats noticed one of my gloves was missing and came back out so I was able to figure out where my boyfriend had put it in the heap of garments. Thought that was very observant and nice of her.
On the way back to our table, the hostess guided us through the restaurant, explaining all of the rooms (bar, two private rooms) as we went. Our server was equally helpful with the menu.
We ordered off the restaurant week menu and accepted the special of two glasses of the made-​for-​XIX wine for $ 14. Chardonnay was great! I had a salad, the red snapper, and the dessert trio. Boyfriend had a risotto, short rib, and dessert trio. We were really impressed with the food and thought the portions were perfect. I only had a few bites of snapper left, and would have finished it and skipped dessert if dessert wasn’t included. Only thing I didn’t like was one of the desserts — a chocolate raspberry mousse square — but it’s just not my bag (really sweet), not because it was a bad dessert. The apple crisp and ice cream were amazing.
Overall, I would love to come back here around sunset in the summer time for a happy hour where I can sit at the recommended high top bar tables with a drink and some cheese. The fireplace in the bar also looked really inviting! If anyone knows what days/​times are best (least crowded) in the bar area, please let me know!

Huge fan of their happy hour drinks. Even though the menu is not large, both of the two drinks I ordered were some of the tastiest I’ve had in the city. For the price and the high-​end view/​atmosphere inside the lounge, it’s fantastic.

I have been here before for happy hours, but this was the first time I came for Restaurant Week lunch. It is buffet style in the middle of the room a round table is set up for appetizers (your first course) and desserts (your third course). It was delectable. The orange cheese was the best of all cheeses (compared to the brie and cheddar). There were also three types of cured meats. There were a chilled vegetable noodle, and bean salad, pickles, mustard, and salads. The dessert side had apple cobbler, a chocolate mousse in glass, cookies, madeleines, rice pudding, raspberry cake, fresh berries platter, a coffee cake, and fresh cream. I really liked the cookies (and I am not usually a cookie type of person) and the chocolate mousse in a small glass.
I ordered the flat bread pizza as my second course. I liked the sprinkle of raw greens top of my pizza. Two of my girls friends ordered the steak. My other girl friend ordered the fish. The waiter said that it was a white fish, but it really looked like salmon to us. Our waiter was courteous, but he got one of my girl friend’s steak order wrong. She asked for ‘medium rare’, but I guess he heard ‘medium well’. By the time her second steak was done, we were starting on our dessert.
I think this was definitely worth the $ 20 for lunch though with the buffet options. $ 20 also comes with coffee, tea, or soda choice. My $ 12 cocktail costed more than half of my food meal. Normally one entrée at this restaurant is $ 20 – 30. I would recommend this place for Restaurant Week lunch.

I felt like I stumbled upon a hidden gem. This bar is at the top of the hotel we stayed at and felt like it was in London. They had a happy hour and a killer view so off we went. We had some great drinks by the bartender and he was good company.
We couldn’t experience the views as it was too windy :(But we came for a nightcap and it was really pretty at night.

Incredible lunch! Went for a wonderful Christmas Eve lunch. Our server was very friendly and explained everything on the menu to us!
Lunch is definitely the way to experience XIX. They offer a Chef’s Lunch Table ($ 17 or add a main course for $ 5 more!). It has a variety of salad options, cheeses and meats, and lots of deserts! It even includes a beverage or coffee. Everyone in my group got this as there was lots to choose from and our mouths were watering over the beautiful pastries.
The salad options were: Caesar Salad, Tomato and Mozzarella, Artichoke and Mushroom, Soba Noodle Salad, and Goat Cheese Apple and Walnut. Each one was very good. Big fan of the noodle salad and apple salad!
The meats, I’m not sure because we don’t eat smoked meats. However the cheese plate was amazing! It was Port Salut, Cheddar and Brie. Big hunks of cheese you could eat with their delicious rolls!
For main dishes, we had the Steak Panini and the pasta which I don’t recall the name. Loved the pasta. The steak panini was ok. The panini was served with fries which were lackluster.
For desserts there was Chocolate Bread Pudding, Cannolis, Strawberry parfaits, Cookies, Spiced Madelines, Raspberry Cakes, Eclairs, Mini Apple Pies and a big bowl of Berries. There was also a bowl of fresh whipped cream to top your fruit or bread pudding with. The crowd favorite was definitely the bread pudding! I also LOVED the strawberry parfait it was delicious!
We all want to go back again and again. The food was yummy, service attentive and price is not too crazy for Philly! One of the best lunch options in town!

Nice place, nice food, great ambiance. However, the center of one of the rooms has a crazy echo effect that makes the room loud and let’s you eavesdrop on tables across the room from you.
I would’ve given this place 5 stars if it weren’t for their service. They need to train their servers to be up to par with their restaurant. Our server came and took our order, came back 5 minutes later and asked us to repeat our order because apparently she forgot. Still, 30 minutes later THREE of 6 orders were incorrect, and only took ONE back to fix, with NO APOLOGY. Umm, absolutely unheard of in a regular restaurant, so even more ridiculous this is happening at this price level.

I came with a group of nineteen (totally not planned) for Restaurant Week dinner last week. Overall impression – good food, great service, really beautiful and classy ambience. 3.5 stars!
I love mussels (and pretty much any shellfish), so I ordered that to start. The white wine sauce wasn’t my favorite and it was pretty bland, but I appreciated the generous portion size! The mussels were also cooked really well. Just wish there was a little more seasoning and flavor. I got the flat iron steak for my main course which was cooked perfectly (I asked for medium rare – it’s the only way to go IMO!). This came with grilled carrots (pretty good), potatoes and caramelized onions (very savory and yummy, albeit a little greasy and heavy). The dessert trio consisted of a strawberry pistachio cake, chocolate banana truffle and fruit tart. All three were good but nothing too special.
XIX is one of those restaurants that I would return to only for the breathtaking views and atmosphere. You definitely feel special here. The food isn’t bad but I don’t think I’d be missing out on too much if I never came back again.

*Restaurant Week 2015*
So, the food and service were just good. Nothing mind blowing or particularly memorable (dessert trio was a bit tooo simple.), but nothing to complain about, either.
But, honestly, you’re not here to have the best thing you ever ate.
You’re here to feel particularly special.
Swanky; maybe romantic, depending on your company.
And that’s completely acceptable.
So grab a drink (Lychee Kiss?) and dine in high class.
Literally.