Marra's

Old school saloon kinds of restaurant. I liked the vibe for sure - back to the 70s. We were seated promptly, when we asked the server what’s the most popular/what’s good on the menu, he carelessly said “everything is good”. Ok, I guess so. We ordered a margarita pizza and a calamari linguine. The food came out great! Very old school, old style traditional food. We were happy with the food! Spoiler alert: they serve cold bread before the meal, which is a huge turn off to me.

Marra's is an old school italian south philly jawn. Large italian pasta dishes with pretty much every dish you can imagine on the menu. Every time my brothers are in town this is where we grab dinner. You get a good plate of food, a few beers and leave satisfied.

We gad a late lunch at Mara's and sat outside on the sidewalk. It was so great. The food, vibe, prices, service - perfect for a lunch on a nice day. We ordered caesar salad with chicken and a large sausage and onion pizza. The salad was really fresh and large, well dressed. The pizza was enormous! Big enough for 4-5 hungry people. Really really good pizza. Very fresh sauce.

The booth is a little small, but beside that the food is good. The personal pizza has a good quantity of toppings on it.

This place was excellent.The food was delicious, But what really made the night memorable was our waitress, Gabby. She was incredibly attentive, friendly, and made us feel right at home. Definitely coming back!

Not sure why this place only has 3 stars on Yelp. We had a great time here. It is a true mom-and-pop Italian spot that has been around since 1927, proudly noted on the menu. We stopped by around 2 PM during the East Passyunk Fall Festival, and it wasn’t too busy. We ordered: Chicken Milanese: Crispy golden breading with tender chicken inside. Served with a light arugula salad and a lemon wedge. Simple, fresh, and satisfying. Veal Marsala: Nicely cooked veal cutlets in a rich, slightly sweet Marsala wine sauce with mushrooms. Comforting and full of flavor. Seafood Alfredo: Creamy, garlicky sauce with shrimp, scallops, and crab over fettuccine. Decadent and hearty. Complimentary bread and butter were also brought out. The bread was warm, crusty, and tasted freshly baked. Everything was very good. Not amazing, but definitely homey and clearly made with care. The portions were very generous, which helped balance out the slightly higher prices. The staff was friendly and attentive. The food took a little while to come out, but it seemed like the right amount of time for freshly made dishes. The interior was quaint and cozy, with dark wood paneling, framed vintage photos, and an old marble bust in the corner. It had a dark academia, old Italian charm that felt genuine and welcoming. Overall: A lovely neighborhood gem with old-school charm, generous portions, and a warm, family-run feel. I would definitely come back.

I love Marra’s came here since I was a young gal. On Valentine’s Day/Eagles Parade not so much. I came to have Dinner by myself. I ordered Clams Casino as an appetizer and Veal Piccata as my main dish. The young man came to me twice asking to take my clams casino plate which I wasn’t finish. I was actually stalling waiting on my Veal Piccata. That’s how long it was taking. But when I finally got it. I can’t get over the fact they put a lemon right in the middle of my plate. It just threw me off. I always had the lemon on the side or it would be wrapped in a net. I also received (spaghetti on the side) which I never had that before when ordering the Veal. So then I went to stick my fork and cut it with my knife. I knew the texture was off because after cutting it back and forth 2x the veal still didn’t cut all the way through it was a chewy texture and the sauce was just a little on the thicker side. I really wanted to bring it back but I really was anticipating on it. I just hope that the next time I visit. I get the other chef back.

I wanted a steak. I took a chance and was overwhelmingly pleased with the outcome. A perfectly cooked medium rare NY Strip charred on outside, tender and juicy inside. Fantastic.

Really terrific Italian restaurant with great food! Came here on a Friday night for 2, it was a touch chaotic but we were sat right away. The gin martinis were quite delicious and paired with those epic mozzarella sticks. Those bad boys were huge and so filled with gooey cheese. My friend and I split the margarita pizza and eggplant parm. The eggplant parm was really, really, spectacular. It was a big portion and perfectly fried and smothered. The spaghetti had a great cook on it as well. I liked the margarita pizza quite a bit, but next time I'm stopping by I will most likely try another pie. I saw some other tables who had different pizzas that looks insanely good. Our server was outstanding, the old school eatery vibes were on point, and the food was really fantastic. Get those mozz sticks and the eggplant parm!

