The Bok building is a magical place, but go to the roof and eat at Irwins. The food, drink, and service was outstanding. The outdoor rooftop seating has a beautiful view of south Philly. Our reservation was outside. During our experience it did rain a bit, but it was worth staying. Our server was a trooper for keeping the patio goin. At night during a Phils/Eagles game you can hear the crowd roar. Electric.
The food and drink was great. There are Mezze, Pasta, Main Entree and Dessert options. I assume the menu is seasonal based on the ingredients, but I am unsure. There is a cocktail menu, wine offerings and full bar. I didnt have time to even take pictures of all the food and cocktails we were enjoying it soo much. We ordered about half the menu and will be returning to order the remaining items.
Dessert is worth it's own mention. At a lot of places, dessert is kinda a throwaway/pass. Not at Irwins. I told my wife we will also be coming back to Irwins solely for drinks and desserts next time we are eating somewhere else close by. We got the Milk and Honey Pistachio Gelato and an Almond Torta Cake that should be nominated for some kind of award.
I would recommend making a reservation. If the weather is nice, eat outside. Tell your spouse you are taking them to a Sicily Roof Jawn for dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher Santantasio
A friend and I had a reservation for a weekday evening at 6:45. I was impressed with the use of space, and the warm lighting lent an inviting atmosphere. Our server provided a rather lengthy description of the menu after we were seated, which all seemed a bit unnecessary.
We went with the chef’s tasting menu, which ended up being a mistake. I had expected something more curated, but it was just a series of selections from the menu. Plus, the server didn’t initially explain that we could only choose one entree to share so that was a bit disappointing.
The standout dishes were the warm olives, the swordfish, and the dessert, which was a torta all’arancia. The crudo was nice, but small. The rustic baby back ribs melted off the bone, but the dish needed some kind of accompaniment to cut through the richness. Some acid and/or a pop of fresh herbs would have done wonders.
The pastas were a huge letdown. I was actually shocked at how underwhelming they all were. The eggplant chunks that accompanied the gnocchi did little to enrich the rather one-dimensional sauce. The linguine alla vongole, thankfully, was toothsome and well-seasoned, but the clams were gritty and overcooked. The trofie was a total misfire. Loose, bland sauce dotted with limp mushrooms. I could tell they were going for simplicity, but the execution was lacking.
What saved us was the focaccia special with spinach and cream that we used to sop up the linguine sauce. It was lovely.
The cocktails were pretty solid. If I go back, I’ll avoid the pastas and save more room for dessert. This time, the view was more memorable than the meal, and for the price, the quality should have been more consistent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Jessica Gulnick
We had the swordfish mezze, gnocchi pasta, and ribs for the entree. Impeccable does not even begin to describe how good this food was. Spectacular. My new favorite spot. Not to mention the view!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dario Segura
First time in Philadelphia and everything was great. The atmosphere was unbeatable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Neil Silverman
Was there for a special dinner but everything was really delicious. Unusual setting and only my thing was it can be a little noisy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
A Google User
Great menu and smooth service — would return with friends
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omy Bugazia
one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia and beyond. delicious and creative dishes, kind and present service, a thoughtful and complex wine list and beverage program in a very unique space overlooking south philly.
i’ve been here numerous times with different parties and i’ve always had a great experience. it’s also one of the few restaurants I can consistently get in with a last-minute reservation or walk-in while still feeling the place is lively and bumping every time I’m there. it’s a delicate balance and they nail it consistently. chef Michael’s food is excellent, bev director Michael has put together an awesome program and chef Ervis is such a handsome and gentle man who also happens to make great pastas. what a combo.
