Fellini Cafe Trattoria

Just visited this place with my friends I and was very satisfied , hughe portions and real authentic Italian atmosphere .. There is a lunchbuffet for only $9.95 and a 10% off for students !! Will definitely come back !! more

This restaurant is disgusting. I know two servers who quit working there. There are rat droppings and nibbles on the bread. They use the same rag to wipe the floor and the tables. The plates are not clean. The food is subpar. The manage snorts coke all day long and steals servers tips off of their tables. The restaurant also does not pay their employees the manditory $2.83 per hour as dictated for tipped employees by Pennsylvania state law. In fact, the employees have to pay the manager for the free wine the restaurant offers. Horrible place to dine or work more

It was hard to believe when our family dined there that the owner came over and told up we needed to order more food for our table - when our 3 young kids split a pizza and a salad, and my wife and each had salads and shared an additional dish. How unbelievably rude. This, by the way - and not that it mattered - this wasn't at the peak of rush hour or a busy time. We were insulted… order more food. Unbelievable. When the waitress came over and said the same thing, we tried to laugh it off and make a joke. She then told us that's what the owner said to her to tell us. How incredible. Well, the jokes on them - we'd never go back. Ever. Cons: Poor service, owner attitude more

The waitress dropped the silverware on the floor at the table next to us while she was setting the table. She then picked up the silverware from the floor and then set the table with it. I was appalled. Also, the door remained stuck when customers left the restaurant, causing the place to be very cold. I had to personally shut the door myself 3x during the meal. All the while, the host did nothing to fix the situation. But the food was pretty good, I must say. Pros: food was good, Cons: amateurish service more

My family and I have been going to Fellini's since it first opened 10 years ago. We go about once a week, usually with family members or friends. They have a very unique menu with over 40 different types of pasta which always amazes our guests (we've basically memorized it, so it doesn't take us half as long to order). Last time we went to eat at Fellini's was this past Friday. We started out with a grilled assortment of vegetables (exquisite roasted eggplants) and then ordered a new grilled assortment of fish as our entree which was especially made for us by the southern italian owner. (The darker one..I'm not sure of his name) I have NEVER seen such a beautiful display of fish. The tray included grilled calamari, langostinos, lobster, red snapper, octopus and mussels. It was like being in the Mediterranean again. A touch of olive oil and the fresh lemon slices literally had us licking our fingers at the end of the meal. At the end of the meal we met an elderly woman, the supposed ""mamma fellini"" who explained to my niece how she made the exquisite new home-maid spinach and crab meat ravioli which she had ordered and devoured in about 5 minutes. (Mind you my niece NEVER finishes her entree when we go out) For dessert, my sister and I ordered the usual home-made tiramisu while my niece ordered profiterols which are cream puffs covered in just the right amount of chocolate mousse. The four of us paid about $79 ( a very reasonable price for high quality food) and were offered free sambuca from the owner himself. I highly recommend this truly European-styled restaurant for anyone who wishes to experience a truly wonderful and unique evening out. Thank you Fellini! Pros: great food Cons: affordable prices more

Food is pretty good but the staff is terrible. They asked my group to leave IMMEDIATELY after paying the bill because there was a line outside to be seated. The four of us still had half full wine glasses. Very rude considering we all got expensive entrees and appetizers. Won't be going back. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: VERY RUDE more

I went here for a girl's night & was so excited because Cafe Fellini in Media is my favorite restaurant, but Ardmore is a lot closer. Started out waiting for our server for 15 minutes although she came over several times saying how busy she was & complaining. I turned around in my seat to see how busy it was & there were 2 other tables. Seriously? Some of are/were servers & you leanr to deal with stuff in a rush hour, but c'mon. Our server was nice, but ditzy. Finally got some water. Another 10 mins later we got wine glasses for our wine. We were fine & having a great time since it was a girl's night, but wow. We couldn't even order any appetizers because it's their policy that you can only order them when the dinners are ordered. Uh, ok! They were quick, as promised, but disappointing! Brushetta was just huge piles of shaved parmesean, a few tomatoes & stale bread. The caprese salad was pretty terrible too with un-ripe tomatoes & a tiny bit of balsamic. I ordered the same meal I get at the Media location, which is amazing. It was a completely different recipe at Ardmore! No resemblence in taste at all. I even had to ask for more ricotta cheese, which is the main part of the meal. I was sooo disappointed. I'm eating my leftovers right now which is what spawned me to write this review. All in all, it was completely terrible, except enjoying a night out with my friends. I will definitely not return here. Pros: BYOB & Big portions (But see the con) Cons: Food & Service more

