I had the polipo for an appetizer followed by tonnarelli granchio for my entree. Polipo had a nice texture but was a bit bland and I'm not sure what the potato crips add to the dish to be honest, especially since they soften with the sauce. I loved the tonnarelli granchio, it was rich and delicious. Would definitely return for another plate. Service was terrific. I came with a large group and even forgot that we were the ones who were brought the alcohol (BYOB establishment) - they did such a great job of serving us. read more

Melograno - polipo - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The restaurant is smaller than it appears. It is a good place for a group, but maybe harder if you have a smaller party. The ambiance is a little more dated, but still nice. The service was decent. Food came out reasonably fast for a larger group. We were moderately attended to. The food was pretty good. It's on par for a better-than-average Italian joint. I had the rigatoni and the shrimp appetizer. The shrimp dish was missing something, but was good overall. The rigatoni dish was decent, but the portion for the price left something to be desired. Flavor was elevated, but I wasn't blown away. It was a good overall experience, but I wasn't necessarily blown away. read more

Restaurant Week in Center City! Yahoo!!! A perfect way to explore restaurants I may not have gone to otherwise. The advantage for participating restaurants is when patrons are bowled over by their meals, they're likely to return. That's how I felt about Melograno and the deliciousness of dinner last Thursday. I made a reservation because a) the menu covered all bases, b) reviews are good, and c) it's byob, which already saves us money. The $40 three course prix-fixe includes appetizer, entree and dessert. We shared our first course. An arugula salad with prosciutto and shaved parmesan, dressed with a flavorful lemon vinaigrette. Pair that with fried burrata, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, gaeta olives, and fresh basil. Excellent combination. For his entree, T ordered spaghetti and sea bass, the chef's special of the night. Okay, now I'm starting to salivate: the verlasso salmon I ordered was perhaps the best salmon I've eaten. Ever! The grilled filet sat on a bed of fennel, carrots, onion and fingerling potatoes, enhanced with a light beurre blanc. I was impressed that the salmon was rare, exactly as requested, and the vegetables were perfect, lightly braised. I'm generally indifferent to carrots, but these were special. My husband ordered chocolate mousse, which I liked much better than my panna cotta. Translated as "cooked cream" ... with sugar and gelatin, I realized too late that jiggly panna cotta isn't my thing. If undecided, go with the mousse and its hidden surprise, a tiny brownie in the middle. Service, by the way is great. Even on a busy Restaurant Week evening, the staff is friendly and solicitous. You can linger as long as you'd like .... unless, of course another party's waiting for your table. read more

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One of the best ragu dishes i've ever had! the duck ragu was very creamy, dense, and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture. i was stuck between that and the Granchio, but my friend got the granchio... i think the Ragu is better. restaurant is BYOB, so bring some wine or seltzers or whatever you desire. it was a busy and lovely ambiance, not unlike the vibes in the ratatouille movie (i know ratatouille is french). excellent service, our server is from Italy and was very knowledgeable and polite. had to make a reservation. read more

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Upon arriving the restaurant looks smaller than it is on the outside. There's a decent amount of seating and we were able to get a reservation within a week before. It's BYOB here and they give a bucket with ice for your wine. The food itself was fine but nothing special. I got the Amatriciana. It wasn't anything special and not my favorite but it was okay! I think I just didn't like the meat but the sauce was yummy with a little kick. The server was attentive and the management went around checking in on us so great service overall. read more

Melograno - Amatriciana - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I'm not sure why Melograno doesn't have a better overall rating!? We love this place and used to visit often pre-pandemic. We went back for the first time after the pandemic and it was as great as ever! It is BYOY, which I think is great and such a money saver! The prices are very reasonable and all of the food options sound great. We came here on a double date and ordered 2 appetizers, 4 pasta dishes and a chicken dish to share. I really enjoyed the polpo appetizer, the pasta with crab and my absolute favorite dish was the beet and ricotta ravioli. I loved that we all felt energized about the whole menu and most everything tasted great. I think the item I liked the least was the cacio e pepe; not enough flavor and way too saucy. read more

