La viola continues to be our favorite local Italian restaurant. The food is excellent and tastes like home cooked meals. We love the seafood pasta dish , grilled calamari, and warm fresh bread. We have been coming here for 20 years. Many of the staff have remained the same. Everyone is friendly and warm. read more

Seriously gone down hill! I come here every year for my birthday and every year it gets a little worse. Last night was my last time. Time to say goodbye to La Viola West. Last night the place was packed - I get it it's grad weekend, but the service was awful, beyond horrible, and the food was clearly made in batches and sitting out waiting for someone to order. It tasted off. They changed how they plate and the sides too. I don't know who puts red sauce pasta on the same plate with Marsala veal, it all mixed together and it's not a good taste. Ordered the $16 burrata with San Daniele prosciutto. The burrata ball was the size of a golf ball which is smaller than most restaurants have for a shared appetizer and the prosciutto was smaller than a stick of gum. It was so ridiculous I actually thought they forgot it. I mean each of us got one tiny bite. I dropped my knife and they never came back to the table so I had to wonder around looking for someone to get me another one. Never refilled the water. Did not bring clean utensils between courses or dessert. There are so many good Italian BYOs in Philly that I don't ever need to return to this one. read more

We came to have a nice dinner with our niece who is graduating this weekend. We were sat with a large group who were talking so loud I couldn't even have five words with the person sitting next to me due to the noise. While the food was nice, the entire experience was horrible. read more

Young, attentive, personable staff; older clientele most likely heading to a Saturday night Philadelphia Orchestra concert at the Kimmel Center. That's the vibe of this bustling restaurant while we were there. My only complaint was the pacing of the dishes to the table. I'm guessing it's because of the above concert. It wasn't ridiculously fast but a slower pace would have made it more enjoyable. The shared Frutti Di Mare was a delicious plate of grilled Calamari and Shrimp marinated in a lemon juice, garlic, and peppered olive oil sauce. A fantastic start. The Fish Special for the evening was a perfectly cooked Swordfish in a picante sauce. (We requested the change in sauce to this one - they were more than happy to accommodate) The Risotto Ai Gamberi was one of the best risottos I've had in a long while. The Arborio Rice was perfectly cooked and served with Shrimp and Peas in a Porcini Mushroom sauce. The shared Tartufo dessert (ice cream formed into a ball and coated with chocolate) was delicious. The Cappuccino was also very good. Before tip, the bill came to about $90 - a very reasonable price for a very memorable meal. We will definitely be returning. read more

See all

My scathing review was removed I gave this restaurant one star only because ZERO STARS WAS NOT AN OPTION! Our group of ten met here after not having seen some of them for over 5 years. We were seated in a basement room that was empty when we got there and unbeknownst to us, had been booked for a PRIVATE event. I'm guessing the room can accommodate about 100 people very tightly and the group didn't quite fill the room so we were seated WITH them. After that, there were only about five seats left empty and we were surrounded by approximately 85 VERY LOUD strangers. It was apparently a high school reunion so they were as raucous as one would expect them to be. The noise they generated was SO LOUD that we could not hear the person right next to us. At one point the person opposite of me turned on an app that measured noise level and it registered above 90dB. Look that up and you'll find that 90dB is the range that can cause hearing damage - that's how loud it was. The louder the room got, the louder the group got because they had to yell out their drinking rituals and be heard by everyone else. I also know that they paid $70 per person because at one point someone yelled that out too. What I can't tell you is what any of our friends have been doing for the last five years because we had to give up trying to hear each other. In no way did we blame the group that booked the room. This was entirely the fault of the restaurant. This was the grossest and most disrespectful thing they could have done. They were shocked when we voiced our displeasure but not one single apology or acknowledgement that we had been abused in this way. I asked to speak to the manager but no surprise - he never came. We left totally disgusted with the experience. Of course, I assumed I would voice our displeasure with a reduced tip but I was alarmed that they tipped themselves with my card 20%. Not only will I NEVER return, I will follow up with my credit card company to try to get back the tip. It was the worst $500 I've ever spent. This time, I copied my review. If this review gets erased again, I Will PASTE it again and repost it. read more

