*Valentines Day Special Menu It was just ok. Crowded with tables and hard to walk through. Noted above that it was a "special" (meaning limited) menu. Appetizers were good enough. Garlic bread. Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Grilled Asparagus. For entrees wife had their Mushroom Pasta dish...which was swimming in a salty separated cream sauce. I had the special Penne with Meatballs and Sausage. Should be simple enough but Penne were overcooked and sausage were overcooked and chewy. Desserts we shared an average Tiramisu and a delicious Mille-Feuille. Service was good considering the space and how crowded it was. For a BYOB place prices were a bit high. With the plethora of cozy Italian options in Philadelphia I doubt I'd return without a good reason. read more

Good food.. but definitely overpriced for the small portion. 3 stars for everything else, and 2 stars for service. Entrees are around $28-35. Mussels are definitely one of the best I've had, but there is no consistency between portion sizes. Also ordered garlic bread but we only got 3 slices while everyone else got 5-6 slices?? Owner went around to almost every table to ask about the food except us. Mussels definitely 4 Star, 3 Star for everything else we got. Will come back to try again just to see if the experience will improve. Service was definitely below average, ambiance also meh. read more

Porcini - Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I was able to score a same day rez at this tiny Italian BYOB we discovered well over 20 years ago & that we liked very much at the time, yet somehow had never gone back --perhaps we'd been too eager to explore new places. Every table in the small room was occupied, which we took as a good sign. We shouldn't have. The bread basket was accompanied by a little dipping jar with ricotta marinated in olive oil with garlic and herbs, which was a nice touch. We split the garlicky, buttery mussels -- probably the highlight of the meal, as well as a highly unremarkable Caesar with 'homemade' dressing that was barely there. As for the pasta, I ordered the fresh linguine with imported porcini jus (sic!) and cream*, figuring it had to be the star of the menu -- being the namesake of the place and all, and my PIC got the rigatoni with sweet sausage and rustic tomato sauce. Perhaps the phrasing / description of my pasta dish should've already given me pause, bc what arrived was a tangle of about 1/2 pound of linguine swimming in a watery 'sauce' with barely detectable porcini flavor. Adding insult to injury, there wasn't a SINGLE porcini mushroom -- just regular ole button mushrooms (about 4-5 pieces), yet the place has the audacity to charge a whopping $30 for the plate My PIC's rigatoni were just alright. He was hungry. The best part of the meal was the Josh rosé we brought. Meh. I wish I'd read all the negative Google reviews on the place, most of which are countered by the owner in a highly unprofessional manner. Looking forward to his comments on mine *On their takeout/delivery page, the same dish is described as "fresh pasta, imported porcini mushrooms, and jus cream sauce." Lies. 1/10. Best to skip this one. read more

See all

The ambience is similar to dining in your friend's dining room. So intimate in this row home setting. The service is impeccable and the food phenomenal!! We were a family group of 6 and had such a wonderful evening. Will definitely go back! read more

Porcini - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Greasy, swampy, saucey messes of food. Not worth the price. Bathroom is dirty. Would be afraid to see the shape of the kitchen. Will avoid in the future. read more

Took my sister there for her birthday. The food was mediocre and the staff seemed kind of trashy, not a high class establishment.

Oh my gosh! This little Italian BYOB is an iconic Philly institution. It's been here since 1996 and the whole vibe is Philly to the core. Dining here, is like dining in a big Italian family living room in the very best way. The staff is so welcoming, the place is intimate and the food! Delicious! We chose to dine family style! The bruschetta (we ended up ordering a second after the first order ) the artichokes, the Caesar salad and the rigatoni with sausage were all delicious! My daughter, her bestie and I enjoyed delicious food, amazing hospitality and the best evening. Don't skip this one, Philly. This is one of those places that make Philly special. read more

