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Even on a rainy night that would make most people hunker down at home with some takeout food, Osteria was a warm and beckoning space last night. Staff was welcoming upon arrival and quick to check our coats. We were a few minutes early for our reservation and were directed to the bar area where staff was quick to take our order. Great wine list with wines by the glass and a sommelier who can help pick something out for you that isn't necessarily the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu. After being seated, our waitress brought our drinks over and told us about the specials (the suckling pig sounded so good!). We started with the wood grilled octopus, for my primi - a wonderful fresh pasta (candele) with wild boar bolognese, and my entree the duck. My husband went with the rabbit. For dessert, my polenta budino was better than my husband's chocolate flan but both were good. Service was timed well with suitable breaks between courses, water glasses kept full, and our waitress was attentive throughout.
I have never been disappointed with our meals here and the portions are to my expectations. I guess I do not use the Maggiano Measurements when it comes to food -- doggie bags? Not even sure where that phrase was coined but I don't want any part of that, thank you very much.
I decided to be adventurous when going to Osteria. Well.. not too adventurous.. but I decided to order something that I wouldn't normally think of ordering. If I'm going to try a place that looks so nice inside, might as well go the full mile.
The interior has a very intimate atmosphere even though it is very spacious. My guess is all the warm and earthy tones of the interior. The wall on the backside of the restaurant looks like a composite of different wood panels of all kinds to give a sort of mosaic feel, while the rest of the building are in a very earthy tone of red. Most of the furniture are wood adding to the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Their wine list was very impressive, and I went with a white wine as an aperitif (yes I know it's silly to have alcohol as an appetizer.. but trust me.. it did it's job of making my mouth water) According to my notes, the wine was a Soave DOC wine, and you can't go wrong with an Italian wine. (unless it's DaVinci..)
For my meal, I decided to go with the Chicken Liver Rigatoni with Cipolline onions and sage. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think liver is really exotic, I've had it many times, but usually beef liver and it's usually just steamed then eaten with salt or raw with sesame oil, soy sauce ponzu. However, I have never bothered to try Chicken Liver, and especially pasta using grinded chicken liver as the sauce. The rigatoni was cooked just right, al-dente. And although the sauce at first was kind of weird for me because it was grainy, I warmed to it quickly.
Great atmosphere, interesting interior, and great food and wine. Osteria was very enjoyable and I look forward to going back again!
Osteria ranks as one of the finest dining experiences I've ever had. I was in attendance with a large group so there was much food ordered and sampled in typical tapas fashion. The service was excellent, glasses of water and wine topped off as soon as either glass was nearly empty - and I never had to ask.
Appetizers were a marinara pizza and another one with arugula and prosciutto. Bother were fantastic, with a thin flaky crust. Next we ordered a vegetable tray with an assortment of different things, what stood out to me here was the seared brussels sprouts. Finally for the appetizers we had a cheese plate that was also enjoyable, although I don't know the names of the cheeses, they were all delicious.
My first of two courses was chicken liver rigatoni with cipolline onions and sage. I've never had chicken liver before but this was outstanding.
My second dish was rabbit with pancetta, sage,and polenta (grits). The rabbit was pretty good, very "bony" but I'm told that's to be expected.
Dessert was the cantucci sundae vin santo marinated almonds (taken directly from the menu: http://www.osteriaphil...). Basically vanilla custard with almonds and this kind of wine sauce. Very good!
I had an Italian red wine throughout the meal, selected by one of the more knowledgeable wine drinkers at the table and it, too, was excellent. Taken in consideration with the friendly and attentive staff, our nearly 4 hour dinner didn't feel long enough.
I've wanted to go to Osteria from the first time I heard about it. Every time Philadelphia Magazine rates it, it's at the top.
We ordered:
Vegetable Antipasto for 2.
Spagetti Special dish. Second course with pine nuts and golden raisins soaked in grappa.
Pork Special-suckling pig in sea salt.
Rabbit Casalinga
Fig Strudel
Girelli Virtuoso Syrah
The vegetable Antipasto for two was ok. The Spaghetti dish was cold (not on purpose) and uninspired. It was drenched in oil which was filled to about an inch at the bottom of the bowl. Not sure why this was a special.
The (cold) pork special was bland and flavorless. It has much more fat on it than I expected. Since I could barely hear our server, I think she said it was the shoulder and rib of the pig.
The Rabbit Casalinga was also cold. While it was a very small portion, we could only eat one or two bites of it because it was a poor cut. It was too tough and "tendony" to cut into. I tried bringing the bone to my face to try to bite off a piece or two of meat, but was not able to. This was plain awful. After trying to eat my bite and having my companion eat his bite, we just wanted to leave.
Because we were still hungry we had dessert (we contemplated going to another restaurant and starting over but it was already 10pm on a Wednesday night). The dessert was very good. The wine tasted great!
I am very disappointed in Osteria. I am more disappointed that Philadelphia Magazine rates it so high each time. I am concerned with their ratings and am now scared to tackle the rest of their list. The only dispensation I can give Philadelphia Magazine is that the restaurant is aware they are coming. The atmosphere was inviting but you couldn't hear the server when she spoke in a very low voice. We struggled through our cold food and grabbed a bite to eat at home.