Melograno - Crab pasta, mushroom pasta, and cacio e pepe (left to right) - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Still sitting in the ambience of this lovely restaurant. It's BYOB and very affordable. Joe, our waiter and Aaron, the manager were extremely charming and helpful. The food was delicious and well timed. I would definitely recommend it. Enjoy. read more

We came here for dinner on Saturday night and had a reservation. We were quickly seated and waited on. The restaurant is BYOB, which is awesome. We brought a bottle of red wine with us. We got the mortazza flatbread as an appetizer and it was amazing. Between the 3 of us, we ordered: fazzoletti al ragu d'anatra, granchio & agnello for entrees. Everything was delicioussss. We also got the tiramisu & creme brulee for dessert with macchiatos to end the night, and it was all fantastic. Our waitress was very attentive, and the host was polite. Definitely recommend:) read more

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AMAZING experience, from the food to the service to the atmosphere, couldn't recommend this place enough!!

A friend and I were debating on why a restaurant like Melograno has a lower overall rating than perhaps it deserves. Melograno has great food, terrific service, and a cozy and welcoming ambience. In addition, it's also a BYO! In my opinion the lower ratings stem from Restaurant Week that can be the bane of any established restaurant. First, the restaurant is inundated with reservations that fill them up and often they can't do a 90 minute turn on a table backing up other reservations that either piss off those waiting, or those seated when the management tries to expedite their departure. Also, if there are any hiccups with food coming out, this has the potential to have an effect on quality as the backend tries to keep up with demand. Those who have ever dined out on Valentine's Day, know these problems all too well. Come to Melograno on a normal day and experience this wonderful restaurant in its true glory! read more

We had dinner tonight here. I had not eaten at Melograno for easily 15 years and used to go more often. It was a great experience. We were able to walk in though it was busy by the end of our meal. Our server was outstanding: friendly, knew the menu very well, was attentive without being intrusive. We also thought the manager was friendly and helpful. I had a pork chop entree and it was outstanding. Beautifully presented, cooked perfectly. My wife had an excellent mushroom pasta entree with truffles and walnuts. Excellent. There was a wonderful roasted cauliflower appetizer with a Gouda sauce and pancetta. That alone was worth the trip. Restaurant is very clean and looks like it's been updated recently. I highly recommend Melograno and will return. read more

Decent Italian food in Center City/Rittenhouse area! Extremely convenient location for dinner if you are going to Helium Comedy Club later that night. The restaurant is BYOB so we brought a bottle of wine and there was no corking fee. The meal started with complimentary bread with delicious olive oil, however was a little bland and could have definitely used a little sea salt or something on top. For starters, we had the polpette and tartare. The meatballs were definitely the highlight, although if you like olives/capers the tartare is also delicious. For entrees, the four of us had the lamb shank, duck ragú pasta, salmon and the fish special which was a red cod. The pasta, salmon, and cod were delicious. The lamb was bland. For dessert, the Panna cotta was delicious. The tiramisu was okay...a little too watery/loose for my liking. Service was incredible throughout the meal! Overall, it was better than I expected from the previous ratings and would recommend. read more

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Overall: good pasta and food for the price, and it's BYOB!! Price range around $25-30/person Ordered: :D melazana : ordered as app, amaaaazing pizza. Cheese melted so well and was the star of the dish :D Tartufate: mushroom and truffle flavors came together so well over pappardelle. Will get again! :) Amatriciana: light and simple, light tomato flavor Service: regular, came by a few times to check up on us. Ambiance: Can get loud and rowdy (that BYOB), mostly young people on the weekends (20-30s), not family friendly Tip: can make reservations read more

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I adore Melograno! The ambiance is cozy, intimate, and relaxed. The staff is absolutely lovely. The maître d' is welcoming and attentive. The food is delicious- best steak we've ever had. I have visited three times and always feel like I'm at the chefs home, not a Philly restaurant. Staff went above and beyond on an incredibly busy, holiday night to make a birthday special! Also, I love how they change the menu up every so often! read more

