R2L Menu

  • Appetizers
  • For One or More
  • Main Courses: Composed Dishes
  • Main Courses: Large Cuts + Chops
  • Sides

Healthy Meal suggestions for R2L

  • Appetizers
  • For One or More
  • Main Courses: Composed Dishes
  • Main Courses: Large Cuts + Chops
  • Sides

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  • Yatti N.

    I've read reviews about people having issues with window seating for reservations. I was skeptical to book a reservation here for my girlfriend's birthday. However, I just said to myself, if we didn't get the window seat then we don't. It's not like I'll die. We ended up getting our window seat. I was surprised that we did. We had to wait about 15 minutes, but it didn't bother me. It's not like I had to wait that long. The time flew by quick. The food was good, nothing that made go crazy about it. I had no complaints, I left satisfied. However, having the window seat, came with people taking pictures there. They would come while we were dining. I just wished someone would've been courteous enough to tell these people to wait after we were done with our meal. It was just distracting and cmon we want to eat without having flash pop up (the lighting is somewhat dark). That was my only issue with R2L.

    (4)
  • Yayi Z.

    We headed to R2L for Christmas dinner after making a reservation two weeks in advance. For those who are headed there, be aware that the website states that in order to ensure a window table reservations should be made 2-3 months in advance. I have to be honest and say my expectations were not too high for R2L. Many of these places are all flash and not enough substance but I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously the major draw for R2L is the view and it did not disappoint. Right off the bat, R2L scored major points with well made (and strong) cocktails. I could also tell that our server was well trained as he answered each question about the menu thoroughly. We started off with a seasonal appetizer which were the Roasted Alaskan Spot Prawns suggested by our server. The dish was good but not great and the cocktail sauce served with the dish was average. For dinner I had the Beef Short Rib & Butchers Filet. I am typically a healthy eater so when I go for a steak, I am pretty particular about it. The meat was cooked as requested and was fantastic. It's nearly impossible to crack my top 5 of best steaks (yes, I have one of those) but this one was up there, and one of the better ones I've had in recent memory. The short ribs were solid as well. However, I was probably most impressed with the side we ordered of Wild Mushrooms, Sauteed Spinach and Crispy Onions. So much so that I asked the server how the dish was made with the future goal of recreating it for ourselves. Vegetables can sometimes be hit or miss but this dish was on point. Unfortunately, we skipped dessert because we were both so full but this dinner was quite satisfying.

    (4)
  • Mindy T.

    The view is breathtaking. Went here once for my father's birthday and then once for my anniversary. Their lobster mac & cheese is delicious. I recommend making reservations way ahead of time if you'd like to get a good seat and view. The whole staff is professional and welcoming. I'd see myself coming back occasionally for date nights. Just not too often because it is pricy (but worth it!)

    (4)
  • Chelsea A.

    I'm in love with this place. The food is amazing, the view is just as great (especially if you get a window seat), also the parking is super easy! You can't really go wrong with their steaks, and their service is excellent!

    (5)
  • Rosa C.

    The view from R2L is spectacular. I visited R2L because I had friends from LA visiting me in Philly. It's a fantastic place to appreciate the Philly view, although being in center city, you can't see the gorgeous center city skyline. The restaurant is really hip (very dimly lit though) and the wait staff was great. The food was pretty good, but nothing to rave about. Be prepared for a large bill, as the food is quite expensive. I would go again for the experience, because the panoramic view is breathtaking. The food was not the most impressive. It's a great place for a date!

    (4)
  • Jim S.

    Amazing restaurant with a great view of the city. Cocktails are good, but overpriced - sip slowly and enjoy the view. Menu was extremely limited with no specials. Viewed the menu posted on-line and was somewhat taken aback that it differed from the menu offered. Appetizers and sides were similar but not the main course offerings. Food was quite good with ample portions - not just a dollop of this or that with lots of garnish. Service - John, our waiter, was quite pleasant, very friendly, yet professional, as were all other staff members we interacted with. Again, great bar area with excellent city views. Downside - men's room only has one urinal !!!!

    (3)
  • S C S.

    Ok...So conceptually this place has the trappings to blow away "19". The crowd, the view, the layout cries out cool. Settle down at the bar to flow into the vibe and you get swept away by a waft of stench that can only be likened to driving behind a dump truck in the heat of the summer. Apparently, the vent from the open air kitchen runs under the bar, so as the kitchen gets cleaned throughout the night, the stench saturates the bar area. Needless to say, it kills the mood. Yet, the people here value the cool over the stinky breeze.

    (4)
  • Nikki R.

    Had a wonderful meal here with my fiancé during restaurant week. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and had a drink at the bar before being taken to our table. Though I only made the reservation a few days ago I figured I would at least ask for a window seat, but no go. They were very accommodating however by seating us in the booth that we requested as opposed to a table intended for us. All of the staff were super friendly and polite from hostess to bartender to server. The sunset was everything you hear about and our 8pm reservation was perfect timing to catch it. Courses were brought out in a very timely fashion- not at all rushed but exactly when they needed to arrive. Everything was delicious. Great night.

    (5)
  • Zanna H.

    What is the perfect way to start off a romantic birthday dinner date? If you said great cocktails at sunset from the 37th floor you are the winner! We arrived around 5:15ish when the sun was setting and settled into the lounge area for cocktails to watch the city come alive with light as the gorgeous sunset of pinks melted away to darkness. We ordered things to nibble on and another round of cocktails as we passed the time before our reservation for dinner elsewhere approached. I completely recommend this place for romantic drinks. Even if you miss the sun setting the night view is beautiful as well.

    (5)
  • Chloe T.

    Went during restaurant week and had a really bad experience. The manager was very sweet and tried to make things right, but you just can't fix bad food, period. The view is really beautiful. We waited 40 minutes for our table despite having a reservation, which I really would not have minded if they'd just been honest and let us know about the wait so we could grab a drink at the bar. They kept leading us on that it would be a few minutes as they were "Just setting the table" so we held off on drinks and just stood around awkwardly. I'm not picky, nor did I expect amazing food - you come to a place like this for the view not the food - but it was truly awful and almost inedible. Bland, flavorless, tough steaks and rubbery fish. Honestly the worst I've had in any restaurant. The manager was very nice and offered to bring us replacement dishes... but we were in a large group and each ordered different dishes, so we had already tasted everything on the menu and we all agreed it was all bad. The drinks were just OK - I expected something stronger or more special for $15. Summary: Beautiful view, maybe come for a drink at the bar. Truly awful food. We appreciated the efforts made by the manager, but if they want happy customers they need a new head chef and a new menu STAT.

    (1)
  • Claudia L.

    This place certainly lives up to the hype and reviews. Wow, is all I can say. The service is impeccable. They make you feel very comfortable without constantly being in your face. The view... is downright gorgeous. The food......is even more delicious than how gorgeous it is. Very expensive here but that's part of the game in 2 Liberty. They should be very proud of their establishment.

    (5)
  • Zaneta P.

    Despite the mixed review about R2L, I did enjoy my trip there despite the lack of service. The server was inattentive and very slow for a slow day! Despite the lack of service, I did very much enjoy the food and the view. We did go for January 2014 Restaurant Week so I know some of the dishes were different from the recent RW and the regular menu. I cannot remember the names of every dish but we went in a large group so everyone ordered different dishes and I was able to taste most of the RW menu. Some of the dishes varied from Jumbo Shrimp, Duck, Monk Fish, Seafood Paella, Tuna and Crouton, Steak and Potato, Lobster Mac and Cheese, and some other dishes I cannot remember. All of the dishes I had were really good besides the Lobster Mac and Cheese which was simply too salty and had little to no lobster in it. They also offered a complimentary bread and butter which was so good! I am a big fan of bread and spread and R2L's bread and spread was soo good! Overall, I really enjoyed most of the RW menu besides one of the dish (lobster Mac and cheese). Despite the lack of service, the place has a beautiful view and a really romantic ambiance.

    (4)
  • Fe B.

    Great views of the city, especially in a window seat (5 stars just for the view and ambience). I came here with my friend, we didn't make reserves but we got a good seat near the window. It's definitely more of a romantic restaurant for an intimate dinner. I would recommend for couples. The drinks were awesome (I heard it is a nice place to come for happy hour). The food was unimpressive, however the presentation was quite creative. For $75, I left hungry and disappointed. The server was pleasant and so was the bartender. R2L is definitely a nice restaurant to go for a romantic night out, but it's overrated (you pay for the view) Overall I enjoyed my night, hanging out, especially the cute drinks!!!

    (5)
  • Nikhil S.

    2 stars for the view which I didn't get a chance to see during my dinner. I made reservations and was seated in front of a window which was covered by a large pillar. Wonderful, right? No. As far as the food - not even mediocre. I got a salmon and it was $32 and very small and bland. Not worth it. Overall bad experience. Nothing to rave about. I left the restaurant down $200 and rather disappointed. I will not be back.

    (2)
  • Keisha F.

    I was not as impressed as I thought I would be and I will not be returning. They really need more consistency with enforcing the "dress code." The lobster mac n cheese was just OK people..it was very pricey. The best part was sitting by the window for the view.

    (2)
  • Chris Y.

    Beautiful views of the city and the trendy interior makes this place an excellent spot for a special occasion! I came here to celebrate an anniversary with the girlfriend and we got lucky with our window lounge table. We ordered the lobster mac & cheese, pork osso bucco, and a duck entree. In my opinion, the food fell a bit short of my expectations, especially for the price. However, the winner of the evening was the lobster mac & cheese. Overall, had a great experience at R2L sipping on drinks, nibbling at the food, and enjoying great company while taking in the view. Food Rating: 3.5/5 Service Rating: 4.5/5 Ambiance Rating: 5/5

    (4)
  • Victoria C.

    I have come here twice, and both times the food has been rather underwhelming. I've also only come during Restaurant Week, so that's a quick caveat about my experiences at R2L. Most recently, I started with the short rib terrine, which I found to be way too salty (more than normal). Then, I ordered the duck breast, which was a bit tough and seemingly bland (I had to marinate it in the juices to bring out the flavor), and there were maybe 4 (?) slices of duck breast. The lightly pan-fried/encrusted mushroom risotto that accompanied the duck was delicious though. With regards to the short rib and prime rib duo - the latter was way too fatty, and the two slices presented wasn't much substance after cutting out the fat. The short rib was rather large in comparison though, and well done. Desserts were good, but nothing spectacular (our window seat was, though!) Come to R2L for the view, not for the food. The drinks are good (I'd recommend the Crimson + Clover over the Old Cuban because I'm not a huge fan of dark hard liquors), but I'd say that the food is mediocre.

    (3)
  • E D.

    Very pretentious and unwelcoming place. Just wanted to have a drink at the bar and show my fiancé the fabulous view....got shooed away from the window after standing there for 10 seconds. The red wines by the glass were all over $15....give me a break. This place tries to be high-class but take a look at the "clientele" lingering in the hallway....puh-lease.

    (1)
  • Kelli M.

    I was interested in the novelty of this place; view of the skyline, one elevator up to the 37th floor, swanky decor and service. I brought my parents here for happy hour since they never come downtown and I wanted to show them a good time. I had prosecco while my parents had wine and beer. We also indulged in the truffle flatbread and french fries appetizers. It was pretty hazy that evening but we were still able to look out over the city and enjoy the view. The bar/restaurant area is pretty spacious and not congested. I would definitely go back for dinner at some point. It's definitely pricey but worth it for the ambiance.

    (3)
  • Beth K.

    Great place for a cocktail with a view. Service was exceptional.

    (3)
  • Dana D.

    Great food, great drinks, good service and amazing views. This place makes you feel like you're sitting on top of the city bc you practically are. It's awesome eating dinner while over looking the entire city. Love it. It's a little on the pricey side but it's worth it.

    (4)
  • Dan D.

    Service was excellent. Our waitress and the manager took care of my beautiful dates issue with the heavy lentil broth in the seafood stew with no questions asked. The drinks were fantastic and I may come back just for a couple of them. Get the lobster Mac and cheese it's as good as the pictures show. I ordered the duck off of the restaurant week menu and it was unreal. Go get it. You will not be disappointed.

    (4)
  • Grace H.

    SEXY DATE NIGHT PLACE (not for me unfortunately). My best friend was visiting from out of town, so I wanted to take her somewhere special that I hadn't been to before either. I'd read that R2L had a great view of the city, so I thought it would be nice to show her that Philly could be beautiful too (haha). In my opentable reservation, I added an additional comment requesting a window seat for the occasion, and when we arrived for dinner, I was blown away. First off, the entrance to the place is through a hotel lobby in rittenhouse and up twenty some odd levels in an elevator. Talk about fancy. I felt like I should have been there with a boy rather than my best friend, but I wasn't complaining. I was also thankful that I had decided to dress a bit nicer that night because women were dressed to the nines. The interior was dark and sexy, the perfect date spot, and we were seated at an L shaped table facing a window with a great view of the city - it really was quite breathtaking. We ordered the lobster mac & cheese to share (talk about decadent), and I opted for the chicken. The lobster mac and cheese is really a must and definitely for sharing, even though the portion is enough for an entree, because it is super rich and creamy and delicious. We were in a bit of a rush all night because we had a party to get to, and the waiter was more than happy to expedite our food and bring everything out as soon as it was ready. Overall a really great restaurant, although next time I will probably go with a date ;)

    (4)
  • Katie M.

    Great drinks. However, I'm a little disappointed in myself for paying $20 for a flat bread. If you are going for drinks and appetizers, go somewhere else and get quality with your money. Great for dinner and just drinks bar menu too expensive.

    (3)
  • Valerie F.

    I understand all the hype about this place- super trendy and what a view! Also the lobster mac and cheese was absolutely delicious! Thats where my compliments end- we came on restaurant week and were 15 minutes late for our reservation and they said they could no longer seat us at a table so we had to sit at the bar. The cocktails were as expected, pricey and trendy looking. The food from the restaurant week menu was nothing special and the servings were very small. I would go back for a sunset view for a drink and some lobster mac and cheese but id go elsewhere for a good dinner.

    (3)
  • Samuel P.

    Menu is awful. Only thing worth ordering is the lobster mac&cheese. IF we go back it will be at the bar for the sliders and mac&cheese. Entree's on the main floor are a no-go. You truly are paying for the view which *almost* makes it worth it.

    (2)
  • Van N.

    This is for the bar area only. We went to just grab drinks before dinner and heard this place had great view. First, which is expected, drinks are very expensive, $15+ for cocktails and close to $10 for beer. I feel this place is so outdated the furniture is old and tables are chipped, definitely need a remodel. As far as the view, it's limited only 2 sides, north and west I think. Guess we came at a bad time, a little after 6pm and there were so many servers and not so great service. Would recommend coming for happy hour if you want a try.

    (3)
  • Karla G.

    This is going to be long, sorry... Beautiful views if you have a window seat, other than that you are either facing the restaurant or too low to see the views. We made a reservation a week before so understandably they couldn't seat us at the window but it was a Wednesday night and there were raised/better view booths open the entire time we were there. IMO, seat your reservations at the best possible tables esp for birthdays/anniversaries. We arrived at 7:27 for a 7:30 reservation. The hostess asked us to sit at the bar while they were getting our table ready. We sat at the bar no problem, great views, cool ice block, views of the sous chefs, lots of things to look at and talk about. Bartenders were attentive and friendly. We each ordered a basic drink. About 7:40 the hostess came over and said our table was ready. I asked should we close out our tab or can we just transfer it? I asked knowing she was probably going to say they will transfer it but I used to be a bartender and did not want to stiff this guy on a tip. She said "leave your drinks here and your waitress will bring them over." We thought, oh how fancy. Thinking they didn't want us walking around with drinks in our hands. Meanwhile we walked by 3-4 people with ripped jeans, white sneakers, some interesting attire.. My husband said "I guess they don't enforce the dress code" We were seated and waited, and waited, now our drinks are about 15 feet behind us and we have not been greeted by the waitress. Some time goes by and I turned to the look at the bar and saw the bartender going to grab our drinks and then with a confused face looking around the restaurant. So my husband jumped up and grabbed our drinks from the bar before he dumped them out. It was just an odd encounter that really nobody is at fault but we would have happily brought our drinks with us. A few minutes later our waitress comes by and asked us if we want bottled, sparking, or ice water. We opted for the ice water. We decided to go without appetizers since we ALWAYS fill up on appetizers too quickly. My husband ordered the 20oz Ribeye w/ potatoes and I ordered the Crisp Pork Osso Bucco. We also ordered mac n cheese to share. Both entrees were very good! The mac n cheese was pretty good, not as good as those potatoes, yum! Here's where we get to 3 stars, the overall service. The waitress came over pretty quickly after the food was dropped off, I think I had taken one bite and asked how everything was, "good" we said. We didn't see her again for a lonnggg time. Well we saw her running by us about 25 times, but she never filled our water or asked if we wanted another cocktail, or if we needed anything at all. Now I am all about not being bothered but just come by and check our water glasses. My husband's glass was bone dry for about 20 minutes and I let him have the rest of mine. I am not one to wave a waitress down... She seemed really busy. We have been to a lot of restaurants (Butcher and Singer, Barclay Prime, Waterworks, Sotto Varalli to name a few) and all those places have a person that goes around and fills water glasses, and clears the table of extra stuff (unused wine glasses, take bread plates, etc). This person didn't exist or they just never came around. I was just surprised that a few details were overlooked. Am I being picky? Yes, bc I am writing a Yelp review. Am I losing sleep over this place and wishing we didn't spend $165? No. I just want people to know that if you are expecting over the top service you will not get it here. You will get a cool atmosphere and good food. So for me that is worthy of 3 stars. :) TL;DR - Must reserve a window booth or you are missing out, expect decent service but not exceptional, food is good but nothing that I can see us craving to have again like my husband and his Delmonico at Butcher and Singer that I never stop hearing about....haha

    (3)
  • Renton R.

    It was our second time here, and it was on the 2 year anniversary of when I proposed to my wife at the Love Park, whereafter we enjoyed a great dinner at R2L. This time through it was her birthday and I mentioned that in our reservation. We were treated to sparkling wine compliments of the chef and were seated in the main dining area. After our apps which consisted of the beets and goat cheese salad(really good) and the steak tartare which was made with filet mignon and buttered toast crisps, we requested to be moved to a window seat. In 10 mins we were whisked to a window seat where we enjoyed our main courses. My wife had the galrlic and herb chicken which reminded us of a South African chicken pot pie, and I had the braised short ribs. Both meals were cooked and presented really well. We enjoyed drinks and our meals with an amazing view, we were then treated to desert with a candle and the chef had written Happy Birthday in chocolate on the rim of the plate. They made sure that her birthday was special and adhered to our requests. Will be back on our next anniversay :-)

    (4)
  • Nik P.

    I wanted to go somewhere after my girlfriend and I see the Nutcracker, and R2L was right down the block. It was a good choice. The ambiance is sophisticated, drinks are solid, and the food is amazing. And of course the view is brilliant. The wait staff and managers make sure you get quality service. The chef makes music in a plate. We got the lobster bisque, the duck, and pork risotto, and we were not disappointed. Everything was succulent and delicious.

    (5)
  • Selena J.

    Great view of the city on a romantic night with the beau . If your intent isn't to wine and dine and instead shimmy in your seat with cheap alcohol , this isn't the place for you . The food is good but not great and a bit pricey . Think Small portions and high price !That pork dish is kinda weird looking . Our server was amazing !

    (3)
  • Meghan C.

    Had a great meal tonight at this establishment. We started with the potato skins which were amazing! I then had the veal tortellini which was very good. My only complaint was for 36 dollars they did not give you very much. My boyfriend enjoyed his meal as well and we would definetly return!

    (4)
  • Mike Z.

    My gf and I came here for an end of the year celebration. With such an amazing ambiance, such a beautiful view, and premium pricing, I had very high expectations. On a Saturday night (busiest night of the week) we ordered lobster mac&cheese and lobster bisque soup to start. To our surprise, they said they are out of lobster. What???? So i ordered mac&cheese (no lobster) and a chilled sea food platter. My girl ordered pork dish. The sea food combo consisted of scallops which tasted like a seafood salad at a super market, seasoned shrimp which were just ok, a few oysters were pretty good, chilled salmon which wasnt very good (also tasted like a super market seafood salad). This dish was very unimpressive for a cost of $45. My girl's pork dish didnt taste good and was way too salty. Our drinks were both pretty good. Glad we had something positive. My conclusion here is restaurant that would be fun for happy hour for drinks and an amazing view. The entrées were definitely not worth it and for a place this fancy it was disappointing. If this restaurant was on the first floor like any other fancy steak house or sea food place, it wouldnt survive very long. I could of went somewhere else for the $200 I spent last night.

    (2)
  • Erin M.

    Went here for the first time finally after saying I wanted to go for years and seeinf the greqt reviews. I was very happy. The food was amazing. Got Salman and these potato things. Both were great. I am.picky amout fish, b7t it was cooked just right. Sometimes more expensive resturants have very small portions, but I thought the salmon was a nice - sized piece My only complaint was that the server forgot my friend's side. We reminded him and he was very apologetic, but by the time it came out, we were pretty much done our main dish. I wish we had made reservations more in advance so we could have had a window, but there are pretty good views from anywhere. Oh, I got a appletini and damn it was strong! I didn't mind as much it was a bit expensive because they definitely don't skimp.

    (4)
  • Kerry L.

    Went here for a birthday dinner. Food was great, amazing atmosphere. The staff was able to honor our request for a window seat/city view despite the short notice. Only downfall of the evening was the somewhat slow service and small portion of our dessert (we got the pumpkin french toast to share- it was sooo DELICIOUS, but was gone before we had the chance to enjoy it).

    (4)
  • Dawn D.

    We went here to celebrate my husband's birthday. The view was great, the food not so great. We were really looking forward to dinner as we had been here before for drinks and apps. We were not impressed with the food. The lobster bisque was the best part of the meal. My husband and sister-in-law shared the seafood platter. For $45, it was a disappointment. Many of the shells were empty and it was lacking in quantity. Our waiter was not great either. My brother-in-law ordered a Captain & Coke, and it was definitely not Captain. The waiter first said they didn't have Captain. Then when my brother-in-law questioned him about it again, the waiter basically said they used Bacardi and he just went with it. For $200 per couple (and two of us had two apps and no entree), we will not go back for dinner.

    (3)
  • Christy S.

    The 5 stars are solely due to our server Bruno. He was absolutely amazing. The night started out pretty rough with the less than stellar interaction with the hostess. Arriving at 9pm with a reservation to have dinner and not being sat at an open table by the window because the hostess wants to put two people with drinks from the bar is just unacceptable. If you're not ordering dinner you shouldn't be sat at a dinner table. Regardless, if you aren't by the windows you really don't have a view. You might as well be at any other restaurant. That being said, the food was delicious. I was extremely surprised as most places with a location like this are usually lacking on food quality. Finally, Bruno was great. His descriptions and suggestions on the food were spot on. He was attentive and went above and beyond to make sure that we enjoyed ourselves. I would definitely recommend going and requesting to be sat in Bruno's section (although the hostess will most likely not be accommodating).

    (5)
  • Chris H.

    Amazing place. Got there at 6pm and stayed for dinner/the duration of the sunset. First place I've been to in Philly that has a bartender who knows how to make a sazerac. Ordered the crispy pork osso bucco- basically pulled pork wrapped in a cylinder of pork fat bacon (?). Had the cheese plate trio for dessert. Our great server brought a complementary second dessert from the chef. Great experience overall.

    (5)
  • Naomi B.

    I celebrated going to R2L to bring in my twenty something birthday and the night was so memorable. I was never the one to celebrate birthdays; however, if it means I'll be back here again then, without hesitation -- I would say yes in a heartbeat. The view was amazing when nightfall came. Looking over the city, I felt like Batman. All I needed was a cape and I would of looked out the city's skyline in my emo angst, but perhaps that'll be for next time. We were blessed with a window seat which made the evening more romantic, and the service itself was possibly one of the best I've ever experienced. For appetisers, we had the tuna sashimi and because of my boyfriend's connections; we were sent over a yummy shotglass of soup, compliments of the chef (if I were single, I would run into the kitchen and kiss you) it was insanely flavourful that I wanted to stick my tongue in it, but alas; I didn't want to be judged. Now, I've already had a few cocktails by then (it was my birthday! And it didn't help we were sent over complimentary champagne which was AMAZING.) so when our adorable waiter came over with a suggestion of what wines he would recommend, I vividly remember him explaining it into full detail of what earthly wines I would like and gave me a taste before we decided on this bottle of wine I wanted to stick a straw in and go to town with it. For the entree, I had the wild king salmon and my boyfriend had the seared tuna loin. If I wasn't so full from my course, I would of tasted his but my salmon was so buttery that it simply melted into my mouth. For dessert and to sober me up, I was sent over a toasted cinnamon crunch cake which was devine. To ring in the night, we were able to tour the penthouse that had such a view, it would forever be cemented into my memory. And at only $12,000 -- one can rent it out. So anyone want to chip in $6,000 so we can have a Yelp party? I need an excuse to go back.

    (5)
  • Brigid B.

    A wonderful restaurant in Center City Philadelphia for all especially if you are out of town guests in our "City of Brotherly Love". On the very top floor of Liberty Place, R2L offers a beautiful atmosphere and stunning view of the Philadelphia Center City skyline. The food was excellent. All of us had a lovely salad that was large enough to share, delicios entrees and yummy desserts

    (5)
  • Curtis C.

    Not sure what the negative reviews are about. The ambiance and view are amazing, service is fantastic and food is delicious!

    (5)
  • Dominek T.

    Great view if you book well in advance. I been told at least or more. Food, presentation, & service was awesome. The menu was very short. Review it before you. I will be back again none the less.

    (4)
  • Bradford G.

    Despite some negative reviews, we had a fantastic night here. It was restaurant week, so we expected small servings and too many guests. we arrived earl and they gave us a great table on the window. We started with drinks from the bar before dinner that were really well made, I mean, it was only a lowball, but just perfect proportions. Loved the steak tartare appetizer. The fluke with licorice and short rib for dinner were delicious. We received a terrific recommendation for a Malbec. The sunset turned to city lights while we ate mini donuts and ice cream. Our waiter Mathew was fantastic, we would certainly return.

    (5)
  • Alexis J.

    I went here for the second time yesterday, and this time I took advantage of their Restaurant Week offerings. I love the ambience in this place. If you are looking for the quintessential date spot,THIS is it. What's more romantic than enjoying a meal while looking out over the city skyline?! The Food: The food here is pretty damned good. Their lobster macaroni & cheese is worth the trip alone! This trip however, I ordered: Appetizer: Steakhouse salad - Holy crap this was good. They serve it deconstructed, so you have to manually mix the ingredients together yourself, which I enjoyed, and all of the flavors melded together perfectly. Entrée: Short Rib & Filet Mignon Duo w/one baked and one crispy potato & leeks- Very good, although I did enjoy the short rib much more than the filet. I loved the idea to serve both a baked and crispy potato. The contrast made the dish a much more fun alternative to typical "meat & potatoes". I tried my friend's duck breast too and that was good as well. Dessert: Gingerbread French Toast & Roasted Pears- This was just okay for me. I enjoyed the french toast, but for some reason pears in dessert always come across too sweet for me...same outcome here. Service: The service here is stellar, although I do remember it being even better when I came the first time, in 2011. For starters, our table reservation wasn't ready when we got there, and it took about 30 mins for one to open up for us. Wasn't a huge issue for us, b/c we quickly found seats at the bar and ordered drinks (the "Old Cuban" drink was amazing!...and strong!), but I didn't expect to have to wait. Also, the server mixed up my friend's short rib duo dish with mine. She ordered it prepared medium, I ordered it prepared medium well. We could have just switched it on our own, but I was in the restroom when the entree came so the server took it back to the kitchen to keep it warm. By the time I returned and got my meal, my friend was already halfway through hers before we noticed. Also, not a huge deal, it was still good. All in all though, the service doesn't disappoint (and at those prices it shouldn't Lol!) If you ask me, this is one of those restaurants where you can always expect a good meal and an upscale crowd and ambiance. I'm a fan!

    (4)
  • Sarala S.

    We went here on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It was pre dinner rush so our servers were extremely attentive and had great recommendations for food and drinks. This is a place you go for the view - not for the food. The city is breathtaking and for a first time experience it's worth the price.

    (4)
  • Evan P.

    Went here on Christmas Eve and it was very good. I just tried to go back with my girl friend for her birthday and we got denied dinner because I was in a v neck and not a collared shirt (was still in dress shoes and looked nice). The hostess was very rude about it also. So we went to buddakan instead. We took our money some where else and won't be going back. I also just got back from the Marine Corps.

    (1)
  • Nikki K.

    Skip. R2L is stuffy and overpriced. Food was great- but so is almost all food in Philly. Service was friendly but did not compensate for rude hostess and bartender. Enjoy Brotherly Love sights from somewhere else.

    (2)
  • El B.

    4 stars simply for the view this restaurant supplies of the city and it's sunset. It's a really cool place to take your mom who's never been to the city, or a friend who's visiting from out of town... It'll blow their minds.

    (4)
  • Cristine V.

    It can be intimidating when first arriving but don't let that stop you. Coat check and initial entrance are on the first floor. You walk down a corridor to the elevator and ride all the way to the top floor of the building. It's low lighting so pictures might be hard but it's a super trendy and hip atmosphere. More on the lounge side. Lighting is probably to make it seem more intimate. The view! Omg, the view of Philadelphia is amazing and totally worth it! The food is absolutely fantastic. Very pricey but totally worth it. I had the spare ribs with roasted carrots and potatoes. My husband had the tuna with a poached egg and a delicious clam sauce. We shared fries dipped first in the mayo sauce and then dipped in house steak sauce. Delicious! We cleaned our entire plates! I'd like to note that the ribs are first braised which makes them tender and slow cooked and then they are grilled. Grilling helps hold the meat together. From a culinary aspect, the texture is easier to cut and hold together on a fork which makes eating much easier. Just braised would be delicious but fall apart which means you'd need a spoon rather than a fork to pick it up. Dessert we ordered the toasted cinnamon crunch. My husband had to have it because of the Krispy Kreme donuts used to make the ice cream. It was accompanied by some crunchy cinnamon brioche bits, toasted hazelnuts, and some sort of cinnamon whipped dollops. Overall, delicious. Very sweet. I was disappointed there wasn't a single chocolate dessert option other than a chocolate sorbet. We loved every minute, ate every bite! Soooooo delicious. For all that our bill was just under $90. Again, pricey but worth it since this was our special dinner while visiting Philly. Attire: men were in suits and jackets. The ladies were in pants, dresses, and heels. You can totally wear jeans as I did but I would recommend classing it up with heels or dress shoes.

    (5)
  • June L.

    I made reservations here a month ago and had specific requests for a window seat. They responded no problem, but when I showed up, they said I had made my reservations "too early in advance" for them to accommodate my request. However, when I mentioned it to my waiter about it later, he said that I had to make my reservations early in advance and had no response when I said I had made mine a month ago. For a restaurant of this caliber, this is pretty unacceptable. The food was good but for a restaurant of the same price, go somewhere else. You can find somewhere with better service and equally good food/views elsewhere.

    (2)
  • Karen F.

    Stopped in for dessert & coffee at the lovely bar - and service by Brittany was first-rate. We shared the molten vanilla cake (like a chocolate lava cake but vanilla and caramel) $11 of pure bliss and a luscious cappucino. The perfect way to enjoy the view of the city at sunset. Oh, the fat & calories... ...Delightful

    (4)
  • Mariana L.

    Fantastic views as everyone has said. It's great that the food and service are actually up to par. Cocktails are delicious as were our dishes. They acknowledged our anniversary on our dessert and a champagne toast. How thoughtful

    (4)
  • Yona G.

    My review is based on Restaurant Week so probably they serve different kind of food in their "normal" days. So basically for Restaurant Week R2L was nothing special, I liked the wine better than the food itself. The view on the other end is great

    (3)
  • Shannon A.