My check information is below for reference.
Server: Station 8
Table 67/1
Guests: 2
Check #40029
Yours,
Ryan Paczkowski
The duck was amazing, brilliantly cooked medium rare - actually a bit on the raw side which I so love...and it was served on top of this delicious red cabbage and speck...
I'm tempted to give it 5 stars just because I loved that one entree so much, but I couldn't because I tried several appetizers that were guilty of being too small/not filling, and also not so tasty. We tried the rabbit sausage, which was somewhat tasty, but just so tiny - I hate feeling like I'm getting ripped off. That mullet fish was also overly fishy...
The mushrooms topping the seabass were delicious, and the seabass was pretty good too. I like unique mushrooms.
the vegetable medley was delicious... heavily recommended for the way they cook those brussel sprouts + the swiss chard.
The prosciutto pizzas were ok, but not worthy of the incredible praise they seem to be getting; then again, I'm not much of a pizza person, and I like those really thick pizzas, so maybe it's just a personal thing.
Went here for my birthday after hearing rave reviews for its gourmet pizza and beautiful location....and hard to get reservations.
Definitely worth the trip above Market street, and has plenty of street parking. The restaurant is beautiful, but it's not tablecloth fine dining. I went in jeans and felt comfortable doing so.
Pizza was good, and the app was as well, but small. (I was warned beforehand about portion size.) Seems best seats in the house would be on the side, it's enclosed glass and farther away from the open kitchen and busy hostess stand.
Definitely get their ice cream, or gelato...amazing.
I went to Osteria with high expectations. A friend with taste recommended it as a hot Philadelphia restaurant. I have to say my reaction was mixed.
First impressions were strong: big, but cozy room, warm reception, friendly servers, and everything on the menu sounded great. I really liked the wine list: about a dozen Italian varietals by the glass, many good ones. I had a hard time choosing what I wanted for dinner, but ended up with a salad of raddichio, pear, and blue cheese and rabbit casalinga for the main course. As I watched the food coming to neighboring tables, I was really sorry that I wasn't dining with friends: it looked great!
While the salad was fine--fresh, reasonable portion, well-dressed--the rabbit was a disappointment. Served on a bed of polenta, it was largely flavorless. I'm not quite sure how it became such a house favorite based on what I ate. I ordered a side of the celery root gratin, which was terrific.
Plus the wait staff cleared my salad plate and dropped my entree in its place. Literally no pause between courses to catch my breath or take a sip of wine. What's with that?
Liked the dessert list a lot, but I opted for an espresso and no dessert. Should have skipped the espresso--it was weak, almost without crema. Not what I'd expect from a to[-notch Italian restaurant.
Having said this, I'm aware that this was one person's experience, on one night. I liked the menu and wine list a lot and I'd go back and give Osteria a second try. Hoping for better when I do.
Thanks Food Network for yet another mediocre food experience.
My sister was hot on this place and we walked and walked and walked after spending a half our on the train to get to this place....
It's in the middle of the ghetto, the surrounding area was disgusting and once we finally got there...it was a disappointment to say the very least.
The atmosphere was great and the restaurant itself was very pretty...like an oasis in a sea of filth....the food however...was highly overpriced and just "ok".
After a day of traveling and anticipation...this place did not live up to the hype.
Osteria was extremely mediocre--if even that.
My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night and it was unbelievably busy. I am still trying to figure out how a place that serves bland, overpriced food in a pretentious yet not at all inspiring setting can be so busy--or even staying in business!!
We tried the fig/gorgonzola/speck pizza to start. A delicious idea, but executed very poorly. The crust took over half of the pizza, there were about 6 figs on the entire thing and it felt like a treasure hunt to actually eat a bite that had something on it---FINE for a free happy hour buffet pizza, not OK for $16.
Our next course was the grouper entree ($26) with chanterelle mushrooms and leeks. Let's just say the grouper must have been very happy in its afterlife because it got to be halfway immersed in water and swimming in a sea of oily fishy dilly juice that managed to overpower the chanterelles and leeks in blandness. We sent this back because frankly, you can get a better fish for $5 from the frozen section of Trader Joe's and be way more satisfied.
We then had the ravioli thinking if this place was Italian, maybe we were just choosing the wrong things--and we should give it a final chance by ordering something fairly simple. Well of course if you drench anything in cheese, salt and butter it is bound to have a flavor but the "postage stamp ravioli" was soggy, soft and not worth any further commentary.
That basically concluded our dining experience there. Oh, might I add that for their attempts at a fancy shmancy environment (which at first I was excited about since my beloved Fairmount neighborhood doesn't have too many places that warrant putting on a fancy dress) the soap in the bathroom was a friggin' CVS container of DIAL. Pshh. At least put the Dial in a nice soap dispenser or something if you are going to continue this charade.
If you're looking for Italian food you'd be better off at the Olive Garden. Just kidding. Kind of.
After driving from Westport, CT to Haddonfield, NJ and getting stuck in traffic, I wasn't sure I was up for a trip into the city for a fine dining experience. How glad I am that I rallied and joined my friends on a Monday night at Osteria.
