Sao

One of my favorite meals of the year! Such a great space, with perfect flavors, and the most welcoming service you could imagine. I could talk about every dish, but the scallop crudo was possibly the best I’ve ever had. The mussels (which were shared with us by the table next to us 😅) were another favorite. Can’t wait to come back!

I was afraid the influencers were over hyping this place but damn was it good tonight. I got the hoe cakes and the scallops in crab gravy and everything was so flavorful and texturally perfect and literally could not have thought of any flaws in those dishes. I wish I could've ordered more (stomach space being a limiting factor), and that they had a few more non alcoholic drink options since the bar menu seemed pretty extensive... I just can't drink 😅 They are very friendly here and explain every part of the menu basically and can make recommendations easily. One thing to note that I don't think is in any of the reviews-- you get like 3-4 pieces of fish for those crudos per the $27. They did look good and I was very intrigued by the like 10 day(?) aged hamachi crudo but since I was dining alone I really had to be choosy with what I got. They do a lot of specials which seemed to be a hit with people as far as I could tell by glancing around. I sat at the bar and the Asian gal bartender was very sweet and friendly. Btw I don't know if it's the same every time but they also provided fried peanuts with lime to squeeze over them as a little bar snack which was a pleasant surprise. I'll have to fight people on open table for another reservation but I will definitely be returning here. The menu does change a little bit (sorry I didn't take a picture) so do note that the pictures you're seeing here on google maps are not a 1:1 to what you'll see in the restaurant, and the off menu, spoken specials are quite numerous. I'll have to try the specials at some point but I came here with my heart set on the hoe cakes and scallops so 😅

They did a beautiful job at designing the interior of this restaurant, it’s warm and inviting. We started with the papaya salad which was amazing, not as spicy as others I’ve had, but I ate it so fast I couldn’t even get a picture. Next we had the Hoe Cake and it was amazing, it was smoky and sweet and salty. The perfect combo and visually beautiful! Next was the garlic fried chicken which was good. Then we had the crab gravy curry noodles and they were unreal! Absolutely delish! I can’t wait to go back for the chicken cutlet and more Thai tea!

I absolutely loved my experience. The ambience , the music, the hospitality were all A+. My camera game was not the best with this because I was so into the food/music/convo. I didn’t have time to really focus on the photos. However, I hope you take my word for it. l have good taste. Lol So put your notifications to score that resy on Open Table.

The hoe cake just works and is a must order. Across all the dishes there was similarly great execution and a unique combination of flavors. Sao was an amazing experience.

Fantastic flavors. The scallops are the best I've ever had. Pictures cant even do it justice but I will try. Not a bad dish on the menu.

As someone that’s been blessed enough to have the pleasure of going to Mawn several times, I had super high expectations of Sao. I tried my best to tell myself “Don’t compare it to Mawn, don’t compare it to Mawn.” - I was wrong. It is absolutely phenomenal, just as good, if not better. The service is nothing short of amazing; you get that fantastic feel-at-home welcome. The tuna carpaccio and hamachi crudo made me feel like a scene out of Ratatouille. The scallop in crab gravy is seriously insane. The owners of Mawn and Sao literally can’t miss.

Absolutely delicious food & drinks! Everything that we ordered was so tasty, especially the scallops in crab gravy, steamed branzino, and the mee caton! Service was also fantastic (Dmitri was very friendly!) and attentive. Definitely will come back to try the rest of the menu 😉💕. Thank you for having us Sao!

HUGE Mawn fan here (8x diner); top 5 in the city for me. I wanted to love Sao and I DID. What a meal! truly incredible. Some of my favorite things that we ate (everything was good): hamachi crudo, the hoecake with caviar (do it), the mussels, the espresso martini (hint of banana/creamy/not too sweet) the food/ sauces are 100/10. service 100/10. vibe 100/10.

