Forsythia restaurant is spiteful and gross. They created a special "foie gras" menu just to mock caring people who keep showing up to speak for the ducks tortured for their diseased livers. For those who don't know, ducks are bred into existence for this sole purpose - they are painfully force-fed through a tube several times a day until their livers are 10 times their natural size and they are sick and diseased. Then they are mercilessly k1lled and their polluted livers are sizzled in a pan and served up as a delicacy. When you eat at Forsythia, you are eating the rotting flesh and diseased organs of corpses! AND you're overpaying for the privilege of having someone else perform cruelty for you. Please don't go here.
Carol Lutter
This restaurant thinks it's funny and cool to promote foie gras in every menu course, just to "spite" those who opposes extreme cruelty to animals. But the joke is on them, because FORSYTHIA and the decision makers and chefs there are directly responsible for absurd animal abuse. DO NOT EAT HERE. They only care about profit, and have no morals.
MLR P
The food was inconsistent: ham and cheese beignets and escargot were just meh. For entrees, the trout and tuna were delicious, but the short ribs were tough and tasteless. The menu itself was so limited it was difficult to decide what to order! There were no vegetarian options, not even one salad choice; the single vegetable was fried beets. The French are known for their pastries but this dessert menu was virtually non-existent. Even the creme brulee was non-traditional with a ?chocolate? creme which was awful. To make matters worse, we were seated at one of the two tables between the front door and the bar. Every time someone opened the door (which was frequent on this Saturday night) we were treated to a blast of cold air so we kept our coats on the whole meal. Along with the (not full) bar, there was only one other table next to us yet the noise level was so high we couldn't hear each other speak without yelling. It's a small place, but for these prices, they need to figure out a better comfort arrangement for the Winter weather. Though the service was excellent, and realizing the menu does change, there are too many other good restaurants to warrant Forsythia another visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 5
Michael P
This was my second visit to Forsythia, and I’m blown away. They truly outdid themselves this time. It was already one of my top 10 favorite restaurants in Philly, but now it has officially moved into my top 5.
From the moment I walked in, the staff—including the host and waitress—were incredibly friendly, funny, and personable, setting the tone for the entire experience. I started with the escargot, which had a creative and unique twist—I absolutely loved it. The restaurant also treated me to their beet deviled eggs, which were phenomenal (and as a deviled egg lover, I’m picky!).
For my main course, I chose the trout with Grenobloise sauce. While it was understandably bony, the flavor made it more than worth it. As for drinks, I had the Boozie Suzie, which was fantastic, and ended the night with their take on an espresso martini—a perfect finish.
They even provided us a treat for celebrating a new addition which was very much appreciated.
I don’t often revisit restaurants unless they really impress me, but I’m so glad I came back to Forsythia. I’d highly recommend it to experienced foodies and anyone visiting Philly. This place is a gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Goddess Frigga
The atmosphere was charming and intimate, but not crowded. Lots of room for a solo brunch or larger family gatherings. All the staff was pleasant and accommodating. Prices are a little high, but our party had a great time. Tha know you. ##
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tiffany Bloom
Sat at the bar for happy hour cocktails and appetizers before dinner, which set the mood for the evening. Thoughtful attentive staff, a romantic cozy atmosphere, and delicious food makes Forsythia a can’t miss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jordan Higgins
The escargot was amazing! Alicia our server was amazing, she helped us walk through our best choices on the menu and make sure we made it out for our concert in time. Would love to come back and try more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escargot
Michael Rone
We celebrated our anniversary at Forsythia. Everything from first point of contact over the phone all the way through to finishing dessert with calvados was exceptional. The soft shell BLT is everything it is hyped up to be and not to be missed. Looking forward to our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sachin Davis
Restaurant week food was good but portions were very small.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Léo Xavier
We had a very good experience. The menu is encouraging and well executed, as is the wine list. Only the dessert was a little below expectations. Other than that, I highly recommend it!
Went here for restaurant week and it was the best restaurant week experience I’ve had in Philly. It’s rare for me to like everything that comes to the table, but everything really was delicious. Excited to come here again and try their regular menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
Amandine Aman
Very Disappointed — $44 for cod en croûte with morel sauce. 'En croûte' was just toasted bread on cod and the 'morels' were actually tiny mushrooms. Check my pictures - It is 100% misleading. The wine and cocktails were great, but the food didn’t quite match the menu, making it feel overpriced and just not accurate.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Michele Gargiulo
Home run for a date night! We had the best time here. Service was excellent and our waitress was professional. We showed up early for our reservation but they were able to seat us. I definitely look forward to going back here for another night. The food was exceptional and the presentation was stunning ?
Loren Hall
Made reservations for our first year anniversary. Chef Chris texted me a few days later saying they would be closed that day for labor day. He and I worked out another day and time for us to come in and celebrate. We got there and they took such good care of us and the food was phenomenal. The duck for two was one of the best meals we have ever had. As well as the escargot and cold corn soup was absolutely sublime. We look forward to spending every anniversary here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sergey
Call it a case of overly built up expectations which have not been met. I did not enjoy my meal, even though service was friendly, efficient and professional. I decided to go (relatively) light with two canapés and two appetizers. Size-wise canapés are way too big: for deviled egg, you get two full eggs where half would just do. The filling was too rich and I didn’t taste lobster bottarga. I also did not taste ham or much of cheese in ham and cheese beignets, though beignets were fluffy and tasty albeit bland. Generally, I felt like too much onion is being used in many dishes. I understand that it is a French restaurant but, for me, in beef tartar it was overpowering. Escargots were the best of the evening, though again, very rich with sauce.