We were lucky enough to be accompanied by a new friend, Rick, who had dined at Osteria before, and he expertly steered us through the menu. We started with four plates of appetizers: the parma pizza, the summer vegetable crudo, the wood grilled octopus, and a local vegetable antipasto, which was one of the house specials of the evening. I've had wood grilled octopus before, and Osteria's was very good, if not the best I've tasted. However, the parma pizza - with mozzarella, fontina, arugula, and prosciutto di parma - was out-of-this-world amazing! Definitely order this up for a starter on your next visit.
I enjoyed the chanterelle and bone marrow ravioli with bitto cheese as my entree, and it was the perfect size after all the appetizer courses. The pasta was exquisite - obviously made in house and simply ethereal - it just melted in my mouth. I will remember this dish forever. The restaurant also brought us a treat on the house - a beet ravioli dish that was a close second to my pasta dish. Nice touch!
Everyone else enjoyed their courses - ranging from cannelloni to salmon to roasted suckling pig (a special) - but alas, we did not leave room for a taste of dessert.
One final shout-out to our server, who's name escapes me (sorry!), but he was a master of pairing wines with our courses. Kudos!
If I'm ever back in the area (I'm from Atlanta), I would definitely return for more from this inventive chef.
I've been here twice and can say that it's some of best Italian food I've ever had. What I love most about this place is the high percentage of unusual or non-traditional Italian dishes on the menu. The dishes and flavor combinations are unique and creative (e. g. pizza with cape may salt oysters with cucumber spaghettini and house grown raspberries), and it won't be long until you realize this is unlike most (even fancy) Italian food you've had.
Ask your waiter if they're serving the assorted roasted vegetables that evening. This is probably the simplest yet one of the most delicious dishes. I've honestly never had better vegetables, ever. It's not on the menu but it's a regular special and it makes the perfect appetizer.
It can get quite noisy, and the decor is somewhat cheesy, but neither really detracts from the experience.
Although the ambiance is mediocre (a bit cheesy and impersonal) and the prices are not cheap, the pizza is perfect. I recently visited Italy this spring and can honestly say that I find Osteria's pizza to have a more flavorful, interesting, and refined taste than pizza in Italy. The tomato sauce has a complex sweet, salty, and tangy taste and you will find an unusual array of toppings such as octopus, red chili flakes, and smoked mozzarella... but the combinations are delectable.
The pasta is not quite up to par with their pizza. The sauce is just good, but the pasta has a great texture: cooked al dente with just the right amount of doughiness.
The grilled vegetables on their special menu are delicious, and make for a perfect appetizer with the pizza. I have never been much of a pizza fan, but Osteria gives pizza a different name, and it is definitely worth the trip to try it.
As an enthusiastic advocate of the $ value of a meal in Philly (compared to one in NYC) I have no idea why Osteria does the volume of business that it does.
For the same price, one could take the Chinatown bus to NYC, hop on a subway to Brooklyn, have a much better meal and come back to Philly. The price points are completely out of whack for the (rentals they must pay for the) location!! And, it's almost the same distance from Center City (just kidding on that one!).
Full marks to the business sense of the owners who have leveraged the good name of their excellent flagship Italian restaurant Vetri well, despite the industrial setting, and (former parking garage) location. I walked into a bustling restaurant, despite their large seating capacity (quite different from that at Vetri) and could appreciate that the hype of home-style cooking had succeeded brilliantly.
However, I am being polite when I say that my experience was inconsistent at best. Nowhere was this more evident than from the service which deteriorated as one went down the hierarchy. While the maitre d' was courteous and accommodating, the server would disappear for long periods of time, and the busboy simply had no clue. The olive oil arrived 9 minutes (I timed it) after I was served bread, by which time not only was I done with the bread, but also with my appetizer!!
Speaking of which, I had started off with the antipasti of Wood grilled Octopus, lemon, potatoes, and chives. While the chef had made nice use of lemon, I found the Octopus to be chewy and dripping in olive oil. Also, it was burnt crisp in parts, and undercooked in others. I would've expected Osteria to have made good on this dish, but it only showed signs of promise.
The highly acclaimed pizza (rumored to match Taconelli's) was prepared Roman style i.e. with a crisp ultra-thin crust, as opposed to a Neapolitan Margherita. While, one can acknowledge the difference in regional styles, however, by no stretch of imagination would this pizza be characterized as exceptional or rivaling the pies at Taconelli (unless the quality has gone down drastically since I was there last). In fact, Joe and Pat's in Staten Island, NY serve a much better crispier version of the pizza, though I must concede that the mozzarella at Osteria was decidedly superior, and delicious.
For dessert, I debated ordering the (ubiquitous) chocolate flan with pistachio gelato, but ended up opting for the Canoli, at the recommendation of the server. The semi-freddo Cappuccino was more melted than it should have been, but I really liked the concept of using cocoa nibs as opposed to chocolate chips. Had the consistency of the semi-freddo been better, I may have been tempted to bump the rating up a notch, for it was a light and refreshing dessert and ended the meal on a higher note.
