Alla SpinaAlways very good...The food is really, really good. The space is beautiful. The service is knowledgeable and friendly. We like it for brunch because we can bring our three year old and he eats and the servers are kind and don't glower at us because we brought a child. They even had a sippy cup of milk for him. We liked that.
The only negative s that brunch is just a tad expensive. We've eaten dinner there with friends, off the entire menu with some of the freshest, best oysters I've ever had (black points???) with multiple beers and found the prices reasonable. Brunch is just a little expensive.
But we always recommend and it's a really good spot.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat appetizersWish we'd ordered more of the delicious polenta and the sunchokes, which were excellent. Not a ton of vegetarian friendly options, really, but if they'll always have good appetizer size options I don't think it's too much of a problem. The place was open and not too noisy on the Sunday night we visited. Good service.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMyummy!!Wonderful restaurant. The service was fantastic. Lots of pork on menu.
Awesome desserts. The chocolate taco--> amazing. I would definitely go back5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother Vetri hit! We triedAnother Vetri hit! We tried 5 dishes and each dish was very good! We will definitely be back to try some of the other dishes that sounded equally wonderful.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMI'm Still FullCannot wait to dine at Alla Spina again. The only qualm I had with the overall experience was the noise level, and the overall crowdedness of the restaurant. It was Saturday night at prime time, the night before the Broad Street Run, so the noise and crowds were totally understandable.
Every dish we had was incredible. I'm still full 2 days later. The North Philly cheesesteak is worth the hype. The beer list is incredible. Loaded with many hard to find beers from all over the world, with an emphasis on Italian craft producers.
Basically, Alla Spina is my ideal version of a "gastropub" to use on overplayed word. Eat here as soon as you can. You won't be disappointed.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMFun and delicious!I met a friend at Alla Spina and had a great time!! The bartenders and wait staff were very attentive and knowledgeable. They had a wonderful selection of beer and the food was delicious. I will definitely come back again when I'm in Philly.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMvery cool venue. Incrediblevery cool venue. Incredible variety of beers. Funky but deliscious food menu. Not for vegitarians or people who don't eat pork. Everyone elde will love it.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMI've become obsessed withI've become obsessed with this place. The funky/hip Italian ambiance, attentive service, well thought out beverage program, and quality food all combine to create a place I will now try to visit each time I visit Philly. Perfect for a variety of dining options - quick drink and bar snack, brunch with a hangover, extended dinner, etc. Most recent experience was bruch where we had fluffy pancakes with fresh berries, chestnut crepe with homemade breakfast sausage, & biscuits with veal ragu and poached eggs. All plates were happily licked clean.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMA completely original restaurantA completely original restaurant with many interesting dishes based on cuts of meat and types of vegetables not often available for tasting. It is creative without crossing over into weird territory and the food tastes good, which is not always the case with chefs who are trying to be different. Who knew there was such a thing as an Italian beer bar? We do not live in Philadelphia but will definitely go back just for this and other Vetri restaurants.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food here is great andThe food here is great and the menu is well thought out, we enjoyed dinner here immensely. We ate too much and we wanted to drink more the beer and cocktail list is very nice.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWe decided to go out to brunchWe decided to go out to brunch at the last minute. I had the lasagna - not like any normal lasagna. Highly recommend it!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMBirthday Brunch Turned LunchAwesome. Absolutely awesome. Everything was the coolest and most pleasant surprise. Everyone working was in the best mood, which helps your day brighten up no matter what! Next time I'm going to be on that poutine game hardcore! Also, thank you so so so much for never questioning the absurd amount of bloody mary's we ordered, and actually, you even gave us props. Something we will certainly not forget! You helped to perfectly cap an already amazing birthday weekend for my boyfriend! Thank you tons! P.S. Props for having Fox Soccer on, seriously, thank you! .... And now I want a bloody Mary, dang.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat place! Great food -Great place! Great food - not too expensive. The polenta balls with taleggio was a highlight. It didn't feel too loud or cramped even though it was busy in there. Lots of beer & other alcohol choices. Perfect place for a girls' night dinner!4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMIt was a fantastic experienceIt was a fantastic experience with a great beer and drink selection and amazing food!4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome!!!Our server, Tim, was phenomenal. Great food, great service. Will definitely come back again and again4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was out of the thisThe food was out of the this world! Marc Vetri can do no wrong.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMMy favorite restaurantI live in Delaware, and I've been here 5-6 times already. Every time I go, the experience is great. The food consistently blows me away, no matter what I order ... especially the North Philly Cheese-steak, which is the best sandwich I've ever eaten. Vetri is the man.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved Alla Spina. DefinitelyLoved Alla Spina. Definitely for someone with an adventurous palate. Lots of pig on the menu.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and atmosphereOur evening at Alla Spina was great fun. Put your low-carb, low-fat diet aside for the night, though. The pork dishes were succulent (we had the special pork shoulder for two), and the small plates inventive and delicious. This is the place to go for excellent ingredients, prepared simply and deliciously. I also like the proximity of tables and room for larger parties; it encouraged chatting and recommendations on what to order. ( Our neighbors were tucking into a roasted pig's head!) Loved the funky decor, too.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was great. The portionsThe food was great. The portions were appropriate because most of them are very rich. Knowing that, we were able to taste several items and not be "over the top". The donut bread pudding was fabulous!
I am not a beer drinker, but my husband is. Both of us had very good beverages. I surprised myself!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMWe shared the zucchini andWe shared the zucchini and char crudo (I recommend the zucchini even thought the char was delicious) followed by a swordfish BLT and the fried chicken (a weakness of mine). The chicken was terrific, crisp, crusty; but for our next visit we will do an array of the appetisers and then maybe split the swordfish sandwich because it was so good. Judging by the zucchini, I want to try all the appetizers.
They have a wonderful beer selection and I enjoyed a draft allagash white (actually three of them). Normally I am a wine guy but the selection on tap was too good to pass up. I would have tried different beers, but the allagash fit the fried chicken too well.
We will go back to try the many and varied appetizers they offer.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMYummy yummy! The brown sugarYummy yummy! The brown sugar bacon was incredible...still dreaming of it!3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMPork Galore!I love this place and have been back several times. Pork shoulder, pigs head, pork potpie, and pig tails (recognize a theme!) are all outstanding. Other standouts are the fried chicken, the mushrooms, the parsnip and potato cannelloni with short rib ragu, and sausage with grilled onions and mustard. Excellent and well-rounded beer list too. The only dish I would advise against is the sausage cheesesteak. Just extremely salty and the flavors didn't work for me. Overall Philly is lucky to have Alla Spina and all of Mark Vetri's stellar restaurants.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMDefinitely Worth a Vist!We've had a several meals at Alla Spina, and this was the very best. There were five of us, and we shared the pork entree, which was excellent, along with several small plates, including the mushrooms, pig tails, and prosciutto cotto. All the dishes were wonderful, and the service and our waiter, Justin, were outstanding. We'll be back!3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMVery unique menu with interestingVery unique menu with interesting blends of flavors. Every dish was surpringly delicious. Good portion sizes in that they were not too large. Staff was extremely knowledgable about the menu , attentive , and personable. Went there 2 times in one week. Great beer selection. Very interesting dessertsas well! .3/10/2013 12:00:00 AM