During a busy summer of sporting events we were concerned we would need reservations but we walked…read morein and were seated right away. Our server apologized for a delay in taking our drink orders. She was attentive the rest of our meal. I ordered a Charles deGaulle whiskey cocktail. Lemon, aperol and simple syrup added a refreshing twist. For entrees, my wife ordered the pacherri; a simple pork ragu with tender broccoli rabe, Parmesan, stracciatello and basil. The dish was delicious. I enjoyed my plate of sea-inspired tonnarelli nero. Bay scallops in crab ragu with fennel sofrito. Served with squid ink pasta that imparted a slight brininess. The pasta was cooked pangrattato style-- coated in panko bread crumbs and garlic. The dish had many flavors but they all came back to the theme. Cocktail prices and entree prices were very reasonable. They offer happy hour drinks and specials. Certainly a very good choice if you're in the area.

None of us had eaten there before so we just ordered a bunch of stuff to split. The whipped ricotta…read moreand grilled bread was gone almost immediately, barely got a second piece. The short rib over polenta was probably my favorite thing on the table - it fell apart easily and the polenta underneath wasn't as heavy as I expected it to be. We got the salted caramel budino for dessert too, and I was glad it wasn't one of those desserts that's so sweet you can only handle two bites. Would go back honestly. Probably order something different next time just to try more of the menu, but I'm getting that ricotta again no matter what.

Another trip to Philly and another delicious lunch at Gran Caffe L'Aquila! Appetizers, entrees,…read moregelato, coffee- all delicious! Prompt, friendly, courteous service, as usual. The place was busy, but that didn't delay our orders. We could hold a conversation without having to speak loudly. We bought some dark roast beans, ground there for espresso, to take home.

Went for lunch with my daughter and had a wonderful experience! It's located downtown, so be…read moreprepared to pay for parking or take a rideshare app to save yourself the hassle. The restaurant has a great two-level layout: a bustling coffee bar and small Italian market on the lower level, and a wine bar restaurant upstairs. It was a beautiful day, so outdoor seating was available, but after the hostess explained that the full menu is served on both levels, we opted to sit upstairs in the wine bar. Our server was fantastic--friendly, immediate, and quick to offer sparkling or tap water while handing us all the options. They offer a main lunch menu, a specials menu, and a great lunchtime deal with a limited $20 per person fixed menu. We started by sharing the mussels in a white garlic sauce. They were delicious, and the table bread dipped into the leftover garlic juices was absolutely delightful! For our main courses, my daughter got the spaghetti carbonara, and I ordered the chitarra pasta with red chili. Both pastas were cooked perfectly al dente and came in very satisfying portion sizes. My daughter's carbonara was even served with a savory bacon-flavored gelato on top! My only minor critique of my dish was that the pork was a bit fattier than I prefer and wasn't cooked as crisp as I'd like, but the flavor was still great. We couldn't leave without dessert, so we both got gelato. I had the amaretto and salted caramel, while my daughter went with dark chocolate and salted caramel. Both were insanely good--super creamy, rich, and full of flavor. Overall, the bill was surprisingly reasonable given how much quality food we enjoyed. I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu, but especially for that unbelievable gelato!

okay, yes. over one-year later, i finally came back to try the chicken parmesan and it was so good…read more definitely better than whatever i had last time. my boyfriend and i shared the caesar salad, the fried mozzarella, and the chicken parmesan, and it was honestly a good amount of food for the both of us (though we did get ice cream before lol). i like that they have outdoor seating, which is perfect for our dog. it was a warm day, so sitting outside was perfect, but i do believe they have heat lamps for when it gets a little chilly. we didn't have a reservation, but they were so accommodating and able to squeeze us in after a short 5-minute wait around 8p. definitely worth the hype, very cute neighborhood spot!

I originally made a reservation for 2:30 PM thinking they offered a lunch menu, but if you're…read morecoming for the pasta, make sure to come after 4:30 PM. We actually had to leave and come back later & I'm so glad we did! The food was absolutely fantastic. The service was 10/10 from start to finish. We ordered the chicken Milanese, which was perfectly crispy and fresh. All of the pastas were seasoned beautifully and cooked to perfection. My favorite dishes were the cavatelli and the chicken cutlet!! both were incredible. I'll definitely be coming back, especially to try the chicken parm. This place has officially earned a special spot in my heart.

