Overall great dinner. Staff is very friendly, food is great. Classic south Philly Italian. Loved the chicken parm. Garlic bread is toasted to perfection just like the menu says. FYI they are cash/check only. Reservations are by phone, Saturdays are walk-in only. read more

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Holy Moses! Tremendous old Italian restaurant nestled on 9th Street. I actually loved the understated decor (brick walls, family photos, religious statues, etc!) This place is the epitome of Italian culture and reminded me of how very much I love being Italian! (We have the love, the food, the clothes!) The meatball app was sick good tender, and the gravy was amazing (you can buy jars of it!) I had eggplant parm and my dapper date, veal parm. Both so tender and just perfect! I know I said OMG a few times and was SMH!!! I really liked my spaghetti side too - I usually don't eat spaghetti but forgot to sub it because Im "in like" so deep ;) Ahh, the bread from Sarcones that we dipped in olive oil with grated cheese, salt and pepper! Dear God in heaven- lol! I need to go back and eat my way through the extensive menu (look on the wall or on their sweet small paper menus!) Long bar when you walk in to chill and socialize at. I had a Malibu Bay Breeze; "he" had two chocolate martinis. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Big time props to the darling owner , Pippy, and our on point stellar server, Rita! I honest to God have no negatives. G O O O read more

Villa Di Roma - Eggplant parm; spaghetti (4/12/25) - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Great food, very attentive service! Villa di Roma is a gem! We've been coming here for 40+ years. The Veal Bella Buca is one of the most delicious entrees I've ever eaten !!! read more

We were shopping in the Italian Market, and the kids needed to eat something quickly, so we stopped at Villa Di Roma. They graciously made us feel at home - even with a 9 month old infant and 3 1/2 year old very hungry toddler! I got the meatballs - they were delicious! Others had spaghetti and raviolis, which they also enjoyed! If you're at the Market, and want to have a delicious Italian meatball, Villa Di Roma serves them up! read more

Villa Di Roma - Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great food nice bar ,comfortable atmosphere! I can't wait to return Bartender was a fantastic,server was very attentive,no rush just relax and enjoy! read more

I read a lot of reviews that the waitress was rude, we did not have that experience! It is busy and she tries to be personable so the waitress time may vary for her to return back to you. Our waitress recommended that we try another local gem for dessert when she found out we were visiting from out of state. The other reviewers also mentioned the meatballs! They did not dis's appointment! We had two sides (4 total meatballs) and soaked up the sauce with the complimentary fresh bread. Meatballs were a 10/10 My date got the lasagna. I prefer more noodles and meat with less ricotta cheese. It had pieces of the meatballs in the lasagna and they use the same red sauce. I think it was very good, I give it a 8.5/10, however I was ready for a complete change of my pallet. I got the shrimp scampi and it was perfect! Huge shrimps that I cut into threes to ensure I had enough shrimp for each bite of my pasta. I had the penne pasta with helped soak up all that delicious buttery and lemon flavored scampi sauce. This is a true local gem, small family business in the heart of the Italian Market District in Philadelphia. Support local and enjoy the best home cooked Italian meal in Philly! read more

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Enjoyed everything about Villa de Roma. Dined solo and ate at the bar. Had a friendly chat with the bartender while I waited for my meal. Highly recommend the veal Sicilian. read more

Villa Di Roma - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great Philly experience. Remember that it is cash only. Once you are inside the smells are incredible.