I stopped by Marra's on a Friday around 5 p.m. with my wife and 2 kids. We were hoping to get some quick and cheap food and be on our way. We were seated right away at a table outside and ordered a few happy hour options. My wife ordered meatballs, caprese, and a personal pizza for her and the kids to share. There weren't many gluten-free options for me so I settled on Marra's antipasto with grilled shrimp. I'm not sure why, since I didn't look this place up before, but just based on the location and the fact that we always see people going here, we really expected it to be an authentic mom-and-pop Italian place with a grandma stirring the sauce with her bare hands and a gaggle of cousins yelling in Italian in the kitchen. When we got our food a few minutes later, I was honestly surprised at how everything looked. The meatballs looked dry, the caprese was sitting on a sad leafy pile of lettuce, the pizza was thin and the salad was...ok we're going to come back to the salad. Not only were the meatballs dry, but the sauce was sweet. Not sweet in a good way, but sweet in a "I have no idea how to make sauce so maybe if I throw some sugar in it no one will be able to tell" kind of way. The cheese on the caprese was definitely not fresh and definitely came out of a package. The pizza was "fine" but nothing special there. The salad. $15 for this salad that contained 1 piece of salami that was shredded 10 times to make it seem like it was more than that. A handful of cheese, a few peppers, tuna fish? Not sure why that was in an antipasto salad but it was not good. The 4 tiny grilled shrimp, which cost $5 were overcooked and unseasoned. I personally would not go here again, but if you're looking for something quick and only want to order off the happy hour menu, it may be worth it.

Traditionally well done pasta. I have heard people rave about this place. Reasonable prices. People are nice and I could hear the South Philly accents. Eye candy here doesn't hurt either. One of my friends tried to make a reservation on Fri and Sat for Sun and their phone's voicemail was full. Seems pointless to have a phone number if it isn't being used besides the appearance of having one to have one. Hard work and good food are the vibes I get here. Pasta is made from scratch- so you know it is good!

This review is strictly based on their pizza. They are better than santucci's, better than Angelo's. The best pizza I've had in Philly. Specifically their sausage with cherry peppers. Don't let anybody play you and tell you Angelo's or santucci's next time you get a pizza.

Worst lasagna I've ever had. Was literally given a plate of gravy with two thin slabs of lasagna and hardly any cheese.

Best pizza in Philly! They also have great menu options. We order from here a lot, and everything is always PERFECT! The drivers are always nice and respectful. The young lady who answers the phone is always pleasant. Definitely recommend!

False advertising !!! Website price completely in is of 7/19/23 Jessica (family owner) was obnoxious ! menu pricing on website is 30% lower then actual pricing Ordered for pickup and bill was over $100 for what should of been about $70 via the madras website menu Nothing was said over phone about any price changes Jessice (family owner ) said they didn't get around to updating the website and laughed at me when I asked her to honor the prices

What can I say about this place? Over 90 years of serving great Italian food. It was great when I was a kid and it's still great. Check out my video review on youtube: https://youtu.be/gfSqMPPaGnY?feature=shared

Marras is amazing. Truly my favorite pizzas in the world. The pastas are perfectly Al dente every time, the gravies are perfection, oils and vinegar are high quality, and the portions are huge. I will say, the major negative is the hit or miss service with the wait staff. Some staff are very attentive, others are aloof. I'd give a 4.5 because of that. The food though speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and order a pizza from them. There's nothing like it.

I wanted to like this place, but the food wasn't anything to rave about. Overall I was disappointed. The Chicken Marsala I ordered was a greasy brown gravy mess that came with mushrooms that looked like they came from a can. Fried Calamari was alright. Not greasy nor rubbery but lacked flavor. Their red sauce was mediocre, nothing I'd recommend or come back for as it also lacked flavor. My friend ordered Flounder but was served Shrimp. This was corrected but took awhile and there was no adjustment to the bill. The same waitperson also messed up the adjacent table's order. It wasn't that busy and there were plenty of wait staff BS'ing in the hall by the staircase The decor is old and I was honestly afraid something might crawl out on me. Overall this place needs a real deep cleaning and an overhaul. It's one thing to be rustic and another to have sticky tables and dirty bathrooms. That was what prompted me to write this review. The bathroom was a sin. Dirty toilet, no ma'am! I didn't even use it. I turned around, walked down the poorly lit staircase and grabbed the check to head out. The bus boys were attentive with making sure our water was full but the waitress wasn't, although we did leave a good tip. No one on the wait staff had a mask so if this bothers you, be forewarned. I hope this place takes this review and works to improve and I wish them all the best.

