Woondal - Philadelphia, PA | 0.5 out of 5…read more I came to Woondal with my family with high expectations after reading the glowing reviews, but unfortunately, we were all extremely disappointed. The food was everything you don't want in a good meal. Nearly every dish tasted like it had been microwaved rather than freshly prepared. The flavors were completely off--dry, bitter, overly salted, and somehow still tasteless at the same time. We ordered the Drums of Heaven, Chicken Spring Rolls, Shrimp Biryani (especially awful), Chicken Shashlik, and Beef Biryani. Every single dish was a letdown. The biryanis lacked aroma and depth, the meats were dry, and nothing tasted balanced or thoughtfully cooked. The only redeeming item was the chai I ordered after the meal, which I needed just to help settle my stomach. This is, without question, the lowest rating we have ever given a restaurant since I began writing reviews on Yelp. Based on our experience, I genuinely question the validity of the many high-rated reviews this place has received. We rate Woondal 0.5 out of 5. I strongly do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Save your money--you'd honestly be better off eating at the McDonald's across the street.

Second time here and it was great again! Had the mixed grill. If you like spicy food - try the Naga…read morewings!!

I've always had a good experience here. Fresh sushi. We love th also get the bento box.read more

This is the only option close by for sushi. It was ok but not great. My favorite is the American…read moredream roll .

Great food. Great service. Great environment. Parking was easy. Large party all enjoyed the food…read moreand service.

Absolutely amazing. Everything was delicious. We celebrated a 50th birthday and had a predetermined…read moremenu. Appetizers included the edamame dumplings, Sichuan pork wontons, Cantonese spring rolls, and tea-smoked spare ribs. All were great-- The spare ribs and pork wontons were divine! Entrees included the wasabi crusted filet, pan seared chilean sea bass, grilled lamb chops, and lemon sesame chicken. Again, everything was wonderful but the filet, sea bass and lamb threw it out of the park! Sides included the korean beef fried rice, wok gai lan, and wasabi mashed potatoes. The fried rice... dangerous! Oh so good. Service, of course, was wonderful. I've thought about this place ever since! Cannot wait to go back.

The Kim chee fried rice is always a go-to. I usually omit the poached egg and have been able to get…read moreit with a scrambled egg instead. It comes with shrimp and it is definitely filling. It's not overwhelming with Kim chee, so that could be a miss for die-hard Kim chee lovers and great for people who aren't entirely sold on Kim chee. The service is amazing! Food is quick, waiters are quick and hospitable. 10/10! The ambiance is gorgeous, dimly lit and just a vibe overall. I love the colors inside that light up on the walls. I enjoy sitting at the bar in front of the kitchen. It's an experience!

My sister recommended this pan-Asian restaurant. We made reservations for dinner and were promptly…read moretaken to our table. The restaurant serves modern Asian small plates meant for sharing. We ordered the crispy chicken bao buns, crispy shrimp, general tso soup dumplings, wagyu beef, Korean bbq beef, and hamachi ceviche. We were a group of 3 so one thing that was nice was that our waiter added 1 additional skewer/bao bun for the meals instead of ordering 2 plates of them. Out of all the food we ordered the most delicious were the meats; the wagyu and Korean bbq beef. They were so tender and lightly seasoned because the beef quality itself was good. The Wagyu beef was paired with an apricot dip that was really good. The chilli crisp chicken bao was also good but didn't have much sauce, so it was on the dry side. It was supposed to have chilli so we expected it to be spicy but it was not. We all really liked the crispy shrimp--it was truly crispy. The sauce and the radish paired really nicely with the shrimp as well. The one meal we did not enjoy were the soup dumplings. When we got them they were dripping of raw dough and had no soup in them. The waiter was kind enough to replace them but we still didn't really enjoy them. I did not try the hamachi ceviche because I'm pregnant but it was also a favorite from the group. For dessert we had the mini ice cream cones. The waiter again added an extra one for us. The flavors were chocolate banana and mango. They were good, small bites. One of them melted so quickly and fell on the table and the waiter was really kind and got us a replacement. I did use the bathroom and absolutely hated it. It was unbelievably dark in there and there were weird sounds playing in there. I went in there to make sure I didn't have food in my teeth but couldn't even see. Super inaccessible, hopefully that's something that can be changed. The service overall was clearly excellent! I would recommend this place, especially if you come for the meats. It was surprisingly filling too.

