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Kong Restaurant
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
702 N 2nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 922-5664
702 N 2nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 922-5664
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
7 reviews for Kong Restaurant
Inspired by both the Philadelphia Weekly top cocktail list and not wanting a burger, my friend and I popped into KONG. We were seated immediately, it was actually pretty dead in there for a Friday night which usually isn't a good sign. I ordered up the Kowloon Taxi which was a ginger liqueur, Ketle One, cranberry juice and fresh ginger concoction. I thought it was perfectly delicious and $8 actually ain't too shabby for specialty cocktails in this city.
For an appetizer we ordered the pork 3 ways dumplings which were perfectly adequate - not mind blowing but good. For Big Bowls I had the tofu hot pot and my date had the beef noodle soup (I can't remember exactly what it was called). Both were good, hot, and comforting on a cooler November evening.
Now for my not so good part. Our service was kinda awful. I wanted another cocktail before my entree even came and she didn't come back till midway through when I asked to see the beer/wine list. She then disappeared until we were pretty much through with our meal. When you're out for the evening you want the cocktails to keep flowing if need be! Also when our bill came my dish was listed as a $1 more expensive on the bill than on the menu. Odd but I didn't feel like tracking our waitress down.
Total bill came to $51 plus tip for a cocktail, a beer, an appetizer, two entrees, and a side of veggie fried rice. If you're in the mood for something a little different I'd suggest checking KONG out.
It is so strange that I just gave Kong a high rating just a few months ago, but now I have make a major edit!
So my hubby and I went on a double date to Kong this past weekend. I was excited and was craving another sticky rice bowl and dumplings (yum!). My girlfriend April went with two apps as her entree, Michael and his buddy went with identical noodle bowls, and I (of course!) went with the stripped bass sticky bowl.
Our first red flag was when April's dumplings, and me and my husband's dumplings came out with the boy's two entrees. Unfortunately April's second app and my rice bowl were no where to be found. It was a little awkward and I would have been okay if all the food came out together, or if my appetizer came out first, then all the entrees and April's appetizer entree.
The boys proceeded to wait for the rest of our food to come, but it got to the point where their food was getting cold. They dug into their noodle bowls, and April and I destroyed our dumplings (very tasty!)- but there was this nagging feeling- where the hell is our food? When I asked, I was told that each plate is brought out as it's ready. I'm sorry, but what kind of stupid answer is that? So people come to your restaurant, but can't enjoy their entrees together?
April's second app (bacon wraps) finally came out and we were all pleasantly disappointed by the slabs of mushy fat they were calling bacon. She took a bite and sent it back. Crazy, right?! Wait, it gets better. My husband and his buddy finish their noodle bowls (which were good!) and my bowl is STILL NOT OUT. Before I'm about to scream- it arrives. As I'm digging in, I'm finding that my bok choi is barely wilted, my fish is bland, and the sticky rice is NOT sticky rice- it's some other sort of under cooked rice. I took maybe three bites and decided that $16 was NOT worth it and I could have made something better at home.
Fortunately the waitress was VERY nice about the whole mess and was totally cool with not charging us for the things we sent back. We paid and left for Swift Half to salvage our night. I can say though that I won't be going back to Kong anytime soon.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/18/2009
I visited Kong shortly after its opening with one of my best girlfriends. The menu has a lot of… Read more »
Although my experience overall was good at Kong in NoLibs, I think it's wise to check out a restaurant a few weeks to a month after they open. One, so they can sort out the menu and start to get the rhythm and flow down. Two, so they can work on any feedback they get. However, I feel like it's my duty as a Yelper to write a review.
Again, overall experience was good. The environment/decor/design was top notch. It's got an industrial mixed with modern-swank feel to it. That's right, I said swank as in "swanky."