See all

Decided to come here last week to celebrate a dear friend's birthday. She and I used to come here often when they first opened! So it was so nice to be back here with her and our guys. We enjoyed the restaurant week menu. Fresh bread was given to us with olive oil and fresh ricotta cheese. It was delicious! I had the caesar salad, salmon dish with a cream sauce and the tiramisu. My friends had: the chicken dish with pasta and capers, and the pork dish. We were all really pleased with our meals! Service was great and friendly! We were so happy to be there celebrating with lots of good food and wine (byob)! read more

See all

My friend has been wanting me to come here for so long and I'm so glad I finally made it! I came in a group of 3 during restaurant week so there was a pre-fixe menu of options to choose from for 3 courses. To start, we received bread with olive oil and ricotta for the table. For my first course, I chose the caesar salad as I wanted something pretty light. For my main entree, I got the Fettucine Selvaggia (fettuccine tossed with porcini and exotic mushrooms in light mushroom jus cream sauce). It was so delicious and not too heavy as pasta with a cream sauce often can be. For dessert, we all got the Milla Foglia (flaky puff pastry layered with whipped cream and vanilla custard with powdered sugar). The staff (especially the owners) are so friendly and it truly does feel like eating a meal at home with family. I can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Let me start by saying you know there's a popular restaurant's that has the slogan "When your here, your family." Well when your at Porcini your family! That's the vibe! That's the feels this restaurant gives you! I felt like I went to my favorite Uncles house for dinner. The vibe is so warm and welcoming here. Be mindful it really does feel like you are visiting a home and not your typical restaurant as it has a Petite dining area. Seating can be a bit snug. But that made the experience extra special to me. We visited during restaurant week so the vibe felt like we were amongst a small group of selected foodies chosen for this exclusive private dining experience, to offer our expert review. (Can you tell I like to use my imagination? LOL) While reading reviews prior to my visit I came across the name Dave quite often and read how welcoming he is and when I arrived I didn't have to look for him he was walking towards us as we approached the hostess stand. He didn't tell us his name on initial contact, but I just knew it was him because of how his name rung bells in many reviews! Dave welcomed us as if we'd known each other for years! Like it had been a while and he was happy we were back although it was our first visit! lol I LOVE that energy!! Dave is all things to all peoples, he's funny, a handshaker, a hugger, dancer, comedian, knows how to hold a lively short and engaging conversation. Ok on to the food! It was a special menu because of restaurant week. The Caprese was a nice starter of of waking the palate with fresh mozzarella, vine tomatoes Evoo, basil with aged balsamic drizzle. First course Shrimp Risotto - The shrimps were cooked beautifully, tasty, nicely portioned and sized. The Risotto was al dente and smooth in texture. The Risotto could of had tad bit more seasoning but I appreciated that how it was prepared and seasoned didn't conflict or take away from the natural taste of the shrimps. Second course Paglia e Fieno Salmone - fresh egg and spinach fettuccine tossed with Arctic chard in a rose cream sauce. In general i'm not a fan of egg noodles because most of the ones I've had taste mushy, however these had a desirable texture and homemade taste. The Porchetta was also delicious. Grilled center cut pork tenderloin, apricot marmaleta Dijon glaze with aged balsamic drizzle. The pork tenderloin was cooked perfectly and the chosen flavor combinations really elevated this dish. Ok so I started this review off with showcasing Dave but there's someone else who I can't forget and that's Chef Steve! He's usually in the back but will make a guest appearance if requested! Steve is awesome! Steve is just as welcoming and humorous as Dave. Steve is versatile, creative and a master of culinary arts. What I love best about Steve is that he is REAL! He pulls no punches and his clap backs on reviews are absolutely THE BEST (peruse Porcini's Google reviews and be entertained lol) Lastly, on a funny note...So after dinner we asked Chef Steve to take a photo of us at our table. We're all sitting there smiling like a bunch of idiots. To find out why check out the non-food photos to see who/what Chef Steve took a picture of instead! *crying laughing* Don't forget it's BYOB! read more