For now, Osteria appears to be resting on the reputation of Vetri. Unless, they bring a consistency to their service, and get the execution details right, they will struggle to justify their premium pricing. I would still recommend a more wallet friendly trip to Brooklyn, instead!
I came here for my birthday, and had a great time. The atmosphere was easy on the eyes. There were huge sunflowers everywhere and wooden wine crate sides on one of the walls. The only complaint I would have is how close our table was between the other tables, but you get that sometimes in crowded, busy restaurants, I guess.
For an appetizer we had the cape may salt oysters with cucumber spaghettini and raspberries. It was amazing. It came with 5 oysters and the flavor from the juices was very tangy and fresh.
For my meal I got the spaghetti alla carbonara with corn, chives and ricotta salata. I didn't know what to expect with corn in my pasta but it was phenomenal. The spaghetti tasted homemade and the carbonara sauce wasn't too heavy. Very delicious. My date got the rabbit in polenta, and it was cooked perfectly. The only complaint were there were a lot of small bones in there to pick out but he worked around it and it was great mixed with the polenta with brown butter.
There was a mix up with the desert; I had ordered cheesecake for us to split and the waiter forgot to put a candle in it (my date had tried to sneakily tell him to surprise me with a candle). The cheesecake was okay; it was kind of grainy feeling but had a nice flavor. When the waiter realized he forgot the candle he came back with two more deserts on the house, both with candles in them. One of them was a sorbet that was delicious and the other was polenta budino with gianduia, which was great as well. It had a chocolate mousse on top that made it perfect.
I really enjoyed eating here, I would be very happy to go back.
All I can say is baby pig! I know that doesn't sound too appetizing to many of you, and I had my doubts, but it was delicious. Osteria offers "baby pig" as a special on many nights and I'm sure to reserve a plate as soon as I sit down because they frequently run out. FYI...it's not an actually baby pig on your plate but rather certain cuts that are incredible. Great wine list, great menu, amazing food. The sommelier is one of the best I've dealt with. Don't be embarrassed to let him know what you want to spend, and don't feel like you have to crack open your safe to enjoy a night here. However, unless you order pizza (I haven't but keep saying I'll try it) a meal here is going to cost you. It's not the kind of place I go often, but when I do I really enjoy it.
Osteria was my birthday dinner with the babe. And it was fantastic! Seriously if I were served an ill meal on my birthday there would have been hell to pay. Mark Vetri's little expensive pizza place came through luckily...for everyone. We got in to the place around 7:20 and our reservations were at 7:45 but the very nice hostess who was ALL business said we could be seated early. The place was bumping on a rainy Saturday night. I was impressed with the large space and the bistro type atmosphere. They sat us at a small table next to the window that opened to the garden room and there were these humungoid sunflowers sitting on the windowsill. I do not think I have ever noticed the physical attributes of a restaurant before mainly because I am always so concerned with eating.
So, the cute waiter in glasses greeted us right away. He brought us yummo foccia and skinny bread sticks to munch on while we mulled over what to drink. Every single person in the place was drinking wine except for the preggo lady next to me so we said "eff it, let's do martinis." As usual, I got the vodka and he the gin and they were so wonderful. Honestly, for a wine place, one of the best martinis I have had other than at Davios. The pizza at Osteria is always talked about and Mark Summers from Double Dare fame said it was the greatest pizza he's ever eaten, so I ordered based on his opinion, which I hold to a high regard. The pizza was so thin, you could literally see through it. The cheese had a different taste than I have experienced in the states...it literally tasted like mozzarella from my Nonna's region in Italy. We devoured the pizza, but in an appropriate way. We then ordered one of the special pasta dishes to share, which was a linguine type noodle with melted goat cheese and baby tomatoes...again amazing. For our entrees were ordered the grouper and the salmon and again, amazing. The Salmon had a crispy skin with some sea salt sprinkled on top. It was served with the smallest and cutest zucchinis I have ever seen. The boy's Grouper had leeks and corn as accompaniments. After our second round of martinis and gorging on the delicious meal, it was time to go. Why make myself more full and risk the chance of yacking to get dessert? We had plans to kill a few bottles of wine anyway for my birthday celebration.
I really recommend Osteria as it's a great date/group place if you have some extra cash to spend. Well done!
I'll have to say the boyfriend and I had a lovely dinner here for his birthday. We split an appetizer, then a pizza, and then each had two more courses (both pasta for vegetarian me) and split a dessert. We started the night with a lovely sparkling ,and then a few glasses of Multipultiano. Let's just say, we were increadibly stuffed when we left. All the food was very tasty, and presented well. The service, overall, was great (though the woman who brought out the birthday-candled dessert didn't know who it went to or what it was for - a birthday, stupid!). And the atmosphere and our table in the main room were lovely.
I know it's not fair to compare restaurants, but the pasta at last year's boy birthday dinner, when we dined at Vetri, actually made me cry it was so delicious. Osteria's pasta was good, but not transcendent. And while we maybe had an extra course, we spent the same amount of money, which was a lot. Maybe I'm just stingy, but for a restaurant this expensive to get five stars from me there better be tears in my pasta.
