Kennett

I wanted to love Kennett after I found myself drooling over the Unilocal photos, but my actual experience didn’t live up to expectations. I was happy to easily find parking when I decided to stop by for brunch. Sadly the restaurant looks more like a dirty, dark bar then the cozy gastropub atmosphere I imagined. The brick oven for the wood-​fired pizza I would say helped a bit. The menus are kind of gross to be honest and my waitress told me about items off the brunch menu and items added on. Seems like it would be less confusing just to update their menu with a new print out. I was mildly confused about what items are served for brunch versus dinner. Finally I opted for the Italian breakfast and Breakfast Pizza, both $ 14. I was pretty surprised to find such high prices on a brunch menu considering the causal atmosphere and location of this restaurant. My Italian breakfast was a very small plate of gnocchi pan-​seared, ricotta, pulled pork, and topped with a fried egg. The egg was way overcooked to the point where I couldn’t mix it into the dish and the ricotta cheese helped cut some of the fat but overall the gnocchi were SO salty and coated in butter and oil to the point where the were almost inedible. I wish there was more arugula and cherry tomato left raw to cut some of the fat in this heavy dish. The Breakfast Pizza was a fun twist with cheese, bacon, maple syrup, and fried egg on top. The egg on this dish was cooked much better and the maple syrup added a nice sweetness to counteract the salty bacon and cheese. This dish was much more worthy of the price tag, but I was confused why my pizza was cut into 6 extremely uneven pieces, If I was trying to share this dish I would be pretty annoyed that it had been cut this way. Maybe Kennett was having an off day, but I don’t think I would come back.

Me, to friend «will you taste this beer battered zucchini & tell me if it’s REALLY salty?» Her: «you’re asking the wrong person. I LOVE salt.» She takes a bite, nods her head, and then starts coughing. «Yes, she says, it’s really salty.» Me: «should I complain?» friend: «yes, that’s… crazy.»
I call the bartender over & explain. Bartender: «you don’t want it?» Me: «no.» Her: «Uh, OK, I’ll take it off your bill.»
Friend (to me, after bartender walks away with my salty dish): «do you want to order anything else?» Me: «I will if bartender asks me.» She never did. Friend finishes her salad (which was fine.) Bartender doesn’t notice that friend’s glass has been empty for some time.
Bartender comes over & asks us if we’d like to order dessert, presumably not noticing that I have not eaten dinner.

Kennett is such a fantastic, low-​key, drama-​free, delicious neighborhood place — and we really need it in Queen Village! Love the happy hour specials and the fries, and the Chicken Impossible sandwich is delish. Someone here mentioned the greens might be too salty — I actually loved the intensity in their flavors. I recently enjoyed the grilled romaine salad too.

I’ve recently gone back and the dessert is not what it used to be. The gnocchi is still great but I wasn’t nearly as in love with the place as I remembered.

I came here for dinner on a Friday, it wasn’t packed at all.
The charcuterie board was great– but I think this is pretty hard to mess up – cheese and meat.
The grilled chicken sandwich was REALLY DRY! I got the greens and it was super salty. I like the ambiance of this place– gastropub feel but the food was not impressive at all.
Service is friendly so I feel bad giving this place 2 stars. I think it is more on the 2.5 stars side. I would recommend getting the apps and beers– not entrees.

The lamb burger is out of this world. My boyfriend got the kennet burger and was equally as thrilled. There beer menu is great, the location and décor are perfect, and the staff is attentive. Overall we will return to explore more of their menu and next time maybe try their pizza.

Kennett had a Philly Beer Week event that was sort of a flop. Friends and I went here for their sour beer brunch and no sour beers were on tap. Something went wrong so the tap list wasn’t as expected. There were some other interesting things on tap, but the ones we wanted were all kicked. So we settled for random beers, they were fairly poor. One saison was totally flat. Food menu looked great, but we had already eaten. The seating in the bar area against the wall on the bench was really shallow and poorly planned. Uncomfortable. Bartender seemed to have an attitude, but then again the event was screwed up so makes sense. Looks like they are big on craft cocktails. Trendy, upscale place; enough special and local beer to be added to RB (Oxbow, Stillwater, Shawnee, Yards), but not a place I’d recommend for beer. Maybe for food it rocks, wouldn’t doubt it.

