Pod

We came in for a 7:15 dinner, and it was pretty empty. The service was fantastic. They were able to make accommodations to allergies through creating custom sauces. Then our waitress was just super nice and made sure all our food was to our liking. The food itself was top notch. A little pricey but well worth it. I’d suggest the lobster fried rice and Wagyu beef (they cook the beef at your table!).

Had an amazing meal here tonight with friends.
For our appetizers:
–Pork belly buns
–lettuce wrap with chicken
–Pork dumplings
Of the three, my favorite was the buns and the runner up was the dumplings. Highly suggest both
For second course:
–Sushi and sashimi plate
–lobster pod roll
–white tiger roll
I think the hands down winner was the lobster pod roll, but the platter would be a great choice to share between two or more people. It gives you a lot of different things to try so you get a good basis on what flavors you like.
Third course:
–caterpillar roll
–a secret cream cheese roll. Ask about it
I thought both were OK, with the caterpillar roll being better, but they both weren’t as good as the lobster pod.
Dessert:
–salted caramel chocolate cake
–spring rolls
These were both on desserts. I was told that the donuts address the way to go here, but, alas, we didn’t get them. Go for those of you get the chance.
Overall, one of the best meals I’ve had in a while and definitely a place I will be back to. Thanks Zach and Steven Starr for another amazing meal!

This place is all right. The sushi dishes are actually quite good though quite expensive, but the dishes from the grill side are a hit or miss. The #1 tea duck is quite good, although for $ 27 sadly you don’t get more than just 8 slices of duck. The mushroom ramen is not that good, so I would steer away from that. Overall, the food is fine but not worth the expense. A lackluster review for a lackluster restaurant.

The setting is nice and modern. Food is decent but definitely over-​priced. As someone who knows asian food well, it is not over-​the-​top impressive.

Been here a couple times. The first time I came was for a sushi making class, that was a really great deal ($ 30). The chef was very nice. We were taught how to make maki and hand rolls. We also got an appetizer, soup, drink, and dessert. Came here another time for a work reception. The cooked food didn’t wow me as much as the sushi, but I didn’t have a choice in what we ordered. I am not really a fan of the bathrooms. Overall, it’s a good little spot and I would return.

The décor is interesting. The seats in the main dining room are literally like pods with neon lights. It reminds of what a ride in Tomorrowland at Disneyland might look like.
I was in town for a business meeting and held a large group dinner in the private dining area in the back. It was really nice that they have such an area which gave us our privacy with a sliding door. That space held our group of 40 or so quite comfortably.
Dinner consisted of a number of appetizers, main entrees and a dessert platter. Here are my thoughts:
APPETIZERS:
Sushi roll platter with California roll, Philly roll and eel with avocado roll: I didn’t like this very much. The restaurant does have a full sushi bar and off this platter, I can tell their sushi isn’t likely great but they were edible enough.
Pan-​fried dumplings: So delicious and juicy.
Beef skewer with chili sauce: So good.
Watercress salad: I love watercress so this was much appreciated. It was topped with something I couldn’t identify… cheese? Bread crumbs? I don’t know but whatever it was, it was good.
(At this point, we were pretty full already because the quantity in each platter was really generous).
ENTREES:
Tofu with udon: Good. Tofu pieces were of the soft variety, battered and lightly fried.
Chicken stir-​fry with veggies and steamed rice: This reminded me of sweet and sour chicken except the sauce is more savory sweet. It was tasty but compared to the other proteins we had on the menu, it was my least favorite.
Black cod: This was soooo good. It was buttery and cooked to perfection. Served beneath it was some Chinese you choy.
Filet mignon: The steak was cooked to perfection and the sauce it sat on was amazing. It was served with vegetables which I didn’t try.
DESSERT:
We had a huge platter of sweets which consisted of a chocolate molten cake in the middle (way too dense for my taste), a variety of ice cream mochi (OK, but they melted too quickly), banana and peanut butter rolls with chocolate sauce) didn’t have any of this).
My colleagues made sure we had plenty of food so a lot of it was left over where we sat. I would definitely consider returning here in the future for the cooked food. It exceeded my expectations.
The wait staff was fantastic.

Good fusion place near UPenn. Conference attendance, had a quick meal here. Delicious rolls and nigiri samplers, and the fried rice and meat kebob were also fine. But dishes were relatively small for the price.

