Il PittoreI chose two restaurants veryI chose two restaurants very carefully for two dinners in Philadelphia for a quick visit from DC with three family members, each of us serious about food. I could not have been happier with our dinner at Il Pittore. From cocktails through dessert, each choice brought to our table was a hit. The menu is brilliant without being gimmicky. Service was wonderful. The restaurant is understated and lovely and we will all return as soon as possible. This is what modern cooking at its best should be.6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMFoodie heaven!!The pasta dish with the fiddleheads superb. The 3 cheese board excellent. Saving the best for last, the Roast Suckling Pig should always be on their menu. It was divine. Even the Brussel Sprouts were delicious.
Will go back soon. Michael, our Host was very helpful with our wine selection. Couldn,t be more pleased.6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMA great find!My rirst time there to celebrate my nehphew's birthday and it exceeded my expectations. The food and service were outstanding!6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMWil return soonI went with a group of six. From start to finish we had a wonderful experience. Our server was very affable and attentive, and the sommelier took great care in helping us with our wine selection. The food was perfect from start to finish (best brussel sprouts I've ever had). Even the expensive grappa--which starts at $16 a glass--was worth it.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWeeknight dinnerThe beet salad had the most tender beets and tasty cheese. The fluke was nicely prepared and perfectly seared. The waiter recommended the perfect wine by the glass, as I didn't care for the one which I had originally selected. The service is attentive, without being intrusive. A very enjoyable dinner all around. Because it is pricey,this will be a special occasion place for us. It is worth every penny!6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMIl Pittore shinesThe menu is extensive & interesting, the food was excellent, and the service was friendly and efficient.6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMExceptional restaurantI hesitate to write how wonderful Il Pittore is for fear that I would not be able to get a table. The food is the only authentic northern italian food in the city and perhaps the region. Simply remarkable.
The presentation is exceptional. The service is highly attentive. The quality of foods and recipes is what sets the Il Pittore apart from so many restaurants.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMStill our favorite in Philly!Still our favorite in Philly! Food is delicious and everyone working there is attentive and knowledgable. Can't wait to go back again!6/3/2013 12:00:00 AMNot as good as last timeUsually very good and consistent. However, the last time the food was spotty--chewy pasta and mushy sausage. Waiters are terribly annoying--overly instructive as though we'd never dined out before or read a menu. The waitresses are excellent tho.6/3/2013 12:00:00 AMVery good!Very different kind of menu. Virtually everything tastes great and presented very well. Definitely recommend the Bistecca dish.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMMondern Italian gemIl Pittore is a delightful neighborhood gem on the west side of Center City. The main dining area upstairs is delightful (rustic and cozy) with great skylights and sunny windows. You almost feel like you're outside with all the great light! Food is always inventive and delicious. Menu structured in classic Italian manner with appetizers, first and second courses. Ordered 3 different fish entrees...the special, Red Snapper with lentils was outstanding. The Fluke was good, but nothing noteworthy. The seabass was also, excellent. One diner ordered lamb chops which were also excellent. Sides were fantastic. Our server was attentive, but not overwhelming, and the wine sommelier recommended great selections!5/31/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food and service was excellent.The food and service was excellent. Kevin, who waited on our table, explained the food preparations extremely well and selected some great wines to complement the food selections. This is my third or fourth visit to the restaurant and each time was a great experience. The upstairs section is quieter than the downstairs section. Highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMCouldn't say moreIl Pittore was excellent. The food was fantastic, the wait staff was friendly, personable, and very attentive. The space was elegant. However, the food is the real star here. The dishes were incredible.
