Food was good, solid, but not outstanding like I can't wait to go back again. It's no better than typical Italian restaurants and for the price, expensive, I would have expected better, and maybe bigger portions read more

Le Virtu - Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Le Virtu is home to a fantastic dining experience in South Philly. My friend and I came here on a Sunday at 4:30pm (we had made a reservation ahead of time) for their Sunday/Monday Supper deal ($35 for one Antipasto, Primo, Secondo, and Biscotti). First, we received warm bread and olive oil, which was a nice, complementary start to the meal. For my Antipasto selection, I got the Palotte cac' e ove (egg and pecorino croquettes, tomato, and basil) which were so delicious with a great depth of flavor. For my Primo choice, I got the Maccheroni alla mugnaia (single-strand pasta, hot peppers, garlic, and olive oil) which came with more hot peppers and chili oil on the side. I thought the hot peppers that came in the dish itself were just enough to not overpower the other flavors, but others with a spicier palate might want to add more heat. My favorite dish was in Secondo - I ordered the Scrippelle (ricotta-filled crepe, eggplant, tomato, and pecorino) and it was DELICIOUS. The crepes were so delicate and the filling was so simple, but the dish just really hit the spot. To finish the meal, we received a plate of 4 small cookies for the two of us to share. They were buttery and tasty, and they also helped get the overwhelming taste of garlic out of my mouth. Service was good and the ambience inside was cozy. It was a chilly night so we sat inside, but the outside patio space was adorable and looked like a great place to dine during warmer weather! Overall, I highly recommend Le Virtu for delicious Italian food on Passyunk. read more

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Terrific evening with friends. Creative and traditional melded into some beautiful dishes served by a truly professional staff in a lovely space. Bravo! read more

I'll bend over backwards to keep my restaurant options open as pandemic fatigue has clearly set it. Never a fan of outdoor dining, I have made some accomodations as in, that's me sitting in some hastily constructed patio flop sweating into my Ceasar Salad. One thing I will not do however, is languish in the middle of the street on folding chairs inches from vehicular traffic and a steady stream of oblivious pedestrians while $50 pp flows out of my wallet. Welcome to Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia, the current home of on-trend asphalt dining. Definitely, not my scene - except, for a hidden gem called Le Virtu. Spectacular Italian is to be had on a cloistered patio that could have easily been shipped in from Tuscany. We did a price fixe for four that while not inexpensive summoned no complaints and left everything extremely satisfied. Considering cost, the service was professional, knowledgeable and warmly accomodating as dinner easily drifted past the two hour mark. My Salad DiMare and plate of Taccozzelle sauteed in truffles and homemade sausage was exquisite. The humidity caused a slight deviation to beer over the suggested wine pairings. A decision not regretted in the least. Le Virtu, a beautiful end of Summer dining idyll in the middle of Philadelphia's asphalt jungle. Five stars with pleasure. read more

Excellent restaurant on South Philly's diagonal Passyunk Avenue, with nice mix of outdoor and indoor dining. The menu is imaginative and great for wine-pairing. read more

My definition of five stars is that it's worth driving across town for. That's La Virtu. The locale is beautiful -- or as they say in Philadelphia, "BU-tee-full." Kateri, our server, was great. She had real opinions about the dishes and steere us to three options that we loved. After drinks -- a Negroni and a Broad Street -- we started with 'palotte cacio' (cheese and egg balls in a tomato sauce), an iconic Abruzzo dish.I'd never even heard off palotte cacio before. They were terrific. For the pasta course we had fettucine in a sauce of spring greens, garlic, walnuts, and parmigiano reggiano -- the lightest, most wonderful pasta sauce I maybe have ever had in my life. It was so good we considered going back the following night. The segundo was a swordfish, shrimp and various shellfish in a wonderful tomato and pepper broth. Think San Francisco-style cioppino minus the potatoes, but way tastier. At a certain point the manager opened the double doors to the courtyard and the meal got even better. This was a lovely evening -- great food, lovely ambience, great service and even better company. And that's why we Ubered across town to eat at La Virtu. LV and the Barnes Foundation were the highlights of our visit to Philadelphia. read more