The waitress we had was really rude to us and when the meal came out I had to send it back (and I have never done that before!) It was a udon noodle dish but the noodles were slimy and had only garlic – no other flavor. Never going back. Too expensive for the awful food we got.

I was taken to POD by my Sister In Laws in August 2015 on a Saturday Afternoon right when they opened (5:30 ish) — like a welcome to the family celebration. Despite the fact that the AC was on blast I loved the visit. The design of the restaurant has sort of a futuristic/​mod type of look but it was different and comfy. I felt like a kid in a new store just looking around trying to figure everything out — they even had a sushi bar that had a rotating belt with different sushi roll combos. We were greeted when we arrived, no reservation, and were promptly seated. The menu is short and straight forward — to me a plus because too many choices makes deciding even longer.
I ended up ordering a specialty roll they had that day — I can’t remember the name but it looked pretty, and it had crab and jalapeños in it. It was amazing, it tasted so good I was mad I ordered an entrée and not two orders of the rolls. For my main course I ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai and it was great — the portion was big and the flavors were on point. I even tasted the other dishes like the chicken lettuce wraps and the Ginger Lamb Chops which were cooked perfectly!
We ended our dinner with the waiter sneaking up on me with a small scoop of tambourine flavored ice — lol my Sister In Law loved it… The waiter was so friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive he heightened the experience. I left full of food and love and can’t wait to go back!

Interesting decoration inside and friendly staffs. The menu and tables were white and clean to look at. We ordered two cocktails which were different from other places. Server recommended a special roll named fire cracker? And we really enjoyed it. Sushi combo did not come with any soup or salad but the plate had variety of fishes to try. The sushi rice was a bit too salty but I cant judge after dining in only once. I liked the seat by the window but there were lots of dust which kept getting my attention. The rock shrimp was salty and I thought it wasnt worth the price. I would return for sushi combo again but most of the special rolls had only shrimp tempura and not much variety in fish.

I have to give POD 5 stars if only for the mere fact that 15 years ago my husband brought me here for our first date. It speaks volumes that they have been here for 15+ years and on a Saturday night I could only get a 9:30 reservation. The food is still excellent and consistently fabulous the times we have stopped in between.
They no longer do the rainbow colored martinis but still serve the «Big Red» which is a delicious Lychee martini. I also had their special Valentine’s Day cocktail which was strawberry basil goodness.
We started with the edamame and short rib apps. Edamame with flaked sea salt is a large portion we took some home. Ribs also a large portion sauce was excellent. My husband had his favorite the wasabi filet. Cooked perfectly. The mash served with it is heavenly. Demi glacé makes this dish perfection. I had my favorite the Lobster roll. I dream of it! What makes this roll is the truffle soy sauce that they serve with it. I would eat that sauce alone. Our server said people often ask for it with other rolls.
Our server was very knowledgeable and just a nice guy in general. He brought us a few desserts on the house due to it being our Anni. We had smores egg rolls, mini doughnuts with raspberry dip, and Molton chocolate cake. We had left overs needless to say.
Great first date spot! The beginning of a happy 15 years!!!

This place has several really good dishes, but some dishes are pretty mediocre. The good ones include: Nigiri sampler (very worthy of the price), crispy rice with tuna, chicken potstickers, crab fried rice, rocking spicy tuna, and all kinds of sashimi. The not-​so-​good ones include: grilled Wagyu beef on stone (the sauce tastes so weird), udon with tofu (very oily and tastes plain), wild mushroom (too oily), etc. I go there a lot to get meals, and the service is pretty good. Location is very convenient too. Generally I like it.

I came here on a business trip with some colleagues.
We were greeted right when we arrived and we were seated before our remaining party got there. The layout of this place is definitely unique. There is even a special room (which I believe you can reserve) where you’re basically in your own «pod» on one side of the restaurant. The wait staff was very attentive when our entire party arrived. Items I tried:
— Lettuce Cups: The lettuce cups were crisp and not too soggy; just the right amount of crunch. The filling was yummy too. We had plenty of leftovers of this — not because it wasn’t good, but because there was so much other food on the table.
— Pork Dumplings: These were kind of like small round pork potstickers. It came with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that made it extra tasty.
— Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon: Meat was tender and in a delicious sauce and the mashed potatoes were a good complement. I only wish there was more… but I left the restaurant feeling pretty full, so it’s probably good there wasn’t more on the plate.
All in all a great experience — I would come again if in town.