""Waterbugs""<---because they wont let me type their regular name here. 4 of them crawled out of a crevice of the wall when our food was placed on the table. My Tortaloni was cold, our calamari grilled over arugula was overcooked and dry, and my girlfriends ""angelhair"" was really shreads of mealy pasta one to 2 inches in length. I am going easy on them, BTW. Pros: Huge plates Cons: Huge Plates of inedible food more

My fiance and I each supported ourselves in undergrad serving tables so we know it can be tiring, stressful and frustrating sometimes. But we also know it is possible to provide at least adequate service during a 4 hour dinner shfit. That is why we are hyper aware of when we are getting bad service. And that's what we got at Fellini's followed by terrible, terrible food. \r \r Our waitress was a rather uninterested Guatemalan girl who mostly regarded us as a nuisance. None of our orders were correct, she did could not open a beer or wine bottle and she allowed dirty dishes and trash to accumulate on our table forcing me to clear the table myself and bring the garbage to the waitress station. \r \r Then she brought out some of the most putrid ""Italian"" food I have ever eaten in my life. The menu alludes to some Italian woman that home made her pasta and carefully stewed her gravy for a day. Everybody I saw working was from Latin America including the kitchen staff that clearly took ZERO pride in their food. \r \r The side pasta with oil, garlic and basil that I requested was dried out spaghetti soaked in oil with a hint of garlic. My grilled salmon did not look or taste anything like salmon after they grilled it to extra crispy well done. It had the texture of charred chicken breast and tasted like nothing but the lemon wedge I squeezed on top of it. \r \r I could not justify spending $20 on this flavorless hunk of rubber so I returned it for a simple ravioli dish that was supposed to have basil and tomatoes. Our sweet, but very dim waitress brought out water logged raviolis with splash of texture-less red sauce on top. No exagerration- it tasted exactly like the Chef Boyardee canned raviolis my roommates and I ate in college. \r \r Mercifully our bill finally came and we left. \r \r Go somewhere else. \r \r Pros: The bathroom hand soap smells nice Cons: Garbage food that tasted like Chef Boyardee more

This place is DISGUSTING. The Board of Health needs to shut them down. this place needs to be exposed before people get sick. We ordered the Minestrone soup which arrived as a clear chicken, greese-laden broth with nothing but celery and carrots. We are Italian descent and have never been served Minestrone this way no matter the region. It was awful. food took forever to be served. the usual toasted Brushetta to hold us over, was STALE. The portions are huge, however only the pasta element, the rest of the ingredients(vege and protein) were nearly non-existent. My father ordered gnocchi and received tortellini. He sent it back and was served almost RAW gnocchi. Just as I was taking my second bite, I noticed a creature staring at me from on the wall. It was a cockro ach that was looking for a way to crawl down onto our table. We quickly called the waiter over and showed him as we leapt from our chairs. He pretended to squish it in a napkin as if to go through the motion, but I saw the creature quickly escape. The waiter seemed to think everything should be fine now and for us to sit back down and continue our meal. As he apologized, and motioned for us to sit, our new friend crawled back out. I motioned to the waiter towards the r0ach and he again tried to swipe at the creature, but was not quick enough. Again, we were told to sit back down. I, being on the inside next to the wall, opted to move my seat to another table and away from a wall. This table was dirty with used utensils and napkin and had been this way since we entered the place. It was a Wed evening at 5:30pm,not busy. Next the manager or owner came over and tried to blame everyone but his dirty restaurant for our experience. the manager would not let up until he moved our table. He wanted to know why we were sitting there as they never let guests sit there(as if the creatures were contained to one table). He went on to tell us that the restaurant was supposed to be SPRAYED that day but they didnt show up. So he was aware of an infestation and allowed people to continue eating there. He then forced us to move our seats to the table directly behind the contaminated one even after we stated numerous time we did not want to. This new spot was wall locked on 3 sides and made me feel like I had to keep eyes on every side of me as the walls are inches away. Next the lights were dimmed, this is how they planned to HIDE their R0ACH infestation! After the lights were dimmed is when I was done with the place. Every corner of the place has holes and cr@cks and it is filthy, bu g heaven. The manager offered us free dessert as if that would make up for this disaster. Told him I lost my appetite and did not want to eat another thing from there. He had my meal wrapped, telling me I could eat it later and made me pay for the meal. UNBELIEVEABLE. This disaster didnt end there, placed the bag on the floor of the car and as we pulled from our spot, another BEETLE or R0ACH type creature arose from the bag Pros: Absolutely NONE Cons: R0ach infestation, still forced to pay bill after not eating more

