Andiario 106 West Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380

"Our fifth time back. My wife and I where one of their original customers. Over the years as Andiario's popularity grew it became harder to secure a reservation. We kept trying for we never left disappointed, until last evening. As they've transitioned to a fixed menu the main course was a chicken thigh. My wife hates chicken; however, we assumed the supporting salad, pasta always a big hit, desert would more than cover the chicken. "Wrong". I would consider myself an above average cook, and never flinch at cost if I'm knocked out of the park. Potato really not sure what it was. Boiled and pan seared? Chicken, I've done sheet pan Mediterranean with sweet paprika, cumin and allspice that is incredible, not what we where served. Then desert, well lets just say there is a good ice-cream counter down the street. Very sad"

"It’s not a “restaurant”…it’s an art studio! It’s not dining, it’s an culinary experience! It started when we made the reservation and continued with entering the elegantly decorated room and finished when we left highly impressed."

"We’ve been wanting to try this place and thought a birthday celebration would be perfect. It’s not everyday that you get to eat at a restaurant where you don’t know the menu and everything goes perfectly together! The service was top notch and the food was delicious!! The homemade pasta was my favorite! Ranking the dishes in order: 1. Trofle (homemade pasta) 2. Swordfish 3. Dessert (my boyfriends least favorite course of the night- it was nice and light but nothing to write home about) honestly expected more for the price 4. Duck (I’m not a duck person but with the parsnip purée it was very good!!)"

"I wanted to love it but it was all complicated. Starting with making reservations. Even the instructions on the website are complicated. The service was complicated - 5 different staff members tripping over each other to serve and clear. It was intrusive in the small space. One staff member for each table is all that is needed. It would promote intimacy and allow diners to feel as if they had someone devoted to assuring their enjoyment. The meal - complicated and heavy. The starter was a spinach and cheese fritter. Very heavy for an amuse bouche. Also complicated as the server said we were meant to pull it apart and eat it with our fingers. I felt it was very short sighted of the chef to assume guests who've dressed up for dinner at an elite restaurant would want to eat greasy finger food. The salad course was a bowl of plain radiccio leaves served along side a plate of duck breast and plums. This was was also complicated. Was I to eat them separately or combine them on my plate? Were they one thing or two? The stuffed pasta course was perfectly created, but again heavy with cream, truffle, and cheese. The meat course was a very large steak (flat iron?). It was a perfectly cooked steak, but unfortunately, very fatty then topped with a smoky peppery cream sauce. There just was no balance during the meal. No vinegar. No umami. No palate cleanser. It was very one note - heavy and fatty. Portions were unnecessarily large. This is a gem in West Chester but there is so much competition in the Philadelphia/New York region. The meal was good and maybe the chef has amazing flavors planned for future meals but the complicated reservation system, will make developing a loyal clientele very difficult."

"It’s been years since I’ve been back, and sadly it’ll probably be the last time. The staff was very attentive and the restaurant beautiful. However, nothing about this New American cuisine could have been described as above average. We were given a chef’s compliment to start - chicken liver mousse on a rosemary cracker (it was two bites of richness) The appetizer was a toasted piece of sourdough with provolone topped with sun dried pepper (While a tasty dish, it was not thought through how someone would eat this. It was difficult to cut and too complicated for something so simple) First course was pasta and fennel sausage (by far the best dish of the night. Great flavor, but also too simple for a place like this.) Second course was soft shell crab over an asparagus salad (the salad was over dressed. Also, why would your main course of New American cuisine be soft shell crab… unclear) Dessert was a rhubarb tart with ricotta ice cream (unfortunately for those who couldn’t eat the ricotta, there was no alternative to make this dessert not dry) While critical, our meal was nice. Great staff and experience, just the menu and quality of food…that’s where we expected more."