This is a very nice small BYOB Italian restaurant in the Fish town area. The food and service were exceptional. Love all the dishes we ordered. The prosciutto, focaccia and marinated tomatoes were all, excellent as starters. The Spaghetti pomodoro was perfectly cooked, especially the spaghetti. Claim linguine was cook to perfection and the claim was so fresh. The fried chicken Caesar salad was so good. Highly recommend to try.
Deepak Prabhakar
A great meal at Elma for the a la carte night. We will be back for price fix! The pasta was great, chef/owner was super personable and spent time with all diners. Highly recommend stopping in! (Also once a month, great sandwiches on Sundays!)
Chris Chung
Fantastic Saturday night dinner at Elma. You can tell that the menu is carefully thought out—balanced, multi-faceted, playful, and most importantly, damn delicious. The chef is deeply hospitable and wonderful to talk to, but knows how to stay out of your business so that you can enjoy your evening. All in all, will definitely be returning for another weekend dinner, and also can’t wait to try their cheesesteaks soon!
Phinon Woodside
Stunning thoughtful delicious food with improvable friendly service and an intimate vibe. Each course was well planned and explained with ingredients that were chosen with intention. The small space never felt small but did feel intimate and cozy. If there is an additional course available I would highly recommend indulging.
Alex Canady
My wife and I had a reservation at Elma this past Saturday (4/19) at 6:30pm, and we were genuinely excited to try it after hearing so many glowing reviews. While the food absolutely lived up to the hype, the overall experience left us with mixed feelings.
The Positives: the food was nothing short of outstanding. Every course of the tasting menu was thoughtful, creative, and flawlessly executed. The Iberico Cabecero was one of the best dishes I’ve had in recent memory—deeply flavorful and cooked to perfection. The entire menu reminded me of Marigold Kitchen, one of my all-time favorite Philly restaurants, which is high praise. At $125 per person, the pre-fixe menu offers incredible value for the quality and inventiveness of the meal.
That said, the pacing and service dynamic took away from what could have been a truly memorable evening. The entire five-course experience was over in exactly one hour. Courses were being fired almost immediately after the previous ones hit the table, leaving little time to savor and digest such a rich, intricate meal. A more relaxed pace would’ve elevated the experience significantly.
We were seated at a table adjacent to the kitchen, closest to the counter, where we had the pleasure of being served by Evan—who, we learned, is not only the sous chef but also the restaurant’s sole server. He was friendly, attentive, and brought genuine warmth to the evening. However, our interactions with him were noticeably disrupted. Early in the meal, after a light-hearted joke about him grabbing a glass of wine and joining us, the head chef abruptly shouted, “NO BEVS” in a way that felt jarring and uncomfortable. As the night went on, we overheard additional reprimands directed at Evan for being “overly friendly” with guests. These moments, while not directed at us, were hard to ignore and created an awkward tension, especially being seated so close to the action.
In summary, Elma has all the ingredients of a standout restaurant: incredible food, a unique format, and real talent in the kitchen. But hospitality is more than just what's on the plate. The energy and atmosphere, especially in such an intimate space, matter just as much—and unfortunately, that piece was lacking for us. We left feeling conflicted: impressed by the culinary experience, but uncomfortable with the dynamic behind the scenes.
I sincerely hope the team can fine-tune the experience and internal culture, because Elma has the potential to be one of Philly’s greats. We want to root for them—but for now, we're hesitant to return.
Abbott Shea
Elma offers top tier bites with cozy small dining room service. The food is incredible- especially the pasta- and the energy of the staff who run the place really makes for a memorable dinner experience. Make a reservation here for the pre-fixed menu, bring a bottle of wine, and take some photos you can share (like I did). I will definitely be back!
M k (Guy Patterson)
Wonderful night out
Surlybasser
The monthly cheese steak drop was fun. Service was a bit gruff. Cheese steak was good, but nothing mind blowing
Naomi Tepper
True cuisine. Remarkable food. Additions are definitely worth it. The prawn heads were memorable.
Hana Shapiro
I have been to many course meals, but this is the top 5 best restaurants I have ever been to. Philadelphia is so lucky to have Elma. Amazing food, incredible service and hospitality. I was reminded of childhood meals and reveled in the incredible blend of flavors and textures. I will absolutely be coming back to dine at the incredible Elma.
So the food is art and it's clear everything about this place is an expression of the chef. The music is super different from what I'm expecting or even really want but it's so distinctive and so clearly part of the chefs process that it ends up adding to the experience. The food is really the draw here though. So many of the dishes were "best of breed" but yet the entire experience was so down to earth. Loved it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare
Bilal Motley
Elma is an amazing and intimate restaurant. The tasting menu was excellent, and the owner is very hands-on. Highly recommend!
Rob Romeo
I have eaten here twice now and both times were fantastic. Thoughtful menu, great service, food was phenomenal and different both times. Great dinner for a special occasion or just a date night
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rynn Reed
Elma is a very special experience. The chef’s clearly care about their craft. Will definitely come back for a special occasion!
