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    Avana

    3.9 (65 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Deviled eggs and catfish
    Deforio B.

    Avana is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. It's a large indoor space with very elegant and soft decor. It screams fancy and delicate all at once. There is also a great outdoor space. Ok, so let's get into the food. The wait staff was all women -very friendly and engaging with each customer. Once the order was placed, the food was ready in less than 15 minutes. EVERY dish was plated beautifully. You could tell the chef takes pride in presentation. Crab dip and pretzel toast: you can taste crab in every scoop. It was both cheesy and creamy. The pretzel toast was warm and paired nicely with the dip. There was just the right amount of salt on the pretzel toast. Highly recommend. 5/5 Cheesesteak dumplings: They were seared nicely on both sides. The steak was very flavorful. It was plated with a smear of house-made spicy Ketchup, sweet peppers, and fondue cheese. I wished there were 6 instead of 4. They were delicious. 5/5 Deviled eggs topped with catfish. Not a favorite for me. Again, the presentation was beautiful, but the egg filling and the fish lacked flavor. 3/5 Charbroiled oysters: I've only had them in New Orleans and fell in love with them during my stay there. When I saw them on the menu, I had to try them. They did not disappoint. Packed with seasoning. The Parmesan, crostini, and garlic butter all melted together in my mouth. Again, I wished the portion size was larger. They should sell them by the dozen or 1/2 dozen. 5/5 Braised oxtail & collard greens personal pizza: It was covered with seasoning and looked amazing. However, it fell flat on taste to me. It was too sweet and greasy. I did like the amount of crunch the crust had, but overall it wasn't what I had hoped. 2/5 Nonetheless, these are my opinions. I always encourage you to try it for yourself. There are other great menu items to choose from. FYI...Happy hour is from 4pm to 6:30pm Til we eat again....

    Ambience
    Ameil S.

    Popped in over the weekend for the World Cup and man was this wonderful it's black owned. If that's important to you the vibe is electric. It can be a little bit loud so if you're trying to have a conversation depending on where you're sitting that might be challenging, but from the time you arrive till the time you leave, what you will have is delicious food be prepared. It's pricey so pack your wallet and the lobster mac & cheese for example is priced at $62 we didn't order it. That being said the food is delicious. You may valet park your car which we did and overall you have a terrific experience we were a party of four and gratuity was included in the check. Overall, I would go back again. There's some items I wouldn't mind having another time. The service was terrific and pretty expedient. I think you get what you pay for.

    Under the brick Amish chicken
    Naomi S.

    Everything was overall delicious. The only thing that was not liked was the chocolate cake jar. My friend had that and said that it was dry. I ordered the peach cobbler cheesecake so she switched it out. The cheesesteak dumplings were good but I prefer the cheesesteak beignets at Amina. We had to look for our server more than we would have liked. It wasn't crowded and we were seeing other servers numerous times but now ours. Another instance where an automatic gratuity doesn't workout for the customer. This location was pretty nice. I liked the size and decor. People were there on dates or just hanging out. There is outdoor seating but was not offered.

    Table setting
    Leah M.

    Three stars for now, but I'm sure in time it'll improve moving it to five. This restaurant has all the makings of something grand, but there's some tweaking that must be done. For me the owner has done this several times opening a restaurant and they're not getting better at the launch. Staff lacks knowledge, it takes too long to seat people with reservations, the host seems disoriented. The reason for reservation is to make sure you know what section, server and table is available. 6pm on a Friday please tell me upfront that you don't have any draft beer as shown on the menu or anything else! Nothing worse than having your palate prepared on a menu item only to be told after the fact they're out of it. BIG NO NO!!!! What keeps me returning to this ownerships restaurant? The Chef! This chef is innovative and creative. I have yet to return food because of it being too salty cold or bland. And that says a lot because this third restaurant that I patronized the service is extremely slow in each. For the most part you can't fault ownership because it's hard to find people who are willing to work and show up. With that being said, there's always one courteous and efficient worker at each one of the establishments. I'm sorry I didn't get their name, but I know that they are a carpenter and work at ALL of the owners restaurants. Me and hubby always chat a little bit with them. I enjoyed my oxtail pizza. However, the amount of oxtails meat was minimal, I could barely taste it. Next I nibbled off a piece of my husband's burger, which was absolutely delicious. The caramelized onions were cooked to perfection and the handhand cut fries are a home-run. The deviled eggs are decent, but they are too sweet in a sugary way not pickled relish. Will I return? ABSOLUTELY!!

    Chicken skewers
    Cashmere R.