Good neighborhood Italian BYOB. weeknight so not packed but we made reservations. Excellent service

Overall a great experience. 4 to 4.5 stars experience. Our waitress Natalie was super sweet and nice. Apps and dessert was awesome, I didn't like the Bolognese pasta much but that's because I prefer my pasta softer - it was too Al dente for me but that's just my preference. The pasta from the Fazzoletti Al Ragú d'anatra was good, I like the fact that they make their tiramisu in house and the flavors were just right - not too sweet, lady fingers were still soft and fresh and wasn't too wet. It's BYOB so that's an added plus. Atmosphere is 4 stars Food was 4 stars Service was 5 stars. read more

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BYOB!!! Please be warned because there are absolutely no beverages besides water here. The food is good, nothing to write home about, though. The porkchop was undercooked, so we had to send it back, and it still came back undercooked. We sent it back rare, and it came back k medium rare, so we didn't even eat it. The steak was REALLY good but the spinach was bland. It tasted literally like spinach. Not even a dash of garlic or anything on it. The service was really good. The waiter and host consistently checked on us and were super friendly. The ambiance was nice. It's a small, dimly lit restaurant so it makes a nice date night. read more

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Food is decent, portions are very small. Be prepared to still be hungry when you leave. Nice that it's BYOB. The reason this place loses another star is because of the service. It was excellent throughout the meal, but it was clear they were trying to rush my party of 4 out of the restaurant. As we were getting up to leave, the host of the restaurant came over and straight up told us to leave as there were people waiting. We had paid our bill maybe 15 minutes prior to this, and were just hanging around finishing our wine and take a group picture, and were about to get up to go. We had ordered 3 courses of food, and were at the table for less than an hour and a half total. Found this interaction to be extremely rude and off putting. With so many BYOB Italian options in the city, I would go elsewhere. Probably won't be back. read more

Went here on a whim and it was one of the best meals I've ever had! Can't wait to go back. Had the tuna tartare and the truffle pasta. So so good. And unpretentious too. read more

It's Philly Restaurant Week!? Not being a fan of these things, just like going out on Valentine's day, I prefer a regular menu. I'll stop before I go on a rant, but my wife found Melograno and said she wanted to go there. She booked a reservation, I drove. We're a great team. Driving from the suburbs, my GPS said forty minutes. Really? That's odd... We drove down on a Thursday night with little to no traffic. Drove to the lot I was going to take, but we were a bit early. We continued on and found great street parking. The little things make me so happy... When we arrive at Melograno, we are vaccination checked and shown a table. I'm just so happy to be out with zero stress. My wife quickly glances at the menu and one of the items she wanted isn't there... Oh no... It was too good to be true... My wife inquires about the dish but is told it's just what's on the menu. She wanted these duck ragu handkerchief pasta and we were told they are on the regular menu. After some back and forth, we decide to order two restaurant week meals and an extra order of the handkerchief pasta. All is good and then our server comes back saying "I'm sorry"... The rollercoaster of emotion continues, noooooooo. She was told that the website was correct and the menus were printed wrong, would we like to just get two meals, rather than the extra entree. We made a change and couldn't be happier. I'm a fan of meatballs and placed an order to start off. It had some nice crunch, but I wasn't overall impressed until I took a bite with the polenta. The creamy polenta, with the pecorino and tomato sauce, enhanced the bite so much. My wife had the octopus and the charred aroma was just so pleasant. This dish tasted great as well. When the entrees came out, I took a bite of the fazzoletti that my wife wanted so badly. We've been eating some really amazing homemade pasta over the years, but this was just instantly among the best. We were always going to get this dish and it's just so worth it. At one point, I'm assuming, the manager came over and apologized for the menu mixup. Also to check in on things. After our dessert, a check was dropped with a QR code. I paid online and we were on our way. A great evening and enough food that we were full, but not stuffed. If we got that third entree, it would have just been too much, but that's why you can take some food home. It was a BYOB too, we finished off our bottle and were out the door. A great evening with great food. read more

