Osteria

Osteria has some of the best pizza, though more expensive than your regular takeout joint. The appetizer's and Primi's were fanastic, but the Seco... more

First of all parking was no problem. We walked in with no reservation, and they sat us at a table. (we would have done just as well at the bar but a seat was a plus) The wine selection was extensive, and very reasonable. (wish they had a couple california wines to choose from but... who cares ) The grilled octopus was very good, a bit sandy, but excellent flavor. I would get it again and again. Next was Pizza, with a baked egg and sausage I believe. Very good flavor, and quite alot to finish. Another winner! Pasta course was awesome, chicken-liver rigatoni with sweet onion. And finally the spit-fire pig special was incredible. I bought my buddy (who own's bistro in Haddon Heights) a gift certificate right then and there. Saving the best for last was the service and atmosphere. Very cool. Very knowledgable. And the bill was like $129 with the vino which was really great. All in all, I don't see how you can ever go wrong at Osteria. And I'm pretty particular about places... Great job Marc! Pros: The staff Cons: Wish I had room for desert! So none I suppose more

Overprice! Overpriced! Overpriced!!!!\r \r The food wasn't bad, but I've had better. I don't care how ""hip,"" how good the service is, but when you walk out of a restaurant still feeling hungry despite having spent a fortune, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!!!!\r \r Food portions were unbelievably chintzy. I ordered a $30 fish dish that came with literally 3 very, very small pieces of meat on the plate that I had to eat very, very slowly to make it last through dinner. The plates that others in my party ordered were not any better. \r \r Don't waste your money on this place. You can have just as good food elsewhere without paying exorbitant (and unjustified) prices! Perhaps I had high expectations, but can you blame me? With those prices? Pros: I tried it! Cons: Never going back! more

I was here on a Saturday night with my boyfriend and two other couples. We have heard great things, but I tend to be very underwhelmed when a restaurant is held in such regard. I do have to admit, the food and service were fantastic. The server was very knowledgeable in the extensive wine selection, and could answer all questions from pairing, flavor- right down to the grape growth and region. The atmosphere of the restaurant was romantic and inviting, we all could carry on a conversation without having to scream over one another, which is usually the case in other establishments. I highly recommend the Parma pizza and Lombarda-( I was skeptic of the baked egg, but to my surprise it was quite tasty!) I tried rabbit for the first time and it was perfectly cooked, the meat was tender and flavorful. The limoncello was a great way to finish off a wonderful meal. All in all it was a great date night for all of us and will be returning again. Pros: Ambience, wine list, service Cons: location, nothing else around in walking distance more

I'm really surprised no one has reviewed Osteria yet!\r \r Osteria is a fantastic restaurant. I've eaten there at least 10 times since they opened a little over a year ago, and I have received incredible food and impeccable service every time. The pizza margherita is my favorite dish on the menu. The ingredients taste really fresh and high quality, which is what I think makes Osteria's brick oven pizza a cut above that of, say, Pietro's in Center City. Another standout is the linguini with lobster special (I hope they're still serving it!) The dessert sorbetti are to die for, especially the black grape flavor. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu; everything is prepared with great care and with the freshest possible ingredients. Great wine list, too, and the staff are knowledgeable and professional without being snooty. Vetri took a chance when he decided to open a fine dining establishment on North Broad, but it the fact that Osteria is packed every week night is any indication, things have worked out well for him. Pros: Consistently excellent food and service, cozy atmosphere Cons: Expensive more

I would highly recommend Osteria. The location may put some people off, but it is actually only half a block north of Spring Garden with tons of parking. The interior is small and intimate (which sometimes makes it hard to get a table without a reservation!) and definitely cozy now that it is becoming cold. We have been twice now and both times we were wowed by the food and service. I loved the wild boar bolognese and the rabbit was perfect. My husband kills the polenta dessert every time! He loves it. The wine list is impressive and the staff is extremely knowledgeable and can help guide you in the right direction. The service was attentive but not overbearing. Overall, fantastic dinner and we'll definitely be back. Make sure to make a reservation! Pros: Diversity of Food Cons: Definitely need a reservation more

Pasta dishes were excellent. Knowledgeable friendly bartender, tasted some very nice wines. My girlfriend had an absolute cosmo and it was $13 (this isn?t nyc!) more