See all

We had an early (5:30) reservation to meet grandson and his wife for dinner. We arrived to a living room sized space, empty except for a gentleman putting out glassware. It gave me pause. Our dining partners arrived and we set about reading the fairly short menu. We ordered the grilled calamari and prosciutto and cheese for appetizers. The calamari was perfectly done, nicely dressed and absolutely delicious. We negotiated for the last perfect ring. The prosciutto was delicious, without the funkiness that I don't appreciate and often find in prosciutto. My husband and grandson had the gnocchi arrabbiata, wife had the veal, and I had the fettuccini with mushroom sauce. Everything was delicious. I had leftovers, everyone else cleaned their plates. Dessert was fresh strawberries with balsamic glaze and black pepper. Just springtime in a dessert. By the time we left, there were several other happy groups in the room. Word of warning, if you are of a certain age and have difficulty with stairs, a restroom visit is challenging. We hope to go again and hope to find that grilled calamari on the menu! Also it's BYOB! read more

Hosted our rehearsal dinner at Porcini and everything was amazing! Chef Steve was incredibly kind and easy to plan with, the private upstairs room was perfect for our group of 22, and the service was fantastic- we were able to drop off our wine beforehand and they put some over ice and opened the bottles for us when we arrived. Of course, the food was the star of the show and everything we had was delicious. Our favorites were the cannelloni and the millefoglie. Thank you to everyone at Porcini for such a great night! read more

Absolutely stellar service!!! Food was delicious and had so much flavor! David was wonderful, warm, and welcoming! We will definitely be returning. Garlic bread and Caesar salad are delicious. read more

Porcini - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

"Porcini: A Cozy House Party in Restaurant Form" Walking into Porcini's is like walking into someone's home. With two bottles of wine in tow (BYOB, of course) the housewarming feeling was already in full swing. Everybody there including us was celebrating something, if only in spirit. At one point, the lights dimmed and we joined the room in a rousing Happy Birthday dirge, a sharp contrast to the Euro-pop soundtrack playing moments before. Two wanderers, fresh from the cold, had no idea what they were stepping into. They brought nothing to drink. Having enjoyed our own wine, my sister, ever the Samaritan, ducked out to the nearby beer shop. She returned with a $10 bottle of lukewarm white wine for them--just in time for tiramisu. The night began with a bean bruschetta and artichoke concoction. The house-gnocchi special was great--softly textured and gently creamy--a fitting addition to the flush of the wine and bittersweet communion of shared meals and memories. read more

Excellent, attentive service. Small restaurant but very, very good food. We had a party of three: seafood with spinach fettuccine, bolognese sauce & pasta, porcini mushroom dish. All good-to-great. Mushroom dish #1. I would go again in a heartbeat. read more

Wow! Quick dinner before a show across the street. What can I say, delicious pasta, best garlic bread I've ever had, truly a sweet little spot with great vibes, great service, we were able to have an excellent dinner!! Highly recommend the mushroom pasta, amazing flavor. read more

Everything was perfect, David and Steven were awesome as always and Steven made rice pudding that was incredible. He just whipped it up because someone asked for it. This place is a must stop if you're in Philadelphia read more

We had a wonderful dinner at Porcini recently with friends. This is a quaint restaurant on Sansom Street in Philadelphia, that has been at this location since the early 1990's. The Italian food that we enjoyed was prepared with care, and we were able to make some minor custom changes to our entrees. Every dish was delicious, and we enjoyed the freshly prepared pastas - all excellent! The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We liked the intimate atmosphere of the restaurant. This is some of the best Italian food in Philadelphia! read more

awesome place, homey atmosphere. the owners and staff are very inviting and kind. always take good care of you. BYOB place so just make sure you bring your booze. food was wonderful and we will be coming back! new favorite place of ours for sure read more

Porcini - rigatoni special & penne pasta - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Manager/owner/social media director is very unprofessional especially on social media. Seen a couple of their comments on women's appearance claiming and it's pretty disgusting. That's enough to send any potential customers running, especially women. Do better, and be mindful of your digital footprint. read more

