Little Water
Restaurant · Rittenhouse
261 S 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Highlights
Seafood forward, contemporary coastal cuisine with a lively bar
Seafood forward, contemporary coastal cuisine with a lively bar
"A meal at Little Water is like a magic trick. The plates in front of you appear to be simple meals like snow crab claws with black walnut bay mustard, and shrimp cocktail with smoked catsup. But the quality of the ingredients, the freshness of the fish, and even the care taken with the cocktails — spheres of crystal clear ice and lavender sticks — turn that simple meal into an opulent experience. Order a punchy Tonic Americano (ploughman cherry vermouth, red bitter, and tonka bean) and grab a seat outside through the summer." - Annemarie Dooling
"This seafood restaurant from Amanda and chef Randy Rucker — the duo behind Beard-semifinalist River Twice — serves the freshest seafood simply. The menu includes starters like New Jersey scallops with yuzu kosho with olive oil and Maine mussels and fennel on toast. Larger dishes run from a swordfish Milanese to a whole fried snapper. Look for a classic cocktail list and Old World wines that pair nicely with fish." - Ernest Owens
"Rittenhouse Square’s contemporary coastal restaurant is the latest from James Beard semifinalist chef Randy Rucker and his wife Amanda. The seafood-centric lunch and dinner menu takes tips from the culinary couple’s time spent along the Gulf, New England, and mid-Atlantic waterways. Opt for oysters doused in Alabama white sauce, Maine-sourced uni, bluefin tuna flecked with olives, and a casual riff on caviar service with hush puppies instead of toast points. Other playful dishes include peekytoe crab and uni atop hash browns and a swordfish Milanese take on fish and chips." - Nadia Chaudhury
"The new restaurant from the team behind East Passyunk’s popular River Twice is less formal and more fun than its counterpart. The menu leans into seafood and is inspired by the chef’s Southern roots — take the caviar service, which pairs a generous serving of Osetra caviar with hush puppies. There’s also a raw bar where you can belly up for oysters and other seafood specialties. It’s open for lunch as well, serving a fried oyster BLT, swordfish Milanese, and more." - Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme
"Rittenhouse Square’s contemporary coastal project is the latest from James Beard-nominated chef Randy Rucker and his wife Amanda. The seafood-centric dinner menu takes tips from the culinary couple’s time spent along the Gulf, New England, and mid-Atlantic waterways. Opt for celebratory items like oysters and uni from Maine, raw bluefin tuna flecked with olives, and a casual riff on caviar service with hush puppies instead of toast points." - Eater Staff
