Unassuming restaurant that can definitely hold its own with some of the top Italian BYOBs in the area! Great wait staff, excellent service, and delicious food! Other recommendations- On my end, I would have a walk beforehand and a sweet wine and a Patootie included! The evening sky was very nice outside by the tables. read more

Www.lanimaphiladelphia.com Yelp's linked website is wrong. I submitted this change. The above is correct. This restaurant has superlative Roman cuisine. Choose a favorite dish? I can't; it was all great. read more

LOVED the food and our experience. The dining area is very cute and we tried four different pastas (all very good). The portions are fair for the price, however I would have liked to add parm to some dishes but that wasn't offered. My favorite pasta was either the gnocchi with mushrooms or the squid ink with seafood (the special, not a staple menu item). Honestly the waitstaff was my favorite part of this experience! They were knowledgeable of everything on the menu and had great recommendations. The tiramisu wasn't the most photogenic, but my favorite thing we had. read more

L'Anima - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Fresh pastas and tartar were very flavorful! Outdoor seating was so nice on a spring day and we have wanted to try since it's right in our neighborhood. Also byob! read more

L'Anima - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Good overall. I got the portabello appetizer and the special pasta (squid ink spaghetti with seafood) and my husband got the beet salad and a seafood dish. It is nice to have dairy free options for him (the cheese was separate in his salad). The mussels in my pasta were a little sandy but it was fairly mild. Service was good. read more

Finally went to L'anima after passing by here so many times and it was great! First of all, the restaurant is so nice inside and they have outdoor seating as well. Service was so nice and welcoming. Our server was a sweetheart and exclaimed the whole menu to us. The food was delicious and tasted very much like classic Italian. All the food is made and prepared fresh and you can taste it in the ingredients. Would definitely recommend L'anima for your next date night! read more

See all

Went here for a neighborhood event. Everything was stellar from the service to playing. They have a broad menu with something for everyone. Kid friendly with beautify interior and patio read more

L'Anima - Tuna tartar - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service was fantastic and it was a nice ambiance, but i just wasn't impressed with the food. We had the octopus appetizer, cacio e pepe and the pesto pappardelle. read more

Had a lovely Friday night experience here with some friends. Was able to make a same-day reservation on OpenTable that was super convenient. The menu isn't too long, but has a nice variety. in our group we got three different kinds of pastas and one of the 'pinsas,' or pizzas for those of us who didn't know. The cacio e Pepe was flavorful, but super heavy - I was glad I was splitting it with somebody because I definitely couldn't have eaten the whole thing. The pizza on the other hand had a nice nice light crust and a good balance between cheese and eggplant and basil. We got tiramisu for dessert - also pretty solid, definitely heavy on the mascarpone compared to the ladyfingers, but overall enjoyable. The ambience is nice, with dim lighting and an all glass exterior so you can see outside. Our waiter was attentive, but not hovering. Overall, a nice night! read more

I've never been disappoint with L'anima. The only thing better than the food is the service. Sydney is absolutely amazing. She's so friendly and caring. The vibe is intimate but not boring or stuffy. Highly recommend! read more

A delightful surprise. I didn't even know this restaurant existed when my friend recommended it. From the moment I pulled up, I was delighted with the aesthetics. The outside courtyard area is beautiful and heated. The interior has been tasteful decorated simple and elegant. Immediately I was greeted by the owner who was more than glad to share the restaurant's history. We were seated promptly. The wait staff was very knowledgeable about the specials and dishes. He made great suggestions based on our taste. Every morsel was delicious. We started with the octopus- Polipo alla Grigio. The pictures don't do it justice, the presentation was great. Then we both couldn't resist ordering Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe as our entree. It was crabmeat, pasta, tomatoes in a chili oil. It was so good, it had a hint of heat and a good portion of crabmeat. We wanted to resist desert but we couldn't. My dining partner has never had affogato, so since I kept telling her how delish it was from my recent trip to France she gave it a try. It was caramel affogato and it rivaled what I had experienced in France. I had a chocolate flourless cake with gelato and pistachios. I didn't want to share it was so good. It was a wonderful dining experience and will definitely return with a bottle of wine, byob. I forgot to mention it was also reasonably priced; it didn't compromise my wallet. read more