Porcini - Social media behavior - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We came to Porcini with a group of 8 to celebrate a birthday. When I first called the restaurant to reserve a table, the owner (David) answered the phone and was incredibly friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful. When we arrived at the restaurant, David greeted us like we were old friends and made sure we were well taken care of. The restaurant is small, and the space and atmosphere felt very cozy, like having a meal at a family friend's house. Our server was also very friendly and the food was delicious. David also was kind enough to dim the lights and bring out a dessert/candle while everyone sang happy birthday for my friend. The whole experience felt very warm and personal, and we're very grateful for David and his team for such a wonderful evening. read more

Excellent food. Cozy Family atmosphere. Delicious bolognese sauce and desserts. The owner is a wonderful host. Love BYO!

Just recently ate here again for restaurant week, had the Bruschetta e fagioli, shrimp risotto, pollo saltimbocca, and the porchetta. This lemon cream dessert is always devine, do not skip that. This place always impresses us read more

See all

This is hands down my favorite restaurant in Philly - if I could give it 10 stars I would! Everything I've ever ordered has been amazing. Incredible fresh pasta, unique specials and amazing owners. It's so great I've been coming back every couple of weeks. You can also never go wrong with a byo Dishes I would recommend: Carbonara - this is their staple dish & is made with fresh eggs from the chefs own rare hens. Agnolotti - impressively thin pasta around raviolis in a lightly but creamy white sauce (or red) Melanzana - amazing eggplant, meaty texture and not at all soggy which you find at other places Other things I've loved: steak tips with Gorgonzola, caprese, the salmon entree, cannelloni, bolognese, veal saltimboca, tiramisu, & mille foglia for dessert. read more

Porcini - Porcini's amazing carbonara - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We had the BEST dining experience at Porcini. I love a BYOB... our server was attentive, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and specials. We ordered the mussels and then the salmon special and the oso bucco ravioli special. I definitely recommend all of them! Just delicious. Also, the cheese and bread they bring you is outstanding. The ambiance in the tiny restaurant and personal service set it apart. I can't wait to keep coming here! read more

Porcini - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The food was good, but portions were small for the price. The place was over seated for such a small room. Very Loud. When leaving the owner asked how the meal was. Suggested larger portions and he became very rude and followed us out into the street yelling we didn't understand dining. Don't ask if you don't want to hear an honest answer. read more

Food is great. Service is the best David is great at dancing (owner). Worth any drive. Ambiance is way to good. Cannelloni is to die for. Caesar Salad makes your mouth watered just looking at the people next to you eating a bite of heaven. read more

Porcini - Entrance - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This place sucks. They're rude and the food is below mid. Probably the worst Italian restaurant I have ever been to.

Amazing food, very nice staff, cute little restaurant. Went here for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Would recommend to anyone who likes Italian food read more

I was a bit nervous coming here with a 5 year old in tow, as it definitely didn't appear to be a kid friendly restaurant. It's a tiny little apartment turned restaurant with a few tables downstairs and a few tables upstairs. Not fancy, but charming and "homey" for sure. It's BYO, so our waitress instantly corked our wine and was friendly and efficient throughout the night. The owner came by (twice) and spoke to us for awhile. He was actually happy to see we had brought my son, who was occupied playing on the phone. Although my son had his leftover PB&J from the Franklin Institute (super picky and there wasn't anything on the menu he would've eaten), the owner didn't mind the least and made my son feel most welcome. The chef also made a point to come by in the middle of our meal. The friendliness of all who worked there is a big part of what made this an enjoyable experience. For the food... we started with the burrata which was tasty. I had the branzino special for my meal. It was good, but I am spoiled and have hade some of the best branzino dishes in Miami. I knew it would be difficult to compete with. For dessert we had the cannoli, the tiramisu, and another pastry dessert that I don't recall the name of it. I found the tiramisu to be a little too strong. The other two were delicious! I can't say that I was totally blown away by the food (which is a rare occasion for me in general), but the attentiveness of the owner, chef, and staff made me want to visit again. Also, I should have tried a pasta dish... so if I were to return, that's what I'd do!! read more

