Will BYOB

Phenomenal food, atmosphere, and service. We came to celebrate our anniversary and were thoroughly impressed. The diversity and ingenuity in flavors and presentation was unexpected, but incredibly enjoyable.

Dined here based on the great Unilocal reviews. we booked a table for 2 on a a thursday night. services was attentive and not overbearing. however the noise level was very uncomfortable and loud due to limited dining space consisting of a meager 500sq feet dining area. ultimately, i was disappointed with the dinner offering, because the foie Gras was literally a stick of butter with jam dressing. i strongly do not recommend dining here. Nothing on the menu that I’ve tasted was to brag about. despite it being BYOB, but u practically paid for the corkage fee with the over priced and dismal offering from the menu. I also tried the cold soup and chicken entrée that tasted like brined turkey. Very disappointed and had to pay over 120 for dinner. I recommend as an alternative to real fine dinning Moshulu on pennslanding. which offers great food and ambiance for a fair price. MOST IMPORTANTLY NOT PRETENTIOUS AND OVER PRICED.

The restaurant is clean and the ambiance nice. Unfortunately, the noise level is really high and sounds like what I imagine it would be like if I were in a fish bowl. I’m not one to complain about noise, but it’s pretty bad when I can’t hear the servers tell me about the specials for the evening.
On that note, this restaurant is the most pretentious restaurant I have ever been to in my life. The mussel soup had no mussels, the foie gras was literally a stick of butter with cherry jelly (melted away $ 16 sick of butter), the entrée (unknown cut off steak) was chewy and lacked flavor, the poultry entrée tasted like brined turkey breast pieces.
Nonetheless, the food was somewhat nicely and strategically plated to resemble delicious food. One star for that.
The best thing about dinner was the fact that it is a byob. Delicious red wine of my choice to pair with the pretentious food.
Never again. One and done.

This was one of the best dinners we had in a very long time. The food was fantastic! Loved it.

I have been to Will BYOB twice now and each time was so special and unique. Christopher Kearse and his creatively wild kitchen skills have put this small French BYOB to the top of my list for Philadelphia cuisine and it can be easily described as «artsy foodie heaven». A must visit for visitors and locals.
Each third Tuesday of the month, Will BYOB offers a seasonal ingredient-​themed tasting menu. Each dish offered from the set menu consists of a chosen ingredient to highlight the season. Some ingredient pairings present and taste ‘louder’ than others while certain plates are more subtle leaving you to wonder «how did they do that?»
I came here for the asparagus and tomato themed menus and was impressed by the attention to detail, the flavor explosions, and the use of the ingredients that were ridiculously creative. The Tuesdays menu’s are 4 courses plus dessert. The service is also impeccable. I would definitely come back here for the Tuesday ingredient themed menu (check the website to see the offerings), the Sunday pre-​fixe tasting menu, or even a la carte.
Tips:
Make a reservation in advance– this place is small and fills up quickly.
Bring the wine– BYOB.

So great. The chef here is an alum of all the restaurants any burgeoning chef wanted to work at it and it really shows through his food. We had the tasting menu $ 75 and half of the options were off of the specials menu. However, of that in the menu, the star was the Spanish mackerel crudo. We were also served the poulard, which was served five ways — I thought it had a fantastic crispy skin, liver, and thigh. The breast was cooked nicely but I am not the biggest fans of poultry breasts in general!
As for dessert, I loved the chocolate, sort of like a cake, dessert. The cheese plate was good but not the best in my opinion. However, overall an excellent dinner and fantastic value for a 5-​star experience!

