Pod

My family recently ate at Pod. My husband and I contracted food poisoning after sharing a plate! I contacted Pod twice and their response was NO response. Pretentious. We will not return. more

Shame on this restaurant. How dare they position themselves between to college campus and then hire staff which has a snide pretentious attitude towards college students. I have never had such an ignorant waitress in my life. I've been going to modern, expensive restaurants since they day I was born, how dare they treat me like I'm just some college student who doesn't know how to tip just because I'm young and therefore don't deserve great service. Absolutely not worth it for the price. Management at this restaurant is going to hear it. Worst service ever. more

Like any other Steven Starr restaurant, you can expect a stunning atmosphere; however, the food was mediocre - at it's best and the service was horrible. I had a party of 6, so we were sat in a pod. It was very interesting! There were several buttons to change the lighting. Unfortunately they often broke and we had the misfortune of getting the lights stuck on green, which reflected off of our food and made it look very unappealing. Our waiter also forgot our orders and had to come back several times to ask us what he had ordered. When we finally arrived our food after 40 minutes of waiting, the sushi smelled slightly fishy and it wasn't worth the wait! Plus it was very loud and crowded. It could have been worse, though. Pros: Unique Atmosphere Cons: Broken Pods, Bad Service, Mediocre Food more

My boyfriend and I went to Pod for our anniversary and we LOVED it. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. Our waitress was extremely friendly, without being weird and she was very knowledgeable and well-trained. We got the crab rolls and spicy tuna roll as appetizers- they were fantastic. I had the Chilean sea bass (best I've ever had) and my boyfriend had the wasabi-crusted filet. Both meals were incredible! I forgot to mention how cool the restaurant was inside as well. All in all, I would definitely go back (for a special occassion- it was somewhat pricey!)!!! It was a really great experience! Pros: atmosphere, food, service Cons: a little pricey more

POD is a MOD place with delicious dinner food. We always get seated promptly w/reservations. Fun with groups and just ur gf/bf. Pros: mod with good food more

They have the best sushi here! I went here for a friend's birthday and we got to sit in one of the ""pods."" It was such a cool experience and the food is wonderful! Not a huge fan of their drinks, but I guess it depends what you like to drink. It's kind of pricy but you are definitely paying for quality. It gets really really crowded, so a reservation is probably a must. And from what I hear it's hard to get a table in the pod (we knew someone). Pros: sushi, atmosphere, service Cons: crowded if you aren't in a pod more

I have eaten dinner here at least 30 times, and every time I have been impressed. The sushi is fresh, the service is great, and the atmosphere is wonderful. Today all that changed when I came in for lunch. I shouldn't say it all changed, because the food was still on par with the dinner menu, but the lunch service was scary. For those of you from Philly, think Oregon Diner scary. We ordered a mix of appetizers and on grilled chicken sandwich and one tune sushi plate. things started off good until our waitress stopped by five minutes in and asked ?what was the last thing you ordered I forgot?. This was an honest mistake, until 45 minutes in after all of our food as eaten still no sushi. When all of our plates were cleared I inquired about by sushi entree from the person bussing our table, because through the course of the entire meal we had not seen our waitress at our table since she stopped by to say she had forgotten an item. She made a guest appearance to drop the sushi off with no apology or explanation as to why it was late. I guess it is normal to wait 50 minutes at lunch for a raw fish. I looked for the manager but he was speaking with a friend in the back of the restaurant and did not appear to be taking an interest in following up with the guests as the managers usually do at all of the Starr restaurants. This was not the service I have ever gotten at any of the Starr restaurants and I hope I never get again. I would still recommend POD for dinner, but steer clear for lunch, it will leave a bad taste in your mouth. \r Pros: Food is great, when you get it Cons: Service was scary more

If you want a unique experience and your open to different foods definately go to pod. The decor is fun, there was virtually no wait (for a friday night), and the servers are most helpful. I really don't know what all these people are talking about the sushi is great. The spicy sushi really wasn't that spicy though. I enjoy a real kick in my food and it didn't have it but still was quite tasty. The entrees were great. The place wasn't loud and crowded like most places in are olde city. Its quite spacious and has great cocktail choices. The only downside is that all the tables for 2 are sat along the windows were the vents happen to be so we had 1 pesky fly who eventually got the hint. So if your ever seated there ask to move away. Pros: Food, good service, good environment. Cons: That stupid fly. more

