Spasso Italian Grill
34 S Front St
Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 592-7661
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
13 Reviews for Spasso Italian Grill
Its like a non-chain Pietro's.
If you have family in town and need an inexpensive but impressive place to have a casual meal after a day of touristing, this is a place I'd recommend.
Someone else said 'reliable'. To me, reliable means am likely to enjoy my entire meal with no great effort on my part. Spasso fits that bill and I think that about sums it up.
And Bridgett at the bar is wonderful!
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The people here are so nice! And the mussels are so good! And they gave water to my dog!
I didn't really enjoy the pasta. I had the rock shrimp with creamy pesto. There was too much cream and too little pesto. The pasta ate me (instead of the other way around).
I will be back soon with my mussels loving boyfriend and my dog. But this time around I will order fish as a main course.
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Reliable. This is the adjective I was given before going to Spasso. To me, reliable means "just ok." Spasso was better than just ok, however.
The service was great. Attentive without pushy. The decor was, as my girlfriend put it, "pizza parlor," which is fitting - so that's probably not going to please everyone...but, as I always say, who cares what the place looks like if the food is great?
The bruschetta was solid, if a bit too oily. It reminded me of my mother's, and I consider her a good cook, so that's a bonus. The tomatoes were ripe, if a bit unflavorful, and the portion was large.
The grilled calamari was quite good. Parts were a bit overcooked, but the seasoning was excellent and it was clearly fresh. The portion was average and the cost a bit high.
The gnocchi with gorgonzola was very good. I tend to prefer my gorgonzola sauce to be a bit more pungent than this was, but the gnocchi was nearly perfect - melt in your mouth as it a good gnocchi should. Large portion.
The penne Spasso was a bit less impressive. The porcini mushrooms didn't mesh well with the delicate sauce. The pasta was correctly cooked. Again, large portion for a small price.
Overall, the meal was very good with the prices being quite reasonable. I will come back again as it is so close to home. I think most people would enjoy this good, if not creative, Italian fare. If you like Olive Garden...well, I feel for you, but this place is Olive Garden-esque in price but much closer to La Famiglia in quality.
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I was at Spasso for a Yelp Elite event.
This decent-sized venue has a dining room, outdoor seating, nifty light-bulbs, and a well-stocked bar (the area around it was cordoned off for Yelp affiliates). The vibe is more classical than what I usually go for in a restaurant, but it was comfortable. While Spasso isn't in a heavily-trafficked area, you would think otherwise by the number of folks who come by for dinner. For those with cars, there's ample street and (paid) lot parking.
Their appetizers aren't bad: the bruschetta was happy-go-crunchy and the mussels were a pleasantly oreganoey affair. Like Courtney Y., I wasn't "wow-ed" by their Italian cuisine but I was more than impressed by Spasso's professional-yet-friendly service. The staff and owner were quite accommodating, clearing plates in a blink of an eye and providing a constant stream of appetizers.
Valerie, our veteran bartender, made the best fruity shots EVER - I will return to Spasso for her concoctions!
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I really enjoyed the Yelp Elite event at Spasso. Although I didn't sample much of the food, the wine was good , the atmosphere warm, and the service excellent; it was clear that they were happy to have all of us. I stuck to the wine, but it looked like the bartenders were mixing up some pretty tasty mixed drinks. Italian isn't normally my first choice when going out for a meal, but I am curious to try dinner at Spasso and would definitely steer people there were I in a group that were in the mood for Italian.
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I won't lie--Spasso has a special place in my heart since my girlfriend and I went here on our first date last summer. That said, I'd love this restaurant anyway, just because of the excellent food and warm yet relaxing atmosphere. I ended up here again last night for the first time in a few months and realized I hadn't yelped it yet. Shame on me.
Every time we go to Spasso, we have to start with the mussels in red sauce. I think they're the best in the city, and the dish last night was ridiculous--a larger portion that usual (maybe because they know us?) full of the biggest mussels I've ever seen.
After that, I usually go for the rock shrimp with fettucini in a pesto cream sauce, which is to die for. My girlfriend usually gets some sort of pasta and clam dish--not my favorite but still tasty. Our dinner companions last night got a chicken rolletini dish and the stuffed snapper in parchment paper. I didn't try either but they both looked great and got rave reviews.
The portions are hearty so it's hard to save room for dessert, but it's worth trying because the creme brulee is excellent. Also, I realized that when I don't drink three glasses of wine, the tab is pretty reasonable.
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Sometimes you're just in the mood for some pasta. Yes, you want your meal to taste delicious, your service to be stellar and your decor to be aesthetically pleasing. But just because you're going out to dinner doesn't mean you always want "The Ultimate Dining Experience" (overdecorated concept restaurants, I'm looking in your direction!).
Spasso is the perfect place to go when you're looking for a great night out. Thumbs up on the homemade gnocchi, escargot (aka snails!) and baked ziti. The chef will even take requests if what you want isn't on the menu. Now that's service! Lovely, spacious dining room and extensive wine list, too. A dinner to remember for sure - no gimmicks required.
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I wasn't blown away by the food at Spasso Italian Grille, but it was good. I bumped up my star rating from 3 to 4 because of the nice ambiance and service. The atmosphere at SIG is relaxed and unpretentious.
We had the caesar salad and calamari to start (just average tasting, but nice portion size). I had the puttanesca which was very tasty but a little too oily. The linguine was cooked perfectly though.
My husband had the gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce, definitely worth going back for. Although the sauce was quite rich (in a good way), the gnocchi melted in your mouth! I've never had gnocchi quite so delicate before. The portion was huge too, enough for two since it was so rich.
Next time I'll try the escargot, since that seems to be a fave.
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Only attended one Yelp event and it was fun. The food and wine at Spasso were more than abundant and delicious and the owners are extremely accomodating. The servers and bartenders were beyond friendly. I think this will continue to be my weekend stop in the future. We recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys great traditional Italian food served in a friendly envirnoment.
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The first time i went we had the best fish I've ever had- grouper stuffed with lobster and cream- all the specials were amazing! The second time the dishes were clearly trying to be good, but didn't quite make it. I will definitely be back for a 3rd time to see if they can do it again.
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I loved, loved, loved this place. It made me actually crave snails. I think that's pretty impressive.
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ive eaten here twice and both times were great. the first time was during Restaurant Week several years ago. i was with a big group for loud girls and it was late. but the service was happy and fun and flirty. of course with a large group of young girls there is confusion, but it was all handled very well and with a "no big deal!" attitude, which i was thankful for. i'm veg so the waiter told me i could get anything i wanted made special for me. of course i just got some pasta and veggies, but it was really really good. cooked just right and very fresh. def an awesome evening.
second time i went with 3 friends two summers ago. we all played dress-up and went for an early evening dinner. it wasnt crowded so they basically pampered us and entertained us. the food was great, nothing out of the ordinary, just good comfort food. the guys i went with loved it bc they were treated like kings, i think they even left like a 50% tip or something insane.
if im in the mood for italian food (which im usually not haha) i would def go here for a nice dinner.
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This place is a warm, friendly, Italian restaurant. It's design is not up to the caliber of a Steven Starr restaurant, but the people are really personable. Plus they make some fresh pastas in the morning. Finally, its not so expensive. An average of 20 per person.
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