    Best dining experience in Philly....hands down. Thanks to the Philly yelpers, I was able to get some recommendations for visiting the city with hubs on his birthday. He is a huge Phillies fan so of course we went to a game and did the traditional Philly stuff, but I wanted something truly special for his actual birthday dinner, and Yelp Philadelphia did not disappoint! First of all, the place is on the 37th floor of a city building! That alone is unique! The views are of course, amazing! We had 7pm reservations so we were able to see the sunset from our table. I made reservations for a window seat 3 months prior, recommended by the Philly Yelpers. I also wanted a restaurant that would literally cater to hubs and make it a truly special evening and the staff did just that. The menu had a ton of options for us (veterinarian/pescatarian) and a plethora of combinations of various herbs, spices, and veggies. We were presented the wine menu, our server did a wonderful job of telling us about our options. First, we received a complimentary glass of champagne to celebrate his birthday. After we ordered wine, we knew we wanted the Grilled Truffle Flatbread which was AMAZING! I could have made a meal in that alone. I ordered the sweet pea and herb tortellini and hubs ordered the seared tuna loin. We were both served a side salad prior to the main course arriving. Every single thing was as flavorful as it could possibly be. We didn't finish everything and ended up taking some of our meal home to enjoy later. Lastly, I was able to call in and order a mini-cake from the pastry chef in the restaurant for hubs' birthday. It was absolutely gorgeous, tasty, and a huge hit! Our server and the staff made the evening truly special and one we won't forget!

    (5)
  • Jennifer P.

    This was definitely one of the best meals and memorable restaurant I have ever been to. Even though we did not go for a special occasion it really felt like it. The drinks are very well made with top shelf liquors. Wine list was great. We got the lobster mac and cheese which comes deconstructed and delicious, not what you expect of mac and cheese. entrees: rib eye and salmon. both outstanding. The salmon comes poached but with a crisp outing which makes it perfect. Steak was cooked to perfection. The best part- warm vanilla cake dessert. fan freaking tastic. Absolutely completed the meal. Will definitely go back for a special occasion, if you want a window seat call to make reservations well in advance.

    (5)
  • Valerie G.

    Beautiful views of Philadelphia. Prices are steep for small portions. I recommend going for drinks and dessert around sunset to enjoy the view without breaking the bank

    (3)
  • Ilona D.

    Gorgeous view but the food wasn't great. I don't mind spending loads of money on food that is worth it. But here you just pay for the view.

    (3)
  • Sebastian R.

    View is amazing, but service... Bartender is a D!CK! After racking up a bill well over $300 in drinks with friends and giving a generous tip, we requested a couple of glasses of water. This was around 1:54am before closing. Bartender refused to give us any! He then said he did not have any water left for us. We thought he was joking, but was quite serious. We requested again and once again he denied us the request. Francis (a genuinely courteous black gentleman; also bartender) over heard this comment and immediately stepped in and gave us all glasses of water. The tall white guy with crew cut, complete d!ck. He also refused to give us shots when we arrived (around midnight) because they "are not that kind of establishment." We were celebrating my friends MBA graduation from Wharton for crying out loud. A celebration shot is normal. Great venue, but that 1 bartender left a sour experience for all of us. So much so, that we all woke up talking about the bad experience today.

    (2)
  • Kara S.

    My boyfriend surprised me with dinner here for the big 2-6 recently and we had a great experience. It's a toss-up whether the food or service was the best part! The staff is very attentive, but not annoying, and the food- OH man- so good. I was disappointed at first when they were out of salmon [at 7:30pm on a Saturday...really odd] but VERY pleasantly surprised with the pork risotto meal I got instead. It was delicious, full of seasoning but not over bearing. My boyfriend's braised short ribs meal was equally as good. We ordered the pb&j dessert, which I highly recommend- anything BUT a standard pb&j. Just try it. Trust me. Honestly, it's cool being on the 37th floor of Liberty Place, but you have about a 10% chance of being seated at a window table, and about a 40% chance of having a VIEW of the windows. Otherwise, you're looking at the wine wall [not a bad view, really!]. I'd definitely come back again, but moreso for the food.

    (4)
  • Arin S.

    I brought a friend here to grab a drink at the beginning of a "bar crawl" largely because she's never been to Philly and I wanted her to see the view. It was alright. The servers weren't particularly friendly and there was almost no one there, so we felt a little unwelcome/awkward. But the views are as spectacular as the reviews say, and the drinks are alright. Can't speak to the food at all though!

    (3)
  • Amy C.

    This review is solely based on cocktails and the view. The view is phenomenal. One of only 4 observatories in Philly. Cocktails are expensive, but you're paying for the view. They were well made too. The lounge/couch area is nice and comfortable. All the windows make it a bit chilly. Loved the animal print booths in the dining area. I did NOT eat here, but would like to. Will definitely be back -- an awesome place to take guests for a nice night out.

    (5)
  • Stephen B.

    What an amazing place! The view is awesome. We had the best server named Jason. Very knowledgable about the food and drink offerings. Gave us several great suggestions that turned out to be just amazing. Was here with 5 girlfriends from out of town and everyone of them said it was the best dining experience they every had. The food was so incredible! We were enjoying it so much...we could have doubled for that diner scene in "When Harry met Sally"! Would go back in a minute! Thank you for a wonderful evening!

    (5)
  • João Gabriel G.

    Very nice place. Excellet view of Philadelphia. The waiters were very atencious. The wine menu is complete with great variety. Prices are reasonable once you plan to spend a little more money on main cousers than the regular restaurants considering you are in a rooftop.

    (5)
  • Brian L.

    I took my fiancée here for our engagement dinner after a great day in the city. I booked about a month in advance through open table with comments that I would be going there shortly after getting engaged in the city and that I would like the best possible seat. They did call me to confirm the reservations a couple days before which was nice and I reiterated that it was a special night and would like a great seat. The woman on the phone said they would do their best. Great I thought, no problem, they will give us a great seat and all will be well with the world. When we arrived to the restaurant, they quickly sat us down. The only problem was that the seat was NOT a window seat.. I thought to myself, wait a minute they must have made a mistake.. We asked the hostess about the seat and she said she would look to see if there were any window seats available. Two minutes later she comes back and says, "I'm sorry there are none". Shortly after that another couple sat down next to us, and guess what? Same problem with them.. the trick the waiter said, is to reserve a seat two or three months in advance. All of that being said, the service was great.. As we sat down they had two glasses of champagne waiting. The waiter was attentive and did his best to make us happy. The food was better than I was expecting, I had the variations of pork.. good choice, very tasty. Desert was very good. We had the PB & J and the warm vanilla cake.. They even wrote, "Congratulations on your engagement" on the plate in chocolate.. Nice Touch! If it wasn't for the seat, I would have given a better review... 4 or maybe 5 stars.. My recommendation to other potential foodies: If you want to dine on a busy night, book two to three months in advance. Instead of using opentable, call them and request a window seat. My recommendation to the restaurant: Be transparent, if someone requests a great seat even if it is through opentable, be HONEST that it will not be a window table.. If I would have known, I would have rebooked for another time and left happier...

    (3)
  • Toland F.

    Me thinks NOT/NEVER AGAIN is the perfect way to describe my experience at R2L last night. I was so proud to take my bf to my (FORMERLY) favorite restaurant restaurant for his retirement dinner (20+ years in the United States Airforce---stationed in ALASKA). We ran late for sunset, so we ate dinner somewhere else but STILL opted to come to R2L for drinks, light apz, and dessert after dinner. That was a MISTAKE. They ALMOST KILLED HIM AND GAVE US A CHECK FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Long story short, I was sitting next to him (at the bar) when he tapped me and motioned me to look at his mouth and the champagne glass he was drinking from. THE GLASS had BROKEN IN HIS MOUTH!!!! I was freaking out, but trying not to make a CRAZY scene. He spit out the glass and scurried off to the bathroom. I told the bartender, what happened and he started apologizing. A minute or so later (after consulting with some guy in the corner who looked important in a suit) the bartender asked me "did he (my bf) bite down on the glass and break it?" HUH? WTH? Who bites down on a glass and breaks it in their freaking MOUTH????? Have you ever drank out of a glass and broke it? What the hell kind of question is that? At this point I'm TOTALLY disgusted AND HUMILIATED. Was it being suggested by him or the "important corner guy" that bf PURPOSEFULLY broke a damn glass in his own mouth? Are you FREAKING kidding me??? About 5 mins later my bf returned and said he thought he was ok and got all of the glass and HOPED he hadn't swallowed any. Finally, "Important corner guy" came over asked if he was okay. I had a funny feeling what was to follow. Yup...You guessed it...THE FREAKING CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DISGUSTED by the fact that these people had the NERVE to #1 SUGGEST that the glass was broken on purpose (or even ask that stupid a$$ question) and #2 to give me a FREAKING CHECK for it? Granted they were "kind" enough to take off the "Broken GLASS" drink, but the other drink, dessert, and appetizer was STILL on the check. I was absolutely SEETHING MAD. I wanted to flip out, but I was ACTUALLY wayyyyy TOO HURT by the treatment of this seemingly classy establishment. It totally sucked. My bf was pissed and wanted to go, before he got upset by the check-gate incident. I was treating for the night because it was part of our celebration of his service and THIS was the way the night out ended? I am so ashamed that I have suggested this restaurant to sooo many people and was equally excited to share this "rare gem" with my bf. I could go on and on about what should have happened, BUT at the end of the day IT DOESN'T MATTER. WE DON'T MATTER. OUR PATRONAGE DOESN'T/DIDN'T MATTER. AND YOURS MAY NOT EITHER. If I can keep one person from going to this snooty, stuck up, MONEY HUNGRY establishment I will be fine with that. I am going to contact the owner (luckily I have some inside info) and certainly make a big fuss. If you are on the fence about going---DON'T. This place totally let me down, but MORE importantly they just don't give a d*amn about their customers. At least some of their customers. I guess there are those who count and those who don't. I won't say anymore because it's not even worth getting into. R2L you officially are THE WORST. I will make it my mission to let everyone know AND I GOT A BIGGGGGG MOUTH! Shame on you! SMH Don't go people.

    (1)
  • Francisco P.

    Went there for the happy hour, had a couple of beers and fries, which came with bunch of yummy sauces. Great decor, service and view. The price was right, too. One staff member offered to show us the private room with its great view of the city hall. Would go back.

    (5)
  • Ron H.

    What was once a pretty solid meal that could hold its own with any of the other Rittenhouse staples, has now become a scary low-end ,slightly better than a buffet hangout. Tonights saturday night dinner was an uncomfortable dining experience where I was the "minority"...and by "minority", I'm referring to mostly the style of dress. When I go out to a restaurant in the city, I expect something of a dress code, unless I know I'm going to a dive bar or hipster foodie place. But to go to the top of the 2 Liberty building, where this has been described as one of the most romantic views of the city, you don't expect to see t-shirts, baggy jeans and running/basketball shoes. I thought maybe there was a special party or group there taking over the place for the night, but the staff assured me it was just a normal Saturday night. We were having dinner with out of town friends, who wanted a fine dining experience in the "big city" (they're from Scranton"), and had heard from one of their friends about the view here. I was a little uncomfortable as the clientele had a certain attitude and there were more than a few foursome+ of young males sitting around the bar just staring at the diners. My guests were visibly uncomfortable, she kept her purse on her lap for most of dinner. These are all trivial and little things by themselves, but add up to make a really bad dining experience. So, enough about the ambiance, and onto the food. Well, can't really say, after a really uncomfortable 15 minutes at the bar, we felt so out of place with the environment, that we rushed through the meal to leave as soon as we could. From previous dining experiences here (admittedly, the last time I ate here was over 3 years ago), I remember an awesome mac & cheese dish, a better than average steak, and a few appetizers worth coming back for. But none of that matters, because I wouldn't return for dinner here under any circumstances, and if you care enough about your dining experience to read yelp, you won't be eating here either.

    (1)
  • Larry F.

    Based on the reviews for R2L, I get the feeling that it's a love it or hate it place. Here are my thoughts on why I love R2L, and my guesses to why some people might hate it. FOOD - 4/5 As a caveat, my girlfriend and I came Restaurant Week, so the menu is different from the a la carte. Regardless, we enjoyed both the taste and the set-up. We started off with shrimp cocktail and crispy risotto balls as appetizers. I thought both were simple but delicious - a great way to start off dinner. Our entrees were salmon and beef short rib + butcher's filet combination. I thought the meat combo was a bit overwhelming (it's made for the die-hard meatlovers) but the salmon was enjoyable though slightly overcooked. So here is my first guess on why R2L has received disappointing reviews in the past. However, the food altogether was still quite enjoyable - especially when we got to dessert - the hazelnut treat was wonderful! AMBIANCE - 5/5 This must be what people come for, the coveted "Window Seats." If you want a window seat, reserve at least a month in advance and follow-up with a call to the restaurant to confirm availability. R2L is a relatively spacious restaurant but there are limited number of window seats, so while I understand that many of the 3 star reviews on Yelp are written to express frustration over the lack of availability of window seats and related matters, it's not fair to punish R2L if the fault isn't on the restaurant. In the end. Note - there are some window seats better than others, so be as specific as possible. Some window seats have columns that block the view, so it's recommended to clarify you don't prefer those seats. The view is worth it, though. My girlfriend and I came for an early dinner to catch the sunset and then a nice evening view of Philadelphia. With the addition of privacy as the window seat has you face the outside without any tables blocking the view, it's definitely a worthwhile experience. Ultimately, while we were lucky to have window seats for our evening, looking around the restaurant, the view would be nice throughout the place. And don't forget to look inside the restaurant too. The decor is wonderful and so is the view of the kitchen. SERVICE - 5/5 Earlier I noted that the food is not fantastic, but I think service really makes up for it. We would get checked on frequently, and everyone seemed very friendly and receptive. Throughout the night, we really felt we were being catered to. TL;DR: Don't let the 3.5 average review be a deterrent. Make plans in advance to come here for the Window Seat and expect a treat with great service. Definitely a great place for a romantic date if planned well!

    (5)
  • Jade B.

    This review is based off of happy hour at R2L. I work in one of the neighboring office towers near R2L so my first experience up to R2L was with my boss. The bartenders are efficient, friendly and always ready to get you a 2nd drink. Which is awesome after a hard day at work. I came again on my anniversary for a predinner drink with my boyfriend. We each had a cocktail, beers and had the risotto balls. The risotto balls and truffle flat bread will change your life. I definitely recommend R2L for an upscale happy hour to bring out of town guests or family to!

    (5)
  • Helen V.

    So... remember after my first visit, I said that a re-visit was debatable? Well, the debate is over. R2L is not worth a revisit. Unless, you're newly single and looking to impress a new date. And another new date. And another new date. Food. Another Restaurant Week, a new menu. Same dessert. My favorite part was the dessert last time, so I'm glad they kept that the same! The fried risotto balls were OK. It was like a grown-up version of fried cheese balls you can get at a dive bar, but with risotto. The poached and fried chicken, which looked almost exactly like the Chicken Picnic, were both just OK. The portions were extremely small. The chicken was cooked well, but lacked seasoning. Celery didn't add much to the dish, but to me, actually took away from the dish. It didn't have a place on the plate. It added a separate texture that didn't connect with the dish. The lobster mac and cheese was wack. The bechamel, although very creamy, was not flavorful. For the different types of cheeses used in the bechamel, it lacked saltiness. Drinks. For a lounge that boasts some of the best views in Philly, you would think the drinks should be up to par, especially for the hefty price tags. Apparently, you're just paying for the view, not for the quality of drinks. I would think R2L would have some legitimate mixologists, especially with the fancy cocktails they have on the menu. But every drink either had too much liquor or not enough. You were either taking alcohol to the face in the form of a cocktail or you were sipping on soda with a splash of liquor. A meager splash. Service. For a place so well-staffed, man... service was hecka slow. Dinner took 2.5 hours, so plan accordingly. This doesn't include our appetizer order while waiting at the bar. Include that, then the dinner from beginning to end was closer to 3 hours. Our dishes were not laid in front of the right people at our table, not a big deal. A beer was delivered to our table that was not ordered. Our appetizer was incorrect. And at least two glasses, at different times, were broken during dinner. But... at least our server was friendly. But please, visit here once. Enjoy the city lights. And then dine elsewhere.

    (2)
  • Jai M.

    Yup this is a 5star place nice view beautiful decor and wonderful and tasteful food!!! R2L is my new go to spot for happy hour and dinner

    (5)
  • Muyan Z.

    I went there with my friend, she just came from Arizona. I wanted to find a place can see the night view in Philly. The place is good, but the waitress was not good. The service is bad. And food was not that good, tasting just like TGfriday. But we spent almost $200. I will not go there again.

    (3)
  • Philly P.

    This restaurant is absolutely stunning. My fav dish is the lobster mac. I've heard many people say that they do not like the food but I really enjoy it. The atmosphere is awesome. Beautiful views of the city. There is a seperate lounge area that is fun. Service has always been great. I've also attended a private dining event which was beautiful! My 2nd fav restaurant in the city.

    (5)
  • Aria S.

    As amazing as my experience was, I'm not surprised to hear some of the so-so reviews about this place. I came in with only the expectations for good service, a nice view, and a strong cocktail, nothing more. Keep your expectations low, and you'll have a great time! SERVICE/EXPERIENCE Holla @ our server Alyssa who was fabulous and had her own charm as a server. The views are fabulous. To get window seats, you have to reserve welllll in advance, so obviously plan accordingly. Almost all couples, some larger groups celebrating something special. I'd take an out of town guest here to show them the view or impress my bae. Apparently they get 10 proposals a week, so.. heads up if you're planning on it... FOOD Asparagus salad (no duck) was tiny... like TINY. It's not really a salad, just some ever so slightly pieces of asparagus (like max 3 sticks). HOWEVER, it was delish. They had a creamy dressing on them that made them so tasty. My friend didn't like that it wasn't grilled and too fresh, but I thought it was unique and liked the taste. Got the vegetarian "lasagna" they have it in quotes because it's not a traditional lasagna structure. It's pieces of ravioli stuffed with ricotta and a layer of tossed sauteed veggies on top. Weird structure, but it was sooo goood. It had like picked tomatoes and flavors I couldn't recognize but appreciated so much! I'm big on spices, and this was bursting with all sorts of spices. Get the passion fruit dessert!!! Literally, with even the tiniest bite, I was transported to the caribbean.. like i had barbados in my mouth. COCKTAILS Strong, unique, what you'd expect from a place like this. But nothing that would make me want to come even for the $8 happy hour specials though. This place is bloody expensive. Is it worth the price? Honestly, probably not in my opinion. But if you have the discretionary income, the food is fabulous, the view is nice, and you can certainly have a great night.

    (5)
  • Anderson T.

    Definitely request a window seat or table if you are dining. That's the number 1 highlight of this restaurant with a great view of the city. You don't want to be seated on the inside where you won't be able to enjoy the sights Came here once for a restaurant week dinner. $35 for 3 course meal. Ordered the filet mignon as the main entree, but it was mediocre . Not great but not horrible. Not a traditional steak, it's served on top of chili. Flavors leave much to be desired. Don't expect steakhouse grade meat or cooking. Food prices are very steep if not restaurant week. I would not recommend dining here at full price, but to instead come here for drinks at happy hour or after dinner. Can still enjoy the view and fancy ambience without overpaying for an okay dish of food. Cocktails are tasty and classy - great for a nice date out !

    (3)
  • Alyssa A.

    Had such an amazing experience here tonight, our server let us enjoy our time but still made sure to check on us after every item we ate/drank. The food was perfect and our view was even better! I can't wait to come back again :) thank you for such an awesome birthday !!

    (5)
  • Justine S.

    **Lounge Review Only** After dinner and dessert, our friend brought us here for a couple of drinks. Being a Saturday evening, there was hardly any seating in the lounge area, we were lucky to scoop a spot as a group of people were leaving. This place has an amazing view of the city! It had a classy ambiance and there was no loud music blasting in your ear. I was informed this place is typically the "pregame" spot before heading out, but we decided to stay here for a chill night. I ordered the signature cocktails from the menu the "Live Long And..." as well as the "Old Cuban". They were a bit too sugary for my taste but overall pretty good. The guys ordered typical bar drinks which they made pretty strong in my opinion. The servers constantly checked up on us and ensured our enjoyment. Overall I had a very good night chatting over drinks and overlooking the city.

    (4)
  • S D.

    This review is only for the cocktails in the lounge area - decent cocktails. Nothing to write home about but definitely worth 3 stars. We tried some fries a few times which were really good. The view is really good so it's a good spot to grab a couple of cocktails with a decent view of Philly.

    (3)
  • Aisha M.

    I loved this place. We went here for drinks while in Philly to enjoy the view at sunset. Talk about an amazing view! We sat at a cocktail table, but there are also tables near the windows if you want a or up-close view of the city's lights. Both of us enjoyed our cocktails and the server was attentive and polite. I would like to go back the next time I visit Philly to enjoy dinner.

    (4)
  • Mike M.

    Atmosphere: 10/10 Service: 10/10 View: Incredible Food: sub-par Tried the trout and sea bass, both were overcooked and very bland. The service was excellent, the wine recommended by our server was excellent, and the view is probably one of the best in the city. Great atmosphere, very chic. We will be back but probably just for happy hour.

    (3)
  • Joan S.

    I was beyond amazed, the view alone is worth it, Although i must say they did an excellent job with the food, drinks, and desserts - Our waiter was beyond nice and courteous! The food was excellent, I had prime ribs that were simply delicious. We also had the Fried Risotto w/ spinach - We had various cocktails which were also very good - Ioverall I could not have been more satisfied and happy - yes this place is pricey but you pay for the view and I have to say the food really was worth it at least for me. I absolutely recommend this place and will comeback soon!

    (5)
  • Mara K.

    Overrated. Underwhelming. The view should NEVER be the only reason to patronize a restaurant. The menu doesn't make sense and the food was just plain bad. Sorry R2L...maybe just drinks if there is a next time.

    (2)
  • Lea T.

    This spot is definitely a must see if you have a few dollars to spend in Philadelphia. Located at the top of the building right next to the Liberty Place shopping center, R2L is on the 37th floor. The entrance is off of 16th street and velvet ropes on the right side of the lobby lead you to the private elevator that takes you directly to the restaurant. As you enter you can view the chefs working away in the kitchen. The bar is directly to your right and there are a few high top tables as well as lounge chairs all the way on the right near the windows. The main dining room is larger than I imagined and the floor to ceiling glass windows really make this place. I stopped by on a gloomy, cloudy, but even with the dark clouds looming over the city it was truly beautiful and a unique view I couldn't get elsewhere. Monday-Friday 4:30-6:30 pm I will happily indulge in their happy hour specials including $8 cocktails, $7 wine, and discounted appetizers (be warned portions are small and some items like the Truffle Flatbread, are smaller during happy hour). My friend and myself enjoyed the Sunset Punch and Loree's Jones, as well as the fries and stuffed potato skins. I would pass on the fries next time, but the potato skins were very yummy. Our serve was absolutely sweet and attentive. I hope to come back and sample off the menu when I've earned a dinner worth splurging for. They offer a 3 course pre-theater menu for $45. Otherwise the Lobster Mac N' Cheese looks absolutely devine! I am also craving their Spring Pea Soup, Lobster Bisque, Grilled Truffle Flatbread, Lobster Paella, Wild King Salmon, Steak & Potatoes (Filet or Ribeye steak), and Sweet Pea & Herb Tortelloni. The menu here is definitely more expensive and limited, but make sure to check it out at least once so you can see what everyone is talking about ;)

    (4)
  • Ja S.

    Beautiful view, great food and great service. I went there with my date, and we were given a great experience that we will always remember. It was romantic, food was to die for, beautiful view and beyond great service. And the best part... Each meal looked as good as it tasted. It was like eating an art masterpiece.

    (5)
  • Aidan M.

    To be fair, the view here is amazing. That might be the best part about this place. Like I've heard, this spot is great for a first date. Anything other than that makes this place so so. The drinks are expensive, and more so than necessary (an average $12-15 for classic drinks). The service was slow and it took me close to 15 minutes to get my first cocktail and another 15 to flag down a bartender for a glass of water. The bartenders were brisk and cold, but maybe that's because I came alone. All in all, I'd like to like this place but I don't see if being possible. A one time visit is worth it. A second time? Save it for the ground floor.

    (3)
  • Daniel C.

    Made a reservation three weeks ago for a window seat. When I arrived, I was told my table would be ready in 15 minutes. I waited 25 minutes and then asked what the deal was. They told me it would be another 15 minutes. After 20 minutes, I was told my table was ready. After we gave up our seat at the bar, we waited for five minutes and were told there was a miscommunication and waited longer. Our table that we waited so long for was not at a window. The service was there to get us out as quickly as possible and the lobster mac and cheese was under cooked. Our meals were fine but the general treatment and the air of superiority of the hostess was unacceptable. Disappointed..

    (1)
  • AJ A.

    Wife and I finally found a restaurant that has great view in the i Reserved on a Tuesday to get a window seat.. I'll point out the good things first and explain why this review is a 3 star. The good: We ordered the following Hot Seafood Platter Lobster Bisque Beef Short Rib + Butcher's Filet Steak + Potatoes Lobster Macaroni + Cheese Wild Mushrooms, Sauteed Spinach with Crispy Onions Yep you read that right.. We love to eat, that's why we ordered that much Price was very reasonable for this type of restaurant, we are expecting it to be more expensive. Taste is phenomenal, we've been through a lot of restaurants and it's safe to say everything we ate was great! We are definitely coming back for the hot seafood platter. Speed was great, well it was a Tuesday and not a lot of people New silverware each time your plate is taken, and they will wipe your table. Our server was good, no complains. He even asked us if we want to see the other side of the city, which we did and it was amazing! The bad: -2 stars So, as soon as we came in I asked "are we able to get a window seat" the hostess said "Yes". Wife and I are very excited.. and there were about 5 available window seats for a party of 2, and you know where the hostess put us ? A view that is being blocked by a damn pillar.... we had to ask to get moved... and she did... we asked for a specific location and she said somebody already reserved it.. So we said.. Okay We came at 7:30 pm... and the couple that got the seat we wanted came in at 8:30pm... That's an hour difference.. When they got seated we over heard the hostess say "Is this view okay".. So what is going on ??? We didn't get asked that question....... We don't know how the reservation works here or the hostess was just plain discriminating... you can tell it from her actions.... But.... we'll give this restaurant a try one more time.. and we'll see....

    (3)
  • Malia B.

    Just ate here for restaurant week. Cocktail: que sera 2.0: had no flavor whatsoever. Appetizer: smoked salmon: so good!!! Nice and salty. Main course: duck confit. I've never had duck prepared like this before. A little gamey but had a lot of flavor and I mopped up the plate with bread after. The side that came with it was really tasty, but I couldn't identify the vegetables. Dessert: got the chocolate/hazelnut thing. Sweet and delicious if you like chocolate. It's on the 37th floor of the liberty place building. Entrance is through the rotating doors on 16th street. Somewhat easy to drive by I'm sure. My ears popped in the elevator. The view was amazing. Service very good (considering they were busy with cheapo restaurant week clientele.) restaurant is relatively small and cozy. The prices looked astronomical. But the service and ambiance were good so you get what you pay for. Lost one star for the tasteless cocktail. My friend's mojito was good though.

    (4)
  • Marthy S.

    I had high expectations of this restaurant after reading reviews and was excited not only for the food but for the view that came with the dining experience. We came here for Center City Restaurant Week and dined off the RW menu. Also made the reservation only a week before dining and requested a window seat with no avail. (Didn't expect to get a window seat after reading that you need to reserve a couple of months in advance for one) The decor was simple, elegant, and with a touch of dated animal print. The service was mediocre....mediocre is kind...we didn't have utensils at the time our entree was served. Not too classy for a classy restaurant. I will exclude names, however our server was sweet in the beginning and then lacked any attentiveness throughout our meal. Another server was excellent at keeping an eye on our table however, and then I would see him go over to our "primary" server and tell him what we requested. On to the food.... FIRST COURSE: The Steakhouse Salad - Heads up that there's no steak in this salad. Nothing fancy, but a deconstructed salad with some olives, bacon, hearts of palm and with a blue cheese dressing and mustard dressing that tasted pretty good combined. Overall I feel like the flavors were too much and they really could have kept it more simple. Presentation was nice though. Short Rib Terrine - not a fan of jellied, chilled short rib. Again this one had a mustard sauce and served with arugula salad. SECOND COURSE: Much better than the first course dishes however...like Janet Jackson sings..."you don't know what you got til it's gone"...and what we didn't have were utensils to eat our food with! "OOPS be right back!", says the runner. And server (number 2...?) comes to the rescue. Hunnie got the Sliced Prime Rib + Short Rib Duo - really loved the sweet potato (mash) that the prime rib sat on top of. The juices from the meat and sweet potato combo was delicious. Prime rib was dry. The short rib was delicious but didn't amaze me. Roasted Duck Breast was my dish, and I'd give that dish 4 stars because of the crispy duck skin piece that was delicious. Duck was tough and chewy. The wild mushroom risotto croquette was delicious. The risotto was a bit sticky which I wasn't used to but I liked the crispy top of the croquette. Really nice textures all along this dish and the flavors went very well together. DESSERT!!! aka THIRD COURSE: Two options to choose from so of course we ordered one of each. A bit disappointed yet again. Presentation on the Dark Chocolate Tart was nice and I loved the caramelized bananas, but the dark chocolate itself was nothing too great. Wish it was more bitter, which would've went well with the mousse and would have given it more flavor when eaten together. Blood Orange Parfait was the other third course/ dessert option. I love the texture of the mini tapioca pearls but this really fell flat of anything special. The combination of it all tasted like sherbet ice cream (which I probably would've preferred instead) I would come back here for the delicious cocktail that I happily gulped up and highly recommend - "Trifecta 37" is the name. If you don't know me already, I LOVE tequila and gin. This one consisted of... Bombay gin, pineapple, basil, lime + chile. The chile is an oil that adds a nice kick to the drink. I also may come back to try the lobster mac & cheese. We shall seeee......

    (3)
  • Bridget M.

    R2L could serve mediocre food. They could have sub-par service. They could have watered down cocktails. They could do all of these things and still be able to survive because of the amazing views and their location. But they don't. Not only do they have high quality food, prepared by an amazing chef, but the service is impeccable, and the view is one of a kind. We've had our fair share of experiences where we're the youngest couple in a fine dining establishment and we were victims of what we call age-ism. Ahem Bistro 7. Our experience at R2L was the exact opposite. From being seated, as requested, at a window seat, to a complimentary champagne toast to celebrate our anniversary and finally a special "Happy Anniversary" message on our dessert plate, we were treated like royalty. The newly added smoked salmon app was delicious. The short rib/filet entree was perfectly seasoned and tender and the roasted lobster dish was creamy and fresh. Our drinks were delicious and my husband appreciated the well rounded beer options next to a great cocktail and wine list. We cannot say enough about the wonderful service. Informative and attentive without being overbearing. We will certainly return to R2L for special occasion dinners and plan on talking it up with friends and family.

    (5)
  • Kristine N.

    We went there for restaurant week. It's a very pricey place, but it's worth the money! There was a great view overlooking the city with a very nice atmosphere. The food was fantastic! The lobster mac and cheese appetizer was to die for! - an absolute must have if you're dining here. We enjoyed the filet mignon and salmon for our entrees and they both melted in your mouth. For desert, we had the chocolate crunch. I forgot what it was really called, but it was absolutely amazing! Something you wouldn't find anywhere else. I'm taking off a star, because our waiter was very awkward and made our dining experience a weird one. Also, we made a reservation for a window seat, but were not given one when there was available tables.

    (4)
  • Dan A.

    The ride up the private elevator sets the tone that you're able to expereince something special. And the breathtaking views of the city from a window table are amazing. There was also a very strong wine list. And the service was very attentive and knowledgeable. They were also able to accommodate a vegetarian and gluten free diet. The entire offering of R2L should assure you have a memorable meal.

    (5)
  • Gina T.

    Was here for a meeting group of about 15. I had a filet steak which was excellent for this not to be a steak house... Everything was good actually; the salad, dinner and dessert.. I'm not a huge dessert person but they brought me this plate of deliciousness... It was vanilla cake with some kinda warm stuff inside and a chocolate truffle thing on the side.... Oh my heavens!!! My friend ordered the chicken... He literally had a whole half chicken on his plate! Will def go back...

    (4)
  • Lynn J.

    The beet salad was yummy. Twice over. Steak tartare also delicious and authentic with authentic. Had a lovely evening.

    (4)
  • Nora S.