Everything about this restaurant is charming. Food is great! It's honestly like visiting family each time I go. read more

Villa Di Roma - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Soooooo!!! Villa Di Shit My boyfriend and I just stopped by here because we heard good things about this place but instead we got treated like we were criminals at this restaurant. We didn't realize this place ONLY takes cash. Sue me I'm human I wasn't aware. So we paid for one drink to our server. But while walking out our server rolled her eyes and spoke underneath her breath. Chris whatever your name is check your attitude won't be coming back. Sorry to your owner that lost a customer. Thank you to the bartender who was nice and kind to us. read more

What took us so long? How did we not come here before? This is the real deal - old world Italian family dinner. It doesn't get much better than this - a comfortable "going back home to Nonna's place" where you're treated like family. It's loud, it's fun, it's real life with great food and nostalgia. House Pisano in carafe, meatballs that people drive across multiple states to experience, al Dente pasta - each dish one better than the next. Veal parm with eggplant, Sicilian style pasta bakes, Sarcones seeded bread to spounze up the tasty gravy and traditional desserts like Tartufo are off the hook. The quality of the food and atmosphere will bring us back again and again. Don't sleep on this one, bring cash, and Saturday's are walk-in first come first serve. Modest wait so enjoy the bartenders with a glass of vino until seated. Pip makes the place hum like a well oiled Singer sewing machine. read more

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Real classic spot We got there right at opening, seated in the back room. Free bread and butter, some pricy items -- the few things I tried was tasty (salad n eggplant) Cash only read more

Villa Di Roma - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Our trip to Philadelphia was to go to a Phillies game and we had a great time. However, one of the biggest highlights of the trip was our dinner here, at Villa Di Roma. It's located on 9th Street in "The Italian Market" and the street alone set the tone for what was to come as we entered this restaurant. The decor was old school, it made me feel like I was on the movie set of a good mob movie and/or Frank Sinatra was about to walk in. The service was fantastic and the food was amazingly authentic Italian. We started with an order of Garlic Bread which was mouth watering good. I ordered the Sausage & Peppers and Renee had Chicken Marsala. Our meal was flavorful and felt like "My Nona" cooked it. I'm not Italian but my "Grandma" was a great cook. I'm not sure when we will return to Philadelphia but whenever that is we will definitely return to Villa Di Roma. read more

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I'm giving 5 stars because it's still a neighbor bar with good food. Folks there are super nice- welcoming- feels like home. Sad that they don't give pasta with entree's.. but mussels are still clean and the gravy delish.Liscios bread yummy and villa salad a must, (needs more shrimp like old days)- it's a great meal- Thanks Pip!! merry Christmas read more

Great food, very warm & friendly staff. Enjoyed their stuffed mushrooms with crab meat. Their classic Spaghetti with meatball was just perfect. Pasta Di Linguine has this seafood broth sauce with lumps of crab and shrimp, the star of the day for me. Overall, it was outstanding! Parking is a bit tough along 9th, but there are a few space along Christian St. near John's Water Ice, a 5 min walk. read more

Villa Di Roma - Pasta Di Linguini - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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My family and I went to the Villa and had the most delicious meal. The meatballs are the BEST i ever had. We also had the he villa salad, the chicken Bella was amazing never had anything like that before. The restaurant is amazing so if you're in the are for lunch or dinner go and have a great meal. read more

Old school Italian place that did not disappoint. The Tiramisu is other worldly. Ron our waiter was great and the ambiance was perfect read more

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It is my favorite restaurant. I could eat at the Villa every night even though it is an hour from me. I take home the marinara for another day. Pip is the best!!! read more

Villa Di Roma has been, and still is, a great place to go for "home made" Italian cooking. Everyone works extremely hard to bring the best experience possible to the customer. Last night we had a pasta and a veal dinner and enjoyed both. Our server couldn't have been better. Their bar area is well attended and enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike. This is a very casual venue, but dress up if you like. Though we were prepared, Villa Di Roma only takes cash. No big deal, but it does keep you focused on the price of your order, based on the cash in your pocket. :) Enjoy!! read more

The food was average--nothing bad, but nothing special either. Service was polite, though a bit slow. It's a decent option if you're nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way. read more

