Ansill

Yes — a sad day in Philly indeed. David, your food will be sorely missed.

I took my wife here for a pre-​birthday dinner on Friday July 3^rd. We had read about the Korean taco’s and were looking forward to them. It turns out that the Kimchi has shellfish in it; as my wife is allergic to shellfish she had to order them without Kimchi. Either way, we both loved them! Next we ordered the oysters on the half shell. Good but not great, Harry’s in Delaware is a much better place for oysters, sans a review of the new Oyster House.
The clear broth Tomato soup with Idiazabal cheese is great!
We then moved on to other locations. We will be back to Ansill!

3 words for you: korean barbecue tacos.
my friend and i sauntered in on a random tuesday night. if this weren’t clear across the city from where i live, this would be my neighborhood bar. the place is beautiful with dark wood, and low lighting.
the bartender was tres friendly. we’re off to a good start already.
in addition to the awesomely awesome tacos, i also had the pasta special, and my friend had an heirloom tomato salad. both were phenomenal, and i walked out of there feeling a bit happier than when i came in.
ansill is like the comfy tshirt that i will keep going back to.

Just as I was about to settle into my pj’s, a friend called me up and invited me out for a glass of wine. You’ll find it’s hard for me to turn down good company and drinks. We headed over to Ansill and sat at the bar.
Even though it was about 11pm, the happy hour menus were still up and I noticed «Korean tacos» on special. I asked the bartender and even though happy hour ended 2 hours prior to our arrival, she served them up! They were fantastic! Stripped short rib topped with kimchi and a drizzle of some BBQ-​like sauce. I housed it in a matter of seconds.
My friend and I each had 2 glasses of wine — a chilled rose for summer’s sake and a light pinot noir for sleep’s sake. I couldn’t have picked a better nightcap.

Fiiiinally checked this spot after jonesing to go for quite a long time. What finally motivated me? Something called a Korean taco. I would move mountains for any sort of exotic cultural food hybrid.
First off, I really loved the space. It was classy and upscale but also completely approachable and soft around the edges. We sat at the bar (as you must to take advantage of the happy hour specials) and started with a glass of house red (a really robust, nice cabernet) and this great Baltic porter that tastes kind of like a chocolate-​y stoudt.
Let’s stop pussyfooting around and talk about the Korean tacos. They were incredibly delicious. Besides pork and kimchi, I’m not sure what else was inside. There were definitely some other flavors in there but the taco didn’t stick around long enough for me to contemplate. That sucker had no chance. I’m also fascinated by the soft taco shell — almost had a wonton-​y noodle flavor. I don’t know — but it wasn’t a simple flour or corn tortilla. I think I’m going to have to go back and eat more to figure it out…
I also had the oysters which were big and plump (and only a buck each)! Had a beet and goat cheese salad too which was a little to sweet for my liking but fresh and nicely presented.
I need to come back to sample the regular menu before I dole out 5 stars. But I can’t find fault in it so far and I’m excited to return!

I’ve been hearing (or should I say reading) good things about Ansill’s happy hour ($ 5 Korean tacos!) so I finally got over there to see if the hype is legit.
My dining partner and I arrived at 6PM, their opening time for the evening, and by 6:30, the bar was full. I’m telling you, it’s definitely because of the happy hour. Dude and I ordered a taco each, some oysters (at $ 1 an oyster) and a couple beverages. The food came out quickly and it certainly did not disappoint. The tacos were a delicious combination of braised beef and kimchi with a Korean barbecue sauce, and they were tasty, tasty (as Fergie Ferg would say). By the way, we didn’t have the option of choosing a specific meat for the taco – Foobooz led me to believe there were two choices: short ribs or pork belly; perhaps I misunderstood? No matter, the taco was scrumptious. Though I’m not a fan of kimchi, and I removed the remaining portion of it about halfway through my taco, I’d still give those suckers a two thumbs up. Mmm … I’m drooling a little thinking about them now.
As for our other food items, here’s a confession: I’m an oyster newb. Seriously. A little over seven years ago I pretty much only ate chicken, pasta and candy. Then I met this dude who liked more variety on his plate. And so began this journey of him introducing me to all these wonderful foods that make my taste buds explode. Naturally, the oyster experience was the next reasonable step in my never-​ending food journey. And I have to say, the fella’s description (a little salty, like the ocean, but with the consistency of a giant loogie) was spot-​on. And did I enjoy it? Oh yes. Oysters are refreshing! Anyway, I can’t say whether or not these oysters were better than others since it was my first experience but they certainly made my night memorable.
We did have a couple of other items from the menu before we skedaddled: the soup of the day – a cold tomato soup with cucumbers and mangoes which had a nice balance of sweet and spicy; and the taleggio cheese which was soft and mild and reminded me of a Babybel.
While the food was quite tasty, I don’t know if I was digging the overall vibe of the place. The bartender was nice enough, and I realize it was (a busy) happy hour but I just didn’t get any sort of welcoming feeling. That’s probably my only complaint. And I don’t even think I’d call it a complaint; just an observation. A feeling I had. Anyway, I’m only giving the place three stars for now because I feel like I need to go back to try more of the dishes and see if I get a different, maybe more friendly, vibe during a non-​happy hour.