Forsythia restaurant is spiteful and gross. They created a special "foie gras" menu just to mock caring people who keep showing up to speak for the ducks tortured for their diseased livers. For those who don't know, ducks are bred into existence for this sole purpose - they are painfully force-fed through a tube several times a day until their livers are 10 times their natural size and they are sick and diseased. Then they are mercilessly k1lled and their polluted livers are sizzled in a pan and served up as a delicacy. When you eat at Forsythia, you are eating the rotting flesh and diseased organs of corpses! AND you're overpaying for the privilege of having someone else perform cruelty for you. Please don't go here.
This restaurant thinks it's funny and cool to promote foie gras in every menu course, just to "spite" those who opposes extreme cruelty to animals. But the joke is on them, because FORSYTHIA and the decision makers and chefs there are directly responsible for absurd animal abuse. DO NOT EAT HERE. They only care about profit, and have no morals.
The food was inconsistent: ham and cheese beignets and escargot were just meh. For entrees, the trout and tuna were delicious, but the short ribs were tough and tasteless. The menu itself was so limited it was difficult to decide what to order! There were no vegetarian options, not even one salad choice; the single vegetable was fried beets. The French are known for their pastries but this dessert menu was virtually non-existent. Even the creme brulee was non-traditional with a ?chocolate? creme which was awful. To make matters worse, we were seated at one of the two tables between the front door and the bar. Every time someone opened the door (which was frequent on this Saturday night) we were treated to a blast of cold air so we kept our coats on the whole meal. Along with the (not full) bar, there was only one other table next to us yet the noise level was so high we couldn't hear each other speak without yelling. It's a small place, but for these prices, they need to figure out a better comfort arrangement for the Winter weather. Though the service was excellent, and realizing the menu does change, there are too many other good restaurants to warrant Forsythia another visit.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 5
This was my second visit to Forsythia, and I’m blown away. They truly outdid themselves this time. It was already one of my top 10 favorite restaurants in Philly, but now it has officially moved into my top 5.
From the moment I walked in, the staff—including the host and waitress—were incredibly friendly, funny, and personable, setting the tone for the entire experience. I started with the escargot, which had a creative and unique twist—I absolutely loved it. The restaurant also treated me to their beet deviled eggs, which were phenomenal (and as a deviled egg lover, I’m picky!).
For my main course, I chose the trout with Grenobloise sauce. While it was understandably bony, the flavor made it more than worth it. As for drinks, I had the Boozie Suzie, which was fantastic, and ended the night with their take on an espresso martini—a perfect finish.
They even provided us a treat for celebrating a new addition which was very much appreciated.
I don’t often revisit restaurants unless they really impress me, but I’m so glad I came back to Forsythia. I’d highly recommend it to experienced foodies and anyone visiting Philly. This place is a gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The atmosphere was charming and intimate, but not crowded. Lots of room for a solo brunch or larger family gatherings. All the staff was pleasant and accommodating. Prices are a little high, but our party had a great time. Tha know you. ##
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sat at the bar for happy hour cocktails and appetizers before dinner, which set the mood for the evening. Thoughtful attentive staff, a romantic cozy atmosphere, and delicious food makes Forsythia a can’t miss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The escargot was amazing! Alicia our server was amazing, she helped us walk through our best choices on the menu and make sure we made it out for our concert in time. Would love to come back and try more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escargot
We celebrated our anniversary at Forsythia. Everything from first point of contact over the phone all the way through to finishing dessert with calvados was exceptional. The soft shell BLT is everything it is hyped up to be and not to be missed. Looking forward to our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurant week food was good but portions were very small.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We had a very good experience. The menu is encouraging and well executed, as is the wine list. Only the dessert was a little below expectations. Other than that, I highly recommend it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Went here for restaurant week and it was the best restaurant week experience I’ve had in Philly. It’s rare for me to like everything that comes to the table, but everything really was delicious. Excited to come here again and try their regular menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
Very Disappointed — $44 for cod en croûte with morel sauce. 'En croûte' was just toasted bread on cod and the 'morels' were actually tiny mushrooms. Check my pictures - It is 100% misleading.
The wine and cocktails were great, but the food didn’t quite match the menu, making it feel overpriced and just not accurate.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Home run for a date night! We had the best time here. Service was excellent and our waitress was professional. We showed up early for our reservation but they were able to seat us. I definitely look forward to going back here for another night. The food was exceptional and the presentation was stunning ?
Made reservations for our first year anniversary. Chef Chris texted me a few days later saying they would be closed that day for labor day. He and I worked out another day and time for us to come in and celebrate. We got there and they took such good care of us and the food was phenomenal. The duck for two was one of the best meals we have ever had. As well as the escargot and cold corn soup was absolutely sublime. We look forward to spending every anniversary here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Call it a case of overly built up expectations which have not been met. I did not enjoy my meal, even though service was friendly, efficient and professional. I decided to go (relatively) light with two canapés and two appetizers. Size-wise canapés are way too big: for deviled egg, you get two full eggs where half would just do. The filling was too rich and I didn’t taste lobster bottarga. I also did not taste ham or much of cheese in ham and cheese beignets, though beignets were fluffy and tasty albeit bland. Generally, I felt like too much onion is being used in many dishes. I understand that it is a French restaurant but, for me, in beef tartar it was overpowering. Escargots were the best of the evening, though again, very rich with sauce.
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