I grew up around the corner and when I'm in Philly visiting Mom, this is our go to place. The menu is extensive. They have a paper menu but everything is written in the wall, old school. I've never had a bad meal. We sat in the back room away from the bar. The place is cozy and you can hold a nice conversation. Prices are reasonable and you can taste the high quality ingredients. Donna brought plenty of bread which we needed for the grilled asparagus appetizer. Wow! This was amazing. The sauce itself was spectacular and we used up the whole basket of bread on the sauce. Yum! I had the eggplant parmigiana. It was good, but it had too much spaghetti. I can't eat pasta because of the sugar and would have subbed something else had I known. Mom's dish looked amazing. flounder in garlic butter sauce. One caveats here- it is cash only. No credit cards. So, come prepared. It's worth every penny. If you're around the Italian Market, stop in. You won't be disappointed. This is as authentic as it gets. And you can buy sauces to take home too. I highly recommend read more

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A shadow of its former self. Food still very good but a healthy portion of chicken parm is now an anemic piece of chicken for the same price you got enough to take a piece home. We were not only rushed our food like it was fast food but made the mistake of paying the bill after an hour and fifteen and looked forward to sitting for a FEW minutes to catch up with old friends when the waitress asked us to leave because they had a large table coming in- 7:15 on a Thursday and booted out after $180 we couldn't even sit for fifteen to let our food digest. We have been going there 25 years and this was a very sad day, when I will no longer recommend them and will think twice before going back. You have been reading your own headlines Villa and need to come back to earth. Disappointed. read more

I called to ask questions, lady on the phone was funny with her delivery of letting me know it's cash only. Walked in nice vibe of a classic Italian restaurant that's all you gotta know that it'll be good shit. Tiramisu was so good, probably top 3 best in the city. read more

Villa Di Roma - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Everything was delicious and our server Donna was wonderful. 0 complaints, compliments to the chef ‍

I don't even know where to start on how delicious the food is. If I could give more stars, I would. The service is top notch and they make you feel like you're family and not a customer. The ambiance is amazing. You feel like you've been transported to a small town in Italy. I am drooling while thinking about how good the experience and food was. If you get a chance to eat there, please do!!!! read more

The place is warm & inviting. You feel immediately at home with the attention you recieve. Our server, the girl with beautiful eyes offered suggestions and we had garlic bread as appetizer (tad too small) but oh-so-good and crispy. Chicken cacciatore was good, lasagna *chefs kiss* and lobster & shrimp in marinara sauce superb. We bought a quart of their in house marinara sauce to take home Connolis were soooooooo good. Loved everything , and not expensive. Some Italian Staples could be added to the menu , I believe. Like for e.g. they have NO soup or flat bread/pizza. No crab cakes, no tiramisu We didn't miss it but it'd be nice with more choices read more

Fantastic down to earth Italian American restaurant. All of the classics, well made, well priced, no attitude or pretentiousness just good food. If it wasn't 2700 miles from home I'd be here every week. read more

Villa Di Roma - Menu board. - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After hearing Villa di Roma serves up delicious old school Italian food and is one of the oldest Italian restaurant in Philly, we had to come check it out. My husband and I came by for dinner on a weeknight and were surprised to see there were many diners in the restaurant. We ordered the Sicilian table wine to start. Markup for this wine was 2x, which was more than reasonable. For our appetizer, we shared the fried asparagus, a popular dish. The asparagus was properly cooked, but nothing to write home about. For our entrees, my husband got the veal parmigiana and I had the spaghetti and clams in white sauce. I have to say we came in with high expectations and were disappointed. The food was very blah. Definitely nowhere close to being as good any of the Italian restaurants we've eaten at in Philly. My spaghetti and clams in white sauce was not better than my own version and was under salted. I tasted my husband's veal parmigiana, and it was okay. Service was okay too. I really don't understand how this place is supposed to be good. Overall, everything about this place was just okay. read more

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Host was rude and staff just stares at you when you walk into the cramped bar trying to figure out how to "put your name in with". I thought the food would be worth it (the wait and smug staff) but it was not. read more