Came here with a big dinner party this week and had a wonderful time. My bf and I ordered the mozzarella al basilico and soup of the day. The soup was spinach with no cream and was absolutely delicious. That soup stood out more than the mozzarella al basilico, which was still good and refreshing. For the main course, I ordered the salmon and he got the pollo alla Marsala. Everyone in the party agreed that the salmon was a 10/10 but the chicken truly lacked flavor. I wouldn't recommend the chicken Marsala but would highly recommend the salmon. Cooked to perfection, great seasoning and delicious sides. Dessert ordered the cheesecake, tiramisu and cannoli cake. Get the cannoli cake! You will not be disappointed at all. That cake was perfection! People raved about the cheesecake and how smooth/creamy it was. I did like it, but I personally would've preferred more crust. Tiramisu sadly gets a 2/10 and I would NOT recommend that cake at all. Byo and beautiful spot in Philly. I would recommend big parties to grab dinner here. Service was great and attentive. Food was delicious! read more

See all

What an absolutely fantastic restaurant. The food was exceptional and so was the service. We were a large group and the staff and servers provided excellent, friendly, personalized service. We are looking forward to returning for another delicious dining experience. The owner, Dominic, was delightful and spent time chatting with all of the dinner guests. He totally made our night! read more

See all

Made our reservations for my daughter birthday. When arrived I was told they were for across the street. That restaurant is cash only so I explained I called to confirm we were set for this one, the west side. In 5 min they accommodated us. Our waiter was wonderful, very attentive. Our food was amazing. 3 in my party had the special fish and pasta and was delicious. Desserts were very good too. If I have any suggestions/complaint is we did feel rushed as the apps came and then dinner and then desserts. But other than that I would highly recommend as the staff is wonderful and the food amazing! read more

We ate at the original La Viola years ago and thought this would be the same. Not were we surprised. The service was great, they have enough people at the ready to help. The food? So disappointing. I had the endive salad which had hot house tomatoes! It was meh with limited endive, not exceptional in any way. The arugula pasta special was good- fresh flavor and the seafood good. My husband's gnocchi was fresh but he had to ask for more sauce as it was not a lot. The cannoli cake was frozen, literally the inside was frozen. Not a mark of a fresh cake. I returned it and received excuses that it was "fresh that morning" etc. I worked as a pastry chef before so I know what's fresh and that was not. Not only that, even after I sent it back, they charged us for it! Seriously! Shame the quality has gone down as I really liked this place but have not been back post pandemic. read more

We've been coming here for years and it's consistently excellent food and amazing service! La Viola Ovest is our favorite Italian restaurant in Philly, hands down! read more

Well I was under impressed. My salad was good. My seafood pasta was ok. Not great. Service was good except that I was told I could not have an alternate sauce on my dish. So much for the customer is always right. The deserts were ok. Have had better at many places. Was also disappointed that all the specials were meat based on a Friday in lent read more

We came here on a Saturday night and I was able to get a reservation an hour before arriving at 8pm. We were seated immediately and got the last outdoor pod for our party of 4. There were only a few parties seated inside and I was surprised to see how empty it was. Our server was great and got right with us, pointing out where we could buy a bottle of wine nearby. The menu has lots of good options and they were good about splitting a pasta dish for our kids. I got the Orecchiette Alla Viola, which had both chicken and sausage. This was a great combo and the sauce was on point, perfect thickness. The mushrooms balanced out the dish so well. This location is right across the street from the original and has almost the same menu. read more

The staff was very accommodating and the food was delicious. We ordered the mushroom appetizer along with two salads- the one with crab meat and the other with apples and Gorgonzola. We enjoyed them all. I had the squid ink pasta for my dinner selection and I loved it. We tried all of the desserts and each was so good. We cannot wait to come back! read more