There seem to be some really negative reviews of Osteria related to the service and the quality/portion size of the food, but I have nothing but positive things to say about my recent experience. The lady and I stopped in for dinner last night and enjoyed a lovely meal and drinks.
We started off at the bar for a glass of Prosecco, which was crisp and refreshing and were whisked away almost immediately to our table. We debated our meal choices for a few minutes, which I'd attribute to the many appealing items on the menu.
We shared the Pecorino Flan and the Barbabietole pizza to start. Both were tasty, though the pizza was larger than we were expecting and we subsequently ate more than was necessary or advisable.
Next up was a couple of pastas. The Goat Cheese Gnocchi for me and the Rabiola Francobolli for her. This time, much more reasonable portion sizes, but this is where we should have called it a night.
Instead, we exercised some questionable (and undoubtedly gluttonous) judgment and started on the next course. Another pasta (the name and contents of which I've suddenly forgotten) for the missus and the Braised Pork Ribs for me. Good grief. So tasty and so much food. All of this paired nicely with a couple glasses of the Montepulciano.
And did we have the Blood Orange Tiramisu for dessert? Yes. Yes we did.
While the argument could be made that food should not generally cost this much, it's nice to know that when it does, it's going to be crazy delicious.
Here is a synopsis of my experience at Osteria:
We arrived for our reservation about 15 minutes early, and were delighted to hear they could seat us. We expected to have to have a drink at the bar first, which we did not mind at all. We were seating in a back room that lacked ambiance. There was very little decoration or personality, and the room was empty. When our server arrived, we asked as kindly as possible if it would be possible to move to the main room, we didn't mind if we would have to wait longer. (It was a special occasion and we were looking for something more lively and inviting, especially since we don't often go out and spend a lot on meals)
She got a manager, and they said it would not be a problem at all. We could go to the bar and get a table in about 20 minutes.
All was well at the bar, we ordered cocktails and wine, all expertly chosen and enjoyed our time chatting.
When our table was ready, we sat down and our server came over and told us about the specials. The menu looked lovely. When we were ready to order new glasses of wine, our server immedietly reccomended the sommolier come by and make reccomendations that will work with our meal. One of my companions appreciated the offer, and the sommolier went to bring her a small sample of wine based on what she was looking for. Unfortuantely, she wasn't crazy about it, so she asked if she could try one more. She enjoyed the second wine and ordered it, but the sommolier acted as if she was being unreasonable and rude.
Normally, I am overly polite and just take what is first offered, even if I am not crazy about it. But as a sommolier, is it that big of a deal to offer a second small sample? It wasn't even as if we were bothering our server asking her to do a million things when she needs to take food orders from the other tables. Her job is to assist tables in chosing wines. It seemed like a reasonable request.
But we moved on. The sommolier was annoyed but we were there to have a lovely time. We all ordered, and two of my companions ordered a $36 special - a 1/2 pound of lobster and pasta.
Appetizers came and were delicious, although the antipasta is charged per person and was not a lot of food.
When the entree came, the two companions that ordered the lobster dish looked suprised. They were literarly fishing around to find lobster. Soon, the four of us were trying to assist, to try to find the lobster because we were so afraid of asking for the server.
All in all, pieces that add up to about 1/2 the size of my tiny palm were found. We did not ask for the server or even steal glances across the room to find her. She stopped back to see how things were and we said everything was very good, and they hated to complain, but there was barely any lobster in the pasta.
Immedietly she became very annoyed. She pointed to a small piece and said "There it is!"
My companions said they understood, but they have ordered lobster many times in their lives and 1/2 a pound never looked so small.
She said there was nothing they could do and if they wanted she would get the manager.
What were we to do? We said OK.
The manager arrived and said basically the same thing. He said they weight each lobster and it is always 1/2 a pound.
We decided to let it go and just ate.
Then things became incredibly embarassing. I was facing the room and saw our server, the manager, the sommolier and the bartender talking and pointing at us. I felt like that "nightmare" table, like I was in some kind of Twilight Zone episode. I always consider myself to be a great restaurant customer. I myself worked in the industry for two years. I know what they deal with.
When the check arrived it was tossed at us. She did not look our way at all, just got close to the table and tossed it in the center.
We paid, but only left a 15% tip, which is something we never do.
So that was my experience. We did call and leave a message the next day and did not hear back. Obviously to many this is an amazing restaurant. But I can't return. We spent over $260 there (not including tip) and I have received better service for a lot less.
After Philadelphia Magazine ranked this as the 2nd best restaurant in Philadelphia for 2008, I set high expectations and couldn't wait to try it for myself. I have to say that my expectations were not met. The entrees were hit or miss and were surprisingly bland. The wine selection was acceptable and the brussel sprouts on the summer vegetable appetizer plate were incredible. However, I wish I could say the same for the rest of my meal. I found out later that maybe I just ordered the wrong items. But for a restaurant with such high esteem I'd expect anything I order to be top notch. Inconsistency would be the key here. I will definitely give it another shot but next time I'm ordering the pizza and hoping that I fare better.
the best
if I said more I'd be redundant
I've tried Osteria twice now, and I really don't get the hype it seems to get from local media. The first time I went was in the winter, and I tried the Margherita pizza, a sweetmeats primi and a duck secondi. The pizza was good, but it was a $15 pizza so it should have been great. The sweetmeat was bland, and in a miso soup-like sauce that was just not appetizing. The duck was prepared a little too au natural for me: you really had to tear at it, and bones were still embedded in the meat. I don't like being that close to my food. I don't want to be reminded that my meat was ever an animal.