    Just finished eating@R2L for restaurant week. This was one of the best restaurant week dining experiences I have had. Three of my girl friends and I wanted a girls night out to celebrate life and enjoy catchup up with a good meal. We had a reservation@6pm. I requested a window seat, but knew it would be difficult without a three month reservation. To our pleasant surprise my request was honored and we were seated at an awesome location over looking Philly as she sparkled like a city of gold. Service was spot on. Our server (Jonathan) was very approachable and gave us recommendations for the drink menu as well as the dinner menu. He was patient and didn't rush us to make decisions even though it was a busy night for restaurant week. I got the Old Cuban which was described as a "mojito in a tuxedo". Def not the best cocktail I had. I will def try something else next time I go. Now to the menu. Everything we had tasted delicious. For appetizers, my two friends had the mushroom barley soup. It was delicious, but a little tart from the red wine. I had the smoked salmon appetizers and my other friend had the salad. The presentation of the salmon was right on! I asked if the salmon was smoked in house and the waiter said yes, which sold me. The salad look amazing as well and my friend described the steak as good chewy bacon, but the Salmon was the winner. For the entrees, we all had the filet and short rib duo. The meat melted as it hit the fork. No knife needed. The sauce that came with it was a perfect marriage with the baked and crispy potatoes. Def way too much food as none of us could finish our plates. Last came the dessert. My two friends has the French toast with pear dessert. It was decent, but nothing really exciting about it. I had the coconut parfait. There was tapioca topped with pineapple, a meringue, a short bread cookie, a french macaroon type cookie, and some kind of coconut sugar cookie. It was delicious and very refreshing. My other friend had the milk chocolate hazelnut crunch bar. That was such a delicious desert that was rich and light all at the same time. We all sampled this dessert and wished we ordered it instead. The whole piece may have been too much for me, so I am happy with the coconut parfait, but a few bits of this dessert was enough for us all to want to back and sample the regular menu in the future. Last came the lattes, which were very well done. Def a night to remember with a wonderful wait staff, an awesome view, great company, and a delicious meal. Can't wait to go back again!!

    (5)
  • Jake P.

    Great atmosphere great location and the waiters were excellent. You pay for the view of course however the food is overall pretty good. Be sure to ask questions because the waiter will give you the inside on what to get and how to get it cooked which gave a more comfortable trust with the restaurant which was nice. Got a hot date? Well this is the place.

    (4)
  • Holly C.

    4.5 stars Located on the 37th floor, you get a beautiful view of Center city. The restaurant itself is more upscale and trendy looking. We had just missed the lunch menu so we sat by the bar/lounge area and ordered the hot & cold seafood platter (shrimp cocktail, clams + oysters on the half shell, r2l lobster roll, crab + lobster spring rolls, fried clams with cucumber tartar sauce + shrimp tempura) with a glass of Riesling & some cucumber gin cocktail (which was very good, and I'm not a fan of gin). It was on the pricier side but tasty, and it was worth being able to sit and enjoy the view.

    (4)
  • Lia B.

    i went for a business dinner w/ out of town guests. we had called and were told they could only seat our party at 5pm on the dot or after 9pm. that was confusing to me b/c it was a tuesday night and its r2l. we're not talking about a super duper hot spot during restaurant week here..... we got there and the place was empty.... when we left the place was still empty.... im not sure WHY we had to be there right at 5pm. and im not sure why we couldnt have made a reservation for 6 or 6:30pm when normal people eat dinner .... the service was SLOW. like really very slow slow. it took forever for each course. all in all we were there until 8:45 pm - Just a reminder we did arrive at 5pm... either way i had a great vegan meal. the garden salad was great and the vegan entree was delish. i thought the server was very well informed about what on the menu was vegan and what wasnt, also he was great at making suggestions. (hello blood orange sorbet!) and helped us all choose a nice wine accompaniment. still i cant get over how early we had to be there and how long it took btwn the courses.

    (3)
  • Dennis M.

    There are restaurants with views and then there are views with restaurants. This belongs to the latter group. Had I known there was a view involved I would not have booked a table as the food is so often an afterthought and overpriced; this was no exception. The cooking was erratic, ranging from superb to amateurish. Fennel appetizer was sensational. Short ribs were dry and stringy and served tepid. The skate was perfect but the fettuccine lackluster. The light over our table was burned out so we ate in partial darkness which only served to highlight the short comings of the dishes. Loved the bread selection at the start and the shortbread cookies and jellies at the end were great! It's a good place for drinks and bar snacks and it feels special. If you care about the food, go elsewhere.

    (2)
  • Izabella J.

    The restaurant is located on 37th floor and is truly spectacular inside. The great view, especially at night time, only adds more points. The feel is modern yet sophisticated. Good food choices, ranging between meet, fish and Vegeterian. As Gluten Free Vegatarian I was able to find choices for myself. Their Carrot Gaspacio was unique! More on the sour side, which is how i personally like it. Wide range of wines available! I'll be keen on coming back just for a drink at night to sit at their window and enjoy the view :)

    (5)
  • Mary M.

    We had brunch here this past Sunday. This restaurant is on the 37th floor and the view is amazing. I had the basil and cilantro mimosa and LOVED it. Also had the crab and lobster spring rolls which were rather good as well. Fiance had the steak and eggs and loved it. I ordered 2 appetizers while the rest of my party ordered one main dish. I figured they would bring out my plates together with everyone else but they brought out the spring rolls first; I wish they would have asked me. Not a serious issue just wanted to note. The only thing keeping us from going there more is how bloody expensive it is - but we will def be doing a special occasion dinner there at some point in the future. It's very classy.

    (3)
  • Taylor T.

    Great place to bring a girlfriend, the view is pretty spectacular!

    (5)
  • Kelly C.

    I came here for my boyfriend's birthday and the place was gorgeous! We sat in a booth next to the window and had an amazing view all night. Unfortunately, it was an early dinner during the summer so we did not get a chance to see the sun set. We ordered one of the specials and several sides: We had the truffle flatbread as an appetizer along with the pretzel bread complimentary provided by R2L. I loved the truffle flatbread for it's tanginess, and the pretzel bread was to die for! For our entree, 3-lb lobster that was absolutely amazing and a side of fries and baked potato skins. The lobster was pricey, but it was a special occasion and well worth it. For dessert, we had a warm vanilla cake, which was good but not outstanding. Definitely recommend coming here if you're willing to spend a little extra for a special night. I would certainly return; this time, at sunset so I could get a great view of the night sky during dinner.

    (4)
  • Jpgirth K.

    Walked into the restaurant, with reservations, and many open tables. I asked the manager for a window table and was responded with "they are all reserved." Two hours later, when we left, still many open tables next to the windows. Overall food was good. I had the filet and she had the salmon. The bottle of wine that was recommended was $75 and was not told prior to ordering it, just that it was the last bottle.

    (2)
  • Suzanne S.

    Came here for lunch during restaurant week and everything (except the waiter) was great. The food was yummy, the view spectacular and the ambiance delightful. The only problem we had was with the waiter. We were seated as soon as we walked in and sat at our table for 15 minutes before anyone came. No drinks, no water, zilch. Finally a thirty something mark ruffalo looking dude approached the table and said "uhh....do you guys want water?" UMMM.....YES PLEASE!!! We sat for another 10 minutes before we got water and drinks and he took our order. I couldnt even tell you his name, because he didn't introduce himself.

    (4)
  • Cameron S.

    We went here for a late dinner on a Friday night with some family and it proved to be a good choice. The ambiance is trendy, and certainly gives off a posh lounge vibe. The view was definitely incredible, and a highlight. You should at least visit one night to see the view, even if just for drinks. On to the meal - the service was great. Very intelligent and accommodating. He knew what was good on the menu, one of my best service experiences in quite some time. 5 stars. The food is pricey, and not GREAT, but very good, and thus it's 4 stars. Lobster Mac n Cheese and Arugala Flatbread were great appetizers. I had 5oz Red Wine Braised Short Rib, and 5oz Pancetta Wrapped Filet, and it was good. The Short Rib was amazingly tender and better than the filet. The wine was great and inexpensive. I also tried the Pork Porterhouse which was split between 2 at our table, and that was quite good. Overall, worth a visit for a nice night out. Give it a shot.

    (4)
  • Emma M.

    I've been to R2L many times since it opened. Service and food were generally good. Anyway, I went back to celebrate a friend's birthday, and the service was just outright atrocious! After about twenty minutes of waiting, we flagged down a passing waiter, who informed us that we had to wait for our waitress. After another ten minutes, I flagged down another staff member. He informed us that he was not a waiter, our waitress would be by soon. Interestingly, a little later, we saw him take a neighboring table's order, serve them their food, handle another table's bill, etc. Alrighty, not a waiter! By this point, I was dying of thirst, so I walked over to the bar to get a drink. I was informed by the bartender that I had to wait for our non-existent waitress to take our order since we had already been seated. Even when I stated that I was really thirsty and requested just a glass of sparkling water, I was directed to wait for this seemingly imaginary waitress. She did eventually turn up, nodded her head languidly as she listened to our orders (I was a little alarmed that she didn't seem to write anything down!), and promptly disappeared again. Twenty minutes later, she returned with our appetizers. My drink? Missing in action! I reminded her that I'd ordered a sparkling water with lime and no ice, and she claimed she would be right back. My salad arrived drowning in dressing (I'd asked for the dressing on the side). The arugula on the grilled truffle flatbread was fresh and nicely peppery, but the flatbread itself was disappointingly cold. We waited a good half an hour after finishing our appetizers before our entrees made an appearance. Still no sparkling water in sight! I had the vegetarian pot au feu, which was oversalted, and the spinach. I had asked for it to be steamed (it normally is sautéed), but it came drowning in oil anyway. Cold and oversalted too. The braised halibut was cold and bland, but the short ribs were decent. The lobster mac and cheese was pretty to look at, but less impressive on tasting. As they were clearing our entrée plates, I mentioned that I had ordered sparkling water with no ice, and was still waiting for it. I was informed that the restaurant had run out of sparkling water!! I requested club soda instead, with lime...no ice. A few minutes later, a waiter came by with an ice-filled glass of plain water. I mentioned that I had requested my drink without ice. He disappeared, never to return again with any liquid. I had noted in the reservation that it was my friend's birthday. For dessert, we all ended up ordering the warm vanilla cake. Delicious! Right after we were finished, our discombobulated waitress returned with an extra vanilla cake with a candle on top! We had all eaten dessert at this point. What exactly were we expected to do with this?? And that glass of water? I was still in dire need of fluid. Needless to say, I was shocked when I got the bill to see the club soda that I never received on the bill. So was the extra vanilla cake that we hadn't ordered, which no one ate. Our inept waitress had also already added a 20% tip to the bill! All in all, a disastrous experience! Not quite sure what their issues are these days. The restaurant was no busier than usual. They certainly had a lot of staff running around, none helpful. They just seemed to miss the mark on everything and were clearly off their game until it was time to get paid. I stopped by the store on the corner, and got a large Pellegrino to quench my thirst. Finally!

    (2)
  • Yiwen S.

    my grad class preceptor took us out to dinner here a couple weeks ago. the first thing we noticed was that there were 3 professors sitting in the dining room. talk about split audience -- everyone at the bar was young, whereas everyone else in the dining room was generally much older, and half of them in suits. you'd know where you belong. our experience as a table of 9 had its highs and lows. this is how i break it down: the view: 5 stars 37th floor. you really can't beat that view in downtown philly. plus, the full panel windows on the south and west sides of the building really give you great views at sunset. food: 3 stars -- hit or miss; VERY pricey prices are high and portions are small. appetizers didn't stand out to me (minus the lobster mac and cheese), so i didn't order one. had the lobster paella as my entree. sounds delicious right? well, the lobster and the rest of the seafood was. so SO delicious. but the paella was bland and green (GREEN?!?!). it tasted like seafood served on rice pilaf to me. another paella fail, sigh. for dessert: french toast sticks with bourbon maple cream and banana ice cream. yummy and a great take on french toast, but not a standout either. drinks: 4 stars great wine list. good but relatively narrow selection of cocktails. get the daylight savings (bourbon). alcohol makes me happy :) service: 2 stars sat down and stared at menu. 15 minutes later. placed our drink orders. 15 minutes later. wine and break come out. 10 minutes later. ordered our food. 20 minutes later. appetizers come out and are quickly devoured. 20 minutes later. entrees come out. again, rapidly devoured due to small portion size and extreme hunger now that it's 9:30pm. also ordered our 2nd round of drinks. 15 minutes later. drinks come out. 15 minutes later. waitress brings by the dessert menus. 10 minutes later. we order our desserts. 25 minutes later. dessert finally comes out after we rush them. devour pay leave. what should've been a 1.5 hour dinner took 2.5 hours. due to the fact that the wait staff never really paid us much attention and failed to notice that we were sitting around waiting at least 70% of the time. and due to a slow kitchen despite few other patrons around us on that tuesday evening. our bill came out to $830. i am SO glad we came on the school's dime, cuz no way in hell i'm gonna dish out that amount of money for food like this. the drinks are a different story. i'll definitely be back for happy hour.

    (3)
  • Ryan P.

    I took my (ex) girlfriend here to celebrate graduating from Temple together and our (slightly early) 1 year anniversary. From the start: -I asked for a window seat because it was somewhat of a special occasion. My request was honored. Right at sunset, too. Stunning views. -Server was genuinely nice and took great care of us. -Server asked why we had chosen R2L and upon our explanation, brought us a toast of champagne... great touch. -Food was excellent. Paid top dollar which I expected to, and the food came out worth top dollar too. Apps thru dessert were all excellent. -Wine was excellent and went well with what we ordered. -They let us stay and enjoy the rest of our bottle of wine while we looked out over the city which I liked. They didnt even offer to seal it up for us like some places do, they knew we wanted to stay. All in all, it obviously met the (ex) GFs approval since the night ended better than I would have thought given the way it started (with an argument in the subway station before dinner.) This place apparently cures men's mistakes.

    (5)
  • Nancy P.

    *Center City Sips Review* We really decided to come to R2L for the view. I didn't even look at the specials before I got there. We were sent upstairs to the 37th floor and were overwhelmed by the amount of people inside. Clearly many people were here for happy hour. My friend even had to wait before they let her onto the elevator. With great reaction time, we were able to snag seats on the couch. We ordered the truffle flatbread and the wings. I felt like a herded sheep being forced through the gates. It was just so tightly packed in the seating area. (Seriously, who keeps brushing up against my ass?!?) The flatbread was yummy. I loved the arugula on it. The wings unfortunately were very underwhelming. It was salty and looked half chewed up. Anyway, come back for the view, get a table (not during happy hour) and enjoy; however I cannot attest to the regular dinner menu yet.

    (3)
  • Norman L.

    Great Food. Attentive service, Awesome sunset. What else could one want.

    (5)
  • Mark G.

    Great food - Christmas Day evening menu fixed with 3 of 5 appetizers available. All entrees available. Food was 5 stars!! Prime Rib and Seven Fish Entrees - salads wonderful - dessert perfect! Will go back for the food. View - eh!!!!! Service very poor! We went for good food and got it and hope Christmas evening staff and service was just due to the fact it is a holiday - but I doubt it. Way understaffed ! Staff were actually running to keep up! I feel sorry for the staff. They say restaurants with a great city view are all show - and this was true today EXCEPT food was damn good!!

    (2)
  • Ryan C.

    You enter the lobby of this restaurant on the ground floor on 16th street between Chestnut Street and Market Street. The awning outside has small (kinda) letters that read R2L. After you walk in, there is someone there to greet you and check your coat. At the back of the lobby is a single elevator that goes non-stop from the ground floor to the 37th floor of 2nd Liberty Place where the restaurant is located. The restaurant is beautify and dimly lit. My wife and I went for cocktails and we decided to sit in the cocktail lounge. The lounge consists of wrap around seating that is right against the window. You get a dizzying panoramic view of west Philadelphia. We each got a cocktail; they were $12 each and we split the cheese plate. The $8 plate consisted of very dainty pieces of 2 different kinds of cheeses and homemade pretzel chips. The cheese was good and so were the pretzel chips, but filling this dish was not. Our cocktails were both delicious. I would definitely go back to R2L for both the view and the cocktails (especially if I was taking someone from out of town). Drinks (for the most part) were moderately priced. The house cocktails were between $10-15, the beers (which included DFH and a few other craft bottles) were between $5-8 and the wine ranged from $10-28 a glass)

    (4)
  • Tamara K.

    It's on the 37th floor of 2 Liberty which makes for a fantastic view! The ambiance is obviously nice but the food is mediocre. I went on a Saturday night. The clientele seemed a bit low class. Females wearing gold lame dresses up their rear and such. I wasn't sure if they were working girls. Perhaps, its clientele is better during the week when the business people are around. I wouldn't go there to eat. I'd have a few drinks just to soak in the atmosphere and then get a good meal somewhere else. Too pricey for avg food.

    (3)
  • Kelly V.

    The service was a little bit slow at the beginning but otherwise everything was perfect!!!

    (4)
  • Eileen H.

    We have been there many times. The food and service is excellent and the waiter we had last time was attentive and entertaining. The panoramic view facing south is amazing if you can get a seat close to the windows. I suggest calling ahead for reservations. They often bring out a small unexpected appetizer which is a great hint of what is to come. If you live, visit or go to center city for any reason, make a trip to R2L.

    (5)
  • Nicole L.

    If you're feeling fancy and want to enjoy a glorious view while sipping on your pricey cocktail, R2L is for you. I am only giving them four stars because I can't say I've experience their food just yet. What I have experience is a friendly and catering staff that make you feel as though you're more important than you most likely are (it's great). Obviously this is an expensive restaurant, but the classic and modern design plus the breathtaking view calls for higher value. It's certainly not your everyday rendezvous, but catching their happy hour on occasion is gratifying and quite a status quo booster! ;) ..AKA if you're cheap, don't bother. Sincerely yours, Obnoxious Tipper

    (4)
  • Clare D.

    It's been ages since I've had the pleasure of eating Chef Daniel Stern's R2L Style Veal Stew, an exceptional bounty of veal goodness in every bite. Tender chunks of veal breast, a cylindrical formed melt-in-your-mouth veal tenderloin, and a small cube of savory veal meatloaf sit in a delicious sweetbread gravy filled with fingerling potatoes, onions, spinach leaves, and fried eggplant. I'm glad I saw it on the menu because it wasn't listed on the online menu. I urged my friend Chris to order this dish, too, and he did and he loved it. Before our entrées, we shared an appetizer of foie gras and duck confit spring rolls with Asian-inspired cole slaw. It was a heart attack in a roll, but so worth it. Our window seat overlooking a gorgeous nighttime view of the city.

    (4)
  • Anthony N.

    Awesome view, great service. The gf and I really liked the lobster mac and cheese.

    (5)
  • Janice T.

    I enjoyed the view of the city at sunset more than the food... This was a while back, however. Wiling to try again after seeing these other reviews.

    (3)
  • Mike G.

    R2L has a great view. It's decor is pretty cliche' cocktail lounge chic'. The kitchen is glass walled and fun to see into. OK that's where the charm ends though. I met up with some friends there for cocktails hoping to find a classy happy hour and instead found a classy but rather underwhelming yet pricey short stay. We had a couple drinks each, none of which stood out as memorable. Tried a few small dishes to share and they were good but not great. Perhaps it's unfair to expect great but the prices are great, as in scale. The staff didnt seem that knowledgeable but our server was friendly. Nothing made me want to come back. Go for the view maybe, and order one of the $5 beers, as they turned out better than my $12 cocktail.

    (2)
  • Trang N.

    My husband and I had our Valentine's Day dinner here on Friday! The view was spectacular and our waiter Brennan was wonderful, there wasn't any request we made that he couldn't fulfill!! We started off with some oysters on the half shell accompanied with a mignonette sauce and a honey mixture, and the romaine salad. The food runner that presented our dishes was very well dressed (a polished vest and tie!) which got huge brownie points from me. The appetizers were equally as nice, clean simple flavors. For the entrees, I ordered the crab cakes with the potato puree. I told Brennan that I had really high expectations when I order crab cakes and they are almost always a disappointment. He promised me this would not be the case, and he was right, no filler, broiled to perfection! The potato puree was smooth buttery goodness. My husband ordered the red wine braised short ribs with the herbed basmati rice, the meat was sweet and tender, it melted in your mouth! We decided to have liquid dessert and ordered the ice wine and I was craving some limoncello, even though it was not on the menu, our Brennan materials. We ended up staying for three hours sipping on more wine and enjoying the view. The restaurant was dark and romantic, the room was illuminated with the wine cellar walls and the surrounding view skyline. It was a wonderful evening. We did sneak in to the bar for an after dinner drink and they make the fantastic dirty goose martini, ask for the blue cheese stuffed olives= perfection! There is a lounge area set away from diners, in the corner against the windows, where patrons could nurse their drinks. The bar scene was an interesting one, a mix of mini skirt clad 'jersey shore-esque' girls tossing their hair, clamoring for a free drinks from the typical cheesy guys, amid older couples grabbing and evening drink. All in all, fascinating people watching, very entertaining!

    (5)
  • Kathy A.

    PEOPLE: CHECK YOUR BILL!!!! I guess mistakes can happen. But coincidentally it happened twice. We were overcharged by $20.00. It my first visit to R2L. But my son and his girlfriend had been there before. And surprise, surprise, not only were they charged $40 for champagne that they did not order, but the employee actually insinuated that perhaps they just forgot that they ordered/drank champagne. To make matters worse, I had a gift card worth $75.00. The waitress told me my card was declined. Was I sure I hadn't used it before. No I said, this is my first time here. (It will be my last). The waitress informs me they have been having problems with the gift cards. The manager gets involved. Can I give him the name of the person who gave me the card. Yes I can. Do I have a receipt? No, it was a gift from my future son-in-law and he is currently deployed to Qatar. Manager tells me not to worry, I comped you the $75.00. WTF. You comped me??? That's funny since the gift giver paid his hard earned money for said card. No, I will not return. Upscale??? I think not. Overpriced Scammers is more like it.

    (1)
  • Joanne T.

    4 stars only for the view. I expected it to be bigger, but wasn't so. went here for restaurant week and it faired decent, nothing too exciting to mention. the atmosphere was too dim, kinda somber in the bar/dining area. *yawn* tip: try to come here a little before sunset and get a gorgeous backdrop behind! i'd recommend this place for special occasions (enticing view) other than that maybe just for the sunset and few drinks

    (4)
  • Christina K.

    As soon as I walked in, I was impressed. I went for Happy hour with a few friends from work and the Happy Hour is quite reasonable. I started out with the Sunset Martini (Stoli and 2 bleu cheese olives-best bleu cheese olives I've ever had!) I ended up ordering 2 more as the night progressed. We also ordered a few apps from their Happy hour menu as well. I ordered the R2L snackburger plate with bacon, med rare & the Grilled tuna flatbread. The snackburger plate came with 2 and were cooked perfectly. The flatbread was good as well, although the flatbread became soggy too fast, but that was solved by using a fork & knife to finish it off. I was still feeling a little hungry so I ordered the Baked oysters with the champagne mousse and hearts of palm. Let me tell you, they were absolutely fantastic! They came with four oysters and they are too die for. I am definitely going to try their chilled oysters for next time. Also tired one piece of their shrimp cocktail from a friend, also excellent. Jumbo shrimp with a little old bay and their house cocktail sauce, mmmm! All in all, I will definitely be back. Just one tip, make sure you get there early enough for their happy hour because their prices can get a little steep once 6:30 rolls around. ;)

    (4)
  • Marie C.

    I went here for drinks with a friend on a weekend night. The bar area was way too small for the amount of people. Because of the amazing view from the room and the classy atmosphere, I can see this as being a very popular place for drinks. However, like I said they need more room. The drinks themselves were pretty good, but the service was not. We were able to snatch a high table near the bar, but had a lot of trouble getting a waiter to take our order. This place has so much potential, and the view is amazing, but they need to expand.

    (3)
  • Tina C.

    SLAM DUNK place! Thank god we went there for a work releated event because there is no way I could afford R2L! Talk about amazing food, drink, and atmosphere. it is on the top floor (37th floor) of a very tall building and at night you can see all of the Phialdelphia skyline. All around you is glass so you can see outside. Absolutely stunning and breathtaking. Food and service are impeachable! Food was so flavorful and delicious. Our server was so attentive, caring, and very knowledgeable of the menu. Cocktails were great as well. it is pricy so make sure you have your wallet open and ready to spend.

    (5)
  • Jesse C.

    5 star atmosphere, spectacular views, great food, and friendly service. It's the perfect date restaurant. To start, the truffle flatbread was delicious, I had the filet mignon, and the vanilla cake with the creamy center is now one of my favorite deserts. I'd definitely go back for a dinner around sunset to take advantage of the view.

    (5)
  • Celic M.

    I have been here on two separate occasions: mainly for the view. The first time I went, it was for lunch. The food was tasty and fresh, but it took a long time to get our food and the waiter did not ask us if we enjoyed the food, and we could never find him to get him to refill our waters. When we finally tracked him down to get the check, (glanced at the check), and give him our cc's and have him come back for our signature/tip, it took in all 25 minutes. I was not happy about this because I had fifteen minutes left on my meter (which I mentioned to him that we needed to hurry because I needed to get to my car even though it was parked right around the corner). I got back to my car, and of course I had a ticket. The second time I went, it was two years later and for dinner for RW. We did not receive bread, but noticed that every table aside from ours, did. Our waiter did not come to ask us how our meal was after a server dropped off our food. We had to ask other waiters to refill our waters. My friend ordered the shrimp cocktail (3 large shrimp, seasoned with old bay), skate wing, and the panna cotta. I had the foie gras mousse (overdone, and disappointing), duo filet and short rib which was good, but the filet was not cooked to my liking as I insisted I prefer Rare/medium rare and for dessert, I had the chocolate crunch. The desserts were delicious. The portions were rather small, and we were still hungry, but decided not to order anything else, as the restaurant was packed for RW and we did not want to wait. If it were not for the view, I would have given it two stars.

    (3)
  • Justin C.

    Rude. First trip to R2L was...okay. We went during restaurant week, so their normally "obscenely" overpriced menu was only "moderately" overpriced. We received small portions of food that ranged from bland to pretty good, accompanied by $7 beers and $12 glasses of wine. Overall, a generally "meh" experience. Second trip to R2L did not last long. We went back only because it was cloudy on our first trip, and we wanted to experience the supposedly gorgeous view. We came out of the elevator to be greeted by a host with his arm extended as if he was some guard at a military base saying "HALT"! "We're closed for a private event, so you and grandma (referring to my mother) need to take yourselves back into that elevator and ride yourselves back down." Umm...excuse me? You work in the service industry, at an upscale restaurant, and THAT is how you treat people? He's lucky I didn't slap his Gucci glasses right off his stupid bald face. Needless to say, I will not be returning, and I discourage others from taking their business to this rude, pompous, overpriced establishment.

    (1)
  • Caren J.

    I rarely leave a restaurant and rave about food. Food is food. It's either good or bad. Last nght, R2L proved me wrong, and I am still RAVING about it. We arrived early for our reservations, and were seated immediately. It was my anniversary, and we were seated in a romantic round booth with a skyline that went on for miles. the service was wonderful, and the food....well, the food was SPECTACULAR! Filet and short Ribs, Spicy Tuna, Lobster Mac & Cheese and potato skins that were to die. This is our new place!

    (5)
  • Meggan R.

    I really enjoyed everything here, the view is fantastic, the services was great, wine selection was tasty, cocktails are classic and the food couldn't have been better. Duck breast pappardelle was my fav.

    (5)
  • Jennifer T.

    Decided to try R2L for restaurant week and had a great time. As another yelper had mentioned, it's kind of hard to find, and it was like a maze trying to get to the entrance and elevator from the parking garage. Aside from that, I thought the decor was very posh and lounge-like. The view is SPECTACULAR....but I couldn't see much of it after I was seated at my table in the middle section of the restaurant. Our servers were all very attentive and nice, and they made sure we were comfortable all night. The food was delicious as well, especially the short ribs...Mmmmm....MELT IN YOUR MOUTH GOOD!! I also had the olive plate as my starter and the apple pie for dessert--all were very good. My friend ordered the dumplings for apps, the chicken entree and ice cream/ sorbet dessert. My only complaints for the evening were that service was a little slow, but they were packed and it was restaurant week so it was understandable. Also, the ice cream that came with my apple pie dessert was a thyme infused vanilla ice cream; it didn't taste bad but the flavor combo may have been too adventurous for me...perhaps a less savory ice cream to accompany my apple pie next time? Overall, great new restaurant.

    (4)
  • Kevin W.

    It's... okay. I tried it at lunch, and ordered the market salad. This salad was designed to be looked at, but not eaten. It was served on a very narrow, rectangular plate that was piled to the edges with finely chopped lettuce and tiny circles of radish. It was not possible to eat this dish and feel polished at the same time. I felt like I was playing 'don't drop the salad'. I followed that up with a cheesesteak which was reasonably portioned (about half of a traditional philly sandwich), and executed decently. It wasn't as good as a Steak Milano from John's, but it was fine. If R2L was on the 1st floor instead of the 37th, they'd be out of business. As it stands, it's an "okay" restaurant that's saved by the view.

    (3)
  • Angela G.

    My husband and I had gone here back in August for my birthday after reading great reviews on opentable.com and it did not disappoint! The atmosphere was very relaxed yet intimate. The wait staff greeted you with a smile as soon as you walked up. The waiter/waitress gave great recommendations on food and what their favorite was which tells you that they have tried it themselves which is nice! The view was absolutely breath taking! No picture could capture how beautiful it was looking out the window, as the sun set and seeing the view of the city. My husband hates coming into the city but even he was blown away! The food was absolutely delicious! I had gotten the filet minion and it was juicy and tender and my husband had gotten the braised short ribs which were fall apart delicious! I highly recommend getting a side of mac and cheese with your dinner!! Will definitely be coming back here!!

    (5)
  • Hildegard T.

    Wonderful anniversary dinner, awesome table by the panoramic windows, the most intelligent server (Harrison) ever, and the food! Amazing lobster salad, veal "stew", and pistachio gateau. Better than most restaurants in Manhattan.

    (5)
  • Aruna A.

    I went to R2L for restaurant week - on a COMPLETE whim. I've been back to hang out at the bar a few times. If you are going to eat there - it's totally worth the experience. You should definitely eat here at least once in your life - if nothing else, than for the kick buttocks view of Philadelphia. The view is AMAZING. You can see West Philly, parts of Center City, and South Philly in a way that you coudln't anywhere else. Additionally, all the tables face out towards the windows so that you CAN see the entire city. The food is good. I had polenta, a delicious flat bread / humus / olive plate, and the desert was to die for. My friends had steak and shrimp, and fish. They were ALL pleased. Additionally, the drinks were pretty delicious. Finally, the table service was great. Waiters were super helpful with the menu, and really nice. I've also been back after restaurant week just to hang out at the bar. I loved the ambiance, the music, the prices. It was a comfortable, great bar to hang out at for a few hours. I wouldn't go there looking for a good crowd. The crowd is totally not my type, but definitely fun to go there and hang out for a bit with some friends.

    (4)
  • Kristin W.

    This was my second visit to R2L. The first time I attended was for a reception and I was very impressed by the quality of mass-produced hors d'oeuvres. The sit-down meal was no less enjoyable. First, we got a table directly in front of the large windows looking south over the city - amazing view! We started with two flatbreads: the Truffle and the Tuna. Both were great, with the Truffle being a little heavier given the cheese and the Tuna being lighter and more refreshing. I ordered the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs - delicious and tender. I also sampled the Butter-Poached Lobster - nice and flavorful. For dessert, we got the Warm Vanilla Cake, which was amazing with a slightly crispy outside and oozing deliciousness on the inside.

    (5)
  • Ian Y.

    Stopped in Sunday afternoon at 2pm to find place closed but they accommodated us by letting us sit at the bar and have a couple of beers and enjoy the view while they finish cleaning and setting up. Made me think of las Vegas with a vaccuum cleaner going ... LoL Had a 90min IPA ... Thanks R2L

    (4)
  • K K.

    Lovely although very rich scallops on a bed of sliced artichokes and broccoli. The service at the bar was attentive, but I was not a fan of the bread (no substance) even though it looked great! The scallops were a starter but enough for a light dinner. Would visit again, full menu is available at the bar.

    (4)
  • Elker D.

    Pros: service is professional and friendly. Top of the line and hard to find spirits available. Drink prices less than expected. Ordered Don Julio tequila neat and felt like it was bottomless. View... Wow. Cons: price of food for size and taste. Suggest you eat before you come and enjoy drinks and view.

    (4)
  • Dana S.