Meh. Meh food. Meh service. Everyone got charged the same price as opposed to an itemized bill causing several people in our party to be overcharged and they wouldn't correct the check so we overpaid. So if your entree was $20 and that's all you got, you were charged $35 regardless. Much better Italian byob nearby. read more

I was in Philadelphia for a wedding, which is taking place at the Down Town Club. However, the rehearsal dinner was at La Viola Ovest. The rehearsal dinner was located in one of their private rooms, which held up to 60 people. I felt a little cramped at times, but the decor was very nice. The menus that were provided to us seemed to be limited because we were a rehearsal dinner, but the food items that were provided were nice. Before we ordered the table was given a few baskets of bread. I ended up getting the mussels in white sauce for my appetizer and the chicken Marsala for my entree. The mussels came out in a fairly quick amount of time and were nicely plated in the white sauce, which I requested. The mussels were not too chewy and had a bit of creamy taste to it. My chicken Marsala was also very good. It was plated beautifully with two pieces of marinated and moist, flavorful chicken topped off with a couple of fresh vegetables and two pieces of shrimp. It also came with a side of mashed potatoes. Finally, for the dessert I got the Over-the-moon chocolate cake and ended up having some of the cannoli cake as well. The Over-the-moon chocolate cake was moist and nicely layered, but I wish the cake part itself had a bit more flavor. However, the cannoli cake was spectacular. The vanilla cake was moist and full of flavor while the vanilla layering with chocolate chips was creamy and flavorful. I also loved the little cannoli on top! I also saw the downstairs private seating area at La Viola Ovest, which could fit up to 100 people and had a TV. Altogether, I had a nice time at the rehearsal dinner at La Viola Ovest. The food was absolutely spectacular and it served as a great start to the wedding weekend. read more

See all

The besti could say about the food is that it was not bad. The antipasto, burratta and grilled calamari were good starters. unfortunately, they forced us to order all our food at the beginning, no such thing as ordering appetizers while you're deciding on your meal. the actual main dishes were fair at best. I had the special saffron shrimp and scallop fettuccini that was very underwhelming. the scallops were completely tasteless. BUT THE ABSOLUTE WORST was... we were a group of 10 from around the globe who had not been together in over 8 years and we were eager to catch up. We spent the ENTIRE MEAL not even being able to hear the person next to us. we were seated in a room that had seating for around 80 people. They had a group that filled that entire room with the exception of our one table of ten where we were completely swallowed up by their group. we were able to hear their loud celebrating much better than our own group. we were surrounded by the group who at times were standing right up against our chairs as they socialized and we tried to eat. the decibel reading was above a 9 (officially the danger zone). When we made the reservation, we should have been told what they were doing with our group because we would have had a better time at McDonalds. At least then, we could have caught up on each other's lives instead of having to listen to the raucous celebrating by the other group. With such a horrible experience, we were still forced to tip 20% read more

There are so many interesting places to eat in Philly so I tend to not go to the same restaurant too many times; however, La Viola is the exception to that rule. I can't even count how many times I've been here since I moved to Philly. To begin, La Viola is great for parties of all sizes - I've been here with a group of 10 people, but I've also come with just one other person. They take reservations so I would definitely suggest making one of you're coming over the weekend because it can get really busy. At the same time, I've come on a random weeknight and been one of two tables in the entire restaurant. On top of being great for a wide range of group sizes, the food is amazing and comes at a very reasonable price. The free bread at the beginning not only delicious, but also is baked fresh and usually piping hot. This place is BYOB so be sure to come with a few of your favorite dinner drinks! I have to admit, I love the gnocchi here so much that I have never ordered any other entrée. I have tried some of my friends entrées and haven't been disappointed, but I sure am loyal to my gnocchi. I've also had a chocolate cake for dessert, which was delicious, but if I am being completely honest, I'm usually too full for dessert. All in all, this is probably my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia. The ambiance makes you feel like you are dining at a small restaurant in Italy. I definitely recommend this place and know I will be back again! read more

