Bistro Romano

I'd never been to this restaurant and was invited to attend a surprise birthday for a friend. A party bus picked us all up in Maryland where we live and took us for the hour drive to Bistro Romano. Pros: Ambiance, service, meal more

I always enjoy taking family and friends to Bistro Romano for dinner. The food and service are always outstanding. I am partial to the Caesar which is prepared at your table. I think its the only place left in the tri-state area that prepares the traditional Caesar, it's the best i've ever had anywhere. That is the beginning to a perfect meal. The filet is an excellent cut than I've had at the local steak houses. My wife enjoys the homemade ravioli, particularly the Lobster. Desserts are equally superb, definitely try the Tira Misu or the Pumpkin Bread Pudding, two of our favorites. Service is very attentive, the server we had last night was Donna. She was extemely pleasant and anticipated our every need. It's clearly one of the best in Philadelphia. Pros: Caesar Salad, Filet, Pastas, Tira Misu, Service more

The atmosphere was great, not so good food and not so speedy staff. You walk downstairs into a stone cellar, very romantic with low lighting. We were impressed. We were served water immediately, but then waited and waited to be asked what we would like to drink. Finally our waiter came over we put in our drink orders along with our apps. Our bread and apps came out about 10 minutes later, drinks came a few minutes later. We order one meal off the menu and the other was a special. Both meals were bland, and parts of both were just so bad we did not eat them. Paying took about another 15 minutes. Great atmosphere but overall disappointed with food and service. Especially for the price. We would not go back again. Pros: Great Atmosphere Cons: Bland Food, Slow Service more

I've read countless great reviews & figured it would just be another dud restaurant in philly-- but I was wrong! I reserved the wine cellar room-- I was surprised by how cute it was! It's $15.00 to reserve the room but definatley worth it- - it just adds a lil xtra specialness!! my boyfriend was completely impressed.. he said it was his favorite place by far. the caesar salad was very good-- and watching them make it in front of you is fun.. Calamari is the best i've ever had!! (and we get it EVERYwhere we go!) . i got the lobster ravioli (good) and he got the veal parm (great). Two shots of orangecello came complimentry w/ the wine cellar room-- and we each had dessert (canoli and pumpkin bread) and coffees... total bill $113.00. Not bad at all considering how much we ate and how great it was! I can't wait to go back, and try just a regular table.. the entire restaurant is completely addorable. I really can't recommend this place enough! It's as casual or dressy/romantic as you make it! GO go go! Pros: Romantic Atmosphere/ Food Cons: Nothing more

Good food, nice staff, nice location. However, I didn?t really think this place was super romantic for the 30ish crowd, or if anything, should I say for my taste. Over all I would say it?s a nice place to check out at least for some good food. Pros: No wait with a reservation Cons: bathroom is upstairs in the back more

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday, and I reserved a table in the wine cellar. We arrived a little early for our 8:00 reservation, and they weren't able to accomodate us immediately, but that was not a problem. The atmosphere in the cellar was very romantic. The room and the table were lit by candles and rose pedals were sprinkled on the table. The room was still a little dark for our liking, so the server brought a few more candles, which we thought was very accomodating. The food was delicious. I ate the tilapia scampi , served with baby shrimp, and my boyfriend ate the pescatore, which he raved about for the rest of the evening. Overall, we had a wonderful romantic experience and will definitely be returning. Next time, we'll sit in the community dining area which was brighter and reader friendly. Pros: Great atmosphere throughout the restaurant, wonderful food Cons: Nothing really more

We just went for my husband's birthday. It was on the later side on a sunday night (they close the kitchen at 9 and our reservation was for 8:30) Pros: great food- so romantic more

My wife and I ate here last week during a business trip. I had found the restaurant via previous good reviews on this website. We were not disappointed. Pros: great food, wine, service Cons: it was a little too dark more

We had an excellent dinner at the Bistro last evening. The food was outstaninding, service very refined and attentive, and the atmosphere is very special. Candlelight, Italian music, great food; it was a great date. We had requested a romantic table and were seated in the wine cellar, which is a private table topped with rose petals. The entire evening was very special; I will return soon. Pros: Food & Service, Wine Cellar Tabel more

I went here for the first time a last week with my girlfriend after a coworker recommended it, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The food was fantastic and not too expensive, the lighting and ambience worked very well for a date, and the waitstaff was very helpful. The lobster ravioli was especially good. Make a reservation ahead of time, as the place is bound to be packed. Great restaurant - I would recommend it for anyone going on a date or looking for good Italian food. It's hard to find a parking spot on the street, so park in a lot or save time to find a spot. Pros: Delicious food, great menu, good service Cons: Parking more

After reading numerous good reviews we decided to give Bistro Romano a try. We had a reservation for 5pm on a weeknight and arrived on time. We were seated immediately. There were only a couple other tables with customers at them when we sat down. We waited at least 10 minutes for our drink/bread person (who looked like they would rather be anywhere else but there) to bring us a couple ice teas. We waited at least another 10 minutes for our waitress. I had a couple questions about some of the Italian dishes, which she could not answer. These were not hard questions, just how things were prepared and what they were served with. The food was ok to good when it comes to Italian food. I expected much better from a place of its so-called caliber. We consistently had to wait for service and could not find servers when we needed a drink re-fill. Pros: Good table-side caesar Cons: Over priced for average food and poor service more