I have eaten there a few times now and each visit is better then the previous. Finally, Philadelphia has a restaurant that takes the risk that you might only find in NY. The chef creativity ranges from a simple margarita pizza with fresh mozzarella to a pizza with homemade sausage, bitto cheese with a sunny side up egg. All of the pastas are homemade, my favorite is the robiola cheese ravioli with chanterelle mushrooms. Definitely, get the whole roasted pig if it is on the menu and the rabbit. Do not be afraid to order the polenta pudding desert it truly is one of a kind, I ordered 2 in one sitting. Also, it is nice to find a great mid priced wine list. I found it nearly impossible to get a reservation at a good time on the weekends so monday's will have to do for now. At first, I was a little apprehensive to venture to North broad. Surprisingly, it is only a couple of blocks from city hall next to a beautiful church and Broad street is extremely well lit with plenty of open parking.\r \r Pros: creative food and wine list Cons: hard to book a reservation more

I go to a lot of restaurants in NY that I think are pretty out of this world but I think Osteria may beat them all. The potato and leek ravioli with chantarelle mushrooms I had was beyond delicious. Also, the desserts-omg. Do NOT leave without trying one. I had a nice wine too-a Barbera that they had by the glass. I was in philly for work and had been to a few restaurants with dissapointing wine lists (because of the liquor laws I was told) so was pleasantly suprised here. My advice to all the postings about service complaints and long waits: sit at the bar. The bartender was really friendly, knowledgeable and made my meal so much more enjoyable. more

I have to disagree with the previous reviews. This place is everything that the professional food critics have been raving about. Osteria is not the sort of food that caters to the masses (hence no herbs in olive oil. It is such good grade of olive oil that it does not need to disguise by herds.) It is true Italian cuisine. The food is simple, yet usually cooked to perfection. Granted every chef has his off days, but I have yet to be disappointed. The two negative things I must mention is the service. There are too many servers to a table. You never seem to get the same person twice, which is annoying when you need a refill on your drink order. The other negative is the wait even when you make a reservation. All in all, the food is usually incredible and up to the expectations that Vetri restaurants are known for. Try to go on a weeknight. It?s not as crowded more

I am totally in agreement with the other reviews on Osteria. We were very disappointed! We had 8:30pm reservations on a Wed. and they didn't seat us until 9:05pm. When we were finally seated we weren't given even the slightest apology or offered a glass of wine on the house. Staff (except for bartender who was very nice) was without much personality. Food was okay, but I certainly wouldn't trek to N Broad for it again. Someone at our table ordered the lobster which was excessively salty. Perhaps the sauce sat for too long and over-reduced. When we told the server about it she said that she had talked to the chef and that it wasn't too salty. I'm not sure that is the best way to earn a return customer! Overpriced and out of the way for what it offers. more

I went to Osteria last night with great expectations given the good reviews and hype, and left majorly disappointed. For one, the location of this restaurant is very unfortunate because it is really not walkable from Center City. The actual space and decor of the restaurant is okay -- I did like the wall that was made up of pieces of wooden wine boxes, but overall nothing about it was too striking. I sat at a 2 person table with my boyfriend and felt like we were far apart. The wait staff was pleasant enough and attentive, but the real problem is that the food is so BLAH! Both my boyfriend and I were uninspired to really try anything on the menu, and we even passed up on our usual appetizer and dessert because nothing looked good. The complimentary bread was decent, but the olive oil they give for dipping had no herbs or spice to it. I ordered the salmon main dish, and even though it was not much food, I did not finish it and was turned off by the fact that it was uncooked through the middle and hard to cut through with my fork. My boyfriend ordered the chicken, and again he did not finish his meal and wanted to tell the people next to us who were also ordering the chicken to ""pick something else""! Another problem I had with this restaurant is that our food came out too quickly and we literally were in and out the door in 40 minutes. At such an expensive restaurant, I want to sit an enjoy my evening. It was very disappointing to have spent so much money on such a quick and unappetizing dinner! I gave this restaurant only 1 star because I thought the wait staff was nice, but I would never recommend it and have already told several people to save their money and go elsewhere! Pros: Service Cons: Food, value more

After reading so many great things about this restaurant, we were excited to try it last night. Didn't have reservations, so sat at the kitchen bar. I don't know if it was a case of having too high expectations, or that we just ordered the wrong things, but we were very disappointed. \r \r Started with a pizza with mushrooms. It was OK, but the crust was toooo thin and it was rather greasy. There was nothing special about it, especially for $18. We shared a few other appetizers: fried mozarella, which was very good; artichokes, which were burnt; polenta that had a gluey consistency; and a pasta and crab salad that was OK, but it contained shells. I told the waiter about it, and he apologized, but did nothing. Didn't take it off the bill or offer us a drink or desert.\r \r It is getting a lot of buzz, but I am not impressed. For the price, it is definitley not a place I would frequent. more

