Alpen Rose

Worth the hype. The excitement of entering through a secret, slotted door entrance already impressed my picky parents. That paired with the intimate yet homey interior and warm service made for a memorable night! Everything was amazing, from the service to presentation and the taste. They even had great non-steak options for my mom who only eats fish! At the end of the day, it is still a steakhouse and the awe comes from the incredible cuts they have available. I got the wagyu for ~$200 and although it was buttery, fatty melt in your mouth feeling, I still could not get much different enjoyment than the ribeye cut for

Gorgeous steak house located in Philadelphia. No awnings or markers to identify the restaurant except one single rose near the door. Find it and make sure you made a reservation to gain entry. I usually review the food first but this time the service takes the cake. Multiple servers rotated to ensure an exceptional dining experience. Very attentive throughout the meal. Let’s discuss food. I tried the bone marrow toast and loved the beef cheek cooked in red wine with bone marrow drizzle and the wedge salad for apps. Main meal I shared a beef Wellington and filet. I preferred the filet due to the perfectly placed salt chunks found in each bite. Sides included mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach. Not a fan of the creamed spinach, too much lemon. My whiskey sour partnered well with my meal and chocolate cake topped off the evening. Will return!

It is a small hidden restaurant. I walked passed it and had to take a few steps back. Besides it you will see a half door and a door bell with a rose symbol beside it. Ring to get in. You are then greeted by the hostess and asked if you have reservations. Once everything is confirmed you are allowed entry and seated at your table. As soon as I was serviced I ordered a cup of hot coffee and it was delicious. Got the rolls. Literally, order two orders of these. It is piping hot, soft, fluffy and served with a side of whipped butter. Oyster Rockefeller were one of our appetizer. It came with a unique in house hot sauce. Cute bottle. This was pretty good. My friend got the steak it was served with roasted garlic and I believe roasted onions. I did have a bite of the steak. Well seasoned. I had the chicken and it was delicious. Juicy, tender and well flavored. It came with a bed of I think cabbage and some gravy. Complimented everything very well. A side of onion rings and pave potatoes. The potatoes were perfectly layered into a rectangular cut, baked until tender and crispy on the edge served with sour cream. Perfect combo. The onion ring was my least favorite but it was served on a donut ring with a creamy sauce. I also got the coffee espresso with coconut foam. Surprised that it was really good. Lastly the chocolate cake to share. It was very rich and decadent. Perfect way to end our meal. Ambience is an old personal library with dim lights, secluded bar towards your right and a open/enclosed kitchen. The staff was attentive and personal. They made this place exceptional and must come back to try other items on the menu.

A magical location for a special occasion date, I had a wonderful evening even if I would probably make different food choices on a return trip. The atmosphere is unmatched in any restaurant I've been to in Philly but not every dish measures up to its high price tag in my opinion. Alpen Rose's hype factor will always mention the stunning interior and intimate luxurious setting, but somehow the high level of hype really doesn't even do it justice! No matter how beautiful the pictures you see are, they can't fully convey the mood and especially the SMELL. The gentle wood fire permeates the restaurant in an amazing way I haven't experienced before. Service was good throughout the night. While the experience is certainly "fancy" for Philadelphia, it's still very approachable without being stuffy - the server uniforms have button up tops with vests, but also denim jeans to keep things from becoming pretentious. The whole "knock on the door" gimmick out front is kind of silly, but cute enough. For food we started with a pretty standard chopped salad and their famous bone marrow toast. The toast was very good, and when you get the perfect bite it is outstanding and worth the hype. However, most of the bites were hard to put together as the marrow struggled to come cleanly off the bone. My wife ordered the beef wellington (a first for both of us) and it was dramatic and impressive! The meet was perfectly cooked and flavorful. However, we both noted that it really wasn't more than the sum of its parts- some good steak wrapped in puff pastry with some mushroom and prosciutto. Some of the pastry was also a bit raw. It was a tasty dish certainly, but I wouldn't get it again certainly not at the $90+ it costs. My dry-aged ribeye was good as well, and I especially appreciated the small touches on the plate that elevated it. The pickled onion and roasted garlic were great palate cleansers and brought intrigue to the dish which is of course a giant piece of meat. The in-house steak sauces were also very good. The ribeye itself was good but not remarkable. In fact, a significant portion of it was quite gristly and difficult to chew. Some of that comes down to the cut itself, that's just how ribeye is, but it still wasn't a top-end steak. Also, both my cutlery and my wife's cutlery were so dull that I actually could not cut through the steak without significant effort. I probably should have asked for a replacement so maybe that's on me, but my point is that it was a challenge. The sides (potato puree) and dessert (chocolate cake) were good and solid, and rounded out a pleasant evening. While we enjoyed our time, I think it's clear that if we were to return we'd order some of the more modest items off the menu. The non-steak options we saw on other tables did look delicious and were priced much more in line with standard restaurant prices, which would be great given how pleasant the atmosphere is.