I came all the way from North Jersey to try this place, expecting something different.
I was disappointed at how limited the menu was, I was definitely expecting more options for sushi rolls. The steamed pork belly rolls were good, but nothing spectacular. The ramen was okay, nothing worth bringing home. Our server probably came over twice, once to introduce himself and take our order and the second time to bring out check, the rest was taken care of by food runners/​bussers.
The drinks were good and the décor is obviously what separates this place from other Asian style restaurants, but overall our meals were not better than anything we’ve had in NJ.

After a meeting in the area, Maggie L and I decided to hit Pod for lunch. We started with the chicken lettuce wraps, which were really great and also very filling for two people. I wanted a martini but considered my workload and ordered an unsweetened iced tea, instead. It was super flavorful and served with a slice of orange — very nice!
Next up were: the jumbo lump California roll, a spicy tuna roll topped with rock shrimp, and a spicy yellowtail roll with fresh jalapeño slices (my favorite of the three for its lightness and extra heat!). I was very happy that all of the rolls were well balanced (not overly sauced) and easy to eat (not too big, not falling apart). This was the perfect amount of food for two fairly hungry people. If you’re not feeling as hungry, the lettuce wraps and two rolls could suffice.
Our server was friendly and helpful yet a little slow for lunch. But I enjoyed my experience so much that I definitely wanted to bump up my rating to a more appropriate four stars!

Located in University City, there’s some street parking but I recommend the garage if you’re not from the area. There’s a garage at 38^th and Walnut, Sheraton parking on 36^th and Chestnut, or you can valet at the Inn next door to the restaurant ($ 20).
We came for a company celebratory dinner. They seated us in the far back since we had around 20 people. I can’t decide if the interior design makes me feel like I went back in time (disco era) or the future. I suppose it’s more futuristic but then nothing really feels new. It’s definitely funky… with lots of diff lights. It’s different (in a good way).
Here are some the dishes we had to share:
–Vegetable Tempura– Veggies covered in batter and deep fried– Don’t get this unless you really like tempura
–Lettuce Wraps– chicken on the side (average)
–Chicken Potstickers — Recommend!- It comes with this mayo sauce that I really liked! The dumplings were also pretty flavorful and cooked well.
–Glazed Chilean Sea Bass– Recommend!- Flavorful Sea Bass with mashed potatoes
–Wagyu Short Rib?- Recommend!-Not sure what this is called on the menu but I really enjoyed this. Basically beef skewers– Super flavorful and tender!
–Rockin Spicy Tuna?- Not sure what this is called on the menu but it was basically cooked tuna with rice. Super spicy (which I don’t mind) but I didn’t really like the flavor– mushy with hard rice
–Macadamia Chicken Stir Fry– tasted like general tso’s chicken
For dessert they gave an assortment, the only thing that stood out to me was the chocolate mochi (there was vanilla ice cream inside).
For drinks– I tried the mojito– sugary but tasty.
Service was friendly. I didn’t take any pictures but the presentation is average.
Overall, I think if this wasn’t a work function I probably wouldn’t visit this place. I feel like for the prices you could get better food at another restaurant. It’s always fun to try new restaurants though, so try the recommended dishes if you come here!

Been there twice for dinner, and I think it’s very average interns of food. I had sushi combination and other Asian fusion cuisines and didn’t find anything special.
The décor is impressive. I love the modern style interior here and it’s a decent place to creat some memory.

If you’re looking for great sushi this is not the place for you. If you’re looking for ambiance and excellent service this place is great. Although it is called Pods there are only two actual pods (both looked like they were for parties of 4 or more). Service was excellent and extremely attentive. The food however was mediocre. Our Philly friends told us this was some celeb chefs restaurant but honestly we’ve had better sushi in suburban NJ.
On a side note their mixed drinks were great!

Just walked out of CHOP and was foraging for some lunch…
And I found said lunch in a futuristic place called Pod that serves Asian fusion.
Great lunch menu and I went with the Macadamia Nut Chicken served with a Soy /​Kelp Miso and a Ginger Salad.
Place was very cool and reminded me of the Milk Bar in A Clockwork Orange. All they need to complete it would be some nude spigots and a bit o’ the Ludwig Van…

Attention vegans!
The tofu lettuce wrap with peanut sauce and the Vegan Stephen.
You’ll be thrilled you did!
Pod is such a great place for a sit-​down meal in West Philly. I have been going there for ten years now. I am so happy they have two great vegan dishes for me to enjoy!