The Refectory

The Refectory reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. D

   Davorka

   Philadelphia1 review

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a birthday celebration lunch today st the Refectory. The ambience was serene and elegant inside, and the view from our seat was amazing. Our waiter was wonderful, always attentive to our table, and all of his service provided to our table was in timely manner. He was both, very pleasant and very professional. The food was absolutely delicious, and each of us loved our shared appetizers and our antree. The Refectory fries and the Cobb salad, turkey sandwich with garnish and salad, as well as the Birthday dessert for or our special guest, were top notch made and arranged. We loved the wine selection and the ice cream and warm chocolate cake with sprinkles was a real winner! Can't wait to go back!
   

   The RefectoryResponded 4 days ago

   Hey Davorka, We're absolutely thrilled to hear about your wonderful birthday celebration at The Refectory! It's wonderful to know that you appreciated our ambiance, the view, and the service. We're glad you enjoyed our food and found it to be delicious. We're looking forward to your next visit. Thanks for the perfect ratings and the wonderful review. Best, The Management Team
   

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2. S

   Steve

   Philadelphia4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great waiter and service. Really good food. Will definitely come back in the future.
   

   The RefectoryResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Steve! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience at The Refectory. Our team works hard to provide excellent service and great food, so your feedback is much appreciated. We're looking forward to welcoming you back in the future. Thanks again for choosing us!
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Washington DC1 review

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   We had wanted to go to the Refectory for our older daughter’s graduation last year and it didn’t work out, so we were very excited for the opportunity to go for our younger daughter’s college graduation brunch with our family and extended family this year. Our older daughter had been for lunch with one of her professors and had great things to say, so we were thrilled to know we’d be treating our family to a classy experience, and drove the 20-25 minutes to get there after the ceremony. I’m sad to say this past Saturday’s brunch experience really disappointed in several significant ways. First, I made sure to communicate in the reservation notes that this was a special graduation occasion, and we would prefer a booth for our party of seven rather than a table and chairs. Not only were we seated at a table and chairs setup, but were placed right back by the very LOUD AND NOISY kitchen with only a sheer divider between us and the FOUL smelling burning oil on the grills. And I had to ask quietly right off the bat that the syrup blob smack in front of me be wiped off. HORRIBLE. Second, I noted in the reservation we had one gluten free and one FODMAP dietary restriction in our party. It wasn’t until we had already examined the menu on our own and placed the order that the server oddly came back and said she saw there were some dietary restrictions noted on the reservation. ? Third, I agreed with the server that peach juice in the “bubbly mimosa” I ordered would be great. What she brought was grapefruit, a very different flavor. Fourth, a couple of the entrees served looked like they’d been sitting around awhile. Fifth, for the first time I can remember when in a restaurant, I was initially given a COLD — not warm or lukewarm, but steamless, heatless— cup of coffee at dessert. Had high hopes, but they were dashed at Saturday brunch.
   

   The RefectoryResponded 1 day ago

   Hi Kenneth, Thanks for the feedback. We're sorry to hear about your experience at The Refectory. We understand how important special occasions are and we regret that we fell short in providing the kind of environment and service you were expecting. We take your comments about the seating arrangement and the lack of gluten-free and fodmap-friendly options seriously and will use this as an opportunity to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to provide a better dining experience.
   

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4. B

   Beth

   Greater Boston9 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 9 May 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   The food was delicious ( as usual!) but the portions were on the small side so it seemed kind of expensive. We will still go back again and again but figured we could at least share the feedback. It’s also possible it was short staffed because the wait times were lengthy. It’s always a fun atmosphere. And the staff is very friendly.
   

   The RefectoryResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for visiting us, Beth! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the food at The Refectory. We appreciate your feedback on our portion sizes and wait times. We're always striving to provide the best experience for our guests, so your comments are very valuable to us. We're glad you enjoyed the atmosphere and our friendly staff. We look forward to welcoming you back again and again. Cheers!
   

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5. M

   Margaret VIP

   Philadelphia6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 8 May 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a great lunch to celebrate a birthday! Service was terrific!
   

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6. D

   Danielle

   Philadelphia2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 4 May 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   It just was very underwhelming, the staff was fine but the food was overpriced and not that great.
   

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   The RefectoryResponded 7 days ago

   Hello Danielle, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience at The Refectory didn't meet your expectations. We take pride in our food and service, and we're disappointed to hear that we fell short during your visit. We also understand your concerns about the pricing. We strive to provide a dining experience that is worth every penny. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve. We hope you'll give us another chance to impress you in the future. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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7. m

   michael VIP

   Washington DC28 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 3 May 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   The food and service were wonderful. This time the portions were just rights however it was exceptionally noisy that’s why I didn’t give you 5 stars
   

   The RefectoryResponded on 7 May 2025

   Hey Michael, Thanks for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed our food and service. We apologize for the noise level and understand that it impacted your dining experience. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to your next visit. Best, The Management Team
   

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8. E

   Ebony

   New York City1 review

   5.0

   Dined on 2 May 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing food, customer service was solid. We ordered the waiters recommendations, chefs kiss!
   

   The RefectoryResponded on 7 May 2025

   Hey Ebony, We're overjoyed to hear that you had an amazing experience at The Refectory! It's fantastic to know that you enjoyed our food and found our customer service to be great! We appreciate your feedback and look forward to welcoming you back soon. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. B

   Barbara VIP

   Chicago26 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 2 May 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Food was good. Service was good. Hard to find (this is OpenTable’s fault). Address omitted “East” so it took us to Berwyn, not Villanova.
   

   The RefectoryResponded on 3 May 2025

   Hi Barbara, Thank you for taking the time to review The Refectory. We're glad to hear you enjoyed our food and found our service to be good. We apologize for the confusion with our location - we'll definitely look into this. We appreciate your understanding and patience. We hope to see you again soon! Best, The Management Team
   

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10. R

    Robert VIP

    Philadelphia8 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 26 April 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3

    Normally like the atmosphere. We were seated next to a family apparently celebrating graduation and children were screaming (not crying)for the duration of the evening. Parents were oblivious and apparently didn’t care. The server was very nice and caring. Appeared a bit over stretched. Ordered same meal I had previously. Inconsistent with last time we were there. My wife ordered bronzino the last time there. Small portion and not that good. This time she ordered salmon. Very small and not that good. Prior to coming again will check to see events happening and avoid coming that night. Wait for meal was long possibly because of large parties. Will give it another try in the future. There was some discrepancy in feed back for food allergy.
    

    The RefectoryResponded on 29 April 2025

    Hi Robert, We're sorry to hear about your recent experience at The Refectory. We appreciate your feedback and we're glad that you found our server pleasant and caring. We regret to hear about the noise level and the inconsistency in your meal orders. We'll certainly look into this and work on improving these aspects. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best, The Management Team
    

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