La Viola Ovest - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I mean, it's an institution for BYOs. We don't expect much. But gotta say, we were disappointed with the chicken Lemón. A bit too pink for our liking (see photo). But we like Franzia and we're hoping this gets us a bit more sick than the food! read more

La Viola Ovest - Chicken a La lemon - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Friendly staff and decent food, but honestly feels overpriced for what you're getting and also each person must order an entree, which we hadn't realized beforehand. I originally chose la viola because they can do reservations for big groups (10 people, later changed to 8), but the each person must order one thing rule doesn't make it very group friendly. read more

La Viola Ovest - Risotto Ai Gamberi - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This restaurant has amazing Italian food! I usually go with a group and everyone loves the food. It's BYOB. Servers are excellent with uncorking and chilling wine. They keep the meal moving smoothly. The salads are fresh with just the right amount of vinaigrette-a light touch. The mussels in red sauce are sooo good. The mussels are perfectly cooked. I use bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce. My husband always gets the pasta with shrimp in truffle sauce. It's also delicious. Pasta and shrimp are perfectly cooked. The truffle sauce is unique. It's flavorful without being overpowering. I've had the veal in a fruit sauce. It's yummy. The veal is thin and tender. The fruit sauce is slightly sweet with small bits of fruit. I've also had the salmon which is also good. The desserts are also yummy! Dark side of the Moon is a 3 layer dark chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. This restaurant is a great choice for Restaurant Week as it has 4 courses! read more

See all

Extremely underwhelming and disappointing. Pasta is not very difficult to make. I expected much better given the price point. This dish costs $21 but is worth maybe $10. No flavor and the salmon was not seasoned. Don't go -- your better off making it at home. read more

La Viola Ovest - Tagliatelle Al Salmone - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Went here for a last minute valentine's day dinner with my boyfriend and we had an amazing time...the space was very crowded, as to be expected on valentine's day. no reservation needed either and we got right in! -with this being said the tables were very, almost uncomfortably close together...but aside from that the food was absolutely divine. The menu was a fixed price where each person got an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Very reasonable price for the incredible portions in each dish. We didn't even think to ask if they were a BYO, but they are! i absolutely loved my time here, i just wish there was a bit more elbow room between us and the couple right next to us. read more

Saw La Viola come up for Italian a couple times, but had never heard of it so said I'd give it a shot. It's BYOB, so know that going into it. We walked in and I was a little nervous only because the inside seemed a little dated and there wasn't a soul in there after just opening for service. But, the food and service were fantastic. I got the seafood linguine, which had muscles, clams, salmon and shrimp. It was so good and the portion size was perfect. The lobster raviolis looked phenomenal too. My party of 6 left full and happy. I truly think the only thing "holding them back" is just an interior refresh. It's a cozy Italian joint. read more

The antipasto was lacking, the mussels tasted fishy, and the head waiter was very snooty. The rest of the staff was great. Particularly, Angela. I definitely won't be back. Oddly, this is the first restaurant who canceled my Open Table reservation even though we were there and everybody ordered their own appetizer, entree, and dessert. There was no other table after 8PM. One who works in the service industry should be mindful of their attitude when serving. It'll kill the business, if it hasn't already. read more