    I'm afraid to go back to R2L for fear I'll: a) freak out the cute foodie server I already seemingly stalked for his food knowledge; b) have another meal so remarkable that it will harsh on everything else I eat for a week. My husband and I went the Friday before V-Day (that's Valentine's Day, gutter-brains), and we really didn't know what to expect aside from guaranteed truffle oil (we know our Daniel Stern). After a slightly awkward ascent via the elevator with a couple who looked like they might be going up to the 37th floor to push each other out the window, we arrived at a fairly fab, glam-but-not-overdone space that was obviously fancy but not so fancy that I wished I'd broken out the fur. We waited at the bar and had a couple "eh" house speciality cocktails (something manhattan-ish... something else wtih gin...not memorable, obvi), followed by a couple glasses of wine. I remember the eye candy who served my drinks more than what I had. Gorgeous girls behind the bar and in the cocktail area. When we were ushered to our table, we finally checked out the menu and saw at least 40 things we wanted to try, so we thought it over while snacking on olive loaf and sourdough bread - both amazing. For starters, we ordered the warm spinach salad (I think it was served with pate?) with poached egg. It was to die for -- perfect amount of egginess, great presentation all around. I ordered the lobster roll (lobster roll with a hint of lavender!!) on house-made brioche, which came with chips and some other cute little lobster-tentacle-esque garnish. I seriously housed this lobster roll, and hoarded it so that my husband couldn't have any. Happy Valentine's day, baby. F-ign unreal. Main course... My husband ordered the salmon, which was poached in olive oil and probably the single best piece of salmon I've ever eaten. I was SO JELLY over his order. I had the flatbread with arugula and truffle oil (see earlier reference in part one of this food novella), and a side of broccoli, which somehow was the best broccoli I've ever eaten. Someone obviously crushed pretty hard on the broc while they were making it, because it was unreal and just so delicate... Yes, I just reviewed a side of broccoli. For realsies. Dessert (yeah, we went there) was beignets, and this crazed garbanzo bean cookie topped with poached pears and honey ice cream. Our server brought out some delicious honey-related (I say related because I don't know if it was infused or how it got there) cognac to pair it with. I had one of those "food moments" where I was like... You know what? I'm okay with everything in life right now and I would like to have the Chef's love child in the very near future. Unbelievable meal, amazing service, sweet atmosphere, and a meal I can recall in complete detail a month later. Bravo, R2L.

    (5)
  • Todd S.

    Fantastic dinner. Made reservations for 7:30 a few weeks in advance to get a window seat for four. My wife and I had the rock fish for two with risotto and the warm vanilla dessert. Needless to say the view was gorgeous and our appetizers and entrees were fresh and super delicious. The place was busy and the bar scene was packed. Young professional crowd, mid 30's/40's. Highly recommend and will return.

    (5)
  • Tamika B.

    Dined here during a respite from caring for my terminally ill grandfather with my husband. R2L charged my debit card for my meal and someone else's. Total charges were $250.22 instead of $119.02. Yes, mistakes happen but the customer service from owner Sue M. and Sr. Managers was far from "redefined hospitality" as quoted on their web site. In fact, the manager says it was the fault of Wells Fargo! Although they were faxed a copy of the double charge AND spoke to a Wells Fargo representative, R2L refused to own up to their mistake. No matter the ambiance or the food, ethics and customer service weigh so much more on where I do business. R2L, you never know why people visit your establishment. You have no idea what may be going on personally with your customers-- you would do well to actually offer the hospitality and "personal care" you advertise.

    (1)
  • Catherine L.

    Clearly working out first week opening kinks, bartenders, servers trying to get their feel - hopefully in a few months they'll find their way - but in the meantime, first impressions: - Separate entrance door that takes you to the right of Liberty 2's main lobby, fancy schmancy lone elevator takes you to the 37th floor to reveal R2L's dining room and lounge which has walls of wine cellars surrounding the bar, bar area and open kitchen. - Low ceilings, some exposed to show the structural beams and vents - a very tight bar area, not easily navigable. The décor is a bit cliché, very dark, and am not particularly feeling the cougar-ish appeal of it all (literally, there is fake cougar fabric lining the bar banquettes) - and right away, you realize what this place is catering to: - Cougars, wealthy ones, main-liners, suburbanites wanting a big night in the city, business types, the wheelin' and dealin' types that can afford to pay $12 per uninventive, standard cocktails. (Eight boring ones to be exact - 2 per liquor type, with an even shorter beer list, a semi-decent wine selection and everything is overpriced). - Food is the only slight redeeming factor - and though the menu on its face, appeared interesting, the Gayle Daniel Stern food I was expecting was not present here. Perhaps, another kink to work out once everyone is settled? - For now a stuffy atmosphere, ho-hum kitchen execution and expensive everything is not begging for a return visit.

    (2)
  • Andrew J.

    This is definitely a place to take a date you want to impress. The dining area has an amazing view. I chilled in the lounge area with a drink while I waited for a table and I felt like a baller, which you better be because this place is not cheap. The bar area is really nice and classy and the open kitchen is really cool. Me and my date ordered the lobster mac n' cheese which was great. The salmon was good and so was the filet and short ribs but they were nothing to go crazy over. The service was good and proper for the atmosphere, table crumbing and things of that sort. The place is expensive but you get what you pay for here.

    (4)
  • Sarah L.

    Dined here for a business lunch a couple months back and the spacious layout, clean, loungy and interesting ambiance (besides the perimeter windows and signature city views there is a pretty fantastic piece of artwork that consists of metal cutlery suspended in the center of the place), was a little out of the ordinary and special for what would be an otherwise dry meeting! I ordered the Roasted Tuna Loin with lotus, baby bok choy and grains of paradise. The tuna was fresh and perfectly seared and seasoned and the baby bok coy was delicately tender. MMM. My counterparts suggested that I return for happy hour and after weeks of well-meaning, I opted to make a res for me and my beau, my NYC bro in town with his new girlfriend. I figured a special occassion called for a little swank and some special window treatments. ;) We were greeted warmly by the hostess upon arrival and after a few minutes of hellos by the bar we were escorted to our table. The servers wear blue button-downs with orange ties and there was plenty of them bustling around all night. Our server, Charles, (aka. Chaz, Charlie, Char: he was laid back enough to respond graciously to all from my tipsy brother) was genuinely sweet and attentive. Boyfriend and bro had beers, girlfriend had red wine and I started with the Unencumbered cocktail. While refreshing with cucumber and plenty of citrus, it was a little too sweetended up for my liking and I missed tasting the gin. Gin and tonics for #2 and #3. We ordered the HOT + COLD SEAFOOD PLATTER. which says can serve 2-4 people at $70 to share. We immediately toasted with the four oysters on the half shell (sooo good!) and then dug in at different corners of the plate. Other highlights included the shrimp cocktail dusted with old bay and the crab and lobster spring rolls. We all thought we'd be more into the clams then we were, but the leftovers on the plate were the fried clams and the raw clams. The shrimp tempura and lobster rolls receive medium marks. Next we ordered a few appetizers to share: Foie Gras Spring Rolls - off the hook! Really flavorful and a little buttery but not as sickeningly rich as one might expect. The texture was almost that of tender pulled pork and the endive salad that accompanied it was gingery and a fresh offset. Steak Tartare - personally (because others at the table didn't feel as strongly) one of my least favorite steak tartars.... maybe my inexperienced palate is just used to a more finely chopped meat, but the largers cuts they used and the lack of flavor pop gave me very little to dance in my seat about. Lobster Mac & Cheese - I hate to admit that this now overly popular menu item was actually one of our favorites, but it was! The sauce was rich and creamy and tangy and the big noodles and large tender chunks of lobster had us savoring every bite. We contemplated suggesting that they serve the cheese sauce in little fondue pots with their table bread service -- it would be a best seller. We sat down as the sun was low and we were actually trying not to reach down to put our sunglasses on indoors to the total opposite as it disappeared and the lights were dropped lower and lower throughout the night until it was very dark with candle flicker. Overall, a nice place to take out of town guests who want a little extra ambiance and feeling a tad special taking elevators to the 38th floor. As a Philly dweller, I can still think of at least a dozen places I'd rather try and/or return to before heading back here. That said, service was great and it was a relaxed dining experience, which helped me justify slight priceness of the food itself.

    (4)
  • Rob W.

    I decided to hit R2L during restaurant week. It was nice to find that they had an open reservation in the middle of restaurant week. Being that it's on the 37th floor of Liberty 2 it's easy to say that the view is the best in the city. The service was great, our waiter Pete originally seated us at a table that was a bit to big for just two people but when we requested to sit at a smaller table by the window Pete quickly called a team of staff to move our drinks and plates. The only downside of the night was the food. The appetizers were small and simple. Shrimp cocktail was a few small shrimp on a plate. The venison carpaccio tasted like salami. I order venison because I like the "gamey" flavor, I hate when restaurants cover it up instead of enhancing. For the main course I ordered the langostinos on basmati rice. They were closer to regular shrimp instead of looking like small lobsters. The flavor wasn't bad, I just wish there was a little more of it. My date had the fillet tips. This was undoubtedly my most disappointing dish. There's no better way to explain it then as beef stew on a plate. I'll be back again but probably just for appetizers and a few drinks at the bar while enjoying the view.

    (3)
  • Dan C.

    So I'm on a big date, walk in...and walk out relieved. Things went off without a hitch! Service was fantastic, if a little slow (though it was busy), with us being able to mix and match to our preferences, including having things cooked with oil instead of butter (damn this lactose intolerance). Pork with marbled fat cooked right under the skin with a crispy layer outside is ridiculous. So was the salad...ridiculously fresh! I thought that the cocktails were as good as folks were saying, and made strong enough to order. Additionally, the complimentary desserts are lovely as well. Perfectly sized portions and the pineapple candied jelly was tart alongside the topped sugar. I would highly recommend the mushroom-infused french toast sticks...forget what it's called, but it has a delicious earthy profile that comes from the natural juices in the mushrooms, apparently, without any added brown sugar or maple syrup. Yum! I'm not sure if I'd make this a second outing unless the occasion called for it, but would certainly like to check it out during happy hour.

    (4)
  • Amy K.

    I only came here for drinks while walking around the city on a nice Friday night, but the ambiance was amazing. Great city views, fancy crowd, great cocktails and more. I am only rating 3 stars for now since I did not try the food, however would definitely go back. Would be perfect for a romantic dinner, or a private party in the back room. Drinks were quite pricey though.

    (3)
  • Beth R.

    Having been here twice since my last review, one of which was dinner, I felt compelled to add a few updates. The wine list is long and our waiter was so helpful in making a choice. He really knew his wine, and helped us pick a fantastic cab in our price range that everyone loved. One always wonders if asking for a reco on wine will result in awkwardness when the waiter suggests the most expensive bottle on the menu, which is generally not in my budget. Our waiter suggested that the person with the menu indicate the range on the prices by pointing and he talked us through the different options in that range. Very nice. Onto the food - my filet was good, particularly the mix of flavors in the plate around it. I did think it was a bit cooked for medium rare, so would go all out rare next time. Moo.

    (4)
  • Cochon I.

    A great view and classy urban buzz have helped make R2L into a popular "in" destination. For our party of four -- two newcomers (us) and a pair of regulars -- we negotiated a window seat on the "short" side aimed away from nearby intruding skyscrapers. All loved the feast for the eyes. Service, from a cast of several helpful folks, was outstanding -- almost to the point of swarming -- and we had no trouble parking in the building's indoor garage ($10 if you get your ticket validated when you leave R2L, $16 otherwise). Whether this is the norm, or whether it helped to arrive early (5:30) and be with a couple of regulars, who knows. But we were treated very, very well. Food is pretty decent for an eatery atop the city. The market salad app, "prepared simply" venison loin, and apple pie dessert were all quite good if unremarkable offerings. The lobster macaroni and cheese app was almost as agreeable. On the other hand, raw oysters with caviar were disappointing, and the "composed plate" pork ribeye sounded great on paper but in reality was marginal to the point I had a hard time finishing it. (It was ordered medium rare, but medium might have worked better.) For two, with tip, tax, coffee, bottled water and three glasses of basic wine, the tab came to $275. To put this into perspective, we get better fare at our local Villa Nuova eatery in the burbs for 20% of this, albeit with average service and without the twinkling lights of Philadelphia. So R2L is entertainment, not a foodie experience. If you wish to relax with a splendid view of our fair city, by all means go to savor the view and service. Just choose your dishes judiciously. Seating Tip: Window seats are assigned based on when you made your reservation. If this is important to you, and it should be, reserve as early as possible and specify a window seat.

    (4)
  • Steve E.

    Large restaurant atop liberty one place catering to the trendy crowd. Went on a Saturday night and thought the food was mediocre. My date's order was wrong, which just seemed rushed. My filet was good, but just felt like it was lacking. Overall, the entire experience seemed to be missing something. The one large bright side to the meal was the dessert. The molten vanilla cake was excellent and was the best thing. Service was excellent, as expected as at a restaurant like this. Will try again at another time and different day and see if things are better. One other thing, if you patronize the restaurant at night to see the skyline, please do not use flash photography! Other patrons are trying to enjoy a meal without bright white lights shining down on you!!!

    (3)
  • Kaitlyn A.

    My boyfriend and I made a reservation for a Saturday night at 8. Based off of the reviews I knew 1. I was getting the lobster mac and 2. I wasn't expecting too much out of the place other than a great view. We walked in and were oddly greeted by the hostesses. Who looked us both up and down and explained they have a new dress code: no sneakers. My bf and I were both nicely dressed, but I was wearing toms and he had on causal asics. They apologized and told us we could change and come back, which we obviously weren't doing. The thing that upset me the most was that, they called my bf the day before to confirm the reservation. They could mention then they had a new dress code? Instead they left us in center city, embarrassed and starving. To top it off they called us at 8:15 to see if we were coming, we explained they had denied us because of our shoe choices. I really wanted that lobster mac and to see that view, but I will never be going to r2l.

    (1)
  • Shannon M.

    Disclaimer: I ate at R2L during Restaurant Week when fancy restaurants are packed with people looking for a good deal. I knew R2L was probably a bit fancier than my usual haunts but the combination of my friend's urging us to go here and the fact that it has a beautiful view of the city I agreed. We had a reservation for 6:30 and made the mistake of not requesting a table with a view. The table wasn't ready for us at 6:30 anyway so we then went back requested a window seat. It took until about 7 before we got a table that was one over from the window. It was still a beautiful view and we were happy they attempted to accomodate us. R2L was what I expected. Expensive drinks and expensive food. But, because we were there for Rest. Week our meals were fixed price- 3 courses for $35. I figured the portions would be small and I hadn't eaten all day so I tried ordering filling dishes. I had the pumpkin soup which was definitely amazing and a multigrain vegetable risotto. The risotto was super creamy and was surprisingly filling. My friends had gotten a salad and seared tuna for their first courses and both were super super small portions. They both ordered the filet mignon tips and that was a small portion as well. Both friends left hungry. On to the most important course, dessert: I ordered an Earl Grey Chocolate...Some word I couldn't pronounce or spell. It was definitely delicious but very very small. It consisted of some gelatin type thing that was citrusy, a few bits of a chocolate brownie-thing and some chocolate type mousse. I enjoyed it but I left there just wanting to eat chocolate ice cream for some reason. Overall, R2L is good for Rest. Week or maybe a happy hour (Mon-Friday 4:30-6:30 includes food specials), but I wouldn't go there on a typical night. The view is nice but the food is definitely out of my budget.

    (3)
  • Bonneil K.

    Our 2nd stop of the day, and what a wonderful restaurant to spend our afternoon in. After arriving a little late to our 2pm reservation, we dined at the bar/lounge area of the restaurant. We ordered the Hot and Cold Seafood Platter with a glass of Riesling and Gin Cocktail. My girlfriend thoroughly enjoyed the cocktail and the fried mussels. My favorite was the lobster sandwiches, definitely a show stealer within the platter. Absolutely tasty. Could not have asked for a better restaurant to dine in on a Thursday afternoon...very intimate with a beautiful view of the Philadelphia skyline, not to mention a fun place to people watch :)

    (4)
  • KP R.

    Great for a good view, food is pretty good. Service is decent. You definitely go for the view and atmosphere more than the food, but you wont be disappointing either way.

    (4)
  • Debbie A.

    It is definitely not worth the money. We had a table in the "annex" - the space reserved for catered parties. No ambience to speak of. The food was only fair although the truffle flatbread with arugula appetizer was good. The chicken pot pie was no more than a leg and thigh combination with a piece of breast in amongst some barely roasted vegetables. Nothing special. The veal stew was greasy and the flavors did not blend together at all. An then to top it all off, our gift cards did not work. They said we'd have to pay and then call the manager tomorrow. Altogether not a "fine dining" experience.

    (2)
  • Theresa L.

    Food is ok..view is amazing..service is attentive. Go for happy hour.

    (3)
  • YelpHatesMe Y.

    This is for the bar and views, not the food. Went there around the first time it opened a year or so ago. First of all, as one would imagine, the views are stellar! Having said that, we move to the bar. There were only about 8-10 people at most sitting at the bar yet we seemed to wait 10minutes for refills even AFTER the bartender looked at the empty glasses. Prices seemed way above normal but I guess that's to be expected as we all could imagine what the mortgage is a month there. I would say this is a good place to impress a first date but not really what I would call a happy hour place because of the prices. Seems to be a tad more pretentious than it should be. Bottom line; If you want to dump your girlfriend then do it here. The views will distract her and it'll leave you two with the "we'll always have R2L" feeling.

    (2)
  • Kit-N-Debbie W.

    It was a little eerie, having the spectacular views of the city, bringing back memories of well known restaurant, Windows of the World, which was located on top of world Trade Center. There was no disappointment. The friendly hostess made us feel welcome. We enjoyad and shared a drink together at horseshoe shaped bar, letting us enjoy the views as well as the lounge. A limited but interesting menu. Food was excellent as well as presentation. The pastry chef outdid himself. We're big on service. A 5 star rating goes to Amy and her team in world class service throughout our visit. A highly recommended experience.

    (4)
  • Jill R.

    I recently went to R2L with a date and other than the appetizers and ambience, I wasn't a huge fan. It was restaurant week, so I know that either makes or breaks a kitchen (usually breaks since they're churning out the same dish over and over again). I loved the truffled flatbread and foie gras spring rolls - but wasn't too thrilled with the main course of braised short rib. Dessert was so-so. Our service was really good throughout the entire meal. I would definitely bring out of town guests here for a nice view and some apps!

    (3)
  • Wind P.

    I went during Restaurant Week to try out the restaurant. I arrived a few minutes late, and after my friend, and we wound up waiting about 30 minutes for our table. I think the host totally forgot about us since there were a few other people who were seated before us. The host never apologized and sat us in the middle of the room when there were obviously better tables. I don't know if it was just me, but the waiter himself was very short with us until I ordered a drink. Food overall is okay. It wasn't anything that made me want more. Overall, bad experience. Try Nineteen instead if you want a view; my previous experience there was much better.

    (2)
  • Siqi Z.

    Had dinner here with a friend who is moving out of Philly. A great place for dinner with spectacular view of sunset and twilight. Food was good, dessert was so so. Definitely ask waiter for a window seat.

    (4)
  • Melissa A.

    We had a great dinner at R2L during Restaurant Week. Everything was great, but I'm only giving it 4 stars primarily because of the price. We'd love to go back, but the food is so pricey, we'll probably wait until a (very) special occasion. I had been to R2L for drinks during Center City Sips and wanted to try it for dinner as the menu looked very good and I couldn't get enough of the view. The only reservation I could get was for 5:30pm on a Wednesday night of Restaurant Week (I really appreciate that they're on Open Table). While we weren't there for sunset, the timing was fine as it turned out to be a cloudy day. We had a table with a great view to the west. The server was so welcoming and accommodating. Everything we ate was fantastic. My risotto was awesome and a huuuuge portion, but my husband's entree wasn't as big. Still hungry, he tried three times to get more of the bread (which was delicious, by the way), asking everyone that passed by our table from our server to beyond, but we never got a second helping which was a little annoying. One item of note was the noise at the bar. We were seated immediately adjacent to the bar area, and it was quite loud. Both Wednesdays we were there, for Center City Sips a few weeks ago and for Restaurant Week recently, the bar was incredibly packed and loud. R2L seems to be a swanky, popular place to get a drink after work, but maybe the crowd disperses a little bit later in the evening.. The food really was incredibly good, and I do look forward to going again, hopefully getting a window seat, away from the bar area, on a very special occasion or for the next restaurant week!

    (4)
  • Josh H.

    Awesome viewand great food. Came for restaurant week and was not disappointed. I had the filet duo and it was probably the most tender melt in your mouth steak I have ever tasted!

    (5)
  • Tanya K.

    I was really excited to try this restaurant but I have to say it was a huge disappointment. I went here with a few of my coworkers for dinner and we were all less than impressed. We had a reservation for 5:30pm and upon arriving at 5:25, we were told we would be seated shortly. We were all chatting and having a good time so we didn't mind waiting but then 20 minutes pass and we're wondering why we haven't been seated yet. At 5:45pm we ask how much longer the wait is and we're told the table is being set and it should be another few minutes. At 6pm, we were still waiting and growing increasingly frustruated that we're being given the run around. I ask the hostess how much longer and she tells me that the table is being set and it should be another 5 minutes. At this point, I'm wondering how long it takes to set a table, especially since the restaurant is basically empty except for a couple full tables. I ask to speak to a manager and explain the situation to him. The manager gives us attitude and tells us that they are setting the table and very busy. I've worked at a restuarant before and I don't think the proper reaction to guests who have been waiting for over half an hour is to get defensive and make excuses. I then overheard the manager asking the hostess how long we've been waiting and she says, "like 5 minutes." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! At this point, we were waiting about 35 minutes, even though we had a reservation! To top it off, the hostess and manager were extremely rude and not accomodating. I am always understanding if the wait is a bit longer than expected or if the restuarant is busy but there was barely anyone there and the hostess blatantly lied about our wait time! The whole experience was unsettling. When we finally got seated, I found the food to not be worth the wait. And for $70 per person, I expected it to be pretty stellar. We left and I realized the next day that I forgot my sweater in the booth. I left a message three days in a row and no one ever called me back. Finally, I just went to the restaurant and it turns out the hostess had it behind the host stand. A call back would have been a nice touch. Overall, I will not be returning here and for the price, you can definitely find delicious food and great service elsewhere in the same area.

    (1)
  • Preety S.

    Great place for happy hour drinks and snacks! Love the view of the city, it can be romantic if you want to make it that. Or just great to get together with friends and/or co-workers. Food and drinks are unique and delicious. Have yet to try this place for dinner, but I will be heading over here again for drinks/snacks soon!

    (4)
  • Dung N.

    I had high hopes for this place... been hearing about the view for as long as they have been open... too bad the food was whack. i had the pork loin with beans and it was bland and the beans where not fully cooked. highly disapointed as i had hoped that this place would have great food and a great view. im being generous by giving them two stars. (one for the view and one for the effort) **also we made our reservations a month in advance so that we could get window seating in the main room... we ended up sitting in an area in the back of the resaurant which was like sitting in a hotel cafeteria.

    (2)
  • Kaitlin L.

    Shh. I'm going to tell you a secret. Come closer, I don't want a lot of people to know this or it will get too crowded... R2L's happy hour starts at 4:30 pm. That's right. And, the drink prices are reasonable. $8 cocktails (I had a cranberry sage mojito, they also had a martini and a loree jones as options), $7 wines (3 reds, 3 whites) and $3-$4 beer! Win! The view here is lovely. You can see the whole city. I can imagine it being absolutely beautiful on a sunny day. If you need a bite to eat, they have happy hour appetizers as well.

    (4)
  • Matthew P.

    The food is very average for what you will pay for it. The only thing you are paying for is the view you get while you eat. I think this place should only be used for drinks. That way you can have a few drinks and enjoy the few, then head out to a better dinning experience.

    (2)
  • Salima C.

    Food is so so. View is Amazing as is the overall ambiance. If you could eat the view, I rate it 5 stars.

    (2)
  • Gary S.

    Finally got around to eating here. Had been a huge fan of Daniel Stern at his Queen Village place (now closed) but had heard mixed things about R2L. Pleased to say I found it to be truly excellent. Shared an array of appetizers - all excellent: lobster Mac and cheese, steak tartare, mussels, truffle flatbread. My entree was the short rib, which was delicious. Plus, of course the unmatched view and a fine wine list. Will definitely be back!

    (4)
  • Tiana G.

    The bill isn't worth the view...proteins were good. We were also worried we wouldn't get seated though we made reservations. One of our guests showed up the previous week with reservations and they were unable to seat them.

    (3)
  • Sean M.

    I took a client to lunch at R2L last Friday. First off, the view when you walk into the lounge area and towards the seating is stunning! 29th floor of 2 liberty is about as good as it gets for locations. Tables are U shaped, facing the windows. We were able to see for miles from our table! The food and service was excellent. Service was top notch. The fifth star will be attributed to the pastry chef. When the dessert tray came out, we decided to have one of each, and share. Each creation was excellent. My group was laughing as we passed them around, they were so good. After lunch, we sat at the bar for some drinks. The service and the selection was very good.

    (5)
  • DT F.

    We chose R2L to celebrate a special occasion, and it was perfect. The light, the views, the service, drinks, food, and dessert. Flawless. If you want to feel transported, this is the place!

    (5)
  • Janine L.

    My first experience with R2L was over a year ago for a business function; I was not impressed with my dry chicken and the overall crowdedness of the venue. However, after my experience last night I'm singing a different tune. My husband and I went with friends last night who selected the restaurant because of its Restaurant Week menu. I'm not sure if it was because of Restaurant Week, the day of the week, or the time we were dining (pretty late) but the restaurant was sparse. I actually liked this as it kept the volume down, allowed me to enjoy the romantic ambiance, and the fantastic view from our table. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meals. Nothing was dry, everything was flavorful and savory. To top off our experience our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu, friendly, and extremely attentive. The only part of the evening I did not like was that because we were dining late, and the restaurant and bar closes around 10PM, I felt rushed to leave when we had finished our meal. Will definitely come back here again for a special occasion.

    (4)
  • D J.

    Restaurant Week pick for lunch... Waste of time. Our mains arrived almost an hour after the two of us sat down and ordered from the fixed menu. I could have left the restaurant, walked over to Di Bruno, had a foie gras de canard sandwich and still gotten back in time to be served. We got several apologies, though. Avocado crab salad was only okay--a little too much like a Super Bowl party dip. Duck was fine--too salty (but skin was just about right). Apple tart was too dry. This was supposed to be a chance to attract us, not to repel us.

    (2)
  • Sara M.

    great food, great view. Try the lobster mac and cheese

    (5)
  • Tom R.

    After reading a few of the reviews on Yelp about how R2L promised window seating and then failed to deliver, denying people the view that is the special part of this dining experience, I called to make my reservation and asked for 6:30 pm seating and a window view. I was told there was no tables available facing the windows at that time. I asked for 7 pm, 7:30 pm, and 8 pm with the same answer, and finally was told that at 8:30 pm we could have a table with a view. It was a lot later seating than I wanted, but I took it, feeling secure that we would get what we asked for. However, we arrived at 8:15 pm, waited for about 25 minutes, and then we were escorted to a table in the middle of the room, with no view. We complained, and finally a manager came to tell us that the people taking reservations should never promise a window view. Now it was about 9 pm, we were starving and there was not even an offer to "make it right" by doing anything for us. We were unhappy but so hungry that we decided to stay and eat, figuring that the food would be good. The food was average and we left very disappointed. We will never go back.

    (1)
  • Christine B.

    The views from this place are amazing. I would say based on that alone, it's a good spot to impress a date. I only had some wine and some apps that were being passed around at an event. The wine was nothing special, and the food was only okay. There were a lot of people at the bar because its part of Center City Sips, so might have to go back to try a cocktail.

    (3)
  • Lauren B.

    This place is all ambiance and average "trendy" takes on food. The macaroni and cheese was almost insulting small. I understand the attempt at being modern and having small bites that pack a ton of flavor, but this was teeny tiny. The reason why I'm giving this place 3 stars and not 2 is because at sunset this place just glistens. Not much is better than sitting in the lounge and watching the sun kiss the horizon as it slowly drifts into twilight. But then again that's just Mother Nature at her finest. And if that's the case, she gets 5 stars. Anyway, come here for drinks and/or a cheese plate in the lounge. Skip dinner- overpriced and you'll end up on Grub Hub getting take out when you get home because you're still hungry.

    (3)
  • Jill T.

    Amazing views of the city. The food smelled amazing, but the bar was very crowded so I did not get to try any yet. I don't know if City Sips is the best time to try this place out. I think that their daily happy hour may be a better time to check out the scene. I plan to go back and try one of their flatbreads- they looked amazing. I tried one of the cocktails they offered for Sips- grapefruit juice and gin- a Greyhound- very good. Real grapefruit juice- major bonus points there. Unfortunately the Chardonnay they offered for Sips was really quite gross. I didn't get the name of the type of wine, but I am inclined to believe it was a previously opened bottle that did not store well as that's what it tasted like- stale wine is gross.

    (4)
  • Maxwell S.

    I'm definately a fan of this place so four stars. I feel like I wasn't completely blown away though. It's hard for me to put my finger on it but I felt like everything was good and not great. And also everything was expensive. Price matters. You are saying "hi this is what we think our product is worth" and in my opinion they have a good product that they are marking up. I'm sure the rent at that place is sky high. Litterally. And who knows maybe the table atwhich I was sitting was nicer and more expensive than I realized. It certainly would have been a treat for a family of zebras. Anyway check this place out. Tasty plates. I had the short rib. It was good. I've had better. For less money also but it's an experience. Probably my favorite thing there was actually the soup I had. It was unique. Oh and I also had desert. That was good too. Everything was good. Cool view. Friendly people. For some reason it was just not my scene. So I feel like I have to save the fifth star.

    (4)
  • Lauren O.

    Was treated to lunch at R2L and it was a fantabulous experience. Be sure to wrangle your way to one of the booths facing the window...it makes the "R2L experience" complete. Truffle and arugula flatbread was delish, crabcake sandwich was divine and the salmon burger one of my lunch companions had looked amazing. Food was great, experience made me feel like a posh professional instead of a poor student...don't think I'll be able to afford to return anytime soon but I'll be thrilled when I can. Perfect place for a date night!

    (4)
  • Michael N.

    R2L has the usual bar scene and beautiful people doing their impersonations of what they think people on a reality show might act like so it makes for fun people-watching. Food was good but not outstanding. Biggest letdown was the Taste Of Chocolate (dessert) which could have come out of an Entenmann's box. The bat cave has better lighting by the way. The staff is helpful assuming you don't die of natural causes while waiting to be seated at your table. The view is damned stunning though and probably the best in the city.

    (3)
  • Grace S.

    Great views and a great place to grab drinks if you can find a seat at the bar. My bf and I were able to after waiting a few minutes on a Saturday night. He really enjoyed the bourbon drink on the menu (Daylight Savings) and I enjoyed the Loree's Jones (you get your money's worth at $12 a cocktail). Lots of people were eating at the bar as well. GIven the reviews, I don't think I'd come back for the food but def for drinks esp the happy hour ($8 cocktails!)!

    (3)
  • Shanee S.

    The customer service here is ATROCIOUS! I tried to make a reservation for here a group of 10 (two months in advance) and you would have thought that I was the worker and they were the customers. The food is mediocre and procey. The view is spectacular--but that's all. Don't believe the hype.

    (1)
  • Food For T.

    Service and food was a 8 out of 10. The view is a 10 at night. try their oysters, lobster mac n' cheese, short ribs.

    (4)
  • Sarah S.

    Restaurant Week Review Let me start off by saying the view of the city from R2L is the best in town. That's about all it's good for though....5 stars for the view. We were sat an hour late because the hostess was looking for my friend in a "red scarf" to let us know our table was ready. And of course after a few drinks she took it off and you can guess the rest of the story. The food didn't come for an hour and it was very greasy, and bland. I actually had a meal off the regular menu being a veggie and all and it was terrible....seriously! It was some kind of spinach balls with other "steamed" veggies. It was greasy....no joke. My husband was not very pleased with his choice either off the Restaurant Week menu. The desert was just OK. If R2L was trying to hook you during Restaurant week they failed. I will only come back here for drinks. It really is just a glorified hotel Restaurant with spectacular views.

    (2)
  • Alicia C.

    You will be impressed once you get on the elevator. But it's not hard to impress me with an elevator. My husband took me here for our anniversary dinner and it was very trendy and elegant. We had reservations for 8 on a Tuesday evening. Once you get around the area there is not a flashing neon sign to tell you where it is. We passed this discreet ground sign and a simple awning twice. Once you enter the lobby there will be a receptionist that points you to the elevators and you will be taken up I want to say 40+ stories to R2L. You take a small walk to the dining area and get to see the amazing view of the city. We went on a dreary rainy night and sat at a table not a booth, and still had quite a view! Make reservations and request a booth. Thank me later. Seating was pretty prompt. Just enough time for me to get a beer and take two sips. Service is attentive. If you are a simple gal (or guy) like me you will feel like you are in one of those fancy restaurants on TV. They exist!! With that being said the portions go more for presentation than size. So don't go uber hungry. We started out with the R2L wings. I got the lobster paella and my spouse got the grilled salmon. All were served promptly, the timing was good (so you wont get the "Oh you're entree is ready whether you like it or not" treatment) the presentation was simple and elegant. We skipped dessert there because I wanted a big sloppy dessert and I knew they would just have those artsy desserts. Also everyone seemed to be wearing dark subdued colors in there ( the business crowd). So when getting dressed, if you don't want to be daring, think little black dress with a touch of red or purple accessories and not flashy rainbow blouse like I did.

