Ancient Spirits & Grillè

"Went out with some friends for a birthday dinner last night, excited to try a new place. Happy hour was nice, with some affordable food options and drinks and service was great from the bartender. We then sat down at our table at 7pm. A few of us ordered apps which came out fairly quickly and were tasty, but for the price I definitely expected a bit more. I tried the tandoori chicken flatbread which tasted good but was about $19 for 4 pieces. I also tried the octopus that wasn’t full of flavor but still pretty tasty. ($18) Now comes dinner time… and this is where it all goes down hill. We ordered our dinner fairly shortly after our apps came, so around 7ish/8 we ordered. We did not get our dinner until 9:30!!! For those who did not order an app at our table, they were absolutely starving. It came to the point of asking a member of the wait staff to find our server to give us our check just so we could get that out of the way since we were late for our post-dinner plans by an hour now. (This was all while still waiting for our food). Our server did not come to check on us at any point during this wait time at all. The entire upstairs floor was empty of any wait staff, with about 4 tables waiting hours for food. One gentleman finally said to us that he’s really sorry and all of the food will come out at once, it was still about 20 minutes after he mentioned that and about an hour or so with no answers. Finally our food came at 930 and everything was room temp cold, nothing hot. Tbh, I was like whatever I’ll just eat it I’m so hungry, but for some people at my table, they were served cold Duck and that just did not seem appetizing. My salmon was $30 & came with a sweet potato cake as the side. The salmon was cooked well but the overall flavors unfortunately did not do it for me. The butter chicken portion for $27 had 6 pieces of chicken in it & some rice. My friends said it was good but I felt as though the portion could’ve definitely been bigger…. Overall, I don’t think any of us would return to this establishment. It is unfortunate because the ambiance is really cozy and beautiful and the drinks were good, but our service and food were really a let down and for it being a more expensive establishment, it was disappointing."

"Stopped in for a snack and a drink and pleasantly surprised. Both the mushroom soup and seafood bisque were outstanding and their homemade chips and dips were also delicious. We would love to go back for dinner. The place had a very soothing atmosphere."

"My wife and I went here on 5.20.23 for lunch and we had a wonderful time. The food was exquisite and our waiter, Melvin, was very polite, friendly and attentive to our needs throughout our meal. We will most definitely be going back soon. This place is a must visit. The decor is lovely and the ambience is soothing."

"We went on a Thursday evening dinner and it was during restaurant week. The place was quite busy but the servers were very good and attentive. The food portions were just right and tasted very good. The salmon and the butter chicken was delicious and very fresh. The ambience was nice as well. Would come again."

"We came in and we were very please with how polite the staff is. From host to servers. Our waitress was very sweet and shared he honest option which was very helpful. The drinks were great, the lobster/seafood bisque was my favorite. I love how they accommodated my special request for a meal and the food tasted really good. They are so careful with he decorated dishes. They look absolutely beautiful. Our waitress even took the time to explain each meal and sauce. The dessert was good. A mix of passion fruit and dark chocolate. And again the waitress described it perfectly! The restaurant decorations are very beautiful. The ambience is perfect. It’s not loud. You are able to enjoy your meal and company in a pleasant manner. Overall a great experience with Mediterranean food in Philly!"