Roller’s Restaurant at Flying Fish

Had a lovely meal here and great service from Paul (chef/​owner) and the waitress. Interior needs a paint job, but it’s obvious they aim to please and it was nice to see they have a good following of locals who see through the imperfections of the décor and support a long standing CH business owner.

Average food. Super pricey. Small portions. Go elsewhere.

A friendly restaurant with spectacular food. The soft shell crabs were the equal of any that I have enjoyed in Baltimore. The salads were works of art in presentation that creatively paired ingredients. Roller’s crab fritter was rich and full of lump crab meat — the Cadillac of crab meat. We felt welcomed and cared for throughout our visit. The folks at Roller’s made us feel like valued guests,

It is honestly tragic that the average review for this wonderful restaurant is so low. I did notice that most of the lower reviews are from several years ago. Anyway…
I had an AMAZING dinner here last night with my mother. When we got inside and sat down, I noticed first how spotless it was, and then the fun, whimsical decorations. We ordered salads, and I had the endive-​avocado-​beet salad and my mom had the Caesar. Both were exceptionally good, my mom saying hers was the best Caesar she’s had in years, and mine was exceptional with a beautiful presentation and creative twists, like grapefruit slices with made the endives which made for an interesting, complex flavor. The service was considerate and very welcoming. We got clams and mussels next, shared both, and the mussels were plump and meaty, unlike mussels you usually get which are chewy and small. The clams were also fantastic.
We got appetizers as the main courses, I had the seafood risotto and my mother had another creative dish: polenta with creamy mushrooms. Both were incredible. My risotto was the definition of comfort food, made lighter by the squash on the side, and my mothers was to die for, the mushrooms unbelievably fresh and the polenta perfect.
Biggest takeaways: The freshness of the food. The server/​owner, Mr. Rollins, knew where every single piece of food came from. We were told the mushrooms were from California, the rolls were from a bakery down the street, etc. It was SO fresh I just can’t emphasize that enough. Another interesting addition: watercress was served with every dish (except for the salads of course) and it made for a wonderful absorbent to all of the foods as well as good ruffage. It was an extremely relaxing and truly delicious meal.

I can’t understand the negative reviews that I see on Unilocal for Rollers.
To begin with, when I go out to eat, the food is the point. The food at Rollers is consistantly great. There is always a prixe fixe choice, an appetizer, entrée and desert combination, which is terrific and a great price. And then there are the usuals, the choices that have been here since it was located up at the top of the hill a number of years ago. I love the Mexican Chicken. I love the soft shells. I love the brisket. I love the various fish entrees. This is food which is fresh, well made, and delicious.
I don’t go to Rollers every time we go out and I don’t go to it every time we go to Chestnut Hill. But I have been going there for twenty years, at least, and have never had a bad meal.
So as for the negative reviews which seem mostly to criticize the décor, well if you don’t like the paper mache fish on the walls, I guess that is your option. They don’t bother me. But I’d suggest you focus on the reviews which talk about the food.

Two friends and I were meeting in Chestnut Hill for lunch on Tuesday and the one who lives in that area suggested Rollers. I hadn’t been there since the 1980’s and was excited to go back. She called and said we were coming on Tuesday and asked if we needed a reservation. She was told no. When we got there, it was closed and the sign said «Tuesdays, by chance «WTH, they open if the owner feels like it? How do you run a business like that. I wish I could give no stars.
P. S. we ended up at Cake and had a delicious lunch. While there we ran into one friend’s cousin who told us we were lucky Rollers was closed and that it was horrible.

Went Saturday night and, again, had a wonderful meal. The food is so good and the care so genuine at Roller’s. What a nice comfortable setting — not crowded or noisy. And if you sit by the (very clean) window, you get to people watch, too. I’ve been dining here for years and never had a bad meal. Best soft shell crabs in season and creative (but not crazy!) specials. The seafood is especially good. Someone else mentions consistency and I agree. You can count on Roller’s for a delicious meal every time.

I have a really hard time understanding some of the negative reviews of this place on here!
Roller’s Flying Fish is one of my favorite restaurants in the Philadelphia area. I’ve consistently had fantastic food here. The owner, Paul Roller, appears to take great pride in his menu, and it shows. The food is fresh, seasonal and always delicious. The beer and wine menus aren’t huge, but have some really nice options.
Yes, the décor is slightly dated, but by no means creepy, as some reviewers have said. Everything is immaculately clean and well kept. I personally find it charming, but I can understand that it may not be the environment that everyone is looking for in their night out.
The only reason I didn’t give this place five stars is because most of times I’ve been there, Paul, the owner, has been the only server. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself — Paul is absolutely lovely and very attentive. The only downside is that, when things get busy, service can get a little slow. With that being said, I rarely mind, because it makes for nice leisurely meal. It’s actually kind of nice to be in a restaurant that’s not trying to get you in and out in 45 minutes.
Overall, I would highly recommend giving this place a try!

Came for a show and dinner. Food was much better than expected from the reviews I saw. The French onion soup was some of the best I’ve had. My wife started with the squash soup which was very good. Entrées were also good. Small wine list, but priced appropriately. Bread pudding was great.

