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With its eminent Logan Circle address, Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is located in the center of the historic Logan Square neighborhood —Philly’s cultural focal point. Chef Rafael Gonzalez’s Five-Star restaurant is close to a historic open-space park (home of the famous Swann Fountain), and near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Free Library, the Franklin Institute and Moore College of Art and Design. So you’ll have plenty to do and see pre-dinner. Once inside the 1 Logan Square address, the Five-Star restaurant’s view alone is enough to impress you — the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows face Swann Fountain, so you’ll truly feel like you’re a part of the City of Brotherly Love.

With its eminent Logan Square address (1 Logan Square), Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is located in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Logan Square neighborhood. When you’re here, you’re in the midst of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Free Library, the Franklin Institute, and Moore College of Art and Design, which makes taking public transportation a snap. It’s a quick walk from the City Hall train station, which is served by local and regional rapid transit. Fountain Restaurant is also easily accessible by car, as Logan Square is only a few blocks away from I-676’s Central Philadelphia exit. If you’re looking for the no-fuss option, valet parking is available but it does cost $29 if you aren’t an overnight guest of the hotel. To save a few pennies, there are nearby public lots that offer more affordable, slightly less convenient, short-term parking options.

During dinner service, men are required to wear a jacket in the Fountain Restaurant’s main dining room. But don’t despair if you’re traveling sans jacket. For men who happen to show up without proper attire, the restaurant has blazers, which they happily provide. Both men and women will feel most comfortable during dinner if they get gussied up for a full-on fine dining experience.

When it comes to lunch, dress is a bit more loosely defined as “smart casual dress”— think neat, casual business attire. Fountain Restaurant’s lunch atmosphere is far more casual than during the dinner service, as it caters to an overall more diverse crowd, including guests of the Four Seasons Hotel and sightseers from many of the nearby Logan Square museums.

Reservations are strongly recommended for all meals at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia Fountain Restaurant. Even though its dining room is sizeable, the Five-Star restaurant believes in serving a limited number of guests the best possible meal it can each night. The result is that dinner reservations are always a necessity for a seat in chef Rafael Gonzalez’s cozy sanctuary of fine dining. If you prefer to be spontaneous, it’s almost always possible to show up and grab a seat in the Fountain’s lounge area, where lighter fare is served in a more casually first-class environment.

It’s possible to be seated in the main dining room without a reservation for lunch during the week, especially if you come at the beginning or the end of the mealtime. Fountain Restaurant’s policy of accepting reservations for its popular weekend breakfast is a real perk: brunch in Philadelphia without a wait.

There’s a lot to learn about Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, but here’s our list of five things we deem important for all future diners:

1. The restaurant focuses on sustainable, seasonal food. Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia has been committed to sustainable, seasonal cuisine since before green was a buzz word. The Five-Star restaurant maintains its own rooftop garden, and the kitchen incorporates as much fresh house-grown produce as possible into the food. It doesn’t get more local than that. And for five years running, Fountain has produced all of its own compost from the restaurant’s leftover food scraps.

2. There’s one seasonally inspired ingredient each month. Focused on what’s fresh now, Fountain Restaurant chooses one seasonally inspired ingredient to feature every month, and the kitchen highlights it throughout every course. October’s featured ingredient is apple, which means that apple rhubarb jam is an accompaniment to the cheese course, apple-infused cocktails are on the drink list, and a roasted Muscovy duck breast with melted granny smith apple is on the dinner menu, to give just three apple-inspired examples.

3. Try the chocolate soufflé. The Fountain chocolate soufflé is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and a potentially life-altering dessert experience. But soufflés are time-consuming and must be made to order, so let your server know while you are ordering your entrée if you plan on enjoying the Fountain chocolate soufflé for dessert.

4. Choose between three or six courses for dinner. Fountain Restaurant offers two options for dinner, a prix fixe three-course menu for $80, and a six-course tasting menu for $120 that can be paired with wine. There is no à la carte menu for dinner, though there is one for breakfast and lunch.

5. Impeccable service is another Fountain hallmark. The restaurant strives to give their customers the highest level of hospitality. If you are not used to a fine dining environment, all of the personal attention can feel absurdly over-the-top at first, but you’ll be surprised how fast you get used to being treated like a VIP.

