We had been wanting to come here for a very long time as we are huge fans of Southwark and it…read moreultimately not only didn't disappoint but exceeded our expectations. Small, super intimate table with people who quickly became friends. The service was personable, friendly, funny (?), but also so professional. It was a tasting menu that was clearly thought out with a delightful wine pairing in a way that wasn't pretentious in the slightest, as some are. The meal never felt rushed and we certainly left feeling as if we had enough food.

The food, the service and the setting were amazing. An impactful dining experience that addresses…read morethe foodies's most intimate look into a high-end kitchen. we were blown away by the quality of the food. the explanations and knowledge gained about the food prepared and served. the chef and staff were friendly and attentive. They answered questions and made sure all aspects of the dining experience were taken care of.

LOVED the food and our experience. The dining area is very cute and we tried four different pastas…read more(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.

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

Vibes: historic (feels like a time capsule), intimate, almost homey; bring a friend or two…read more Tasting notes: - Baked ricotta with olives and dried sausage: ricotta was sweet and milky; excellent pairing with fragrant olives and slices of salami - Mushrooms with polenta: big, tender, meaty slices of portobello in a salty sauce that was picked up nicely by the polenta cake - Broccoli rabe: slightly garlicky, almost creamed texture with minimal bitterness; surprisingly addicting - Spinach ravioli with red pepper sauce: perfectly al dente and filled pillows with smooth, sweet, fragrant sauce - Calamari pasta: my favorite of the night in terms of seafood-forward, umami-rich, broth-ljke sauce - Octopus: easily forkable in terms of tenderness; indulgent because of the olive oil bath - Tiramisu: well-layered and structured - Chocolate pudding: extremely smooth and deep in chocolate flavor - Rice pudding cake: aromatic, creamy and light Other thoughts: - Very friendly, attentive service from three excellent waitstaff - Above meal was perfectly satisfying for 3 hungry adults - While we were informed that there is one chef, certainly did not feel like there was much of a lull between dishes Other thoughts: a lovely hidden gem of an Italian BYOB! Come for the experience!

I really really wanted this to be one of those experiences I'd want to live over again and again…read morebut it just wasn't. The reservations are nearly impossible to get, which admittedly is one of the reasons I was so interested to begin with, but also not easy to obtain. The staff and location were very nice but the long wait for dinner, though expected and informed about, was just hard to get past. The food was all okay but nothing that I need to go back for another time. It would have almost been cooler if they structured their seatings like HerPlace and make it more of like a themed event type of dinner but I understand that may be hard with the limited kitchen space. I'd go back if someone asked me and got the invite but I wouldn't go out of my way for the difficult reservation again over somewhere new.

Went to Buco Doro Ristorante on the last day of Restaurant Week 1/31/26 in Center City Philly…read more Had a delicious lunch. We started with bread served with butter and the option of olive oil, which was already on the table. The Caesar salad was very good, with fresh greens and a peppery Caesar dressing. For lunch, I had the penne alla vodka with prosciutto. I really liked the vodka sauce and the prosciutto cubes. The cappuccino was perfect as well, especially on a cold day. The wait staff was friendly. The restaurant's walls were painted with scenes of Italy, along with additional artwork. Will definitely be back.

We were invited to a surprise birthday dinner here and Buca D'oro did a tremendous job hosting!…read moreUpon arriving, guests walk down a flight of stairs into the restaurant. Very unique and immediately set the mood for the rest of the night. The restaurant feels homey and historic. Lots of brickwork and beautiful artwork covers much of the walls. The bar is large with plenty of seats to accommodate numerous guests if you'd like to enjoy a cocktail prior to or after dinner. We arrived around 6pm on a Saturday night and despite the bar being somewhat empty, the rest of the restaurant was filled with patrons. We were shown to our private room by wonderful staff, who went above and beyond the entire night to ensure all ~40 of the guests at our party had an enjoyable experience. Prior to arriving, my wife and I looked through the menu and pictures to get an idea of what we would have liked to eat. The bone-in veal chop, lamb chops, chicken parm all looked like things I would love but we figured the hosts would pick a prefix menu with the party being as large as it was. We started with drinks at the bar: Espresso Martini & Rye Manhattan. The drinks were very reasonably priced especially for being in the city (to be honest they're even reasonable for around my hometown in South Jersey as well) ranging from $13-15 dollars on the cocktail list. After the first round of drinks, I decided to switch up from the Manhattan to an Old Fashioned. We enjoyed all of the drinks we ordered (although I would recommend the Rye Manhattan over the Old Fashioned) and I loved the martini glasses. They were sleek, elegant, and felt great in my hand. The young woman who spent much of her time tending to our party also worked behind the bar, relayed the menu and entree options, took orders, and helped serve. She was phenomenal. There were plates of the most delicious and soft bread spaced out on the tables with many bottles of olive oil scattered throughout for dipping. Everything was served family style aside from the entrees. We were started with Fried Calamari and an antipasto spread with cured meats, olives, cheese. LOVED both! Then came a classic Caesar salad and an arugula salad with balsamic dressing. Both very good, but the Caesar was great! Then we were served two different pasta dishes, Gnocchi Gorgonzola and a Penne in marinara. Again, both good but I would 100% recommend the gnocchi as would my wife. All of this food was served prior to us receiving our entrees. We had 3 options to choose from between the following: Veal Saltimbocca, Chicken Parm, and Salmon over Spinach. I decided on the Veal Saltimbocca and couldn't have been happier with my selection. The veal was pounded extremely thin, was cooked to perfection, and served in a delicious and refreshing white wine sauce. My wife went with the Chicken Parm which she was incredibly pleased with as well. We tried each other's entrees and agreed you can't go wrong with either. Our friends ordered the Salmon (which they also loved) and while I never eat salmon, I know I would have enjoyed that as well just by the looks and how it was cooked. After we were finished with our meals, we were served 3 different slices of cakes. A chocolate mousse (which was my favorite!), a blueberry cheesecake, and some kind of pistachio cake. I'm not much of a dessert person but I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 cakes we were served and feel most would enjoy them if ordered. After dinner I sent my mom (who lives in NJ) pictures of the restaurant and the food who then sent the pictures to her brother (who lives in the city) and they've already started discussing plans on visiting La Buca D'oro soon! Dinner and service exceeded our expectations. The menu prices, in my opinion, were very low for the quality of food/drinks we were served. On top of the food being spectacular, the atmosphere was cozy, romantic, and one of a kind.

