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    Vita

    4.3 (140 reviews)
    InexpensiveItalian
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Vita Photos

    Business Info

    VITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Classy
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Vita

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    Tagliatelle Ragu Bolegnese
    Peninna A.

    This is an interesting one to review! We dined at both the gelato shop and the Italian restaurant. The ambiance of both was great! The gelato shop felt cozy and friendly, and the restaurant was dark and intimate. It was a cool contrast. Food: Overall, the food was perfect. At the restaurant, I ordered the Focaccia and the Tagliatelle Ragu Bolegnese. I would describe the portion size of the pasta as "smedium" (likely small to some, but just filling enough for me with an appetizer). At the gelato shop, I ordered the pistaccio gelato. All the food was 10/10! Service: This is where it gets interesting. The servers were extremely polite and very attentive. To a fault. It felt like the servers were hovering over us to collect our plates. There were at least two instances where I had stopped touching my food for a few minutes, and someone approached us to collect our plates. It felt like we were being rushed out, and made the politeness translate as curtness rather than friendliness. Weirdly, although the food was great, I likely would not return to the restaurant because the service felt so RUSHED. It made it hard to enjoy the intimacy of the environment. By contrast, the gelato shop staff was very friendly and I would at the very least stop by there again!

    Christine C.

    Just came here for gelato- and I hope to be back for the speakeasy! Such a cool concept. The gelato was pretty good, and the servers were very nice. I just got the oat milk Oreo and white chocolate raspberry (this one was better). I hope to comeback to try other flavors!

    Dark chocolate gelato and apple caramel tart? Cinnamon? Scrumptious either way!
    Karen S.

    I loved every second of this experience. Came to celebrate my birthday with friends and every mouthful was AMAZING. My birthday dark chocolate gelato was the best I've ever had. Such a lovely and charming place that I'm considering making it my new birthday tradition. Atmosphere and service were impeccable. No notes!

    Shirly L.

    I discovered Vita through Tiktok when I was looking for a place to host my birthday dinner at, and they really came through! For starters, it's really cool that they're an ice cream shop out front, with a hidden speakeasy-style restaurant in the back. You can get a reservation through their website, but for larger groups, you have to email them. I emailed & spoke with Massimo Boni to coordinate - for groups of 9+, they offer a pre-fix family style menu with a minimum of $75pp (food + drinks). Massimo walked me through the dishes and offered great suggestions to help me tailor the courses to my guests, all while keeping dietary restrictions in mind. 10/10 experience, and super fast response! For the pre-fix menu, we were able to get 2-3 antipasti, 3-4 primi, 1-2 secondi, and 1 contorno from the menu. I ended up getting the Gamberi, Stracciatella, and Arancini for starters, then the Balanzoni, Vodka, Bolognese, and Cappalletti for the pastas, and ended with Ribeeye steak and Zucchini chips. My favorite was probably the Arancini and the Rigatoni vodka, the flavors were amazing. I equally liked the rest of the dishes, though I will say the Ribeye steak was a bit too salty for my liking. The zucchini chips had an addicting crunch and were a favorite in the group. Overall would come back here again, and the service was also great!

    Retna S.

    Vita has been expanding its dessert selection. I had the cheesecake with Nutella topping and it was divine. For Nutella lovers like me , I highly recommend it. Smooth and creamy with some pieces of crunchy Kinder and enrobed with generous amount of Nutella. The latest addition that I tried today Is key lime pie bar topped with beautifully torched sweet meringue. Perfect for spring.

    Everything in this photo was delicious
    Apephanie P.

    Came for a birthday celebration. Food was good, different than what Im use to but still good. The kale salad I liked surprisingly. The shrimp were probably my favorite. Steak had a sweetness to it but I loved the flavors. The risotto was ehh Ive had better. I just think they need a bigger bathroom area because the line was a little wait for the ladies room in the basement. Friendly staff

    Tiramisu
    Katherine O.

    This place is a really cute speakeasy Italian restaurant. The drinks are good. The pasta was okay but small portions compared to the price. I would come back but just for drinksanf the atmosphere. The service was really nice.

    Linda S.

    I've walked by Vita countless of times and never went in until recently. My friends Dream by Dream started playing there every other Wednesday in the speakeasy part of the Italian restaurant so I wanted to stop by to see them. It was a nice surprise seeing the restaurant after going through the door from the gelato shop. We had the potatoes from the happy hour menu and a drink. The decor of the restaurant was very cute and the vibes were nice. It's definitely a nice hidden place in the city that I'm looking forward to going to again.

    Complimentary anniversary dessert
    Morgan C.

    I really, really wanted to love Vita/Behind the Red Door, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The experience itself was so fun and unique with the password and hidden door, and the decor was super cute. Our service was unfortunately a little on the slow side, which was odd considering we were one of the first tables for dinner and it was pretty empty. For drinks, we had one non-alcoholic option (shout out for the options!), and I opted for the When One Door closes but asked to sub tequila. Unfortunately it was not my favorite and was not what I expected, but maybe others love it. For food, we started with the whipped ricotta and zucchini chips (normally a side), both of which were delicious. Oddly, our waitress offered us extra bread for the whipped ricotta (which we opted for), but then it never came and our waitress never came back while our starters were at the table. I also picked the scampi risotto for my entree, and it was not at all what was advertised or what was expected. I was expecting a white wine/butter/garlic sauce, but instead it was red/tomato based and had a serious kick (but the menu did not have a chili pepper). I would not have ordered it had I known what I would be getting. We opted against dessert, mostly because we were disappointed and confused that they didn't offer the same flavors in the restaurant that they did in the gelato shop out front. They did offer us a complimentary gelato as we were celebrating our anniversary which was super sweet and appreciated. In all, I think I had high expectations and Vita just did not hit the mark for me. I'm glad I tried it, and I would go back if asked, but I don't think I'd suggest it myself.