I always have great service at the felinis in newtown square. Service is always very pleasent and the food is rustic and tasty. U should also try there sister resteraunt in broomall called gissepie trattoria (sorry for spelling). But they have a larger resteraunt if u don't feel like being back to back with someone. The ardmore felinis is under different manegment the the two I mentioned so I urge you to try those ones more

I could not agree more with the last reviewer. We will not return either. If the food was the only thing by which you judge a restaurant, perhaps, but the service was poor and the restaurant kept filling up with larger and larger parties of (barely 21?) college students looking for a BYOB. \r \r After waiting a long time and listening to the specials I order a pizza and am told they don't serve them on the weekend. This is not on the menu. Okay. I order the pasta special. The pasta was undercooked, stuck together and missing a few ingredients the waiter recited. \r \r We dined with our 3 children and asked for child's size portions. When we received the bill, we are charged $12 each for 2 spaghetti & meatball and $9 for spaghetti with butter. The one other time we brought our children there, they charge us $5.95 for each pasta. When we ask the waiter, he makes excuses and then has us talk to the manager. He says he should have charged us $10.95 for the pastas. I guess they make things up as they go? Even in a fine restaurant, I have never paid $9 for buttered noodles. We were offended by this. \r \r The waiter was defensive, overbearing, left water glasses empty and kept us busy handing him things. When we did get water glassed refilled the waiter dripped on me as his elbow was in my face. When he cleared our plates, we asked to take home our pastas, which were never returned to us. That is okay because as he was clearing our plates one of our pasta plates grazed the hair of the woman behind us. Yuck. I waited tables for 7 years in my earlier days and could not believe how consistently poor this service was. \r \r Enough said. For good pasta and pizza go to Primavera a block away. For excellent pasta and fair prices based on quality, even for children, go to Portofino down the street. The service and food are excellent there. For a BYOB, you have many other choices on the Main Line where the service is good and the management and servers are not so hostile. \r \r \r \r more

Well, a group of us regrettably decided to try eating at Fellini tonight (in Ardmore). The server was friendly enough, but pushy. She pushed the specials very hard (which were 25% more expensive than anything on the menu), and even challenged one person's order, urging her to upgrade to a ""more flavorful"" dish. We also had several rounds of ""clarifying"" the restaurant policies: the pricing on the menu is unclear; several items are not available for dinner, but the menu doesn't state that; and sharing dishes is not permitted (every person must order an entree).\r \r When our food eventually came out (long wait despite not-full restaurant), the portions were very large, but the quality was not what I would expect given the price. My salad had small, grocery-store croutons and the pasta had cheap powdered Parmesan. The bruschetta was flavorless -- sad tomatoes (despite them being locally in season) on semi-crisp bread. The ricotta and asparagus pizza tasted fine, but there were no asparagus tips -- it was like they were saving the tips for the pasta and using only the stalks on the (cheaper) pizza. \r \r The atmosphere wasn't too awful, although it was a little kitschy (lavishly decorated with ""Tuscan-inspired"" pitchers, which were hung so one couldn't help but see ""made in china"" and bargain brands stamped on the bottoms). Also, the owner/host was pacing through the restaurant, barking orders at the servers more loudly than any of the other conversations. The overall feel of the dishes and policies was that they were scrimping and cutting corners, which impacted the food and service quality substantially, while hoping that large portions would justify higher prices. Going here was a spontaneous decision, but it's not one I intend to repeat. Pros: large portions, good location Cons: low quality, inflated prices, bad policies, pushy servers more

If this was a fine dining restaurant, I would give it 5 stars. But because it is a crowded, hot, sweaty, local hole in the wall, 4-max.\r \r All of the traditional, staple dishes on the menu (Penne alla Vodka, Penne bolognese) are very tasty. The portions are great and the prices can't be beat. Most dishes are under 15. \r \r This is a great place to bring a couple bottles of wine and enjoy the chaotic throw the food at you deliciousness.\r \r Be prepared to wait in line. Pros: Taste and environment Cons: hot in the summer, cold in the winter more