Busy busy busy!! This restaurant was jammed full of customers but the food came relatively quickly. Our server was okay but definitely could have been more attentive. I ordered the Chicken Alaska--good but the cheesy cream sauce was a little odd tasting with the rest of the ingredients. My partner ordered Chicken Maximo and liked it. Our sister got Chicken Piccata and said that it was the best she had ever had.

Came here with a larger group. The wait staff was attentive and friendly. We were all waited on in a very timely manner. The chicken parm and spaghetti was good. However the gnocchis have a bit of an after taste. Overall the service and food was good

The food was amazing. The service was wonderful. We did have to wait a bit but it was absolutely worth it. We were visiting the Passyunk area of south Philly and this place didn't disappoint. It was so good we ordered food again the next night as a late night snack. Definitely worth a visit if you're in that area.

Been coming here since 2003,the calzone is still tops over any I've had elsewhere..........

Ordered here last night 10-12-23. the Mediterranean salad smelled like fish with bad crabmeat on it, no dressing for it also. The pizza I ordered came cold! I don't like giving any local business a bad review but my food came at 9:40 Pm. I called immediately and asked them "on their answering machine" because the close at 10:00 to make this right! Needless to say they didn't so I will continue to give bad reviews for this place for a $48 bad seafood salad and a cold pizza that their so called famous for!

I was pleasently surprised by Marra's. food was much better than i expected- not really sure what i was expecting but I loved everything about this place. its a no frills, old school type of place with real good food. our food was great and everything around us looked great as well.

Great food, very convenient location and a wonderful family running the show! We enjoyed a outside table with a very astute waiter. JB

Excellent, delicious food, especially gluten-free pasta... Great service & prices. I travel from Bucks County to this wonderful restaurant.

Forget about Ralph's and Villa di Roma, this place is real deal old school Philly without the hype and pure greatness. Don't forget the cannolis which are the best in the city!

I enjoyed my dinner here. I was told by a Co-worker it is the best Pizza in Philadelphia. It was very good. All of the food we had here was top notch. This is the place you go to in South Philadelphia for sit-down Pizza.

The pizza here is outstanding. We always get takeout and it's always ready in 20 and super fresh. The crust is thin and crunchy. The sauce is super tasty. I usually like lots of toppings but their plain is so delicious, it doesnt need any toppings. Never tried anything else but the pizza (and only takeout) but this place gets 5 starts for the pizza. Highly recommend.

We went to Marra's tonight for our dinner. I got the Alfredo with prosciutto and brocolli, which was great! The sauce isn't too heavy and great in flavor. A lot of places do their Alfredo with a lot of heavy cream and butter, and that would kill me with major heartburn. This was a dream for me!!! My fiancé had the personal-sized pizza. The sauce seems different than the one used for the bigger pizza... not as sweet. And the pizza crust is a little drier. Interesting. We've always had takeout pizza from Marra's so that surprised us. I still love this restaurant either way! My pregnant-self would've gone for a whole pizza pie for the both of us, but I really craved pasta after watching The Sopranos lately.

What can I say? This is Old School Italian, and that can be a good thing but in the case of the meal I had today, it was not. My friend Hal the vegetarian and I went here for an early dinner. Parking was a challenge, but this is Philly, so no stars off for that. The place was crowded, which often portends positive things and we got seated right away. The menu is extensive; that, too, can be good or bad. I ordered shrimp scampi and a Long Island Iced Tea (the server gave me a thumbs up on that choice). Hal ordered spaghetti pomodoro and we ordered garlic bread to share. This is a noisy place with lots going on at the tables, but Hal and I could easily carry on a conversation without shouting. My drink was solid, boozy, cold and good. The garlic bread was absolutely pathetic. The bread was soft, like Wonderbread, it was lukewarm and I could not taste cheese, butter or garlic. My shrimp scampi came with 6 good sized, nicely cooked shrimp. The pasta was al dente and the sauce was something yellow-ish, thick and not tasting of much with a lemon wedge on the side. I squeezed the citrus, used a lot of the shaker of cheese. I happily ate the shrimp but left most of the pasta. Hal's meal was nothing special, but he is not a picky eater. Service was prompt, friendly and efficient. I ordered tiramisu for dessert and got a delicious, big serving and cleaned my plate. Hal had cheesecake which he pronounced "delicious." The meal set us back $55. Not at all worth it if only the drink and dessert are noteworthy. With all the new places to try on Passyunk, Marra's won't get my business again. Saying it was lackluster is being kind.