I will definitely being going back and highly recommend it to anyone. This place rocks!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMFood, service, wine list,Food, service, wine list, all at the highest level I've experienced in Philadelphia. Tables are too close together and noise level is too high for a restaurant of this caliber.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat retaurant, food wasGreat retaurant, food was unique and delicious! very attentive service and friendly staff!5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMConsistently Outstanding DiningWe have dined at Il Pittore several times since it opened and continue to marvel at the consistently outstanding level of food and service quality....Without question, one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia...a distinction increasingly challenging to achieve!5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent restuarantWe went on a Friday night. Kevin our waiter is the first waiter who I can remember the name of past the meal. He provided such excellent service that I find myself waiting to go back. The food was wonderful as well. I had the chef crudo which was a shashimi like dish that day, the special ravioli and a wild caught striped bass. All of it was great. My wife had a salad, the lobster ravioli and the striped bass she thought it was great. The desert was an apple strudel with hazel nut gelato. Never been to a Steven Starr restaurant before, and if they are all like that I think I would like to try them all...5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMOur second visit to Il PittoreOur second visit to Il Pittore did not disappoint. Great food and service.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMBeautifully delicious foodEverything we ate was beautifully prepared, delicious and perfect serving size. The wait staff was extremely knowledgeable and helpful at every turn. We couldn't ask for anything more.5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMOur new favorite?The food was terrific, particularly the striped bass and the brussel sprouts. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. This may just be our new favorite restaurant and we have been to many others!5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic FoodThe food was excellent. Appetizer specials were amazing. Pasta was out of this world. And the staff was nice about us bringing our 2 and 4 year old to dinner.5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMAn excellent choice!Excellent all around -- great food, ambience and service. As my companion remarked, the service was not only great at the start of the meal, but also at the end as well. We truly felt welcomed. The menu is not large, but the choices are very varied.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed the chef's tastingWe enjoyed the chef's tasting very much. Each course was absolutely amazing. The service was also wonderful.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious and delightfulNo, not a Gershwin tune. . . Il Pittore (can't stand the habit of subtracting the 'Il'), in its upstairs, open, black and white dining space, is welcoming and well-staffed (almost too assiduous at times). The food, in suitably small portions, was interestingly presented, full of flavor, and not too wild (but wild enough). I had the best gnocchi I've had for years. A fine prosecco and a hearty primitive for the two of us -- a really good wine list and a waiter who knew how to help us choose.
I'd go back in a minute.5/15/2013 12:00:00 AMAlmost five starsVery attractive room and excellent service. Superb cauliflower salad, grilled octopus, wonderful pastas , delcious side veg dishes, and rabbit "rack". Only real flaw was the mark-up on the wine list -- more than 4 to 1 on some offerings.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMDeliciousWe had a great experience at II Pittore. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming from the hostess to our server. Our meal was delicious and we will definitely come back.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMMost EnjoyableFirst-rate all down the line. Hostesses, Servers, Sommelier, Chef all were great. Each course was delicious and we can't wait to go back to try those dishes we weren't able to try this time. An overall enjoyable night out.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMJust the best.Seriously, the whole experience at Il Pittore was mind blowing. The menu is broken into three main sections, with each representing a course in the meal. Every dish was perfect and absolutely delicious. The service was out of this world - the wait staff was very attentive and helpful. Neither of us have eaten at a place of this caliber before, the waiters were more than happy to answer our silly questions about etiquette and the different dishes.
The only downside was the price; it was very, very expensive. However, this isn't the kind of place we'd recommend to visit every week anyway. It's truly a unique experience and great for special occasions.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMTop shelfBest of the best. We had the chefs sampler. Every course was expertly prepared5/6/2013 12:00:00 AMSimply OutstandingThe passion of the owners, chefs and staff is apparent from top to bottom. Creative food, incredible taste and excellent service. Simple but nice design with great lighting.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMExceeded expectations!My parents came into town over the weekend and I wanted to take them somewhere nice for dinner. We all loved our experience at Il Pittore! The food was excellent (although the portions are small, as is to be expected at a more upscale restaurant). My dad loved his black sea bass dish and their house-made pasta was really, really good! The real standout, however, was the outstanding service we received! My parents like to drink hot water with their meals and they were each given individual teapots that were replaced several times throughout the meal without prompting to ensure that the water was always hot. Everyone-waiters, servers and hostess alike-all went out of their way to make us feel like VIP's. Would absolutely recommend!!5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMSuperb serviceWe dined with another couple, we ordered...Sea Bass and Stuffed Trout, both were delicious. Their Antipasti beet salad and baked ricotta were our favorites. Be prepared that this is an expensive restaurant, you pay for their superb service and very special dishes.