I tried Osteria again recently, hoping I had just been finicky during the first attempt. I had the Lombarda pizza and split two primi meals- chicken liver rigatoni and pork neck cannelloni. The pizza was great, and the two primi courses were good.
I don't plan on going back to Osteria again. Great pizza in an expensive restaurant is not enough of a lure. Also, the meat-heavy meals are just too much for me to handle, and to be quite honest both times the place gave me the post-meal meat sweats.
I never thought I would taste a pizza that rivals Tacconelli's. But Osteria's Lombardo pizza, topped with lamb sausage and an over easy egg, just about topped it. Perfect combination of flavors. Thin, salty crust; spicy and sweet sausage; soft, stringy, and slightly sour cheese. I honestly will never forget it.
The Wine list is expensive, but get the $65 bottle of Barbera and you will not be disappointed. The antipasta platter was satisfying, with perfectly roasted seasonal vegetables. The Linguini with lemon and blue crab was incredible and addictive. The only thing I did not love was the plating of the Suckling Pig. It was so cleverly deconstructed as to be a prank. The only accompaniment was literally 4 small pieces of diced potato and a sprig of rosemary. I understand that the (admittedly expertly cooked) pig was the focus of the dish, but please spare me the bad jokes. But still, the pizza.
Osteria was my dinner date with my girlfriend, bottom line excellent; pricey, but excellent.
First, the service was superb--our waitress was extremely friendly and very accomodating. We started out with a bottle of wine, nicodemi montepulciano 2007. The wine was excellent, but the $58.00 price was a bit far fetched (although to be expected) because this wine can be found for $11.99 at wine stores. The sommelier was very friendly and informative, not pretentous at all.
The first course we had was the parma pizza. It was amazing; the arugula and proscuitto were so fresh, but the crust of this pizza was out of this world. Our second courses were the grilled octopus and the special antipasti of grilled seasonal vegetables. The grilled octopus was very good; it had a very nice char-grilled flavor and came with lemon potatoes and arugula. The vegetable antipasti was suberb.
I had the bone marrow and chanterelle mushroom ravioli. The flavors were amazing, but the raviolis themselves were the best--so thin and light. To top off the dinner we had two glasses of barbera grappa, it was good, although I'm not a grappa connossieur. Dessert was a berry crostada with lemon sherbert which was also tasty. We really enjoyed ourselves at this restaurant and will be heading back to taste the rest of this amazing menu.
Osteria has nutella pizza. Yes. It rocked my world.
It's on the kids lunch menu, but they'll still make it for you if you're over 12 years old or are there for dinner.
I ate here recently for a friend's birthday. The location and the decor did nothing to add any sense of authenticity to the restaurant. Although the natural light was pleasant and bringing the kitchen out of the back room and into the main dining area made for a more relaxed environment, there was still a sense of unnecessary pretentiousness. Everything from the walls to the floors to the furniture reminded me of an upscale but bland Italian restaurant in the middle of suburbia where authenticity and creativity are outlawed.
The wine list was very extensive but I can't remember seeing any bottles for less than $45-$50 and the prices increased very quickly once past the entry level choices. The service however, was excellent. For better or worse (I maintain better) my wine glass never got anywhere close to empty!
I wasn't extremely hungry and so split an appetizer (goat cheese gnocchi) and had the lamb. Although both were excellent (as were the octopus and pork that I tried) they lacked that "wow" factor that I would expect for a restaurant of this level. I guess you could say they do basic dishes extraordinarily well but I've would like them to take a few more risks in their use of ingredients and presentation.
This is good pizza! I didn't know what to expect since some reviews I read were so-so, but Ihad heard it was a great place. Went here with family from out of town to celebrate a birthday and had a good meal and good service. We sat in the smaller room which was great since I had heard the place can get really loud. Our server was attentive, albeit kinda wooden, but cleared our plates, gave us new utensils when expected.
The food was wonderful. 3 of us ordered pizzas- polpo, margherita and the parma. Mine was awesome, who doesn't want freshly sliced prosciutto and arugula on a pizza? The others got a veal shank which was delicious as well as some meat entree for 2 people which was some damn good meat, if I must say.
Loved it- the only gripe is that the service wasn't memorable, but the food was :)
My visit to Osteria was an interesting one, complete with its ups and downs but as you can tell from my review, overall a great time.
We called before hand asking if we needed reservations and the host on the other end said we'd be fine with a party of 6 on a Monday night. Low and behold when we get there the tables had filled up and we have to wait at the bar.
According to the manager (there were three men walking around in suits chatting with people) we had the longest wait in the history of the restaurant (a little over 2 hours) in which time we sat at the bar which was very inviting and were given a free pizza by one of the managers. He kept apologizing and kept us posted on which tables they were waiting for etc (very attentive).