Le Virtu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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i've been trying to come here and i finally got to but it seemed like they had a limited menu due to covid. we got the zucchini blossoms and insalata to split between 4 girls. zucchini blossoms were great but there were only 4 of them, i was expecting a couple more for the price i got the tagliatelle, it was good but compared to the other south philly italian restaurants in the area, for that price i expected more in quantity. so if you're someone that likes to eat a lot, you might leave hungry here. my friend who's 100 pounds ate her whole plate of pasta so that's saying something. all in all i'd give this place a 3.5 there's lots of great italian in philly and for $50 (including tip) i got a glass of wine, pasta (none for leftovers), 1 zucchini blossom and 1/4 of a salad. i think i would get more value down the street! read more

Le Virtu - tagliatelle - tasty but nothing special. small quantity - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Was once good. Went down hill fast. They lost all of their good chefs. Even speaking to other people that used to dine there I realized that it wasn't just e read more

3.5 for food, 4.5 for service, 4 for wine selection and ambience. I came here for an early dinner on New Years Eve with my wife and sister. It was not very packed. The host was very nice. The entrance was through the back/side patio which entered into an interior hallway. I thought that was strange. But the dining area was nice, spacious and comfortable. The server greeted me promptly. She was very knowledgeable of the menu, and made some great recommendations for wines by the glass. The Montepulciano d' Abruzzo red wine I ordered was one of the best I've had in Philly. For appetizers, we ordered the cheese plate, the mussels and the roasted potatoes (which is technically a side). The potatoes were our favorite of the three. The mussels broth needed more salt. The cheeses were ok, but not strong or flavorful enough for our preference. The bread they served was fresh and delicious, especially the focaccia. For dinner I got the lamb ragu with spaghetti. My wife got the white pork and truffle ragu with Taccozelle. My sister got the Tagliatelle pasta with rock shrimp and lemon butter. We all liked our meals, but none of us loved them. The pasta on all of the dishes were cooked perfectly, but the sauces needed more salt and flavor. The portions were OK. With three apps and three pasta dishes, we were quite full. The star of the show was the panna cotta. Hands down the best panna cotta I ever had. My wife typically does not like panna cotta but she loved this one. The fresh strawberries and crushed almonds gave it a perfect tender to balance the creaminess. I would come back just for the panna cotta. It's that good. Overall, good experience. I'd recommend for a date night if you want some delicious Italian wine and good dessert. read more

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I honestly didn't have high expectations for this place but the Taccozzelle pasta was so good! Especially if you love mushroom and truffle like I do. It was a wider noodle almost like lasagna noodles and tasted like egg noodles. It was a perfect date night spot. They have a huge outdoor patio that's covered and lights up at night. They also had a nice musician duo playing during a Saturday night. I would recommend making reservations because it does it packed at dinnertime. My bf had the pasta that was on specials for the night but I unfortunately don't remember the name of it. It was still very good! read more

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Overall my experience was a good one. The staff does everything they can to help out and make you comfortable. The appetizers were good. The bread was good, the olive oil severed with it was exceptional. Unfortunately there a few issues that I saw. First, the appetizers they serve; the fried olives & arancini are nowhere near authentic. There is no lemon zest in Olive all'ascolana ever. Not sure where they got that. Second, I order the Chitarra frentata with "ragu". The reason for the quotes around ragu is that it wasn't ragu at all. The Chitarra was extremely overcooked, not even holding it's shape to be spun onto the fork. The "Ragu" was more akin to tomato water with a boiled sausage and some bone-in meat. The water content was much higher than any sauce or even soup should contain. To call this authentic Italian is too much of a stretch. I do not understand all the rave reviews for their food. I couldn't finish my pasta plate. I finished my dinner off with the Lamb, which was surprisingly well cooked. I would have given this a 1 star had it not been for the staff. Unfortunately the chefs here either do not care or have no idea how to cook Italian food. I won't be coming back, even with their exceptional wait service. You can get much better Italian food for a much cheaper price at many other places in the city. read more