Solid place inside Reading Terminal Market! Would recommend and would get again…read more It can seem overwhelming at the choices. When you have foodie fomo, you want to try all of the delicious-sounding baos, but most people will be satisfied with 2-3. I opted for a combo platter, which came with 2 baos, 1 drink, and the option of wonton "chips" or boba ice cream. "A side of ice cream! How fun!" I thought. Rookie move. It was delicious, yes, even with my kids pilfering bites left and right. The problem is the market place is so crowded, a lot of the ice cream will melt by the time you've sat down. If you don't mind it a little melty, then no big deal. The baos are decent. It's a small operation, so the baos are clearly a mass-produced situation and so not as fluffy as you might get elsewhere where it could be steamed to order. Compared to other pre-made baos I've had, these were good. The fillings were ample and delicious. The pork belly special was fantastic and the Mongolian beef was great as well. The folks behind the counter were friendly and quick. Considering it's a major market in a major city, I'd call the prices very reasonable. Worth trying out!

Loved it! Albeit a bit trendy and pricey, it's a great snack option in reading market…read moreGot the kung pao tofu bun and it did not disappoint, stall is set up like an assembly line so my bao was ready literally within a minute Seating is cramped but that's what you can expect there all the time so I went outside to eat my food in peace This was SO good, I love having a decent vegan snack option around especially as someone who is always hunting for protein rich options and this delivered. They did not skimp on the tofu, will definitely be back

Came here for a birthday celebration and had never been here before. Upstairs is bar with open…read moreseating. Downstairs is and upstairs they have large spacious rooms available to rent for your karaoke party. You can choose a traditional karaoke tune or you can choose a song to sing along or even lip sync to. The sound quality is very good and is adjustable. Ordering food for the party was a little bit awkward you go the order window, pay and order and they bring in your food to the room. I guess that was ok but for a large party it was a little awkward with random orders coming in and out. The food wasn't great wasn't terrible.. the price point for food was also fair ! Pricing was very fair for the value we did order bottle service for the room at booking!

The food is good! Great for karaoke. There are private rooms and even a large room for…read moreevents/parties. I was disappointed that the restaurant area closed & is now an event/karaoke room. The service is good. You can order food up front & eat at the full service bar. There is also security onsite.

I crave their food and it hits every time! Like dining in…read moreyou. I highly recommend them!!!

I haven't come here in some years. I had a taste for their wings so I came here for dinner tonight…read more It was empty and I thoroughly enjoyed that. Jessica was very helpful. Very good this time. I tried the beef Bulgogi fried rice and I also of course did get wings. They were still good a little more better than I remember, but still good. The Bulgogi fried rice it was OK. I think I wanted a little more flavor and I wanted some heat to it. They don't have any heat to offer. Note to self. My neighbor got the shrimp fried rice and the shrimp were very small for $20. They look like salad shrimp very disappointing. I also got my mango Soju; They no longer give it in a pineapple, which was very disappointing, but I still enjoyed it

Came for a birthday celebration. One of the few nicer places on my short list of restaurants with…read morereservations available, so I decided to go for it. Service was excellent! Our staff were always looking out for us, and making suggestions and recommendations throughout our entire meal, and even helping us with some tips to better enjoy our meal (they saw me sweating in response to the Thai spice). Definitely made this a top-notch experience. Ambience here is great! Love places with *real* greenery indoors and a lot of natural light, like this place, and seats and tables were spread out sufficiently such that there was a nice background chatter without feel too infringed upon by other conversations. We ordered a good variety to share. The spare ribs and the glass noodles dishes were amazing! Everything came out as ready, but it was on a good cadence such that we were enjoying things as they were ready, hot and fresh. I'm no expert on legitimacy of flavors and dishes, but honestly this feels like the most legit stuff I've had in the Thai wheelhouse in a while. To boot, even though we said no to dessert because we had other plans, they came with a candle on a plate to still share birthday wishes. A nice touch! Definitely a fancy occasion kind of place in my books, but I'd definitely make a return trip on another occasion!