Holy Expletive! Ansill is amazing.
I convinced my mom to go out with me for happy hour at Ansill, tonight. Neither of us had been there, and we were both blown away by our experience.
The service was fantastic. The bartender was knowledgeable and outgoing. Chef Ansill greeted us and brought out a few of our dishes. You could tell he cared about the food.
The food was so good. We ended up ordering a second round of food, it was that good. We started with ½ dozen oysters and two lamb sandwiches (the happy hour sandwich special of today). The sandwiches were phenomenal. The meat was so tender and juicy and it was served with a slightly spicy caramelized onion relish… I think I’m drooling… We debated long and hard about just getting a second round of sandwiches but decided to try a few different things instead. So, round 2 was 6 more oysters, the beef and cabbage borscht, and the bone marrow served with a parsley salad. The borscht is definitely worth ordering again.
The bar itself is very classy. It has a wood carving and wood and glass shelves and has really interesting lights in front of the carving. The entire restaurant is low key and very pretty.
I feel the need to make this note– Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors (any more than usual, that is). I am still feeling the effects of the dirty gin martini on top of the $ 5 sparkling wine. Yes, I am a light-​weight. Yes, I was with my mother. Yes, I am drunkenly Unilocaling my love of Ansill. Go there and you will understand.

I was very excited about the BBQ plate at Ansill but it was meh– just so-​so and fell flat. The rabbit was nicely cooked but the chicken was dry and a modest cut of pork loin was too fatty.
Small plates of bone marrow and trotters were exceptional, complex and full of flavor. Grilled romaine and frisee with grapefruit were solid, very nice portions and very fresh.
We arrived early for our res and were excited to have a nice glass of wine and a few dollar oysters (oh, no, they were out of oysters!). Sadly, the bald, tattoed bartender seemed bored to be the bartender. Maybe he was just in a bad mood– like the bbq plate.

The muscles were extremely tender. If you are used to eating muscles at your local favorite Italian joint then order them up at Ansill because I bet that you usually get them overcooked.
I enjoyed the pig’s trotters along with the bone marrow. I also had the uni over the toast being offered. If you look at my avatar you’ll see that I’m an avid fan of uni, and it was refreshing to have it prepared in a European style.

I love Philly. It’s a classy city, but you can’t get away from that ‘local color’.
Ansill is a great place for happy hour. Reasonable drink prices — and $ 1 oysters! (I don’t even eat them, but I was tempted because, well, they’re a dollar.) The cheese plate is good any time of day. And while you’re sipping and munching, trying your best to rock the casual elegant vibe, you can bet your ass some mid-​lifer dudes with deep Jersey Shore tans will roll in, order themselves tequila, start talking shit on their wives and almost fall off their bar stools. Ah, Philly. Thanks for keeping me honest.

As you can probably tell from scanning the other reviews of Ansill, the chef is known for serving up offal and other curiosities in top-​notch form.
We dropped in on a Friday evening and were immediately seated in the colorful main dining area across from the bar. Oddly enough, the bar seemed to fill-​up as the night went on, unlike other restaurants where places seem to empty… this place must be a popular spot with the locals.
The bar had a great sampling of beers on draft as well as wines by the glass, which explains the crowd at the bar.
We started with the bone marrow and the shirred duck egg. Although I was envisioning a split bone emerging from the kitchen and being thunked down in front of my wife, the marrow was served crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, so that you could smear it atop some toast… the salty parsley blended well with the marrow.
The shirred egg was served in a shallow ramekin and was truffled… swimming in cream, it was like a ‘breakfast soup”…served with toast to scrape the last bits off the bottom of the now-​empty ramekin.
My wife’s ricotta gnocchi were both soft and crunchy, having been sauteed and then sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
The open-​faced lamb osso-​bucco sandwich was like an upscale BBQ sandwich in a way… the lamb meat was pulled like pork and then placed atop a piece of toast, smothered in a rich gravy and topped with a gremolata… the mix of parsley & lemon rind mimicked a Mediterranean version of the slaw that North Carolina style BBQ is always served with.
The waiter was very professional and knowledgeable and the service was smooth.

I attended Ansill several months ago, so I will admit that I don’t have a refined memory of the food specifics. However, my overall takeaway was overwhelmingly positive. I came here with my father, who generally doesn’t think to go anywhere outside of Center City, so it was nice to go somewhere south of South St. that we could both mutually enjoy. We shared several plates that were all extremely well described by our server and really tasty. They were delicately prepared (albeit small) and we both loved the opportunity to try several different things on the menu. The jasmine-​infused ice cream was like nothing I’ve ever tried before — as a tea lover, I was especially pleased.
The whole experience felt really intimate. The cozy, dim-​lit room, calm ambiance, exhaustive wine list, and tiny platters make it more of a «special treat» place. Come to Ansill with a close companion. It’s not necessarily somewhere I would jump to revisit in the near future, but it’s certainly a place I would highly recommend you check out.

