When Dear Daphni first opened it used to be my favorite happy hour spot in Philly. I appreciated the emphasis on the middle eastern tradition of sharing food at the table. Everything is delicious and plentiful. I liked having an alternative to Laser Wolf that was not supporting Michael Solomonov, as I don’t approve of his business practices or values. It was nice to be able to have a good value drink and vegetarian meal. This last visit we were informed that they now charge a la carte for everything with no refills. What was once the best deal in Philly now is the same as you’ll find at any overpriced restaurant. While the food is still amazing, it doesn’t stand out from the crowd now that they’ve strayed from those values. I understand the rising prices of food everywhere. But to go from free unlimited mezze, rice, and dessert with any entree right to an extra $36 with no refills was simply absurd. I think this could have been done in a way that at least eases you into price increases. Maybe have fewer mezze, even one mezze special. Maybe include free refills. Maybe charge a la carte per mezze. This change is going to leave many customers feeling blindsided and it breaks trust with regulars like me. I would still recommend the delicious food here, but it’s no longer a top restaurant in Philly for me. I am sad because I used to recommend this spot to everyone, now I am more hesitant. (As a side note they also got rid of my favorite mezze, the pistachio dip. double whammy…) That being said, almost everything I have tried is so good. The hummus, muhammara, salmon kebab, eggplant, broccoli, ice cream, and all drinks are spectacular. The greek salad and filo saganaki left me less than impressed. I just think they need more vegetarian options for entrees now that you have to pay for the mezze. Literally grieving this place! It was good while it lasted :(
Suzanne Nye
This used to be the go to spot in Philly. However they changed things up and EVERYTHING is A la carte. Happy hour is still good but no more Mezze with an entree. So it’s a regular old happy hour you would get anywhere. We went for dinner. While the Salmon Kabob was delish I would have liked a scoop of rice with it. Not interested in a giant bowl of rice. Mezze was pricy and absolutely no refills. Not even one! If you have more than 2 people sharing it. It’s just a tease. They took away the Mediterranean tradition of sharing. It’s a nice dinner. But there are nice dinners all over Philly. Doesn’t stand out anymore. I get prices increase and there were abusers of the free unlimited Mezze, but there are better ways to shut that abuse down. A la carte sucks.
Cora Schafer
Truly the best of the best service, food, and atmosphere! Will definitely be coming back!
J Mi-Maltha
Our family of four recently visited Dear Daphni in Philly for a birthday celebration, and while one dish soared, the overall experience was ultimately a 3-star.
Let's talk about the triumph: the pitta bread served with seven glorious dipping sauces. Honestly, this deserves its own 5-star review! It was warm, fresh, and each dip was a little burst of flavor – genuinely the best thing we ordered and easily the highlight of our meal. The service, too, was good; the staff were attentive and pleasant.
Unfortunately, the rest of our experience felt like it was dragging the overall score down. The grilled meats, whether pork, chicken, or lamb, were a letdown. For the price, we expected distinct, flavorful options, but they all tasted similar and quite average. It was a puzzling lack of individuality that really missed the mark.
Adding to the challenge was the restaurant's noise level. It was exceptionally loud, making it genuinely difficult for our family to have a comfortable conversation for our birthday celebration. And speaking of birthdays, while we had mentioned the occasion, there was no special acknowledgment from the restaurant, which, though not a deal-breaker, did add a small note of disappointment.
So, while Dear Daphni offers some truly phenomenal pitta and good service, the average grilled meats and the overwhelmingly noisy environment mean that one excellent dish simply couldn't carry the entire dining experience.
Lori Yellin
Beautiful spot and the service was beyond fantastic! They treated our family like family. The salads, kabobs, rice, potatoes, and sauces were delicous!
Anthony
Wonderful place. Superior in every way.
Kat Mack
The overall rating is accurate. While this place is stunning and I felt the staff were great, the food was very disappointing. The mezzes rated store bought and we actually had to send the seafood dishes back for food safety reasons.
If this place could get their food up to the standards of the neighborhood, this could be a gem.
Charles Brownstein
I don’t normally write reviews, but my experience here was frustrating enough to warn others.
Right off the bat, the waiter forced us to put in our entire food order at once, which felt rushed and completely unnecessary. Even though the restaurant was only half full, service was incredibly slow. We had to ask multiple times for basic things, and when the food finally came, it was practically thrown on the table by a rude, disengaged server.