This is a very nice small BYOB Italian restaurant in the Fish town area. The food and service were exceptional. Love all the dishes we ordered. The prosciutto, focaccia and marinated tomatoes were all, excellent as starters. The Spaghetti pomodoro was perfectly cooked, especially the spaghetti. Claim linguine was cook to perfection and the claim was so fresh. The fried chicken Caesar salad was so good. Highly recommend to try.
A great meal at Elma for the a la carte night. We will be back for price fix! The pasta was great, chef/owner was super personable and spent time with all diners. Highly recommend stopping in! (Also once a month, great sandwiches on Sundays!)
Fantastic Saturday night dinner at Elma. You can tell that the menu is carefully thought out—balanced, multi-faceted, playful, and most importantly, damn delicious. The chef is deeply hospitable and wonderful to talk to, but knows how to stay out of your business so that you can enjoy your evening. All in all, will definitely be returning for another weekend dinner, and also can’t wait to try their cheesesteaks soon!
Stunning thoughtful delicious food with improvable friendly service and an intimate vibe.
Each course was well planned and explained with ingredients that were chosen with intention.
The small space never felt small but did feel intimate and cozy.
If there is an additional course available I would highly recommend indulging.
My wife and I had a reservation at Elma this past Saturday (4/19) at 6:30pm, and we were genuinely excited to try it after hearing so many glowing reviews. While the food absolutely lived up to the hype, the overall experience left us with mixed feelings.
The Positives: the food was nothing short of outstanding. Every course of the tasting menu was thoughtful, creative, and flawlessly executed. The Iberico Cabecero was one of the best dishes I’ve had in recent memory—deeply flavorful and cooked to perfection. The entire menu reminded me of Marigold Kitchen, one of my all-time favorite Philly restaurants, which is high praise. At $125 per person, the pre-fixe menu offers incredible value for the quality and inventiveness of the meal.
That said, the pacing and service dynamic took away from what could have been a truly memorable evening. The entire five-course experience was over in exactly one hour. Courses were being fired almost immediately after the previous ones hit the table, leaving little time to savor and digest such a rich, intricate meal. A more relaxed pace would’ve elevated the experience significantly.
We were seated at a table adjacent to the kitchen, closest to the counter, where we had the pleasure of being served by Evan—who, we learned, is not only the sous chef but also the restaurant’s sole server. He was friendly, attentive, and brought genuine warmth to the evening. However, our interactions with him were noticeably disrupted. Early in the meal, after a light-hearted joke about him grabbing a glass of wine and joining us, the head chef abruptly shouted, “NO BEVS” in a way that felt jarring and uncomfortable. As the night went on, we overheard additional reprimands directed at Evan for being “overly friendly” with guests. These moments, while not directed at us, were hard to ignore and created an awkward tension, especially being seated so close to the action.
In summary, Elma has all the ingredients of a standout restaurant: incredible food, a unique format, and real talent in the kitchen. But hospitality is more than just what's on the plate. The energy and atmosphere, especially in such an intimate space, matter just as much—and unfortunately, that piece was lacking for us. We left feeling conflicted: impressed by the culinary experience, but uncomfortable with the dynamic behind the scenes.
I sincerely hope the team can fine-tune the experience and internal culture, because Elma has the potential to be one of Philly’s greats. We want to root for them—but for now, we're hesitant to return.
Elma offers top tier bites with cozy small dining room service. The food is incredible- especially the pasta- and the energy of the staff who run the place really makes for a memorable dinner experience. Make a reservation here for the pre-fixed menu, bring a bottle of wine, and take some photos you can share (like I did). I will definitely be back!
Wonderful night out
The monthly cheese steak drop was fun. Service was a bit gruff. Cheese steak was good, but nothing mind blowing
True cuisine. Remarkable food. Additions are definitely worth it. The prawn heads were memorable.
I have been to many course meals, but this is the top 5 best restaurants I have ever been to. Philadelphia is so lucky to have Elma. Amazing food, incredible service and hospitality. I was reminded of childhood meals and reveled in the incredible blend of flavors and textures. I will absolutely be coming back to dine at the incredible Elma.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Incredible. Best dinner I ever had in Philly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So the food is art and it's clear everything about this place is an expression of the chef. The music is super different from what I'm expecting or even really want but it's so distinctive and so clearly part of the chefs process that it ends up adding to the experience. The food is really the draw here though. So many of the dishes were "best of breed" but yet the entire experience was so down to earth. Loved it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare
Elma is an amazing and intimate restaurant. The tasting menu was excellent, and the owner is very hands-on. Highly recommend!
I have eaten here twice now and both times were fantastic. Thoughtful menu, great service, food was phenomenal and different both times. Great dinner for a special occasion or just a date night
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elma is a very special experience. The chef’s clearly care about their craft. Will definitely come back for a special occasion!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare
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