Booker's Restaurant and Bar Reviews

After a few visits, I can say that my food experience was great. Very tasty, appropriate portions, great service, and a very comfortable atmosphere. However, the wine by the glass was a little pricey so, I suggest that you buy wine by the bottle if you are with other wine drinkers. #itsAgo

I’ve been doing happy hours all over the city since the weather finally broke and this is definitely one of my favorites!!! First the city-wide special can’t be beat! It’s a pint of draft beer, a shot of whiskey and fried pickles all for $6. Such a great deal! The pickles were delicious and I tried the new Hell or High Watermelon wheat ale draft and loved it. I also tried the sangria which tasted like juice (not sure if it was made really well to mask the taste of the alcohol or barely had any in it to begin with) and the house Pinot which I loved. For food we had the deviled eggs, buffalo cauliflower, meatball parm, and calamari. The calamari was not even warm, undercooked, and under-seasoned. Two other parties also at the bar didn’t like it either. One couple ate it anyway. The lady next to me sent hers back with mine. They both came back hot but still tasteless and too rubbery. We just asked for it to be removed altogether. The rest of the food more than made up for it though. The meatballs were incredibly flavorful, hot and served in a bed a sauce and gooey cheese with garlic toast. They were incredible! The buffalo cauliflower was even better! It was lightly flash fried and coated in buffalo sauce served with blue cheese dressing. The texture and flavors combined perfectly to create an amazing dish. We really wanted to order another one but were too full to do so. The bartender was very friendly and helpful although not as attentive as she could have been. I will definitely be back to support this BOB.

The food and service were excellent. The winners are the Catfish, Jerk Oxtails Short Ribs, and service by Lourd!! It's definitely a go back!!

Held my wedding reception at their Bayou Lounge and Nina the Hostess is THE VERY BEST! Took care of everything with love!

Wow, let's just start off by saying that I will be back and this is most definitely our new local date night spot! I saw that Bookers was opening in the neighborhood, and I love supporting the community. The website is still down, so I was unable to peer at the menu before our arrival concerned about our dietary restrictions but everything was totally fine but I do hope they'll put up their website soon! Service was phenomenal. Our server/bartender was always on top of our drinks/ water as was the other server. Everyone was pleasant, seemed happy to be there ( to work) and happy to service us -- the vibes and ambiance were very positive and great. I loved seeing the eclectic mix of people in the restaurant, something that I've always loved about West Philly -- bringing the community together through the love of food, I love it. Drink wise -- good selection of beers but I totally wish they had a draft.. that might bump up to 5 stars maybe they're in the midst of installing? Food -- 5 stars for taste, presentation, and value for price paid, no complaints. We started off with the mussels for appetizer -- served with bread for dipping, mussels looked well cleaned, well seasoned and not overcooked, up to par with the popular mussel places in Philly. Second, I had the trout over purple potatoes and my partner had the salmon. Both fish were cooked perfectly, not too dry and well seasoned. My partner even ate the fish skin off of the trout which he rarely does, well done! The quality was great for the price we paid, I thought the prices were most definitely fair and reasonable and I'd be glad to come back. If I had room for dessert, I would have. Next time.. no appetizer, room for dessert, noted! Thanks Bookers for opening up a place local to us, keep up the service, reasonable prices and quality of food and you'll be sure to be everyone's neighborhood fave!

Food and service were both good. Nice atmosphere. Bar didn't impinge on diners at all. We really enjoyed the food and the host and wait staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive. A great addition to the neighborhood. We'll be back.

My Family made Brunch reservation at Booker’s for a party of 10 to celebrate my Granddaughter’s 14th Birthday, $100 deposit required to book the reservation. We have been having Celebrations at Booker’s for the past 8 years. This experience was the worst. Our Party of 10 was wedged in a corner in the back of the restaurant. Food & Service was terrible to say the least. Most of the food came out cold. The chicken & waffles which is usually very good was NOT, waffles were cold & undercooked. Waiter was very inattentive & short when questioned about the food. Food & Service has not been the same under the new Management. Please do Better. Loyal Customer

We celebrated my granddaughter’s 17th birthday. There were 7 of us. Our table was ready when we arrived. The atmosphere was warm and the food & service was great. The staff brought out a slice of cake with a candle on their own with out our asking.