KenScale: 8.25/10 Visit: April 2026…read more One restaurant in Philadelphia that I had wanted to visit for a long time was Kalaya, which was featured in the Chef's Table documentary on Netflix in 2024. I was moved by the personal story of the chef Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon in the show, and of course my wife Jun and I would never say no to some delicious Thai food. On our recent trip to Philly to celebrate our anniversary, Jun and I finally got to check out Kalaya (which is named for the chef's mother) on a rainy Sunday for lunch before driving back home. We were very pleased with the lunch at Kalaya, which in our mind really showcased the Thai spicy flavor well. The menu at Kalaya features Southern Thai dishes inspired by the chef's family history. The colorful display of the dishes stood out throughout our meal, but more importantly we also really liked the spicy flavor that felt genuine and soulful. The cute flower-shaped Shaw Muang dumplings with ground chicken were highly recommended by our server and the kick from the Thai chili set the right tone right away. We were also fond of the poached shrimp and cabbage salad with coconut cream (Yum Kalum Bplee) for the delightfully crispy texture. For the main dishes, we ordered one stir fry and one curry. If you have to order just one dish at Kalaya, I can't recommend the colossal crab stir fry with egg (Pu Pad Pong Karee) enough. Served with jasmine rice, this dish offered complex flavor of spicy, salty, sour and sweet that was quite unlike anything I had encountered in a while. As Jun and I were savoring this awesomeness, I wished that I could've eaten this every week. The goat and lamb curry (Gaeng Pae), served with pickled cucumbers and coconut turmeric rice, was also impressive, with rustic curry broth that suddenly hit my tongue with spice blend. Despite that powerful impact on my palate, I couldn't stop myself from enjoying the curry, especially with the coconut turmeric rice that neutralized the curry's spicy kick somewhat. We also shared a side dish of stir-fried local mushrooms (Hed Pad Kratiam) that was solid as well. We were running out of room in our stomach after cleaning up the savory dishes, so we settled with ordering a Thai iced coffee to go before hitting the road. Not surprisingly, Kalaya is a very popular restaurant in the Philly dining scene so getting a reservation in advance is essential. I was a bit nervous on our visit as we were running rather late (by around 30 minutes) from picking up our car from the parking lot, yet the restaurant was gracious enough to honor our reservation. The bright and lively dining space offered quite a fitting background to the character of the dishes. There is a full bar with Thai-inspired cocktails and concise wine list designed to complement the Thai spices well. Kalaya definitely lived up its hype as one of the most important restaurants in Philadelphia; Jun and I were glad to have visited and would be more than happy to come back for our next visit to the city.

This will be quick and easy, just like the service at Spice 28. Happy hour is not just at the bar,…read moreit's the entire seating area, yaaaay, and the prices are GREAT! Ok. So here's all I got from the Happy-Tizers menu: Spicy cucumbers 1/5. Least favorite. No taste and not enough flavor. Ahi dumplings 5/5 Chicken wings 5/5 (medium spicy) Chicken Lettuce Wrap Szechuan style . A MUST TRY Chicken Satay skewers: no flavor and a bit dry. 1/5 Indian pancake with curry sauce: 5/5 Dumplings in chili oil (chicken and pork) 5/5 Thai Basil Fried Rice: 5/5 Spice 28...Get there - SOON ! Till we eat again.....

Spice 28's Dry Pepper Wings and Wonton Soup with Pork made for an outstanding lunch that balanced…read morebold flavor with real comfort. The triple‑fried wings arrived blisteringly crisp yet still juicy, coated in a Sichuan‑style dry pepper seasoning built on long-hot peppers, dried chilies, scallion, and a light peppercorn tingle that layered warmth rather than blunt heat. The spice never drowned out the chicken; it framed it, so each bite felt precise and intentional rather than overwhelming. The pork wonton soup offered the exact right counterpoint: a clean, quietly rich broth with tender pork wontons and fresh greens that refreshed the palate between wings. Taken together, along with a chilled Ginger Ale, the meal felt composed and deliberate without ever losing the simple satisfaction of a good lunch, and I would recommend this order without reservation to anyone who values both execution and flavor.

Food was very good quick service. I would give a 8/10. My wife and I were seated and didn't know…read moreabout the hibachi grill. Service was super fast but a little blunt.

We started with a cucumber roll and the Yamato roll. The Yamato roll was so good and it was warm…read more It was my son's first time trying anything besides veggie rolls and he really liked it. The hibachi was good as always.