Anyone who grew up in the Northeast of the USA knows Italian food is nostalgic when ever you get to go back to visit - no matter what state you grew up in Villa Di Roma in Philly delivers that homemade Italian dinner you didn't know you craved. The hospitality is straight up East Coast - yo Mikey howya doin'?! Yelled across the bar. Go hungry - portions are big abd bring cash. Cash only. read more

tl;dr this old-school Italian joint remains a vibrant relic of Italian Market past, featuring some of Philly's best Italian comfort food While the Italian Market continues to modernize, some things never change. And when it comes to sit-down Italian restaurants? Villa di Roma. This no-frill restaurant prides itself on its unpretentious approach to Italian comfort food since 1963. Crimson brick and bright neon signs make Villa impossible to miss. Walk into the dimly lit bar, buzzing with the chatter of patrons and sports alike. Follow the long wooden bartop and pass by the black-and-white photo of Rocky Balboa to the back wall to check-in and await your table. The dining room to the right sports lemon-yellow walls and cramped, white tablecloth-adorned tables. In the room to the left, the slanted white cork ceilings starkly contrast the brick walls and the converted wagon-wheel chandeliers. A letter board in the back charts Villa's extensive menu. My partner and I arrived on a weekend night for dinner, armed with a reservation (make it by phone), but still waited ~15 minutes for an open table. We opted for the Fried Mushrooms (a special for the day) to being, followed by the Pasta Di Linguine and the Spaghetti and Meatballs. The mushrooms were stuffed with lump crab and served in a rich butter sauce, but felt disappointingly small for the price. Both pasta dishes were generously portioned. The linguine was topped with a surprisingly heavy portion of seafood Fra Diavolo. The sauce was thin, creating a bit of a mess but proving to be the perfect complement to extra bread. Meanwhile, my partner raved that Villa's thick red sauce was just like her grandparents' Sunday gravy -- it's no wonder that Villa serves jars of it to-go. Service immediately made us feel at home, but the kitchen was slow -- we had nibbled our way through two servings of bland bread waiting for food. At $64 (after tax/tip), the meal felt a hair overpriced. And, with Villa's cash-only policy, my wallet felt noticeably lighter. Nonetheless, by sticking to its roots, Villa is offering a dining experience that can be matched by only a few restaurants. There isn't a place I'd more highly recommend for an authentic, home-cooked Italian dinner. read more

Villa Di Roma - Pasta Di Linguine - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Have never been so disappointed in all the years of going to VDR. A ritual on Saturdays of shopping and having Chianti and meatballs , etc. at the bar. Saturday we were told we couldn't eat at the bar, but evidently if we were Michael Smerconish or the guy sitting next to him we could. We were 2 of 6 people at the bar. How short sighted could you be. We will never be there again, and we had a great meal at the bar at LaCollina they understand how to treat a customer unlike the short sided boss man at the end of the bar on Saturday. read more

Authentic Italian on the same street Rocky aka Sylvester Stallone ran down on his way to the Philadelphia Art Museum. First time I came here was around thirty years ago and it is still standing on its great reputation of serving up Grandma's homecooked Italian dishes. They even sell home cooked meatballs and Italian red gravy in the freezer adjacent from the bar. Come here alone for the experience, and the food if you like Italian, should be on point. Tis this holiday season I share the referral of Villa Di Roma for my followers : ) As always people SYOY!!! read more

Welcome back, Villa Di Roma! We've missed you! For context, VDR was closed for a while in the summer of 2022 into the Fall for structural repair. It's an old building. Worry not, though! The place (and the food) are just the same. I always get the pasta di linguine and my husband gets the veal parm. We always get a side of meatballs for the table. The pasta di linguine is my favorite little splurge (it's gotten a little pricier over the years - understandably) because it comes with SO MUCH SEAFOOD. They aren't shy. The veal parm, while not my cup of tea but I've tasted, is absolutely delicious if that's your thing. However, the MEATBALLS!? Oh my goodness my Sicilian grandmother would be so happy I found this place. They taste like home and I've been known to grab some to-go (they offer to-go meatballs). An unassuming place that feels like home. They treat you as you would expect in a South Philly Italian restaurant - like family (for better or worse) but come hungry. When asked what my favorite restaurant is in Philly, it's not some fancy place or a place run by well-known famous chefs, but this place. What they do, they do right. I wouldn't change this place for the world. Keep up the absolutely amazing work, Villa Di Roma. You are my anniversary spot, my special occasion spot, my takeout spot, and my "I'm just hungry" spot. You are perfect just the way you are. read more