This place serves up the traditional Italian charm. The menu items are standard options but more authentic in their preparation. I think the ambiance - the energy in the room, the Italian wait staff, and of course the food, create a nice environment to transport you for an evening. It is located in Rittenhouse, so parking is TIGHT. Plan to circle around in the immediate area if you are looking for street parking, or park a bit away and walk over (this is the option we chose after a few rounds around the block.) We were seated in the main dining space towards the back. You can tell it's a popular place as there were many celebrations going on, so it was all hands on deck for the wait staff. It's well lit inside, with plenty of large tables, and it's deceiving how big it is inside, given the narrow entryway. After sitting down, the waiters were prompt with serving us waters and passing out menus. SIDE NOTE: This place is BYOB - and we came prepared! Our waiter gave us the specials for the evening. It was all happening pretty quickly, which I generally don't mind, but with our large party, it was hard for me grasp all the information on first go, so I resolved to order from whatever I found on the menu...which being a vegetarian meant I was limited to one item - the gnocchi. I did ask the waiter if some of the other dishes could be made without meat, but I don't think he liked that very much as I was promptly dismissed on that request (whomp whomp.) I ordered the said dish, served with pasta noodles and a light red sauce. The food was warm and plentiful. The gnocchi had good flavor and tasted fresh, leaving me satiated but not in a coma. Overall - my party had a good time. The service was quick given how occupied it was, though they didn't open up to modifying any of the dishes. Since I don't think they'll be adding more veggie friendly items on the menu, I have exhausted all my options for a further food journey here, but it's still a solid spot for a dinner date or celebration. read more

LOVE THIS PLACE. I've been here so many times and I get the penne and the chocolate cake almost every time. This place is a BYOB so be sure to take your own wine! read more

See all

Terrible. Chicken was raw. The dish was chicken rolled with ham, fontina & spinach. I had eaten one already before realizing the pink wasn't just the ham it was raw chicken. They comped my meal and dessert but I paid for the rest. The rest of the meals came out so quickly - too quickly. Perhaps microwaved? Hoping I don't get sick. read more

Disappointed. Average food, small portions, poor service. Poor value. Food did not taste authentic. Server was rude.

This place was amazing!! Ori was our server and he went above and beyond. I got the Fettuccine Alfredo and it was one of the best I have ever had. I cannot recommend this place more! read more

My boyfriend and I stopped by the restaurant on the first day restaurants became open for outside dining. This place is cash only and it is a BYOB. We ordered muscles and seafood pasta and gnocchi. The only thing that was good were the muscles. I really don't think the food overall is that good. The service was very nice the waiter was extremely nice but the food is just not good at all. The only reason why I gave this place three stars is because the people they're just really nice. read more

See all

Far and away the worst dining experience of my life. Where do I begin? I came here for Valentine's day and was surprised to find a prefixed menu, set at $65 per person, which I wasn't told about when I booked my reservation. The grilled calamari was disgusting - tasted like rubber topped with rotten pico de gallo imitation. A disgrace. The filet mignon was raw, the side dishes were paltry. The dessert was good but nothing you can't find at ShopRite. Then, this classless, greedy establishment charged a "card fee". Everyone uses a card!!! I will never go here again, will tell anyone who is considering coming here to steer clear, and will hate this place for the rest of my life. What an awful, awful experience. Terrible food for a ripoff price. I could've made a better meal myself. The chef and restaurant owner should be embarrassed. read more

This establishment was very cute and provided a very nice celebration dinner for after graduation. The staff were nice and knowledgeable, and our drinks and food came out quickly. The place is a bit cramped, so I barely had any room to move my chair, and the AC was blowing right over the table, so I was a bit uncomfortable, but not extremely so. Also, they allow you to bring your own wine, but you cannot order any once there. Our salad, which was the special with mango, prosciutto, and goat cheese, was very delicious and flavorful. I also liked our veal with crab meat, but the menu is misleading - there was barely any crab on top, and the veal was pounded thin, not in medallions. It was nice and flavorful, but not what I expected. The desserts were also good - I really enjoyed the chocolate cake and tiramisu. Overall, our experience was pleasant, and I would come back again if invited, but I might order a different entrée, bring some wine, and sit outside. read more

Even though it was my first time there, I received a warm, hospitable welcome. The menu had a good number of selections- neither too few nor too many. Service was attentive but not intrusive. The food was homey and well-prepared. You may bring your own wine. I recommend it. PS. My friend adds that the tartufo was the best dessert she ever had! read more