Whether it’s a business meeting over brunch or a special occasion dinner for the whole family, Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia more than welcomes — and can accommodate — group dining. The Five-Star restaurant’s private Logan Room comfortably seats fourteen people in an intimate, stately setting. The Logan Room’s plush seating, elegant lighting, and dark wood interior calls to mind a gilded age of hotel luxury, without feeling stuffy. The room’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer Logan Circle views, and infuse the room with energy and light. Because of all the space, even if you have a larger group, you don’t need to go private. Groups can also be accommodated in the Fountain’s main dining area. At 10,000-square-feet, the space is roomy enough that larger parties can be accommodated without feeling crowded-in, or infringing on neighboring tables. Chef Rafael Gonzalez’s nightly six-course tasting menu is a fun option for a crowd, turning group dining into a shared culinary experience.

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is headed by chef Rafael Gonzalez, who came to Philly in 2009 from the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. Gonzalez grew up in Miami, and was introduced to French culinary technique in his hometown before making the pilgrimage north to the New York City’s epicurean epicenter. Gonzalez worked in an all-star series of kitchens in New York, cooking under David Bouley, Eric Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. After his years of tutelage with these culinary giants, Rafael Gonzalez became a sous chef at The Pierre in New York City, and became the executive chef of Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver in 2006. Gonzalez believes in letting great ingredients be the star of the show, but isn’t shy about breaking out some classical French techniques, either.

As the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s restaurant, the Fountain Restaurant’s interior design can be described as traditionally conservative hotel luxury. Think rich, dark wood paneling throughout the dining room with pops of muted peach and gold tones that create a calm, elegant atmosphere. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto Logan Circle, filling the room with natural sunlight during the day, and offering details of the dramatically illuminated concourse at night. With chandeliers, wall sconces and candles lighting your table, the scent of fresh flowers, and expressionist paintings hanging on the walls, the space oozes luxury and beautiful (the view the famous Swann Fountain doesn’t hurt either).

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia has a roomy 10,000-square-foot dining room, and in all that space there are only about 30 tables, ensuring that each party is given a surplus of space and attention. But if any table had to be deemed “the best” in Rafael Gonzalez’s Five-Star eatery, it would have to be one by the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. These tables offer front-row views of Logan Circle. It’s a vista that energizes the dining room, banishes stuffiness, and makes you feel like you’re in the heart of the city. Gaze out at local landmarks such as Alexander Calder’s majestic Swann Memorial Fountain while enjoying cuisine inspired by local and seasonal ingredients, and you have the makings of distinctly Philadelphian experience.

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia spares little expense in creating a Five-Star experience for every table, from the impeccable service down to the glassware. From water glasses to champagne flutes, Fountain uses high quality Schott crystal, a level of attention that is expected from a restaurant of its caliber. Considering Fountain’s extensive wine list, managed by sommelier Scott Turnbull, great glassware is a functional extravagance. Fountain Restaurant offers guests the opportunity to quaff some of the world’s most sought-after vintages, so it’s only practical that it uses glassware that can respect this kind of wine. It’s just one of many details that Fountain employs to create an atmosphere of utter luxury.

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia covers all the bases in creating a Five-Star experience for every guest, right down to the table settings. You'll appreciate the impeccably white tablecloth and the formal orderliness of the plates and silverware, knowing full well that you’re about to mess it all up. You'll eagerly anticipate the food that’s about to come. And you smell the fresh flowers, which are strategically placed on every table in Fountain Restaurant’s posh dining room.

Tableware can tell you a lot about a restaurant before you’ve been served a single bite. For instance, Fountain Restaurant’s dinner service plates are of the highest quality, but they aren’t quite what you’d expect, either. Think bold angles and shapes that are reminiscent of Danish design. It’s a perfect microcosm of Fountain Restaurant’s ability to tweak traditional fine dining for modern tastes, without detracting from an old school atmosphere of total luxury.

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia boasts an old school atmosphere that can feel like a movie set at times. We’re not just talking about the murmur of candlelit conversations and the clink of forks on china, but the actual tunes playing in the background during dinner, quiet jazz. It’s the kind of music that feels so natural in the dining room’s environment that you don’t really notice that it’s there.