When I'm craving Italian American pasta, this is where I go. And every pasta dish I've had here quenches that craving. We always get the fried asparagus too. Cash only. They've got an ATM machine. Come in and put your name in with the host who stands at the end of the bar. Saturday night around 6pm we waited 30 minutes. We passed the time at the bar. Dinner on the weekends expect a wait time. It's always bustling and boisterous--a fun casual atmosphere that makes this Ohio transplant feel like I'm a part of South Philly Italian Market culture. read more

Villa Di Roma - Veal eggplant parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Quintessential South Philly, cash (ATM available), working staff all seem to be locals and so welcoming and easy going. I had the Pasta Di Linguini so I didn't even bother with a salad. Planned on taking half home- HA! Not a chance- what flavor... garlic, wine, and some sweet marinara and some heat in the back end from a little crushed pepper. Seafood was fresh tasing and cooked to order- not rubbery or dry. Every entree coming by looked drool-worthy. Chicken Parm seems to be the go to for most tables. In the past I've had their Villa de Roma salad, which I loved, but the dressing needs to be held to the side. A little heavy-handed at times spaghetti and meatballs is fantastic. Can't go wrong. Place has been here for years... It's not going to wow you with Modern decor.., but the charm of this South Philly gem is a do not miss! read more

My eleven year old says this place is "better than Wendy's!" True south Philly place with excellent bar out front while you wait for a well worth waiting for table. Shout Out to bartender Mary who is every reason alone to come here periodically. True Italian food, great ambience and reasonable prices (cash only) read more

Villa Di Roma - Menu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The food at Villa Di Roma never disappoints. This place is such a great family friendly spot, where they really treat you like family. Every time we go we see Mary the bartender and have waitresses/waiters that are very attentive and kind. You can't go wrong with the chicken/eggplant parm, or any of their seafood dishes are always good. The restaurant is pretty big and a bit loud but you rarely have to wait super long. Saturdays are the only days they take reservations but walking in is never a super long wait either. read more

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MONEY · $10.00 for Side of Meatballs (2) for $10.00 (please see photo) · ~$11.00 for Raviolis Topped with Cheese in tomato sauce (please see photo) POSITIVE · Definitely feels like a family spot. You can hear the fun drama in the kitchen. NEGATIVE · Cash only · Pricey · Portions are great IMPRESSION · Came on recommendation from my friend. I think my friend and I have different tastes. The personality of this Italian joint can be described as a good Italian grandma's spot. read more

Villa Di Roma - Side of meatballs (2) for $10.00 - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I was so excited about coming here and sadly was just not thrilled with the food or environment. I will say, however, that I did not find the staff rude, as mentioned by so many other reviewers. I found them all to be very pleasant and helpful The tables are super small but at least not on top of one another. Now, before I get yelled at as I know it's an "institution" two beers and a small lemon drop martini should not cost $28. Two bottles of beer, one being Rolling Rock, and a 4 oz, well vodka, martini! I was a bit stunned by that. Then there was the food, which was just okay. Had the Villa Salad which was drenched in dressing, the veal parm, which was sliced so thin that you barely knew it was veal, the manicotti, which was tiny and WAY overcooked, and a few other dishes including over-priced, tiny apps. We had dinner for four and it was over $300. With so many amazing Italian spots in this great city, I can't say I'll ever be back here. I get it's an institution but I think it's gone to their heads. Cash only as well. read more

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