However, it was not until we sat down that the true magic of this place was felt. Their food is incredible. My friends and I ordered a number of different things so we could try a ton and because we waited so long not only did they give us a free pizza while we waited but they also gave us a free appetizer and dessert.
Their pizza was incredible (apparently the reason they were so busy is that their Pizza was showcased on a show on the food network the week before), the beet and goat cheese plin was great, as was the steak however, my favorite meal by far was one that my friend's girlfriend got, the Chicken Liver Rigatoni. It was one of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted (and I'm from an Italian family).
So lessons to learn from this place. Be prepared to spend a lot of money, enjoy the incredible food they have to offer and above all else...MAKE RESERVATIONS on any night.
I was pretty hyped about Osteria after reading about it in Philly Mag and also finding out that it was the kid sis of Vetri (which is sadly out of my budget).
I got there before my date and passed the time with a glass of prosecco (which would become three or four by the time the night was over, delicious). We ordered the Lombarda pizza, which did not disappoint. We said with great excitement, "There is an EGG on our pizza!"
I ordered, I think, a dual ravioli of sorts - one side was filled with duck and the other with water chestnuts? It was just alright. I don't know if I had gone one glass of prosecco too many or was enjoying my date's company too much that I didn't finish the dish while it was still hot. He ordered the braised pork ribs which were amazing and really well-seasoned.
The fool sneakily beat me to the check while I was in the restroom so I can't comment on the prices (I don't really look while ordering). But it was a pretty okay experience. The prosecco wins.
Disappointing. Vetri needs to send some trusted friends to have an undercover dinner and report back to him with 100% honesty. Chef's are usually somewhat arrogant and don't like criticism but as more and more reviews state--IT AIN"T ALL THAT!
Pros:
Cozy and rustic interior
Good wine list
Good grilled octopus and pizza---Good---NOT great.
Cons:
Server we had was rude, uninterested and just a sourpuss. She needs to go NOW!
Noise level is riduculous---must either repeat everything 4 times or lean across table and food.
Menu---such a TEASE! Sounds really good but excluding really just the octopus does not deliver at all.
Pasta---WEAK! Soggy, bland-- no distinguishing flavors in either of the Primi's we ordered.
Pork dish---hillbilly rustic is more like it. I am all for simple flavors and dishes but it needs to taste good. All the dishes were lacking--it was strange and a bummer.
Contorni's ( sides) ---seriously? 8/$ for 3/4 c of rsted pots? I didn't see any rosemary anywhere. Polenta was whatever.
Flan dessert--- what we thought would be a flan was actually the dessert du jour of the 90's the always good hot chocolate cake. That is fine if that was what we ordered----don't mislead people on your menu or give them the heads up that it is not a flan.
Prices would have been fine if the food was good but way too much for what we were served.
Sad. Vertri is probably a nice guy and great chef but staff in the kitchen and FOH are falling on the job and bottom line is Vetri's name and reputation suffer for it but he obviously doesn't read reviews or take them seriously.
I am in no rush to go back to Osteria. The food was great, but definitely pricey. I agree with Erin A's review -- I paid about $75 for a pizza, 1/2 an app and splitting one of the less expensive bottles of wine.
What really struck me is the astmosphere --something about it just felt wrong, too industrial, too forced, and the too-small table for two sealed the deal.
I've been to Vetri and Osteria and the food was top notch both times. I definately preferred the atmosphere at Osteria to Vetri. Vetri was a little too sedate for my husband and I. The service at both restaurants was impeccable. And chef Mark Vetri made the rounds. If you a foodie, this guy is a God. Don't leave without trying the gnocci-either as an appetizer or pasta course. Between the two trips, we sampled several dishes on the menu and loved everything. Too effusive? It's true!
Having heard rave reviews for Osteria, I was eager to enjoy a meal there. And it delivers. I didn't give it five stars because my expectations were likely set too high after so many "oh, man, you have to go there" comments.
It breaks down like this...
FOOD: Excellent. The flavor combinations were unexpected yet simple. We had a table of seven and shared 5-6 appetizers. The wood grilled octopus was amazing. If I could recommend only one starter, this would be the one. The lemon and chives enhanced the flavor of the octopus perfectly. We tried two raviolis -- the double with chestnuts and duck was the better of two. The brick-oven pizza with meatballs and capers was light and tasty. We also tried the special for the night, which was roasted seasonal vegetables. Nice but not great. On to the entree. I had the grilled venison leg with parsnips, apple and chestnuts. Wow! The meat was gently grilled and really allowed the natural flavor to make its presence felt. The apple puree along with the chestnuts was spot on.
WINE: They basically offer only Italians, which is fine. Unfortunately, I only recently started drinking Old World wines and can claim no useful knowledge of Italian varieties. We had a jaw-dropping Brunello. More fruit than I expected, but really just amazing. The Montepulciano we had was nice, too, but not on the same level as the Brunello.
SERVICE: Attentive and knowledgeable. I don't remember much other than we were taken care of nicely. That's all I really expect from the service side.
PRICE: This was a treat, so I would only visit here once per year. The juice is worth the squeeze.