We had the great pleasure of dining here this past Sunday. What an experience. It was something we had looked forward to for a long time and it lived up to all expectations and more.
The Sunday prix-​fixe is wonderfully accessible and perhaps even a steal considering the amount, intricacy, and beauty of the dishes. I will not go into details as Chef Christopher Kearse changes the menu regularly (as all excellent chefs should) but everything was outstanding. Highlights for me included the sweet potato and green apple soup which was beyond. I was also completely blown away by the duck fat bread pudding dessert which I described on social media as, «One of the best desserts I’ve had in remote and recent memory.» My boyfriend swooned over the coddled egg with burgundy snails second course.
Service was flawless. Ambience intimate and romantic. Amazing experience all around and we look forward to returning asap.
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Addendum 4÷8÷16: One month later I am still thinking of this night. I will add that we have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to dine at quite a few restaurants of this caliber. Will stands out as one of the very best. If I lived closer I would’ve been back at least twice by now.

First time trying Will BYOB. Was excited because it’s been on my list for a while. The setting is cozy and great for a date. Overall, food was beautiful placed like an artwork but the flavor is either lacking or too salty. We ordered the escargot dish (beautiful but too sweet on the mushrooms and no flavor on the escargot), foie mousse (excellent dish and they give you a generous portion), chicken liver pasta with pistachio sauce (very good and unique flavor), short ribs (a little dry and too salty), and the duck (missing some seasoning).

This is hands down one of the absolute best eating experiences I’ve ever had. We ventured into Will (at first) for a Passyunk Restaurant Week reservation only to find that Fridays weren’t included. No worries, you can’t pass up one of the best eateries in the city. Instead of just getting a plate, we went with the five-​course tasting menu because once you take a look at all of your options, it’s impossible to narrow down your selection. Here’s what I got:
First: Sweet potato and Apple Soup. The pumpernickel granola was a perfect crunchy addition to a semi-​sweet and semi-​spicy dish that tantalized my palate for the rest of the four courses.
Second: Burgundy snails. Coddled egg, pernod emulsion and wild mushroom daube accompanied some rather plump snails that had an amazing taste. I’m usually not one to eat snails in such a light sauce — heavy butter and garlic anybody? — but I didn’t even notice how much the texture and flavor profile of the snails stuck out. I was pleasantly surprised with this plate.
Third: Szechuan Spiced Rohan Duck Breast. Served with beets and endive, this was one of my favorites of the night. Seared perfectly on the outside and medium rare on the inside, the flavors of all the different components matched with the duck perfectly.
Fourth: Lightly Fried Mackrel with a Shellfish Nosh. Served with soured cauliflower and a beet purée, this was probably my least favorite dish of the night, that being said, I’ve had other restaurants’ best dishes that haven’t even come close to this. Still a great selection for a mild fish with a tasteful side.
Dessert: Guinness stout cake served with a light caramel sauce. This dessert was a perfect ending to the night, it was light, fluffy and flavorful, the unexpected presence of the cinnamon was a great surprise.
Will was such an amazing experience I may have to go back (usually I have to limit to one trip per restaurant since Philly has such a plethora of amazing places). It was an intimate experience, the service was amazing and the head chef was even manning the phones during the down times (what a modest guy!). While the space is extremely small, I never quite felt claustrophobic, although other guests who were on their second bottle of wine were a bit boisterous! Will is a welcomed presence of Passyunk — a street becoming synonymous with the best food in the city.

Will BYOB is easily my favorite BYOB on Passyunk. The space is small, making for an intimate dining experience, and lined with high bookshelves holding all the cookbooks that have inspired the chef. He is heavily influenced by new French cuisine, and it shows in his absolutely delicious, beautifully plated culinary masterpieces.
We came by the other night for a late Passyunk Restaurant Week dinner. In recent years, Restaurant Week has lost its luster as restaurants choose to serve cheapened versions of their menu — that was not the case at Will. For appetizers, our party ordered the escargot, butter-​drenched snails paired with sautéed savory mushrooms, and the peekytoe crab risotto — a delicately flavored yet creamy risotto topped with foam. We all ended up with the duck for our entrée (not for lack of choices; the skate wing and Parisian gnocchi looked amazing as well). The duck was outstanding — perfectly spiced and tender, served with crisp, peppery endive and a soft lentil stew that created a really lovely mélange of flavors and textures. The dessert was wonderful — a deconstructed, decadent chocolate bouchon served with tangy passionfruit curd and small dollops of meringue.
Our waitress was a bit brusque and we did have to ask for a water refill, but in general, service was prompt and our dishes were well-​explained. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while — and to think it was during Restaurant Week! I’ve been here before and loved my experience then as well, but I admire them even more now, knowing that the staff truly puts their hearts into every dish at every meal.

