Core de Roma

We really, really enjoyed Luigi’s authentic Italian food! Mille grazie per tutto!

We got multiple dishes - the burrata cheese, calamari, chicken core de roma, gnocchi gorgonzola, the bomba and the cannolis. The burrata cheese and the chicken core de roma were delicious. We love homemade gnocchi but I think they may have overcooked it too much because it was pretty mushy, especially the ones at the bottom because they were not even formed. The calamari was okay, some pieces were a bit too tough. The service was not the best, we did not meet the owner Luigi who I read a lot of great comments about. Our waitress was pretty short with us, and the service was slow.

Food was great started with calamari & muscles, calamari was fried to perfection they were a little bland but the marinara sauce made up for it. Mussels were plump and flavorful. Husband got the lasagna and said it was delicious. I got the seafood pasta in a white wine sauce and it was pretty decent. We left stuffed. The owners were very warm and intimate. Service was prompt.

Stopped in here yesterday excited to hopefully find out new go to BYOB spot. Service was really bad for us, we noticed the waitress being kind and attentive to all of the other tables and ignoring us. It took several minutes to be greeted, and then 20 minutes for our order to be taken. The server took our order, brought our food and check, and that was pretty much it. Meanwhile she was chatting up all of the other tables while we sat waiting for her. I’m not sure what it was… the only thing I can think is that it’s because we were a bit younger (mid 20’s) than the rest of the patrons in there. I take it we are not wanted there so we will not be returning. Food was pretty good but you can get good food anywhere!

Nice ambience, food was great, especially the chicken saltimbocca where the prosciutto and sauce gave a nice saltiness and richness.

This restaurant is one of the best places I have ever eaten at. The food and service are outstanding! I’m Italian and very picky with my sauce…. It's amazing! We drove for an hour to get here. I would gladly drive double that to eat this delicious food! The owners are very kind and do everything themselves. So so good! I promise it will be one of the best Italian restaurants you’ve ever eaten at!

Stopped by here yesterday on my birthday for takeout . I ordered penne vodka and my husband got the gnocchi G. in a white sauce, it was pretty good. I’d say the Gnocci was a bit soft ( maybe because it’s house made). I would order from here again since it’s clearly house made which I appreciate. I thought the staff was rather nice too. The place looked clean and put together and maybe slightly dated but definitely give us an Italian feel. The only con is there aren’t enough windows on the inside, but on the contrary, there’s not much to look at outside.

Dinner here felt like a quick trip to Italy—the pasta was perfectly cooked and the atmosphere was so inviting. The staff made us feel right at home. Can’t wait to come back and try more dishes!

A couple going into the restaurant stopped us as we made our way to the car. "What did you think?" they asked. I hesitated. "Well.... I thought it was very average; likely a one-shot deal for us. BUT, the restaurant appears to be popular, so you may think it's great." I hate assessing Core de Roma as less than wonderful. The owner is so gracious and wants everyone to be happy. But the reality is, with so many Italian restaurants in and around Philadelphia, you've got to be on top of your game. They start you off with warm Italian bread and a plate of tasty cannelloni beans in olive oil. We ordered calamari as an appetizer, described as being served on a "bed of greens." Had we known the "bed" was two meager leaves of lettuce, we would have ordered a salad as well. The calamari should be crisper and include tentacles in addition to rings. My husband's chicken Francese was pretty much indistinguishable from my saltimbocca. I like when the breasts are pounded thin, but these were sliced overly thin, and the portion, somewhat skimpy. One piece of T's was lemony, the other not. I did taste sage on my saltimbocca, but had I not known that the chicken was topped with prosciutto, I wouldn't have guessed it was there. I read that some restaurants don't serve angel hair pasta because it's easy to over-cook. You guessed it. Boiled to the point of being almost mushy, with sauce that literally had no taste. When we split a small piece of limoncello cake, T said "this is the most flavorful thing we've eaten." And sadly, I agreed. The restaurant is BYOB with a reasonable $5 corkage fee. The staff is young and efficient. There's a parking lot down the hill in the back. Ambience is okay -- despite some other Yelpers' complaints. The only thing needing improvement: the food.