I've always wanted to try Pod so I chose to go here with a group of friends to celebrate my 34th birthday. The food was amazing and the place was hopin' for a Wednesday night. Loved the mod and fun atmosphere. Their yummy drink selection helped to kick things off. Mojitos are my fav drink and they offer seasonal variations which when we went was with fresh strawberries (yum!). I wouldn't think a place like Pod would know how to make a good mojito but they certainly did. It was fantastic (I think I had at least 2). For appetizers our table ordered the braised short ribs which I believe was one of the things our waiter recommended. They were so tender they melted in your mouth. I ordered sushi as my entree which was good, pretty basic. Two others at the table ordered the Chilean sea bass with mashed sweet potatoes. I had a nibble of both and they were excellent, especially the sweet potatoes which were so creamy and light. We got the Sweet 18 dessert platter with dipping sauces which I HIGHLY recommend. It was perfect for a party of 4 and I guess there had to be 18 different selections on the tray. Pod is definitely a place everyone should experience. I can't wait to go back. Pros: yummy drink selection (especially the mojitos), briased short ribs app, dessert platter, food in general Cons: can't think of any! more

Anyone in Philadelphia has to visit this place. I went there yesterday for my friend's 25th b-day.. The ambiance is one of the best things. The cielings are colored, the chairs are colored, hey the bathrooms are even little pod themselves. My only complaint was that the wait was a bit long. I did love the food served family style. We had the macadamian chicken, (very good and comes with enough rice for 4) the chicken pad tai (which we had enough left over of/ not enough chicken though) the chicken potstichers (I love these things everywhere, but this had more chicken filling in it than any place id been before, we also had the chicken lettuce wrap with peanuts (not only was this good, but I'm on Weight watchers and its a complete core. We also had the salmon (which was glazed in teryiyaki sauce with delicious sticky rice). Dessert was delicious. We had the chocolate X3..you must like chocolate for this one. We also had the sweet 16 chocolate which was enough for 4 alone with asorted sweets (brownies, cookies, fruit (very fresh, cheesecake and chocolate, rasberry, and carmel sauce. This is good for a large party, but the quality is better on the other desserts. If you want the Kobe beef, but are hungry..don't get it. It's three tiny tiny tiny pieces of meat. It's cool to watch it get cooked table side, but don't order it please. The fried calamari seemed to be a crowed pleaser, but I didnt try it. I would def go back. Our bill came up to 130 and we left a 26 tip. Not bad for a party of 4. Pros: Everything was delicious Cons: Very cold, bring a sweater more

this was my first time at pod and i absolutely loved it! it was the best dining experience ive ever had! i would deff recomend pod to anyone looking for a unique and fun enviroment with excelent food. the lettuce wraps are amazing and the menu selection is fantasic! also the staff was very nice! Pros: wonderful experience more

I called at 7 for a 9 reservation on a Saturday and got it. My date and I showed up 15 minutes early and were seated immediately. The place was packed. There was a real energetic vibe with people toasting and noshing everywhere. The crowd was mostly mid-20's sprinkled with their well-dressed parents who might have been afraid to take off their coats. The menu was simple with catchy names and good descriptions. The pear sake martini was great. Then the kobe beef app, definitely try that to add some sizzle to your date dining exp. The scallops app was average due to flat-ish scallops of which 50% were overseasoned. On to entrees: the duck was super succulent and accompanied by delicious greens as well as two duck filled puff pastries, which I was not as fond of but when dipped in their spicy dipping sauce (have to ask for it), were much better. The creme brulee dessert offers a trio of tasty ramicans sure to delight any fan of the french favorite. The chocolate dessert was good as well--perfect to pair with their ice wine selection, which is pricey at $14 for about 2 ounces. The music was hip, Steven Starr was making rounds, which might have had something to do with the impeccible service I received. All in all, I would go again. Special note: don't reserve one of the color changing rooms--just watching people eat in there made me nauseous. A side table (built into the wall) is a perfect pod for any intimate dining duo. Pros: Energetic crowd, unique environment, tasty dishes Cons: 10 min cab ride from Center City more