To make matters worse, we were charged for refills on fountain soda (seriously?) and it seemed like everything had an extra charge attached to it. The menu was extremely overpriced for what we received.
The only positive was the quality of the food, which was decent — but that alone doesn’t make up for poor service, excessive charges, and a generally unpleasant experience.
Vanessa Virk
Honestly really good, fresh Mediterranean food so you can’t go wrong with ordering anything off the menu. We got a few plates to share including the chicken, potatoes, and the filo saganaki. The saganaki I had no idea what it was but it tasted like a warmly cheesy pistachio pastry so very delicious and I recommend if you’re vegetarian. For drinks we ordered the marrakesh mule, the margarita, and a N/A honey bee all tasty. And dessert they do a tahini chocolate soft serve which was delicious. Definitely warrants a little bit of the hype.
Cortney Duff
We loved Dear Daphni. The decor was beautiful, our server was both fun and well informed, and the food and drinks were excellent. Loved the Persian Paloma, the smoked beet and pistachio mint mezze, hamachi crudo, and lamb kofta. Everyone there went out of their way to create a great experience. We will definitely be back!
We got all of the appetizers, a few entrees and an extra side for 6 people, it was just the right amount of food and everything tasted great. Our server was especially cautious about the food restrictions (celiac). I also very liked the music choice!
We had a reservation for 9:15pm and didn’t get seated until 9:55pm. We did receive a free starter due to the long wait. The food was good as well as the drinks, but not something I would go back for. It was extremely loud, but the staff were pleasant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Brian Reagan
We had a great time experience. Yoshi was our fantastic bartender and we can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Evana Patel
Beautiful restaurant with such a beautiful aesthetic. However, dinner felt rushed. The waiter told us the mezze can only be refilled once, and quickly cleared the table although we were working on our food still. There were several open tables at the restaurant so I didn’t understand the rush. Additionally, we weren’t given a choice for the sauces for our entree. I think there needs to be some changes to make this place better.
Louise Littlefair
Great new spot! Delicious food, really great for sharing. (Similar to Lazer wolf). Wine by the glass choices were great and our waitress was excellent. Will be back!
When Dear Daphni first opened it used to be my favorite happy hour spot in Philly. I appreciated the emphasis on the middle eastern tradition of sharing food at the table. Everything is delicious and plentiful. I liked having an alternative to Laser Wolf that was not supporting Michael Solomonov, as I don’t approve of his business practices or values. It was nice to be able to have a good value drink and vegetarian meal.
This last visit we were informed that they now charge a la carte for everything with no refills. What was once the best deal in Philly now is the same as you’ll find at any overpriced restaurant. While the food is still amazing, it doesn’t stand out from the crowd now that they’ve strayed from those values. I understand the rising prices of food everywhere. But to go from free unlimited mezze, rice, and dessert with any entree right to an extra $36 with no refills was simply absurd. I think this could have been done in a way that at least eases you into price increases. Maybe have fewer mezze, even one mezze special. Maybe include free refills. Maybe charge a la carte per mezze. This change is going to leave many customers feeling blindsided and it breaks trust with regulars like me. I would still recommend the delicious food here, but it’s no longer a top restaurant in Philly for me. I am sad because I used to recommend this spot to everyone, now I am more hesitant. (As a side note they also got rid of my favorite mezze, the pistachio dip. double whammy…)
That being said, almost everything I have tried is so good. The hummus, muhammara, salmon kebab, eggplant, broccoli, ice cream, and all drinks are spectacular. The greek salad and filo saganaki left me less than impressed. I just think they need more vegetarian options for entrees now that you have to pay for the mezze.
Literally grieving this place! It was good while it lasted :(
This used to be the go to spot in Philly. However they changed things up and EVERYTHING is A la carte. Happy hour is still good but no more Mezze with an entree. So it’s a regular old happy hour you would get anywhere.
We went for dinner. While the Salmon Kabob was delish I would have liked a scoop of rice with it. Not interested in a giant bowl of rice. Mezze was pricy and absolutely no refills. Not even one! If you have more than 2 people sharing it. It’s just a tease. They took away the Mediterranean tradition of sharing. It’s a nice dinner. But there are nice dinners all over Philly. Doesn’t stand out anymore. I get prices increase and there were abusers of the free unlimited Mezze, but there are better ways to shut that abuse down. A la carte sucks.