There is nothing I could possibly complain about. Service was excellent. Food is plentiful and original. Our Reisling pour was generous, always a plus! We were served hand cut potato chips with dip as a complimentary starter, yum . I had the Bistro Salad with chicken, specially blackened by the chef in a way to prohibit cross contamination from shellfish. Always good to be taken seriously and treated well in that regard. My husband enjoyed the specials, a Lobster Bisque starter filled with gorgeous lobster chunks . He also had the special, a seafood medley over capellini with a white wine garlic sauce. Great atmosphere, great food, great service! Check it out

As a first experience, Booker’s was a nice surprise. The cinnamon mimosa was amazing!! The deviled eggs were good but the cheese curds were lacking overall flavor. They didn’t have enough salt. The Mac and cheese stuffed meatloaf was decent but also lacked seasoning. The brisket on the biscuit was tender but the biscuit was burnt. The cheeseburger was good and so was the Mac and cheese.

We read the reviews but arrived late to our Airbnb that was close by and thought let’s roll the dice- take my advice don’t make the same mistake! We ordered the seafood Mac n cheese and the burger with side salad instead of fries and the Brussel sprouts. Service was horrible. 3 tables say down around us and got their food before we did & they ordered ribs and fried chicken so I was a little irritated, the food comes and the burger was raw (I ordered well done) it had no mayo or anything on it and the waitress disappeared. Finally she comes by and I ask her what’s going on that they get their food first and my burger is horribly undercooked. I tell her to just bring a house salad and the brussel sprouts we were still waiting on... you’d think waiting so long they would’ve been cooked but they weren’t. They were bland and still so raw they were inedible. The waitress tell us they want to buy us dessert- at this point I don’t want anything else you have to offer- get my bill... which they took 20% off. Seriously?? 2 hours there- nasty food & you made me pay still. Go to dock Street Brewery for their Brussel sprouts and pizza instead.

This is my hometown neighborhood corner place, so I keep coming back even when it hasn’t always been so great. But I need to add a review just to say that lately the Bookers team has their act TOGETHER. Whoever’s working the kitchen these days is doing a great job, we’ve had excellent service, things have been better than ever. Recently came to a weekend brunch with extended family: the staff found room for us quickly, everyone in the group ordered totally different things, and every single person was happy with their order. We all shared around and got to taste most of the brunch menu, and everything was made really well. One person had the shrimp and grits, and claimed it was the best grits he’d ever had. Special thanks to Shay, who waited on us, with exemplary service. Thanks, Bookers team, you’re doing a great job.

In late September 2017, had the opportunity to dine at Bookers w/family visiting from out of town. The restaurant was suggested by my sister. It far surpassed my expectations. The atmosphere was cozy & inviting. They even had some seating outside and a friendly couple was kind enough to take several photos of our group for us. Staff members were personable and professional. All members of our party enjoyed their dinner selections and several days later, I enjoyed some leftovers that underlined that I would like to visit this establishment again. I had a very tasty salad to start followed by the pulled pork entree. It was very good w/the right amount of sauce and delicious collard greens. For sports lovers, there are several large screen TV's available in the bar area that shares space with several tables for dining. You'll need to pack your patience as you look for a place to park since the restaurant is in a part of West Philadelphia that is transforming into a place where cool things are happening and parking can be tight. The Saturday night we visited we were able to park on the street across from Bookers. My only recommendation would be to have some type of partition or heavy drapery installed near the kitchen entrance so when the serving staff picks up and drops off dishes, any noise that drifts into the dining area is minimized. Definitely enjoyable.