This place is such a gem to have in Bala Cynwyd! The restaurant was a little difficult to locate on a dark, rainy evening however, once inside the restaurant is well lit. The decor reminds me of going to eat when I was young at a family owned Italian restaurant so some may say the decor is dated but I think it adds to its charm. This is a converted home turned restaurant so you so see some pipes but that doesn't really change the look or feel. Just be careful with the parking lot. The parking is in the back of the building but the walk up is quite steep...so it may be easier to find street parking if you are worried about a hike. The service was quick and pleasant! Our waitress Jenna was witty and didn't miss a beat! We were a large dining group so I can imagine how hard it was to keep track of everything being asked and requested. One of my dining companions wanted the tripe which was unavailable. The owner came and spoke to us about it and I found that both thoughtful and very sweet as she didn't need to do so! The food was delicious but of course, everyone has their own preferences. For example, I liked the calamari but others found them a little chewy. The artichokes are a must and I honestly could have just eaten a ton of them and called it a night! The zucchini flowers were a bit overbattered for me but again others enjoyed them greatly! My vodka penne was sublime and everything was delicious once again. One veal dish was too garlicky so there is that. I didn't try the desserts but they looked phenomenal! I left out a star based on my own preferences. At the end of the day, you come here for a good, nonna made meal and the decor suits it.

The Mrs and I went here with good friends and couldn't have had a lovelier evening, with great food, wonderful ambience and terrific service. The place is tucked away in a neat little Belmont Hills neighborhood (and if you can't maneuver walking hills, get dropped off at the door). The owner Judy takes care of everything, from warmly greeting you, to seating you, to taking your order. And the food was outstanding! We all went for various pasta dishes while the Mrs opted for chicken parm (maybe the biggest piece I've ever seen), and everything was terrific. What really stood out though was the Supploni al Telefono, two risotto balls with a pomodoro sauce that were done just right. Judy and Luigi have a gem here in Belmont Hills, so be sure to check it out.

My friend and I were craving pasta so we were very excited to go to Core de Roma! We went on a Friday, early evening, and luckily we got seated without a reservation (it was getting busy though!). We brought a bottle of wine since it's BYOB ($5 corkage fee). We enjoyed the free bread and beans in oil as we checked out the menu. We were having so much trouble deciding between all of the amazing pasta choices so we picked 3 - spaghetti cacio e Pepe (amazing!), penne arrabiatta (yummy), and we asked for the penne vodka with rigatoni instead (our favorite!)! The service was great and quick and the restaurant had such a friendly family feel. We left very full and are definitely looking forward to coming back soon!

Great food! Great service! BYOB! The place is a cute mom and pop restaurant with authentic taste. The portion size is great as well!

Came here with my family for a birthday dinner. Food was really good! The artichoke appetizer was heavenly! Good service and clean establishment! Will definitely be returning!

Our first trip to Core de Roma & have a mixed review. The place itself is quite nice, we were seated promptly, as there were only two other tables in use. (We had a 6 pm res,) The four of us ordered apps, only one being hot. I ordered the soup, which was a special. We waited nearly a half hour for the apps. When asked, we were told the soup is 'made to order". Am I the only one who thinks this odd? Dinner came out in a timely manner, but mine was cold. Being restaurant people, I know exactly why. The chef prepared the veal, plated it, then made the sauce. then poured it over the now cold veal. When we informed our waiter, he argued that it was impossible. He did take it back & returned it unchanged, still cold. Turns out the 'waiter' is also the owner. The food is really good, everyone else had ordered pasta & was served hot. We were never asked if we wanted dessert and when we ordered coffee it was delivered one cup at a time! I must say, the bus boy was excellent, kind, polite & attentive. My advice is to elevate him to waiter & let the owner kabitz with the tables.

Second time in a row there only one waitress, big parties plus other tables not looked at for 20 min, wine not opened, no bread so we left and went elsewhere. Not sure why they only have one person. People waiting at door to be seen and seated. First impressions are important. Not sure we will be back.