Great food and great memories! I been coming since I was a child.The food is great. The service was fast. I will definitely be coming back.

Definitely not what it used to be. Food came out old and freezer burned. Chef seemed annoyed and stated item was just delivered yesterday, which it obviously wasn't. Tables were sticky and dirty and nothing was taken off the bill but we still left a great tip since it wasn't the waiters fault. Gone is the Marra's that made this a staple restaurant in South Philly, I won't be returning.

I visited the restaurant on a Saturday night. It was not busy at all. Our server Jose was very nice and got our waters right away. I ordered the margarita and my boyfriend got the sangria they were both good. We got a personal pizza to share and it was okay. I got the baked ziti entree and I wish I would've just ordered something else or not order anything at all. There was so much sauce you could barely see any of the pasta. It was not good at all ! I took about 3 bites and was done ! It was just a waste of money and I wish I would've read the reviews before. I think two stars is too much for the food but I couldn't give it less than that because of the service. That was the only thing that works in this restaurant.

Stopped by for a quick pepperoni slice to go. The slice could have used a reheating in the oven before being handed over but flavor wise it was your normal pepperoni pizza slice. There were a lot of pepperoni on the slice however and several of them were multiple pieces stacked on top of each other so there was no lack of toppings.

Really enjoyed a comfort food meal here. The pizza Quattro was very tasty. Old decor and extensive menu.

Uh... I'm confused by all of the mixed results! We were craving traditional Italian food and found Marra's on a "Best of Philly" list for chicken parm. Ordered delivery on a Friday night, and it was PHENOMENAL. Seriously. HUGE menu. Delivery was on time. Prices were great (better than a lot of comparable places). And exactly what we wanted: old school Italian. Yum. Fried Mozzarella: 5. OK, this was one of the reasons we ordered from Marra's - a lotta these joints don't have mozz sticks. Maybe not the MOST Italian dish ever, but we crave them. Marra's were GREAT - crispy, but soft & gooey in the middle. Yum. There was a fight over the last one (the daughter got it, of course). Caesar Salad: 4. Probably my least favorite of what we ordered (at least, what I got to taste!). Dressing was yummy, salad was... romaine & croutons, nothing too special. Still, hit the spot. Garlic Bread: 4. Good hot! Pretty tough the next day - but great flavor. (Now that we know the entrees come with free bread, we'll probably skip ordering this!) "Personal" Sausage Pizza: 5. Stepdaughter was thrilled. Ate half Friday night; the other half Saturday for lunch. We didn't get a bite. Baked Ziti: 5. This was MY dish. Mine. All mine. I've had 3 dinners out of it so far (and a few snacky bites), and there's still a little left. And it is GOOD. Yes, there's ricotta baked in. It's yummy. Perfect amount of cheese and sauce, pasta is great. Really excellent! Chicken Parm: 5. My partner's order. I didn't get a bite. He got 3 meals out of it. After every one I think heard "my god, that was really good parm." Yeah, it's basic. But the menu is huge, prices are great, food was awesome! We will order again!

I see that the consensus is three stars for Marra's and that's where I land as well. Marra's reminds me of the red-sauce Italian places in Providence that my family used to frequent in the 60s and 70s -- Mainelli's, the Welcome, Smith's, etc. Unfortunately, the food was on the bland side -- I got linguine with white clam sauce, a classic, standard dish at such places, and it was quite bland. Some of the other pastas ordered by my group of eight were also on the bland side. The pizzas, however, were very good. The meatballs served to other tables also looked good but since I didn't taste them I can't tell you in fact how good they are. One more odd note: My brother ordered spaghetti with anchovies, broccoli rabe, and chicken. The plate came out sans chicken and for some reason it took until the end of the meal for him to get his chicken. We kept hearing, "It's still cooking, it's still cooking." This is a boneless, skinless chicken breast, remember. He ended up getting a whole entree to take home. Good place for a gathering of the famiglia, but the food needs a kick in the culo. Surely there is better food to be had in South Philly.