See all

Such a lovely dinner at L'Anima. The restaurant has such nice ambiance...warm setting, warm servers, big dining room and on a less hot day (98 degrees in Philadelphia last night) a lovely outdoor patio. We chose to dine inside. Julio was our server and he was lovely and professional and treated us with care. We started the meal with the special for the appetizer which was cantaloupe with prosciutto. It was delightful . I would have never considered this combination but it was so delicious. Summery and sweet and salty. For my main, I enjoyed the pappardelle wild boar bolognese and my friend had the roasted pork tenderloin. Both dishes were excellent. Pasta was al dente, the sauce was rich and flavorful and the meat was tender throughout the dish. My friend said her pork was excellent (served with polenta). We ended the evening with a mixed berry and mint pane cotto. So good! We enjoyed delicious food, great service and an evening well spent while we lingered over our glasses of wine. (BYOB!) Don't skip this one, Philly. You'll be missing out. read more

See all

Our first time here and a lovely little walk to get there. The ambiance and service were top notch. It was really lovely eating outside in the courtyard. My favorite was the bread and the dessert. Hands down the most incredible parts. The entrees were ok. We were excited to eat here as my wife is from the same area in Italy as the chef and the food was very authentic. But severely under-seasoned. It really needed more salt and unfortunately it was one of those restaurants that doesn't give you salt at the table. read more

See all

We've lived right around the corner from L'anima for 2 years, and we finally made it to try out their cuisine! I easily made reservations for me, my husband, and my parents on a Friday night. The inside space is quite large, and they also offer ample outdoor seating. It was a blistering summer day, so we were super grateful to be in the nice AC of the restaurant! The decor is simple yet modern, although not much from the decor screams "Italian restaurant." We did love the large light fixture in the middle of the room (is it pasta? is it octopus tentacles??)! Our service was very attentive during our meal, and our server provided many helpful suggestions. L'anima's menu is small but large enough to showcase some great pastas and more. We all split their seasonal app with corn and crab, which was delightful and fresh for the season. We indulged in the complimentary bread that hit our table prior to our meal coming out, which is always a welcome addition to any meal. The accompanying oil was a nice touch, as well. For mains, I had my eye on the squid ink pasta, which did not disappoint. It was pretty full of tuna, and the simplicity yet complexity of the squid ink infused tonnarelli was excellent. One of the best pasta dishes I've had in Philly! My husband and dad went for the papperdelle with boar bolognese, which they highly regarded. My mom opted for the potato gnocchi - after trying a bite, I was a tad jealous I didn't go for this dish, although I did love mine. The gnocchi weren't too heavy themselves, and they were nicely paired with a light yet somewhat dense cream sauce and many mushrooms. Another of the finer Philly pasta dishes I've tried! On top of our delish pasta, we loved that L'anima was BYOB without a corkage fee (something my parents are not used to in their hometown of Pittsburgh). With the $$ we saved on wine, we were able to enjoy our pastas and app without concern. Overall, we loved L'anima and I would argue that they have some of the finest homemade pasta dishes in the city. I'm only disappointed that it took me so long to get here! I would highly recommend anyone looking for an authentic BYOB Italian restaurant at a reasonable price point. We will definitely be back! read more

See all

We had an event here. I can say from the moment we arrived we were greeted with a smile and nothing but great vibes. The atmosphere is calm and very welcoming. The service was fantastic as well, the waiter was wonderful and very patient with our demands and got everything right. Not to mention he kept bringing out appetizers for us to try "ON THE HOUSE". Now for the food, which is the most important thing to consider, it was AMAZING. I ordered the "bistecca" which is essentially steak and truffle fries. The steak came out just the way I wanted it, medium well, it was flavorful, juicy and cooked perfectly. 10/10. read more