    (5)
  • Ajay A.

    Went there yesterday for the restaurant week lunch. Terrific view of Philadelphia, probably a lot better at night. We had the shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon as the first course, both very good. For the second course, had the farm egg frittata and the fried flounder sandwich, which were good. The third course of lemon meringue tart and toasted banana marshmallow was excellent. If you like marshmallows, the toasted banana marshmallow is a must-have. Flawless service, one of the best I have seen.

    (4)
  • PJ S.

    Nice view, at least at night. I attended a function in a private room and liked it enough to return a week later for dinner. Very dissapointed that I did. The private room was quiet and appropriate for business associates. The restaurant was not. Food was okay. View okay. Waitress very pleasant, but the manager was lost and floundering. A large party of a dozen or so folks were drunk and obnoxiously loud at the bar -- loud enough to be obnoxious when they were thirty feet away. It got worse. When they were seated at the table next to us, it was unbearable. I was with two business associates from overseas. The loud dolts at the next table started making fun of the national anthem of my guests' home country. Way out of hand. The manager, a vapid twenty-something, was cavorting with the bus boys at the kitchen counter the whole time (over a half hour) and doing nothing to get his restaurant under control. I quietly, and discreetly made my way to the unmanned maitre de station and then spotted the manager hiding with his pals. I asked if he was the manager, he said he was. I told him what was going on and asked him to attend to the problem. I went back to my guests. Like a confused puppy, the cloutless manager followed me and went directly to the table of dolts to speak with them. The manager then made a point of coming directly to me to let me know he asked them to be quiet. Zero discretion. Clueless, in fact. Needless to say, five minutes later the table of stooges was at it in full force. I would never take business clients to this restaurant. In fact, after tonight, I will never go back.

    (1)
  • nancy a.

    The service we received was excellent as well as the attention to detail. We were celebrating a birthday and without any prompting, we received complimentary champagne and Happy Birthday was written on the dessert plate. Everything was lovely. The sunset was breathtaking even though some clouds. I was somewhat disappointed with the menu as most options on for happy hour were fried or heavy on the fat load.......... We were told the risotto was very lightly fried and it actually was deep fried. The root vegetables we had a dinner were sumptuous. The management is extremely motivated to make sure we were satisfied because after I expressed my disappointment with the how my lamb was prepared, I was offered a gift card to try again, which I am looking forward to !! Next time I will also get there around 430 to get the most out of the sunset this winter.

    (4)
  • Jenny B.

    I should start by saying I'm from NYC, so maybe my expectations are a bit higher. With that being said; I thought the menu was awful (diner here nearly 9 mos. ago so I don't remember what I had but I do remember picking my entree by which one sounded the least disgusting). The menu is heavy on red meat and fish; not the best place to go for vegetarians. Service was so so. Disappointed in the food would a true statement. The views of the city - well that's all this place has going for it, so I gave it a second try but this time just for drinks. R2L seems like a much better place for just drinks and to soak up the views.

    (2)
  • Niyant S.

    I've only had the pleasure of having dinner here once, but I must say it was one of the best meals I've ever had. This place is definitely fancy/upscale, so please don't show up in jeans and a t-shirt. While the atmosphere is classy, the food prices are not unreasonable, and they change the menu from time to time so you get to have some variety if you go multiple times. Our meal was fantastic, though I cannot remember the names of everything that well now. In particular, for my dinner I got the chicken which came with a side of brussel sprouts, rice, and some potatoes. Every item on that dish was cooked perfectly, and I'm not ashamed to admit I finished every single thing! What sets R2L apart from most other upscale restaurants though (at least in Philly) is the amazing views you get to appreciate while dining. R2L is on like the 40th floor of one of the Liberty Place Towers, and at night you get to dine while taking in Center City! I definitely recommend coming here for special occasions or if you really want to impress a date!

    (5)
  • Kevin v.

    Great Food, Great View and Great Service. Our waiter Ryan made it a wonderful dinner.

    (4)
  • Patty G.

    I went here with a group of my girlfriends for Restaurant Week. The view is amazing! Even though we weren't at a table by the window we still had great views of the city. Our waiter, Ryan, was really friendly and made the night a lot of fun. The food was delicious. I really enjoyed my braised short ribs, though they don't at all compare to Lolita (but whose short ribs do, really?). The dessert, I had the apple tart, was fine but nothing special. Would I return? I would try it for lunch and will certainly come during Sips next summer. Overall, the menu was pricey for food that was good but not exceptional. If you're there and happen to get Ryan as your server, be sure to ask him to tell you his white water rafting stories. It will be the highlight of your evening!

    (3)
  • Sonya S.

    Hands down best view of the city. I love the decor, too. The cocktails are yummy as well as the food & dessert. Perfect for a date!

    (4)
  • Kelly P.

    gorgeous views, but you'll have to specify in your reservation if you want a table near the floor-to-ceiling windows. my friend and i enjoyed a couple apps (shrimp cocktail and risotto balls) and more than a couple drinks (some fruity cocktails and white sangria). not bad at all, attentive service, but i did feel slightly put-off by the hostess initially. cool bathroom. dark ambiance at night.

    (3)
  • Rachel w.

    Best view of the city -- hands down ... just remember, you are also paying a lot for that view! This is the perfect first date place --- dimly lit, high in the sky, fancy drinks. This is NYC meets Philly!

    (4)
  • Thao H.

    Great view from the center of the city at 37 floors up. 3 stars for the food and small drinks. +1 star for the views and ambiance. Be ready to spend $80-100/person for dinner. Or $30-40/person to hang out for a few drinks. Take your visiting from out-of-town friend here for the view.

    (4)
  • Patrick C.

    I was pretty pleased with my trip to R2L to celebrate the GF's and my anniversary. First off, the ambiance. It's a pretty impressive place with an awesome view. This has already been reviewed in depth, so I'm not going to bother describing it. We happened to get to our west-facing table right as the sun was going down, which was spectacular. Try to make a reservation for sundown, if you can. Food-wise, R2L suffered from what we termed "bookends" syndrome - the beginning and end of the meal were excellent, while the entrees left a little to be desired. I liked the strong wasabi flavor in the tuna flatbread and thought the onion soup's presentation was pretty cool - a thin disk of bread baked around the crock replaced the traditional soggy croutons/toast in the broth. And Joanna's beet salad was very tasty - as a beet salad connoisseur , she gave it 2 thumbs up. The entrees though... I dunno, the veal x-ways didn't really do it for me. I was sort of surprised, given Chef Stern's reputation as a master of all things calf. The various preparations all tasted pretty similar, and were a little greasy for my tastes, with the exception of the meatloaf (definitely a highlight). Jo ordered the short ribs off of the "Mains: Prepared Simply" menu and, well, let's just say the menu's name was an understatement. She thought they were ok, but I thought they were awful, dry and flavorless. At least she got the delicious shitake fries as a side dish. Dessert tipped R2L back squarely into 4-star territory. I seriously considered getting a glass of 30yr Laphroaig, since a) I'd never before seen it available by the glass and b) I want to drink a glass of Laphroaig older than me, and I've only got 3 years left before I have to find some 40- or 50-year . My old roommate and I have a pact to go buy a bottle of the stuff, and it probably wouldn't have gone that well with a dessert called "Cinnamon Toast Crunch", so I decided to just go with the latter. Delicious stuff. All in all, it was a nice little meal. Generally, we just look for the most interesting food we can find when we go out to eat. That wasn't the goal for this trip, so we weren't disappointed.

    (3)
  • Frank G.

    After a long day of site-seeing, I wanted to sit back and relax somewhere with a fantastic view. What a great choice this was. The staff and service were wonderful and the view is probably the best in Philly. My only complaint was that we didn't stick around and eat dinner. The menu looked great -- will absolutely go there the next time we're in town.

    (5)
  • Stephen H.

    My city she is beautiful from thirty seven floors skyward. Her lights glowed like a thousand Christmas trees just after twilight. R2L provides an Olympian view of the City of Brotherly love, safely encased in a fishbowl of sleek design and dimly lit elegance. From the open kitchen to the china and glass ware, every aspect had the style and class I would expect when eating at the top of my world. The appetizers and small plates were a little underwhelming, but the cocktails and main courses equaled the class of decor. The service was flawless, and our blazer adorned waiters, were reminiscent of service for the early 20th century aristocracy. R2L is expensive, but is great for a special occasion, and as I looked down at what must surely be the urban chaos of a Friday night in Philadelphia, I was able to appreciate the peace or indifference which comes from the view of the gods.

    (4)
  • Melissa R.

    Went here for my birthday dinner and it was fantastic! It reminded me of being on the top floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago. Great views, chicly decorated and a great wine list. We started with the Oysters Rockefeller and Cheesesteak snack. Both delicious! The Cheesesteaks were a creative take on this Philly classic with venision, onions, and mushrooms with an aioli sauce. The short ribs fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The signature sea bass I found bland, but the scallop that came with it was savory. For our sides, we got the cippolini (small onions) rings with jalapeno and roasted asparagus, both worth trying. To top it all off, the dessert was to die for! I chose the beignets, but the waiter also suggested the vanilla cake, which was similar to a molten chocolate cake, and it was heaven! The beignets were good, but the vanilla cake was even better! I would err on the side of saying this is a special occasion place, but can also be fun for drinks and appetizers. Enjoy the view!

    (4)
  • Meghann p.

    Well I should know not to go to a restaurant during restaurant week, but when you make a reservation at 8:30pm...you do not expect to be seated at 9:40pm....completely rude on R2L's part, especially when making the reservation they told me they only hold the reservation for 10 minutes? I really like the feeling and being up so high in the city at night! Food was ok, not sure if it was because we were eating so late and at that point just so upset and pissed at R2L or what???? I got the olive plate which had string cheese and olive tapenade... good. Another friend got the potstickers...not good...you could not even tell they were scallop and bacon..and so small. Dinner, I had the short ribs...the meat just fell -excellent. Icecream and sorbet for dessert---were good. Our server was nice and manager sent over a comped appetizer...but still if you can not accomodate and take people at their reservation time...do not take the reservation! Not sure I will be back any time soon...there are so many other excellent restaurants in the city I will be going to before I would ever come back!

    (2)
  • tzu c.

    I have one word to describe my dining experience here....underwhelmed. I came there with my girlfriends for a b'day dinner. While the view was great...thats where it stops. The waitstaff was slow and confused. I order the salmon and it came out cold with bones in it!! I've had better cleaned fish at a not so ritzy place. The short ribs that my friends ordered were bland. The apps and desert might have saved the day...except for the price of the dinner and type of establishment, the apps and desert should not be the only good thing. All courses should be consistently good. I might come back here for just drinks and apps but thats a big IF. For the price, I think you can definitely get better food and service else where.

    (2)
  • Jean C.

    Let me state that I unequivocally enjoyed my dinner at R2L. When a restaurant is located on the 37th floor of a building, you pretty much can expect that it will be a bit pricey. Although my friend and I didn't get to sit at a window, we were still able to look out at the view from our table. Service was great, our server knew the menu pretty well. We started with the grilled truffle flatbread and the rabbit nachos. Both were excellent, but the rabbit nacho was the winner. I can still remember the taste: the jalapeno mousse added just the right kick of heat, the homemade nachos were crunchy, and the rabbit was killer! Although I enjoyed the flatbread as well, I thought it had a bit too much arugula on the top. For entrees, I chose the ribeye with fries which could sound a bit pedestrian. Those were the BEST damn fries I've had in a long time. My friend had the venison with the licorice sauce, I'm not a big fan of licorice, but the venison was cooked just right. As I write this review, I'm salivating from the memories of this meal!! I would return to R2L for another meal, which must include the rabbit nachos. Yummy...

    (5)
  • Steve S.

    Fantastic meal! The lobster mac n' cheese is pretty darn good - a little burnt crust on top would make it even better. The chopped salad was great. The huge pork chop for 2 was perfect. We were hoping they had the rib-eye steak for 2 on the menu (that was one of the best steaks we EVER had at Rae - their last place), but the pork filled the void for now. The service was exceptional. Not a cheap place, but they deliver the goods!

    (5)
  • Miz V.

    Avoid this place for Restaurant week and City Sips .They treat their customers that attended these events like red headed step children. Wise up people as hard as times for your line of work in this town my green spends just as well if not better than all those pretentious people with all that plastic in the wallet . Remember: "An ounce of pretentious is worth a pound of manure! "

    (2)
  • Sila Y.

    Good drinks (heavy on the alcohol), best view of city but not great food. Best dish I think: lamb chops.

    (3)
  • Aviv G.

    Very nice modern ambience and view. Extensive albeit spendy wine list. Attentive service. My low rating is solely due to the entree that I had which was the HERITAGE BREED PORK RIBEYE - mustard crust, country-style pork + dumpling stew 42. Half of it was fat. OK, I understand that a bit of bacon or belly is in but this was literally half of the dish!

    (2)
  • Karel V.

    Somehow I never come here for a full dinner, just for a drink and apps. The bar area is pretty large for a Center City restaurant of this level of fancy, especially if you count the lounge area by the windows. The bar menu is rather limited. I usually stick with a glass of wine, but the cocktails are also mixed well. Last two times I've been to R2L, I got the lobster mac & cheese. Delicious, though the portion size and lobster-mac&cheese ratio seem variable, with the second time being a larger and more lobstery than the first. I hope that's a permenant change! All in all, a great place for a fancy before-dinner drink. I'll have to stay for dinner next time.

    (4)
  • Chris B.

    This place is just not worth your money. The place had an incredible ambiance but a crammed single elevator full of people for 37 stories is just awkward before/right after dinner. However, The restaurant does have a nice view as a result of being this high up. I had the lobster and she had the chicken, food was decent. The wine list is clearly just overpriced cheap wine. I ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio that was around 60 dollars if I recall and it was served in a twist off container wine bottle. Classy! The waiter or kitchen definitely messed up our order. Saw three couples/tables get their meal to completion, I'm talking wine to dessert before my date and I got our entree. We sat down at 7:45 for an 8:00 reservation and did not receive food until 9:15. They did offer an appetizer on the house, but made us late for plans in the evening and free appetizer did not come until about 9:00. I also mentioned to the waiter that it was my date's birthday and he said I'll see what I can do. I saw three other birthdays happening around us, each got a brownie with a birthday candle and a happy birthday from the same waiter. When we were finally finished waiting for dinner for so long I'd figure she would get a nice birthday desert too. Nope, he just showed us the dessert menu. Totally forgot I even asked. The place got rather loud after 9pm too as we were sitting not too far from the bar with drunk birthday parties screaming and singing at the top of their lungs. Avoid this place, your money is better spent elsewhere.

    (2)
  • Patty H.

    I love the view from R2L -- day, sunset, or evening you can't go wrong! It's a great space and I have always found the staff to be extremely helpful... case in point, I was having drinks with friends when I received a "mayday" call from the team at work -- I was struggling to hear (and not intrude on others fun) when an employee tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him... he led me in to an empty private room and told me to take as long as I needed. It was such an unexpected and nice gesture, and one that I have not forgotten. In terms of food, I concur with others that the entrees are not the reason to visit R2L -- we generally go for drinks and share apps/salads in lieu of entrees... there are a number of great apps, and it makes for a fun meal - especially with friends!

    (4)
  • Arseny R.

    Great view, amazingly done dishes. But then there are drawbacks. Portions are just too small for many things. French onion in a cup not much bigger than a shot glass, give me a break. Lounge and the restaurant are too intertwined, maybe this is the special appeal, but it got just too loud for too long at one point of time. Wine list is plainly strange, its priced exponentially and they ran out of Haut-Medoc by the time we got seated :-(. The biggest drawback in my opinion was the waiting staff. For one they did not know the menu 100% percent, second they did not pay attention to the table, leaving scores of dirty glasses and dishes on table as more stuff arrived (there were six of us), and while there we have seen too many trays dropped around the restaurant. Last draw was a glass of water falling on top of wine glasses sitting atop our table. We could be easily reseated to a table right next to us as we were done eating and were waiting for some coffee before calling it quits. But the staff had a slow and not so efficient process of clearing the glass shards from all around and missing some right on the table. I am curious what they would do if this happened when our main course was on the table. All in all, great view, wonderfully prepared dishes, but too much of a lounge.

    (3)
  • Keith F.

    I went here based on a lot of the hype surrounding the place. In some ways it didn't disappoint BUT in ways that I feel really mater it did! What I really liked about the place was the fact that it was located on the 37th Floor and had great views of the city and surrounding areas. You really did feel like you were in NYC as another reviewer posted. I loved how you checked the coat downstairs and took the private elevator to the restaurant. We were immediately greated by a very pleasant hostess. The bar is as others described, it was very hopping and for a Friday Happy Hour it was a great crowd. Our waiter came over to our table pretty quickly and he was nice BUT call it a pet peeve, he took our water order but never asked if we wanted a cocktail. Okay...so it's FRIDAY and 6pm what's the first thing on your mind...get me a drink! So he failed here! We proceeded to order a 'snack' or appetizer which we asked to br brought out first, my partner ordered a salad and I ordered the soup and we each ordered our entree. You probably guessed it already but just in case you didn't, they brought out our app and salad/soup at the same time. They also brought the bread out at the same time as well...we felt like in 10 seconds were were bombarded from all sides! The snack we ordered was the Rabbit Nachos...I thought they were great. A little salty but great! I never had rabbit before but after having this snack, I don't think I'd be afraid to order it again. I got the onion soup and I loved the portion (not too much) but man was it super sweet...a little overwhelming actually. I was hungry though so I did eat it all. My partner ordered the caesar salad, I think, but he was unable to finish it though because it was way too salty. Next I had the ribeye and when I say I make a more flavoful ribeye, I make a more flavorful ribeye. It was a huge disappointment in my opinion. My partner had the short ribs which were really good, they melted in your mouth. So overall, I would totally go here for the bar especially for happy hour and probably order some apps. For a dinner, I can think of a lot of other places to go that are twice as good for a 1/3 of the price.

    (2)
  • Terrell W.

    We only had drinks. Service was impeccable. The view was astonishing. The bill was huge!

    (4)
  • Xinyuan W.

    came here for a corporate dinner, great view and impeccable service, however, the food is mediocre. I had the filet mignon, nothing special. come here to hangout for the view and get a drink, but not for the food.

    (3)
  • Steve M.

    I didn't get around to writing a review after my last visit, but here it is. I made reservations on Christmas eve to take my mother out for dinner here. we showed up and were told to sit at the bar until our table was ready. doesn't that defeat the purpose of a reservation? 25 mins go by and I ask the snobby hostesses about the status of our table, and magically its ready one min later. little did I know things were about to get MUCH WORSE. the waiter, white guy with goatee in his late 30s or early 40s, was the biggest prick to my mother and I. it was so bad we got up to leave but the manager stopped us and convinced us to stay, and personally took our orders. I couldn't believe how disrespectful and arrogant this clown of a waiter was. it ruined our night. this moron has no business being in the server industry. not too long after, I saw this guy at the bishops collar, drinking by himself. I recognized him right away and the bartender, who knew him, says hes been fired from many restaurants before. surprise surprise. needless to say I will never return to R2L until they get rid of the piss poor staff and get some new people who know what customer service means.

    (1)
  • Becky S.

    I really liked R2L. I can't speak as much to the value as I didn't pick up the tab though. But the food was delicious. They add a mix to their food so it isnt just the standard. For apps we enjoyed the lobster, crab cakes, mini burgers, bacon wrapped scallops dumplings, and the flat bread. All were delicious. The bread basket was even good! I was full just from that alone and completely satisfied. But then for the main course I got the lobster paella. Not at all what I was expecting. I lived in spain and was thinking traditional paella. This was more of a seafood medley - no rice. It was delicious as well but just an fyi. Most people at my table got the steak and ribs which was also very good. Everyone enjoyed their meals. We had to go for dessert and ended up getting a vanilla cake with ice cream. So yummy. R2L also brough us 2 complimentary pallet cleansers which were interesting. Nice of them, but nothing to write about. Drinks were good - liked their wine choice. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable. He definitely pushed only expensive items when asked for recommendations of wine and entrees though which annoyed me. We came for dinner but walked through the bar to our table. Happy Hour was packed and looked fun. It is a little too dark for my taste but it is a nice place and the deals were awesome. Stella was $3 as were other beers and they had a selection of wines for $5. And lastly - the ambiance. I liked how it was decorated but it would have been lighter. The way the tables were set gave enough space to not be on top of people and to feel private. And the views of the city were awesome.

    (4)
  • Lydia H.

    The absolute best part about dining at R2L is the spectacular view of the city from the glass-walled restaurant. As the sun sets, the city becomes illuminated and the view is outstanding. The only challenge with the view, of course, is that there is only so much seating right around the perimeter of the room to really take advantage of the view. We were seated right in the middle of the restaurant and couldn't take advantage of the view, but we did get up and walk around in between courses. I would recommend asking for a perimeter table if they take requests. The food was very good. Not phenomenal, but very good. I started with the Crisp Cheese Risotto, and got the Salmon for my main course. I was disappointed by the Risotto, served in ball-form and deep fried. The inside was delicious, rich and creamy risotto, but it was overpowered by the heavy, fried exterior. I almost couldn't taste anything. The salmon was lovely, with truffle fries and mushroom sauce. I'm not even a big mushroom fan, but the salmon was cooked perfectly and paired quite well with the mushroom. My fiance had the Romaine salad (they could have just called it Caesar, but ok), and the Venison. He loved both! We shared the Warm Vanilla Cake for dinner, which was light, moist and absolutely delicious. Overall we had a great meal, the service was good, but I was disappointed that we came for the view and couldn't really take advantage of it. If we go back, I will be making sure to ask for a great table to enjoy the scenery.

    (4)
  • Jocelyn B.

    My fiance took me to R2L for my birthday. I cannot speak more highly of the ambiance of this restaurant! Even on a cloudy and rainy night, the view was to die for! Why aren't there more restaurants like this in the city?! All of the tables were spaced far apart from one another... unlike most places where they try to squeeze as many tables in as possible and you feel like you're sharing your dinner with the strangers next to you! The seats were comfy couches and perfectly placed around the room to face the windows overlooking the city. To start our meal we ordered a Caesar salad and the crab cake appetizer. The salad was VERY salty and the crab cake was only so-so (not a whole lot of crab). For our meals, he ordered the fillet and I got the stripped bass. The fillet was VERY good and perfectly prepared. My striped bass had a great flavor to it! It was pared with a scallop, some mixed veggies, and a square unknown fatty substance. I later looked over the menu description and realized that was the "fresh bacon"! It was a good 3 inches thick of fat! The rest of the items on the plate made up for the fat though! I don't have much to praise about our server. He was strangely quiet and made it a bit of an akward encounter. All in all the atmosphere was amazing and we will definitely be back again... hopefully on a clear night!

    (4)
  • Devon L.

    nice restaurant. the view of the city from the 37th floor is amazing and the food had great quality. I had what was supposed to be the nationally recognized lamb dish. it was good, but I guess after the waiter hyped it up so much I was expecting orgasmic good. other than that, this is a great place for dates or drinks with a few friends that you hold in high regards.

    (3)
  • Younjin L.

    2 stars for the view and dessert. Made reservation on Sat., got there on time and had to wait for more than an hour for our table. They didn't seem very apologetic. Horrible bartender and horrible hostess. There were only two good things. 1. Dessert: awesome pastry chef 2. View.

    (2)
  • Pat A.

    Private dinner party. Seated right away. Wait service in my case is negligible because private party. Service was constant, non-annoying, pleasant, courteous. Was never an empty glass on a table (water, beer, or wine). 1. View - Was at night so was similar to looking out of a plane at night. still pleasant to see. 2. Dessert - Warm vanilla cake - Mini cake served warm with warm vanilla cream filling topped with powdered sugar and caramel streak. Accompanied by dark/white chocolate bar blend with wafer flake and white choc flake. I recommend this. The textures and flavors go together very well. 3. Entree - Beef tenderloin and Short Rib. Short Rib done nicely, needed just a fork to cut through it. Fatty cut, but expected. Tenderloin was underdone. Ordered medium, got it rare. Despite this fail, the rare finished cut, was done well, if I'd ordered rare. But still wasn;t the best steak I've had. But I ate it all. I didn't give it back, don't want my food spat on. Dish served with leeks, white beans, and pancetta. Accompaniments were so-so. MISC THOUGHTS Comparable restaurant is XIX atop the Bellevue. High up, great city view giving providing restaurant personality. R2L more lounge-like. XIX more elegant, romantic. Between the two, food edge to R2L slightly through one experience at each restaurant. IMO, I'd rather have the food set itself apart than the style and personality of the restaurant. If you want to impress through wallet and experience, go here.

    (3)
  • Maria L.

    When I think of R2L, the first thing that comes to mind is the view! Large windows provide a 360 view of the city skyline- a gorgeous site! I love seeing the city light up at night while sipping on a cocktail. You enter a large building and go up to one of the top floors to enter the restaurant/lounge, enhancing the "secret gem in the city" feel. R2L is a trendy place with swanky decor and an attitude to match. The last time I went was near Christmas time and the restaurant was filled with poinsettias and lights (it looked beautiful). The booths/tables are small, providing a cozy city feel. There is one bar in the front which is sometimes rather crowded, but the drinks are delicious. The only reason I took away one star is for poor service. My boyfriend and I came here and was directed by the hostess to wait at a nearby table (1/3 of tables were empty) until they were ready to seat us. We kept having to track down the hostess, because she completely forgot about us twice and kept us waiting a long time. After waiting nearly an hour, our waiter came over and rudely told us to get up and that we would have to be seated by the hostess. We told him the hostess sat us long ago, that we were waiting on him. Finally, the server and hostess opened a basic line of communication and realized that since we were sitting in his section, he was supposed to serve us just as he was serving the other patrons sitting at nearby tables. They are not very accommodating on menu changes- and I am talking about basic changes. I asked for balsamic vinaigrette dressing or plain oil and vinegar and the server said he couldn't do it. The food still tasted pretty good. The serving sizes are small, its more of the place to go for a quick snack or a light dinner. We ordered the lobster mac n cheese which was really good and salads which were also good. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place to a friend. I am totally in love with the view, which IMO is one of the best in Philly as far as lounges/bars go. I would love to give this place 5 stars, but the unfriendly staff we encountered made this less than a perfect experience. If we do not encounter that problem next time, I will gladly change my rating to a 5.

    (4)
  • Michael H.

    I heard great things about this restaurant and decided to check it out with my girlfriend. The ambience is great. It surpassed my expectations based on pictures I had seen prior to visiting. The wait for a table was not long and our food didn't take too long either. The waiter was very accommodating as well. As far as the food I was less impressed than I expected. I think this location is great in terms of the look, feel, and experience, but if you're looking for a mind blowing treat, I don't think this is the place.

    (3)
  • H T.

    Just came here for a Valentine's dinner and had the best time. The staff was so friendly and informative. Our waiter recommended a Pinot noir that went great with my meal. Every table was filled but since we faced the window (which has an amazing view from 37 floors up!) it didn't feel crowded at all. The lobster mac and cheese, short ribs, and warm vanilla dessert - amazing. Make reservations ahead of time to try and get a window seat.

    (4)
  • Trisha G.

    Upscale restaurant with a wonderful view! Make reservations ahead of time and request a window seat. If you're not too hungry, they have a beautiful bar area for happy hour to view the sunset. Wonderful service and delicious food. Definitely try the lobster mac and cheese!

    (4)
  • Reem C.

    R2L is situated in the heart of Center City with validated parking ($10) and a great view of the city. That's pretty much where it ends. I probably should have done more research before letting one of my frat brothers pick this place. Four of us (four guys that is) dined in a dimly lit restaurant above the city with nothing but couples and mixed gender groups. We probably should have thought this through. I ordered lobster mac and cheese and sauteed broccoli. Continental, which is located two blocks north of R2L has better lobster mac and cheese for the same price. The sauteed broccoli was really good, but who get's extremely excited about broccoli. The main dishes weren't very appealing to me, which led to me ordering two appetizers. Overall, great food, nice ambiance, but for the price, I can go elsewhere and enjoy my food much more.

    (2)
  • Anh C.

    4 stars just for the view and ambiance :) lol. I also have to add that service was amazing. But no seriously, I came here for restaurant week with someone who was very special to me. R2L's restaurant week menu looked quite appetizing and in addition to the view that I had to see for myself, it was one of my top choices for restaurant week. We were able to be accommodated with a window view because I had reserved our table weeks in advance. It took about 15 minutes for us to get seated which was understandable since we were slightly late. I definitely enjoyed my appetizer, entree, and especially dessert choices. In addition to the restaurant week menu, we ordered the truffle flatbread which was as delicious as everyone else on yelp said it would be. The pretzel bread was good but I can't say it's anything special. Restaurant week menus are often a hit or miss... But I have to say there's no doubt that I would return to R2L again for restaurant week or even on a normal day.

    (4)
  • Peter N.

    Very good restaurant easy parking in the garage sand very good view. There is a catch though. For the Philadelphia skyline scenery seating,they will hold your reservation for 10 minutes (that was what I was told ). After that they will relocate your seating to a regular seat. Take advantage of their wine menu, it is diverse and well selected. The food will leave you wanting for more and the price fits the good and service.

    (5)
  • Penghui S.

    Most people go there for the view but if you live or work in a high-rise building with similar views, R2L is nothing special with so-so environment and decoration. Plus you have to make a reservation probably two months in advance to secure a window table. Food is not bad, service is really good, but given the price level, it's just average among so many fine restaurants in Philly. I'd prefer some place more exquisite and special.

    (3)
  • Duane D.

    My basis for a review is a little limited because we came to a group dinner and sat in a side dining room with a limited menu. However, the restaurant is very nice. The main dining room has a great atmosphere with an open kitchen and great views of the city from the 37th floor. The food we had was very good -- especially for a large group that all sat at the same time. We had an interesting salad, and a well-cooked filet mignon. The service was very friendly and very attentive. I would definitely come back and eat in the main dining room.

    (4)
  • Robert M.

    *Make sure you wear dress shoes to this restaurant, we checked the website beforehand and were fine, but I saw them turn away a couple at the door because of the husband's sneakers* We went here for my 33rd birthday and I had an amazing experience. Of course the view is fantastic (I'd recommend making reservations early out as our month lead-time allowed us a prime spot right next to the west-facing window). As I said, my wife notified the restaurant that this was a birthday dinner, and we were promptly escorted to our table where two glasses of champagne were waiting. Nice touch. I'm just going to run down my meal since that was my main experience, but the wife seemed to thoroughly enjoy hers as well. Appetizer: Tuna Sashimi paired with Sweetbreads. The sweetbreads were good, not fantastic, but the sashimi was the obvious draw for this course. A perfectly refreshing first course with a nice acidity to the tuna. The tofu seemed superfluous, but it usually is in my opinion. Main Course: Filet Mignon with potatoes and Pinot Noir. I will never not-like this meal and there's not much to say about steak other than "Did they get the temp right?"; which, yes Very tasty It's on the 37th floor of Liberty 2 so you're obviously paying for location to a degree but I would recommend this spot for any celebratory dinner for 2, Beautiful view and ambiance, good service, great food.

    (5)
  • L M.

    We wanted to be impressed, but we just weren't. Seemed stuffy from the start. While checking in the 2 young girls spent an awkward amount of time finding our reservation. No "We're glad you chose to dine with us" or even a simple "Good evening." The food was good, not great-we had the lobster Mac appetizer, 2 entrees (it's extra for any veggie sides) and a glass of wine and a beer-$180. It just didn't seem worth it.

    (3)
  • Monika C.

    Loving the atmosphere and the view is AMAZING!!!! The food was great and so is the server. Over all this place was the best from most of my date with my guy ;)

    (5)
  • Sam B.

    Great views of course. Kinda shmancy but that is the vibe they are going for and sometimes that is what you want. Dirty Martinis at the bar are a a good bet. Great place to take a date you want to impress.

    (4)
  • Katelynn S.