I have heard so many rave reviews of this restaurant, so I was really excited to finally try it and maybe add it to my list of favorite restaurants. I came during the Passyunk Restaurant Week with one other person. It was a great way to sample a variety of their dishes. I was pleasantly surprised that their RW menu featured a 4-course dinner rather than the typical 3-course offerings elsewhere. However, it seemed that the dishes were either a hit or a miss, with little in between, and leaving much to be desired. For the 1st Course, we ordered the calamari and mussels and the egg and cheese croquettes. The appetizers came out rather quickly, almost immediately after our bread basket came. The croquettes were seasoned well and were tasty, and covered in a delicious sauce. The calamari and mussels were delicious and had a great depth of flavor. However, I would probably only order the calamari and mussels dish again. The second course had only pasta options. For the sake of variety, we opted not to order the pasta dish for two, instead we ordered the Maccheroni alla Chitara, which was a braised lamb ragu with handmade pasta, and the sausage-mushroom ragu pasta (the name escapes me as the menu differs from the one listed on the RW website). The Maccheroni was very al dente, slightly dry, and rather salty. However, the other dish was spectacular!!! I CANNOT EXPRESS THIS ENOUGH. The pasta was in flat, thick sheets, which were soft, but chewy. The sauce was seasoned beautifully, extremely creamy, and filled with flavor from the sausage and mushrooms. The third course was the worst of the whole meal and honestly, ruined the entire dinner for me. This is where Le Virtu truly let me down, especially after I had that amazing pasta dish. We ordered the skate fish and the porchetta entrees. The skate was cooked well, but the filet and its accompaniments were woefully bland and nothing special. The portion was also extremely small compared to the porchetta. The porchetta was WAY overcooked to the point of it being dry and tough. It was even difficult to cut and chew. It was accompanied by a watery polenta that had no flavor. The best part of the dish was the three stalks of broccoli rabe on the plate. For the final dessert course, we ordered one of each, the chocolate olive oil cake and the panna cotta. Both were delicious, but I enjoyed the cake more. It was decadent, but had a pistachio gelato that went well to tone down the richness of the ganache and cake. The panna cotta was also great in taste, but lacked in execution. It was not set, and when it arrived, it was more like a sweet, creamy soup. Besides the food, I felt that the service was lacking. Never were we asked if we wanted refills of our beer or another drink. When our bread basket was finished, we were not asked if we would like more. Our water for most of the night were left empty, until we prompted the staff to refill our glasses. And at a restaurant of this caliber, when there are large/significant amounts of crumbs/food droppings on the table, they should attempt to remove or crumb the table. For a restaurant with dishes at this price range and reputation, I had higher expectations not only for their food, but their customer service. There are plenty of other options around the city for great, authentic Italian food at the same or even LOWER prices, and I will be sticking to those. At least I can say I tried it, but I probably will not be going again anytime soon, unless it is for that one pasta dish! read more

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Le Virtu is one of my favorite hidden gems on Passyunk! We've been here both pre and post covid and have been impressed every time. The staff has always been nice and accommodating and the courtyard is the best for a romantic South Philly date night. Let's start with drinks - I always get a bottle of Montepulciano or Lambrusco. Both are great. I've ordered cocktails here a few times (typically a Negroni or Old Fashion) and have never been overly impressed, I'd say stick with wine. The Affettati Misti is hands down my favorite appetizer - it's enough for a group of 3 or 4 to share, or the burrata is always a good bet as well. The pasta here is so good I've honestly never bothered to order anything else for an entree. They rotate the menu pretty often but some of my favorites from seasons past are the Summer Pasta (it was sweet corn and zucchini), Hazelnut Gnocchi, and Taccozzelle with Pork Sausage Ragu. Pros: Cute courtyard, yummy homemade pasta, good wine. Cons: Cocktails are just OK, can be a little pricey for the serving size. read more

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East Passyunk Restaurant Week review~~ We arrived at 5:35 for our 5:45 reservation time, and the restaurant was not crowded. The host at the front almost looked annoyed when we arrived 10 minutes early, but sat us anyway. Then after being seated, the waiter did not make eye contact when engaging us at the table. Okay, maybe this is just a bad start... could it get better? It did for the time being... the bus girl brought over some lovely bread and olive oil to dip. She had a sweet demeanor. Our appetizers we chose for the RW menu included the polpette all' abruzzese (beef/veal meatballs) and the palotte cac e ova (croquettes). These both were very flavorful and by far our favorite bites of the night. We would recommend these choices. On to the entrees. The portions are small and in my opinion, leave you wanting important components of a "meal" i.e. starch/vegetable. We ordered the taccozzelle (pork sausage and mushroom pasta) and the chicken all'Abruzzese (pan roasted chicken). The chicken dish was 2 small pieces of chicken in a slightly spicy sauce (the sauce was tasty); and the taccozzelle pasta was lacking in the main ingredients that were listed on the menu (+ a quite frankly bland taste). We were underwhelmed. While waiting for our dessert, the delightful bus girl brought us another round of bread because we were hungry! Thank goodness for this because the RW dessert tiramisu portion was laughable. Taste, yes was good, although the spoonful of dessert just closed up our feelings about the experience. The take away- Pros: bread, wine, appetizers Cons: portion sizes, incomplete dishes, cost, stuffy personalities read more