After seeing all these reviews I disagree with what people are saying about Marras!! Last night I really enjoyed my meal and the service was excellent. Start with the mussels in the tomato broth which is to die for especially that sauce with tons of garlic just how I like. And the ravioli sorrento was so good, lastly the cannoli was really good tasted so fresh. I will definelty be back and have recommended this to all my friends in the Lancaster area and all over the globe. Don't let negative reviews stop you everyone's perspective is different and mine was excellent!! Great location as well South Philly the vibe and culture is excellent!!

Awesome food! We had eggplant parmigiana and lasagna. Too much to eat! Take home! Sauce was excellent not chunky or acidic & Very smooth Will come back. We even scored parking across the street

I don't know how long Marra's has been here on Passyunk Ave but suffice to say, it's been here for a LONG time. Many many years ago, this was one of the better restaurants in the area. It was good and it was consistent. I ate here recently with 2 friends and found myself agreeing with the general reviews of late. It's not the Marra's I remember. Among the 3 of us, we had a small pizza, chicken picatta, chicken Sicilian and a calzone. Overall, the food ranged from decent to tolerable. The pizza was a bit too thin for my liking. The chicken Sicilian was way too spicy and the calzone was a bunch of dough and ricotta. I barely noticed the prosciutto at all. The service was decent, the beer selection is poor and the atmosphere was loud even though it wasn't close to full. Unfortunately, there are just way too many better options nearby. I suspect that they are surviving on the name. Just not the same. Keep in mind that it wasn't terrible, just average.

My go to and favorite place to get pizza in south Philly! Awesome and friendly workers. I usually get the meat lovers and have it cooked well done so I get that crispy crust. The pizza is delicious with generous amount of meat toppings and the pizza is not so oily where you can fold your pizza and not have any oil drip into your hands. I'd definitely keep coming here.

I've been here twice and I've enjoyed both my experiences. This is an old Italian restaurant that my pop used to come to as a kid. He used to love to bring my mother here while she was alive so this is a very nostalgic place for him. Sorry to read about poor service customers experienced in the past but that was not my experience at all. Our waitress was super, checked on us a lot and was fast and efficient. The rest of the staff were just as accommodating and they were very busy since it was a Saturday night. I had the linguini pescatore. Pasta was definitely homemade, the seafood was fresh. Price was about $18 and it was way more than I could eat. Two others at the table got the baked ziti which they said was very good. For dessert, cannoli, of course! Outstanding! Atmosphere here could stand a little updating and the menu could stand a revamp but otherwise a good meal was had by all. Ended the night with a Marra's t shirt for my pop for only $10. Sweet!

Friendly staff, sauce on point, great food, nice Italian atmosphere, old school decor,

Pizza is pizza is pizza. Local place my second time eating here. It just didn't do anything for me. Had a pizza. Very heavy handed on the sauce, so much sauce that whatever was leftover I couldn't eat the next day because it was way too soggy, sauce was way too sweet. Convenient location, but I'll pass. Too many better places in the neighborhood to try. I forgot, got some garlic bread and it was over cooked to the point of being burn.

Wow. Where do I begin. I just moved down here from Long Beach (Ny) not Cali, as I was having issues just drinking and going to bars down there. Was a singer in a band too Ended up getting a job at SEI in Philly doing back office. Great resignation going on here. Anyway I'm here celebrating my move and getting the moderna booster (also got Pfizer too), so I wanted to order something special and my go to: Chic parm hero on garlic bread with a side of ravioli and a drink Turns out I was the one getting stuffed tonight and not the ravioli - marras forgot my drink and gave me spaghetti. Spaghetti is basically (PPP) poor people pasta. Cheapest thing on the menu. Had a friend who only ordered two things when we out to dinner - a panini or spaghetti because he wanted to save money Whatever. I didn't eat the hero as I was so disgusted. I would have given this place a 1 star but that's not fair to them and this place only has 3 stars anyway which is not the best. Stay well, Tim

I came here with a few friends on a Saturday evening and was not impressed. I ordered the Tortellini Pomodoro with Marinara Sauce from the "Homemade Pasta" menu section, and it did not taste home-made whatsoever. The pasta tasted a bit freezer-burnt. My friends got the Chicken Parmigiana and Gnocchi Pomodoro with Marinara Sauce, and they said the dishes were okay but not great. The food is super overpriced and of poor quality, so I won't be returning.