Hands down one of the best meals we have had in a minute. Unique, complex flavors in every dish. We ordered aged hamachi w/ ponzu sauce, fried chicken & the scallops / crab dish. Oysters were so good we had to order a second round. Beautiful space. Staff was attentive in all the right ways. Can not wait to go back

Easily one of the best meals I've had in Philly in the past five years. Mawn is amazingly but this takes the cake (hoe cake if you're being specific). Worth the money, the hype, and the wait.

Fantastic! Flavor combinations were excellent! Staff was knowledgeable and friendly! Chef is amazing!

the flavor here is insane. the seafood special noodle dish felt like it was made with so much love. oysters and chicken skewer special were also amazing. please come here it’s so good

Truly amazing, every dish exceeded the next. Had to get the hoe cake since it’s all the craze, absolutely worth it. The crab gravy was out of this world. Service, cocktails, no complaints!

Another banger from the team at Mawn, and somehow easier to get into (for now)! The freshest raw bar, yummiest plates - great spot to beat the late summer heat

Fantastic, great service food and drinks, can't wait to come back to try everything we didn't have room for on the first visit!

Incredible menu and service. The hoe cake is the best in town and possibly one of the best out there.

TLDR; Hoecakes worth the gluten My friend and I had reservations for 5:30 but got in a right at opening (we were very excited and hungry) and were seated right away. We looked over the menu and wanted to order just about 1 of every item but held back due to realism 😔. We settled for two of each oyster (one pp), 2 crudos, and 3 hot dishes. We skipped the fried shrimp and papaya salad since we’ve had them at Mawn before. We absolutely love those dishes but wanted to try new things since it was a fight for our lives to get the reservation (had been trying since July). We absolutely loved the crudos. Our fav the aged hamachi! We would have drank the seasoning or soaked it on rice if we had any. The dayboat scallops were so fresh and the perfect texture and sweet taste. Hot dishes: Bang Island Mussels had a great sauce that would be good w bread to dip or a side of rice to soak the soupy sauce. The dark horse was the special Canto inspired seafood Mee Caton it was easily our fav hot dish of the night. We were so perplexed that the flat rice noodles had a crisp still while being drenched in the delicious seafood gravy. Canto person approved!!!!! Lastly, the hoecakes!!! We were so full but could not stop taking “one last bite.” Even my gluten sensitive friend said very worth the gluten! Same for the Apple Spiced whoopie pie that we would nibble but absolutely killed. Opps! All in all, we knew we were not going to be disappointed and easily spent more than we should have because we didn’t want to miss out. Expect to shell $50-100pp but you’ll end with a fully belly and amazing service! Dimitri kept us and everyone around us smiling and laughing the whole time. Phila keep doing your thing! We’ll see you all again soon!

Yea I’m not even done eating all my courses and this is some of the best food ive ever eaten in my life.

Absolutely incredible food, cocktails, service, and atmosphere!!! We wandered into here and were able to sneak a spot at the bar. We had the several dishes and not one of them disappointed in the slightest. Incredible flavor and thought put into each!The beef Mee Catan was ridiculous, the veggies on the cutlet were the cherry on top, and our only disappointment was feeling too full to eat dessert. Will 100% be back.

Delicious and so vibey!!! Get the spicy crab noodles and the chicken cutlet! We also got the fish special and it was divineee! They take walk ins and I will definitely be coming back!!

Best meal of my life! The service was comforting and kind. They took a peanut and soy allergy very seriously. Gave us a special treat as it was my birthday! Overall best restaurant experience ever. Can’t wait until I can land another reservation!

Incredible dining experience and we had the pleasure of watching Chef Phila at work behind the bar. Food, service, vibes - it was all *chefs kiss*. I will be thinking about this meal for days to come. I would say I can’t wait to go back but let’s be real, I’m probably not getting another reservation LOL. Cannot recommend SAO enough!!

Annie and Dimitri made our experience. Mawn cutlet and mee caton were INSANE. Frankly, so was the bluefin carpaccio. Outstanding dining experience.

