Winner of the Emerging Chef award at the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Insights
Southeast AsianUpscaleLunchDinnerCasual
Last updated: 9/2/2026, 5:11:47 AM
Key Information
Mawn is a cozy, intimate 28-seat BYOB restaurant with an open-kitchen vibe, known for its buzzy, personable atmosphere. It is the first restaurant for Chef Phila Lorn and his wife Rachel, offering a unique take on Cambodian cuisine in Philadelphia.
Customer Perception
Customers praise Mawn as a valuable addition to Philadelphia's food scene, highlighting its unique Cambodian offerings and lively, personable ambiance. Reviews suggest it's a worthwhile dining experience.
Additional Details
Mawn operates as a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) establishment. The restaurant does not have a phone number for inquiries.
Mawn is open Wednesday to Saturday. Lunch is available for walk-ins from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM. Dinner is served from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM, and reservations are recommended for dinner. The restaurant is closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.
*25% of ur meal is vegetable/salad, good for seafood lovers, good crab fried rice, meat skewer, fried shrimp, papaya salad, boar with lettuce
We got the puck and see. Fried rice wasnt really fried more mushy but had a ton of crab in it. Crunchy and flavorful fried shrimp. Papaya salad was good. Loved the meat skewers. I wish there was more red meat in the food brought out. It was an enjoyable experience the atmosphere is cute service is decent. Unfortunately, I dont think its for me because I prefer red meat over seafood but food overall was pretty good although I dont think its worth the price of $75 per person.
Now I know why the place is so hard to get in.
We had elected to have the puck-and-see, where the chef selected the dishes for us and each of of them was exquisite and delicious.
All the components of the dishes separately had great flavor flavor and combined together they were a symphony in the mouth.
I also got the Vietnamese spiced ice coffee and it was great.
It's a BYOB if you want some alcohol.
I believe each person (may differ according to amount of people) got 2 appetizers and main and a shared large dessert.
All of the appetizers were great, I especially liked the char on the skewer, the soft shell shrimp and the broth of the mussel dishes.
From the entree the chicken coconut Noodle dish (Ramen) was the best of the night. And the quantities they give are pretty good too.
I thought I might not be able to finish the funnel cake when brought out (as we were pretty full) but the moment I tasted it, i knew I would finish it up then and there.
The servers were great and very friendly.
The cons of I had any is the smaller place and how hard it is to get dinner reservations, but it is a known issue (or non-issue),but since this place has been open for some time, people should expect it. It doesn't take away from the great experience you will have visiting this place.
5
MAWNumental. We got the Puck and See and everything was incredible! So much food! Really loved the specials (tuna crudo, scallop toast, oysters), the garlicky cabbage, the passionfruit jasmine rice pudding. The scallops in the red curry mole was a surprise combination of flavors we all enjoyed. My cantaloupe arianna agua fresca was delicious as well. Our server was attentive, informative, so friendly and accommodating. Will be back if we can snag another reservation, thank you, Mawn!
5
Mawn absolutely lives up to the hype. Every dish we had was packed with flavor while still feeling incredibly balanced and thoughtfully prepared. The yellow curry noodle soup was comforting without being too heavy, with a rich coconut curry broth and perfectly cooked chicken. The Thai crab fried rice was outstanding. The crab was fresh, the rice had incredible wok flavor, and the crispy garlic tied everything together.
The head-on soft shell shrimp were another highlight. The fish sauce caramel delivered the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and heat, making them impossible to stop eating. The jasmine rice pudding was the perfect way to end the meal and is absolutely worth saving room for.
It’s easy to see why Mawn is one of the hardest reservations to get in Philadelphia. The food is creative without trying too hard, every ingredient tastes intentional, and the service matched the quality of the kitchen. If you’re lucky enough to get a reservation, don’t think twice.
5
I forgot to write a review the first time I came last year but nothing has changed for me, it’s just as amazing!!!
We love the food! Its comforting, favorable, joyous. The overall experience of the food and the personable staff, just feels like you’re at home eating that one meal that was your favorite as a child or some point in your life, and you always think about it. And instead of it being one memorable dish, it’s every dish. It lingers.
I can’t wait to return!
P.s. try the desserts, both!