L'Anima - Private event - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

L'Anima offers a stylish atmosphere and exceptional Italian cuisine. The pasta is fresh and flavorful, and the service is top-notch. Highly recommended for a great Italian meal. read more

See all

BYOB restaurant! My faves were the burrata and the gnocchi. The short rib pasta was good too. I didn't love the squid ink pasta. The tuna was good but it felt frozen. Staff was nice and accommodating. read more

See all

Delicious Italian food with excellent service in a nice modern open space. The appetizers, pizzas which some of us shared for appetizers, and pastas were all excellent. I didn't realize until we got there that it is the same ownership as Melograno in Center City, and it is very similar in many good ways. The space is open and comfortable. It's a larger space so the tables are not right on top of one another which was really nice. we came a little early, 6:30 PM for dinner, and so many of the other tables were families with young children. That's neither good nor bad, just likely reflect both the hour and the neighborhood. All in all and excellent dinner and look forward to coming back. read more

We had a great dining experience at L'Anima. Our server was one of the best servers I've had in a long time - super attentive, patient, and knowledgable. He was also very kind and helpful with our restless toddler (brought plain bread for him alongside our seasoned bread, offered to bring his food alongside the app, brought our check quickly when he was ready to get out of there). We felt very welcome and able to enjoy our food when I'm often self-conscious about our toddler making too much noise or mess. Our food was also fantastic - loved the bolognese (super tender, delicious boar), pesto and fish special of the day. Very high quality food - will super happily return! read more

I've been meaning to try this place for years and finally made it this week. My friend & I were seated immediately (we had reservations). It was pretty empty when we arrived, but it filled up quickly. We had already decided to split the octopus since my friend remembered it being delicious when he came a few years ago and it lived up to the memory. It was cooked perfectly and was the perfect portion for two people to split. For entrees, my friend got the squid ink tonarelli with tuna and I got the pasta special of the night- it was pasta with crab in a garlicky-lemon sauce. Both of us loved our entrees. We also appreciated that there was a generous amount of meat in both dishes. We got two desserts to share: the coffee tiramisu and the pistachio gelato with chocolate flan. The chocolate flan was more of a lava cake than flan, but lava cake is always a good idea so no complaints there. We really enjoyed both desserts. Overall, this is a really cozy date spot and we had a good time here. The staff were all wonderful and we didn't have a single complaint about the food. read more

See all

L'anima provides good food, nice ambiance and great service, even amid a Global Pandemic. The name translates to "the soul" in Italian. And it's a BYOB! The outdoor dining was not crowded on a Thursday evening. Perfect when social distancing is a requirement. The restaurant is located on the first floor of a condo building and it's the only nice restaurant within blocks in this residential part of Graduate Hospital. We ordered the Potato Gnocchi Wild Boar Bolognese and the Eggplant Tomato and Mozzarella Pinsa (i.e. Flatbread). Both items were flavorful and delicious. The entree portion size was adequate. The Pinsa is large enough to share and my husband helped me polish it off. read more

See all

Delicious and well-priced BYOB Italian spot. All the staff at the restaurant are friendly and attentive. Had the octopus, burrata, crab pasta, and rose panna cotta. read more

L'Anima - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great service. We went for Valentine's Day they had pre fixe menu $60. BYOB. Food was excellent. The restaurant is big and spacious. Lots of vegetarian options. read more

See all

The food and atmosphere here are fantastic! We got our food so fast! Everything was absolutely delicious they make all their pasta in house! Such a great place for a family dinner and would make a great date night spot! Our server was so friendly and accommodating! I'll absolutely be back! read more

L'anima has been on my list since before COVID and only bubbled up today as we were looking for a new place to try. It did not disappoint us in any way - the Pizza that we tried - Mushrooms and Prosciutto was really good. Roman style thin and crispy but with just enough sauce and toppings! Very tasty. We also tried the Caesar Salad - small - we ordered 2 to share amongst 6. We also tried four different pastas - the special - butternut squash raviolis, the Pappardelle with Wild Boar sauce (our favorite of the four), Cacio de Pepe, and the pasta with crab sauce (our least favorite). Each and every pasta was done to perfection. It was such a nice evening we sat outside in their lovely courtyard - and loved the fact that it is BYOB! We will definitely be back! read more