I’m so happy we finally stopped in here, seeing as it’s in the neighborhood.
I only took off a star for the laissez-​faire, confused manner of the wait staff when we walked in. There was no hostess. The bartender sat us down, gave us menus and took our order but later, a different woman was our server. To be fair, we went for a super early 5:30 dinner on a Friday and it was pretty dead. Besides the 3 people at the bar and the 2 guys at an outside table, we were the only other patrons in the whole place– so maybe our early arrival caught them off guard. I don’t know. It didn’t spoil my dinner by any means.
We sat at a booth right by the exposed brick pizza oven. I really liked the cozy pub feel to the place. I would love to visit back here in the fall.
Prices were reasonable and we made it in time for the happy hour of half-​priced drinks that ended at 7. Menu reminded me of St. Stephen’s Green a bit. Decent beer selection. I’m mad we didn’t get any of the pizzas since they seem to be the most popular menu items. For an appetizer, we each got the steak fajitas. Weird choice for an appetizer but still super delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful and on a bed of caramelized onions and peppers, with fresh tortillas and a homemade sour cream.
The burgers were spot on– great bun selection (this is important!) and actually cooked to my requested medium instead of well done like most places do. Fries were good, too. Pretty big burger for the price.
The menu was varied and everything sounded delicious so I definitely plan on coming back here in the future.

Tried to have dinner here a few weeks ago and the kitchen was already closed at 10pm. Weird for a bar. Also, walked by today and they are temporarily byo. Strange things are afoot at Kennett it seems.

Brunch! When you work hard all week and have an over-​scheduled weekend, brunch is the pause that refreshes and as such, should not be trifled with.
So when I heard Kennett offered brunch, and so close to home, I had to go. There is a set brunch menu as well as a few options available from the standard menu including, pizza, burgers, a few salads and their boards.
My buddy, usually a fancier of a full English breakfast had the Italian breakfast and raved over pillow soft gnocchi and slow roasted pork. Determined to balance out the sin of consuming thee mimosas with culinary piety, ordered the veggie board. How does one describe it? I think, «board of infinite yumminess» will do. Veggies, grilled, curried, spiced, relished and finished with a dollop of grapefruit curd was as filling as a burger without weighing me down. I felt smug & virtuous. Gotta say burgers looked tasty as they made their way to a party seated outside, as did the pizza.
Cant understand reviews that were negative on service and food as both were great, but hey, it takes all kinds. I just found the whole vibe comfortably chilled.
Word of warning, their website says they open at 10, but it really is 11. We arrived early, left when they weren’t quite open, but then returned. And returning is what I shall do… maybe this weekend.

Such a pleasant experience everything was delicious and the staff were super friendly.

5 Stars! Knowledgable staff! Casey and Carolyn are great. Huge selection of beer and wine. Food was amazing! Lamb burger was excellent. We ordered a bunch of items and shared… Wood fired pizza! Cheese plate! Must order dessert. Hidden Gem. I love this neighborhood spot.

Grabbed an early dinner at Kennett last night before work. Service was fantastic, but food fell short of «gastro-​pub» credibility. Again, let me say they couldn’t be nicer, but really… it’s about the food.
Though the menu sounded great, everything I had was over-​spiced and completely lacking in any subtle flavors of the food itself. If they dial everything back by about 40%, the place will be great… And this from someone who loves spicy and exciting food.
The smoked cauliflower soup was loaded with salt and pepper to the point that neither cauliflower nor smokiness was evident.
The beet salad was over-​dressed, over-​salted, and over-​goated (cheese),
The veggie-​burger was pretty good, but again, just sort of overwhelming.
With some serious restraint in the kitchen, the flavors on this great menu could truly be enjoyed. Here’s hoping…

This is an example of a scenario in which I wish I could give zero stars. This meal was so bad that it almost ruined my day. It was one of those.
Besides the fact that on a Sunday at noon the lights were dimmed so low that it felt like a strip club and that the bartender straight up told my boyfriend the Bloody Mary was made of v8 juice only (WHAT?), the food was absolutely disgusting. Not kidding, it was truly horrific.
I had the English breakfast. The beans on «toast» was huge, yellow beans on NOT buttered baguette (not toast but a hard-​as-​rock baguette) and the «blood sausage» was a quarter-​sized pile of what seemed to be smashed bread. It’s hard to even describe because it looked like nothing I had ever seen. It tasted burnt and did not even remotely resemble sausage. That was the entirety of the dish.
My boyfriend had the steak and eggs and the eggs weren’t cooked through and the steak was over-​cooked and completely inedible. Neither of us took more than 2 bites of either dish. We physically couldn’t.
We chose not to complain as we both work in the food industry, but the bartender didn’t even bother asking if we enjoyed it.
All in all– will never return. Do not recommend. I’m disappointed because the menu and concept here are fantastic, in my opinion, but the food does NOT deliver.