POD restaurant may seem kind of hypey being a Stephen Starr restaurant that touts vinyl menus and party rooms with Kubrick-style changing lights, but at its core is a really great restuarant. My boyfriend and I were pleasantly surprised then at the level of service we received from the very beginning, getting a late reservation, arriving 15 minutes early and getting sat immediately at a table that was kind of carved into the wall (don't lean back too fast!) We ordered the Kobe beef on a hot rock appetizer which was both fun, deliciously simple and reasonable ($15) and the scallop appetizer on seaweed salad which was topped with little roe also super delish. The duck entre was killer, super moist and well-seasoned though it came with what two puffs made from a sweet dough with duck inside that I think could have used a dipping sauce. The service was super fast and very efficient, and though we had two glass issues (sticky margarita glass+dirty wine glass) our waitress covered for it by bringing us a comped glass of the Norweigan Ice Wine claiming ours was a ""little short"". Try the creme brulee trio for dessert-- the passion fruit brulee was to die for! Pros: fun environment, good food, great service Cons: loud, not ""leisurely dining"" more

My wife and I decided to try Pod in 01/2008, after reading reviews on the web. After parking, we were an hour early for our reservation, but were offered to sit at the sushi bar, which was fine.\r \r The sushi bar has a conveyor belt that's constantly in motion. We've eaten at places like this before, in London and NY. It's fun, and you can order anything that might not be making it's way around. This was the first problem we encountered. At Pod, even on a Saturday night, with a full bar, there were only a few tired offerings going around. The sushi we special ordered was good, which I chalk up to the turnover, given the crowd at Pod.\r \r We ordered two appetizers, recommended in some of the reviews. This was where we encountered the second problem. Make that TWO REALLY BIG PROBLEMS.\r \r We tried the Asian Braised Short Ribs. I expected something like what you might get at a Korean restaurant, sliced beef short rib. What I got was a four-inch cube of corned beef soaked in soy sauce. I am not exaggerating. Irish corned beef soaked in soy sauce. This is what it tastes like.\r \r Let me speak of the four-inch cube. The woman sitting next to me ordered some kind of fish dish and it was in the same four-inch cube format. I have no idea why they would do this. Why not improve the taste before making this questionable presentation? I saw other cube blocks in other dishes as well.\r \r The other dish we tried was the Sweet and Sour Pork Dumplings. One word: INEDIBLE. They were neither sweet, nor sour. The taste was quite foul. Think of the greasiest, bulletproof glass covered, slum Chinese takeout place you can: better dumplings.\r \r Our waitress left a lot to be desired, but the other servers seemed to be doing a good job, especially considering how crowded it was.\r \r If it weren't so highly praised, we might have been less disappointed. However, given the disparity between expectations and actual performance, this is THE WORST DINING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. Pros: Fresh fish, unique design Cons: Prepared dishes don't count as food more

Another one of my faves! You can never go wrong when dining at a Starr Restaurant. Great place to hit for... more

Another one of my faves! You can never go wrong when dining at a Starr Restaurant. Great place to hit for some sushi and a few drinks with your fri... more

Pretty good, but too close to campus to make it special anymore. more

Pretty good, but too close to campus to make it special anymore. more

I highly recommend Pod. The Chilean Sea Bass was excellent!! The duck was dry compared to others I've had. The house salad was very good and very big, can be shared with several people. Beautiful presentation of all the food. Its all served family style so everyone can get a taste of everything. The pork dumpling appetizer was wonderful, I didn't want to share them! Chocolate, chocolate chocolate dessert was good. Creme brulee was recommended, not bad, but I would try something else next time. Very trendy crowd of people, very busy bar eariler in the night. Didn't try the sushi but the conveyor belt sushi is surely fantastic since the guys were there making it all night. Overall great food and hip modern atmosphere, the restaurant of the future. Pros: Excellent all around Cons: Pricey but worth it more

I came to Pod for my friend's 30th birthday dinner the other week and I was impressed beyond belief. Living in NY, of course I have access to some of the best restaurants in the country. My standards are high. Pod was able to surpass all expectations. I'm surprised Starr hasn't opened one in NY. The design is modern and evocative of trendy Japanese culture. The food is stellar. The only thing that isn't like most NY restaurants is that the service is impeccable. I don't travel to Philly much because of my work schedule in NY, but I am going to have to find time at least once a month to come down just to eat here. more