Head-to-Head · Philadelphia
Provenance vs Hiroki
Provenance is Bazik’s 22-seat French-Korean tasting; Hiroki a Kyoto omakase counter. Both hold a star. Book Provenance for breadth, Hiroki for focus.
The Verdict
Provenance is the ambition. Chef and owner Nicholas Bazik runs a 22-seat room near Head House Square in Society Hill where a 20-to-25-course tasting, $225 a head, runs French technique through pristine seafood and dry-aged proteins with quiet Korean accents in the soys and oils. It earned a Michelin star within a year of opening and a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant nod in 2025. It scores 10 for food, 10 for the room and 8 for value.
Hiroki is the counter. Kyoto-born chef Hiroki Fujiyama cooks a 21-course omakase, $195 inclusive of tax and service, on a small bar in Fishtown, a kaiseki-rooted sequence of cooked courses and nigiri that also holds a Michelin star. Seatings run Wednesday to Saturday at 6 and 8:30, with a $70 sake pairing. It scores 10 for food, 9 for the room and 8 for value.
The split is breadth versus focus. Provenance is the bigger, longer, more theatrical evening across two dozen courses of seafood and meat; Hiroki is the tighter Japanese run where the fish and the rice carry everything. Both wear a star. One is a marathon, the other a clinic.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Provenance | Hiroki |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 10 / 10 | 10 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 10 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Value | 8 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
The Cooking
Provenance builds its name into the plate. Bazik sources hard, dry-ages his proteins in house and lets French sauce-work do the heavy lifting, then threads Korean elements through it: special soys, bright pickle oils, glossy sauces that give dimension to raw fish and aged beef. The 20-to-25-course count is a statement of intent, and the kitchen has the precision to hold it together, which is what the Michelin inspectors and Bon Appetit responded to.
Hiroki keeps the frame Japanese. Fujiyama works a Kyoto kaiseki structure, opening with cooked seasonal courses before moving to nigiri over warm, vinegared rice, and the 21-course run is paced to the rhythm of the counter rather than the spectacle of the plate. It is the more disciplined meal, and the $195 price, tax and tip included, makes it one of the clearer values in Philadelphia fine dining.
The Rooms
Provenance is an intimate 22-seat dining room, warm and tightly run, built for a tasting that lasts the better part of an evening. Hiroki is a discreet Fishtown counter where the room is the chef and the wood in front of you, quiet and forward-facing. Provenance seats a couple at a table for a long night; Hiroki seats you at the bar for a focused one.
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A milestone celebration | ProvenanceTwenty-plus courses, a 22-seat room and a Michelin star make it the room for an anniversary or a big night. |
| A serious sushi meal | HirokiA Kyoto kaiseki and 21-course omakase at the counter is the better raw-fish dinner in the city. |
| Best value for a star | HirokiAt $195 including tax and service for a one-star omakase, Hiroki is the clearer value of the two. |
| A first date with intent | ProvenanceAn intimate, warmly lit tasting room signals effort without the forward-facing counter of an omakase bar. |
| Solo dining at a counter | HirokiA seat at Fujiyama’s bar, Wednesday to Saturday, is the natural solo move for a focused tasting. |
Price and How to Book
Provenance runs a single $225 tasting with wine, mixed and non-alcoholic pairings on top, and books through its own reservations; the full picture is in the Provenance review. Hiroki is a $195 omakase, tax and service included, with Wednesday-to-Saturday seatings on Resy and a $70 sake pairing; the booking detail sits in the Hiroki review. Both anchor our Philadelphia dining guide.
For cuisine context, weigh Provenance’s Korean accents against the best Korean restaurants worldwide and Hiroki against the world’s finest sushi counters. For occasion fit, see our picks for an anniversary dinner and solo dining. More match-ups sit on the compare index, and the city’s toughest seats are in the hardest Philadelphia reservations guide.