See all

This restaurant is a very small hole in the wall type place that you may miss if you are not looking! You get family owned vibes when you walk in as the staff is very friendly and the owner can't wait to greet you as soon as you step in the door. Because the place is so small, its taught to adhere to the 6ft apart rule, but they do a good job with what they have. We got the garlic bread to start and shrimp scampi and spaghetti with Italian sweet sausage for dinner. The garlic bread was homemade, crispy, and very garlicky. The shrimp scampi was amazing. The butter sauce was light and the shrimp was perfectly cooked, thick, and flavorful. The spaghetti is very light which I like but the Italian sausage was a little to well done for me and had a charred taste. Overall, very good authentic Italian food!! read more

See all

Porcini had reservations wide open on Saturday night and hubby and I were craving pasta! We had walked past Porcini multiple times and stopped to look at their menus a lot after dinner at Vic's Sushi across the street. The owner was really friendly and greeted, sat and waited on us. It's definitely a family-run restaurant, the owner was making a happy birthday call as we waited for our food, he ran back into the kitchen for the cook to say happy birthday too - it was great to see that energy and authenticity! Unfortunately, the food was subpar, we were a bit disappointed. My husband got the rigatoni amatriciana with spicy red sauce ($23) and I got their fettuccine special (tomato sauce w/ calamari and scallops, $35). The fettuccine was very similar to wide egg noodles and though made in house, were very soggy. The sauce didn't taste like much and there were only 2 scallops in the whole dish. Not really what I was looking for. My husband loved his amatriciana sauce but felt that a bucatini or longer noodle would've been better instead of a rigatoni, also he wanted more meat than just the pancetta. I would love to give them another try especially the fettuccine selvaggia - their porcini mushroom white cream sauce. It's possible that red sauce isn't their thing. Dinner was $70 for just the two entrees including tax/tip, no apps or desserts. read more

See all

We had a great meal at Porcini! The artichoke and the pepper apps were great! For entrees hubs & I did the swordfish special & the osso bucco specials, both were phenomenal. Our dining companions had the filet tips & Caesar salad, & chicken ala Romano--all were great. Plus the owner has a fun singing vibe to share with the restaurant. So, dinner & a show! Then another show at Helium across the street--very convenient, and fun. read more

Porcini - Italian red - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It pains me to write this review but I was so disappointed in this place. The 2 stars is for the service. Otherwise it would be 1 star. We made a reservation but were the only table in the restaurant. It's byob so bring wine if you decide to go. The bread was good and fresh and is served with olive oil and ricotta. A different combo but not bad. The entrees is where it went downhill. One of us got the carbonara, which the server said was " the best in the city." It was not good and half of it was left uneaten. It may have been the type of cheese they used that overpowered the dish. I got a scampi special with linguini, crab and shrimp. The pasta is fresh and my linguini was cooked well. The scampi sauce was so thin that it was a soup in the bottom of the dish. The white wine overpowered and there were hunks of garlic that I multiple times mistook for crab and got a giant piece of garlic instead. I like garlic but yikes. There were three medium shrimp and the dish was $37! The portions were small and left us hungry and needing to grab a second bite to eat after we left. I think the carbonara was $29 for pasta, pancetta, and sauce. The ambiance also left a poor taste in our mouths. There were really loud conversations by the staff and presumably the chef in the back about sports or whatever else they were talking about that really just ruined the vibe. It was hard to have a conversation with the loud ruckus coming from the kitchen. The server was friendly and the owner or someone came out to say hello and was very nice as well. That's the only thing I could really say positive. Unfortunately we won't be back. read more

We had a mostly unpleasant dinner here tonight. The host and the kitchen were extremely rude and the food was way overpriced for the portions. I do not recommend read more