Stopped by last night with a large and rowdy (lol) party and the staff was so lovely and…read moreaccommodating. An extra person ended up joining us early on in the meal, and the team was so great about expanding the table and making us comfortable. Our food was so great, from the apps to the entrees everyone loved what they got. The portions are huge and most of us ended up taking some of our meals home. We had a party of 8, and our bill was only about 350 bucks, which is a great price for a large Italian dinner here in the city. From the staff to the space to the food, everything was lovely! Will definitely be back soon!

I am trying to stay away from Italian restaurants for 2026 and was very hesitant about trying this…read moreone, but my friend insisted--and I'm so glad I listened. This is a very small, quaint restaurant, which made the experience feel cozy and intimate. The servers are very attentive and made us feel well taken care of. The rigatoni Bolognese was some of the best I've ever had absolutely incredible. The Caprese was also very good, though the portion was huge. The only miss for me was the chocolate cake: it was very cold and a bit dry. That said, I would 100% go back just for the rigatoni Bolognese alone.

Giuseppe & Sons is downstairs!!! When you enter the lobby, locate the stairs and head down. The bar…read moreto the right is a different place with a different menu. The space is actually pretty large! Lots of table seating. It's dimly lit and a great date night spot. Service is friendly and attentive. Get there right at 4pm for guaranteed seating at the bar for happy hour. On the happy hour menu, I recommend the Meatballs and Ricotta Toast. The Calamari was just okay.

This spot is unexpected. Went back to this spot last evening for dinner . The dining room is…read moredownstairs and much larger space than anticipated. Decorated vintage chic Italian restaurant with booth and table seating. We started off with three cocktails that were seasonal options all were good and boozy as expected. The waiter was great at recommending top picks and favorites. We started dinner with the 8oz mozzarella and meatball appetizer. The meatballs were served 4 in sauce small to average size meatballs were good, soft and flavorful. The mozzarella was a show pulling it tableside from curds to a full 8oz ball finished with salt , pepper, and flavored olive oil. Dinner we ordered three Italian specialties. Chicken Milanese that was served with shaved Italian cheese and arugula. One vela parm which had the perfect ratio of sauce to cheese. The third meal was a basic bolognese that was served with mafaldine pasta. Entrees were all good. We also added the truffle pasta option for the table which was also prepared tableside with the cheese wheel and shavings of fresh black truffles was a perfect finish. We also had a sharing side of gnocchi with sauce. All in all we had a solid meal. It wasn't the best Italian I even had but it's good. The total was 336 for three with 2 rounds of drinks . This is pretty good for center city fine dining.

A home run find in Center City Philly. From the moment we…read morewalked in and were greeted to the goodbyes and thank you as we were leaving. Everything was as perfect as it could be why is that because this restaurants been doing it for over 126 years they know a thing or two their customers and had to prepare plate delicious meals. Surprise surprise we actually found parking OK maybe that's because we got there earlier than our reservation in hopes to make another stop that didn't work out so we came early and they greeted us with open arms took us to a beautiful table in front of vintage fireplace hence we were sitting in the perfect spot. Our server, Justin came over to greet us. We got into some conversation before we even touched upon the food. He was exceptional at his run through the menu, his explanations on preparations handling questions. This was definitely not his first, not his second and not his third rodeo he's definitely a professional at what he does. Upon review of the menu we started off with steamed clams and a spicy marinara and actually asked for fra Diavlo hence they gave it an additional hit of spice. It had a nice kick. It was very tasty. My wife was going back-and-forth between their signature lasagna and a little weak weenie with crab Bianco and in the end she went with the baked lasagna oh my goodness the size of that piece on the plate we took half home. She certainly enjoyed her. For me, I went with the veal Catherine, the medallions veal with shrimp, lump crab meat, and fresh tomato and a Bianco sauce the plating presentation I can't describe you'll just have to see my photograph. I've never seen it like this before and it was extremely tasty. Very tender I would certainly get that dish again. And since I am not a pasta eater, I ordered a side vegetable of broccoli Rob. And we ordered a bottle of the Italian Montepuliciano wine, what was the perfect compliment to our dinner? And this was my birthday. My wife was surprising me she had already pre-ordered their homemade tiramisu with ladyfingers, which would wind up taking with us cause we were kind of full and had later that night at one of our favorite coffee houses in Philly and boy that dessert was perfect and I'm glad we waited. Again, everybody was smiles, friendly, and helpful. The place of spotless and you really feel like you're in someone's home. Be sure to see my food photos and don't blame me if you drool on your cell phones