Our visit to Kong comprised of four well-rounded pallets; a bacon-loving Korean, a vegetarian, a fake vegetarian and a love-everything-he-eats person (me). As for me and the bacon-ator, the menu worked. They had tons of meat options, noodle bowls, rice bowls, you name it. As for the vegetarian's, not much to choose from. The menu showed a tofu meal which was unavailable. Again, that may have been because it was their first day open. Aside from that, there were a few "other" options, but they weren't veg-friendly.
NoLibs restaurants owners know that in order to survive, you have to have something for everybody. If I have one suggestion for Kong, keep up with the meat options. I was like a boy looking at a Playboy for the first time... maybe not that far, but definitely like a little kid at a toy store. A MUST is more vegetarian options. In fact, it should probably make up half the menu.
All-in-all, I'll be going back to Kong for more.
How do I put this nicely? These dudes should not be making Chinese food, especially Chinese street food. Clearly no one making this food was from the streets of China.
They have a really cool atmosphere and decor though, and honestly it's a great concept. However, it was poorly executed in the kitchen. We went the second week they were open. I do not believe we will return, even if they were ironing out the kinks at the time. Also the menu variety was pretty weak.
KONG is a refreshing entree to a neighborhood otherwise populated with a plethora of comfort food pubs and Mexican cantinas. Chef Michael O'Halloran of Bistro 7 fame has introduced Northern Liberties to his vision of Honkong street food. The simple yet fulfilling menu provides the diner with a mixture of flavorful dim sum appetizers followed by a series of rice and noodle bowls that will appeal to both the most delicate and ambitious palates.
The signature barbequed pork spare ribs were a perfect introduction to the chef's interpretation of this cuisine. The flavors are bold and layered. Ask Michael about the ingredients in the sauce and he'll readily admit that he is as perplexed as the diner. Apparently, his mother-in-law makes the secret sauce away from the prying eyes of any onlookers. If you're willing to risk cardiac shock, might I suggest the honey-glazed Chinese bacon? I'm still savoring the sauce from that dish!
If dumplings are your choice, then both steamed and fried options are available. The pork three-way steam dumpling is probably one of KONG's strongest offerings and a terrific way to taste the Chinese bacon without fully committing to the appetizer described above. For lamb lovers, I highly recommend the fried Mongolian lamb dumplings with pine nuts and savory pickled eggplants!
Peking duck is a staple of the traditional Chinese menu and KONG delivers this classic in slider form with some shaved scallions and a tangy hoisin sauce that with provide for some tasty bites.
The entree section of the menu includes a series of rice & noodle bowls. People who like their food with some kick should gravitate immediately to the tofu bowl with chili sauce. A 4 alarm fire in the making. To avoid the heat, I would recommend the short ribs rice bowl with some bold and complex flavors. The short ribs noodle bowl is also a solid winner. About the only miss for me was the crispy pork belly noodle bowl where the white noodles were a bit bland, but is was opening day and the kinks needed to be worked out.
Michael was smart enough to bring along at least one recipe from his Old City BYOB, notably the jasmine rice pudding dessert which is a great finish to a fabulous culinary experience.
The bar seats 10-12 people. Alana the lovely bartender (a refugee from the recently defunct Suzanna Foo of Center City) will offer you 5 draft beers including a KONG-branded rice ale. There are another 15 bottle beers some of which are Asian brews. Add to this 20 wines-by-the-bottle and a full service spirits bar and you can see why late night in Northern Liberties is really starting to look up.
Actually 3.5.
The concept and decor of this restaurant are both 10 out of 10! Its super cool, very trendy, very new york! The exposed, distressed concrete walls and the light patterns reflected from the laterns was really great.
The menu itself is pretty cool in that there are a multitude of options to select from, including dim sum and dumplings.
There were a few standout dishes, but some of the dishes were a little too rich and inhibited us from ordering additional dim sum -- which we would have done had the sauces been so rich.
This all said, I'm so glad a restaurant like this has opened!!!!
Total let down. The food was cold and def sitting around. The service was poor.