Very solid Italian and great family vibe. You can definitely order a couple of apps and a couple of…read moreentrees to feed a whole family. I recommend the rigatoni with chicken cutlet and their Caesar salad. It is byob which is a nice touch and adds to the family vibe. Service is very nice and great. Will come back again to order some dessert

What a cute little intimate spot for a delicious Italian dinner!…read more We went during Restaurant Week which was a great deal of one appetizer, entree, and dessert for $45/pp! We order the caesar salad, arancini, meatballs, and the ricotta toast! All were VERY good. I would get them again. The arancini has mushrooms INSIDE the rice ball which I never experienced before. The meatballs were juicy and seasoned really well. The ricotta toast was to die for!! The honey really complemented the ricotta well. Our meals were all delicious! The desserts were good, too! The service was amazing. We really enjoyed the BYOB option!

Le Virtu has been an institution in South Philly for many years serving up regional Abruzzo style…read morepasta and specialties. We made reservations for 9pm on a Monday, arrived a few mins late but had no trouble getting our orders in and having plenty of time to enjoy our meal. Plenty of outdoor seating in addition to the intimate seats inside. Our server recommended an appetizer - the pork belly skewers which were phenomenal. They were tender without relying on a large fat cap and seasoned so well. Each bite was a treat. For our mains we went with: lamb chops, shrimp tagliatelle (Saffron Cavatelli) and the lamb ragu pasta (Maccheroncini alla Chitarra). Lamb chops, cooked to a tender medium. The pastas were cooked al dente with the tagliatelle highlighting fresh cherry tomatoes and the ragu highlighting savory lamb and peperoncino. My first time trying Abruzzo cuisine but won't be my last - the peperoncinos add a subtle but refreshing touch of spice.

A friend suggested a dinner meeting at this location in South Philly. It's Italian section and this…read morewas Italian food for sure. The theme is from Abruzzi region. Interestingly enough each region in Italy has different dialect and different food specialties. We started with a sausage and vegetables appetizer and the chef sent a pistachio spread, both were wonderful. We ordered some breads for our table at $4 per basket consisting of sliced round bread and focaccia. A small plate with olive oil came with it. We needed more little oils and baskets of bread Starters - I had a radicchio salad, not my favorite but fresh. Has a sharp taste to it. Crisp white and red. It was lite. Then we had some sides on the table to pick at. I loved the roasted potatoes and the mushrooms. Great taste. We also had broccoli rabi, which I love but thought it needed more garlic. For our main courses we all went for pasta. I had the Amatriciana special made with fresh tomato and guanciale. Very good. Two people had spicey type fusilli. One had a macheriana which he loved. The service was great. Very attentive and polite. The drinks were good. The wine was from some good Italian wineries. The drinks could have been larger and were priced a little high but that didn't stop us from indulging. For desert we split a tiramisu and zeppole for the table. The zeppole was exceptional, loved the yellow crème and I followed it with espresso and anisette. We were happy. The bill was steep, so be prepared. But we were not lacking anything and walked away with full bellies and smiles.

Wow! Hidden gem! Fabulous service and fabulous food! Special…read moreburrata and menu burrata were both great as was the octopus appetizer. Pappardelle with wild mushrooms and lamb osso Buco were fabulous. Great tiramisu and pot de creme to finish off a wonderful evening. BYOB a BIG plus! *Didn't have the pizzas but they looked delicious! (Next time?!)

I had the polipo for an appetizer followed by tonnarelli granchio for my entree. Polipo had a nice…read moretexture 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.

Beautiful decor absolutely and exceptional Customer Service! When you arrive, you feel welcomed and…read morewhen you receive your food It feels as if it was prepared with pride or love. I dined during the 50th anniversary celebration where the prices were based on their 50 year-old menu. There were so much to choose from on each menu both menus were available the old and the current. I absolutely loved the grilled eggplant and the oysters. The veal was good not great. It was listed as cubes, but I was served cutlet style not my favorite. Well, I return? For sure.

All the servers and manager were very attentive. The restaurant opened in 1967 and definitely…read morebrings that old school flare. We had the mussels in white sauce and the baked oysters with spinach and Gorgonzola cheese. All entrees will tasty but I wished my portion of gnocchi was larger. Definitely recommend for a date night!