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The quintessential "middle of the road" restaurant. Menu was okay, somewhat limited, but as the kitchen staff was not at all skilled beyond pan-warmers, this was a wise decision. Service was just there, no engagement, enthusiasm, it was very clear that they were there to get you your food, bill and grab 20%, although I have to admit, there was nothing about the entire restaurant that would enthuse anyone to come in and give anything other than baseline effort. Essentially, this is what happens when the owner loses interest in the venue and is content with leaving everything in the hands of unskilled illegal aliens. I do have to say the price was a little on the high side (2 cocktails, 1 beer, 1 wine, 1 aperitif, 3 aps and 2 pasta entrees for $191, but that's our economy today.) Good, not great, I wouldn't recommend choosing a lot of add ons (aps, cocktails, desserts, etc. - it'll double your bill and isn't worth it) but if you've got a sharp eye, not a bad place for a non-descript, middle of the week, unmemorable choice. read more

My wife had dinner this past Saturday night and had a wonderful meal. We had the Ceppe ai funghi (short pasta/mushrooms) and Fazzoletti al ragu' d'anatra (ribbon noodles/duck ragu). The fresh pasta was superb and the other ingredients were very flavorful. We also had a side of Pure' di fave which was delicious - the fava puree had the consistency of mashed potatoes but with the added flavor of the kale and croutons. Service was fine and our only disappointment was there was no outdoor seating available when we got there. read more

Our favorite place to take visitors for a nice meal! Delicious food, great service, and lovely ambiance (both their outside patio and inside). We always get the burrata, and there are plenty of other tasty dishes. read more

This is the first restaurant I visited in person in the pandemic era. They did a fantastic job with social distancing between all the tables, mask wearing and even had a 6 foot line markers outside. I felt so comfortable that I came back with family a couple weeks later. The manager was wonderful and helped me out when I needed a bigger table for more guests. As soon as they had an opening they called me and let me know they could accommodate the extra people. I really appreciated it! On to the food - the pasta with long hots is an EXPERIENCE. it is deliciously spicy and tangy from the cheese, and is one one long 4 foot piece of pasta. This is a bit odd but it was the most fun I have had eating something in a long time. Brodo and the chicken were excellent as well. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the eggplant crepe. It had a delicious red sauce but the crepe itself was soggy. Add in an excellent dessert menu and wine/cocktail list and this is perfect outdoor dining in the dumpster fire that is currently our lives. read more

Le Virtu - Outdoor seating - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I went a few months back(September) but the experience is still as fresh on my mind as the food. If you're into the southern Italian, this is a must. Every single thing I had was exquisite. Our service was also excellent, I believe the gentleman's name was Al and I'm sorry that I did forget but he was Hispanic, Latino or middle eastern about 6 ft tall. He was a killer host. I felt like I just met the guy but he was a friend and a true stud in the hospitality game. We closed the place down and while I was fully aware, and continued to remind my party, he was extremely gracious. I'm also a server, so usually it's difficult for me to dine without critiques on everything but I just plainly didn't have a single one. Perfect experience. 10/10 To my server, if you read this, I'm sorry for the late review and I forgot your name but I look forward to dining with you again, I won't forget your face! read more

I was in Forida when I saw that Le Virtu added a rabbit dish to the menu...went there this past Tuesday...my grandfather, Cheech who was from Abruzzo used to make a roast rabbit that I will never forget...Le Virtu's new rabbit dish was absolutely fabulous...the rabbit came off the bone and I could not use enough bread to soak off the sauce that it rested in...love this restaurant, the owners and staff Frank Cheech Natale read more