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent service and goodExcellent service and good selection of delicious dishes. Looking forward to the next visit.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMA Great New Restaurant!We met friends for dinner on a Sunday evening. We all were very impressed with Il Pittore. Everything-- food, wine, service was outstanding. The food is northern Italian and everything that we tried was first-rate. We started with a chicken sausage appetizer with chanterelle mushrooms, followed by pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and veal cheeks for the main course. My wife and I shared each of the dishes and we felt nicely full. Our friends had a salad, ravioli and fish dishes. The wine list is Italian and outstanding. The sommelier was very helpful in helping us choose a great white. Service was helpful, friendly and not intrusive. All in all, this is a top-notch restaurant and a great addition to the Philly scene.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic!Had a teriffic dinner served by an attentive and very knowledgable (and passionate!) waiter. Food was out of this world excellent with so much flavor, but still it was all so elgantly simple. This is top of my list and I cannot wait to return!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThe folks at Il Pittore wereThe folks at Il Pittore were so lovely and accommodating, even when half of our table showed up twenty-five minutes late for our reservation. Service was outstanding, and our server recommended a fabulous wine for the table. The food was exquisite, especially the baked ricotta and the swiss chard ravioli with truffle oil. Also, the dessert portions were very manageable - a trio of sorbets was the perfect finish. The space is really pleasant - not too loud or too crowded, and the plant lined skylights do an excellent job of opening the room up and bringing the outdoors in. I would recommend coming for an earlier dinner just to enjoy how nice the light comes through. Overall, a truly wonderful dining experience! We will be back!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMSavory!!Great date night. Amazing food. They totally take 'up selling' to a new level though.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was delectable.The food was delectable. The preparation was outstanding on the suckling pig secondi. The skin was perfectly crisped and the meat itself was succulent. The accompanying dishes and dessert were outstanding! This restaurant is seriously good. Any foodie would feel right at home here, with the array of antipastis ranging from cabbage wrapped lamb sausage, with fennel pollen, to primis that include pappardelle (pasta ribbons with wild boar, rosemary and parmesan). Fantastic!4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat restaurant! Food, serviceGreat restaurant! Food, service and ambience was outstanding. Worth another visit!4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMa PERFECT DATE NIGHT WITH MY HUSBANtHE SERVICE WAS IMPECCABLE AND THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. iT WAS A MEMORABLE NIGHT FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was my second time visit.This was my second time visit. The food is very interesting and deftly prepared. Full meals both times, multiple appetizers, salads, entrees and side dishes. And both times every dish but one was over salted. Perhaps they simply have a salt lover at the helm, but they need to pull it back a notch.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMGood service, good food, goodGood service, good food, good wine. Enjoyed the evening. Particularly enjoyed helpfulness from sommielier when ordering wine.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I love this placeMy wife and I love this place for special occasions but have no trouble finding other reasons to visit. The food is delicious, the wines well-chosen, the staff and management are impeccably courteous, efficient and friendly. The decor is elegant, yet comfortable and familiar, especially in the upper dining room.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMSooo goodOnly go if (1) you want perfect Italian food made with creative combinations-- no spaghetti and meatballs, no lasagna; (2) you have an evening to enjoy out, over a slowly served, multi-course meal; (3) you want to get dressed up. Allow for about $85 pp for your meal (plus drinks). TOTALLY WORTH IT!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMMy husband and I were celebratingMy husband and I were celebrating my 70th birthday. The food, service, ambience, etc was excellent. Can't remember that last time we enjoyed a dinner this much14/18/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of the best restaurantsOne of the best restaurants in the city. The food is marvelous.4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was our first visit toThis was our first visit to Il Pittore. It was a wonderful experience from the start. Other than the acoustics not being the best making it quite noisy our evening was perfect. Todd took incredible care of us and was impecible with his timing. This was our first date night since our wedding two months ago. Todd made the night fabulous. Thank you!4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a wonderful anniversaryWe had a wonderful anniversary dinner at Il Pittore. The food and service were wonderful!4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMI think you could do a groupI think you could do a group of 8 more than that might be a stretch. The service is excellent : the food is Amazing and if needs be the wine by the glass is even very good.4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWorth the expenseGreat pastas; affordable list of Italian wines; excellent service; our favorite Italian restaurant in Philly. Favorites: Corzetti, Braised Veal Cheeks.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AM