An absolute fan for the low-​key restaurant that puts out striking dishes. The food is well prepared and interesting and the servers are very knowledgeable. Topping it all is that it is a BYOB. Go, now!

Outstanding! Went for Valentine’s Day prefix menu and had a beautiful evening.
Will is tiny and could feel cramped, but once you begin eating chef’s delicious food it all melts away. I could be in sauna with a parka on and still enjoy this food!
Staff was friendly and kept our wine and water glasses filled. The courses were timed well and we did not feel rushed. The bread was good and it came with a butter with sea salt, smoke and citrus flavoring. My boyfriend loved it and I thought it was fine but might have preferred plain butter. Perhaps the flavorings were over my head.
First course was Sweet Potato Veloute with bacon crème, pumpernickel granola and a cider emulsion. It was rich and creamy and I loved the crunch of the pumpernickel granola. Very well balanced and there were so many flavors!
Second course was Wianno Oysters with white soy ponzu and a green apple sorbet. The sorbet was divine and surprisingly complimented the oysters. Oysters were tender and delicious.
The third course may have been my favorite, Oeufs en Muerette with potato aligot, beech mushrooms and escargot. The egg was perfectly poached and every single bite was «the perfect bite». I am still having dreams about it.
Fourth course was a pumpkin risotto with sea urchin, Borchert mussels and seaweed chantilly. Risotto was cooked perfectly and I would have licked the bowl if I could have.
Main course was Beef Short Rib with horseradish, bone marrow, caramelized endive and a bright parsley purée. The short rib was cooked beautifully and the endive was tasty.
Dessert was a soft chocolate ganache with a cardamom sherbet. Very tasty and rich (I was quite full at this point!!).
We complimented Chef and he invited us back to the kitchen to chat with him. You can tell he loves his craft and it was so neat to meet him!
Lovely restaurant, great chef, nice servers, phenomenal food.

Had a wonderful meal with my wife last night at Will BYOB.
I gave myself plenty of time to get down there and find parking, but to my surprise, i was able to find a spot right across the street from the restaurant! (just my luck). Its 3h metered, so make sure to bring change.
We walked in a half hour early for our reservation, but were promptly seated at a table with no issues.
Bottles of wined opened, we perused the menu. We were offered a 5-​course Chef’s Tasting menu, that we certainly couldn’t turn down.
Food:
Amuse Bouche — Mackerel Crudo
1^st Course — Sweet Potato & Apple Soup — amazing! and so different. The granola added a very unique element to the soup. Very hearty and perfect for a cold winter night like last night.
2^nd Course — Hudson Valley Foie Gras & Rabbit Terrine — wow! i mean, who doesn’t love a good terrine, but this was crazy good. Pecan’s really paired well with it.
3^rd Course — Atlantic Monkfish — Cooked to perfect. A very strong fish dish.
4^th Course — Pastrami Spiced Rohan Duck Breast — delish– they had run out the mushrooms, but called an audible with some lentils and still tasted phenomenal.
5^th Course — Dessert! Cheese Course & a delicious chocolate cake
My biggest complaint about the evening was the pace of the meal. We felt a bit rushed throughout the whole thing. It felt as if everyone was watching us eat our course so that they could quickly take our plate away and throw another plate of food in front of us.
When you’re providing a tasting menu, pace is so important, to let the diner enjoy each course to its fullest extent, without having to scarf the whole thing down.
I also found it a bit strange that they served the Amuse Bouche (a cold Crudo) with the Soup (obviously hot) at the same exact time. Both were amazing, but we weren’t really looking to each those two things at the same time.
Aside from that, the service was very good and attentive. They made sure our water and wine glasses were always filled, something that I find isn’t the case at most other BYOB’s.
Price-​wise, I found it to be just a bit steep, but for the quality and workmanship that went into each plate, I was happy to pay.
Our first-​time dining in E. Passyunk, but we will certainly be back to Will.