    Dined @ Avana on 7/18/2025 @ 9pm and it was a party inside instead of a restaurant. We decided to eat outside due to the overly loud music. Street parking was available but scarce. They have reserved parking for a whooping $25. The entrees were a little pricey so we decided on apps instead. We ordered the Oxtail pizza, cornbread, chicken skewers and catfish deviled eggs. 1. Oxtail pizza - something different to eat, however, it was overly sweet instead of savory, like pizza should be. Watch out for leftover bones 2. Cornbread - best thing from the 4 items ordered. 3. Chicken skewers - these were just ok, gave that charcoal taste, but was dry and the cole slaw looked like someone chewed it up and spit it back onto the plate. 4. Catfish deviled eggs - save your money, there was no sight of flaky catfish, just crust from something fried. *Buyer beware, a 20% tip is automatically added to ALL SIZE PARTIES. This way, the waiter doesn't have to try to be nice and move on their own accordance. (At the bottom of each menu) On our visit, we encountered 2 blind MICE forging for food from leftover scraps left behind from previous diners. They weren't scared at all, it was if they knew it was there time to eat. Due to the sighting of mice, we decided NOT to eat at the restaurant and instead asked for to-go containers. *The first impressions was my last visit

    Cheesesteak Dumplings
    Dom A.

    All I got to say is get the Oxtail Pizza. It's so so good. They have a nice happy hour menu Monday thru Friday 4-6:30 offering a lot of food and drinks

    Hey Frankie! We miss you.
    Renee D.

    I had dinner at Avana this evening for a birthday celebration and I would give the experience two and a half rating. Here's why. Location. I suggest you use a ride share period. You'll be hard pressed to find your own parking. Or pay to valet. Ambiance is beautiful just as others have said but the trendy blue seats at my table were not comfortable. Very low backs and a high hard seat. There were four of us and our table was small. We were constantly shuffling items around. Food. Some of the descriptions of the menu items did not seem cohesive to me so I played it safe. I mean pop rocks on the oysters, a huckleberry gastric on the lamb, somewhere there was mention of a Welches Grape Juice sauce....huh?!! I totally understand creativity and experimenting but some things are just nonsense. I started with the char broiled oysters. At 24.00, I expected a half dozen plump oysters. I got four baby oysters and felt ripped off. Two people got the catfish deviled eggs. My neice hated them. I tasted the egg and it was just to sweet. My sister got the cheesesteak dumplings. So tiny and only three, we didn't ask to share yet this item is on Pass the Plate header?!! Three of us also had the salmon. Mine was moist but devoid of any seasoning. Again my niece did not like hers. I did not taste this one but her fish looked oddly different. The flesh was red, not pink. We threw a napkin over it and moved on. Other items included the blue crab dip ( I took this to go so update on that later) Brussels, Mac and cheese (very tasty) and the Mr. Rib. Let's discuss the Mr. Rib next under........... Service. A few missteps here and it had mostly to do with etiquette. While delivering drinks to the person to the right of me, instead of going behind me to get to her, the server stretched her whole body in front of me to sit the drink down. I had to lean back to accommodate HER! The Mr. Rib required a deboning. I thought this might involve a glove, a tong and a plate to receive the bone. Nope. The man simply reached down with his naked hand, pulled the bone out and walked off with it just like that. Appetizer plates sat used while still continuing to bring out mains. Napkins and cutlery were missing for some of us and the lag time at the end was unnerving. That was enough for me. At 500.00 for four of us I can think of plenty of deserving restaurants to spend my money in.

    Jenae M.

    Food options were creative but the flavor and execution wasn't top tier. The server was sweet and the restaurant is super chic. I'd like to go back and try happy hour to enjoy the dj vibes.

    Foyer when you first walk in
    Paapa N.

    Food was very good. I got popcorn shrimp and French fries for Wednesday night sips. Would recommend.

    Exterior welcome sign
    Terra B.