Even though the food was subpar, this review is a result of the incredibly poor service we received in the lower dining room (they have a basement level dining room). While our service started out OK, our server changed after we ordered and things went downhill from there. To start, the server spilled oil on two guests at the table as he was clearing the appetizer plates. We understand that mistakes happen, but there was no remorse on his part. He apologized, but did not offer an extra napkin, water, or anything else to help clean the mess. Giving our meals was the last time our server visited our table. Another server was great with filling our water, but after an hour of not having our plates cleared or being asked about dessert, we needed to ask the one server who was giving us attention to get the check. He went to the other server (who was frequently visiting other tables and gleefully fraternizing with the guests) and told him we needed the check. Still no response form our server. In fact, he brought other tables their check and started taking dessert orders for tables that were seated after us! At this point, we were fed up. Myself and another member of the group went upstairs to get our own check. Our server must have realized something was wrong, so he came up shortly after us. We explained what happened to the hostess with the server standing right next to us and we received no apology from him. He was silent the entire time while we were asking for our check. The hostess was kind enough to offer free dessert, but at that point, we just wanted to leave. In retrospect, I should have engaged the server while he was standing there and make him explain himself, but at that point, I just wanted to leave. Upon bringing the check back to our table, we realized that 20% gratuity was automatically added to the check. We know that this is probably standard, but given that the hostess was writing up the check while we were standing there complaining about the service, you'd think she wouldn't include the gratuity. Needless to say, we left a very small tip that was much less than what was on the bill and never intend to go back to that location again. As an aside, if you were hoping to go to an establishment that is taking COVID seriously, don't go here. They had large groups inside and were at 100% capacity. To be fair, I will say that we didn't have any issue with service at their other location across the street. read more

Maybe the party I was with hyped this restaurant up a lot or I ordered the wrong thing, but I had a sub-par experience while at La Viola Ovest for a friend's birthday. I enjoyed the privacy we had - there's a separate room in the back for larger parties - but the service was a bit slow because of it. This shouldn't have been a problem because it was a Sunday night and there were only 2-3 more parties in the restaurant, so I hoped that the wait staff could be a little more attentive (it took us nearly 20 minutes to flag down the waiter and ask him to give us the check). I came with a group of 15 and our bill was $380 for 12 entrees, 2 appetizers and 1 side. Definitely pricey so I felt a lot of pressure to order the "right" thing aka a great dish I wouldn't regret paying the price for. Unfortunately, I wasn't too happy with my personal choice of the Tagliatelle al Salmone. Dishes: Tagliatelle al Salmone - The sauce was great, the portion was decent, but the dish was just too simple! Salmon, pink cognac sauce and tagliatelle (in my opinion, the noodles were too soggy and texture is a big thing for me). Spaghetti all'Adriatico - DELICIOUS TRUFFLE OIL SAUCE. This is the dish I wish I had gotten instead but I had a small bite of my friend's and fell in love Special Pasta of the Day - I had a hard time picking between the special pasta of the day which was tortellini filled with ricotta cheese, spinach, catfish and shrimp in a blush sauce but it was $4 more than the Tagliatelle... but my thought process was 1) you can never skimp on your food (when is the next time I'll have a chance to come back?), 2) how much tortellini were they going to give me...?, 3) If you're already paying that much for a dish, what is a couple extra bucks?? Still not sure if I would have been full after so I don't regret not ordering it but I'm glad they offered their special salad and pasta :) Summary: Come here for a special occasion, Restaurant Week, or if you're feeling some authentic Italian in Philadelphia~ Don't come here if you feel like being cheap. Order the right thing. Even when I did my research before going, I still ordered something I was very meh about but go with your first instinct and the lovely thing about restaurants is that you can always go back and try again ;) read more