I have wanted to eat at Fellini's because it has such a great location. After eating there tonight, I wonder how they are able to compete with the other fabulous restaurants in Ardmore. All three members of my party ordered Paninis, only to be told that Paninis are not made for dinner - which is not mentioned on the menu. So then we decided to order two pizzas. We were informed that because three people were sitting at the table, we must order three meals. We considered adding an appetizer to our order, and were told that an appetizer does not count as a meal. After a few minutes, we decided to leave the restaurant, but said we would pay for our drinks. The waitress made a sarcastic and nasty comment to us, although we were trying to be as nice as possible. We attempted to pay for our drinks with a credit card, but you cannot pay with a credit card unless your order is $15 or more. I would not recommend this restaurant, especially given the plethora of other nice restaurants in the area, due to Fellini Cafe's policies that reflect poor customer service. more

I ate here on a Friday night and we had to wait and hour (after ordering) for bad food at high prices. I eat Italian a lot and this was by far the worst. I had to ask for my water to be re-filled and once it was the water tasted like soap and there were bubbles on the top of the glass. The worst part of the restaurant was that they must have been cooking a lot of onions because my eyes were burning and watering the whole night. The wait staff couldn't have cared less about the people who were eating. Pros: We had free appetizers. Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE! more

The food was mediocre at best, but I expected that going in (Looking at the size of the menu alone, there is obviously way too much going on there to be done right). \r More importantly, I have never had worse service, anywhere, ever. Sparing the long, full story I'll skip to the end, as it says it all: I went to pay for my mediocre meal, gave them my credit card, and they never gave it back!! They didn't even have the guts, for a full hour, to tell me they ""lost"" my card. When they did admit it, they said ""don't worry, this kind of thing happens all of the time"". I had to cancel the card. more

Nice little authentic Italian place to eat, but here is my biggest complaint about Fellini's :\r \r The service last time I dined there. Our server "" ARIEL "" was so slow that you would think that he was taking all that time to make sure he got the order right. "" WRONG "" I understand that everyone needs a job, but give me break, if Fellini's continues to hire "" CHARITY CASES "" they soon will have no customers left.\r \r To the owner :\r \r Please make sure that we get professional service next time !\r Pros: Food Cons: Service more

It seems as though one person had one bad experience and feels compelled to condemn the whole chain. Maybe he/she is just a little sensitive. Fellini's is one of our favorite restaurants. I have been there 10 times in the past year and not once have I or my wife ever been disappointed. The service is top notch and courteous, the food is good and the prices are great. The atmosphere lends itself to a traditional Italian feel. The last four times we have dined at Fellini's we were treated with live music, sing-along and free Zambucca at the conclusion of the meal. If you don't like an elbow to elbow dinner than go to Fellini's in Paoli where there is more room or just leave. The point of the restaurant is to generate a family feel. If you do not know this going in, you should have done some more research. I can not stand it when people say ""we walked in and the seating was too close""...hello?? The first time I went to Fellini's I knew what to expect and I knew that I liked that kind of atmosphere. Save yourself the trouble by doing a little reading first. Don't go to the restaurant and then bash it because you were too ignorant to do a little research. I grew up eating home made Italian food and although Fellini's is not my grandmother's cooking, it is still very good. I highly recommend it. Pros: Food, Price, Atmosphere more

I had been to this restaurant several times in the past and had good experiences.\r \r However, this last time I ordered a chicken based meal. After a few bites I realized that the center of the chicken was raw. Sent it back to the kitchen where it appears that they simply attempted to reheat the meal. When it came back, i was still insufficiently cooked in spots. After complaining to the manager that he should take it back, and drop it from my bill, he insisted on bringing out a new entree. \r \r Ultimately it took them three tries to get it right. And they still charged me full price after wasting a considerable amount of my time. And to add insult, the styrofoam container in which my leftovers were placed leaked on the way home, causing a bit of a mess.\r \r I understand that things sometimes go wrong in a busy place. But by serving poorly cooked food twice, and charging me full price for the bad experience, they have lost me as a customer. The offer of a free desert was nice, but not nearly sufficient for wasting of my time and the distress of knowing that I was biting into raw poultry. more