    I'm really torn on what to rate this place. Decided to try out this place for restaurant week. And I'll start by saying the views are amazing. Our party didn't end up at a table facing directly outwards but we did have a table set up next to a window so it was still a nice view. This is by far the best part of the restaurant. Definitely make reservations well in advance and emphasis a table with an unobstructed view. Otherwise don't complain if you don't get that. Let's be honest everyone wants those tables. It's not the restaurants fault if you don't ask well in advance. We all ended up ordering off the restaurant week menu. The risotto was delicious. I wish I had more! I did the meat duo. It was pretty good. And the chocolate hazelnut dessert was good as well. I also tried my boyfriends duck which was delicious. The food is good. I'll give the restaurant that but besides the risotto it's nothing spectacular. For the price you pay I can see why some people were disappointed. My biggest complaint was service. Our server was awful. It took almost ten minutes to get her to come over and pour water. Another ten minutes to bring over wine. When we asked about the beer she didn't know what was on draft which wasn't the problem. What made me mad was when 10 minutes later she came back with the wine she totally forgot we even asked her about the beer. I can't say she improved at all throughout the meal. I work in a restaurant so I understand people have off days. It just was disappointing. Especially for the prices people are paying here I expect great service. We just didn't get it. I would say try this place out for the experience especially if you have a chance to go for restaurant week. The views are definitely worth it. Just not somewhere where I would frequently dine.

    (3)
  • Emily M.

    so you basically pay for the experience/atmosphere which is definitely worth seeing but the food was just eeehh.. okay. Compared to all the great restaurants in the city this was nothing to die for. If you do plan on going for dinner I would suggest requesting a seat by the window. If you don't you won't get to really see the views that this restaurant is famous for because they don't allow you to go up to the window to look. I would only go back to grab drinks since it is a neat place but dinner wasn't worth it.

    (3)
  • Lonny B.

    We came here for an anniversary dinner. We ordered from the restaurant week menu. I was very impressed with the quality and presentation of each course. They also added a personal touch to our desserts by writing happy anniversary in some syrup. That alone made my night and the experience that much better. The restaurant also offers amazing views of the city which was one of our main reasons for dining here. Overall we were beyond satisfied with everything. I look forward to our next visit.

    (5)
  • Geronimo G.

    The rabbit nachos weren't nachos, or really that good. But the service was. Great lighting. Big bar and big bar lounge both have sweet views, not a bad place to come and have a few expensive drinks.

    (4)
  • Emma S.

    R2L offers amazing views of the city, but that is the only thing good about this establishment. The drinks are disgusting, the bar tenders are cocky and not friendly/ helpful at all, and the food is horrible. The happy hour menu included "chilled oysters" however, they only had one type of oyster from "somewhere in Massachusetts". The oysters came out and were covered in horseradish and some strange strawberry compote. I ordered so many oysters, excited to kick off Memorial Day Weekend, and couldn't even taste the oysters. The menu needs to specify that these are not actually just "chilled oysters". We also ordered a cheese plate, the bartender told us that the options (also not specified) were "blue, goat and cheddar". We ordered the blue and goat. They gave us blue and cheddar. The cheddar tasted like it had been left out for hours and dried up. The blue tasted like they purchased it from CVS. There were some jams and mustards spread around the plate, we received no description and frankly all were gross. The drinks were the worst part. We actually received a complimentary beverage when we walked in, which was a lovely touch. However, after taking the first sip, I knew why they were free. The putrid "Honey Snap" was disgustingly salty and had way too much of whatever "soda" they were using. I ordered the "Summer Punch" that was described to me as a sweet, coconut rum, summer time punch. IT WAS ABYSMAL! It was filled with whatever carbonated substance they use in all of their drinks (not tonic, i'm told) and was absolutely disgusting. I asked for extra juice to drown out some of the taste and the bartender was offended, rude and made it worse. My fiance ordered the "Elevation" and was equally disgusted. It was served with a large chunk of ice in a martini glass and was bright pink. Horrible. The happy hour wine was also absolutely disgusting. I didn't finish any of the 3 drinks that I tried and the bar tender didn't reconcile any of it. The only way I would go here again would be to see the sunset - I would never order a drink (other than bottled beer- although, i'm sure they'd find a way to mess that up too!) and definitely wouldn't eat here either. Worth taking a look at the view, but otherwise AVOID.

    (2)
  • Miguel M.

    Packed at the time you want to see the excellent view of center city and sunset. Food is interesting in the bar area with things like mini sliders excellent prepared even if they are short on a good beer or glass of wine.

    (3)
  • Kay R.

    Let me start by saying I have been to R2L a few times before for special occasions and always had great experiences. However, we were excited to go back during Restaurant Week, and we were unfortunately, very disappointed. While I know restaurants usually skimp on portion sizes during Restaurant Week, the portions we experienced on Monday evening were outrageously small. In fact, we ended up going to another nearby restaurant AFTER dinner for appetizers because we were still so hungry - we should not have had to go to another restaurant after spending nearly $100 on dinner. Overall, the food was very good, just small. For starters we had the shrimp appetizer, it came with four average size pieces of shrimp, very good, followed by the filet and short rib duo entree...we each got literally two thin slices of filet and a TINY piece of short rib. We got one of each of the desserts which were very good, but again, very small. I understand restaurants don't love Restaurant Week, but why participate then?? I am left with a very poor taste in my mouth about R2L (which I have previously loved) because I truly felt like we got ripped off at dinner. My only other gripe is, it was clear they were trying to turn tables over quickly. The bread basket and our appetizers were brought out at the same time, within 5 minutes of us ordering. Our appetizer plates weren't even cleared when by the time our dinner appeared. Otherwise, the service was fine and drinks were strong. Not sure I will be back.

    (3)
  • Patti K.

    Very overpriced for what you get. Don't get me wrong, the food was good but not outstanding. I guess you're really paying for the view and the ambiance. The thing that really bugged me about this place was the server we had. I always like to ask our servers about the menu, what's popular, what's their favorite items. And she just kept suggesting the most expensive stuff. I mean its impossible for 2 ppl to come here and spend less than $150. So why are you trying so hard to upsell? Just answer the question honestly! Because we did end up ordering the most expensive appetizer (per the waitress's suggestion) and it was super lame.

    (4)
  • Gabby M.

    Incredible ambiance; probably the best view in the city. It is such a cool place for a nice meal. The food was great and the dessert was one of the best I have had in Philadelphia. Cannot wait to go back!

    (5)
  • Nicole H.

    The good: - Atmosphere: awesome, awesome, AWESOME views - Drinks: really tasty thangs. get the one with the rhubarb! - Decor: super trendy and neat setting - Service: top of the line service all night The not-so-good: - Prices: $16 cocktails? We're in Philly for cryin' out loud. - Rules: no shots? I just paid $16 for a cocktail, give me a break. It's not like we're rowdy and it's not like there's anybody else here on a Tuesday night.

    (4)
  • Jennifer M.

    Restaurant Week Only: I'm updating my review in support of a friend who made a reservation for 6 during restaurant week at R2L. She was told that there would be an additional $100 charge. I do not think this is fair and defeats the purpose of the deal. Shame on you R2L management. A mandatory tip % for a large party is standard, but $100 on top of a bill is ridiculous!

    (1)
  • Jennifer A.

    I had a great time here. The atmosphere was fantastic and I didn't pay but I bet it was expensive. My boyfriend and I came here on a Tuesday night while visiting Philadelphia and they had some carrot dining special. They didn't have a window-facing table ready for us despite our reservation so we ended up waiting 15 minutes at the bar. On a Tues night the place isn't very crowded. I ended up getting fairly smashed on the wine tasting and my pre-dinner cocktail so I was just really happy all night. The food was ok from what I recall but I didn't eat a ton of it. Too many carrots despite the theme. I liked the carrot gazpacho soup and the beef ribs were good. The Greek yogurt coconut ice cream was tasty. The baked cheese tasted like rubber. Big shout out to our awesome waiter, Bryant. He gave us free champagne, then showed my boyfriend and I a private dining room to get impressive city views from two sides of the 37th floor building and pointed out landmarks then left us alone where we hung out, drunk, until the restaurant closed. I was smashed but had an awesome time. Great atmosphere and great service.

    (4)
  • Gwendolyn P.

    I have been going to R2L ever since I moved to Philly, which at the time of writing this was three plus years ago. I think its great. Walking through a residential space to go to an elevator to take you to the top floor of the building gives R2L a certain sense of exclusivity. The views of Philly are just great from the top and the ambiance is such that it can morph between corporate, romantic and edgy and that's a hard thing to pull off. They offer a good happy hour with drinks and apps. I have always found the staff to be attentive and the food has never once disappointed me.

    (5)
  • Alison C.

    Some friends and I came here the other evening for happy hour food pricing and to spend some time together with an amazing view. A word of advice: be early if not punctual if coming for happy hour. The staff here is very strict about this. One minute late, and they don't give you the discount for drinks. They also stop giving out happy hour priced food menus to customers before happy hour finishes because the customer is too last-minute and is closer to regular dinner hours than happy hour. As my group and I got to R2L at 6:20 PM, we were given the regular dinner menu. The food was very good, if a bit pricey. We split a steak tartare which had small pieces of filet mignon seasoned with dijon sauce and topped with root vegetables. This came with crispy pieces of garlic and butter flatbread which was used to scoop up the raw meat. This was my first time eating steak tartare, and I rather enjoyed the delicacy and richness of the steak. The meat is well seasoned, the root vegetables give some fresh tartness, and the bread pairs perfectly with both together. While the food was good, the real reason to come here is for the gorgeous view. Watching the sun set and the city slowly lighten up while enjoying the company of friends was the best part about my experience here. Overall, R2L provided a pleasant experience, standing out most in the beautiful view it offers of downtown Philly. But I would buy my dinner somewhere else.

    (3)
  • Amanda S.

    I have eaten here several times during the four years I have lived in Philly, and have had happy hours or cocktail events here as well, as an employee of a company in the building; and I have had wonderful experiences. This is thanks completely to the *servers, bartenders, and kitchen staff*. On Valentine's Day, however, we had a very different experience. I am confident that the servers and kitchen staff were amazing as always, but we never found out. We made our reservation about a month and a half early, to ensure a window seat. OpenTable asked for a credit card when booking--no problem; we provided it. Upon arrival, we were told that, since we did not place a deposit, there was not a table for us. Yes, they could see our reservation in the system, they said; they can see the date on which we placed the reservation, a month and a half prior. However, they claim to have called us (one time) to get a deposit from us, and since they were unsuccessful, they didn't hold us a table (again, they can see our reservation, they knew we were coming). **No one had ever called to obtain a deposit from us.** Further, had they needed a deposit, that should have been worked out between OpenTable and R2L--not our problem. OpenTable asked for a credit card and we provided one. Plus, how incredibly rude is it to require a deposit for a table reservation anyway? As a semi-regular at this place I find that greatly offensive. We weren't speaking with hourly-waged youngsters either; we started with a manager and were escalated to "one of the owners". Neither woman made an attempt to be friendly, let alone apologetic or accommodating in any way. This lady who was "one of the owners" should definitely keep herself exclusively in the back of the house, away from any sort of paying customer. I have never, as a customer, been treated so poorly or talked to so terribly. And, no, I can assure you, we were not out of line or yelling or making a scene or rude for our part; we just aren't the type. She was plain awful. Never so much as a shred of an inkling of a hint of an apology or any effort whatsoever. So, despite all of the rave verbal reviews I have given everyone I know about this place in the past, I will now make sure that everyone we know, meet, work with, or do business with--several of whom work in that building--does not ever drink or dine at R2L. And, clearly, we will never step foot into the place again either. After leaving, we had an amazing meal with mind-blowing service at DEVON SEAFOOD. Go there instead!

    (1)
  • Chelsea C.

    Went here on a dinner date last night. At first we were seated near a window seat. Close enough to enjoy the view. After our appetizer the window table opened up and we were able to move. The lobster mac n cheese is definitely a must if you go. To my disappointment they were sold out of Salmon on a TUESDAY night. Just before going I had read a review about the same thing happening to someone on a busy Saturday night so i thought i would for sure be okay. But no smh. Nonetheless the drinks, service, food, and ambience was great. Will definitely come back.

    (5)
  • Dana S.

    I've only been here for drinks but I've glanced at the menu to know that both their drinks and food are expensive. Drinks were pretty standard too for the price, but you don't go here for the drinks you go there for the view. The view is gorgeous and there is a relaxed yet modernly fancy atmosphere. Bartenders were attentive but not overbearing It'd be worth checking out but maybe during SIPS of restaurant week if you're on a budget.

    (2)
  • Lele E.

    The view was awesome, the food tasty, and the prices were high just like the resturant.lol our waiter was so nice and prompt that solely because of his service I'd return. The food taste fine, the lobster Mac and cheese is tasty. Initially, I wished the portion size for the lobster Mac and cheese was larger. After eating it I realized it was a pretty hearty eat for an appetizer. I like gifting resturant gift vouchers to friends and I would definitely purchase one here. I was lucky to grab a window seat and it was very beautiful eating as the sun set and watching the city lights turn on. I believe if I go here a few more times and receive repeat good service I'd bump this place up to 4 stars. I would like to go here solely for dessert one day. One issue I find with restaurants is getting a really tasty non alcoholic beverage. I usually prefer a ginger beer or some fresh juice blend but the waiter advised they didn't really have either. So I sipped my water and enjoyed my meal. I'd say give this place a try, I'm certain the events they hold here must be fun based on the ambiance of the resturant I experienced just during a regular day. They validate your parking here as well. $10 for the garage.

    (3)
  • Jan L.

    Came here for restaurant week with 2 friends and I'm so glad we decided to come here!! It's beautiful!! So intimate. Our waiter was amazing, funny and cute!! Wish i took his number down. Lol! Food was delicious as well, ribeye was cooked exactly how i like it. Dessert was amazeballs..everything was perfect. Do yourself a favor and try this place! !!

    (5)
  • Monique C.

    So we're back in Philly following my boyfriend's pre-birthday celebration in TX (home of some great restaurants) and I decided to make a reservation at R2L to make his "actually" birthday celebration just as special. I made a reservation last month and decided to call a few days before to make sure we got a window seat (as I had requested on the Open Table reservation). The hostess said she would try. Well, last night they delivered; we not only got a great window seat, we received complimentary champagne and a small dessert plate. So let me back up, we parked in the Liberty Place's parking lot (validated parking is $10 when you dine at R2L). We took the lone elevator to the 37th floor. We had to wait a few times because several people were going up at once. When we arrived the hostess took us to our seats. We had a stunning view of Center City. Our waiter greeted us with complimentary glasses of champagne and a lively "happy birthday" to my boyfriend. For starters we had the arugula flatbread. I enjoyed it although the center could have been crisper. My boyfriend ordered the seafood paella, which was huge. He had several large shrimp and lobster. We enjoyed it but thought it could use more seasoning. I ordered sides: potato skins, which were very salty and lobster mac and cheese, which was rich and delicious. We were too full to order dessert but the waiter brought out complimentary mini desserts for us to taste (and you guessed it, "happy birthday" was written on the plate). We had mini lemon sugar dipped squares (yummy) and small cakes. Overall R2L scores a solid 4.5/5. Service was impeccable and the view made up for any small food flaws. Food is a solid 4/5 for the price point, based on the large portions alone. R2L is worth a visit and offered the perfect romantic backdrop for me to surprise my boyfriend with his gift. Yeah, that was a moment :)

    (4)
  • Christine L.

    Not coming back! Bartender was manhandling (barehanded) the olives for my dirty martini right in front of me, and there were red pepper flakes (???) in my boyfriend's dirty martini, as though the glass was dirty. No, thanks. Skipped out on ordering food, and decided to skip out on this place altogether in the future. I have tried this place many times before for the view, but the service just consistently falls short. Once you mess with the cleanliness of food prep and sprinkle that with mediocre service, you are left with nothing more than a view and something to hype up on instagram. Save your money; take the $5 trip to the top of city hall for the view and go elsewhere for a properly made cocktail.

    (1)
  • Hollei J.

    I was taken here for my birthday by my boyfriend at the time. I'd never heard of this place until he mentioned it. Besides being pricey, i have absolutely no complaints. the views from this restaurant are BREATHTAKING, especially at night when all the street lights are on. The portions were gourmet sized, everything was good. Don't come here if you aren't trying to spend a pretty penny!

    (4)
  • Grace C.

    There are some pretty lackluster reviews of this restaurant, but I had a great night here with friends for my birthday dinner. We went for restaurant week, so we were able to enjoy the 3-course meal for $35 each. Not to mention the view - you have an unrivaled view of the city, especially at night when all the buildings are lit up. It's edgy and trendy, with modern-looking sculptures positioned strategically around the room. Fair warning - the wine markup here is ridiculous. We ordered a $50 bottle of champagne that would have cost us $15 at the liquor store. The cocktails were good, however - I had a Pimm's Cup, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fruit that was perched on top of the glass. My friend had the Skinny Girl Tangerine Martini, which had orange zest inside. I had the foie gras mousse, which left something to be desired. It was a little too heavy for my taste. The short ribs, however, were fantastic. The meat was unbelievably flavorful and tender, and the chunks practically melted in my mouth. This was followed by dessert, which was buttermilk panna cotta. The server was nice enough to bring out a birthday treat, which was donut ice cream with a cute little candle on the plate.

    (4)
  • Nick V.

    I often go here when in Philly. I have to say my last visit was not good. The food has changed and not for good. Real bummer. Tasteless salmon and the sautéed spinach was weird. We had a horrible bar tender as well. I have to say if it wasn't for his partner stepping up the customer service to a 9 I may have written this place off. Please bring the food back to its previous consistency.

    (2)
  • Christina F.

    Taria was an amazing server and catered to our every need. Lobster mac and cheese, lobster bisque, and seared tuna were perfection. Do it!

    (5)
  • Colleen S.

    My boyfriend and I went to R2L for my birthday dinner and it was AMAZING! He had to call a few times, but we were able to reserve a window seat. Located on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place, you would be hard-pressed trying to find another view of the city comparable to this one. We had a 7:00 reservation, so we missed sunset, (We have obviously made plans to return for happy hour to experience the sunset) but the nighttime view of the city was really breathtaking. We were facing south and it was a pretty clear night so you could see the lights of South Philly and beyond. We were mesmerized by the view for most of our meal! How do you win Colleen over? Champagne always helps. My boyfriend had mentioned my birthday when he made the reservations, so they brought us two complimentary glasses of champagne when we arrived. Our server, Zach, was one of the best servers we've had in a while! The service was great and I did not feel rushed at all, despite having one of the best seats in the house! He made great recommendations for food and drink and took very good care of us the whole time. They brought us each a complimentary piece of smoked salmon topped with chopped celery on a piece of toasted pumpernickel. We both really like salmon and loved getting to try a taste of this. For our appetizer, we split the Steak Tartare and it was amazing. Small pieces of tender filet mignon topped with a dijon sauce and sliced root vegetables, served over garlic and butter toast. You definitely don't see this served in many places and I was very glad to have the chance to try it! I've enjoyed carpacchio I've had in the past, but it doesn't even come close to the Tartare. We decided to make it a very beefy night, so we each ordered the duo of Filet Mignon and Braised Shortribs for our entrees. The meat was tender and flavorful and served with some of the most delicious potatoes and breaded cheese curds. We also ordered a lobster tail to split, which was very pricey at $24 (!!!), but we wanted to indulge and were very happy we did! We were much too full to order dessert, but then Zach brought out a complimentary birthday dessert that was just the amount we could handle. "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate and a lit candle around two bite-size pieces of chocolate cake with vanilla cream topping and two small squares of gelatinous blood orange dipped in sugar. It was a wonderful birthday surprise and a perfect sweet ending to our delicious meal. Also, the portions were great. At places like this, you tend to expect one little medallion of steak, so I was quite impressed with the size of my platter when it came out. Service was some of the best we've had and the view is unbeatable! The decor was simple, yet stylish and really gave the place a great feel. Definitely a place to check out! I can't wait to check out a happy hour sunset :-)

    (5)
  • Ivy H.

    Such a great place! My husband and I dined at R2L for our wedding anniversary. Everything was done to perfection.

    (5)
  • Laura P.

    R2L is a treat. The view from the 37th floor is as delicious as the food. Come here and you can really look out for what seems like an eternity. Very classy without being too stuffy. Our server was wonderful and attentive. Very nice selection of wine to go with your meal. I had the surf and turf, the lobster tail was a tad overcooked but flavorful and my steak was true perfection. Top it off with the warm vanilla cake and presto, you've got a great meal. I'm glad I made it here and plan on returning. Here's a tip....see if you can go at a time just before sunset. You can see the city in full light and then enjoy the spectacular evening lights.

    (4)
  • Steve T.

    Ever see the film "High Anxiety" by Mel Brooks? Well, the film covers themes like acrophobia and dysfunctional parenting. However, I won't be discussing those issues. Rather, the title has to do with eating...really, really high up (37th floor high) and then getting the bill. R2L is at the top of Two Liberty Place. You probably won't find a better view in the city, and that is ultimately why you come here. While it is not difficult to book a table, if you want one by the windows, be sure to book well in advance. Otherwise, its just another restaurant. Decor and service are ok. Prices induce vertigo. I ordered the lobster mac & cheese (to which I have a serious addiction), a side that I decided to have as an appetizer. It was solid, but the portion was modest and it set me back $18. The signature veal stew was also good, but at $32 again seemed pricey. I made a reservation but wasn't informed that I wouldn't be getting a non-window table until after I arrived, despite several being open. So, I basically got a good restaurant that was really high up but couldn't enjoy the view. But hey, the bill did elevate my blood pressure. Four stars with a window seat.

    (3)
  • Nic H.

    I went here for restaurant week and for that reason give 4 stars. Otherwise I think the menu is a bit overpriced and really, you are paying for the view. I do understand that. The food during restaurant week was good, nothing overly impressive but it came out with nice presentation, timely, and the wait staff was very nice. The dessert was REALLY good, although it was small. The wine selection was also nice and my sister said she liked her cocktail. Staff was very attentive, possibly too attentive, like most high-end restaurants that end up throwing endless amounts of water away because the staff will not let your glass go under half full. Overall, the view is quite spectacular. I've been to other restaurants in other cities (Boston, NY, Taipei, Tokyo) with this type of view, and again, you pay for the view. I think this is a nice choice for someone looking to change it up on restaurant week. Also, unless you call ahead a few months you are not getting a table near the window. That design element of this place kind of sucks. But you can still see as the windows are the entire span of the wall.

    (4)
  • Matthew B.

    I took my gf here for her bday on a Saturday night. We've eaten at many of the great restaurants in the city so I was excited to Surprise her by taking her here. I booked through open table and put the bday note in there as well as the request for a good view. I even called to confirm and got another call from them where I was told they would do everything possible to get me a table with a view. Getting there they didn't know it was her bday and sat us in the middle of the room with my view being the knife, fork and spoon sculpture. They told me that the ppl that get the 'good seats' made reservations months ago and that's how they assign them out. I guess my 2 week reservation was low on their totem pole. We started with 2 shots of patron which ended up being $16 EACH. that was a first. Anyway she got the pork chops and I got the rib eye and short rib. This will sound crazy but the food came out.. A little too fast. Like they had them lined up under a heat lamp. In the end the food was a solid 4 stars, clientele was sketchy but not too distracting, and we prob won't be back. Just seemed like a touristy place and nothing special besides the view.. which we didn't even get to experience.

    (3)
  • ivy b.

    Food is great. Customer relations --the worst. We went for my husband's birthday on April 25 with a 8:00 reservation and with a special request for window seating. We called at 8:00 to say that we could not find a parking lot and would be late. My husband was curtly informed that there was a 15 minute grace period and after that, there was a chance we would not be seated. We check in at 8:22, along with another couple who were not with us, but also had 8:oo reservations. We sat at the bar for over one hour. Despite being told we would be seated soon, it did not occur. We were not rude in any way. The response we got from the hostess, was, "Do you want to see the manager?" No apologies not even a bread crumb, because by the time we got seated at 9:15 we were starving and a little bit affected by our drinks! While we were seated, I did see a manager and went over told him about the wait. His response was basically, tough... Oh and the couple we checked in with, they were seated by the window at 8:35 pm.

    (2)
  • Aron N.

    For us, it was perfect. The view, the food, the service, everything was spotless.

    (5)
  • Notorious H.

    This place was amazing. Not only is the view great, so is the service. The short ribs are great and the tortellini are so savory you could eat them for days. The desserts are definitely worth getting too. The vanilla cake and chocolate hazelnut desserts are out of this world, The only thing i don't understand is why people think its ok to wear jeans and sneakers to a place like this. Definitely worth a visit! You wont be disappointed.

    (5)
  • Kasia J.

    Great view of Philly, great service, and fun drinks. We came with a group of about six during a week night and had no issues getting a table in the lounge area, though you may want to reserve beforehand just in case. Recommend getting the green vesper - loved the chive garnish.

    (4)
  • Andrea F.

    The view is spectacular and the drinks/service are on point. Went during lunch for a company holiday party so obviously when it's paid for, I can't complain. But I will, cause that's what I do here. There's actually not much to bitch about except that maybe I was expecting a little more from the food. I have an amazing view of city hall in the private room and swanky surroundings, so maybe I also wanted the food to match. But it didn't. Then again, we did have a pre-fixed menu and there were about 20 of us so I can understand if quantity/hastiness to get everyone's plates in front of them outweighed quality. Had the choice of salmon or filet mignon, I ordered the latter and the waiter didn't ask how I wanted it cooked. This was my first sign it wasn't gonna blow me outta the water. I requested medium rare and a coworker ordered well done. She got hers medium rare and I got mine medium to medium well. Not cool. Baked mac and cheese complementary app was delish and cheesy but didn't compensate for the holy-shit-way-too-many-beets-salad and chintzy mini dessert tray, which included underwhelming cheesecake and a chocolate thing and a supposed apple tart which tasted nothing like apples. I'd go back at night for drinks, but that's it.

    (3)
  • Jand J.

    We were here for a special birthday celebration. The view is most certainly stunning and worth a visit. Otherwise, the food is very overrated, and the service was poor. The food was average... nothing terribly inventive, and nothing particularly mind blowing. The steak was average, and although presentation of the dishes was creative, the meals themselves were not. Lots of root vegetables, and heavy sauces. The service was really what pushed this review down into the 3 star range. When spending $500 on a dinner, I expect much better service. We did not receive drink refills, and it took entirely too long for us to receive coffee and dessert. From the time we ordered the final course until it was finally delivered, it was at least 20 minutes. The server brought only 3 of 4 desserts, and never remember to come out with the 4th. When we asked for coffee refills, we waited 10 more minutes until we finally just gave up and left. As we were leaving, the hostess offered to validate our parking, and then when we left the building, we learned the building doesn't actually validate. I would not return to this restaurant. I do suggest going once for the view, and perhaps to have a drink, but dinner was a long, overpriced, overrated experience.

    (3)
  • Sarah K.

    This is a late review since I came here a really long time ago. I came for restaurant week and they stuck us in a banquet hall like area, which felt cheap and far from fancy. I wanted to stay in the main area, but I guess since it is restaurant week, I can't complain. The food wasn't as tasty or impressive as I expected it to be. I had a tartare kind of appetizer with tuna and snail?, which was tasty.. for snails. It was well seasoned and fresh. My main course was beef shortrib, which was extremely tasty, but the entire dish was one dimensional and I was craving for something fresh to cut through the richness. The greens and sides they gave were also pathetic in portion size. Dessert, if I remember correctly, were financiers, which were dry, crumbly, and not tasty at all. This place is gorgeous (awesome view of the city), and their alcoholic drinks are superb, but their food leaves you wondering whether or not it was worth your money.

    (2)
  • Stephen R.

    An amazing dining experience in the sky. The flat bread with arugula and truffle oil was an awesome app!

    (5)
  • Bill C.

    I went to R2L during Restaurant Week despite Vetri's claim that participating restaurants give diners a watered down version of their menu. Perhaps this may be true for some although I have yet to encounter a restaurant that has done this. R2L is a perfect example of how misguided Vetri's claim was. My dining companions ordered the RW menu and got salmon as their main course. I went with salmon off the regular menu. The portion size of the salmon off the RW menu was the exact size as the salmon from the menu, both were generous portions and both were delicious. The staff was professional without being pretentious, the service was outstanding, and the view was stunning. I would recommend this place for the view alone however i found all the food I tasted to be on par with some of the finest places I have been. I would recommend this place to friends and if a second visit provides a similar experience I will bump the review up to its deserved 5th star (sorry, but I have a hard time giving all 5 based on 1 visit but I came close this time).

    (4)
  • Nina S.

    I recommend R2L for a romantic dinner or a group outing. The view from the 37th floor looking out to the city is very unique. I had dinner right before sunset and it was great to watch the sky change colors as I enjoyed my meal. The atmosphere is very chic and reminded me of a place that would be found in New York City. My favorite part of R2L is the food! Their menu has a lot of options; seafood, fish, vegetarian dish and meat. My boyfriend and I shared a few different dishes. We started with the Grilled Truffle Flatbread as an appetizer. This was so tasty with arugula and parmesan cheese on top. My favorite thing that I ate was the Lobster Mac and Cheese! I read other Yelp reviews raving about this side dish so I just had to try it and I'm glad I did. It's very cheesy and creamy with lobster in every bite. For the main course I had the Braised Short Ribs and my boyfriend had the Halibut. Both were delicious and full of flavor. The short ribs were served on top of a bed of silky mashed potatoes and prepared just how I like them, without the bone. We finished our lovely meal on a sweet note with the Berries and Cream for dessert. After all of the food I just mentioned we didn't really need anything else to eat but the dessert menu is hard to resist because everything is made in-house. The Berries and Cream was served with mascarpone ice cream, also made in-house. You must try this place out! And don't forget your camera for the beautiful view - day or night!

    (5)
  • Minaz M.

    Went there with a group of friends. Had not planned on going here so one friend was dressed in shorts and so we were not allowed in the dining area.. We occupied the lounge area (6 of us) and they were nice enough to set up tables etc for us to eat dinner.. i ordered the truffle flatbread which i thought was pretty tasty.. the fries were coated with spices or some flavoring, which made it tasty but the fries themselves were burnt which i didn't like.. amazing view of the city!!! it's a fine dining place - i loved the ambiance.. The place is super expensive so i would go back only for date nights or special occasions! we ended up paying $60 for my bf and myself for 3 appetizers and 2 beers that we shared..

    (5)
  • Vanessa G.

    Price is worth it for the view if you get a good table. Lobster Mac and cheese was amazing and it was a great place for a dinner with girlfriends. I can definitely see a romantic anniversary being celebrated there, as well. Recap: Food was good and so were drinks, service was amazing and it had a 5 star atmosphere.

    (3)
  • Elizabeth B.

    I had a great time at R2L. I read plenty of reviews before going, so I went into it with solid advice. First of all, the view is breathtaking. I made my reservation 3 weeks in advance in order to get a window seat. You walk in and take a private elevator to the 37th floor. When we walked in, the host informed us that we would be watching the sunset this evening. It was more than I had hoped for! Following advice, my friend and I ordered two appetizers and two sides. We had the grilled truffle flatbread, steak tartare, mac n cheese, and broccoli with grains. Oh em gee. It was all amazing. I'm not even exaggerating. The sauces, the presentation, the textures, it just all came together.... with the pink and orange sunset in the background. Annnnd I was actually really full -- too full to try to desserts I had been reading about, which rarely happens to me. Throughout the meal, service was amazing too. We each had one drink, and the bill was very reasonable for the amount and quality of our meal. It was such a treat to go here. I definitely hope to go back one day. I took my friend as a Welcome to Philly treat since he just moved here. A couple we me on the elevator had just moved here as well and were celebrating a birthday. It's a great ambiance for special occasions and treats like these. :)

    (5)
  • Danielle L.

    Ambiance is amazing, but food was meh. We might come back again for drinks.

    (3)
  • Bella H.

    The location of the place was a little hard to find since we were dining for the first time. Arriving there, the staff was friendly and inviting. We made a note on the reservation that there was a birthday and we were seated in a window booth with an outstanding view of the city and sunset. Our server was very informing, courteous, and made our first experience delightful. It is a higher end restaurant so be prepared to spend some cash, but it is perfect for special occasion.

    (5)
  • raquel s.

    It was a wonderful surprise to be taken here on my birthday. Do they send everyone gifts from the chef or AM i just special? Anyway, gnocchi gifts are the best gifts. And this chef is the best chef!! When I looked at the menu before entering, I was a bit skeptical. The choices seemed so limited and I didn't think I would find something I liked. I was completely wrong and I can not wait to go back!! The view was gorgeous. Simply stunning. So romantic. So relaxing. I never saw Philly look better. The management is wonderful and the service excellent. The one thing I also want to note, though, is the clientele. I was a bit surprised by the other diners. I was even more surprised when an older man came in with two Prosti-tots. Seriously, the were barely 18 and there was no question what was going on.