The ambiance here is so lovely. The outside seating is gorgeous. I love sitting outside! The Apertivo event on Sundays is extra special. It's easy to get carried away with the wine selection but totally worth it. The staff is very friendly, great service. A must-visit! read more

During my first East Passyunk residency Le Virtu was the first place that ever had me falling in love with arancini during a community event, and it was the first South Philly outdoor eating area that I became absolutely enamored by! During a few Witchcraft Bar crawls I managed to partake in a brew or two in it elegant barroom, and it was always a highlight for me during Flavors of the Avenue. But despite such fabled rendezvouses that transported me to Abruzzo, Le Virtu was one of those spots that I failed to pay a proper dining visit to during my first residency, which is something that I was looking to rectify during my second. Especially when I caught glimpses of the tantalizing pastas that Joe Cicala puts together, and savored his pizza over at Brigantessa! So when Sari mapped it out as one of the restaurants to visit before leaving for Charlotte, I knew I was there. And it lead to what might just be the best pasta meal that I ever experienced! Going with a group of four or more friends means that dinner is perfect for sharing, and when it comes down to it that family style sharing with the as much masterfully made pasta as possible is the best way to enjoy Le Virtu. to start we were blown away by impeccably grilled and perfectly marinated grilled lamb skewers. Since the stinging nettles part of the Fazzoletti weirded us all out a bit, but the cocoa braised guinea hen sausage tantalized us, we decided to order it as an app, and it delivered the first incredible bite of pasta out of the many to come. For mains our group split the Triangoli al ragu with braised rabbit, the Taccozzelle all'aquilana (without the Abbruzze style sausage for our non-pork eating friend), and the astounding Maccheroni alla chitarra black & white pasta served with wild gulf shrimp, as well as another pasta dish that escapes me. Splitting each dish led to full on flavor, but the stand out fo me was definitely the impressive presentation that went into the Maccheroni. Desser was also on the menu in the form of an orange almond cake w/ chocolate ganache, a strawberry marscarpone filled fried pastry, a vanilla cake with lemon chantilly cream and blueberry sauce, and an DECADENT Nutella ricotta cheesecake with toasted hazelnuts; and all of the above were as delicious as they sound! With an innovative but traditional pasta menu that rotates with the seasons a rotating draft beer & solid wine list, and what might be the best outdoor eating area in South Philly, Le Virtu is definitely one of those spots that are a must to enjoy! read more

Le Virtu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5Scrippelle: Ricotta-filled crepe, eggplant, tomato, pecorino. Highly recommend, these were absolutely delicious!! 2Chestnut gnocchi: Chanterelle mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano. Mushrooms made this dish. The chestnut flavored gnocchi was a little too earthy tasting if you ran out of mushrooms, but had good texture. 4NJ scallops: Squash puree', piccante citrus vinaigrette. Light and fresh appetizer. Scallops were cooked well and the citrus vinaigrette paired nicely. Has a light kick. 4Formaggi: Selection of Abruzzese and local cheeses, girasole honey. The pretzel looking stocks are actually little cookies which really brought up the flavor in the ricotta cheese. The honey was also very tasty, we asked for more! read more

Le Virtu - Scallops and Cheese Plate - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I've had quite a few dishes from this restaurant. I know this isn't very Italian of me, but I'd skip the mains (always have been mediocre) and only focus on the pasta. THE PASTA... is everything. Also, the 'Merigan cocktail may have been my favorite take on the classic Manhattan that I've ever had. We've had incredible and OK experiences here. Giving 5 stars just for the pasta. One constructive criticism was when we ordered the cheese plate, we had to keep flagging down the bread person and every time they'd give us each a tiny piece of bread. That was pretty frustrating. Preferably the cheese plate itself would contain all the bread needed. read more