I went here based on great Citysearch reviews. I am in the business, and yet had never been to Bistro Romano or really heard much about it. I was soooooooooo impressed! What a great space!!! Exposed brick walls, great lighting, ,unique unique unique!! The food was WONDERFUL! I went 3 days ago and I already can't wait to go back!! Pros: great space, food, ambience more

I went to Bistro Romano for the first time this weekend, with a few friends, after reading so many positive reviews here on citysearch. It was a Saturday night so we did have to wait a little while to be seated, which was fine with me. We waited at the bars, and ladies let me tell you they're bartenders are both reeally hot, and friendly to boot. After enjoying a few cocktails, we were led to our seats. The service was attentive and friendly and especially quick considering how busy it was. I had lobster Ravioli that was absolutely delicous. For dessert I had the best cannoli EVER! Highly recommend this place to anyone. Pros: Hot Bartenders, Amazing Food, Friendly Service Cons: Parking is a challenge more

I love Bistro Romano! The basement dining is very romantic and the food is hearty and delicious. Sign up for their VIP list on their website and you'll be sent emails with great deals quite often! I went last weekend for a 3 course + glass of wine dinner for just $35 (better than restaurant week!). The waitstaff is friendly and attentive. Pros: romantic seating, hearty servings Cons: too much pepper in the caesar salad more

We celebrated our wedding anniversary on Saturday at Bistro Romano and the entire evening was excellent. The food, the ambiance and the service were all outstanding. At the recommendation of our server we began with the Caesar Salad, it was prepared in front of us at the table, the best I?ve ever eaten. We then had a pasta course of three unique pastas that was provided complementary to us. I suppose since I made a note on the reservation that I made with Opentable that it was our anniversary celebration. For the main course I select the pork chop which was stuffed with Italian sausage, it was a chef's special and it had a great flavor, perfectly seasoned, fully cooked but not dried out. It was perfect, as was my wife's veal rosini. For dessert we shared the cannoli, another superb treat. The service was equally sensational. Kelly was there whenever we needed something but never awkwardly obtrusive. She made several recommendations to us and they were all outstanding. The owner even recommended a great bottle of Tuscan wine that was fabulous and reasonably priced. The wine list is huge with a large selection of Italian wines. Now for the ambiance, very romantic, we were sat in the wine cellar dining room. It is very private, only one table which had red rose petals on it with many candles. It was very special, as was the entire evening. I look forward to returning to my new favorite restaurant. Pros: Great Food, Romantic Ambiance, Superb Service, The Best Caesar Salad more

I am having a hard time understanding why this restaurant gets such glowing reviews. Unless you have had a friend who went and had a great experience I would save your money and go elsewhere. There are much better choices in Philadelphia.I have had better meals at Italian chain restaurants-not that I frequent those places. My husband and I went for our second wedding anniversary hoping to enjoy a rare baby free night. We started with the stuffed mushroom appetizer-the ""italian sausage"" that they were stuffed with could have lost a taste contest with Jimmy Dean. In addition, the tops were burnt. I tried the Lobster Ravioli for the entree and it tasted worse than store bought. The ravioli were swimmming in a soup like sauce and had absolutely no flavor. The only reason I gave this place two stars is because they really do have a nice caesar salad. They also did take the ravioli off the bill and offer to bring out another entree. Another disappointing thing about our meal was our anniversary was not even acknowledged until the end of the meal. I don't know if we went on an off night, but I will be saving my money and going elsewhere. There are much better places to spend your money. As far as being romantic-this place is not even close. more

I do not usually go to very many fancy establishments, but this was a special night and I wanted a nice change. I made reservations because this was a popular date night. The staff was extremely helpful, the food was delicious and it had a great atmosphere with a nice bar and a piano player. Pros: Inviting, Cosy, Great Service, Amazing Food Cons: No Parking more

After much searching for a great in-town restaurant, I decided to give Bistro Romano a try for a long overdue romantic dinner with my wife of 22 years. It was a wonderful choice. I must say up front, that I have travelled quite a bit for my job, especially in Europe, and do seek and expect a quality dining experience, preferably with a European style and pace. Bistro Romano is just such a place right here at home. Pros: Romantic dinner, excellent quisine, wine list, service Cons: Parking more

Wonderful atmosphere, great food, outstanding service. The server was very attentive, nothing was overlooked. I had the caesar salad prepared at tableside. It could not have possibly been prepared and served any better. For entree I ordered the Swordfish served over mozzarella and tomato with a basil pesto, it was superb. The meaty fish was prepared perfectly, it literally fell apart when touched with the fork. A great place to have a nice dining experience. Pros: Great Food, Attentive Service, Wonderful Atmosphere more

My date took me out at the last minute and I am so pleased he did. We had a wonderful meal with exceptional service. The price is in our conservative budget a nice value. I could not ask for a better Valintine night. The host gave each of the ladies a rose. Nice touch!!! Pros: Romantic Cons: parking more