Haven't been here since it opened, and was happy with my meal at the time. Not sure why I haven't been back. Picked up and friend from New York at the train station, who needed to eat immediately. Not too many choices in Jenkintown, so I thought 211 would be the best bet. He ordered us both a steak au poivre, off menu, and it was incredible. It was done with a rough cut filet. Mine was black and blue, his medium rare; both cooked perfectly. The chef threw in mashed potatoes along with the broccoli and carrots that came with the steak. We started with a split pea soup that was also fantastic. This place seems to have an older crowd that appreciates the food. The chef seemed happy to cook off menu, and I'm now coming back regularly. We ate at the bar and service was stellar by Rebecca our bartender. It's so great to rediscover this place, and find fine dining in the northern burbs. It's very slim pickins' in this area. Parking is very convenient at the lot off West Ave, and the walk from the trains station isn't too bad. 211, Mirna's, and the theater here make this a great destination. There's also a few decent bars to grab a drink in before heading south. 211 has made me a fan of Jenkintown again.
(5)
Megan V.
Absolutely INCREDIBLE. Every time we go we leave 100% satisfied. Food is fresh, delicious, and the service is impeccable. We usually sit at the bar, great bartenders as well. We go at least once a month. This is by far our favorite restaurant in the Philly area.
(5)
Ken J.
Conveniently located across from the recently-refurbished Highway Theater in Jenkintown, 211 is a small bistro-type restaurant with an emphasis on fairly traditional American cooking. This is not to say that the food is boring, however. Everything is delicious and many of the staff share a lineage that can be traced to George Perrier. Chris the bartender is exceptionally talented and knowledgeable, and Tim, the owner and cook, is devoted to his craft. Primarily populated by an older crowd, there is no reason to leave this unusually good suburban venue to them alone. Oh yes, the shoestring potatoes are worth a visit by themselves.
Had a great meal here with friends as a party of 4. Did not know what to expect as the exterior looks a little shady. When you get inside, its as nice as can be with exposed brick and a great atmosphere. Food was top notch. Menu was kind of limited, but everything we saw on other plates looked as amazing as our meals did. York 211 is always on our short list of restaurants and we will likely be back again in May for our anniversary.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes
Steve C.
Haven't been here since it opened, and was happy with my meal at the time. Not sure why I haven't been back. Picked up and friend from New York at the train station, who needed to eat immediately. Not too many choices in Jenkintown, so I thought 211 would be the best bet. He ordered us both a steak au poivre, off menu, and it was incredible. It was done with a rough cut filet. Mine was black and blue, his medium rare; both cooked perfectly. The chef threw in mashed potatoes along with the broccoli and carrots that came with the steak. We started with a split pea soup that was also fantastic. This place seems to have an older crowd that appreciates the food. The chef seemed happy to cook off menu, and I'm now coming back regularly. We ate at the bar and service was stellar by Rebecca our bartender. It's so great to rediscover this place, and find fine dining in the northern burbs. It's very slim pickins' in this area. Parking is very convenient at the lot off West Ave, and the walk from the trains station isn't too bad. 211, Mirna's, and the theater here make this a great destination. There's also a few decent bars to grab a drink in before heading south. 211 has made me a fan of Jenkintown again.
(5)Megan V.
Absolutely INCREDIBLE. Every time we go we leave 100% satisfied. Food is fresh, delicious, and the service is impeccable. We usually sit at the bar, great bartenders as well. We go at least once a month. This is by far our favorite restaurant in the Philly area.
(5)Ken J.
Conveniently located across from the recently-refurbished Highway Theater in Jenkintown, 211 is a small bistro-type restaurant with an emphasis on fairly traditional American cooking. This is not to say that the food is boring, however. Everything is delicious and many of the staff share a lineage that can be traced to George Perrier. Chris the bartender is exceptionally talented and knowledgeable, and Tim, the owner and cook, is devoted to his craft. Primarily populated by an older crowd, there is no reason to leave this unusually good suburban venue to them alone. Oh yes, the shoestring potatoes are worth a visit by themselves.
(4)Bob Z.
The decor and the ambiance are quite lovely; the wait staff were mostly pretty good (see note below) but the food on the other hand... it ain't so good and it's damn expensive considering the quality. For starters my wife and I shared a salad (frisée, red leaf lettuce, gorgonzola and pecans drenched in a balsamic olive oil dressing) and scallop fritters. The salad at $9 was nothing to warrant that price and frankly, we've done it better. The scallop fritters for $13 were really nothing more than 2 or 3 scallops quartered, dipped in a beer batter and served with a "ginger sweet soy sauce" that reminded us of something you buy at Trader Joe's. The entrees were a farm raised salmon with a dijon/ horseradish sauce ($26) and a crab cake (supposedly 99% lump and claw meat) served with a lemon sauce ($27). Both entree sauces were notable for being largely undistinguished and bland. Each entree came with (no kidding) a half a pound of cooked broccoli! It sort of reminded us of an Iron Chef episode...today's secret ingredient is BROCCOLI. We like broccoli but this was a bit of overkill! This was uninspired cooking at its best (or is that its worst?). Also making an appearance was the shoe string potatoes ($7 - wait a minute $7 for french fries?!). The farm raised salmon was as bland as the stuff you can get at Acme and if the crab cakes had any lump or back fin meat, it was not apparent. All we both could taste was canned crab meat (not cold packed )and quite frankly, we've had better crab cakes at Myrna's Cafe or the Drake right up the street from 211 York. The shoe string potatoes were however dee-lish but really, how much skill does it take to give potatoes a ride in the Cuisinart and then a bath on some hot frying oil? The answer? NOT MUCH AT ALL! The dessert was a classic tarte tatin. It was actually quite good and may have been the best part of the meal. With dinner we had a bottle of wine (a quite lovely California chardonnay). Our waiter apparently appreciated our choice but we would have appreciated it if he didn't stick his nose over the top of the bottle and inhaled like he was doing a hit of poppers just as we were tasting the wine. While we're on the subject of wine, it would behoove a place like 211 York use some decent glassware. Reidel makes a restaurant line that's inexpensive and reasonably durable. The meal with tip was a little north of $210 for two. For that kind of money, we could recommend a dozen other places within a 20 minute drive (Chestnut Hill Grill, Friday Saturday Sunday, Osteria on North Broad St. etc.) because the food is so much better and inspired at those places. The chef (who apparently loves to be called CHEF by everyone) is a New England Culinary Institute graduate, where he had enrolled on the advice of Georges Perrier, for whom he then worked. Knowing Monsieur Perrier, we suspect that this was more of a requirement than a suggestion, but it ultimately proves the old adage about leading a horse to water. Just because he went there doesn't mean he can cook. We suspect that the chef panders to an substantially older crowd because they may have simply forgotten what good food tastes like or are too lazy to drive an extra 20 minutes for better choices. 211 York? No thanks!
(1)J P.
Had a great meal here with friends as a party of 4. Did not know what to expect as the exterior looks a little shady. When you get inside, its as nice as can be with exposed brick and a great atmosphere. Food was top notch. Menu was kind of limited, but everything we saw on other plates looked as amazing as our meals did. York 211 is always on our short list of restaurants and we will likely be back again in May for our anniversary.
(5)