Food was excellent. Get the scallops and mussels. Drinks were solid. Dimitri our server was excellent. Cozy interior. Loved it!

My wife and I went for dinner and Sao completely surpassed my expectations! Every dish was bursting with flavor and so fresh!

Some of the best food and service I've had anywhere in Philly. Everything is great, but the honey butter hoe cake will live rent free in your mind!

Exceptional dinner, highly recommend the tuna carpaccio. Also our waiter Dimitri was not only a consummate professional but just a downright cool human being.

Such amazing food and our server was so sweet.

Food and service was top tier. The Ave got a good one.

We had a great experience at Sao for dinner. Had the bluefin tuna crudo, dayboat scallops, papaya salad, little neck clams, and all star mee caton. Everything was very tasty. Service was great. The ambience was lively. Some of the flavors were a bit overpowering at times, but still entirely enjoyable. The clams were particularly great.

I hesitate to say this but I think this was one of the best meals I’ve had this year. Such a unique combination of flavors. I never would have gotten the hoe cake but the waitress highly recommended it and oh man. The soft shell shrimp were incredible. The raw scallops were melt in your mouth and the steak had such a fresh and flavorful taste. I will absolutely be back, as many times as I can. They have 8 (?) seats at the bar that are walk in only.

Had a great experience at Sao last night. We arrived shortly after opening to see if there was space for walk-ins. There was a long wait, so we went around the corner for a drink. Our hostess was so accommodating and kept us posted on when the people before us were finishing. She also made us feel really welcome when we arrived which got our meal off to a great start. The food was outstanding. Highlights for us were the hamachi crudo, the soft shell shrimp and the hoecake but everything was delicious. The pumpkin Whoopie pie was a fantastic dessert. The service was great and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. We will definitely be back!

Passyunk is officially blessed to have this gem. The staff consistently strikes that perfect balance of being fun, personable, and genuinely attentive. While the oyster selection remains elite, I’m particularly impressed by the kitchen’s evolution - the menu is constantly rotating in creative, thoughtful plates that taste as good as they look. Pro tip: Aim for the 5PM or 8:30PM windows to snag a walk-in seat at the bar.

WOW! this dinner was amazing, not only was the service from every individual there incredible, but every dish we had was a masterpiece in flavor. The papaya salad was superb as was the fish special we got. I can't wait to go back

I wanted to love this place. It's very good food and service, don't get me wrong. But there are more cost effective ways to get very good food in this city.

Attentive service. Oyster recs were delicious; mussels were extremely flavorful (recommend getting a bowl of rice for the sauce) and the mee caton noodles were super tender, though difficult to justify at $28. The house cocktails were also well done.

Honestly I wasn’t super impressed with Sao. I absolutely love Mawn and appreciate what they were trying to do, but at the price point there’s so many other places I’d rather go. Also with a reservation we still had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated and the restaurant overall is pretty cramped.

Food was solid. My wife and I ordered a couple of rounds of drinks and three courses worth of food. The server dropped the check on the table at 65-70min into service. It felt rushed. The courses also felt a little rushed. I would have probably ordered another round of drinks if we didn’t feel rushed. The sister restaurant Mawn was similar with its pacing.

I started with the scallop crudo and it was easily the best thing I had all night. Everything after that went downhill fast. The Seakist oysters weren’t as briny as expected. The mussels had zero flavor. The Mee Caton, which I was told was popular, was bland and forgettable. I instantly regretted ordering it, though maybe I can fix it up at home. The Hoe Cake was a hard no. It tasted like tuna salad on a honey butter pancake. I never want to experience that again. The server was friendly but clearly new and didn’t know much about the menu. I’ve been to Mawn and absolutely love it, so I had high expectations for SAO. Unfortunately, this visit was a complete letdown. I’ll be canceling my November reservation and won’t be back.