Truly the best of the best service, food, and atmosphere! Will definitely be coming back!
Our family of four recently visited Dear Daphni in Philly for a birthday celebration, and while one dish soared, the overall experience was ultimately a 3-star.
Let's talk about the triumph: the pitta bread served with seven glorious dipping sauces. Honestly, this deserves its own 5-star review! It was warm, fresh, and each dip was a little burst of flavor – genuinely the best thing we ordered and easily the highlight of our meal. The service, too, was good; the staff were attentive and pleasant.
Unfortunately, the rest of our experience felt like it was dragging the overall score down. The grilled meats, whether pork, chicken, or lamb, were a letdown. For the price, we expected distinct, flavorful options, but they all tasted similar and quite average. It was a puzzling lack of individuality that really missed the mark.
Adding to the challenge was the restaurant's noise level. It was exceptionally loud, making it genuinely difficult for our family to have a comfortable conversation for our birthday celebration. And speaking of birthdays, while we had mentioned the occasion, there was no special acknowledgment from the restaurant, which, though not a deal-breaker, did add a small note of disappointment.
So, while Dear Daphni offers some truly phenomenal pitta and good service, the average grilled meats and the overwhelmingly noisy environment mean that one excellent dish simply couldn't carry the entire dining experience.
Beautiful spot and the service was beyond fantastic! They treated our family like family. The salads, kabobs, rice, potatoes, and sauces were delicous!
Wonderful place. Superior in every way.
The overall rating is accurate. While this place is stunning and I felt the staff were great, the food was very disappointing. The mezzes rated store bought and we actually had to send the seafood dishes back for food safety reasons.
If this place could get their food up to the standards of the neighborhood, this could be a gem.
I don’t normally write reviews, but my experience here was frustrating enough to warn others.
Right off the bat, the waiter forced us to put in our entire food order at once, which felt rushed and completely unnecessary. Even though the restaurant was only half full, service was incredibly slow. We had to ask multiple times for basic things, and when the food finally came, it was practically thrown on the table by a rude, disengaged server.
To make matters worse, we were charged for refills on fountain soda (seriously?) and it seemed like everything had an extra charge attached to it. The menu was extremely overpriced for what we received.
The only positive was the quality of the food, which was decent — but that alone doesn’t make up for poor service, excessive charges, and a generally unpleasant experience.
Honestly really good, fresh Mediterranean food so you can’t go wrong with ordering anything off the menu. We got a few plates to share including the chicken, potatoes, and the filo saganaki. The saganaki I had no idea what it was but it tasted like a warmly cheesy pistachio pastry so very delicious and I recommend if you’re vegetarian. For drinks we ordered the marrakesh mule, the margarita, and a N/A honey bee all tasty. And dessert they do a tahini chocolate soft serve which was delicious. Definitely warrants a little bit of the hype.
We loved Dear Daphni. The decor was beautiful, our server was both fun and well informed, and the food and drinks were excellent. Loved the Persian Paloma, the smoked beet and pistachio mint mezze, hamachi crudo, and lamb kofta. Everyone there went out of their way to create a great experience. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We got all of the appetizers, a few entrees and an extra side for 6 people, it was just the right amount of food and everything tasted great. Our server was especially cautious about the food restrictions (celiac). I also very liked the music choice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dumplings, Chicken Thigh Kebab
We had a reservation for 9:15pm and didn’t get seated until 9:55pm. We did receive a free starter due to the long wait. The food was good as well as the drinks, but not something I would go back for. It was extremely loud, but the staff were pleasant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
We had a great time experience. Yoshi was our fantastic bartender and we can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beautiful restaurant with such a beautiful aesthetic. However, dinner felt rushed. The waiter told us the mezze can only be refilled once, and quickly cleared the table although we were working on our food still. There were several open tables at the restaurant so I didn’t understand the rush. Additionally, we weren’t given a choice for the sauces for our entree. I think there needs to be some changes to make this place better.
Great new spot! Delicious food, really great for sharing. (Similar to Lazer wolf). Wine by the glass choices were great and our waitress was excellent. Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Kebab, Mezze Platter
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