It's classic Italian. It's classic South Philly. It smells insane! Yum! Pluses for outdoor seating. Pluses for the water which already came with lemons without having to ask. Their pizza is great! I love that the sauce is cheese free and the dough is eggless. I also love the fact that you can create your own! Veggies galore. Our last visit I built my own with broccoli rabe, tomatoes, artichokes and garlic. It was perfectly crispy and quite tasty! My daughter's pasta with fresh tomatoes and oil was great. Fresh, and I like that they have eggless and gluten-free options. I had a bite. Luckily they didn't catch me because there is a $3 sharing fee which I hate. The table enjoyed the Caesar salad. My hubby liked his meat lovers pizza a whole lot. Negatives: Our waitress sucked!!! She arrived at the table. "Are you ready?" Oh hi, and how are you today? Ugh!!! I think she was a relative as I heard her call someone Uncle something so perhaps she feel like she can talk to the customers like family. I don't know, but I wasn't having it. We had to ask for water refills and oil twice. To-go boxes took forever. Actually SHE never brought them. Luckily there was a man near the front door kind of over seeing things who helped us out with some. The loud speaker was an absolute buzz kill. And $3 for a kid's chocolate milk is kinda steep. This place used to be really great and the food still is. The ambiance, nasty servers and service SUCKS! It's a true shame.

I don't even know what to call this place they talk about real Italian food more like bland bland bland food super disappointed,

Stopped here on a Friday night, kind of on a whim. It was the 4th of July weekend so Philly was pretty quiet. I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. It had a very "old school" vibe that reminded me of the 70s and my hometown which I enjoyed. For dinner, I went with a classic, spaghetti and meatballs. I opted for a salad which was $2 extra. In terms of portion and pricing, the dish was great. Tons of food, and I believe under $25. The dish itself was average but exactly what I wanted and was expecting. Sauce was flavorful but not overwhelming. Only cons - no aperol spritz. Total buzzkill because I wanted one all night. And, the restaurant was closing early due to a slow night so we felt a little rushed. I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for no frills, simple Italian-American cuisine.

We ate here the other night and it was INCREDIBLE. Everything was so fresh and can tell it was all homemade! We had a pizza(cant remember the name) with sharp provolone, broccoli rabe, italian sausage, and sun dried tomatoes , we got it as a white pizza.. the flavor is amazing, the crust was perfect! We also had the chicken florentine dish which I HIGHLY recommend!! great service, clean restaurant, cozy atmosphere.

My boyfriend and I came here for their restaurant week menu. We were excited to try some local Italian cuisine but were extremely disappointed. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. They were underwhelming to say the least. I had to drown them in lemon juice in order for them to be flavorful despite them served in a plate of sauce. My boyfriend got the calamari, which was decent. For entrees I got the crab and shrimp fra diavolo over linguine. It was bland beyond belief. Had no spice to it, no flavor. I had 2 bites of the dish and I sent it back and wasn't it the mood for anything else on the menu as I was was turned off by the first 2 dishes I received. I was expecting the pasta to be comped, as I only took 2 bites of it. But was shocked to see the entire amount still on the bill. I called the waitress over to the table and asked about the total of the bill. She went and explained the situation to the owner at the front of the restaurant, and as I had their conversation in my view, I saw and heard the owner throw a fit behind the counter, saying their food is fine, and that I can't expect to not like a dish and then not have to pay for it. The waitress came back to the table apologetic stating there was nothing they could do. My boyfriend got the crab cannelloni, here's the kicker, it had no crab. He opened up every pasta roll up to find only ricotta with no sign of crab on the dish. How comical. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I paid $50 for 2 subpar meals, and for one that wasn't even eaten. I will not be returning and I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone. To the owners: take the time to taste your food and update the menu; it seems like I'm not the only one who left disappointed not to return. Also treat your customers with some respect, or else you won't have any left to serve.