We had dinner with some friends, and we really enjoyed the food. I had the salmon with rice and black eyed peas, and it was delicious. My husband had the falafel waffle which had a good taste, but was very dry. The house red was good. Service was excellent. There are tables outside but they were full so we sat inside. Nice ambiance. My only complaint was that it was hot outside and they don't have air conditioning so it was a little uncomfortable inside. We will definitely come back, but will choose a cooler night to do so!

Loved this place when it opened, we were really enthusiastic about a nice brunch place in this part of West Philly. Then for a while, it became “hit or miss”—sometimes we’d take guests and get a really great server and a great meal, and other times it seemed like the kitchen was struggling. Lately, though, it’s been more “miss”. It seems the chefs are irregular, the kitchen disorganized, and the servers stressed even when there are only 2 or 3 tables of diners in the place—a dish made well once has trouble being duplicated the next week, and often odd mistakes are made with the food. The consistent thing seems to be that they can’t get all the items to the table, and it’d be helpful if they operationalized their kitchen and serving processes: tables should have salt and pepper shakers, servers might have directions or lists of what to bring out with each dish: butter with biscuits, syrup with pancakes, cream and sugar with the coffee, and the check once the plates are cleared. Each meal lately seems like an adventure: will we or will we not get a full brunch as ordered? How many times will we have to ask our server for what we expected? Will the food be the good dish we remembered from a previous visit, or will it be under- or over-cooked or from a new recipe altogether? Will probably be giving it a break for a while—the neighborhood offers other options.

We ate here on a Saturday evening visiting our daughters who live nearby. Although not in the greatest location, it was easy parking and great service.We had a very nice meal with burgers and salads. Reasonably priced and very attentive staff. We will come back if in the area

This spot did not disappoint. This was the first time at this establishment for all of us. we did not have reservations, but they were able to accommodate us and I was so happy. we started with a couple drinks and appetizers [deviled eggs, buffalo cauliflower and cheese curds [all were delicious]. Brunch was chicken and waffles with fried shrimp for me and another friend, grits and fish for the other [excellent}. Meet the owners wife and she was have sweet. This restaurant is a little pricey BUT while worth the money.

We were staying at the Embassy Suites about 5 miles away and found this place on the internet. Even though it was about 9 pm we decided to give it a try since it received great reviews. We sure are glad we did. The food was wonderful, the service couldn't have been better, and the atmosphere was very pleasant. We would highly recommend Bookers.

To summarize up front about the food (since most will be interested in that review element), it is decent and I had been there before so was a return customer. However, the last time I went, I was overcharged for the entree I received or in other words ordered and paid for an entree I did not get. It was hectic and my friend and I were both from out of town at a reunion of sorts and weren’t focused on the food. I paid for the meal via credit card and the tip in cash and left but contacted the restaurant to have them correct it once I realized the error. I was lied to multiple times saying my card would be credited back for at least the difference between what I actually received and what I was charged. After several follow up communications, this was never done and the restaurant still refuses to do so after me being told otherwise by a representative. That’s inappropriate business practice and shady as far as I’m concerned and a matter of decency and principle to follow through to make it right so I’ll never go back even though it wasn’t very much money. It’s in the hood adjacent with horrible on street parking anyway not making it convenient to drive and find a parking spot. One of the last times I went at night we had to park blocks away and passed multiple “sketchy, unsavory” individuals making that seem like a questionable option regarding safety & security.

This was my third visit to Bookers. My nephew and his wife were in town from Georgia so my mother, brother, and I were took them here for dinner. As usual we were greeted and seated in a timely fashion. Our server was attentive and friendly. She was able to answer our questions about the menu. The atmosphere was friendly and pleasant on a Saturday night, not too loud or rowdy. I ordered two small plates: the deviled eggs and the brisket biscuit. Both were done to perfection with tremendous flavors. My nephew ordered the chicken and waffles and said they were better than any he ever had in the South. My brother, who often finds some fault with either food or service at restaurants, said he would be back. The only recommendation I would make is to find a way to dampen the sounds from the kitchen in terms of the dishes being dropped off, etc. The sound of clanging plates and silverware overwhelmed our conversation at times since we were seated very close to it. Otherwise, a stellar evening with family and food!