Good place for fine American dishes and seafood. Owner and chef Paul Roller is competent and experienced. Prices are reasonable. Full bar service. Quiet, small, intimate. Note: credit cards are not accepted.

I like this place quite a bit — surprised to see some negative reviews.
I love the décor. The funny fish on the wall are charming, but more importantly, I like the way they have used different levels to separate the tables. This makes for a more private dining experience where you are generally not right on top of the table next to you.
The food is fabulous. If you order a 3 course meal from the menu and maybe have a glass of wine, you can easily spend $ 50. But they have a very nice special for $ 23 (about $ 30 after you add in tax and tip). With the special, you get a cup of soup or a very nice salad with fresh greens and pears, then a choice of several main courses, and several desserts. I’ve had a few of their soups, and they have all been outstanding. My favorite entrée so far was the seafood manicotti — a very creative manicotti topped with tomato sauce and crabmeat and served with a little bit of perfectly cooked zucchini. I also liked the tilapia which came with a delicious sauce and topped with shrimp. My only complaint is that they gave you lots of tilapia and shrimp but they were a bit stingy with the zucchini. I’d prefer the same amount of food, with more veggies.
The desserts are really good too. The key lime pie and the pecan pie are both unlike any that I’ve had before. Chocolate pot de crème was fabulous and I also liked the crêpe with grand marnier, strawberries and ice cream.
Service was a bit slow, but friendly.
Overall, this is a place that I would strongly recommend.

My friend and I originally tried going to the Iron Brewery on a Saturday night, but the wait was almost an hour. We decided to keep walking around until we found something we liked, but hunger took over and we figured, meh we’ll try this place.
The décor leaves a lot to be desired — it wasn’t just the weird wooden fish on the walls, but the fact that the paint was peeling, cracks in the ceiling… like the maintenance was not kept all. Our poor waitress was the only one working so service was slow, but it wasn’t for her lack of effort. I’m not sure if it’s always like that or if there were call outs, she didn’t mention anything.
The tables are on top of one another… like I heard everything going on at the two tables next to me word for word. We could barely move our chairs without hitting other patrons.
However the food was surprisingly good. We would come back if it wasn’t for the atmosphere.

My boyfriend drove by this place, parked the car, and said this is where he wanted to
go to lunch. I quickly looked at the reviews on Unilocal,and was a little concerned. But, I kept my mouth shut and we went in. The exterior and interior don’t match. But, my table was clean and so was the silverware, which is the most important aspect to me. So, I am a little confused why past reviewed really hammer the interior of the restaurant so much.
We were greeted by a kind older gentlemen, whom sat us and went through the specials of the day and answered a few questions about the menu.
My boyfriend ordered the ravioli with prosciutto and I ordered the vegetarian pesto pasta. The waiter double check with me if I consumed dairy products. I thought this was very nice. Most restaurant could care less if your ovo or ovo-​lacto vegetarian.
Anyways, he brought out bread and butter. First, I appreciate a good carb. This bread was warm and soft. I despise when restaurants serve you bread you could break a tooth on or is not warm. Additionally, he served real butter. Oh it was heavenly. He kindly served us more bread. My stomach was happy, waist line not so much.
The waiter told us were some of the vegetable present on the dish were from. I am all for supporting local growers and I believe the produce is always better when it spends longer on the vine rather than in shipping containers. My pasta was not your typical hard box pasta. I believe it was handmade by someone. My boyfriend was thrilled by the quantity if prosciutto. I was thrilled by the amount of pesto. They aren’t stingy that is for sure. The portion were a perfect size for lunch. It wasn’t the heaping meal served by many chain restaurants today. I can understand this might be upsetting to some people who may come to eat here.
Food serves was a little slow considering the amount of people there. But, it’s a quiet environment perfect for a slow lunch with good company. Additionally, the waiters knowledge of local beer was interesting and made for good conversation for a while and some good recommendations as well.

Food was great. Definitely recommend the German Sausage Plate! Consistent quality.
Restaurant isn’t a looker, but can be easily fixed with a good sanding and coating of polyurethane.
Nice owner. Very chatty, in a good way. Should try and play some music in the background. Owner said he likes Bob Dylan, so play some Bob Dylan!

I would really love to give Roller’s a higher rating, maybe a 2.5 or even a 2.75, but I just can’t do it. My asparagus, arugula, roasted red pepper, frizzled prosciutto, and goat cheese salad was very tasty and my friend who had ordered the pierogi special kept saying how amazing they were, I took her word for it. The food was pretty decent for having just parked the car down the street and randomly choosing a restaurant.
Something is all sorts «off» here though. The décor is a little odd with creepy rainbow fish on the walls, whinnie-​the-​pooh soap in the ladies room, a carpeted floor, and furniture that looked like it came out of my college dorm suite. There was no music playing and very few other diners at the off hour that we were there so conversation was a little awkward given how quiet the restaurant was.
When it came time to pay the bill I pulled out my debit card because I didn’t want to go hoofing around looking for an ATM and was told that they didn’t accept credit. Though I can understand this, what happened next baffled me… I was told that I could write a check. So yeah, I wrote a check… at a restaurant… that happened.
I feel as well as others that have reviewed Roller’s in the past that it has a lot of potential if it just tweaks some of it’s star reducing qualities.