Friday date night with my husband this past week was at Will and we were so incredibly pleased! Such a cute date spot with romantic lighting and cozy seating.
Appetizers were the sweet potato + apple soup (¹⁰⁄₁₀ for presentation) and the marcel crudo. Entrees were the monkfish and the Parisian gnocchi. Desserts were the cheese and the pot de crème, with the stout cake compliments of the chef. Each bite was divine. The flavors complimented each other so well and presentation was thoughtful and well executed.
Service was lovely and attentive. Our wine and water glasses were never empty. The flow of the courses felt intentional and not rushed.
Cannot wait to return!

3.5 stars
Fun meal here, but found a few dishes to be too salty and that is coming from someone who enjoys salty food. The butternut squash soup was the highlight – I loved all the nuts and it was creamy and delish. But the uni pasta did not hit the mark.

Given the fact that Will was on the Top 20 restaurants in Philadelphia, I came in with high expectations. I feel really bad not giving them as high a rating as I initially would have wanted to but I really did not have that great of a time. It also did not help that one of my friends got slight food poisoning after our visit (after having the skate as she’s the only one who ordered that)
We came in for the $ 45 pre-​fixe on Sunday, wherein we had everything from baked snails (four stars), pork belly (five stars), lavender spiced duck (three stars), and caramelized banana (three stars). The sweet-​potato-​apple soup was also amazing (Five stars).
We got served foccacia bread with butter and sea salt. However, the foccacia was not as soft as you’d normally get it. It was almost stale. But this may have just been from our experience, and it was our bad for not clarifying with the server if this is the consistency they wanted for the bread or was this a mishap on their part.
Of the dishes, don’t think a lot of them are worth breaking down fully. However, over-​all, I got the sense that the pre-​fix menu was trying too hard to be innovative. The pairings between lavender-​spiced duck and squash did not work very well, as the tastes did not necessarily compliment, in the same way the caramelized banana was overpowered by its accompanying cinnamon cake.
At some times, they did create amazingly innovative combinations. The sweet potato soup did that very well by marrying apple cider foam with sunflower granola/​seeds and chestnut cream. This dish, which was a pour over, led to high expectations for the meal. The different textures blended well together and the creamy balanced the somewhat sour, and the crunchy brought everything together. The appetizers were definitely standouts, but it just seemed to have gone downhill from there.
Though the restaurant’s vibe would make for a great date spot, given its intimate and small size, the food really did not sit well with me. I would give this restaurant a shot again because there were some bright spots, but I was still quite disappointed over-​all.

Heads up: If you go on a Sunday night, they have a set prefix for $ 45. It included glazed carrots as a starter and then a choice of appetizer, main dish, and dessert.
Service: Good
Food comments:
1) Glazed carrots were excellent. I don’t even like cooked carrots but these were cooked to perfection.
2) Soup appetizer option was very unique and delicious. Tasted like pumpkin soup with various nuts and leaves.
3) Mushroom appetizer was just okay. I love mushrooms but these tasted very plain and a little too mushroomy.
4)Braise ribs: You have to pay extra for this main dish selection. I think it was an extra 16 dollars? Forgot the exact amount but it was not worth it. The sauce was pretty good but the meat texture was tougher than expected.
5) Duck: It was good but you only got like a few small pieces so if you’re hungry, skip this one.
6) Fish: Pretty good but nothing spectacular.
7) Cheese dessert option: Very smooth and delicious. You get one piece.