This was our first time at Core de Roma. There's a parking lot in the back. It's BYOB which I didn't realize when I made the reservation. We had a table for 4 at 6:30pm. The restaurant filled up quickly. We didn't order any appetizers. They did bring us a basket of warm, delicious bread and a small plate of beans in olive oil. Our meals came out quickly. We had veal parmigiana, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, and gnocchi. Everything was delicious. Our server was hustling around the whole time. There only seemed to be 3 servers for a large dining room. I would definitely recommend Core de Roma and would go there again.

What a gem of a restaurant! The bread came with a lovely seasoned olive oil that I found amazing. I ordered my go to dish - Fettuccine Alfredo and I was not disappointed! The fettuccine was a light homemade pasta - and the sauce was perfect! Great find!

After reading some reviews praising this BYO we tried it last night It wasn't very busy (we were a party of 4 ) Seated in middle of restaurant My point being staff had to pass us serving other patrons After about 10 minutes we were acknowledged Ordered meals and appetizers came about 15 minutes later The owner? came over and asked if we wanted dessert I said we didn't eat yet Just to finish my experience to share with others One and done (found food bland at best) Rick R

Not an attractive place but we heard good things so sat down at table with family 3 adults 2 teens. Service very spotty. Long story short. I have never had such inedible, terrible food at the worst place I've been in my life. One family member who will eat anything, left his food after a couple bites. There is nothing good I can say about the food or the place except we got out of there and no one got sick from what few bites we did eat. I cannot understand how it stays in business. Sorry to give a bad review but all 5 of us agreed and everyone got something different.

Service is fine. Ambiance is meh -- paintings of sad clowns? Any way, was looking forward to eating here, based on the reviews. I cannot agree with the positive reviews of the food. The artichoke specialty? Neither or us liked it. We split one of the three and left the two. My pasta fagioli was red base -- unusual from my experience. Usually I love this dish and order it at every nice Italian restaurant I visit. I had four spoonfuls. Tasted like tomato soup with rigatoni and carrot bits. My entree was veal osso bucco. The meat was tender, but the red sauce was passible. Over all, very disappointing. Perhaps my expectations going in were too high.

Have been to this restaurant several times. Food is delicious, service very good. It's a BYOB. I brought in a screw cap bottle of wine, opened it myself, and poured it myself. We were charged $5.00 corkage. No way was I paying that. We were told all restaurants are charging just to bring in a bottle. No way. Never heard that. Was I wrong?

First visit last night with two couples. Great experience. Started with an excellent Caesar Salad and the house made burrata. The salad was off the charts good with perfect dressing from scratch. We could have made a full meal out of the homemade bread and beans. Four different entrees all outstanding: lemon chicken, salmon, rigatoni with sausage and mushrooms, and lobster ravioli. Big portions perfect for sharing around the table. All the while Luigi will chat you up and make friendly recommendations about the food. He was alarmed that we did not want dessert, but we had red velvet cake waiting at home. Can't wait to go back. See you soon Luigi!

Got takeout. The pasta dishes were all excellent as was a veal Marsala dish. The bean salad was a bit too oily for my taste. The special artichoke appetizer was loved by the artichoke fans in the group.

Delicious food... a hidden gem in the neighborhood with wonderful ambiance and very good service. Everyone in our party loved what they ordered - from the Eggplant parmigiana to the Bucatini alla Gricia to the Veal Core de Roma. Will definitely be back to discover other delicious dishes. Thanks for making our evening a culinary delight at a very reasonable cost.

Nice, relaxed neighborhood restaurant offering traditional Italian food. I went there for the first time and their menu had a lot of items I would have liked to try. All the food we had was good to very good. We started out with some great bread that was served with butter and a tasty bean salad. For appetizer, we had Caesar salad (good) and a summertime special tomato and watermelon salad (very good). For entrees, we had cacio e pepe, spaghetti puttanesca, and salmon piccata. I liked all the entrees, the pasta dishes in particular. The pasta was a bit too cooked for my liking, but both sauces were great. All the service was friendly and welcoming. I'd like to come back soon!