A lovely space and addition to our Graduate Hospital/South Philadelphia neighborhood. Went for a spur-of-the-moment dinner, after checking availability on OpenTable. Chose to enjoy the decor and air conditioning inside, though the patio seating was appealing--once the Carpenter Green park is completed catty corner to L'Anima, it'll be even more so. Service was pleasant and attentive and the owner was in the kitchen! We enjoyed the house focaccia and olive oil; a Fritturina appetizer (fried Gulph shrimp calamari artichoke caper mayo), which was fried in a delightfully light batter; and two entrees: the Vaccinara pasta dish (pappardelle spices braised oxtail ragu tomato sauce pecorino & cocoa); and the Bistecca (grilled dry aged strip steal cacio pepe fries mushroom trifolati & jus). Great flavors throughout--will definitely return. read more

L'Anima - Bistecca - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Great location, great food and superior service! It's a byob place and they are super accommodative of adjusting the menu in case of any restrictions! I had Squid Ink Tonnarelli pasta and it was delicious! We also tried their tiramisu and it was mouth watering! read more

L'Anima - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You can find my little family at L'Anima almost every Friday night. My husband and I order the pasta and fish specials almost every time we go and we are never disappointed. My six year old could eat their octopus appetizer by the pound. We are met with a smile and fantastic service every time we go and they treat us like family. We are so thankful for L'Anima and what it's brought to our neighborhood and family. Oh, and their bread... YUM! read more

Lovely Italian spot. Parked at the Target and had we kept it to 90 minutes the parking would have been free! I had the grilled branzino which was excellent. The rest of the group had the pasta (maybe paparadelle?) with beef and also delicious, and the chicken that was like deconstructed chicken parm. Very crispy and delicious. Perfect spot on the way home from the stadiums! read more

Been coming here pretty regularly over the past few years and the food is amazing every time. It's such a great neighborhood spot. Love the grilled octopus and pasta amatriciana. read more

I've been going here for a few years now and it is always outstanding! Such a cute spot for a date night or a large group or family night with kids. Great food and service. read more

This restaurant is tucked away at 17th and Carpenter. Nice BYOB restaurant that has outdoor seating. We were seated immediately and they provide bread and olive oil to start. Here's what we ordered: - Panzanella: Poached calamari with cucumber, tomato, and bread. Calamari was nice and tender. Overall good dish, but would've removed the bread (esp since they give you some) - Cacio e Pepe: great dish. Enjoyed the simple flavors of the cheese and fresh cracked pepper. Pasta was nicely cooked - Gnocchetti al Nero - squid ink gnocchi - my first time trying it. I'd probably prefer the regular gnocchi myself, but this was fresh. - Thunnus - tuna pizza - great crust and good portion Porchetta - roasted pork belly with Brussels sprouts. Pork was super crispy. It has a sweetness component from the amaro. Overall, not a bad place. Kitchen was a little slow to get the mains out, but a nice BYOB otherwise. read more

See all

Not only is the food just utterly amazing the vibe is always great! Not over pretentious at all but super simple yet cute decor... We've always gone for something special and I would love to talk to who does the hiring, every server we have had has been non annoyingly wonderful! Love this place! read more

I enjoyed my dinner at L'anima. It's slightly weird how it's the only restaurant in a large graduate hospital neighborhood area with all houses and apartments surrounding it. But it was still a really good Italian byob spot. I love byob's and they don't charge a corking fee either, which is nice. We ordered the cheese and meat plate to start. It was your typical cheese and meat/ prosciutto plate. Nothing too special or exciting, but it was a good portion size. I then ordered the pesto pappardelle with scallops and my friend ordered the gnnochi with truffle and mushrooms. We then shared the chocolate cake for dessert. I liked my pasta dish. You can tell they make their pasta homemade and the scallops in my dish were cooked well. My only complaint was that it was slightly cold/room temperature by the time I got my dish. It just wasn't hot like it had just been cooked, so I'm not sure how long it was sitting out until I finally got my dish. My friend's gnnochi was really good (I had a bite). The chocolate Cake was also good, similar to a chocolate lava cake. It seems like a good Italian spot for neighborhood locals. read more

