Heavy Metal Sausage Co.
Meat products store · Girard Estate
1527 W Porter St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
Highlights
Deli by day, trattoria by night; local meats, tasting menus
Deli by day, trattoria by night; local meats, tasting menus
"There are a few things that make South Philly’s Heavy Metal Sausage exceptional: they regularly play rock from the late '90s, the smoky, tangy bologna from their antipasto tower, and the creamy risotto sizzling in the pan behind the counter, beckoning to you from its perch. We’re all-of-the-above kind of people, but we’ll stick to the pasta for now. The deli-by-day and trattoria-by-night has a $125 per person tasting menu, which always features plates like a luxurious tuna confit with juicy raisins over fettuccine noodles so thick that they could pass for ribbons. Grab a table, sing along to Yellowcard, and wait for the best ricotta ravioli you’ve had in years to hit the table." - alison kessler, candis mclean
"There’s only one restaurant in town serving a fantastic, five course, $100 tasting menu while My Chemical Romance plays, and that’s South Philly’s Heavy Metal Sausage Co. The deli-by-day, trattoria-by-night is laidback, to say the least—there’s a meat case in the dining room and a skeleton figurine in a Santa suit by the window—but they take their food seriously. The chef in the open kitchen talks about picking seeds out of the raisins going into the tomato-y confit tuna fettuccine, milling the polenta that serves as a creamy mattress for the goat ragu, and why nepitella is the perfect herb to amp up salsa verde. The result is unexpected, incredible dishes—like the beet gelato—that you won’t find at other Italian spots in town. The restaurant has perfected a couple of things: comforting yet complex food, and helping us relive our garage band fantasies for just one night." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"There’s only one deli-by-day, trattoria-by-night that serves a five-course, $100 tasting menu to the tune of My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy. Before 5pm at this South Philly shop, grill dads hover over the glass case admiring a perfect slab of shortribs, but come sundown, guests are seated around the open kitchen for unexpected, intricate dishes like aged toro with peperonata, agrodolce onion, and fennel pollen, or goat ragu on a creamy mattress of house-milled polenta. Stop by early for a game day Italiano platter or stacked sandwich. But if you want to dine in the smoky beef heart of it all, make a reservation, grab a bottle of your favorite red, and prepare to relive your garage band fantasies for just one night." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"A 2023 James Beard semifinalist, after dark this unassuming South Philly sandwich shop changes into a full-fledged trattoria. Sure, you can grab chef Pat Alfiero’s mortadella, cuts of sausage or a meat board to take home, but there’s something special about sharing a six-course menu sourced from local farms, with a six-pack of Cape May Brewing Co. porter in a place that feels as edgy and DIY as Philly itself." - Annemarie Dooling
"There’s only one restaurant in town serving a fantastic, five course, $100 tasting menu while My Chemical Romance plays, and that’s Heavy Metal Sausage Co. The deli-by-day, trattoria-by-night is laidback, to say the least—there’s a meat case in the dining room and Eagles merch—but they take their food seriously. The chef in the open kitchen talks about milling the polenta for the goat ragu and why nepitella is the perfect herb to amp up salsa verde. The result is unexpected, incredible dishes—like the beet gelato—that you won’t find at other Italian spots in town. The restaurant has perfected a couple of things: comforting yet complex food, and helping us relive our garage band fantasies for just one night." - candis mclean, alison kessler
