Meju Korean Restaurant

Its 7:15 on a Monday night, my friend and I call the number and make a reservation for two at 8 pm. We arrive and park close, within a block of the restaurant in a decent-priced garage. To say the least, as soon as we walked through the door our night was fantastic. The service was great; our waitress was super friendly and very explanatory of the specials of the evening. We gave the soup of the day a try and it was phenomenal with crabmeat, kidney beans, tomato, and spinach and more.... she was prompt with everything, including clearing plates for the next course. Dinner was amazing, I had the cod (it was a very large piece of fish!!!) and my friend had the European chicken which was very juicy and had a great flavor to it. We were so full by the end of the night, the deserts sounded delicious but couldn't fit it! I would highly reccomend this restaurant if you are looking for a sophisticated casual night out. Plus... its a BYOB, which helps keep the price range decent! We are definitely going back!!! Pros: Everything was amazing Cons: Bums on the streets are very "talkative" more

I dined at Mandoline on Monday night with a party of 6 people. Overall we had a very enjoyable dining experience. I ordered the mussels as an appetizer which were very good, although the portion was a little large for an appetizer. My boyfriend ordered the lobster macaroni and cheese which had a good flavor, but only had one lobster claw on top. The filet which he ordered for his entree was very good, but the foie gras croquette on the side was cold in the center and had no flavor of foie gras. The menu described it as coming witha madeira jus, but we were unable to taste this. I ordered the cod for my entree which tasted good, but was a little overcooked. Our main complaint with dinner was our slow service. We had ordered our appetizers before our waitress opened our wine and we had to ask if we could just borrow her corkscrew. We also had to wait quite a while before we got our bottles of water and had to ask for the water as well. A table that came in after us had received water and their bread basket long before our table did. We had a bottle of dessert wine which we had to ask if the waitress would put it on ice and request it several times before we received once we had ordered our desserts. The smores dessert was excellent and the apple bundt cake which I had was pretty good, although a little bit dry. Pros: Cute and Cozy Interior, overall good food Cons: Slow and Inattentive Service more

We were in on a very slow Tuesday night. The waitress was excellent. The salad with apple slivers and candied walnuts had an excellent taste and texture -- slightly wilted which i like. However, the quail with root vegetables came with the two sad birds in an unappealing greyish-brownish plate and took several knife maneuvers and a strong arm to cut. It was more than chewy and would have been much more enjoyable had it been first sliced and served. I must disagree about the apple tarte tatin. Very uninspired. Buttery perhaps, but needed an additional flavor. The swirl of caramel? around the apples was barely detectable. My partner enjoyed his pork chop. more

Okay, so I went to a lot of trouble to actually do this (joining this website, etc.), but I felt it was really important in light of bad rap that the last reviewer gave this place (particularly since EVERY OTHER REVIEW WAS POSITIVE - read 'em, you'll see - I was glad I did). Our dinner was quite good. We'd definitely go back. The goat cheese cake was exceptional - could have eaten it all night long. The figs, the nuts, the sauce - just really exquisite. The smoked salmon salad was lovely, light, and perfectly dressed (I hate overdressed salads). My other half really enjoyed the swordfish (the risotto was quite tasty - I'm not much of a swordfish fan). My duck, well, I admit, I ate most of it because it was tasty. Could it have been improved? Yes: it was a touch overcooked (nothing drastic) but more importantly, the sauce was a little sweet - it needed something to counterbalance that sweetness - perhaps some vinegar? The same was true for the sweet potato cake - a little one dimensional - a touch of ginger would be perfect. As for dessert, we shared the tarte tatin and it was first rate: the apples were actually caramelized (instead of just saying they were, like at most places), and it was perfectly balanced - not too sweet, buttery, it was wonderful. The best I've had here in Philly and, well, my husband loves those apple desserts, so I've tasted quite a few. The service was attentive but not overwhelming. The room is small, but you don't feel on top of other diners, like at so many BYOs. Go. You'll be glad you did. more