    (5)
  • Kate B.

    I had the severe displeasure of dining at R2L with my boyfriend and his family on Christmas day. The disaster began when the hostess wanted to seat 5 of us at a round table intended for 12+. After finally accommodating us at a table for 6, we were sat with a waiter who insisted that the bar was unable to make drinks other than the four "specialty" holiday cocktails. The meal, served family style, looked like a serving for 2 rather than 5 and was severely underwhelming in all its gristly and fatty glory. In short, it's a highly overpriced disappointment. On the bright side, the view is spectacular! I'd recommend enjoying a pricey cocktail at sunset and relocating for a better meal.

    (1)
  • Chris L.

    1 star experience, 3 star food. Under performing its (considerable) potential. We dined at R2L on a Sunday night. Upon arriving in the downstairs lobby we were met by a young hostess(?)/coat-check-girl who directed us to an elevator which would take us up to the restaurant. Unfortunately, she failed to offer to take our coats/scarves/gloves on a bitterly cold night. She seemed more interested in her iPhone than in assisting us, but she did take our coats when we inquired. Now, up the elevator to the restaurant... We were promptly greeted by a smiling hostess who informed us that our table would be ready shortly and we could wait at the bar. Standard (albeit frustrating and transparent) revenue-boosting move more commonly associated with upscale chains - made more frustrating by the obvious availability of tables. We had hoped, however, to be seated by the window per our numerous (1 online, 2 phone, 1 in-person) requests. We were not seated by the window. In fact, only 4(?) tables in the whole restaurant were window-side, as half of the restaurant was evidently under renovation. An honest maitre d' would have informed me of this during one of my phone calls explicitly requesting a window table. We waited an awkwardly long amount of time before our server (very awkwardly) greeted us. When we asked for input on our wine selection (we are pretty serious wine drinkers) our waiter froze, stuttered, and simply informed us that he hadn't tried any of the bottles that had interested us. After an awkward pause, he offered to find someone with more knowledge of the wine list. "The sommelier, Yes please!" - we thought, given the size and quality of the wine book. Enter the bartender. The bartender was extremely hospitable and clearly understood the essence of good service. He unfortunately failed to address our specific questions, but he DID allow us to taste several wines that were offered by the glass to assist in our selection. We ended up with an excellent bottle and THIS FACT AND THIS FACT ALONE garnered the restaurant a star for experience. Food - huge portions, good menu, good execution. Neither avant-garde nor overly safe, I would recommend the food for an "intro to upscale" type of meal. Nothing really outstanding, but thoroughly enjoyable. Value - you pay for the view. Unfortunately, we didn't get one. We could have had comparable quality food at ground level with much more competent staff/service for less money. Overall - this place has HUGE potential and a good chef. Unfortunately, they are under performing that potential by a large margin. They need to invest in training the entire front of the house staff (except the bartender!) in basic service protocol, starting with the downstairs hostess and maitre d' but focusing on the waitstaff. They could also stand to better define and better enforce the dress code, as some patrons could compromise the atmosphere with their attire.

    (2)
  • Rosie S.

    My husband surprised me for our anniversary by taking me here for dinner. The view is spectacular. We were a little early for our reservation, so we had drinks at the bar. I had an Absinthe Minded, which was very strong. The assorted bread box was yummy. We shared the lobster mac & cheese, which was so delicious. I joked to my husband that I wish I didn't share with him. I had the beef short rib & butcher's filet. Everything was perfect & cooked to my liking. My husband has the crispy pork osso bucco. He loved his meal as well. For our sides, we had the stuffed potato skins and wild mushrooms, spinach & crispy onions. We were being very greedy and shared the chocolate hazelnut custard & chocolate souffle. I loved the chocolate hazelnut custard. The chocolate souffle was okay. It didn't taste as good as I thought it would. The ice cream & whipped cream on the side were good though. I only wanted to try it, because I could smell it from nearby tables. However, I wouldn't get the souffle again. Our waiter was very attentive & friendly. He also surprised us with little cherry brownies and some caramel things with little chocolate crunchy balls on top of them. He laughed, because he knew we were stuffed. They were delicious as well. Overall, we had a great time. I'd love to go back during sunset.

    (5)
  • Jesse B.

    This is an awesome place and a must see for visitors to Philly. If the opportunity presents itself, i always take guests here. They have a rotating cocktail menu with fresh ingredients and top shelf cordials. Excellent wine selection...this place has the best view of Philadelphia!

    (4)
  • Mai H.

    food - just OK. I thought you couldn't mess up lobster, but mine was actually a little dry. I loved their risotto balls, but now they are no longer on the menu. Big strike. I don't understand getting rid of something that was actually good. Anyways, so decided to give it another chance and sat in the bar area. Our waitress was terrible. We had a group of about 5 people and everything she 'made a lap around the bar', she would only get 2 drink orders. Never stopped to ask if anyone else wanted anything new. If you didn't grab her arm, she wouldn't stop. I guess maybe she was too good to take my drink order. I wanted to order dinner, but she never gave me a menu after asking for a few times. Instead of dining there, I decided to take my business elsewhere. When I receive good service, I will make sure show my appreciation, so then my 25% tip also went elsewhere.

    (2)
  • Ashley L.

    Dined here during Restaurant Week last night and it was exactly as I expected. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation at 9:30. The hostess directed us to the bar while our table was being set-up. We all ordered drinks and then headed to the table. Not a bad wait, but a little longer than I thought it would be for such a late reservation. Our table was in a second dining room in the back, still lined with windows thankfully. We were fortunate enough to have a table with a view, which I highly recommend requesting. Our waiter was very nice and suggested we start with the Mac and cheese.... He knew me to well. But we declined, since we were ordering 3 courses already as it was. The waiter brought us some bread to start, which oddly enough tasted like an everything bagel. For appetizer I went with the seared tuna, which was perfectly cooked and tasty, but very small. Another friend enjoyed her winter squash soup, vegetarian. For entree, the majority of the table ordered the filet and short-ribs. Again, it was another small portion and nothing exciting. One dish was actually missing short-ribs, but the waiter did apologize and brought them out on a separate dish. Our vegetarian friend ordered the leak risotto, which I tasted and liked more than the beef. During our dinner we requested more bread, but it was never delivered. For dessert I had to go with the banana dish, my favorite fruit. It was alright, again, nothing special. This place is definitely better for just fancy cocktails and a great view, if you're willing to shell out some cash. I would probably only come back if I could make it for SIPS.

    (3)
  • Kenny W.

    Aw man, what can I say. I wish I had more hands so I can give this place 4 thumbs up. Great atmosphere, view awesome, food outstanding, service impeccable. All great things you want to see in a fancy restaurant of this caliber. Was put down with this restaurant by a friend and within a week had reservations. Read some reviews before going, so I knew at minimum that I wanted to try the lobster mac & cheese. This dish was amazing and I'm glad I was aware of it when I went. The lobster mac & cheese and the view alone make this restaurant bucket list worthy. LOL! The fillet mignon and the braised shot rib are a great choice. As I'm sure any choice on the menu will not disappoint. I did taste the huge veal chop and that was delicious also. If you come here be prepared to spend $$$$. I took my wife and son and the bill approached $300 easy and that excluded the tip. Nevertheless, if you can swing it, I highly recommend R2L.

    (5)
  • Alicia O.

    It was somewhat of a mystery to get to the elevator and I thought from the fancy nature of coat check that maybe coming from work i was under-dressed. After the long elevator ride up to the 37th floor i was pelasantly surprised to see a very lux, yet intimate and trendy dining area. The kitchen was in plain view behind glass. Everything looks very clean and well lit back there. The chef's were hard at work. Our view of Philadelphia was spectacular, unfortunately we were part of the scenic part of Philly but all the lights and highway traffic we could see from our seat made it just as entertaining. Service was timely and very friendly. Everyone was very professional and pelasant. Our waiter could have smiled a bit more but the hostess was delightful. The food was dainty (small) but very tastey. I was actually surprised by the prices. They were not as expensive as I thought they might be based on the decor. My romaine salad was $6, soup was also about $6. A glass of wine was about $8 and crab cake appetizers were about $12. NOT BAD! the risotto balls were a little on the bland and salty side but the salad and soup were delicious. the crab cakes were also very fresh and seasoned very well. some main dish prices i noticed were salmon = $22, chicken = $23. they were all about that which still is not expensive, say compared to buddhakan. we didnt have time for desert but the chef sent us some gingered grapefruit and a chocolate truffle. both were a sweet satisfying end to our meal. i will definitely be back. this is a great place for a girls night or a romantic weeknight date.

    (4)
  • Cecelia H.

    Dining at R2L is always a pleasant evening. Views of the sunset and wonderful food and friendly attentive service make for a wonderful experience. The flatbread with arugula and the fois gras with smoked salmon were great. And the filet mignon with braised short rib were delicious!

    (4)
  • Toby Y.

    I really liked this restaurant. I went there with some friends simply for an after-dinner dessert. And the desserts there were simply amazing! The warm Vanilla cake, the chocolate cream cake, they were really delicious. Plus the view from the restaurant was very nice in the night. It's really worth the visit!

    (4)
  • Marisa P.

    View and ambiance was great. The food though was very disappointing. The risotto was salty and not cooked. The other things were expensive for such low quality food. Not to mention the snarky waitress.

    (2)
  • Neil D.

    R2L is a beautiful restaurant/bar with breathtaking views and a nice bar and good service. The food was mixed, in my opinion. I stuck to several vegetarian options on the menu (as opposed to "special vegetarian options" that are not advertised on the menu). The bread is delicious but I found the dishes to be far too salty and one of the dishes to have an absolutely excessive amount of cheese, in addition to being salty. It did not taste bad, but it is just not humanly possible to eat that much cheese without becoming ill. What could have been a tasty, relatively hearty meal turned into something sloppy.

    (3)
  • Kate M.

    Do not judge a place by the bartender! Me and my love ate at R2L last night for our rare date night without the kid. I gave it three stars, but feel that the bartender was so terrible, along with being seated 45 minutes after our reservations they really deserve two. However the food was so great, our table was worth the wait and our server Franco pushed me to a three star rating. We arrived at 8:30 for a 9:30 reservation with the plan to have a few drinks at the bar. We ordered a Cosmo and their Gin house cocktail. Both drinks were great, but everything went downhill from there. The cursing and crazy comments that were coming from the bartender were just inappropriate and uncomfortable. I understand being in the " weeds", but the bar was not even packed. He actually had the nerve to tell his patrons he couldn't handle the job in so many words. They need more cross trained employees so that they can handle the peaks through out the night. We ordered another round after waiting 20 minutes with empty drinks. My Cosmo was made with more than 8 ingredients and served with a orange color. We would of complained, but this guy seemed like a nervous break down episode was about to occur. We just laughed it off and held out for our table. Finally we were seated at 10:15, after another couple who clearly arrived after us. I guess they looked like they had more money or knew someone. Anyway I look at it, the table they did give us was worth the wait. It had a great view and we could see Queens Village where we live. Our server was Franco and he was classy, knowledgable and articulate. We ordered the AtoZ Pinot and it was fab once we let it breathe for a few minutes. I got super excited for the pretzel bread to come soon after our wine arrived. Thank goodness I am patient. For apps we ordered the flatbread and the salad that was on special. Both were excellent and fresh. We enjoyed them while we were still waiting for the bread. Dinner he chose the 10 oz filet and lobster tail. Wow. So so so good. Steak was cooked to perfection. It was the medium rare temp we asked for with a great spice base. The tail was so flavorful, and I even enjoyed the taste which says a lot because I am not a fan of lobster. I chose the pork rib which was also great. It had a stewish broth that required bread for dipping! I had to ask a fourth time for the bread, which resulted in some bus boy coming over to apologize. Why send a scape goat who we never interacted with until that moment. The pork was cooked medium except one raw piece that was out of place on the plate. We didn't order desert since it was 1130 and had to get home to our babysitters All in all, r2l was great when it first opened. The staff needs more training. Maybe the kitchen manager should run the whole place sine his operation seem like it was running smoothly. Lesson learned. Do not judge a place by the bartender. Food was excellent, however we will not run back for seconds anytime soon. I regret not taking the reservation American Express offered us at Vetris instead taking the resv at R2l. Lol

    (3)
  • Lorac L.

    came here for bday with my buddy and we went for the wine pairing set menu, it was $119 per person, 6 course. I definitely love the view, the service and ambience.. and because it was our bday, they gave us free champagne and desserts.. i was sooooo full after the 6 course. It wasn't crowded for a friday night, so we took 3 hours to finish our 6 course wine pairing menu and the staff did a amazing job explaining to us each course and gave us wine introduction. I think it was a great experience and the food was very good too.

    (4)
  • Kelly W.

    As I write this review from my visit to R2L on 2/3, I am still left with the lasting salty aftertaste of the "chawan mushi," a side that accompanied my hamachi entree. Now, I won't claim to be an expert in the Japanese style "clam custard," as the waiter described it, but it was my aim to be open-minded and trust Daniel Stern that it would be worth my adventurous while. Wrong! Salty. Clam. Flan. Eww. I tried to get the ick off my tongue with the broccoli but it too was extremely oversalted. I was mildly impressed with the very generous serving of grilled hamachi, but it was rather bland (perhaps to complement the brine of the broccoli and chawan mushi?) I regret not getting the salmon. That was better. Granted, I went during the first week of R2L's opening, and it was clear they were making changes to the menu, as the waiter struggled to master the names of each dish. But really, if you're making a decision between the salmon and the hamachi, get the salmon! The black trumpet fries are fantastic! The olives snack plate was great and I would eat the grilled truffle flatbread every night if I could. Desserts: The sorbets were flavorful and interesting; we tried butternut squash, spiced pear and some kind of dark chocolate. There was also a great PB and chocolate "dome" that we devoured. Bravo on desserts! All things considered, R2L is definitely a great place to grab drinks and appetizers. Good venue for drink dates and sophisticated happy hour...guys take the ladies here if you want to impress and have something to talk about (the view). They also do private parties. R2L almost seems to belong in NYC with the great view and dimly lit lounge feel. Your expectations rise when you check in at the desk, then head up to the 37th floor in the swaying elevator and are greeted upstairs. (Claustrophobes beware, you might need to try another restaurant if you can't handle heights or long elevator rides). With the exception of the hamachi entree, R2L delivered on mine.

    (3)
  • Randi W.

    Amazing view of the city- if you're able to be seated in front of a window. I had dinner here with my fiance for Valentine's Day. The shrimp cocktail was the best that I have ever had. The shrimp were seasoned in spices, and the sauce was really tangy- such a great flavor. I also loved the bread. I cannot get enough of that bread! Like some people, I think that the food is a bit pricey for what you get. I would definitely recommend just having drinks here while taking in the view of the city.

    (3)
  • Steve D.

    Amazing food, casual, friendly wait staff, an ambience to die for, and the best view in Philly. What more could you ask for?

    (4)
  • john h.

    I went here for a birthday dinner, when I called they stated they would put me in for a window table. No I realize this is what they do "put" you in, your are not guaranteed the table. The ambiance is very nice, but you don't have to be dressed up as the site says, people were in shorts, tee shirts...ugh.... To top it of I was put next to a table of 6 who were loud, we were moved after I complained. When you Google 5 star restaurants in Philadelphia, this comes up, I should have gone to Devon...will not go back was not impressed!

    (2)
  • Sharee H.

    Dined here for my birthday and loved it! The filet mignon was perfection. The duck spring rolls were a little too oily but still very tasty

    (5)
  • Seungha L.

    The two best things about this restaurant: the bread and the view. For a pretty upscale restaurant you would think that the service would be better, but no. Coming from an asian background, Ive eaten at plenty Asian restaurants and I'm sure that anyone who has been to a Pho Restaurant for an example will know that the waiters/waitresses will come to your table only twice. Once to give you water and take your order and once to bring you your food. Well, R2L defined that stereotypical characteristic of an Asian restaurant. We had a party of 9 people, and we went out for one of our friend's birthdays. Usually, bigger tables might get better service because its a larger order, and that means a larger tip. It took our waitress about 15 minutes to even show up to our table for the first round. We ordered two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. We waited about a good 30 minutes and the appetizers came out. No bread no wine. Finally, we saw about two new tables who came in, sat down, look at the wine menu, and get their wine instantly. Therefore, we had to pull someone over who brought us our wine instantly. Then, we noticed that other tables got their bread momentarily after being seated. So again, we had to flag someone down to find out what the status with our bread was. Im not going to lie, their bread was probably the most amazing thing out of the whole restaurant other than their beautiful view of the city and the art deco of the restaurant. We got our bread and a little while after we got our entrees so it was a bit pointless at that point. I ordered a pork chop dish that the waitress recommended and the first few bites were decent. They garnished the pork chops with thinly sliced at potatoes, and grapefruit. The grapefruit definitely helped with the taste, but my pork was pretty rare in the middle, and after awhile the taste got really awkward and did not settle well. Then, we had to wait another 40 minutes until our dessert came out. The dessert was pretty good, another highlight of the restaurant. At that point, our party thought that it was so ridiculous how long we had to wait to track down our waitress, so we made a bet against one another, and the predicted time was correct. A 30 minute wait to get our check. Another ten minutes to complete the transaction. This restaurant is okay for a nice view, bread, and dessert but pretty pricey for very very mediocre food. If not, there are so many restaurants that give you good food for a decent price and a nice view.

    (2)
  • Mark M.

    This restaurant has the best view of any in Philly. Located high up in the tower. The food is also very good. Ask Frank, the wine guy and he'll recommend a great bottle of wine. THe list is very extensive. Chef delivers with very good food and vaies the menu regualarly. it's quite romantic, even go with your significant other for a drink at the bar and look down over the city. We really enjoyed it there on three different occassions.

    (4)
  • C K.

    Fantastic views, fantastic food, great service! Went here for brunch and it was truly decadent. Also, it was not very crowded, which was surprising, because the food was so reasonably priced (well, center city prices anyway). I'll definitely be back!

    (5)
  • Skylar M.

    Beautiful View, Food was ok- would have been better if it wasn't cold and the service was SUPER SLOW! We were a group of 4 having drinks and dinner to celebrate and as soon as we ordered the first round, we should have ordered all other rounds and main courses at that time. It took between 15-20 mins for every round of drinks and we weren't drinking any of their special cocktails- just wine and vodka martinis. I worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years and always give places a break but this was insane to me that a place this expensive would be like this. We ordered the truffle flatbread app that came out slow as well but we were enjoying catching up so it didn't really bother us at that point. We had ordered our entree's prior to getting our app- we all had braised short ribs & filet combo and shared the truffle mac & cheese. One of the managers came out after close to 50 mins and told us it would be a bit longer because of the truffle mac & cheese but he would bring out the other entree's and comp the mac & cheese- that was nice I thought. However- it took another 20+ minutes and we actually called the manager back to question where our food was. It finally came out, the filet was cooked as we ordered but was cold, along with everything else on the plate. We would have said something however- our server or the management, never came back to ask us how things were. We did receive the lobster mac & cheese which was hot and very good and enough to share. They did comp some drinks from our check as well because of the wait but that sadly did not entice us to want to go back there for dinner. I will probably take an out of town guest there to have a drink and see the view but probably not for dinner. There are so many other good restaurants in Philadelphia to try. I hope your experience is better- it seems from the other reviews, they may have just had an off night.

    (2)
  • Joe Z.

    Went here for drinks and appetizers with co-workers. Nice space, view is not as great as advertised, at least from the lounge area. Although I am used to views in NYC so I am somewhat biased. Drinks were not as badly priced as I had expected. Appetizers are somewhat limited in terms of shareable food, but they are all over-priced (french fries for $7??). Quality of the food was good, but again it should be for the prices being charged.

    (4)
  • Jae R.

    Excellent view of the city. I went there when it wasn't crazy busy. Dessert wasn't too bad, however small dishes were ok. I didn't quite like the bottle of wine we had. But well, Philadelphia has a beautiful night sky

    (4)
  • William R.

    I actuallly came here for a Glenfiddich Scotch tasting. So the Scotch was good and the hor derves were delicious as well, we had our own private room with a great view of the city.

    (4)
  • allison s.

    I have to admit, I'm on the fence on my 3 for this one. Hear me out and read the food part - I'll chalk up the wait to a Friday night. I'd give it a 5 for the food but here's why I can't: * We had reservations and we were not seated for nearly 45 minutes after the reservation. * After we were actually seated, our server took another 10-15 minutes before they came to our table Okay, with that off my chest - our food was out of this world. We started with the lobster mac n' cheese (HUGE chucks of lobster in little pockets of mac n' cheese) and my guy had the bacon wrapped scallop potstickers. I thought he might leave me for the food. Then, we went for a filet (me) and the veal plate (him) and they were both some of the best entrees we have had. Just for fun, we got a side order of fries (thanks to a suggestion from our server) and we polished those off. Our server was friendly and bubbly and so I struggle to write this review with just a 3. We will absolutely be visiting again but we will plan accordingly with our reservation - we will book it for 5:30pm so we are eating by 7pm.

    (3)
  • Yolanda Y.

    The food was absolutely delicious! I had the lobster paella and I loved every bit of it. The cocktails from the menu here are not so great though. The servers seemed to know a lot about the food and drinks but they took a while to come around every time and completely forgot about some stuff we asked for. The view is priceless, but the experience overall was just a 3/5..meh. I could have had something way better for the same price just down the street back at ground level. They do take Discover though.

    (3)
  • Lily G.

    I came here during Philadelphia's Restaurant Week where you get 3-4 courses (depending on the restaurant) for $35. It was fantastic! The portions were not huge but were not skimpy. The view was awesome, being on the 37th floor. They also have a huge wine display that was very cool to see. The dress code seemed to range from work attire to casual dress to people in phillies jerseys!

    (4)
  • Eva S.

    We only went here with friends to the lounge area so I cannot comment on food. Like the other reviews mention this place definitely has the wow factor when you first walk in...very sleek and modern design with absolutely spectacular views of the city being on the 37th floor. After our drinks is when the "wow" turned into a "oh no." The bartender was obviously very inexperienced. I tried two different martini's and both were horrible. The bartender noticed I wasnt touching my martini so he offered to make me a mojito instead...again it was bad but at least I could stomach it. I couldnt bare to turn 3 drinks back so I gulped it down and quickly paid and left. It's too bad that such an awesome looking lounge doesnt have more to offer than a good view.

    (2)
  • Carey G.

    Fantastic restaurant! We ate "snacks" at the bar area that included four oysters on the half shell, lobster mac and cheese, rabbit taquitos with a wasabi "guacamole", and pomme frites. I would say that hands down this was the best lobster mac and cheese I have eaten. It was "mac and cheese", but they came out in a cannelloni shell sliced 1 inch and filled with lobster meat. Then a cheese sauce, lobster essence?, was poured on top. Incredible!! Next the oysters....probably the best I have had in Philadelphia, served with the traditional garnishes, but R2L added a little more that I cannot pin point. Next the rabbit taquitos with a wasabi "guacamole"... how creative! It actually was excellent with the taquitos. The pomme frites were great, but I haven't had a bad "French fry" in Philadelphia; as they are the best I have had. But the real star was certainly the mac and cheese!!

    (5)
  • Alex F.

    Went for restaurant week. This is a lovely space - was seated when the sun was setting. After getting used to elbow-to-elbow Philly BYO seating, I loved being not crowded. Cocktails were excellent. Had the dumplings and taquitos which were good but not great. Had the short rib and halibut with bacon which were both excellent. Had the lobster mac and cheese a la carte which was ridiculously good. Dessert was excellent too. Here's my takeaway: Is it expensive non-restaurant week? Yes. Can you get similar quality food at a cramped BYO at a lower price point and are you paying for the setting? Yes. That said, the food is excellent and the view is spectacular. This place is totally underrated. As far as Philly goes, this place is a pantie dropper. My girlfriend loved it. Even though it hurts the wallet a bit, I have a feeling I'll be back non-restaurant week.

    (5)
  • Cristian D.

    I only had drinks and food at the bar. The Cheese Risotto Balls with the truffle sauce was out of this world, and I thought that the best Steak Tartar was at Butcher & Singer, but I must take that title away from them (sorry Starr). Perfectly proportioned and flavored to perfection. The bartenders were very knowledgeable and helpful. The atmosphere was great, the views were spectacular and the decor is so modern and unique. I can't wait to go back there very soon.

    (5)
  • Sana R.

    This restaurant is built like a posh lounge and really takes advantage of its unique 37th floor view of the skyline. Most of the tables face the ceiling-to-floor windows. Food is pricey and well-worth it. I recommend the R2L omelet for brunch. The french toast looked good. The lobster crab spring rolls were an interesting texture, too mushy but the shell crunchy. Everything tasted fresh and came out hot from the kitchen! Very satisfied customer. Will come again for drinks and the view. My sister had the basil mimosa, which was refreshing!

    (4)
  • Brent S.

    They get the 3 stars for the view! It is spectacular and worth the visit. Go have a drink, take in the view, and head off to any one of the half dozen places that do things better! The place is very crowded right now as might be expected. Not my idea of a great time, but crowded isn't their fault. Good for them. The prices were really high. Again not completely unexpected but $40.00 for a Booker's neat and a glass of house white is a little much. The crowd turned me off. Very over the top/we want to be in NYC/Vegas if you ask me. The staff sucks!!!!!! Start to finish I found them incapable; from the disorganized hostess to bartenders who couldn't look up at their bar, too busy chatting with each other, then trying to clear away mostly full drinks that took 30 minutes to get made. XIX is a better experience all the way around. Plus now that it's warmer XIX will have the verada open. Go there instead.

    (3)
  • Carl C.

    Being generous here and should be 3.5.... but I had a nice time. I went solo and just sat at the bar. The place was busy...to my left were your typical Jewish rittenhouse socialites.. the quote I remember from the woman was "get my glasses so I can read the menu", to my right were two escorts... "Yeah, I am meeting XXXXX at the Palomar around midnight for a session"... Needless to say the crowd was very mixed, old young and even a Norf (North) Philly thug wandered in. That is what Liked about the place. It was an eventful night. I only had a few appetizers and a salad....rueben sliders were good. I plan on going back for dinner. It appeared to be quite loud in here so an intimate dinner might be tough. The menu looks good and different... Kind of sick of the same ol Tuna dish, the rib eye option and the shank of lamb. I had a few drinks and they were a bit steep but the view from the bar is nice.

    (4)
  • J P.

    Boyfriend took me here for birthday dinner. We actually had gone a week prior but because were about 20 minutes late to our reservation (coming from out of town-explained this to manager), they wouldn't even seat us! Since we had made the trip we had one (VERY EXPENSIVE) drink at the bar w the view and then left. Birthday dinner: We made the reservation a few days in advance and made it on time this time. Specifically asked for a window seat w a view, got a window seat but it was right by the cashier where all of the workers were hanging out .... made for a pretty awkward "intimate" birthday dinner. Also, no matter where in the booth we sat, neither me nor my date had a great view of outside because of a big pillar that was in front of us. Service was fine, kind of felt judged to be honest by the staff. In my mid 20's probably wondering what 2 young things were doing trying to go out to a fancy dinner. Food: HORRIBLE!!!!!! We got the steak tartare for appetizer which was very small and also tasted and looked like canned cat food. (well, what I'm assuming cat food tastes like...) My bf got the chicken, he didn't like it much and it was borderline medieval times bc it was just a huge chicken, bones and everything, and it came w tater tots on the side - idk, but personally, i'd expect something a little more refined for such an expensive meal. I got the salmon that came w broccoli and some white rice-pudding type of stuff on the side. My salmon was good but nothing compared to the price and i could have made that same salmon at home for much cheaper. The broccoli was waaaaaay too salty in some bites, and very bland in others. the juices from the salmon, broccoli, and white mush all ran together on my plate and it was just not aesthetically pleasing to look at, and again, from such a "high end" restaurant, i'd expect a pretty presentation. Overall, someone said it perfectly in another review - if this place was on the 1st floor, they would be closed. The view is really all they have.

    (1)
  • Ginny S.

    The View was AMAZING...but the service was lacking. We were there on a Thursday night and there weren't that many tables sitting down and it seemed like our waitress was taking care of all of them. We were left waiting more then we were actually eating. Food was just okay. Would go back but only to drink in the lounge area...the cocktail waitress was great, wish she was our dinner waitress. Worth going for the view...

    (2)
  • Kristin H.

    Something here was out of sync - the staff seemed as if they weren't sure why they were there. The views are amazing, one of the highest spots in the city to have a birds eye view of the skyline. We were seated at a table that was odd shaped and couldn't find a comfortable position for conversation. I was on a banquette and they had to bring me pillows to lean on. Food was very good. People watching was excellent.

    (3)
  • Z J.

    one hell of a view. I came in late for a drink and was pleasantly surprised by the mellow vibe, will definitely return for dinner some time.

    (4)
  • David J.

    First I will start with the pros then the cons. Very beautiful space and very friendly staff and the Mini risotto with truffle soy was amazing. Cons; if you drive here and valet its going to cost you $20 dollars. My girlfriend and I were a walk in as we couldn't get a reservation through open table. Upon coming upstairs we asked the hostess if we could have a table. She said they were fully committed for the evening. However she said we were welcome to go to the bar for a drink. It was 930 and there last seating was 10pm and i counted 8 un-occupied tables in the restaurant. I spotted a short gentlemen with glasses who identified himself as the General Manager and I asked if a table were to open up could we be seated and again the fully committed line. So we gave in and spent $250 dollars at the bar. Very broad wine list with some good choices albeit a bit overpriced. We ordered crab cakes which were mushy with no crunch, mini risotto as mentioned earlier very good, shrimp cocktail, good, short ribs were a bit fatty and the himachi was pretty much disgusting. Miso soy panna cotta very interesting and very good. Bartenders and cocktailers were very friendly and very upbeat. The dining room looked more like a funeral just got over absolutely no energy whatsoever. My advice is get there early if you want a table or sit in their lounge for a drink with a nice view. Once management gets over their attitude I will give it a shot again.

    (2)
  • Oski B.

    A new cougar den for the women who have already pounced on the young men in Rouge and are looking for a new hunting ground. At 37 floors above Center City, however, R2L is not for the cougar w a fear of heights.

    (3)
  • elanya m.

    an hour wait with a reservation is a bit much. Nice view...some food was good other are ok. Glad I went during restaurant week and didn't pay full price for anything. The best thing was the bread and dessert!

    (2)
  • Joe F.

    Went on a Tuesday evening for drinks with a date and had a great time. Place was lively, but not packed. Crowd was 20, 30-somethings and well-dressed. I had made a reservation via OpenTable; the wait staff was fully informed that we were there for drinks and snacks and we were seated immediately- right next to the windows, which have a view that is unmatched in the city. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly, perhaps not surprising given that the restaurant wasn't too busy. Prices are high, ~$10 per drink, but you're paying for the atmosphere and the view.

    (4)
  • Thomas V.

    When I called and spoke with a hostess, I inquired about dining in a window seat as this was the main reason I wanted to take my girlfriend here for our special occassion. I wanted to make an 8pm reservation but I was instructed to come in at 930pm, as a window seat wouldn't be a problem at this time. I arrived at 9:25 and I was told to wait a few minutes by the bar as our table was prepared. I saw a window seat being cleaned off so I assumed this was to be ours. Meanwhile, the couple who took the elevator up with us had just checked in at the host stand and were making there way around the bar but I didnt really notice where they were going as there were no seats available at the bar. Time passed and me and my girlfriend stood and waited for a table for about 50 minutes. When we were finally seated, it wasn't at a window but who I did notice was at a window, was the couple who checked in after us, who shadily made their way to the window seat I assumed to be ours because I had arrived first but apparently they knew the manager Tom, who seated us, who probably knew that we were waiting for a window seat and who probably should have offered us some sort of compensation for our inconvenience but didn't. Needless to say, the rest of the night didn't go well. The service was terrible. 15 minutes to get a glass of water, 25 minutes for bread, ordered filet mignon, both were completely rare even though we ordered medium and medium rare, I even took a picture to send out to some friends in the business because when we requested that they be cooked longer, we were treated as if we were the problem, with all the gathering and whispering. Yet, despite all of my frustration, I did not ask for a manager or anyone to complain, I still tipped generously (30%) because I am in the business myself but I will not be back, nor will I recommend this restaurant to anyone. Granted this may have been an isolated experience but I didn't appreciate one minute of my time there, I just wanted to get out of there from the moment we sat down. The only reason I insisted on waiting to my girlfriend was because I though we were waiting to sit by the window. Had I known we would have been seated at a small table in the middle of the floor, I would have taken the elevator back down, walked out of the door and made my way over to Del Frisco's, where their service is exceptional and they know how to cook a steak.