Went to Bookers for dinner with 2 friends. Although our reservation was for 3 people they sat us at a high top table which was clearly designed for only 2 people and wasn't confortable. I spoke with one of the staff and asked to be moved. They then sat us at an empty table which was meant for 4 people. I'm not sure why they didn't sit us there in the first place since it was opposite the high top table for two where they originally sat us. We ordered a salad and the brussels sprouts as appetizers for the table. The salad was good, but the brussels sprouts not so much. Overall the food was good. I had the catfish with mashed potatoes, collard greens and cornbread - very tasty. My friends had a turkey burger and a salmon burger, each with fries, and they liked their meals also.. Our waitress was friendly and efficient. They had other people deliver the food. This is where Bookers needs to improve. The folks delivering the food were confused and tried to give our food to the folks on the table next to us. When we saw what they were doing we told them it was our food and they gave it to us but they didn't know which meal was for each of us. I also had to ask these folks to return with the condiments I had requested when I placed my order - hot sauce and vinegar for the collard greens. Additionally, there was a lack of accurate communication about cheese optuons for the burgers so one of the burgers had to be taken back to the kitchen and fixed. These aspects of service should be improved especially since the restaurant automatically adds a 20% gratuity to the bill. If you go to Bookers please know that they want you to stay no more than 1.5 hours. We didn't know this when we made the reservation. We stayed about 2 hours and they politely told us we needed to leave because they needed our table. If you live locally Bookers is a good option. If you are coming from further away there are many other good food options to consider in central Philly with better service. Plus, unlike Bookers, other restaurants don't require you to give a credit card when you book your reservation.

Was looking for a new spot to have brunch with my girlfriends. So happy we found this spot. The food was AMAZING. We enjoyed all the dishes we ordered. I had the Bourbon French Toast which was splendid. I would definitely return to this restaurant again.

Had a wonderful brunch today at Booker's--my first time here! The atmosphere was bright and welcoming, the service, spot on, and the food was fantastic. Both of us ordered the eggs Benedict and enjoyed the dish thoroughly. Eggs were poached just right, and the serving size was perfect. The best item, however, were the home fries. The potatoes were cooked to perfection--incredibly tasty! Presentation was also lovely. We will definitely go back again.

Best Soul Food Brunch that I’ve had! I had delicious fish and grits. The service was excellent. Great atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We made reservations for this place on a recommendation from Taste with Torie from channel 3 news. However, our experience was rather disappointing. To begin with they sat us at a high table (which neither of us like) then someone opened the back door and was a strong cold breeze on my husbands back. He kindly asked them to close it. Then he ordered calamari for his appetizer and it came with such a small portion. There were more peppers and tomatoes than his squid. I ordered the buffalo cauliflower because the menu said it was battered and deep fried with buffalo sauce. however the cauliflower was more like grilled and I am not a big fan of it unless it is cooked very through. My husband ordered the Lamb with rice and green beans. the rice was overcooked and unseasoned. not even any salt in it. I ordered the seafood mac and cheese with lobster, crab and shrimp but there were 2 shrimp on top and couldn't find any lobster or crab in the dish. rather disappointing too. after our bill topped out at over $100 with tip my husband said "I feel like I need to go home and eat!" sorry to say we probably wont be back. BUT the wait staff were very nice and understood our complaints.

On a Tuesday date night with my wife, we stopped in for dinner. For early in the week there was a respectable crowd. We were warmly greeted at the door and promptly shown to our table. The food was particularly good. I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken Filet and substituted fried bone-in wings for the filet and substituted hand-cut fries for the mashed potatoes. It came with a side of Collard Greens. It was a tasty meal. The food was seasoned well. My wife ordered the Seafood Mac & Cheese. It looked appetizing and she enjoyed it.