We tried Ansill for the first time last night and I am sure it won’t be the last.
As others have mentioned, yes, it is a bit tight on seating, but certainly no more so than the other places in the neighborhood… that’s just a matter of the narrow buildings in Philly, so no matter. The menu is divided into small plates and «larger» plates, which are about the size of smaller entrée portions, just right for what we were looking for. All the sides are separate so you can mix and match and share away.
We started with an appetizer on the specials list… fig bruschetta with bleu cheese. Delicious! Would have been so much easier to share had they done it on two small crustini instead of one long one, but not a huge problem. I had the seared scallops with chilled gazpacho as a sauce and my guy had the lamb osso buco open-​faced «sandwich», both of which turned out wonderfully.
Lighting was good. Service was good, including quite a number of helpful tips and explanations. They offer wine by the glass, ¼ liter and ½ liter carafes. a ¼ liter was only $ 8, an excellent deal on a decent malbec.
Only warnings: If you have people in your party who are nervous about unusual ingredients… this really isn’t the place to go. A vegetarian would be relegated to side dishes or cheese plates. Pescetarians have only a choice or two since even some of the seafood dishes are done with meat. But for adventurous foodie carnivores, this place would be a delight.
Can reserve a table on

I like to consider myself an adventurous eater, but I try to be smart about it. As tempted as I might be, I am am not going to order lambs tongue from a mobile slouvaki vendor. If I am going to experiment, I want to be led by a master. Dave Ansill is certainly that.
I have been here twice, and each time every plate was perfect. I ordered lamb’s tongue, bone marrow with parsley salad, pig trotters… each for the first time in my life. Oh, man! If everyone could prepare the nasty bits like this, well, everyone would.
My wife and our friends, slightly more conventional, ordered some of the rustic, French cuisine and were all very enthusiastic. For dessert, I had violet ice cream, and in all honesty it was the best ice cream I have had since Berthillon in Paris.
So, in short, whether you like to push your limits or enjoy the classics, Ansill will meet and exceed your needs. The wine list is excellent, as well.

The good: How about everything? The foo

If fearsome food critic Craig Laban put me in a headlock and forced me to spit out the name of my favorite Philadelphia restaurant, Ansill is the joint I’d give up in a second.
Gorgeous, thoughtfully prepared small plates with a highly conscious wine selection make David Ansill’s place one of the finest dinner spots in the city. A sexy Art Nouveau bar and flattering lighting up the glamour points.
Highlights from tonight’s meal were:
Baked duck egg (served in a shallow ramekin) bountifully garnished with truffles, with buttered crostini for dipping up the eggy richness. Painfully good.
Bone marrow with crostini and parsley salad. A classic treatment, and none better.
Roasted beet salad with warm goat cheese– served rind on.
Braised rabbit leg over gently crisped polenta and some kind of tomato-​pepper sauce. Flavorsome.
The service is generally very good and well informed. Ansill also has a killer happy hour special where sparkling wine is $ 5 and oysters are like $ 1 each, some local beer is $ 3 on draft. Ridiculous, especially since their normal prices fall decidedly into the «fine dining, say goodbye to your wallet» range.

I’ve read articles in magazines about this place. The locals (as well as my friend) loves it and recommended we go there. But, I really don’t know what the hype is about.
I admit the food tastes good and is of good quality.
However, the service is not.
The server was clueless yet stuck up.
Also, I DO NOT like the seating and layout of the restaurant. It’s small & cramped. When you first walk in — it’s a rectangle with the bar to your left or in front of you. Then there’s another section of the restaurant (another rectangle — think 90 degrees or perpendicular to the first rectangle section of the restaurant) with more seating. In this 2^nd seating area — you will find the restroom — which is designed for a midget? It’s one tiny bathroom which when you open the door you have to squeeze yourself in.
I was not impressed with the wine selection either.
What DOES stand out is The presentation of the food.
It’s quite showy — more so than other gourmet or upscale restaurants I’ve been to.
Bottom line — Bad service & Cramped Atmosphere (No Elbow Room)

I don’t know what food category this is besides «not for the faint of heart.»
No doubt this place is a foodie haven and popular click hangout. But unless you are ready to let your taste buds venture to places that have never been tasted before (bordering on fear factor), then you shouldn’t come. But do keep in mind, this chef is famous for a reason and you should have faith. If you are not here to eat, then definitely come for wine and conversation at the bar.
A sample of the ecclectic menu:
CRAMBLED DUCK EGG (smoked trout, crme frache), $ 8
SWEETBREADS (fava beans, morels), $ 12