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The byob feature of Melograno made it one of our choices for restaurant week, and it turned out to be a pretty good choice. Parking- we found street parking close by around 6:15pm, however, by 6:30 all the available spots behind us were taken. If planning a visit, keep in mind that the surrounding area can get quite busy. Food: The burrata appetizer, salmon and lamb chop mains were fantastic. Perfectly done. The granchio was also pretty good, perfectly cooked pasta with lots of crabmeat. But, a pinch less salt would have been perfect. Polpo appetizer was very nicely grilled. The spinach that came with the lamb also had a touch too much salt, and, for us, the salt that was on the complimentary bread (served with olive oil) wasn't needed. Service: Our server and the other staff on the floor were good. Friendly and on top of filling up water, removing finished plates, etc. However, our entrees took about 30 minutes to come out, arriving after the table next to us, which was seated about 20 minutes after we were....Granted, the restaurant was pretty busy. The person at the host stand when we came in was also expediting plates at times. Waiters were also assisting incoming customers or letting them know someone would be helping them soon, etc...I appreciated the fact that everyone seemed to be doing their best to ensure a good customer experience during a busy dinner service where several parties had a bit of a wait. Still, the wait between appetizer and main was long enough to be quite noticeable. Nonetheless, Looking forward to another experience here ! read more

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Our group of 6 diners decided to splurge and ordered one of each Antipasti on the menu for the table: Gnocchi di Semolina (baked semolina croquette with spinach peppers mushroom sage and pecorino), Insalata (arugula prosciutto parmigiano lemon vinaigrette), Polpette (pork meatballs over polentina tomato sauce pecorino), Burrata (bread crusted cheese heirloom tomato salad peppers gaeta fresh basil and aged balsamic), and Tartare (yellowfin tuna marinated fennel, gaeta olives, capers orange glaze & chili oil). My favorite was the Tartare, which had some lovely bright notes, followed by the Insalata, for a similar reason. I was most looking forward to the Burrata, but found it not to be as flavorful as expected. The spaghettini special with mussels had a nice flavor, but was a tad salty. Meanwhile, the bread plate--sliced bread served pre-drizzled with olive oil--had a nice balance of salt. The branzino special had no complaints. Takeaway: a bit pricey for the portion size, but overall a tasty BYOB meal. read more

Melograno - Spaghettini special with mussels - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Hidden gem!! Beautiful restaurant and BYOB is always an enjoyable experience. Our group started with the octopus, gnocchi, and burrata. All were great shareable plates but the octopus was our favorite. Three of us got the tonnarelli with crab meat and Calabrian chilis and it was very tasty. Was a lot creamier than we expected based on the description but we were pleasantly surprised. My friend got the duck ragu pasta which was also very flavorful. read more

Visiting area with friends and scored a home run with this pick. Food was only outdone by our amazing server Amanda who gave us great recommendations and was a pleasure. Appetizers, pasta and desserts all A+ with a great vibe. read more

Very good food! Delicious and prompt service. Excellent BYOB and always recommend it to others

Melograno was like visiting the home of a good friend. For starters the fresh focaccia and EVOO even though not warmed, was quick to the table after being seated. That was followed quickly by the Roasted Octopus appetizer with thinly sliced potatoes. The octopus had a nice charred exterior with a tender flesh. While I enjoyed all the entrees on this evening, this appetizer was the best dish of the night. The Roasted Lamb was both charred, tender, succulent and lacked any gamey flavor. The polenta underneath could had this underlying sweet vanilla flavor which was kinda weird for a savory dish. The spinach layered on top of the polenta kinda assumed the same flavors as the polenta. Some salt would have definitely helped to make it better. The Panna Cotta with crumbled Expresso Cookie on top was a nice way to finish the meal. My waitress was very efficient and attentive. Entrees were delivered with precision as I was ready for them. The maitre'd was very personable and took great care to make sure all my needs were met, like I was having a meal in his home. read more

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My husband and I decided to come for restaurant week. I love places with homemade pastas and I'm always looking for new places to go to. We left and there was no traffic so we were gonna walk around and get a drink first, but I ended up being able to move the reservation up a half hour so that was good. We arrive and I look at the restaurant week menu and the one pasta with duck Ragu that was supposed to be on there wasn't listed. I asked our waitress about it and she said whatever is on the list is what they have. So we were gonna order it off the regular menu in addition to 2 other pastas that were on the menu. So we put our order in and then our waitress comes back over and said there was an error and that pasta is supposed to be on the menu, so now I have to decide which of my other pastas to eliminate haha. We order the charred octopus, the pork meatballs, the fazoletti with duck ragu and the tonarelli with crab. The octopus turned out to be pretty good, it had a lot of different fresh flavors and was refreshing. The pork meatballs were a little dry, but I liked the polenta with them. The duck fazzoletti was very good. It was different than any other pasta I had before. The handkerchief pasta was melt in your mouth and it had a lot of the ragu on it, it almost tasted like a stew but was great. The tonnarelli with crab was pretty good too. I wasn't sure if I wanted to get it and almost went with the pappardelle pasta with mushrooms instead. I was worried about the crab pasta being too spicy for me, but it wasn't too spicy at all and I liked the lemon flavor in it too. It Could have used a little more crab maybe, but I enjoyed it. The entrees were big so I'm really glad we didn't get the 3rd pasta it would have been too much. For dessert we got the tiramisu and caramel flan. It was supposed to be creme brûlée but they changed it. The flan was still good but I was looking forward to the creme brûlée. The tiramisu was pretty good but had a lot of the whipped cream in it. I liked the fact that it was byob so we could use one of the wine bottles that are sitting at our house. read more

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Came here with classmates and enjoyed the food! We had a great round table for the 7 of us, which was nice for getting to know each other. Food: I liked my pasta dish a lot - it was mushroom based with truffle and walnuts. Seasoned well and a good amount of creamy. They also gave great bread with olive oil for the whole table - but when we asked for more bread (each person only got 1 piece), they forgot to come back to us with the bread which was disappointing. Service: it felt like we were rushed through our dinner, which was a disappointment since this was meant to be a bonding event for our large group. I was glad the food came quickly, but the waitress also gave us nudges saying they needed this table was needed for another party soon. We left the restaurant after only an hour, when it would've been nice to have had at least 90 min for our meal. Atmosphere: the restaurant was bustling during the Friday evening we were there. The tables are pretty close together, so it was kind of noisy and hard to hear each other, especially since we were sitting around a large-ish round table. read more

Melograno - Tartufate - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Really good food and service! The bread was sooo good! We had the appetizer meatballs and another dish that is too hard to pronounce that was delicious. Highly recommend- very reasonable too- byob read more

Get the pastas. Order: Sardine Appetizer Special: 4.5/5 served with pickled ramps and pickled zucchini. Tasted great in combination with the pickles. Artichoke Alla Romana side: 2/5 tasted like vinegar and not much more. Granchio: 3/5 Tonnarelli pasta with crab meat, cherry tomatoes, garlic in a cream sauce. Could've used something acidic to cut through the richness of the sauce. Amatriciana: 4.5/5 Bucatini with pancetta in a spicy sauce. Great dish, would order again. Fazzoletti Al Ragú d'anatra: 4.5/5 Handkerchief pasta in a duck ragu. Tasted like thanksgiving dinner. This pasta had a different texture than the other pasta dishes but was delicious. Tiramisu: 4/5 nice way to finish dinner. Classic dessert done right. read more

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Consistently fresh and good food, very attentive service. Our go-to BYOB Italian in center city

BYOB italian restaurant that does it right! Came here on a date night and had a great meal. Pappardelle tartufate - this was amazing. Wide pasta in a mushroom sauce with walnuts. The sauce wasn't heavy and it was the right amount to be able to still taste the quality of the pasta. Lamb shank - fall off the bone and flavored just right. Most places tend to oversalt these things, but not here. I was able to taste the meat of the lamb. Bread pudding w/ salted caramel gelato - the gelato was a tad too sweet for me and the bread was just ehhh. The apples in it were good and tart, but I don't think it was cooked enough. I don't think I would get this again. I will definitely be back to try other meal dishes. read more

Melograno - Pappardelle Tartufate - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We came here with a big group, and I was a little disappointed. The restaurant looks nice, tastefully furnished, service was good, prompt & friendly. Where it falls short is the food, which was alright, nothing to write home about. For the price point, I would expect better in terms of flavour. I ordered the black truffle pasta, and was not enamoured with the taste. Thankfully, the burrata starter made up for it somewhat, as it tasted better. The bread is very good, I think that was the highlight of the meal. read more

The best part about this place is the service and the fact that it's BYOB. Both times that I've come here for dinner the servers were just extremely warm and kind. The food is also pretty decent as well. read more

Melograno - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Went here for September's Restaurant week. I ordered the insalata salad, pork chop, then some kind of custard pudding. The salad and dessert were good. The pork chop and the sauce were delicious but it came with oversalted fries. I was enjoying the meat but a bite of the very center piece had me doing a quick mental prayer to not get food poisoning because it was too raw lol. read more

Overall, my experience here was great. The service was good and for it being restaurant week, everything came out in a timely manner and was hot. I have the burrata which was okay, but I probably wouldn't get it again. However, the amatriciana pasta dish was delightful and filling. It was spicy but not did not take away from the taste of the food. Im usually not a fan of tiramisu, but this one was the best one I've had. I hope to return here again and try some of the other things on the menu. read more

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We came here with friends for Restaurant Week thinking it would be quiet on a Sunday. The place was bustling, but our table was along the wall away from the door. We loved that we could bring our own wines. So, what did we like? The toasted bread at the start of the meal already drizzled with olive oil was a hit (although there was just one piece per person). The charred octopus appetizer, delicious and thankfully not breaded, came with fingerling potatoes and salsa verde. (Fortunately, I had read other reviews which was what prompted me to order this as a first course.) Our friend said the burrata was good too. I loved the granchio with crab meat and cherry tomatoes although I would have loved more crab meat. Our other friend thought the dish was too peppery, but I appreciate a restaurant that doesn't shy away from a little flavor. The desserts (not on the menu) were delicious - a chocolate mousse with brownie crumble and whipped cream and the panna cotta with fresh blueberries. All around, a pleasant way to spend a Sunday night. read more

Melograno - Charred octopus appetizer - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This is the 4th time I've been to Melograno and I continue to be impressed. The food is flavorful, fresh, and the atmosphere is lively. A little bit on the pricey side for size of portions but I'll pay extra for that for the great service and it is BYOB! We started with the tartar which was light and fresh. It had a nice hit of acidity and the presentation was spot on. Next we had the mushroom pizza which was larger than expected and overall was solid. First main we had the duck ragu, which in my opinion was the low light of my night. The cream sauce took away much of the duck flavor and was a tad under seasoned. However, the amatriciana was a home run! Pops of the salty meat with the deep tomato sauce was to die for. Highly recommend. Dessert was solid and a nice finish the meal. Service was great and would definitely recommend for a nice date night. read more

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Extremely good food, very aromatic. I just think that the environment (service, vibe) can be upgraded more to match the food quality. Italian friend said this is an authentic place so I gave it a try and liked it. read more

We tried during restaurant week. There was 4 of us. We tried variety of food and everyone was impressed with the food. Grilled octopus was perfectly grilled. Another had the meatball app and he loved it. My husband's salmon was really good and my pork chop was flavorful. I would have liked mashed potatoes or plain potatoes instead of fries that came with it however. One friend had pasta with crabmeat and he loved it as well. Tiramisu was perfect with little chocolate chips! Highly recommend! read more

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