See all

From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with a warm smile and attentive staff. The outdoor seating is colorful and inviting. The restaurant is BYOB, so we brought whiskey and pinot noir. We asked for a glass of ice which they brought out quickly and refilled when it melted. We skipped the appetizers and got three mains to share family style. We tried the Mint Pappardelle Lamb sausage Ragu whipped Lioni Ricotta, the Squid Ink Tonnarelli Tuna Nduja Turnip Green muddica' herb bread crumb, and the Grilled Branzino Calamari & Shrimp saute' Escarole. For dessert, we shared the Dark Chocolate Almond cake Fiordilatte gelato Amaretto crema. There was so much attention throughout the meal. We asked for our pasta dishes first, and the dishes were promptly removed when we were done eating. Extra plates and nee utensils were brough tout as we changed courses. Our wonderful waiter noticed our table was wobbly, and brought over a table wedge without us having to ask. We didn't feel rushed at all throughout the meal. Ice buckets were available for those who brought chilled wine, and they had trending pop music playing. Overall, this was a very fun restaurant that I'd recommend for fun weekday dinner for others visiting Philly! read more

See all

L'anima was L'a-mazing. Very neat seating and reservation process was quick and painless through open table. Was very happy with our server who was OG from the Bronx! Very attentive and friendly. Also, BYOB! Brought 3 bottles and dinner was cheaper than ever for a table of 5. What we snagged: -Gnocchi -Squid ink pasta -Eggplant Parm (smaller than anticipated...still dope) Overall, we'll be back. Unfortunately, I have NO pictures! Food was SO good we dove in as soon as it hit the table. Next time, there will be pictures! read more

We finally tried L'anima for dinner and it did NOT disappoint. My partner knew he was getting the wild boar pappardelle before we even showed up; I was split between the pesto pappardelle and the special pasta of the day (linguine, crab, spring vegetables of some kind, lemon cream sauce was my recollection) - end up with the pesto. Both of our dishes were incredible - pasta was perfect and the sauces were delicious (I think my pesto won). We also shared the artichokes (side) - yummy! - and the meatball starter, also really good (and not dry at all, as other reviews have said; polenta was also great). Ended with a cappuccino for my partner that I kept stealing sips from. Excellent, reasonable meal. We found portions to be right for us, but we're small eaters. Knocked down to 4 stars for ambience (it's pretty bland/neutral/minimalist inside) and service. One of our servers was also in charge of a very large birthday party on the patio, so was a little rushed (we don't blame her for that, but management might want to consider it) - and also VERY soft spoken, I had to repeat what she said for my partner. We will be back to try other dishes and sit on the patio! read more