When my friend picked this place I thought it was a great idea because we're have some really good restaurants in South Philly... After all it's E.Passyunk restaurant week. A chance to sample great good from some place new. The neighborhood is known for great Italian restaurants but this was not the case sadly. Let's start with our 7:30 reservations, we weren't seated till 8pm. We were seated, friendly server and staff. 2 of our party ordered "old fashioned" that tasted like old bitters. We ordered appetizers that were decent. A few of us had mussels in white sauce and the others had the fried calamari. Next what's the entrees. The Shrimp, clam and crab Fra Diavolo taste it mostly of hot pepper flakes and not seafood. The sauce was otherwise bland. We were informed they didn't have any of the Shirt Rib ravioli so myself and another 2 guests order the Veal Carciofi. It was terrible... The veal although pounded thin was very tough and chewy. The posts and sauce was bland with no flavor. We started dipping the pasta in the leftover sauce from the mussels that had more flavor. It was so bad one of the guest didn't even want to take it home and only touched half a piece of veal on her plate. The guest who ordered the Chicken Maximo said the chicken was okay but again the pasta and sauce had no flavor. We all took our desserts home. Personally I don't like cold chocolate cake. The only reason I gave 2 stars for our server Giuseppe he was on point friendly and attentive. Thank you. But sadly I won't be bringing family or anybody else here. Italian food while having simple ingredients is supposed to have in-depth and complex flavors sadly lacking at this place.

Oh boy this place is the epitome of old school South Philly Italian food that is stuck in the old days of flavorless/over sauce drivel. Came here for my father's birthday and I could not be more disappointed in this place. The place looks worn down and dirty. It really is in need of an update like a paint job, new upholstery, and a deep clean. It was also unbearably hot upstairs as well. I ordered a old fashioned since the beer list was lacking, and I should of stuck with the water. It was not a well balanced drink and really did not taste the bitters, just alcohol. The food here is also abysmal. The calamari was rubbery and bland. The veal italiano was not much better. It looked like it was just thrown on my plate, and caked with cheese and broccoli rabe. I could not find the veal really. It tasted overly bitter from the wine sauce and the side of broccoli was like mush. Sorry, this is one of those old school establishments that needs a complete overhaul.

I'm so sorry to write a less than stellar review for Marra's, because I was very excited to try this place! With an adorable storefront that had been there since 1927, I had very high expectations which were not met. My friend and I decided to go for their special "Sunset Menu" so we could each try a soup or salad with an entree for $12.95. Not a bad deal at all, especially compared to all the higher-pricetagged places popping up along East Passyunk. My friend had ordered some wine... beware: you don't choose a label - you simply choose "chardonnay" or "merlot", etc. The wine carafe tasted like watered-down grape juice and didn't pack much of a punch; obviously from a box or gallon jug! We were given some stale white bread and butter while we waited for the meals to served, but the salad and soup were actually really tasty and were a nice starter. Finally, the entrees. My friend's shrimp scampi was well-presented and she did enjoy it. My crab linguini though, was nothing close to the "lump meat" that I pictured from the menu description. The crab was, instead, little shreds of white flesh that were speckled with shell pieces. I had to eat very carefully to make sure I wasn't swallowing pieces of shell with each bite. While we were eating, we noticed the server dining on his own dinner up at the bar. He didn't even bother to eat his food back in the kitchen, but out in the open! At one point he came over to our table while he was still chewing his bites. Gross. The decor of this place seems like it hasn't changed too drastically since the 1920's. I'm not sure if it's endearing or just too outdated. Once again, I was really hoping for a stellar experience here, but I'm glad I tried it.

I stopped in for lunch recently, first time here in many years. It seems not to have changed, and is indeed the old-school Italian restaurant that other Yelpers describe. I did not get the pizza, which others recommend, so I'm not reviewing them on that - which may be their strong suite. Our server was very attentive; during the lunch hour they seemed mostly empty. But our salad and fried calamari platters were okay, but so disappointing when compared with the much higher level that so many new Passyunk East restaurants aspire to. Marra's is simply not competing. The food seemed totally uninspired, completely formulaic - while the greens in the salad were fresh, other ingredients (beets, beans, etc.) seemed right out of a can. The calamari was similarly bland and flavorless.

The food is and has always been delicious hands down. However, I ordered three items: a 18' pizza with sausage and roasted peppers and 2 pieces of tiramisu. Not Marra's fault my food was left on my door step and I only received 1 piece of tiramisu.

I've lived in S. Philly for 15 years and in that time, I think Marra's has gone downhill. The waitresses are unfriendly, food is nothing special- especially given the quality of dining options that have popped up around it (which admittedly are also more expensive). The pizza is pretty good and there's plenty of seating- which might make Marra's an attractive option for a family visiting the neighborhood. Our worst experiences with the food specifically have been with ordering delivery. I'm not sure how, but the quality has been lower- over-baked rolls, watery sauce and overcooked pasta.