Warren W.
Yelp
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.