I'm gonna preface this and say that I'm a little too rough around the edges to fully appreciate all the things Le Virtu has to offer, or maybe this rotation of menu items didn't suit my palette. I think my boyfriend and I ended up getting 3 and a half courses (the pasta course is ambiguous). We started with their regular croquettes, full of cheese and smothered in this divine tomato sauce. I wish we had more than four, but I guess if you're going to fit in 3 more courses, you can't fill up on carbs. Speaking of carbs, they start you off with house-made baguettes that come out warm, and dipping them into the leftover sauce is a bucket list item. Our pasta was the Taccozzelle all'aquilana, a homemade handkerchief pasta that was perfectly al dente, lightly coated in a creamy veal ragu that made me wish I got that for my entree. We ate that pretty quickly. For the actual meal, I got the Polletto and he got some kind of pheasant dish. My dish was basically a whole glazed cornish hen with some brussel sprouts on top of a sweet potato mash. This was unfortunately my least favorite dish of the night since I felt like the chicken wasn't evenly seasoned and the brussel sprouts felt oily. He seemed to like his dish, so I guess it makes up for it. Our dessert was awesome! We ordered the Tortino al cioccolato to share, and not only was the slice huge, but the cannoli cream just made me want a dozen cannoli. There was no way we could have ever finished two desserts. The ambiance was good, though the neighboring company was a little loud after a few drinks, but at some points it felt a little stuff. Like I said, I'm probably not the best person to appreciate a place like this, but who knew Passyunk was hiding fancy digs? read more

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I had heard soooo much about this place so I figured it was time for my husband and I to make our way there. We got all cute for a Saturday date night and arrived to our reservations only to find they were requiring vaccination cards in order to eat indoors. I think it was one of the first days some restaurants had started requiring such. It'd be nice for restaurants to say their requirements on their website or via Open Table so that folks can decide if they're going to bring the cards or eat elsewhere but now I know to have them and/or call ahead. So, we had to eat outdoors -- the ambiance on the deck was beautiful. My husband has a way of making me feel like the only woman in the world and the seating and lighting in the outdoor space helped too. Alright let's get down to it. The wine I had was spectacular. I regretted not getting the whole bottle though I could barely pronounce the name of the wine lol. We ordered octopus, squid ink pasta with scallops and branzino. Here's where it hurts. The food was just okay - nothing to write home about. Very meh. We liked the cook on the octopus and the branzino but the rest of the components were unremarkable. Not sure we'd return - Le Virtu seems like one of those places that you gotta go to at least once and that's all. Thanks for a good date night. read more

Le Virtu - Squid ink pasta with scallops. Meh. - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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tl'dr an unpretentious Italian cucina channeling quaint decor and specializing Abruzzese cuisine Le Virtu claims a niche in the city of Philadelphia by drawing culinary inspiration specifically from Italy's Abruzzo region -- this boils down to bread, pasta, meat, cheese, and wine. The restaurant itself offers a mix of traditional artifacts and more modern, but still characteristically Italian, prints. Exposed brick and copper lamps greet you as you first walk in, and rustic tones and dark thick wood tables bring you back to Italy. The dining area is separated into two rooms -- one open area facing the kitchen and a side room with darker tones and mood lighting. At 5:30 on a Monday, the restaurant was in the calm-before-the-storm phase, and the service was quick. My partner and I settled on the Prawns and the Lamb Arrosticini to kick off our meal. Within a matter of minutes, warm bread in a carved-wood bowl was brought out, quickly followed by our appetizers. For the prawns, the tartness of the citrus-peperoncino vinaigrette and fresh orange slices gave a nice flavor to our nicely grilled shrimp. Meanwhile, while the lamb was simply executed, cut into chunks and cooked on a skewer, it delivered a juicy, fragrant bite. For our entrees, we shared the Scrippelle and the Chicken All'Abruzzese. The scrippelle consisted of 3 buttery, ricotta-filled crepes, served with a rich Alfredo and fresh marinara. What the dish lacked in texture, it made up for in its comfortable, nostalgic flavors. The chicken, on the other hand, was moist and juicy, served in a clay pot with a spicy broth and stewed red peppers. I found myself dipping bread into the dish to soak up as much of the robust broth as I could. We finished with the Panna Cotta and Semifreddo dolci. The panna cotta was creamy and sugary, but I wish it had more small brown-butter crumble to give the dessert more texture. The semifreddo was a cross between ice cream and mousse, topped with chopped pistachios for crunch and whole cherries that burst in your mouth with flavor. For a shade below $90, we enjoyed one of the better Italian restaurants in Philadelphia. My own gripe is that, while all of the dished were good, none of them stood out to me as something I would go out of my way to get again. Still, it's worth a try at least once if you're searching for a reliably good Italian spot. read more