    Pollo al mattone
    Stuti G.

    Loved the food, service and ambiance here at Vita (More behind the door). The food was better than I expected. For appetizers we ordered the arancini and zucchini chips which were both fried to perfection. For main course we split the pollo al mattone and the Bottoni . The pasta was absolutely delicious and so fresh. The lemon & ricotta blended effortlessly and I still drool thinking about the pasta . Also absolutely loved the pollo al mattone- it was a half chicken served with mashed potatoes and a vegetables. It was soft and juicy & seasoned well. Both the main dishes were my favorite. We also ordered the mustard greens spicy ceaser but were disappointed with it. It had a very strong and overpowering anchovies flavor it and was drenched in dressing. Other than the ceaser salad our meal was superb! The gelatos are also out of this world and definitely recommend them! Got pistachio and coffee cardamom and they both were smooth and delicious . We were not in a mood for drinks so didn't get to try out the drinks, so will have to come back to try them. Definitely give this cute speakeasy restaurant a try!

    Sarah K.

    I mean, who doesn't love a speak easy and fresh pasta?! Pro tip- they actually make you whisper the magic words to go through the "fridge." First expectation- I was shocked as to how large the restaurant was for being a speak easy, and boy was it PACKED! It had a sexy vibe to it- dimmed with lush velvet chairs, and cherubs galore. Aesthetic on fleek. The menu is seasonal, which does complicate things with how fiercely this place books up. Luckily, the featured menu at the time (December) looked divine. Cocktails were good, if I remember correctly. What could be bad about a traditional espresso martini, right?! Appetizers: No way can you go to an Italian joint and not get the focaccia bread. It was superb- salted to perfection with a delicious sun-dried, whipped butter. We also opted for the fried zucchini- YUM! and lastly, my favorite, the crudo...the citrus added suched a delicious brightness to the dish- I could eat that over and over again. Our party of four went with four different pasta dishes...because, duh, you have to try *everything*! I'm writing this way after the fact so I don't remember the name of every pasta, but it doesn't matter- they were all DELECTABLE! Even the gluten free option for my husband was to die for. We also got the chicken to try and that was equally as delicious as the homemade pastas. One star off for not having a larger variety of protein entrees, but I get it...pasta's the star, here! I can't see myself running back here, but it was a great dining experience. I definitely recommend giving Behind The Door a go.

    Ice cream flavors
    Elizabeth O.

    I'm not a big ice cream person but I really liked this shop. It's was small, well lit, and friendly. I got the Dubai chocolate ice cream and it tasted amazing.

    Cocktails
    Emily O.

    Made a reservation to "More Behind the Door" a little speakeasy behind a gelato shop. We got our password 30 minutes before our reservation. The restaurant itself was nice and the staff were incredibly helpful. We ordered a salad, pasta dish and the steak to share between the two of us. The salad had a great bite, the steak was cooked to perfection, and the pasta was the star. pro tip: ask for bread to soak up all of that amazing Parmesan broth! Highly recommend the tiramisu!

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    7 months ago

    Service was insanely slow and several drinks were messed up/wrong drink entirely. The restaurant also smells so bad.

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    2 months ago

    Great food and the new Devil On My Shoulder drink is amazing. Great ambience and service is outstanding!

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    Good food and service. Short menu and portions are smaller than expected for the price.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Vita

    What is the dress code for Vita?

    No dress code. In average, people dress casual

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    Prunella - Still looking scrumptious 7 hours and 1000 miles later

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    Great Italian food with on this double date. Our waiter Devon made us feel comfortable by walking…read moreus through the menu and the place. We order so much food and all the food that was eaten by us was well prepared and high quality. The octopus was no chewy, the gnocchi was like chewing on a cloud, and the dough for the pizza has the nice black spots on the bottom and a nice chew. The pizza is also not greasy and will not hurt your digestion system. All the dessert are to die for. Prunella is legit and you should check it out!!!

    Girl dinner, but make it cozy, delicious, and elevated. My friends and I have made a tradition of…read morevisiting Prunella every January for restaurant week - you truly cannot beat the amount of delicious food you get! I recommend a party of 3-4 to really maximize your experience. However, this year, we just weren't as hungry, so we did some girl math and decided it would be cheaper to do ala cart. We ordered two of the famous spicy caesar salads (must order!!), a ricotta toast, a White Claw pizza, and a finished off our meal sharing two chocolate budinos. The White Claw is a pretty classic white pizza, mozzarella and swirls of basil pesto; the crust is amazing! It pairs perfectly with the salad. The ricotta toast is decadent and addicting, but a little bit goes a long way. The chocolate budino was outstanding - sweet, with hints of espresso. We won't talk about how I ended up with some of it on my white turtleneck... Service was friendly and QUICK! We ordered, and I swear we had our first dishes in less than 10 minutes. The server was a doll, though I can't recall his name. Downside of Prunella, like anywhere in Center City, is there is no parking. Upside, is you're just a short walk from the 13th St. Septa Station, and you're literally equidistant from Broad and Market streets. Pro-tip: Killer happy hour specials, but only at the bar. Good selection of beverages, if you're into that type of thing. Come hungry, leave happy, and maybe don't wear white.

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    Vita - italian - Updated May 2026

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