Wonderful find on South 2^nd street. Lisa had the veg board which had great flavors for each veggie. I had the lamb burger that was wonderful and cooked to perfection. Great wine list, beer list and great service. Not sure about the poor comments on poor service but ours was great.
Next time Pizza!!!

My wife and I went to Kennett with three other couples and had a really nice time. They have reasonably priced food and drinks with a pretty interesting menu. Our orders ranged from the english breakfast to the bacon pancakes… which are basically cornmeal pancakes with bacon scattered throughout… Delicious.
Good service too!
I highly recommend.

I came here for the first time Saturday night with a couple friends and can’t believe I haven’t been here sooner. We made reservations just an hour before and there was no wait when we arrived. Food was awesome. I loved my lamb burger with a side of greens. I also tried the specials from my friends’ plates and loved the lamb meatballs and gnocchi special. Everything coming out of the kitchen looked so good. They also have a good drink menu with a nice selection of cocktails, wine and beer. Although it was dinner I ordered two bloody marys and they were great– perfect level of spice with nice garnishments which make all the difference. I probably could have had a third but my friends called it a night. I will be back.

This review is mixed. I’m a tour guide here in Philly, and people constantly ask me for restaurant recommendations. This would have been a great one, except for the poor service.
If you are looking for a place with a chill ambiance and amazing food, Kennett is it. I am a vegetarian and am always looking for places creative enough to cater to vegetarians and vegans. My wife and I went here and had the Veggie Board, which was totally on par with what we had had on our trip to Vedge. The mushrooms were amazing, and I absolutely adored the eggplant. We also had the Cheese Board, which got us to try cheeses with fancy mustards and jams. We had never eaten capers before either, having judged them on their olive-​like appearance, but they were really interesting.
We also had the gnocchi (vegetarian version), and it was to die for. They just started their fall offerings, so it was acorn squash and chard. It was the perfect mix of creamy and sweet and bitter.
We were also impressed with the beer selection. I got the Victory Fest and my wife got an Ommegang. They had a large variety, including 25.4 oz offerings.
However, we felt that the server decided that we weren’t going to tip and really didn’t give us the same attention as her other tables. Another server had to help us a couple of times, too. I was never asked if I wanted a second drink. At the end of the meal, we were handed the menu by the other server and she said «Those are for you at the bottom.» We realized that she was talking about desserts, but she was already gone without checking in or anything. And where was our server? Well, we were seated right by the kitchen, so we saw her walk back and forth several times, but no check ins.
Once we got the check, we had to wait around for 5 – 10 minutes to get some change for a cash payment. When no one was making any motions to help us *at all*, we finally decided to just take $ 5 back and leave, shortchanging the tip down to 18% (which, btw, is low for us).
Yes, we were in jeans (the Unilocal page said casual), but they weren’t ratty or anything, and we’re not sure why we were judged this way. We were torn between living up to your expectations, and tipping poorly, or rewarding you for bad behavior just to prove a point. I’m not saying that your job isn’t hard, but I work for tips too, and I treat everyone like they’ve already left me a tip before the tour has even begun.

I wasn’t impressed with their menu, found this place because of Unilocal but seemed the ratings this place received was a little off. I tried the lamb burger which was okay, nothing to rave about, a little odd, seats were not that comfortable, and too close to each other. A little hip place probably good for a drink or two, but not for dinner choice.

So I went here for brunch the other day. If I were to rate just on the main dish, it’s easily 5 stars. The Italian Breakfast has the most delicious and fluffy gnocchi I’ve ever had.
However, it was also the worst mimosa I’ve ever had, and I’m pretty sure our waitress hated us for no apparent reason.