Le Virtu - Semifreddo - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Phenemonal Italian food. Excellent service. I ordered a fresh pasta dish with sausage. The pasta was perfectly executed. The sauce was insanely rich and buttery. The sausage was savory but not fatty. It had a fresher taste and texture than standard grocer sausage. I ordered the bordetto as my main. This was good, but not incredible. The dish is a cauldron of various shellfish in a tomato garlic sauce. I found the shellfish to be fairly well executed. But I just didn't find the dish super interesting. read more

My wife and I made it in to Le Virtu about a month back for the first time for dinner. All in all, the service was great. The hostess was very pleasant and our wait time after checking in was short. As far as our server, he was very pleasant as well. He had a positive demeanor and was helpful with suggestions. As far as the food, honestly we were underwhelmed. We ordered the Taccozzelle All'Aquilana and a swordfish pasta dish. Honestly for the money, they could have put a fillet on top the pasta, not just shreds. As far as the Taccozelle, tasty but not life changing. We just felt the flavors and portion size just wasn't there. In the end, we enjoyed the ambiance and the service but there are better Italian restaurants for the price point In Philadelphia. read more

Nice restaurant off Passyunk. Nice sized portions and good flavors. Bread was fresh. Panna cotta was nice and light read more

Le Virtu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service was great, our waiter knew all of the specials off the top of his head and was great at describing menu items and giving recommendations. The bread before our meal was amazing, and the food was 10/10. Would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for some good Italian food! read more

Le Virtu - Braised lamb, butchers ragu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love the food and service here. With so many great restaurants in Philly...this is still one of my favorites!

Amazing food, great experience, best meatballs ever. The quality of the food was excellent. Service was very good Definitively a place to keep going back read more

Le Virtu - My wine in front of the menu and the restaurant - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sorry guys... food was cold. And the $20 glass of wine had been open for a minute. The flavors are pretty good but you gotta make sure you're heating up your pre made jawns read more

First. We got a space outside. $3 for 3 hours. Nice table and quite which is unique. They have acoustic absorbing material not only on ceilings but under the tables. Cudos to management. Earth tone walls. Good bread and evo. Primi; Asparagus salad. Charcuterie was theeeeeeee bomb. Secondi; Hankerchief pasta my son loved. Shrimp with dual pasta was great. Main; Seafood stew was good but mussels were bad. Ooops. Rabbit was outstanding. Deserts; Lu parrozz. Flour less orange almond cake with chocolate ganache was great. Chocolate semifredo was super tasty but nougat nuts were rancid. Management didn't care. Cheesecake was nice with berry top. Overall. Missed on some basics. But very good. 4 not 5 stars. Technically 3.5. But not a 3. read more

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Went here on a whim when my boyfriend wanted to take me out. Drinks were fantastic! We ordered two pastas, a duck ragu and a sausage special. In retrospect, they were a little too similar and we should have gotten more different dishes but sometimes that is hard to tell. The duck was way under-salted. Easy fix. The bartender was great, both behind the bar and as a server. It was a very nice and slightly fancy night out. read more

If you're wanting an intimate, casual, and festive dinner outdoors, head to Le Virtu. An adorable Italian restaurant in East Passyunk with live music and plenty of outdoor seating. You'll dine under a canopy dotted with patio string lights and you can't miss the large painted mural which gives it an intimate ambiance. There is also seating inside but opt to sit outside in the patio. The highlight is gnocchi with braised lamb ragu $21. read more

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What a lovely Italian restaurant! I've been very impressed with the Italian scene in Philly recently, particularly around South Philly. I came here for a graduation party of four and they were able to accommodate an extra +1. Food: Perfect portions and came SUPER fast. I wasn't very hungry so I ordered a prosciutto antipasti, which was plated very nicely and tasted delicious (good cuts and I really liked the vinaigrette, though a little heavy). My family ALL ordered the lobster spaghetti and they liked it. Everything was presented beautifully and I like how it wasn't a mountain of pasta per plate, as I find a lot of Italian places can overdo it on the portion sizes. Free bread: Five stars. Ugh it was so good. Fluffy and doughy, and I appreciated how they poured out olive oil with a flourish into a small condiment dish right after sliding the bread onto our table--because that is the only way bread should be consumed at an Italian place (plus salt and pepper). read more

