River Twice

Incredible experience from start to finish! The manager, Jhazmyn, ushered us to the chef’s counter and set the tone immediately. Our server, Jaryd, was incredibly helpful and genuinely fun… we love a server who knows how to riff. We really enjoyed the wine pairing and the supplemental courses, but my mind keeps going back to the rhubarb granita with dessert and the tuna with turnips. Also the wine pairing (DUH) I can’t wait to return to Philly and experience it all again!

We went for their restaurant week dinner cuz this is a spot that we always want to try. We are glad that we picked here and would love to come back for other special occasions. The food was carefully planned, cooked and then paired with wine. As opposed to many other “fine dining” that makes you feel like you ate a bunch of air after a whole expensive meal, this place actually had the food do its original job: feed people. The service was also great. Both the hostess and our server that night were really friendly, very helpful and answering any questions about the menu, the dishes, and the wine pairing. We felt taken care of through out the night.

it’s a small, cozy open-kitchen restaurant with a warm atmosphere — but unfortunately the food and service fell far short of expectations. Overall, the seasoning was overwhelmingly salty, which made it hard to appreciate the actual flavors or character of the ingredients. Each course felt unbalanced, and even the rice grits were inconsistently cooked, with some parts almost like raw rice. The halibut dish was especially surprising: the cabbage served with it tasted like pure salt, while the halibut itself had almost no seasoning at all. Half of it was warm and the other half was completely cold, which was really unexpected. Only chopsticks were set on the table, and no one explained that other utensils were stored in a drawer — we only realized after watching another table take theirs out. For a restaurant with so many positive reviews, the service felt unprofessional and careless. Even though I had stated the reason for our reservation, the staff randomly asked whose birthday it was, which felt awkward and out of place. The highlight of the night was actually the bill — a receipt that already included a 20% service charge, yet still had the extra tip line marked and emphasized as if we were expected to add more. I couldn’t help but wonder when it became normal for restaurants to openly push for additional tipping on top of an already-included charge. It just felt unnecessary and uncomfortable, especially after such a disappointing meal and experience. To top it all off, both of us experienced stomach discomfort and diarrhea later that night after the meal. Overall, it was a disappointing experience on what was supposed to be a special occasion.

We’ve been to River Twice a few times and every time has been incredible! The food is consistently delicious, and the service is on point. Perfect date night! Last night was our first date out since having a baby and it just felt so special