The food here is super! The owner will come to check the status time to time. Highly recommended

Decided to go out last minute for our anniversary, but wanted to get out of our usual neighborhood and find something new. I saw Core de Roma on Yelp with multiple 5 stars so we decided to try it. Absolutely fantastic! The service was very hospitable with a welcoming atmosphere and the food was SO delicious. That's coming from and very picky eater. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

Amazing pasta!!! Got the Cacio e pepe and alfredo and calamari, will definitely order again

I am really picky when it comes to Italian food and giving my honest opinion. I was not that impressed based on the reviews I read before my visit. I had spaghetti and meatballs and it did not really resonate with me. The meatballs were disappointing, and the sauce was not what I was expecting in terms of flavor. They overload their sauce with too much Romano cheese and they must add cream due to the lighter color. The sauce was also sweeter than what I prefer, and know they add sugar to it which is not something I would ever add to my sauce. San Marzano tomatoes do not need sugar, and this sauce was most likely made without them. I would like to try other items on the menu and give them another try, but it was a bit of a letdown based on what I got and the price, which was over $22.00 for spaghetti and meatballs.

We haven't eaten there in person, but we have bought their chicken parm family dinners as takeout several times. It comes with six chicken cutlets sitting on top of pasta, salad and bread for $60. It's tasty and since it's intended to feed up to six people, we always get at least two dinners for the three of us, and usually one or two of us also get a lunch. My only complaint is that it's apparently aimed at families where only one or two people (the adults?) actually want to eat salad. We can barely stretch it to three. It's in the neighborhood and will definitely keep it in our takeout rotation.

The food was traditional and absolutely delicious! We received excellent, friendly and welcoming service that made us feel right at home! Thank you for a great dinner!

Excellent food, pleasant atmosphere and lovely wait staff. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday!

Delish, authentic Italian, family feel restaurant. The vibe is great for date night or for a larger group! Our appetizers were yummy! I had the Penne Vodka and my husband had the lasagna. Both were excellent. Save room for the Tiramusi... best I have had in a long time!

WOW just WOW. Met at the door by Luigi, the epitome of your Italian Grandfather. What a sweet wonderful guy. Followed his recommendations. Cacio de Pepe was wonderful. Crab and Shrimp ravioli was delicious. Artichoke appetizer and home made fresh bread before entrees was delish. Huge portions meant we had entrees for lunch the next day, yummy. He even gave us tips to reheat. Then, we had the cannolis.....Just YUMMY. I can't say enough how wonderful the food and the service was here. So well done. A must!

Came here for our anniversary dinner, reservations through open table. Service was accurate and comforting, food was awesome , Luigi is very professional and attentive, will be back soon

Great find. Authentic and comfortable. Delicious, good vibe & better yet, my wife enjoyed it more than me.

Hands down the BEST Italian food I've had in a very long time. Everything was DELICIOUS!! Calamari, Artichokes Roma, and the Eggplant Parmigiana were EXCELLENT!

I grew up with Italian food and this place is authentic. Food is delicious, attractively served, ample and at right temperature. The artichokes are amazing. I could make a meal out of them. Our Branzino fish was flavorful and the green beans and baby potatoes that came with it were just right, not raw or overcooked. The lemoncello cake is divine. Cannot wait to take my 94 year old Italian mama! BYOB do not forget your wine!

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent! Italian food at its best. Be patient for the food. A little under staffed. Worth the wait. Plenty of time to relax. Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!

The food at this little Italian BYOB is excellent! The chef Luigi is outgoing and fun and clearly loves his craft. I've had the lasagne, eggplant parm and cacio e pepe and all of them were just tremendous. The artichoke appetizer is incredible. If you love genuine Italian, this place is spot on.

This place is the BEST! Such a family oriented and kind place. The owner Gigi personally comes to greet you himself. Delicious, authentic food!

Gigi and his staff served an amazing dinner! Every single thing we had was excellent!! We will definitely be back!