I came here when I was in town, & had an awesome dinner! Parking was pretty easy as there were meters all around, & we scored one quickly. The neighborhood is cute, & we saw a few other interesting looking restaurants nearby as well.
We made a reservation for an early-​ish dinner on a Friday night, and were seated immediately upon arrival. Ambience was dressy casual, & intimate. Our server poured the 2 wines that we brought, and explained the menu. Shortly after we ordered, chewy bread arrived with a delicious Basil Jam that had almost a honey consistency.
Then — the food:
Husdon Valley Foie Gras & Rabbit
Peekytoe Crab Stuffed Squash Blossom
Short Rib
Gnocchi
Duck Breast
Though everything was really yummy, the Duck Breast was definitely my fave. DUCK BREAST!!!
Desserts were very good:
Financier
Chocolate Bouchon
Pot de Crème Banana
Our server was warm and gracious from hello all the way through to when he brought us individually wrapped madelines as a parting goodie. Yum!
I’m a huge Tom Collicchio fan — and his Craft restaurant in LA sends diners home with a little wrapped baked goodie too. So sweet!
This was a great choice for dinner, and I’d happily come back when I’m back in town!

Yes! Very much, yes!
If asked if I would dine here, that would be my answer! Our group of 8 came here over the weekend for a friend’s birthday (very nice touch in adding her name to the menu!). The place is extremely cozy, but where Will lacks in space, it makes up for it with large, bold flavors in the menu.
We were given the $ 65 four-​course prixe menu. I started off with the sweet pea gazpacho, the red wine poached jidori egg, milk-​fed poulard, and ended with the banana pot de crème. The gazpacho was an excellent first course. The soup poured bright green, and it was so refreshing! Whatever added crunchy texture to the dish was a nice surprise. The poached egg was interesting. Creamy and buttery, and great mushroom flavor. The poulard cooked four ways was great, but not my favorite. Breast, thigh, crispy chicken skin, and chicken sausage. For being the main entrée, I wanted a bigger portions and more flavor. The chicken was moist, though! The desserts were my absolute favorite! The banana pot de crème! Oh, I could eat that for days! I also tasted the rich chocolate cake other diners had, and it was fantastically dressed in coconut and a mango crème.
Service was attentive, friendly, and quick to pour more wine for the group. (That is always necessary). It was a great meal, and judging by the near empty plates, all seem to have enjoyed each bite.
Great way to spend someone’s birthday!

Will BYOB 1911 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19 148 | (215) 271‑7683 |

Will BYOB is an intimate house-​converted-​to-​restaurant establishment specializing in both authentic classical French cuisine and its modern accouterments. They offer a simple a la carte menu with a special prix fixe menu on Sundays that is four courses.
We decided on the tasting menu.
The meal began with a delicious Plowshare Farms Pumpkin Potage. Pumpernickel. Uni Crème, Onion Confiture. The uni crème is the edible part of the sea urchin and deliciously balances the sweetness of the pumpkin potage.
Burgundian snails glazed with garlic butter in a country ham Dashi emulsion. Steamed cauliflower, truffle of spinach purée, oyster jus. Dashi refers to stock made from fish and kelp, used in Japanese cooking. Delicious to say the least, and I am not one to be into eating snails. However, that being considered, I cleared my plate rather quickly… in 1 – 2 minutes to be exact.
Whole Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushroom, better known as the Japanese name maitake mushroom, which means «dancing mushroom». Ricotta, Madeira, Petite Herbs. Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands. Served with some edible marigolds. The mushroom tastes fresh and delicious and not chewy like one would expect a mushroom to be. It was a delight to eat that while I started cautiously, it turned out to be one of the best dishes of the evening.
The meal was interrupted before the main course with a lovely palate cleanser in the form of a mango sherbet. Delicious.
Main course: Florida Cobia Sunchokes. Shishito Peppers. Matsutake Mushroom. Red Wine Bouillon. Very similar to tuna. A very diverse fish. Honey miso surrounds the fish. Miso is a fermented rice based sauce. It added just the flavor the dish needed. Again, another home run at Will BYOB.
Dessert: Crème Fraiche Coffee Cake. Chocolate Cremeux, Greek Yogurt, Red Wine Caramel.