Ansill closes
David Ansill pulls the plug on the ambitious Queen Village bistro.
Ansill closes
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Filed Under: TableTalk
Citing the economy, David Ansill has closed Ansill, his ambitious, Euro-style foodie-centric bistro at Third and Bainbridge Streets in Queen Village.
It opened in February 2006 as an offshoot of Pif, his now-closed French bistro in South Philly.
Comments (12)
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the restaurant business is tough, even in booming times. today it is even harder.— linda dubin garfield- Sad to see this one go...didn't he close Pif because he wanted to concentrate on Ansill?— J H
- I eat my lunch from a sack.— MBW
- JH: Ostensibly yes, but it seemed like he had always been struggling, what with the ridiculous deals he always ran, like the happy hour, buy one get one dinners, industry discounts, etc.— BarryG
- The sign on the door actually reads closed for the summer. My wife and I were frequent visitors when we were actually home and not traveling. We sensed something was up when the wine inventory diminished to almost nothing over the past month or so and they adopted a BYOB policy for Monday through Friday, where as in the past it was only Tuesday's. We discussed the possibility of the business failing but hoped it would hang on through the typically tough summer. The combination of the poor economy and the fact that the restaurant biz is weak in the summer must have taken it's toll. We are very disappointed and hope it is as indicated on the door temporary.— transientone
- This is really surprising because the restaurant always seemed busy when I was there. I will definetely miss their happy hour. I guess times are getting tough for everyone.— phoodtales
- What an overrated bore of a restaurant. Now will someone please bring back Judy's?— Nognig
- Ansill never received the support/credit it deserved. As much as this city loves to crow about it's restaurant scene, it's still basically a two horse town in terms of high-end restaurants...Stephen Starr's and Jose Garces's empires. The rest of the better restaurants are left to fight for whatever attention span remains from the city's fixation on these two. Philadelphia can call itself a "restaurant city" when a place like Ansill isn't forced to stand on it's head for attention with discounts/coupons and special offers...then ultimately close due to lack of interest. Not while Disney-like mini-chain restaurants prosper.— kyle19125
- We really hope David & Crew can come back. Since 2001, David has introduced to Philly some extraordinary but simple French dishes. Whether it be mussels in rosemary or chicken with fiddlehead ferns, he found a way to excite our palates. Philadelphia, this guy is the best chef in town - he is inventive and true to form - understands complimentary flavors and textures. Sure, there are some wonderful celebrity chefs. But for my money, I'll sit at David Ansill's table. Let's make sure there is one for us to enjoy!— rickstine
I loved Ansill. I hope someone comes up with something similar and just as good.— kalina- I like turtles.— Baba Booey
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About this blog
Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.
Michael Klein
Philly.com
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