    I went here during Philadelphia's Restaurant Week to celebrate my best friend's birthday along with other friends of ours. Every year we pick a restaurant to try during Restaurant Week. This has been our worst experience ever. Most restaurants were charging about $45 per person but, Avana was charging $60. That generally covers appetizer, entree, desert. The five of us were agreeable to the price but not to the big let down especially since we enjoyed their other restaurant Amina. Let's get into to it. Parking is scarce but they offer $20 to valet. The esthetics are beautiful decor with amber lighting, clean, great music playing. The vibe is very nice. The waitress was nice but lacked finesse, constantly trying to take our plates off the table and we weren't done eating. We asked for a drink menu but she never took our order, reaching over our plates to hand plates of food to other people in our party. We had to ask for water...not a big deal. The glasses were only about 6-8 inches tall and she filled the glass less than half, no ice and it wasn't cold. It came across very odd as if there was a water shortage. I asked for ice. It took a while to get the ice. The water tasted so bad. It couldn't be filtered. It might as well have been straight from the schuylkill river. As for the food, it was a big let down. I ordered the jerk chicken skewer, cauliflower, salmon stuffed with crab meat and the peach cobbler cheese cake. The jerk chicken was tender and good, the cauliflower was amazing (battered and lightly fried), the salmon was tiny yet tasty. The cheese cake tasted old in my opinion lacking the creaminess that I have come to know when it comes to cheese cake. I hope the best for this restaurant and its future. My friends and I will not be returning to this location due to the poor experience, it's high priced, and less than stellar food.

    Watermelon Sea Bass
    Edith Q.

    I'll start with the food because that was the best thing about my experience! We started with 2 cocktails, 2 waters, and the chicken skewer w/ picnic slaw appetizer. The cocktails tasted great 4/5, the water wasn't really cold 1/5, the skewers were tender and had a nice kick. It came with the slaw which added a great and tasty balance to the chicken 5/5. For the main: Watermelon Sea Bass, Rib Sandwich, Lobster Bisque and a side of mac and cheese. The watermelon sea bass...OMG... 5/5! Would absolutely go back for just this! The fish was crispy on the outside with a perfectly soft and flaky inside, served on a bed of grits. The flavors were perfect! I think they could do one better by adding a watermelon garnish of some sort and this is why; when I got the dish, it was so good and I was savoring all of the flavors and questioned the really delicate and delicious sweetness...then I remembered that it was the watermelon lol. So just a simple reminder of the watermelon would be nice. Next, the side of Mac and cheese; I initially ordered it bc I wasn't sure if the sea bass would be enough. The sea bass was indeed enough, so I only tasted two bites of the Mac. It was good 5/5. I just feel like it could've be a shareable side dish/app bc it was a larger portion than expected. I took it home. My partner ordered the rib sandwich which was so tender and flavorful, large portion and came with fries 5/5. The lobster bisque soup; it had so much flavor with nice chunks of lobster. Never tasted anything like it 5/5. Although, I will mention that my partner questioned the consistency of how the dishes are presented; he had the bisque previously at another time. He mentioned the crouton was prepared differently and not as big. That gave me concern bc I would be very upset if I went back for that sea bass and it had different portions or overall not the same. So onto the service 3/5. Everyone was pleasant and kind but lacking experience in hospitality. Starting with entering the establishment, it was slightly confusing. We came with no reservation as a party of 2, just hoping we could get seated...no big deal. The problem was that there were two ladies at the hostess station and we didn't know who was to help us get seated. One of them greeted us very excitedly! She was standing to the side of the desk but didn't help us. We later learned she did not work there... oh ok. The other woman behind the desk was less enthusiastic but did ask us if we had a reservation. We mentioned just showing up to see if we could be served. She asked us to check if there was seating around the corner and pointed. At that moment I was confused and didn't know if we were supposed to seat ourselves. So I started walking in to look around. The woman then came out from the desk and pointed for us to look around the corner again. I'll be honest, that irritated me that she wasn't showing or walking over there herself. I expect the hostess to check availability themselves and not ask the guest. It appeared lazy and unmotivated. Nonetheless, we all see an open table by the bar and she then asked "how about there?" That worked for us, but I felt like we seated ourselves in a way. Next, our server. Although, very nice and pleasant; she had no knowledge of the menu and drinks. We asked for her opinion a few times and it appeared she was making up her answers, yikes! Please, just be honest. We never got utensils so when our app came we had to flag someone else down. Our server removed our app plate and used utensils, then said she would bring us some more. Great...but she never did. So when our main food came we had to flag someone else for more utensils. My partner ordered soup and there wasn't a spoon. So we had to again, ask for a spoon. Our server wasn't attentive and didn't ask us if we would like another cocktail. The gratuity was included which is fine but I feel like the servers feel like they don't have to tend to guests as much bc of this. I wouldn't complain about included gratuity if the service was up to par. Moving on the ambiance 4/5. Loved the vibes, the decor, lighting and live dj with a great selection. The only thing I would ding them for is the tables in the front seem a little awkward. Otherwise, me and my partner were able to enjoy our time together with great food and great music. We will go back for sure, even it's just for the food, but we do have a certain level of expectation. When it comes to spending a certain amount on dining out, level of service and hospitality should match.