Lunch service at Fountain Restaurant has a much more casual tone. The room is still opulent, but the evening’s dramatic candlelight is replaced with natural sunshine from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The all-white tablecloths are replaced with muted color patterns, and the jazz is replaced with a surprisingly eclectic rock mix. You can enjoy the jumbo lump crab cake with pomegranate couscous, while listening to the Cure.

At Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s Fountain Restaurant there’s the murmur of candlelit conversations, the clink of forks on china, and jazz playing in the background. But overall, the noise level at the Five-Star restaurant stays comfortably low. Sound doesn’t echo in the cavernous 10,000-square-foot dining room, because of soundproof walls and ceilings that are designed to keep the volume to a minimum. Also, each table is given a surplus of space and privacy from their neighbors, which means that you won’t be forced to eavesdrop to the couple next to you during your epic six-course tasting menu.

Impeccable service is a hallmark of Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, and is a huge part of what elevates the meals here to memorable experiences. The pampering begins before you even step foot in chef Raphael Gonzalez’s Five-Star restaurant, when you are greeted by name and escorted across the dining room to your table. While Fountain Restaurant’s atmosphere isn’t stuffy, it is certainly formal, and the service strikes this same balance.

There is a ceremonial air to the attentions of the staff, and during the bread service you are given the choice of multiple house-baked slices. If not the restaurant sommelier, then someone with a thorough understanding of Fountain Restaurant’s intimidating wine list is happy to make a recommendation. And there is a general sense that the staff actually enjoys doing things for you, accommodating special needs and answering questions — so don’t feel guilty asking away.

In fact, the service is so good, at first it can almost feel uncomfortably over-the-top. But you’ll be surprised how quickly you become accustomed to VIP treatment. Post meal, sadly, it’s back to the real world.

Chef Rafael Gonzalez cooks seasonally inspired cuisine with classic French technique, offering menus that change with the availability of ingredients, the weather and what’s fresh that day. This market-driven restaurant philosophy means that Fountain’s dishes don’t have time to get stale, but it also means, it can also get tricky when making recommendations. Luckily there are a few items that stick around despite Fountain Restaurant’s seasonal, carefully-sourced, ever-changing food.

1. Cheesesteak spring rolls. The cheesesteak spring rolls can only be ordered off of Fountain Restaurant’s bar menu, and while they aren’t quite haute cuisine, they are about as haute as a cheesesteak can get. Greasy? Absolutely. And worth every bite. Don’t be fooled by gourmet finger food imitators, Fountain’s version is the original.

2. Crabcake. Crabcake connoisseurs will be hard-pressed to find a better version than this one. Full of fresh lump crab meat, with just enough breading to help hold the cake together, this lunchtime staple is worth its high price tag. Hearty yet ethereal, the crabcake’s accompaniments change seasonally.

3. Chocolate soufflé. The Fountain Chocolate Soufflé is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and a potentially life-altering dessert experience. But soufflés are time-consuming and must be made to order, so let your server know while you are ordering your entrée if you plan on enjoying the Fountain Chocolate soufflé for dessert.

4. Lobster paella. It’s only been on the menu for a few months, but the deconstructed lobster paella has become a favorite stand-by on the three-course prix fixe. Chef Gonzalez concentrates all of the flavors and textures of the classic Spanish rice dish, while maximizing its most sumptuous elements. The result is a plate of shellfish with butter-poached lobster and sautéed wild rock bass, seasoned with saffron and paprika and drizzled with chorizo oil.

5. Brioche French toast. We don’t recommend this mouthwatering morning treat if you’re having a business breakfast. It’s too tricky to concentrate on deal making while downing such a dish. If you’re dining sans pressure, get the brioche French toast, stuffed with honeyed mascarpone, and let your eyes roll back into your head in delight.

Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is headed by chef Rafael Gonzalez, who believes in using his classically-trained French techniques to cook seasonally inspired, regionally inspired and ingredient-driven food. The result is elaborate cooking that doesn’t get caught up in the conventions of fine dining. Menus change constantly, based on the best ingredients of the season.

