Harp & Crown

Brought my daughter here for a Valentine's Day dinner on a last-minute reservation, and I'm really glad we pulled it off. The space alone is worth the visit -- beautiful interior, the kind of place that feels special without trying too hard. We went full small plates mode and shared four dishes: burrata with leek, walnut, and sourdough (a classic done right), chicken dumplings with basil, jalapeño, and lemon (bright, a little heat, very good), grilled octopus with tomatillo, chili, and lime (tender, well-balanced, my personal favorite of the night), and a margherita pizza that was simple and exactly what it needed to be. The whole spread worked really well together. I had a Maker's Mark Manhattan that was, frankly, fabulous. No notes. Service was a bit slow -- we sat with empty water glasses more than once -- but it was Valentine's Day and the place was packed. I'm not going to pile on servers for having a brutal night. They were warm and clearly doing their best under the circumstances. Would absolutely come back. Harp & Crown is the kind of dinner spot that makes you want to plan a return trip to the city just to eat there again.

Excellent breakfast buffet near Rittenhouse Square. The waffles and truffle Mac and cheese were standouts. The service was pleasant and cheerful. The salmon and omelette station were both popular with our group. Good for groups of 2-8 people.

This is a nice place for a date or a girls night. It’s more of a vibe focused place where you will spend more, so just keep that in mind versus a sit down date night kind of place. You will probably order two meals due to sizes. The only dish large enough was the chicken. For me personally the variety wasn’t enough, and not a lot of healthy options. However everyone at my table enjoyed it. We did a bday plate and it was a little lack luster but if you are focused on the surprise and not the actual sweet treat it’s fine. The drinks were good! This is on a VERY busy street so you will either park a bit away and walk or Uber. It’s located near a lot of bars and other spots too. Inside is super cute but bustly (again not a dinner sit done vibe). You will need reservations. The staff was VERY accommodating to us being late due to traffic, just call the and they will try to work with you. If you have a larger party they will try to make it one check, so you need to tell them immediately that you will split it (they seen a little frustrated we didn’t tell them).

Harp & Crown has a brunch buffet on the weekends at $38 per person. It was unfortunately a miss for our group. I do want to say that I enjoy their happy hour and downstairs bar a lot - this review is on the brunch. $38 per person felt steep, especially for the quality of food and zero alcohol included. We got espresso martinis, which were a little too bitter for our taste. We got a lot of different plates and things to try. Nothing stood out as good, everything was room temperature if not cold. The fried chicken was so dried out, nothing about it was juicy. It was pretty disappointing. The service was exceptional. We came for a birthday brunch and Kyle went above and beyond for us. I love the ambiance and especially the bar downstairs. I just wouldn’t recommend coming for the brunch.