My husband and I moved to the neighborhood back in September and walk by this place frequently to get to the shopping center at Broad/Washington. This week, we finally decided it was time to actually eat here. We made a reservation the weekend before and there were plenty of times available. When we arrived, there were only 1-2 tables being used and I thought perhaps we didn't need the reservation -- WRONG! It filled up SO quickly outside while we were there with the great weather. Since we were there before the rush, we got to pick a table in the sun. Our server, Adam, came over to greet us, opened our wines (BYOB!), and helped us level our table. We ordered the special appetizer (a corn crab fritter with ricotta), the meatball appetizer, and we had a "pasta party" (Adam's words, I loved it) with the wild boar bolognese for my husband and the pesto for me. First we were brought some bread -- it was a dense bread, just a little stick of it for each of us, drizzled in olive oil. It was a nice palate cleanser and not overly filling. Husband ordered more because the man has no chill when it comes to free bread. The corn crab fritter was amazing. Hands down the best dish of the night. It was so crispy on the outside and the crab really shined. I never would have thought to combine crab, corn, and ricotta but I'm also not a chef so hey. The meatball was great -- I loved the polenta on the bottom. For the pasta party -- both used pappardelle pasta but the wild boar bolognese was the winner in our opinion. The pesto was very good but possibly a little bland of a meal texturally; the bolognese was super flavorful and the sauce/pork added lots of texture to the floppy pasta noodles. The portion sizes were perfect and we were pretty full but still had room for dessert. Adam recited the menu and the special (which he said was rare that they would even have for desserts) was marinated strawberries with gelato and cream like a parfait topped with salted caramel -- this sounded delicious and light to put on top of all the pasta, so we had to try it. It was pretty big and the proportions of fruit to cream/gelato were perfect. Overall, this was a lovely dinner. I scoped out some other tables that seemed to order the cotoletta, cacio e pepe, etc. and everything looked delicious. We used to live right above a BYOB italian place in Center City that was our go-to for italian and I think this will be our new go-to for our new neighborhood for sure! read more

See all

The vibe is great especially outdoor with byob being a major plus. Flatbread pizza is good and the gnocchi is amazing but slightly small

STEVIE J. be feelin' like a l'ANIMAL @ L'anima on a FRYDEEE NIGHT IN LATE NOVEMBER! OHHHH WHAT A NIGHT!!!! oh what an **average night!! Not often does Stevie the Janowski find himself wandering the streets of what these silly millennials would call "South Philly" -- but on this particular nipply November evening, I was feeling extra adventurous! Hence, Stevie J. leisurely strayed far, far away from his usual locale and traversed along Washington Ave.....with high, high hopes of finding warmth and deliciousness on the random corner of 17th & Carpenter. l'Anima sits patiently on a quaint corner of a newly renovated 17th street, located alongside a load of entirely overpriced apartments masked by those over popular and convincingly fancy front stairways and fake facades lathered in steel colored MODERNE paint. Albeit 8pm on the start of the FREAKIN WEEKEND after an arduous week of gettin day bread, there was no issue obtaining a coveted rezzy. The resty was ~40% full. Solid ambiance overall and very nice waiting staff - #BLESSED & #GREATFUL as always. As I sat their pondering the fish and noodle options on a simple yet sneaky sophisticated menu, I couldn't help but wonder -- is this.....an Italian restaurant...or a seafood place??!!? OH how confusing! But heck, it's BYO, so who cares! As the knowledgeable waiter performed his opening monologue and over explains a few specials - 1 soup, 1 salad, 1 entree - he effortlessly uncorked my juicy $13 bottle of red wonder happy juice! I was informed that "Chef Luca from Rome" was holdin' down the pots and pans in the kitch -- ah!! Italian, I see!! This followed with a impulse order of an appetizer of mussels and two pasta dishes loaded wit cacio e pepe and some sort of oxtail ragu. Plus, a lil' somethin' somethin' to fill my belly at the end -- a salted Carmel Talenti ice cream?? Possibly!! The pricing was reasonable, at $16 for a pasta entree (if you want to spend that dough, you can get a sea bass -- kick your a--- I was craving the pasta personally)...AND, pasta is homemade!! +1 for Gryffindor!! VERY VERY nice, attentive and polite servers, a wonderful bubbly hostess, and quality tasting food relative to the price. As Philly Mag had stated - "2 stars, come if you're in the neighborhood." STEVIE JANOWSKI echoes that sentiment! Would I venture out of my way to go back next week? Probably not....Would I be itching to revisit in a few months?!?! Nah....Would I go with a larger group or dine again if I found myself standing on that corner?! SURE! Great spot for groups -- laid back, casual and easy. AND YO! THEY GOT DAT BREAD AND OIL WAITIN FOR YA! - $$ STEVIE J. $$ | WE OUTCHEA read more

L'Anima - CACIO E PEPE! - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania