We ended up at Testa Rossa on a Saturday afternoon after dropping off one of the girls for a…read morebirthday party at SkyZone. Dinner was only a few hours off, but a bit too soon for a full lunch. However, the menu got the best of us and we ended up ordering a bunch of little things which ended up being far too much, but definitely in a good way. The space is quirky with a wonderful neo-mod design that is very eye catching and makes great use of the old diner aesthetic of the previous space, while improving upon it a hundredfold by making it much classier but not over the top. It does feel decidedly like a 1960's Italian locale out of a Roger Moore or Sean Connery era Bond film; to great effect. Another thing I loved about the design is that it feels compact but not small. I dislike huge restaurants, and love the family owned vibe, and this space occupies the very nice Goldilocks zone between being 'just right'.
The food was good and I will get to that, but what really made our experience was our outstanding, amazing, dare I say...... legendary server, Alice. She was just flat out hands down an all around pro with a great attitude, a kind smile, and a wonderful personality who knew exactly how to keep a table like ours happy, engaged, and ready to come back again. This is something that I feel has been missing in so many places since Covid occurred, and encountering someone as great as Alice just really made the whole time there a notch above.
Finally getting to the food, which was obviously delicious, there was nothing that was absolutely mind blowing, but all of it was very unique and extremely well prepared and flavorful. I did like that not everything was tomato-centric on the menu and there was a vast variety of different dishes that match the uniqueness of the space. The highlight for me was the carrot soup, not an every day item, that was nice and heavy with cumin. Brilliant flavors but not too forward, which followed our caprese dip that was an outstanding take on a dish that everyone loves, but is overdone at this point. The bread they are serving here is insanely good; either lightly toasted or grilled quickly on a flat grill, I am not sure, but slathered with high quality olive oil and it's perfectly soft, crispy, crusty, and chewy all at the same time.
Testa Rossa is definitely worth checking out, and we only went for a few small plates with the intention of it being a snack. Apparently the family has more than one location, although I am not sure where the others are. If you are near Glen Mills, it is definitely worth the trip to stop in here and give them a try. Oh, and don't forget to pair your food with the super cool espresso martini tower, because you get to choose the flavors, but I'm still sticking with classic as my favorite!