I love Irwin’s.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Spratt
Great outdoor seating but the food is not special enough to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Mindy Berson
Very small portions for the price. Was informed everything was shareable, We were a party of 4. We were told that we had to place our order all at the same time. We tried to just order salad and appetizers first. No bread unless you paid for a delicious focaccia bread, but it was about 4 inches in diameter. We had a salad and appetizer then we ordered 2 large pastas and one chicken. We were all still hungry . The inside was hip and cool but the views are amazing. It was hot so we sat inside. Go when you can sit outside. The bar menu was interesting. Best part was the views and then going to milk jawn for ice cream.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Joseph Vanderpool
Truly a magical dining experience!
We have dined at Irwin’s three times now and each one has been one of our favorite experiences ever. Each dish is different and delicious and we would recommend trying the tasting/pairing menu at least once as the pairings were perfect.
The food is divine. Sharing recommended by staff, but optional of course. Every single salad, pasta or entree was fresh and perfectly prepared. Desserts were alright but could be improved.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lily W
The prosciutto and melon was interesting, although I thought the melon cut too much into the prosciutto flavor. I enjoyed the melon vinaigrette a lot. The focaccia was tasty and the crust was perfectly crunchy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the tomato sauce. I felt like it detracted from the eggplant and basil flavors. The gnocchi was fine. It was a bit too dense in my opinion. The orecchiette lacked depth, and could use some more salt at least. I really liked the full fish. I forgor what kind of fish it was, but the skin was nicely crisped and the taste was great paired with the salsa verde. The views were crazy. Service was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Nik
Good cocktails and amazing crab pasta
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
samantha dreibelbis
I’m vegan and they had only 2 vegan options on the appetizer side. Which included the olives and the white asparagus. Again nothing special. I asked what made the pastas not vegan since there were plenty of veggie ones and they said they use cheese and butter which in prev Italian restaurants it’s easy to omit. They didn’t accommodate and said if I was vegan I can only order the two vegan things on the menu. The server asked if I am the type of vegan that eats honey, wild question when the whole purpose of being vegan is not consuming animal made or produced products. Honey is produced by a bee, I don’t think I should be teaching this. Very small portions for the price. Atleast have one goddamn vegan entree it won’t hurt your business !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nathan Robinson
Location and space trump quality here unfortunately. Baffled by the 1/2 chicken pricing.
The Bok building is a magical place, but go to the roof and eat at Irwins. The food, drink, and service was outstanding. The outdoor rooftop seating has a beautiful view of south Philly. Our reservation was outside. During our experience it did rain a bit, but it was worth staying. Our server was a trooper for keeping the patio goin. At night during a Phils/Eagles game you can hear the crowd roar. Electric.
The food and drink was great. There are Mezze, Pasta, Main Entree and Dessert options. I assume the menu is seasonal based on the ingredients, but I am unsure. There is a cocktail menu, wine offerings and full bar. I didnt have time to even take pictures of all the food and cocktails we were enjoying it soo much. We ordered about half the menu and will be returning to order the remaining items.
Dessert is worth it's own mention. At a lot of places, dessert is kinda a throwaway/pass. Not at Irwins. I told my wife we will also be coming back to Irwins solely for drinks and desserts next time we are eating somewhere else close by. We got the Milk and Honey Pistachio Gelato and an Almond Torta Cake that should be nominated for some kind of award.
I would recommend making a reservation. If the weather is nice, eat outside. Tell your spouse you are taking them to a Sicily Roof Jawn for dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A friend and I had a reservation for a weekday evening at 6:45. I was impressed with the use of space, and the warm lighting lent an inviting atmosphere. Our server provided a rather lengthy description of the menu after we were seated, which all seemed a bit unnecessary.
We went with the chef’s tasting menu, which ended up being a mistake. I had expected something more curated, but it was just a series of selections from the menu. Plus, the server didn’t initially explain that we could only choose one entree to share so that was a bit disappointing.
The standout dishes were the warm olives, the swordfish, and the dessert, which was a torta all’arancia. The crudo was nice, but small. The rustic baby back ribs melted off the bone, but the dish needed some kind of accompaniment to cut through the richness. Some acid and/or a pop of fresh herbs would have done wonders.