For those who think of homey, tasty, and inexpensive Italian food when hearing ?Osteria? ? well, getting two out of three is not bad if you can afford the prices of Marc Vetri?s second restaurant venture. The warm brown tones of the nicely styled restaurant are inviting and there is an informal and relaxed air in the almost always full restaurant.\r The menu features something for everyone hungry for Italian-style dishes. A wonderful plate of salumi, including lardo, mortadella, intense salami, and nutty prosciutto, is a great starter made even better when nibbling at the same time on the fabulous grissini made in house. For vegetarians, there is a fine array of freshly grilled seasonal vegetables. I never miss the wood-grilled octopus plate, the lightly charred tentacles providing a salty counterpoint to the potatoes on the plate. And then, of course, there are the pizzas: perfectly fired pies with wonderful toppings ? clams, snails, eggplant, or the simpler but perfect margherita. Of the pastas, I could eat a triple serving of the robiola francobolli (stamp-size ravioli), and I like the robustly seasoned gnocchi sardi (the prosciutto makes them nicely salted). I am less fond of the bucatini with testa ragu (finding the ragu a tad bland and the bucatini overcooked).\r Of the main plates, the choices are many. I loved the stuffed bay lamb, the wood-grilled halibut, and the rabbit. The aged rib-eye for two will satisfy the most intense carnivore desire. The wine list is interesting and priced fairly, with many uncommon Italian wines that match the food very well.\r A couple minor complaints ? the saltiness of some dishes is very pronounced and the appetizers plates tend to be quite small for the price. Also, when I ordered the cheese plate, three of the five cheeses were very similar, aged hard cheeses. These are minor quibbles. Jeff Benjamin and Marc Vetri have a winner on N. Broad street and I plan to eat at Osteria as often as my pocket book will allow. Pros: tasty, well-prepared plates with superb ingredients, interesting, fairly-priced wine list Cons: un-Osteria like prices more

We went. Five of us. All but one ordered the pizzas. We waited 75 minutes for the food and the restaurant was only about 1/3 full. We were starting to get upset and the manager informed us that the cook had burned the pizzas. So, we had to wait even longer to get them. The waiter took 30 minutes to get my Diet Coke for me. He also spilled ice cubes all over the floor as he was filling a water glass and a table busser dropped a spoon on me. Then, for dessert, they had only 3 items on the menu. The waiter had to come back to tell us that they had run out of the berry torte! And, to top it all off, while we were there some sort of white substance started spewing out of a vent all over the cappucino machine and the floor. The food editor for the Inquirer and one of the owners were there during the 2+ hours we were there. Maybe that's why they neglected our table. OVERRATED, in a bad location, TERRIBLE service and mediocre food. I've never been more unhappy with a dining experience. more

The main room, the staff, the sommelier, were all great. ? the back room, not so much. We were in the front but our expectations were not met. There were 6 of us and other than the excellent ?Ciareghi? (an in-house made type sausage) with sunny side up egg appetizer, the rest of our meals were ?OK to Good?. This is not what you expect in a place run by Marc Vetri. The ?Lumaca? pizza (snails, spring onions, mozzarella), as well as another snail appetizer were nothing to write home about. The biggest disappointment was the Gnocchi ? it not even being in the same class as his Spinach Gnocchi at his other location. Entrees including the rabbit, chicken and halibut were underwhelming. The lamb was good. With wine, tax & tip around $160 per couple. We?ll return to one of his restaurants again ? but not this one. \r \r Pros: The ""Look"" of the place. Cons: The very ""average"" food. more

I have been to Osteria three times since its opening. Twice I have dined at the bar because it is ridiculously impossible to get a table. On both occasions while dining at the bar the bartenders have been completely miserable and just simply rude. Their lack of dining etiquette and poor service is completely appalling considering it is a ""MARC VETRI"" establishment. A friend who recently had dinner there experienced the same rudeness from the same bartender. One would think at $180.00 for dinner for two people, at the bar nonetheless, that the staff could at least be pleasant to you. One redeeming quality was the female sommelier who was outstanding with her wine recommendations. She very pleasant and hospitable - SHOCKING! more