Rittenhouse Grill Is Everything a Classic Steakhouse Should Be — and More

At a time when all eyes are on what’s new and next in Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Grill quietly holds onto the tried and true. Housed inside The Warwick Hotel, it’s a 28-year-old steakhouse gilded in Art Deco style, complete with a cabaret and an all-leopard-everything lounge, serving the same surf and turf classics it has for decades.

Most weekday nights, the bar fills up with groups frequently dressed to match in leopard print shoes, scarves, and dresses. Pro athletes often assemble in private dining rooms adorned with avant-garde paintings by pioneering African American artist David C. Driskell, straight from the owner’s collection. Couples share martinis in oversized black leather banquet seats. Broadway actresses and singers play guests to the rotating piano player. Rittenhouse Grill might rock flashy interiors, but there’s no clubstaurant music bumping. And despite the scene, no one comes here to be seen. This is Rittenhouse Grill, where everyone wines and dines, deep in conversation, just like the good ol’ days.

Many Philadelphians still refer to Rittenhouse Grill by its former name, The Prime Rib. Owner Garth Weldon has been part of this restaurant group’s legacy since The Prime Rib originated in the Chesapeake Bay area. He started as a busboy in 1976 at their D.C. location, working his way up through the ranks as waiter, maitre d’, and manager.

“I enjoyed being maitre d’ because you’re directing everything in the dining room, like an orchestra conductor,” says Weldon.

In 1997, he opened the Philly branch, and in 2019, the restaurant was rebranded as Rittenhouse Grill.

“The Prime Rib DNA is here,” he tells me. Though he has since introduced weeknight specials like a happy hour Tuesday through Friday, free dessert with entrees on Tuesdays, 25% off wine bottles on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and $75 pre-fixe menus on Sunday, it’s essentially the same restaurant as before. The only décor changes made to the black-and-gold accented restaurant are new wall sconces and an expanded front bar now called the Leopard Lounge, inspired by old Hollywood glam. “It was a refresh, not a reinvention,” Weldon adds. To me, it’s timeless, much like Weldon and the restaurant.

Weldon is a fixture on the floor, always dressed in a tailored suit with a pocket square and loafers, greeting each table filled with guests he’s known for years — from broadcasters and business titans, to building neighbors and families visiting the Curtis Institute of Music nearby. After 50 years in the restaurant business, he still gets a kick from seeing familiar faces and hearing their wild stories.

“It’s just a delight, a joy to come here,” he says. He’s big on maintaining “more one-on-one kind of warmth” hospitality. “Treat [service] like it’s our first day of opening, even though we’ve been here for 20-something years,” he tells staff.

I admire his commitment to service, which is an endearing quality that’s increasingly hard to find. It’s an acknowledgement that the restaurant knows the importance of their regulars, and the locals who frequent the restaurant year after year.

Part of that charm includes a largely unchanged menu, overseen by executive chef Eddy Castillo, who’s been there since 2001, first working the side dish station as a sous chef to Patrick Dwyer. He replaced Dwyer in 2009 and now leads a kitchen staff of 12, several of whom have been with him since the beginning. For diners like me, Castillo is committed to keeping the food as delicious as we remember from our first visit.

“There are only a couple of secrets to sustaining a restaurant: Quality, consistency, and the same crew in the kitchen,” he says.

That same crew dishes out Rittenhouse Grill’s greatest hits. Jumbo crab claws are a crowd favorite, as are the wedge and Caesar salads. The crab cakes are cooked simply, with breadcrumbs, and specialty cuts, like American wagyu and heirloom Ibérico pork (the restaurant’s sleeper hits, according to Castillo and Weldon) all accompany tried-and-true prime steaks and seafood.

“[Guests tell me] what they like is consistency. They don’t want to be surprised,” says Castillo.

While the menu does not change much with the seasons, some items are seasonal specials like the jumbo crab claws, softies, and Dover sole. Castillo credits long-time purveyors Ashley Foods and Samuels Seafood for consistently supplying high-quality ingredients.

“You get the best seafood in the steakhouse,” Weldon adds. “We stay true to what people come here for, and do not cut corners.”

Somehow, every dinner at Rittenhouse Grill is both comforting and luxurious. It’s just dialed-in simplicity, through and through. Yes, this is a restaurant that rests on its laurels, but somehow that’s not a bad thing. After all, a leopard can’t change its spots, and why should it?

Rittenhouse Grill is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

Alisha Miranda is a food and travel journalist and #LatinxIndustryNight cultural producer based in Philadelphia. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.