We've eaten here twice and enjoyed ourselves both times. The food and drinks are very good, the portions generous, the atmosphere pleasant, and the service friendly and helpful. What detracts is some uncomfortable seating (tired old chairs disguised by slipcovers), and sometimes the servingware is dirty (most recently, coffee served in a large white cup with obvious brown staining around the rim that could be scraped off with knife edge/wiped off with a napkin). We recommend it, but hope the restaurant will take care of these easy fixes.

This was my third visit to Booker's and the food is what will keep me coming back. Hands down, the best grits around--I could eat the shrimp and grits every visit and not get tired of it. One diner also greatly enjoyed the special omelet of the day. The only "weakness" I have experienced has been the service on my various visits. While the servers are always professional, they are not as attentive as they could be. I have had servers get my order wrong, fail to check if we need anything, fail to bring everything to the table, etc. A little more attention would complete the experience!

Visited this eatery on a recent visit to Philadelphia. Loved the location! Love supporting Black-owned businesses! As you can see from the photos, the food was delicious! Shrimp and grits is a frequent option for a local resident that dined with us. It looked and tasted delicious! My son had a lot of food, including the blueberry French toast! Which, btw, was delicious and would have made a wonderful dessert! I dined on eggs, toast, and homemade potatoes....can’t go wrong with something so basic. Some areas for improvement: server was awesome, but service was slow. We were at the tail end of brunch, and the crowd was thinning out, so we didn’t expect the long wait time. The host, and maybe owner, was rude and walk around hard and fast, with no smile to be seen anywhere close to her face. Additionally, we were asked to leave shortly after we finished our meal, because they were ‘preparing for the dinner crowd!’ Never had this happen before. Very disappointing. We were from out of town, and planned on a leisurely meal, along with good conversation, before, during, and after brunch/lunch. HUGE disappointment and cost a better rating on this review. Do better with this Booker’s. With that being said, the food was good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the venue itself is in a hip, gentrifying neighborhood. I would recommend, and may return for the blueberry French toast dessert!

very disappointing meal here with a friend, we've been here a few times but not in the past year or so. very sad to say that the food was completely marginal - beet salad very pretty to look at but tasteless and the cauliflower so spicey we had to turn it back. thank god they served amazing homemade potato chips and dip to start - that was essentially our dinner. i hope they can step their game up again - this is a very pretty spot in a cool and historic neighborhood of philly. i'll be trying this restaurant again in a few months and hope they get their game on again

I took my brother here for his birthday dinner. We'd both heard good things about the restaurant and were eager to try out the menu. A gentleman seated us and then we waited over fifteen minutes without being served. I walked over to a waitress and asked her if we could get served and she was very receptive. Apparently, the maitre' d never assigned a server to our table. Once the server took over, she was very kind and helpful and had a good knowledge of the menu and the daily specials. My brother had the seared pork chops and said it was tender, juicy and delicious. I had the chicken and waffles which was very good as well. We both had desserts. I had the ice cream waffle which was ok, and my brother said the same thing about the key lime dessert (which was complimentary since it was his birthday). Overall, the atmosphere is nice, but there were a few glitches with service. Since the restaurant is only a few months old I'll re-visit in a few months to see if they've worked out those glitches. The sister restaurant Aksum has perfected service and I'm expecting that Booker's will soon do the same.

I enjoyed the last burger I had - can't remember what was in it besides bacon and great taste. Service was a bit slow but the food was great when it came. Would come again if friends stay over.

Three of us had dinner at Bookers last evening. Good food, good service and the most comfortable restaurant chairs in memory. University City is slowly moving west into West Philly with all that entails. Makes a place like Bookers possible so that is good. Not very many good choices nearby. Highly recommended.

This is a great place to go for happy hour and regular hour too! The alcoholic drinks are wonderful and they have great beers. The food is awesome, I get the mussels every time and they have never disappointed! Very relaxed, chill place for a date or hangout with friends!

Yeah, there's Southern food in Philadelphia, and it's good. Recommended by a friend and what a pleasant surprise, unpretentious in style with tasty bites. I'd prefer they expand their Southern cuisine slightly more, nevertheless I am hoping to return.