I am beyond disappointed with my experience here and completely shocked that some of the other reviews are totally opposite. My friend and I just had dinner here for restaurant week. It is the end of restaurant week and I'm wondering if this had anything to do with our terrible experience. Regardless, a restaurant should NEVER function this way. I usually love small BYOB joints, especially Italian! However, the ambiance we experienced was nothing enjoyable. We were never greeted, the tables were poorly set, there were extremely loud diners (not restaurants fault) yet no one asked them to settle down (definitely restaurants fault), and staff were completely unprofessional- I asked my friend if she thought the manager was drunk. The beginning was awkward because the waitress never said hello and then had a strange attitude that remained throughout the night. Several times she came over as if she were taking our order but just stared and then said 'hold on'. I know bad moods and this was beyond that. We had bread delivered with an oil and ricotta cheese. To me, that's a strange combination but I was mostly disappointed because I had no idea what it was. Sorry, but you can't plop this unappealing combo down (see pic below) without an explanation. Food was alright but felt like a lazy attempt. Ok taste-wise but some dishes creeped me out because of appearance. Dessert was also plopped down with no explanation and a terrible presentation (see pic below). I am by no means a food critic so I'll say it was decent food. However, I do know what a good atmosphere feels like and I do know how to treat other human beings, especially in a customer service dynamic and this place was extremely lacking. I honestly left feeling so strange and annoyed. I thought it was a hidden camera show. I say spend your money elsewhere especially because there are so many wonderful and quaint, Italian restaurants in Philadelphia. read more

Porcini - Dessert - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

This place is loud, their food insipid and frugal, and their staff unprofessional. Loud how? Everyone was loud and to the tune of The Godfather and "When the moon hits your eye," over and over again. These people fetishize themselves. Insipid how? Just insipid. I had the veal, supposedly one of their best dishes. You wouldn't know what you're eating and it was hardly a portion size for an entree. I tried my friend's pasta. Overcooked! Seriously, Italians overcooking pasta?! Finally, the waiter was taking our orders while hardly two feet between his mouth and our faces. This is during the pandemic. Well, as he yelled out the menu, I got spittles on my face. Where have these people been living? Wear a mask!!! read more

This was a really good meal! Me and 3 others came here last weekend for a birthday dinner and were so glad we made reservations, as the place is TINY. Like, NYC hole-in-the-wall Italian joint small. Expect to knock some elbows/chairs, but that only adds to the charm. Starters: burrata caprese, artichoke, filet tips, mussels in red sauce Entrees: Fruti di mare in white wine sauce, ravioli ossobucco, cannelloni spinaci, rigatoni bolognese Desserts: All of them (tiramisu, cannoli, puff pastry) We all split the apps and then enjoyed our own entrees. My favorite was probably those filet tips with gorgonzola/balsamic reduction. We all wished that was offered as a large entree, it was that good. Mussels were tasty, but small. Burrata and artichoke were also good, but a little small in portion, as well. I loved my fruti di mare dish - very filling. A little soupy in consistency (more of a broth than a sauce), but still fresh. BF loved his stick-to-your-ribs bolognese. I took a bite - it was good, but I've had better. Other guests really enjoyed their ravioli & cannelloni. We couldn't decide on a dessert, so opted for all three they offered that night. I loved the puff pastry. I'm not a fan of tiramisu but my friend said it was the best she's had in recent past. Owner came out after the meal to personally greet us and chat for a while, which was really nice. There were some minor shortcomings, like the AC not being on strong enough for that hot 90s weather outside and for the cramped interior, so our white wine sweat pretty fast. Service was affable enough, if a little hectic. Took a little bit of time before a server brought us waters, bread or a chiller for the white/champagne we brought. Overall, I'd say it's decently affordable with portions on the smaller end, but we were still stuffed by the time we left, and BYOB is always a plus. read more

Worst food and service I've ever experienced. The waiters / owners are extremely rude. You suck

We had a fabulous dinner tonight! We shared the artichoke appetizer, the salmon and shrimp specials.All the dishes were prepared perfectly! You will not find pasta prepared better anywhere in the city .My husband had some health issues which were addressed discretely and perfectly. David is a wonderful host ! We had not been to porcini in several yrs and I can say without reservations it as great as ever ! We can't wait to return... thank you David and your attentive staff read more