    (1)
  • Anne S.

    Wow. Through my work, I have been fortunate enough to dine in many fine restaurants throughout the world, and I'm adding R2L to my list of favorites. While it's a novel concept (in Philadelphia) to have a restaurant on the 37th floor, I was most impressed by the whole experience. It was an extremely upscale and sophisticated atmosphere, but not remotely stuffy. The staff were attentive and knowledgeable, yet equally approachable and fun. These people knew their food, and they clearly love doing what they do. I had the crab cakes with cippolini rings, and chose the beignets for dessert...until the chef came along and told me that I really needed to try the vanilla cake. Let's just say that my friend and I decided that next time we'll start with the vanilla cake. It was too good to save for the end. It's really a great package - stellar view, super cool vibe, awesome awesome food. Can't wait to go back.

    (5)
  • Jason R.

    We were promptly seated at the south west corner of the restaurant with a fabulous view of the University City area. We also caught some amazing glimpses of South Philadelphia. Any window seat at night is bound to give you a spectacular view! When we arrived, it was busy, but not overly crowded and noisy. If anything, me and my dining companions were the noisiest in the entire place - that is until the food arrived at the table!!! As long as there was food on our table, we were silent. The food was just superb, out of this world, just simply fantastic! Our portions were just enough to satisfy our cravings. Chef Stern's restaurant week menu was fabulous - featuring food that remained true to his regular menu but just did not cost as much. We got a true representation of the amazing food R2L had to offer. Our meat entrees were melt in your mouth tender and the risotto offered on the restaurant week menu was the PERFECT! it was creamy, and still retaining the fabulous texture of the rice. We also each had tuna tartare as well as a truffle flatbread for the table - They were out of this world as well. And let's not forget dessert - Simply amazing. I have visited over 30 restaurants for restaurant week over the past several years. I can honestly say this is one restaurant that I would visit again - even if it cost me $200 a person! I certainly encourage you to visit R2L - restaurant week or not!

    (5)
  • Emily S.

    R2L stands out above the rest! The food is great, the views are spectacular, and the staff is awesome. I celebrated my birthday there - and the staff went above and beyond to make sure that the night was memorable. I can't wait to go back!

    (5)
  • Tamera J.

    I love R2L, I've been there for dinner probably 4 times and absolutely loved it. And, as everyone says, the view can't be beat. I was there for this past New Years Eve, probably the most romantic place to be! At midnight not only do you have a fantastic view of the fireworks on the river you also can see the fireworks going off in all the neighborhoods around the city, it was breathtaking. As far as the food, seriously, I've never had anything I didn't like. So far I've tried the Truffle Flatbread, a favorite I've loved since Rea. Lobster Mac, the best I've had. A Seafood Risotto special, yum! Remembering it is making my mouth water. Also, love the Truffle Risotto and Roasted Beets and Chestnuts. At the New Years Eve Party I couldn't stay away from the Chicken Cheese Steak with Kale and Broccoli Rabe, so decadent but I felt like I was getting my healthy greens too. To top it all off, the Warm Vanilla Cake dessert is out of this world, a very rich and luscious adult version of a vanilla wafer. R2L is not for those on a budget or wanting casual dining but It is the perfect restaurant for a special occasion.

    (5)
  • Michelle E.

    I went to R2L with my family for my graduation celebration. They opened especially for Penn graduation-and we were thrilled to get a reservation. We were all blown away by the view, and the atmosphere. The food was not only beautiful, but delicious. My father actually took pictures of the onion soup! It looked like a piece of artwork. We shared the asparagus salad and the marinated olives, and loved both. We all ordered the short rid entree, which was incredible. Because they were open on Sunday just for graduation, the full menu wasn't available that night.... I cant wait to go back and try more of what R2L has to offer!

    (5)
  • Elisabeth E.

    Above and beyond the WORST "upscale dining" experience I've had in Philadelphia, NYC and Miami combined. We had a 9pm reservation and arrived at 8:30pm for a drink at the bar with a great view (the only good part about this toxic place). The mojito was undrinkable. 2 rounds later, it was 9:45pm, with no appearance from the hostess. Shortly after 10pm, we had not yet been seated and informed the hostess we were leaving. They auto-responded, "Do you want to speak with a manager?" At which point someone appeared to take us to our table. 15 minutes later, no drink or bread, the waitress took our order. She returned about 10 minutes later to say they were out of one of our entrees. That was when we walked out and wandered over to Del Frisco's for a fabuous meal in a beautiful environment with amazing service. The manager at R2L never came by to talk with us. Had we stayed, the rest of our night would have been spent talking about the this terrible dining experience. Our 6th anniversary dinner was still great, and my husband and I enjoyed laughing about the abominable service at R2L. Possibly the food is good??? We will never know.

    (1)
  • Fareed P.

    I went here for dessert with my gf, both of us in our mid to late twenties, and both of us successful professionals who were dressed well and on vacation. While the view of the city (37th floor) and the dessert was good, the service was so pretentious, that I really considered leaving. After asking for a table by the window (mind you, its Tuesday night at 9:30 pm and there are many window tables open), the hostess said she needed the check with "management." After whispering with another woman, she started leading us to a table. As we approached our table (not near a window), she informed us that there were no window tables available. I had told her that we would be willing to wait for one, since we had come here especially for the view and we were on vacation. I asked our waiter again if we could be moved, and once again, he had to leave for 10 minutes to "check with management." I should have left at that point, but alas, he moved us to one of the many window tables and we proceeded to enjoy our desserts, although the waiter was not polite for the rest of our time there. We only stayed for less than an hour, and while the view and the food were great, the service leaves alot to be desired. The snotty atmosphere is not at all appreciated.

    (2)
  • Jim H.

    I have traveled the world and eaten at some of the finest restaurants that exist. I only mention this because I don't mind spending a lot of money on a meal if it is worth it. Let me explain my evening tonight. 1) The reservation was for 9pm we sat at 9:45 2) The martini that we ordered at the bar was in very small glass but I can let that slide. 3) We asked the waiter for his suggestion between two wine choices. He said, "I don't know, I will get the sommelier"... The sommelier comes over, we ask him about the two wines and he says, "I don't know I haven't tried either of them". So we decide on the Red Zin. The sommelier comes to the table to present the wine. Then he walks away to another part of the restaurant with our bottle, opens our bottle and pours himself a taste of our wine. Then comes back to our table to pour our taste. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced. And when I questioned him about it, he just stared at us like we had 3 heads. 4)We ordered an appetizer, then salads, and then main course. The appetizer was this pathetic 4 olives, like a tenth of a carrot, 3 tiny tiny balls of falafel, such a pathetic joke for a only $12. Maybe $0.50 worth of product (including labor). Then the beet salad. It is R2L's motto, the smaller the plates, the dumber the customer. Soon they will serve all of their food in a sushi soy dish so that you feel like you are eating a full meal. I am not a fool so don't treat me like one. I know you are using small plates so dream that my food is more that it really is... Then the Veal dish. Literally, I got two thinly slices of veal the size of a silver dollar. Maybe not even that big or thick. It was beyond a pathetic joke. 5) still starving after our small plates of fantasy, we ordered desert. I ordered the Rice Pudding. It came out again on the tiniest plate with 4 pea sized fried balls of something. I looked at the waiter and said, "Don't insult me" and sent it back. Give me a break. 6) Then the bill comes. We had ordered a $55 bottle of wine. The bill came and it was shown as $65. Everyone should check their bill there, they show one price on the wine list and charge you a higher price on your bill. We paid our bill and decided to go to the bar to have a drink. We asked for the wine list. We noticed a glass of champagne for $18 per glass. We ordered 3 glasses. First, she pours the end of the bottle into our glass filling only the bottom 20% of the glass. Any classy establishment serving $18 champagne would not pour the bottom of a bottle in your glass. They would open a fresh one. Then the bartender said $74 ($23 per glass). We said there must be some mistake the wine list says $18. She gave us total attitude, and said "we charge $23 per glass".. we asked for the wine list to show her. She could care less. So we walked out without touching the glasses of Champagne. They tried to steal from us once at the table with miss-pricing the bottle of wine, we were not going to let it happen again. As we were in the elevator a swat team of the owner and a few hostess tried to force us to pay for Champagne that they miss-priced and we did not even touch. There was no apology for the mistake, no "come back and have a round on us for the confusion", no care about the customer. This place has a lot to learn about customer service. I understand that mistakes happen. I own a retail food establishment myself and if we make a mistake we apologize and treat the customer like gold. R2l treated us like convicts after we spent $300 for 3 people and were ripped off at every turn. I am starved and aggravated. It was supposed to be a special birthday celebration. The place is beautiful however, so I do recommend an afternoon drink to watch the sun set. But other than that, save your money. But you'd better do it fast because they will be out of business by 2011 the way they treat customers. We over heard several people complaining and asking to speak to a manager or owner... Ok I have ranted enough and now I have to go get some pizza because I am starving.

    (1)
  • K. L.

    My husband and I were at R2L last night to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. When I made the reservation, I told them it was our first anniversary. They gave us a table with an AMAZING view of the city. Our waitress could not have been nicer- she really went out of her way to make our night special. They brought us each a glass of champagne to toast, and some challah bread with whipped butter for the table. For our appetizer, we started out with the Grilled Truffle Flatbread, which was DELICIOUS! We then each had the Romaine salad, which was also very good. For our entrees, I had the Horseradish and Pepper-rubbed Tuna Loin, and my husband who is vegetarian, had the Saffron Papardelle. For dessert, we ordered Variations of Chocolate and the Donut Ice Cream Sandwich-both of which were amazing (they even wrote "Happy Anniversary" in chocolate on the dessert plates). Needless to say, we were quite full when we left. For the people who are complaining about the prices, please stop. You know going into this place that it's not the Olive Garden- hello!- it has it's own private elevator with a concierge who greets you and directs you where to go! It's an upscale, hip restaurant that has been frequented by local celebs (Chase Utley lives in the building). You get what you pay for. While I don't think most people could afford to go here regularly, this is definitely a place I would return to for a special occasion. Our waitress and the rest of the staff really went out of their way to make sure we had a wonderful evening. In a bad economy where upscale dining is a luxury for most, customer service can make or break a restaurant. Our service was top notch. Kudos to R2L for getting it right!

    (5)
  • Ellen b.

    OMG-had the best dinner last night at R2L. I thought it was such a WOW walking into the space and seeing the magnificent views. Our meals were perfection-excellent spinach salad, amazing salmon, the bread was to die for and they even churn their own butter there. The wait staff excellent, friendly, and informative. The wine was wonderful. Went with 3 other people and everyone raved about their meals. We didn't have time for dessert but can't wait to go back.

    (5)
  • Patricia D.

    I celebrated my daughter's 30th Birthday at R2L on 5/21/11. Our party consisted of 14 guests. The staff was professional and pleasant. Their hospitality to a large guest list as ours was impeccable. The delivery of drinks and food was timely. I recommend the lobster mac & cheese, the Chesapeake Mousse, Sea Bass, Lamb Chops or those delicious crab cakes. My husband loved the Grilled Tuna. It was tender and delicious. Also the view reminded me why I love the City of Philadelphia so well. Thank you for making my daughters journey into her next milestone one that she will remember.

    (5)
  • Greg F.

    The view can't be beat. Your ears will pop in the elevator as if you are taking off in an airplane. I was there on a week night and we had the entire place to ourselves, which was nice. Aside from the view and privacy afforded by lack of customers there was nothing that great about the place. The service was basically aweful. We waited a good ten min to have our order taken and the waitress wasn't familiar with the cocktail menu. The menu has SIX DRINKS on it! One would think that good service would be easy when you only have two customers to serve! When my drink came (neat burbon) the glass was dirty. I'm really not a picky guy but if you're paying $12 a pour I think a clean glass is expected. There were managers and servers standing around doing nothing, talking loudly about the day's annoying cutomers. We felt kind of unwelcome there and left before ordering another round. All in all, I was a little dissatisfied with the level of service we received

    (2)
  • Breah P.

    Went to R2L for restaurant week with the girls...EXCELLENT! The food was outstanding, the view was breathtaking, and our server Adam was hilarious! He wasn't overbearing and really made our dining experience at R2L a great one. GREAT GREAT GREAT place... will definitely return!

    (5)
  • Kristen S.

    Absolutely amazing! The view was spectacular, the service was amazing and the food was out of this world! I will go back for sure! Best atmosphere in Philly!

    (5)
  • M D.

    Well, let's just get this out of the way..the service was excellent, the food was good, the drinks-eh, the host, eekkk. I went to R2L for my birthday dinner. I had never been there before, and I called earlier in the week to make a reservation. I asked for a booth because the whole point of going to this restaurant is the amazing view, and I wanted a romantic dinner with my husband. When we got there we were seated in the middle of the place! I asked the host if there was any way we could get a table by the windows b/c that's what I thought I was reserving. She basically said, "I'm sorry." Now I was really upset that had I been informed when calling to make my reservation about the differences between tables, I would have made the correct reservation. So as I sat and sulked I noticed a table get seated in front of us. They immediately started whispering to each other and then one girl got up to speak to someone. I told my husband that if this table gets moved to a window booth I would throw a FIT! Don't you know a server comes around with champagne for the table and a few minutes later the table gets moved! I WAS LIVID! I called the manager over and explained the situation and told him apparently I have to throw a fit in order to be accommodated here! He gave me the typical blah, blah, blah. Can I get you anything bullshit. I told him that I wasn't looking to get free stuff I just wanted the table I expected upon making a reservation. In the end we didn't get the table we wanted, the night sucked cause I couldn't believe the other table got moved, and I just wanted to eat and leave. At the end of dinner, the manager did give us two glasses of champagne and pastries for my BD. He wanted to ensure we come back so he gave us a gift card for an undisclosed amount (which I checked the balance when I got home and the card was not active). I didn't care about that stuff by the end of our meal and I doubt I will ever go back. I know that they are just windows but it was infuriating. Oh well, afterward my husband and I got wasted at Raven Lounge...that place was awesome!

    (3)
  • Hasham Y.

    It offers phenomenal views of the city and service is spectacular. Food is good but nothing extra ordinarily great. Unless eating a steak portions are healthy size ( just adequate). Most of the food entrees and appetizers are safe choice with a great twist on presentation. Went with a group and had lobster mac n cheese, mussels, tuna and steak and dessert included soufflé, and mandarin orange cake. Dessert section really made my taste buds tickle. It's an excellent date spot or a group dinner place

    (4)
  • Sumita R.

    Fantastic view of the city! Love coming here for happy hour. Though I have never eaten more than appetizers here.

    (3)
  • Christopher S.

    Perhaps it was the hype I heard surrounding this opening that ultimately let me down, but the food certainly had a share in that as well. First the pros- it's a comfortable upscale setting, and the view is wonderful, even if you're sitting in the middle of the room. The service was very good and our server was particularly helpful with unique wine selections that were excellent. However, they have way too many people working there; at one point there were more staffers than patrons. The menu looked very promising...I started with the lobster and beef cocktail franks....don't waste your time....go to the grocery strore and get yourself pre-made frozen pigs in a blanket for a much better treat. I then moved on to the rib-eye with bernaise and frites....not bad, but in a city with such a cornucopia of great restaurants, not bad doesn't cut it. Dessert was good, a warm vanilla cake with caramel. My friends had different dishes...and they also were not mesmerized by their dishes, though one exclaimed that the brocolli that came with her fish entree was the best she ever had. Overall, skip for dinner unless you want to meet up with some friends in a nice bar and lounge for drinks and perhaps a small bite.

    (2)
  • Stephanie L.

    While we primarily picked R2L for the view, my date and I were thoroughly impressed with all aspects of our dinner. The portions were generous and the drinks were spectacular. Food was great. And our waiter was phenomenal. He helped me pick out a good wine to pair with my entree and was attentive but not overbearing. We went on a slow day so we got a window seat which really made it. Plus we got an extra dessert on the house. I'm going to assume that doesn't always happen but it left a good impression on us nonetheless. This was a special occasion for us and I'm glad we ended up here. Definitely will return.

    (5)
  • Vicky L.

    R2L is a very classy dinner and cocktail place on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place. Come for the drinks, which were strong, and stay for the gorgeous panoramic views of Philadelphia. This is a perfect date spot.

    (4)
  • Shirlana D.

    Star light, star bright won't you show the stars tonight. R2L provides a wonderful view of the city. This restaurant is located on the 37th floor providing an array of beautiful city lights as you enjoy your dining experience. There is no bad seat in the place, for there are windows surrounding every side of the restaurant which allows you to look out and enjoy the beautiful city scenery during the day, or night skyline in the evening. I have been to this restaurant for lunch or dinner and have always found myself indulging in a feast every time. The staff is always friendly and cordial. When going here, I have never had to wait to be seated by reservations have been honored at the appointed time. The flavors are always bold and exciting whether you are having a sandwich, short rib or seafood. The desserts are delectable but not overwhelmingly sweet. This is a great place to take a date or friends from out of town as you can show off the beautiful skyline of the city along with good food!

    (4)
  • Sari A.

    It was like love at first sight. Then I took a second look, and still the love is there. R2L by far my favorite place in Center City. I think it is one of Philly's hot sophisticated spots. Everyone is smiling, very friendly and eager to please- always. Last week, we went for Restaurant Week (August 2015) and I had another flawless experience, thanks to our waitress, Alyssa, who was more than amazing. I started with the hot and juicy roasted shrimps, followed by flavorful, and tender beef short rib & butcher's filet due over a bed of steuben bean chili & basil purée. Delicious milk chocolate hazelnut pudding ended off the extraordinary dinner. R2L never fail to impress me. A side not to be missed, is the fabulous panoramic view. Note: This is " THE" perfect date spot, that will keep a the ideal balance between spaciousness and intimacy. Because everyone deserve to be pampered, Five Yelps.

    (5)
  • Jessica C.

    It seems that this summer I have been touring rooftop (or elevated) bars all up and down on the East coast, so obviously a trip to R2L was necessary. R2L is not a rooftop but is located on the 37th floor of the building next to Liberty tower. The restaurant opens at 5pm and I was lucky to arrive around 5:15pm. Within the hour the bar area was full of people. There are about 20 seats around the bar itself. Next to the huge window (with the fantastic views) are tables and couches. Our server was attentive with our drinks and apps. I opted for a Malbec wine and the truffle flatbread with arugula which was delicious. I would say the most enticing aspect of R2L is the view of the city. I would recommend at least coming to check out the views.

    (3)
  • Jennifer K.

    Good view, mediocre food Our waiter was a newbie but nice enough Next time, will go for the bar and skip the dinner

    (3)
  • Jenny K.

    Came here for my 2nd time last week for my birthday dinner and I was not disappointed. I GOT A WINDOW SEAT which is like the golden ticket at R2L. The view just makes the food taste soOoo much better. I started off with the 'let's get happy" cocktail which was sweet, just the way I like it and made my way over to a blueberry mojito, which was a dime. I started off with the lobster mac and cheese, grilled shrimp and risotto balls. Even though it's restaurant week, I like to order other things here and then as well which in this case was the LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE which was amazeballs. BIG lumps of lobster, you wont be disappointed. I love risotto but am not a huge fan of fried risotto, so to each their own. The grilled shrimp was great but I was more in love with the cocktail reserves that came with it. It was the perfect amount of spice and tart I love. Then for the entrees I got the chicken done 3 ways (grilled poached and fried) with the beef dish, not sure what it was, it's on restaurant week and I was a little tipsy but it was better than the chicken! The chicken dish had too much red onion which threw off my palette a little bit but the little piece of fried chicken that came with it was on point. I also ordered the steak tartar which was greaaaat perfect amount of horseradish. Dessert was my favorite part, I wasn't a big fan of the peaches and cream, even though the marscapone was perfectly whipped, the hazelnut pudding was SOooOooo good, orgasm in the mouth. I will definitely be back because it's R2L, why wouldn't you?

    (4)
  • Mo M.

    I went to R2L this past Saturday and I was very disappointed. The view was absolutely amazing and the drinks were great as usual. My guest and I experienced superb customer service but the food was lacking. I ordered the salmon and frites and was seriously disappointed. I ordered my salmon medium rare and it was extremely dry. My guest ordered the steak and ordered it medium rare and the steak was very fatty and poorly seasoned. I have never been more embarrassed. R2L was my go to place prior to this experience. Considering they also have wonderful customer service I'll give them another chance. Perhaps they got a new cook. Regardless of the situation, they need to improve in the food area.

    (2)
  • Jinsol L.

    Perfect ambiance for a classy romantic date! The boyfriend took me here for our anniversary dinner, and we were able to snatch one of the coveted window lounge tables just a few days before the date because it was on Super Bowl Sunday. As it was the one evening a year that basically everyone else is eating wings and watching football, the establishment was relatively empty, which only added to the excellent ambiance. For one, it was calm and quiet. Also, the servers were extremely attentive and helpful since there weren't too many tables to wait on. For example, even when we asked them to take multiple iterations of the same picture for us (with flash, without flash, with flowers, without flowers, etc), they were super kind and patient. I mean, with such an epic night view of Philly in the background, we just wanted a flawless picture to capture the essence of the evening ;) I would say that if I was rating just based on food, I'd give it a 4/5 because the main dishes were a bit saltier than preferred, and overall not overwhelmingly amazing for the price. However, one item I would recommend is the lobster mac & cheese, which came with delicious fat chunks of lobster. Other minor downsides to the dining experience were: the bar was out of pear liquor for the cocktail drink that we ordered so we had to find another drink, the server accidentally brought out the wrong appetizer for us initially (which seems pretty surprising since there weren't many customers), and instead of writing "happy anniversary" on our dessert plate, we got a birthday candle and a "happy birthday" message. All in all though, I had a lovely evening and enjoyed my meal regardless, and everyone was very pleasant!

    (5)
  • Danan R.

    We came for some late night drinks and were able to grab a sofa section in the beautiful lounge. The following is a breakdown of the drinks: -The Last Word: very strong with a hint of lime -Absinthe Minded: bitter, strong, and slightly sweet -Long Live And: sweet and tart, almost like a pomegranate juice -Green Vesper: refreshing with a hint of lime and cucumber -Old Cuban: very good with a taste resembling that of a good apple cider Service was great, and the ambiance beautiful. You can see the entire skyline from the lounge, which more than makes up for the $14+ drinks.

    (4)
  • Jonny C.

    I came for a company event so I cannot speak to the dinner or bar service, but this place is pretty classic as your typical lounge/restaurant atop a skyscraper with panoramic views. The two elevator experience up is pretty cool: you go up about 25 and then are chaperoned to a second elevator to hoist your ass up to 57. The crudite / salumeria catering for our event was excellent, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Philly sparkled in the winter night air below, but at night and so high up, everything became pretty undistinguishable. Great for a date or a party, likely too cliched for a normal night out.

    (4)
  • Jennifer G.

    Wow, that view. We went right at sunset one night and had a few drinks and some bites to eat in the lounge. We ordered lobster macaroni and cheese, shrimp cocktail, and the stuffed potato skins. The food was delicious, but very small for the prices. I guess that's pretty typical for the neighborhood. The ambiance of the lounge is definitely upscale trendy and the crowd reflects that. I felt out of place in my work clothes. If you're looking for somewhere to get a drink or two and have a beautiful view, come here, but plan to have dinner and food somewhere else.

    (3)
  • Seth G.

    This place is neat with a great view. My wife told me about this neat restaurant on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place. R2L has great atmosphere and what a view! The food was good, especially the beef tartare. My wife had a cosmo, which was good. I had a strange drink called the the Storm Warning. I'm not a big liquor fan, but I felt adventurous. I was pleasantly surprise that it wasn't all that bad. It was definitely strange (it had artichoke liquor in it). I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

    (4)
  • Mike K.

    Excellent food and service. The skyline view is amazing! There is a cocktail bar crowd, but the comfortable dining booths near the windows, looking down on the city, are the reason to visit. The vegetarian pot was delicious, and the tuna steak with potato dumplings were exceptionally good. A good wine list to choose from makes for a great night-out experience.

    (4)
  • Gregg P.

    Restaurant was phenomenal. View was amazing. It was my gf birthday so I requested a table by the window. One wasn't available when we got there, so we waited at the bar until one opened up. It was worth the 30 minute wait. Started off with the flatbread which was great, then we shared the ribeye steak dinner and lobster paella. Both were excellent. Finished it off with the vanilla cake for dessert. Also very good. A bit pricey, but expected considering the location. Excellent spot for a special occasion.

    (5)
  • Kyle S.

    My boyfriend and I went here for happy hour last Friday, and we were pleasantly surprised at our experience at R2L. We did arrive around 5:30, so we were unable to grab any seats on the couches by the windows, but we were able to sit at the bar. The clientle was younger professionals, mostly couples or small groups in their twenties or early thirties, as one might expect. For our first round of drinks, I had a Loree's Jones ($8) off the happy hour menu (citron vodka, ginger liquor, peach schnapps), and my boyfriend had a glass of red wine ($7). Both were very good, and not any more expensive than the other bars we frequent. For our second round of drinks, I had an Old Cuban ($12) and my boyfriend had a barrel-aged Bluecoat martini ($15). The Old Cuban was one of the most delicious cocktails I have had in recent memory (Pyrat XO rum, champagne, fresh mint, lime, a vanilla bean, and Angostura bitters), and my boyfriend didn't know barrel-aged gin existed or could be so delicious, so we were both very pleased. The service was swift, owing to a well-staffed bar and knowledable bartenders. I can't speak as to the quality of the food since we didn't order any, but for a high-end cocktail with a sky-high view, R2L is a place we would certainly come back to.

    (4)
  • Marqus R.

    It's all about the view. Very good food (at good stiff prices), great drinks (at high prices), excellent service, an excellent well varied wine selection and a nice quick direct to the top elevator ride, however, all of this can be had elsewhere except the view. The view alone will impress and once impressed, chances are you will remain impressed.

    (4)
  • Mama O.

    Tried R2L for the 1st time last night - Restaurant week gave us a good excuse to finally check it out. Loved everything about the place! Very friendly staff / Our waitress was wonderful Food was delicious. I had the caesar salad, short ribs & chocolate financier for dessert. The short ribs literally melted in my mouth! My husband & I split the shrimp cocktail which included only 3 but they were very large. These were good , wasn't crazy about the cocktail sauce. He ordered the house salad with balsamic - equal to or even tastier than the tangy Caesar. For an entree he enjoyed the flounder paella style- which not only included rice but also clams, mussels & calamari. He devoured it in minutes :) I forget the name is his dessert but there was mellon & a type of sherbet or pudding in the center. The meal is served with a seasoned bread & creamy butter. They also have a very nice lounge area surrounding the bar for an after or before dinner cocktail. There were people eating some apps there as well. Restaurant week menus tend to leave a person hungry & wanting more. Not here. I was actually unable to finish my entree even with help from my husband. Very good sign of their every day standards:) R2L- Way above the hustle & bustle of the busy Philly streets - you will fill your belly with yummy food & fall in love with the beautiful city skyline. Come at sunset...

    (4)
  • Rachel S.

    RESTAURANT WEEK REVIEW: I enjoyed my overall experience at R2L, however it was slightly disappointing and it's extremely dark in that place! I think that is ok for drinks around the bar but I could barely see my food. An elderly woman sitting at the table next to us was wearing a headlamp! It was very funny. I dined with 2 other friends for Restaurant Week and despite my reluctance after reading so many negative reviews, we tried it anyway. I cringed when I read some of the reviews on the service! I tried everything on the table so I believe my review to be justified.... Friend #1 had the Chicken Skewers + Wings which weren't pretty but tasted very very good. Perhaps a boneless tender would have been a little more aesthetically pleasing. Also awkward to eat with your hands in a nice restaurant. She also got the Braised Short Ribs (see photo) for an entree which were delicious, and finished with the Warm Sesame Financier which was the dessert winner at the table (see photo). Friend #2 ordered the Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad w/ frisee and mustard vinaigrette (as did I) and we liked it enough. The roasted veggies consisted of yams, turnips, etc. which were nothing special, but the salad was quite nice. For her entree, she got the Roasted Chicken w/ chestnuts, wild rice & Brussels sprouts (see photo). It was tasty and she enjoyed it. For dessert Friend #2 got the weird salad of apples, sorbet, pineapple, et al (see photo). I thought it was a strange composition. I ordered the salad (as mentioned above), the Pork Tenderloin & Belly w/ artichokes, lentils and grapefruit (see photo) which was very very good. Good combination of flavors and textures. I finished with the Chocolate Many Ways (see photo) which was disappointing. I was hoping for death by chocolate and this didn't even give me a fever. I would go back again, I thought it was a nice experience and I didn't feel bloated after the meal which is a plus. I think it's expensive so going for RW, a special occasion or just drinks is what's it's good for. the view is the draw.

    (3)
  • Neeka F.

    My husband and I had dinner there last night and it was AMAZING!! We we're celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary! We had the following: appetizer- argula flatbread- it was not crispy at all like some places it was perfect with the touch of citrus, main course: Artic char- if you like salmon, you'll love this dish. The presentation was everything and the taste was even better. The view at night is breathtaking- can't wait to go back:-) I'm giving them 4 stars due to the noise from the bar and the carpets need a deep cleaning (a lot of spots on the floors)

    (4)
  • Dia S.

    R2L is the place to go for a cocktail if you are visiting Philadelphia from out of town or if you just enjoy a beautiful view. The tables by the windows are the best and the lounge area is also nice. What really sets this place apart is the view of the skyline and the light that comes through the windows during the day is beautiful and seeing all the lights of the city at night is breathtaking. Not to mention the food, the food is great and the service is excellent. The waitstaff is very nice and accommodating. This is an experience best shared with a group of friends before a night on the town. It is also a great date place, for a nice quiet dinner.

    (5)
  • Karen E.

    This review is just about the bar service I experienced last night. I came to R2L with some colleagues for a planned happy hour to celebrate the holidays. We were at the bar from about 5pm- 7pm and it wasn't very crowded, but despite this, I found it painfully difficult to order a drink! There was one bartender tending bar, and she was off on another planet or something, because you had to practically throw something at her to get her attention. She knocked over several glasses while we were at our happy hour as well. She honestly really looked like she didn't want to be there. The drinks are not exactly cheap there, so I would expect that if I order a martini that it should be a full glass when I receive it and not have pieces of ice floating in it (mine was half full and chock full of ice shards). I actually sent my drink back (which I've never done in my life) because it was just undrinkable. The bartender did remake the drink though (unapologetically), and the second one was much better. My colleague's glass of wine which he had ordered with the rest of our group never appeared. This experience was just really too bad as the restaurant is so lovely and has such stunning views of the city. But I really just wanted to get the heck out of there as quickly as possible.

    (2)
  • L S.

    Our waiter was very patient with our group (6 people). This was our 1st time at R2L and we ALL loved it it! The food, ambiance, and service was EXCELLENT! You have to try the warm vanilla cake for dessert...Delicious.

    (5)
  • Ronit S.

    I recently made reservations for a night out with a friend. I haven't stopped raving since! As R2L is on the 37th floor, our table gave us the absolute most breathtaking view of the city. The drinks were awesome, the food was phenomenal and the service was beyond outstanding. The atmosphere was chic, and the attentiveness of the staff was seriously refreshing. A girls night out dinner like that left me feeling completely satisfied and so, so full. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

    (5)
  • Jackson G.

    Had a business dinner here with about 30 of us. Enjoyed the appetizers, but salad had plastic packaging in it (ran into it halfway thru) and my filet mignon was cooked to hockey puck status when I ordered it medium rare. Staff was apologetic, but replacement filet took forever and was rare. Won't be going back.

    (2)
  • Marissa R.

    BEST VIEW IN THE CITY! The short rib ragu was off the charts, amazing wine selection and great ambiance. Its my favorite date night spot, or even a great restaurant for a girls night as the bar is super active and fun to go over to after some dinner!

    (5)
  • Marc B.

    One of the most amazing places I've ever been. I took my girlfriend there for our anniversary and she was blown away. I was able to get a table close to the windows so we could look out over the entire city, the food was absolutely phenomenal, and they wrote happy anniversary on our dessert plate. Everything was perfect. It's expensive, but absolutely worth it.

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :4:00 pm - 11:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Garage, Validated
    Bike Parking : No
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Dressy
    Ambience : Upscale
    Noise Level : Average
    Music : Background
    Good For Dancing : No
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Happy Hour : Yes
    Best Nights : Wed, Thu, Sat
    Coat Check : Yes
    Smoking : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

R2L

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