The pastas were a huge letdown. I was actually shocked at how underwhelming they all were. The eggplant chunks that accompanied the gnocchi did little to enrich the rather one-dimensional sauce. The linguine alla vongole, thankfully, was toothsome and well-seasoned, but the clams were gritty and overcooked. The trofie was a total misfire. Loose, bland sauce dotted with limp mushrooms. I could tell they were going for simplicity, but the execution was lacking.
What saved us was the focaccia special with spinach and cream that we used to sop up the linguine sauce. It was lovely.
The cocktails were pretty solid. If I go back, I’ll avoid the pastas and save more room for dessert. This time, the view was more memorable than the meal, and for the price, the quality should have been more consistent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
We had the swordfish mezze, gnocchi pasta, and ribs for the entree. Impeccable does not even begin to describe how good this food was. Spectacular. My new favorite spot. Not to mention the view!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time in Philadelphia and everything was great. The atmosphere was unbeatable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was there for a special dinner but everything was really delicious. Unusual setting and only my thing was it can be a little noisy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great menu and smooth service — would return with friends
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia and beyond. delicious and creative dishes, kind and present service, a thoughtful and complex wine list and beverage program in a very unique space overlooking south philly.
i’ve been here numerous times with different parties and i’ve always had a great experience. it’s also one of the few restaurants I can consistently get in with a last-minute reservation or walk-in while still feeling the place is lively and bumping every time I’m there. it’s a delicate balance and they nail it consistently. chef Michael’s food is excellent, bev director Michael has put together an awesome program and chef Ervis is such a handsome and gentle man who also happens to make great pastas. what a combo.
I love Irwin’s.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great outdoor seating but the food is not special enough to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Very small portions for the price. Was informed everything was shareable, We were a party of 4. We were told that we had to place our order all at the same time. We tried to just order salad and appetizers first. No bread unless you paid for a delicious focaccia bread, but it was about 4 inches in diameter. We had a salad and appetizer then we ordered 2 large pastas and one chicken. We were all still hungry . The inside was hip and cool but the views are amazing. It was hot so we sat inside. Go when you can sit outside. The bar menu was interesting. Best part was the views and then going to milk jawn for ice cream.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Truly a magical dining experience!
We have dined at Irwin’s three times now and each one has been one of our favorite experiences ever. Each dish is different and delicious and we would recommend trying the tasting/pairing menu at least once as the pairings were perfect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The food is divine. Sharing recommended by staff, but optional of course. Every single salad, pasta or entree was fresh and perfectly prepared. Desserts were alright but could be improved.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The prosciutto and melon was interesting, although I thought the melon cut too much into the prosciutto flavor. I enjoyed the melon vinaigrette a lot. The focaccia was tasty and the crust was perfectly crunchy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the tomato sauce. I felt like it detracted from the eggplant and basil flavors. The gnocchi was fine. It was a bit too dense in my opinion. The orecchiette lacked depth, and could use some more salt at least. I really liked the full fish. I forgor what kind of fish it was, but the skin was nicely crisped and the taste was great paired with the salsa verde. The views were crazy. Service was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Good cocktails and amazing crab pasta
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I’m vegan and they had only 2 vegan options on the appetizer side. Which included the olives and the white asparagus. Again nothing special. I asked what made the pastas not vegan since there were plenty of veggie ones and they said they use cheese and butter which in prev Italian restaurants it’s easy to omit. They didn’t accommodate and said if I was vegan I can only order the two vegan things on the menu. The server asked if I am the type of vegan that eats honey, wild question when the whole purpose of being vegan is not consuming animal made or produced products. Honey is produced by a bee, I don’t think I should be teaching this. Very small portions for the price. Atleast have one goddamn vegan entree it won’t hurt your business !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Location and space trump quality here unfortunately. Baffled by the 1/2 chicken pricing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
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