Le Virtu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This was not the restaurant to visit with out-of-town family for a celebratory occasion. I'll start off with the disclaimer that I was, indeed, agitated throughout my entire meal. Dining here was an incredibly frustrating experience. I received a call in the middle of birthday-brunch earlier in the day from Le Virtu requesting I confirm my reservation. Once home, I called back and was asked if I'd like to sit inside or outside. I teetered -- knowing that I enjoy sitting outside but that my family often likes being indoors. I said inside. Upon arriving to the restaurant, we found an entirely empty and dark indoor area, and a bright, lovely, covered al fresco dining area. I asked if it was possible to switch to outdoors, and was briskly told that they were booked, which was a bummer start. I wish that when I was on the phone earlier in the day, it had been specified that they have a great outdoor area and that we would've enjoyed sitting there. Especially since I wrote that it was a birthday dinner and a first visit! It also would have been great if the hostess had read my reservation to see that I requested a "light" area, since I didn't notice the secondary room near the kitchen until later on. She had pointed at four tables in the darker area and told us to pick which one we liked. My family wanted the back corner, but as soon as I sat down, I felt the AC whipping away and asked to move. Okay. So we're up to our meal now. I've seen the establishment responses here defending the food to the folks who give poor reviews. I've seen the recent reply citing Wikipedia to explain why the pasta has a crunch to it. But here's the thing. Italian food is generally wonderful, and as someone who has a very strong Italian heritage and has been to many regions of Italy, I just can't say that Le Virtu's offerings were anything outstanding. This is, obviously, strictly my opinion. Abruzzo came into play when my mom asked about the wine list. She only really likes very sweet wines. Their wine list obviously does not lean that way, but the server instantly seemed to defend Abruzzo when she asked. I tried to steer her to a cocktail, but fortunately they were able to find a moscato for her. I ordered the burrata to start and my mom ordered the risotto balls. She enjoyed the risotto; the burrata was okay but not worth the $14 price tag to me (okay, I know it's from Puglia, but that doesn't mean it was worth it). For our mains, my grandmom chose the trout and loved it. My mom chose the maccheroni alla mugnaia and, as much as she loves pasta, left half her plate. I tried it too and thought it needed to be cooked just a tad longer (but again, I've read the reply of why it tastes that way so no need to explain it to me). I had read great things about the porchetta so I ordered that. I love pork belly and have had it at many other establishments. By the end of my meal, I had taken two bites of it and my grandmom took a bite. This was mostly just fat (as expected) but not in a good, flavorful way. At the end, as I was boxing up my entire meal, the server asked how everything was, and I replied with: "I've had better," to which he raised an eyebrow, said "okay," and walked away. Clearly I offended him, but frankly, this was a milestone birthday, this place nearly ruined it, and he could've at least faked an apology or asked why. But hey, I guess food from Abruzzo can do no wrong. After this purse-breaking experience, I walked down the street and had an excellent burger for dinner. -- Update 5/25 after reading owner's comments: I knew Francis would reply to me since he snaps back on every poor review, but I didn't think he'd blatantly make things up. Calling the hostess "dude"? Really, now? I don't even use the word "dude" in my vocabulary. Using a curse word all throughout dinner in front of my conservative grandmother who I don't even say "crap" in front of, knowing that she hates that word? Please. I specified that I was agitated, because, yes, Francis, your horrific establishment caused me to be upset. But I never made any sort of scene during my time there, and if you were so disgusted by my table and all the apparent "cursing," perhaps you should've said something to me in person. You had the perfect opportunity when I told the server that I didn't like my meal. In the future, you should really stop snapping back on people when they write their opinions. It's unprofessional. And how about you try thanking the people that enjoy your food instead? I think that might work better for you. -- Update 5/26: Last update. This is absurd. I received seven emails over the course of the night yesterday letting me know that Francis had updated his review comment. In one of them, he was "in much despair." Since he had also privately messaged me, I sent him a long message back trying to again detail why I was so upset by my meal. He flipped out. I've reached my word limit now. NEVER AGAIN, LE VITRU. Holy crap. read more

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Great atmosphere and service. Everything we ordered was amazing as well. Would recommend coming here!