Heavy reputation and history brought us here. Google and Yelp reviews were solid…read more We came on a Friday, and Saturday was their last day of service before their summer vacation break. I think they phoned it in as a result. Our server was disengaged, almost rude. Our dishes; the veal was tasteless, the lasagna was excellent and so was the calamari. Our pasta dish was tasteless and overdone. Our $70 red was beautiful. He never asked if we wanted another, or anything else. They were out of tiramisu. He could have told us. Also, the bill was handwritten, more like chicken scratches, I couldn't read any of what was written. I'm sure their rep is deserved, but as a visitor to Philadelphia, on our night it was not.

What is up with the raving reviews yet only 4 stars?!…read more My goodness, this is one of the best Italian restaurants that I've ever visited! Mind you, I understand they don't have risotto, ossobucco, and some other exvellent Italian staples, but man do they make up for it with abundance, price, and quality, The linguini with prosciutto is one of the best I've had. The fresh bread to start with garlic confit also paired well with our appetizers of prosciutto and carpaccio. Thankfully this was found on accident as it's walking distance from our hotel, so we're reserving our spot for tomorrow and will come prepared with our bottle of wine. This is a BYOB establishment. They do not have any alcohol on the premises but do not charge a cork fee. It's a true family run business, which is my go to back home so I'm so THRILLED to have stumbled on this wonderful establishment. I'd give 10 stars if I could! Don't walk here, RUN!

Vibes: casual, mom-and-pop Italian BYOB; bring a friend or the whole crew…read more Tasting notes: - Calamari: lovely combination of tender shrimp, beans, and rings that was so scoopable with the bread - Burrata: appetizer special for the night; cherry tomatoes were delightfully sweet - Caprese: large wedges of juicy tomato paired with bite-sized mozzarella balls over fresh spinach with a drizzle of balsamic; shareable for a few people - Linguine with clams: very light but clammy broth; abundance of pasta Other thoughts: - Friendly service - Very busy on a Monday evening, can get pretty crowded and loud - Plates are generous, as is the bread service with garlicky olive oil with smashable and smearable whole cloves - Great for gluten-free and vegetarian Impression: What a homey Italian gem!

Went here for lunch, had a good experience!…read more Food: 8.8/10 - I really loved what u ordered. I could eat everything again. Good portion sizes too. We also got the Cacio e Pepe which was fantastic and Al Dente. Service: 9/10 Ambiance: 8.3/10 - This venue is pretty small. Don't sit outside or else you will smell the fishy streets of Philly.

cute restaurant in center city with the iconic spicy chicken caesar!…read more all i can say is: spicy chicken caesar. it lives up to the hype, and it is delicious. i've eaten here several times now and none of the other food is particularly memorable, but the spicy chicken caesar is fantastic albeit a little expensive. i really need my boyfriend to learn how to make the spicy chicken caesar so i stop coming back, but it makes for a fantastic girl dinner. most of the times i've come here were either for restaurant week or the spicy chicken caesar. i really don't think it's worth coming for restaurant week, it's kind of a bummer that your whole table has to order the same thing and that you share a lot of the dishes. it ends up being not a whole lot of food, and i did the math and the cost comes out to be about the same. overall, it's a decent restaurant with good service. it's located right in center city with a million other restaurants so it's easily overlooked, but when i think of prunella i think of spicy chicken caesar.