This place was out of this world in terms of the taste and quality! The artichoke appetizer and soup is amazing, and we also had the meatballs and lasagna. The lasagna melts in your mouth and is just perfect!

Had an excellent experience from start to finish - easy ordering online, food was ready at the time promised, and it was fresh and hot when picked up. The food was delicious and serving size was plentiful - the best chicken parm we've had in ages, pasta well cooked and flavored, and caesar salad tasty and well dressed. Will definitely be back.

Amazing food, great service. Luigi the owner greeted with a warm welcoming smile. I definitely recommend. I will be back. Fresh

Core de Roma is a hidden gem we stumbled upon tonight. The room is pretty and open, lots of space, portions are enormous and we got complimentary bean salad that was really refreshing! Luigi makes you feel right at home and is a genuinely awesome and friendly guy. It reminded me of eating in Trastevere my first night in Italy with how warmly we were welcomed. 10/10 so confused how this place wasn't absolutely packed. Thanks Luigi!

I love this place....Tucked into an elbow of Lower Merion, this wonderful BYOB is meticulous in its presentation of authentic Roman dishes. The four quintessential Roman pastas are there: Bucatini alla Gricia, Spaghetti Carbonara, Spaghetti a Cacio e Pepe, and Amatriciana (that the owner calls Matriciana). I chose the bucatini matriciana and it was a beautiful melding of sweet, spicy and savory tastes..as authentic as it comes. In addition to the pasta, no one does artichokes better (a family recipe with specially-sourced artichokes), and the Supploni al Telefono (ostrich egg-sized fried risotto balls with fresh mozzarella) we're also a special treat. The heart of the place is it's owner, Luigi, who entertained at a South St (now closed) and West Chester (still going well, run by Luigi's wife) location before opening up this jewel in the middle of the pandemic. If you love Roman style Italian cuisine, it's hard to do better. I'll be going back a lot.

I chose this spot for my wife and my "final" date night since she's 8 months pregnant. We arrived just after opening and although we didn't have a reservation, the staff were very inviting and made sure to seat us. The food was amazing, our server was kind and pleasant, and the owner came over to check in on us. We will be back for our next date night whenever they may be!

Great Italian Restaurant. The gnocchi dish was great and the fried calamari was very tasty with a good dipping sauce.

My family and I live 2 minutes walking distance from here so we ordered take out. When we got back to our house, the food was still hot. I love a good Italian pasta dish so I got the penne vodka and it was absolutely phenomenal. Out of all the Italian restaurants I've been to and had that, it's the best penne vodka. My family also really loved everything they got. The chicken parm and the ravioli that family members got were also very good. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for good Italian food at a reasonable price as well. If we were to dine in then I'm sure the food would even more excellent than when we got take out.

Absolutely phenomenal. I had takeout a couple weeks ago and it was delish. The real treat was being able to dine in and experience the food fresh out of the kitchen, at the perfect temp. Salads were crisp and fresh, well dressed. Caesar dressing is house made and perfect. Homemade bread is a bit dense for my liking, but I don't like bread all that much. Signature artichoke app was on point, and the sauce/dressing was out of this world. Clams in white wine sauce were on the smaller side, but i would've drank the juice if no one was watching. Branzino special was perfectly cooked and super tasty. But the absolute best was the gnocchi gorgonzola. They make it in house daily. They were fluffy pillowy dumplings. Like everything that you want a gnocchi to be, and rarely is. The cream sauce was buttery and cheesy without being heavy (but that could've been the case because I was already levitating from the taste and texture of the gnocchi itself?). The decor was warm and melodic Italian music played softly. Luigi, the owner and native Italian, visited our table after every dish was served to check on us. He was lovely. Two of his sons joined him and it was nice to see them enjoy a meal, and also to see what they ordered for themselves. Espresso after dinner was perfect, and two small pours of sambuca on the house were the perfect ending. The food was moderately priced but the quality and service were extremely high. It's a BYOB so all of our food plus two entrees to go was about the same price at a nice restaurant and paying for drinks.