Review: A.Kitchen

I discovered A.Kitchen when I was surfing on the internet, searching for a decently priced restaurant in Center City that had received good ratings. A.Kitchen is a restaurant located near Rittenhouse Square (South 18th Street) that serves contemporary American, European and international food. The modern atmosphere of the restaurant reflected the kind of food they served – very contemporary and international. Although it is a small restaurant, A.Kitchen is known for its wide selection of wines and delicious cocktails, not to mention the elegant dinner menu.



The “kitchen” resembled a Japanese sushi bar. I was seated at that bar, giving me a fascinating view of the chefs cooking and decorating the dishes. I shared “Duck and Corkscrews, Wild Mushrooms, Butternut Squash” with my friend. I hadn't realized it when I ordered, but it turned out to be one of the best dishes served at A.Kitchen, according to many online reviews. The twisted pasta and variety of colors made the dish pleasing to my eyes. The shredded duck was tender and the pasta tasted wonderful.

I also shared “Lamb Bolognese with Tagliatelle”, but it wasn’t as good as I had expected. Initially, the dish had a strong lamb aroma which got me excited, but it tasted like a plain Bolognese pasta or any pasta with meat-based sauce. The elongated, squiggly noodles made this pasta special, but that was all.

When you are visiting A.Kitchen, try some of the lamb dishes (except the Lamb Bolognese I ordered), seasonal special menus or desserts. Since it is famous for its wines and cocktails, try those too, but please take into account that a lot of the reviews available online say that they are overrated and overpriced. One thing to add is that if you are underage but want to be immersed in that modern atmosphere, try their Shirley Temple (which I did!). It is a non-alcoholic drink made out of fresh cherries, sprite and ginger ale. It looks like a cocktail drink and it tastes good, so why not give it a try?