Permanently Closed - Bistro Sorriso

This was our second dinner at Bistro Sorriso and both times it was delicious. My husband said his artichoke and greens salad was very good and the Chicken Marsala was delicious. He ate almost all of his large portion. I enjoyed the broccoli rabe which was large enough to be a main course. I personally would have preferred less sausage to cut back on the fat but I think others would like the amount. The chicken rotinni was very tender with a lovely creamy rose sauce. (The first time I dined there i had the fish special which was baked bronzino which was cooked perfectly.) Both times our party of six and tonight with my husband, we were the only people in restaurant. Really don’t understand why it’s not busier except for it’s location just north of Callowhill...between Northern Liberties and Old City.

This restaurant is located at the bottom of an apartment building. Our group of 7 had reservations for 6:30. When we walked in there was only one other table occupied. It was a warm day and the restaurant was even warmer and stuffier. I asked the server to put the ac up and he did so immediately. It came on but didn’t make much of a difference throughout our entire meal, perhaps because the kitchen is somewhat open to the restaurant area and the heat is inevitable. I would not go here in the dead of the summer because of the heat. Our service was excellent though and our appetizers came quickly. We ordered the arugula and artichoke salad which was dressed in a light lemony vinaigrette - tasty, simple and refreshing. They were out of the octopus so we ordered the fried calamari app which was delicious. Not overly breaded and cooked to perfection. Bread was freshly baked but a bit yeasty for my taste. Two of us ordered the Branzino with pasta and broccoli rabe. Wasn’t great and wasn’t bad. Very simple dish. Fish was okay; all the vegetables though on everyone’s plates were way over cooked to the point the color was faded. One person ordered the steak. It arrived covered in an overly salted sauce and steak was fine, again not great, and somewhat fatty. Gorgonzola gnocchi was fresh but way way too over sauced. Almost too thick and rich to stomach. Next pasta dishes were pasta pescatore. Review was meh once again. Last pasta dish was penne with chicken, broccoli and parm. Meh once again. Broccoli was light green, limp and over cooked. Last dish was shrimp risotto and was yet again just okay. Dessert was two cannoli orders. You guessed it. Meh again. Not bad...just not really good. Wasn’t expecting it to be a stellar meal, but was expecting better. We will not be back but it seems like a decent enough place if you live in the neighborhood or the attached apartment building for a midweek dinner as long as you don’t have high expectations. Empty on a sat eve...bad sign.

I don't want to sound cliche, but this place is truly a hidden gem in Northern Liberties. It is sort of tucked away from the street on the ground floor of an apartment high rise. We were a party of seven people who know and enjoy good Italian food and not a one was disappointed. We all had pasta of some sort and while it was all delicious, the best dish of the night was the lobster ravioli. The ravs were cooked to perfection, they were stuffed with lobster meat, and the sauce was a blush sauce with a delicious bold flavor and topped with lump crab meat! From the bread, warm and house-made, to the caesar salad, to the entrees, they were on point. Attentive service and reasonable prices rounded out the evening. Highly recommend this place. Get there before word gets out and it is packed.

The food is SOO good. And it's byob so our bill was super cheap. Definitely will go back!

Would not recommend this restaurant, yet. We're going to give them another try or two before writing them off. #1...It looked empty. There was one other couple, seated in the far rear, as we entered. In spite of this, the waiter (mgr?) forgot our appetizer, and then later offered to bring us the same for no charge. We waited too long for the check, coffee, (which we opted to not get, thanks anyway) main courses etc. I wondered how they would serve the customers if it ever was busy. (I'm talking 8-9 PM on a Friday!) #2...The food was good, I must say, with a few exceptions. The Salmon was maybe the best I've ever had. The Mushroom appetizer (which we ultimately were comped for) was not like it was represented in the picture. It was over-cooked in a frying pan until it was all dark brown. The Lobster Ravioli was drowning in a blush sauce. The bread was excellent. It was a BYOB. Like I say, we'll give them another try before taking our dining business elsewhere.

Very welcoming team and had a wonderful experience. Party of 7 was handled well.

Hidden gem in no-mans land between callowhill and spring garden. The food is incredibly fresh. We were a party of 6 and went on a Dunday night. I had the burrata appetizer special and shellfish with linguini entree. Everything was delicious. The waiter/chef had no problem adjusting the ingredients to fit dietary needs of the other persons in our party. It is not crowded yet because no one knows Its there-so noise level is very low.

Our dining experience at Bistro Sorriso was fantastic. I'm so glad I made a reservation. The meal was an incredible surprise. We'll be back soon!

Hidden gem. Everything we ordered turned out great. Highly recommend it