    Burton L.

    I had an amazing time here! 10/10 would def recommend, the service from the host to our waitress to the salad sidecar man was amazing! The food is so delicious and unique I was pleasantly surprised and I will def be back! The music was a vibe also and I can't wait for the outside to open up because this is def the new summer spot!

    Sy L.

    I was excited to try this new restaurant. I wanted to try it out on a night that would not be too busy so Tuesday was selected. Upon entry I noticed the beautiful decor and color scheme. There were a few people seated at the bar. My friend and I were seated immediately. Our waitress was awesome ( professional, friendly, checked on us frequently but it was not overwhelming ). We ordered cocktails, oxtail pizza , deviled eggs, and Amish chicken. I will say everything was okay but nothing blew me away. Nothing really stood out from the food that I selected. I did notice a few people ordered the table side prepared salad. The restaurant just opened and appeared to still be working things out. For instance , We asked for dessert. No dessert menu. Another person had to come to our table to tell us about the two available desserts. We chose the peach cobbler cheesecake. The dessert arrived with one spoon instead of two. The service was also slow. Everyone that assisted us were really nice! I know things will improve! I will try back in a few months.

    Catfish deviled eggs

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    10 months ago

    Amazing! Great food and service will return and bring my people with me. Such a great vibe!!!!!

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    10 months ago

    Food was very good. I've been to Black Hen and Amina's. I really enjoyed the food, the service was great along with the atmosphere

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    9 months ago

    I had a wonderful experience at Avana's! The food was amazing, the service was great and the ambiance was superb.

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    10 months ago

    Awesome is the word if you want a unique experience tht gives a taste of elegance this your spot to try food outstanding

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    9 months ago

    Wonderful ambience and quality service. Nice to have a restaurant close to where I live. Definitely will be recommending to others.

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    Enswell - Dining Room.

    Enswell

    4.3(121 reviews)
    1.1 miRittenhouse Square

    My family and I got breakfast at Enswell during our stay in Philadelphia. This swanky, hip place…read moreoffers up elevated tasty food and superb service in an exquisitely decorated, albeit small, cafe. We braved negative degree weather for the roughly 10 minute walk from our hotel. We walked in at a good time. This is the type of place where a reservation for breakfast would be required. We were sat immediately. The dining area is tight. A green velvet bench, marble tables, metal chairs, all packed into a small area. You could very well have your butt brush over the table of the patrons next to you if you have to get up for any reason. It's tight. Our server was around quickly. He was super friendly and kept things conversational, light and sophisticated. My wife ordered an iced latte, I had their hot drip coffee. For a starter, we had to try the cinnamon knot bread. While it wasn't what we were expecting, it was good. Although, we wouldn't order again. The bread is presented as a small loaf, room temperature with a cold cream cheese icing drizzled over top. The bread had a mild cinnamon flavor and was dry. It lacked the sweet, moist dough you expect from a cinnamon bread. My wife ordered the French style omelet. This had gruyere cheese and chives. Beautifully plated, perfectly cooked and the taste was spot on. It was good enough to forget that she paid $21 for just an omelet, no meat, no sides. I ordered the Eggs Benedict. Pretty standard here. The eggs had bright orange yolks which is common for farm fresh eggs. The "coffee" hollandaise didn't come across with a coffee flavor but it was rich and went well with the ham and English muffins. One thing that stuck with me was their drip coffee. Not sure if it has been a while since I had a light roast but the Rival Bros. Revolver coffee was so good, I got a bag of whole beans to bring back home with me. I may even order it again online. Enswell succeeded on all fronts. The ambiance and service was great. The decor, impeccable. The food, thoughtful and tasty. The details from the silverware to the plates added to the experience. We would come back.

    I thought this place was very cute. Outdoor limited seating…read moreand indoor area as well. The appeal was to get a quick read in amd have my pup with me. I felt like I ordered the wrong combination. I was able to do an egg sandwich and swap for sourdough bread vs eng muffin. Love that. Didn't love the copper sharp cheese that was a bit messy and tangy. I kept thinking they must have added some type of sauce on it. I'd much rather come back for a simple fried egg combo and chedda cheese. I was also offered sparkling water, but I do wish it had more fizz. The service start to finish was superb in friendly and fast service. I'd come back for mimosa/bar for sure.

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    Enswell - Coffee bar.

    Coffee bar.

    Enswell - Interior

    Interior

    Enswell - Dining Room.

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    Dining Room.

    Avana - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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