See all

I've only been here once, but I thought the food was solid, and the prices were for the most part decent, especially for appetizers. BYOB is nice as well (though that's not uncommon in Philadelphia, unlike NYC). In the middle of our meal, though, in the early evening on a Saturday with a half-full restaurant, something strange occurred -- a man walked in (presumably the owner or manager) and called all the wait staff over to him, and proceeded to berate them all in Russian for 10 minutes in front of the entire front room of the restaurant. They all stared at the ground or looked at the customers sheepishly as he yelled at them. People were waiting for food or to order, but no one wanted to say anything and interrupt him. He then went into the kitchen, and we could hear him yelling and throwing things. Truly bizarre behavior, and I felt bad for the staff. It may have been a pep talk for the impending rush, because by the time we were leaving the place was 100% full, and there was a huge mass of people waiting in the entry...but if so, his motivational style was lacking. Like I said, the food is fine, but the crazy outburst really ruined the meal. read more

I've been coming here for 10+ years and love it EVERY time. La Viola is what it is & is consistent every.single.time. Great food, loud company, and friendly servers. I wouldn't come here on a fancy romantic date, but it is great to catch up with friends and have a great time drinking wine and eating great food. I always alwayssss order the Penne Al' Oriolo. It is my favorite pasta dish ever. All the other pasta dishes are great too, as are their salads. I introduced La Viola to my husband when we started dating and he has grown to love the place as well. He always orders the meat special and enjoys it. read more

I can't believe I've never wrote a review! I've been coming here for nearly ten years! It is always a solid meal. Always a winner! A great first date, friends in town, or you've exhausted almost all your go-to restaurants that you take your out of town man to. I've always been a fan of the fusili estiva with canelli and sausage. It is hearty yet light. The sauce is just perfect. My beau had the skate special which was divine. He had never had skate before and really enjoyed it. They filleted and fanned out the skate on a bed of sautéed cabbage/raddichio and had two wood grilled shrimp on top. He doesn't even like shrimp and he was raving about them. We also shared a fantastic caesar salad. It was perfectly dressed and perfectly on-point. Dominic is also such a charmer! Also it's BYOB so that helps with the price! read more

Where should I start? To say we were rushed through our meal would be an understatement. To put things in perspective I'll provide you with a little timeline. 7:15pm walked from our hotel in Philadelphia 7:30pm arrived at the restaurant for our reservation 7:40pm served appetizers 7:50pm served dinner 8:15pm dessert 8:30pm check We literally had elbows and arms flying all over the place, served by like 100 different people, never really had a chance to get comfortable, couldn't have a conversation. Even paying the bill was like a 50 yard dash. Before I could even close the book one of the servers reached over me to grab it asking if I was finished. If you ever want to experience how uncomfortable it is to eat in a lions den come here for dinner. read more

Our group of 10 had the BEST time at La Viola last night for a bachelorette party!! We were seated in what I've been affectionally referring to as the "dungeon" because it was windowless and looked like a cave. It ended up being that there were two other bachelorette parties and one bachelor party seated down there with us. There was also some type of baby celebration as well. The food was great. Since we had a large group we had a limited menu to choose from, but that was OK. I ended up getting the Buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad as well as the orecchiette with sausage and chicken. Both dishes were excellent. The one thing that I didn't like, though, was the Caesar salad. I tried some of my sister's and it tasted like straight up fish. Not anchovies, not garlic, but fishy fish. It was odd. Everyone agreed. That was really the only negative thing I have to say, though. The desserts were good - I tried the tiramisu, tartufo, and chocolate cake. All three were pretty decadent and large sized. The final bill was a bit pricey for a BYO ($65.00 per person, with tip), but what are ya gonna do? What I really loved about our dinner was how fun the entire group of people seated in the dungeon was. All of the tables were laughing together and giving toasts and sharing drinks. Even the wait staff was entertained. At one point there was even a "USA!" chant going on. At some point later in the night I think the baby celebration table got annoyed with us, so we ended up leaving to continue our fun night. Way to be party poopers!! Anyway, it may have been that the people down there with us were really what made this an awesome night, but whatever. Props to La Viola for facilitating a fun atmosphere for all of us! read more