This was possibly one of the worst meals I've ever eaten. The menu was absolutely pretentious from start to finish as there were no "safe picks" for some of my less adventurous guests. There wasn't anything on the menu that really grabbed me on either the appetizer or entre list. I settled on the duck, as that's a personal favorite. I ate a few bites and left the rest. The only thing worse than the chewy texture, was the nasty sauce that came with it. It came with green beans, that had been over cooked and drenched in the sauce on the duck, and a sweet potato pastry that I couldn't put my fork through. I hoped that at least I could get a nice desert with coffee. Well, they got the coffee right at least. One of my guests got a Lime-Basil (basil??) sorbet. It tasted like tobacco ice cream. It was so intrinsically bad that we passed it around the table for a laugh. Another got a fruit crumble that looked like it came out of an Entimann's box. As with the rest of the menu, I didn't see anything on the menu that looked appetizing for me. As with the rest of the menu there was nothing "safe" in the selections. The only word that I'm left with to describe the meal is "pretentious". The menu was full of itself with lots of eclectic selections, but it wasn't balanced with anything for people in a less than adventurous mood. Then, once you made a selection, the food itself was not of good quality. It wouldn't be one of the worst meals I've ever eaten if it didn't pretend to be so important. Pros: Quaint Atmosphere, BYOB, good service Cons: Awful Food, Pretentious Menu, No credit cards, limited seating more

Went here on July 3 - no wait - called ahead and they said just just show up. Had the duck which was simply perfect, and the mac and cheese was amazing. Only one waitress working the whole place and she was great. A little slow with the bread and water but her humor made up for it. Definitely one of the top BYOs in the city. Pros: Ambiance, Food, Mac and Cheese Cons: Small venue - waits on weekend more

We threw a party for my husband's 30th birthday at Mandoline. The food was impeccable, specifically the scallops, lobster mac & cheese, leg of lamb, everything...The service was unparalleled as well. What a wonderful staff!! Todd Lean, the owner, was there on the night of the party also to make sure everything was perfect. Thank you for a night that none of us will ever forget. Pros: good price, intimate, byob more

good food but a bit noisy due to the small size Pros: good food, good service Cons: noisey, smokey more

Intimate restaurant, freshly baked rolls from the oven (still hot when they arrive at the table), yummy appetizers (the sweet potato fries and lobster mac-n-cheese = incredible) and delicious entrees. We didn't have room for dessert! Pros: innovative dishes, great service, BYOB Cons: small space, limited menu more

Mandoline is the newest BYOB to bring a great atmosphere and service to Philadelphia. The food is amazing and the chef takes immense pride in his work. more

Traveling from NYC to view the Dali exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I stumbled upon Mandoline with friends in Olde City. The cozy, charming atmosphere is what first piqued my interest, but the attractive menu is what drew me in. Though it is a small space, the noise level never escalates to where you can't hear your own table conversation. The menu is ambitious and appealing to every culinary whim...making it near impossible to decide..glancing at dishes traveling to other tables proved that whatever choice I made, it would be the right one. They all looked beautiful. I started with the arugula salad with beets and ricotta salada. It was amazing...perfectly executed and delicious. My entree was the special of the day which consisted of striped bass, crabmeat, and quinoa. It was special indeed. Though full, I couldn't resist dessert--burnt sugar gelato...it punctuated the meal sweetly. more

We found a new jewel in Old City. Our dinner was worth every penny. We started out with the warm goat cheese cake, which was breathtaking. The goat cheese just melted in your mouth. For our entrees we had the rissotto with the brocolli rabe and the filet which was done to perfection. The portions were were more than enough. We will definitely be back Pros: byob, food, service Cons: none more

We love going to BYOB restaurants in the city. Our dinner at Mandolines was fabulous. The salad I had with the Goat Cheese was so good my husband asked me if I was planning on licking the plate. The lamb chops I ordered for my dinner were the best I ever had. I will definetly go back, it was great. Pros: Great food, BYOB, Great tea/coffee more

Wow,The food at Mandoline is awesome. Everyone should come and check it out. Pros: good service more

The meal started with a tuna and cold noodle appetizer. The flavor of the noodles and the tuna melded perfectly.I believe the noodles were marrinated in a miso dressing of some kind and there was a small amount of greens on the top.The main coarse was that evenig special,which was a very large TBone pork chop done i thought to perfection.All in All a wonderful experience. Pros: very prompt, always a good thing, very quaint more

Great dining, fabulous food, pleasing menu. I would highly recommend this BYOB. Pros: non-smoking, BYOB more