An example of chef Gonzalez’s commitment to sourcing local ingredients is the Fountain Restaurant’s very own rooftop garden. He incorporates as much fresh house-grown produce as possible into each dish. Under Rafael Gonzalez’s direction, Fountain Restaurant now also chooses one seasonally inspired ingredient to highlight every month. October’s featured ingredient is apple, which means that apple rhubarb jam is an accompaniment to the cheese course, apple-infused cocktails are on the drink list and a roasted Muscovy duck breast with melted granny smith apple is on the dinner menu.

Eddie Hales is Fountain Restaurant’s pastry chef at the Four Season Hotel Philadelphia, and he has the distinct honor of being the longest continuous Four Seasons employee in the world. He joined the hotel company as a cook in 1975, and has been making sophisticated sweets in Philly since 1983. But don’t let Eddie Hales’ 28-year tenure fool you, he is far from being an old-fashioned pastry cart pusher, and loves to employ new tricks such as spray painting chocolate. Hales’ most popular desserts are a couple of stalwart classics: a superlative crème brulée, and a chocolate soufflé that manages to be both incredibly rich and airy at the same time.

If you like options, you’re in luck, Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia offers a wide range of menus throughout the day. One thing they all have in common is chef Rafael Gonzalez’s classically executed, seasonally inspired cuisine. The Five-Star restaurant offers two ways to experience their world-class dinner service.

The first is a prix fixe three-course menu. Guests choose one appetizer, such as a duo of grilled lamb or a stuffed Cape May scallop. One entrée, perhaps the deconstructed paella or the rare roasted venison loin, and one dessert, such as the chocolate soufflé or a selection of cheeses.

The other dinner option is a six-course tasting menu, which can be paired with a full flight of wines. The side dishes and accompaniments change based on the season. One night the Muscovy duck breast might be served with melted apple, the next it could be covered in wild mushrooms.

Lunch service at Fountain Restaurant is à la carte, and offers far more casual fare than dinner. Expect a mix of gussied-up bar food like the Four Seasons burger, and crowd-pleasing standbys such as the jumbo lump crabcake (trust us, it’s worth every penny).

Fountain Restaurant takes breakfast seriously. After all, it’s a destination for local businessmen and hotel guests who want to have the best meal of their day. Stuffed brioche French toast, and a smoked salmon toad in the hole are two favorites on the à la carte menu. Set breakfasts are also an option, like the Taste of Philadelphia, which includes spicy “peppers and eggs,” a locally packed pork roll, scrapple (a mush of pork scraps, and a Philly staple) and cream chipped beef.

Fountain’s bar menu keeps it simple with an eclectic selection of small bites, which offer a gourmet take on classic American pub fare. Grab a beer and a half dozen oysters, or the Philly cheesesteak spring roll, a haute interpretation of the city’s most famous sandwich.

Swann Lounge, Fountain Restaurant’s bar and lounge area, is a cozy yet elegant space connecting both the main dining room and the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. Rich wood tones, marble tabletops, a fireplace, and a floor-to-ceiling view of Logan Circle set a handsome scene for knocking back a drink or two.

Of course many wines from sommelier Scott Turnbull’s yearbook-thick wine list are available by the glass, and for the ale lovers, there is a seasonally rotating selection of local and imported beer. The lounge also offers a menu of gourmet bar food, small plates and sandwiches.

This past spring, Michael Haggerty was brought on to revamp the bar’s cocktail menu, with an emphasis on seasonally inspired drinks based on classic cocktails. The result is a refined drink list. A twist on mint julep is made with cognac and mint from Fountain Restaurant’s rooftop garden.

If you’re a self-declared foodie, you’ll love the lavish six-course tasting menu paired with a full flight of wines for $200 at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s Fountain Restaurant. Chef Raphael Gonzalez’s food is inspired by seasonal, well-sourced ingredients, and as a result the tasting menu changes often. But sommelier Scott Turnbull’s pairings consistently read like a greatest-hits list of old world wines, highlighting classic French technique. For instance, a sautéed fillet of bass with Thai coconut curry stew is paired with a dry Alsatian pinot gris, which anchors the dish’s sweet and eccentric flavors. You can expect straightforward, interesting pairings that enhance the food without overwhelming it.