Italian Restaurants in Philadelphia (2025)
Marc Vetri’s intimate townhouse remains the city’s modern Italian benchmark, now focused on multicourse tastings that spotlight house-milled grains and seasonality. Lauded by Philadelphia Inquirer critic Craig LaBan for evolving with grace after 25 years.
Set in a century-old Italian Market butcher shop, this compact pasta bar from the Vetri team turns out intensely focused plates and an upstairs Pasta Club experience. Frequently cited by national and local editors for some of the city’s best pasta.
On the rooftop of South Philly’s Bok building, chef Michael Vincent Ferreri channels Sicily with handmade pastas, seafood, and natural-leaning wines. Consistently praised by local magazines and Resy editors for destination-worthy cooking and skyline views.
An eight-to-ten course modern Italian tasting menu where the night unfolds like a story, sometimes from seats at the kitchen counter. Highlighted by Resy as a splurge-worthy experience, it’s intimate, chef-driven, and deeply personal to its Queen Village home.
The Varallo family has welcomed guests here since 2003, serving generous Southern Italian plates and famously tender gnocchi. Recognized by local media for national accolades from diners, it remains a South Philly favorite for heartfelt hospitality.
Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran’s Italian-American charmer channels Sunday gravy, stuffed meatballs, and a twinkly back patio. Recognized by national roundups and beloved by locals, it captures Center City’s neighborhood spirit in every bowl of red sauce.
Just off Rittenhouse Square, this sleek spot centers on house-milled flour and market-driven antipasti, pastas, and cocktails. Frequently featured by local editors, it’s a go-to for polished Italian plates and a lively bar scene.
A cash-only classic in the Italian Market since the 1960s, serving chicken parm, seafood linguine, and famous meatballs to generations. Celebrated by local critics for timeless red-gravy comfort and a neighborhood crowd that keeps coming back.
There are some places that can only exist on TV, like the apartment from Friends, Luke’s Diner, and locker rooms that are only there for dramatic, ego-filled conversations between 16-year-old football players. Murph’s Bar in Fishtown is another one of those places, except it’s somehow not fictional. It’s an old dive bar on Girard Ave that has all of the hallmarks of Paddy’s Pub, but with the added benefit of a cash-only kitchen in the back serving some of the best Italian food in the city. If you’ve heard about Murph’s before, it’s probably in the context of it being a “secret” or “hidden away.” The thing is, though, nothing about Murph’s is all that undercover. It’s always been a thing for the people who live nearby because it’s cheap (the pastas here top out around $14) and it’s good. The only thing that’s changed is that now, instead of just the regulars flooding their doors every night starting at 5pm, you’ll see people standing on stools taking overhead pictures of their bolognese, and about six guys in Eagles garb from the 70s rolling their eyes at them. photo credit: Rachel Lerro Murph’s has a long menu that’s about 80% pasta, and if you do it right, your table should look like a Tetris board of fettuccine and garganelli for the majority of your dinner. They have their everyday menu and a specials menu, but you’re going to want to spend the majority of your time on the specials, which don’t actually change that often, but include the best dishes they offer. Like the lobster ravioli, which is covered in a tomato cream sauce and topped with three perfect shrimp, and is our favorite thing on the menu. You should also get the veal tortellacci - a meat-filled pasta pocket sitting on top of even more meat and sleeping under a warm blanket of heavy cream sauce. If that doesn’t sound like something you want in front of you right now, we have very different priorities in life. photo credit: Rachel Lerro Some things you should know about Murph’s before you go: It’s cash-only, but they do have an ATM in case you’re under 30 and only carry cash with you when you need to tip the lady who grooms your eyebrows. They also don’t take reservations, and there are only 10-15 tables in the entire place, along with a bar, so get there early (especially on weekends). Everything about Murph’s Bar feels like it was specifically made for the set of a sitcom about a group of friends in their 30s. It’s the kind of place where you imagine you’ll become tight with the bartender and he’ll kick out anyone who insults your girlfriend, or maybe they’ll save you a table in the corner that you can just come in and sit at even if there’s a 45-minute wait. None of that will probably ever happen and your life isn’t interesting enough for a TV show, but you can and should still come here to get really good pasta and a $6 glass of wine. Food Rundown Meatballs Huge balls of meat done simply with marinara and a side of ricotta. Not a bad place to start your pasta feast. Taglioni Carbonara Is breakfast pasta a thing yet? If not, it should be, because this pasta is done with bacon, egg, and cheese, and we wish they were open for breakfast so we could substitute it in for our Saturday morning breakfast sandwich. Lobster Ravioli It’s the most expensive pasta on the list, and it’s worth every cent. The tomato cream sauce is perfect, the pasta is al dente, and the shrimp on top make you feel like you got a whole second dish for the price of one Veal Tortellacci If we were ranking dishes here, this would (theoretically) be our second favorite. It’s done in a white cream sauce, and just in case there isn’t enough meat inside for you, it’s also sitting on a layer of capocollo. It also has a drizzle of truffle oil and some walnuts on top that really make the whole thing perfect. Tagliatelle Bolognese A classic done really, really well. It’s about 50% pasta and 50% ground beef, which will make you kind of feel like you’re eating a full hamburger with a fork. But you’ll enjoy it, unlike we imagine you would if you were actually eating a hamburger with a fork.
A Fishtown newcomer pairing handmade pasta with Pennsylvania-made wine via a Wayvine tasting-room model. Added to Eater Philly’s 2025 Italian list and noted by Food & Wine for energizing the city’s wine-bar scene.
Operating since 1899, this South Philly landmark serves a wide-ranging menu of Italian-American classics in a historic townhouse. Frequently featured by trusted editors for its enduring recipes and strong ties to the Italian Market community.
A Fairmount BYOB devoted to regional Italian cooking, from Alpine winter dishes to Calabrian heat, all made by hand. Long appreciated by local critics and Eater’s BYOB guides for finely tuned pastas and a neighborhood-first ethos.