ATMOSPHERE: Loved it. Great energy. Soft lighting. Memorable without taking the focus away from the food.
OVERALL: Osteria deserves the hype. You will enjoy a special dining experience.
As a fan (maybe even groupie) of Vetri, Osteria is a place that we're able to visit more regularly than it's pricey counterpart. Some of the freshest, most delicate pasta I've ever had. The pizzas, charcuterie plates, and desserts are delicious.The Silician lemonade (made with limoncello) is the best cocktail I've ever had and perfect for those who don't like to taste the alcohol in your drinks.
While it's hard to get a table without a reservation, they usually have bar seating available which works well for a party of 2 in the mood for great food without having had planned too far ahead for it.
Marc Vetri (and his staff) are amazing, talented and completely worthy of all the praise (multiple Best of Philly's) received recently.
Final thoughts...
Go there for consistently excellent service, chic rustic ambience, and forward-thinking Italian cuisine. And, it won't break the bank.
I have been wanting to try Osteria since they opened and overjoyed I did. I am definitly bias to Italian restaurants, for a few reasons, and rarely want to try them but... .The space itself is beautiful and comforting. The food was great!! I was estatic to try the pizza , and it did not dissapoint. Everthing was absolutely perfect, every dish we had. Great combinations, ingredients and presentation. The service was fine and being felt rushed at my last few dinners, I was happy to relax and enjoy. here.
I went here once, recently, for a celebratory dinner, and I have to say, I really like this place. My only gripe is that it's too expensive for me to eat there on a normal basis, but that's only because I'm a poor grad student and I can't afford to go out to eat most places...
Anyway, Osteria is a classy restaurant, is totally gorgeous inside, and the owners are among the brave pioneers trying to revive N. Broad Street. The place even has a sommelier, who is very nice and seemed very attentive to the people who could actually afford wine. I contented myself with my favorite beer - Duchesse du Burgogne, a Flemish sour which I was surprised they had. They have a decent beer selection, and the wine selection is, of course, really good.
Aside from cool decor and upscale ambiance, the food was fantastic. My boyfriend and I split a pizza as an appetizer, which was thin and crispy like pizzas are made in Italy. It had cheese on it with fresh arugula and prosciuto - delicious! Next came the main course. I got oven-baked skate with crispy capers and parsnip puree. I had never had skate before, and it was amazing! It's a flaky white fish (resembling a small stingray when it's alive), and Osteria cooked it to perfection. I'd definitely eat that again. My boyfriend got lamb, which was also very good, but I liked the skate better.
Last came dessert - a little molten chocolate cake with pistacchio gelato. Yum.
If I had money, I'd eat here all the time (and not only because it's about a block from my apartment). I could live off their pizza, which is heads and shoulders above normal pizza. If I were a business person, I'd definitely take clients here. A+ in my book.
Osteria lived up to my expectations (which were high) and then some. I went there on a date and we both tremendously enjoyed our food. The only detractor was the proximity of other patrons. For example, when my meal was delivered my neighbor remarked on how good it looked. Friendly, yes, but not what I was hoping for during an intimate evening. If your goal is an intimate environment, I would look elsewhere. We ordered the fig pizza which was delicious. I read a previous review saying the pizza was sparsely topped, but I thought it still delivered on flavor. We shared an app of octopus which was very good and probably the best I've had in Philadelphia. For my main course, I ordered the roast suckling pig. It was very tender and juicy. On the whole the food was very good and what you would expect given the prices which are little on the pricier side. Another plus was the service. The wait staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is in the mood for something a little different and isn't afraid of going to north Philly to get it.
As good as Italian food gets outside of Italy. Don't confuse this cuisine with AMerican-Italian cuisine as you will not see any "parmasean" or "red gravy" on the menu. Instead your tastebuds will rejoice when introduced to thin crisp crusted, brick oven pizza with toppings of truffle, parma, etc (I recommend the parma and lombard, which has an egg crack on it before it is baked).
Pasta dishes include wild boar, store made sausage, rabbit, quail, etc. If you are lucky, they will offer a special of roast suckling pig.
For dessert I recommend the budinio (sweet polenta with caramel coated hazelnuts) and chocolate flan.
Service is usually good and they have a good selection of Italian wines.
A little bit ago, my boss and I took a client here for dinner and man it was the best meal I ever had in the city. I had the patte ravioli and the pizza as an appetizer and it was incredible.
The service was amazing even when my boss and our client got a little drunk and started making a scene. They had a guy lubricating the inside of the wine glasses so that the wine would turn better when poured.
Now listen, I love Machismo burritos and a non-lubricated fountain drink but every now and again it's nice to go somewhere and share some roast rabbit.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to showcase the city to out of towners, and anyone who appreciates food and atmosphere.
I was really excited when Osteria opened. I thought - great, a more reasonable Vetri? Lots of seating - the place is huge! Nice atmosphere and great staff. However, stick to the appetizers. My fish - let's just say, "would you like some fish with that salt?".
Three Course Recession Menu
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
18" Tomato Pizza $3.99
Philadelphia, PA
Neighborhood: Avenue of the Arts South
Category: Italian
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Bella Vista
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Fairmount
Category: American (New)
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
