Rebecca K.
Yelp
Oltremare hasn't really been on my radar ... we had reservations for A Mano for a Sunday night, but a few days prior, we were reached out to that they were cancelling all reservations at A Mano due to some work being done in the restaurant. So! We were moved to Oltremare instead (I didn't know they were "sister" restaurants). When we arrived, our server (who turns out is married to the chef) was incredibly apologetic about the switch up and accommodating - she let us BYOB even though Oltremare has their own bar to make up for the changed plans. Service was excellent throughout the night (it helped that it wasn't overly crowded), and the ambience was just right. I loved all the subtle hints of sea throughout the restaurant paired with unique lighting fixtures and other decor. The playlist was on point, playing bangers all night!
As mentioned, we BYOB'ed so I can't speak to the beverage menu. For food, their menu focuses on Italian seafood, but there also are some meat dishes throughout. Our server walked us through the menu and guided our selections as we wanted to share a bunch of dishes among the 4 of us diners. We started with the hamachi crudo, which had a beautiful mix of Calabrian chile and orange. Very fresh and high quality fish. We then moved on to the frutti di mare, featuring squid ink pasta, a variety of fish, and 'nduja, which was a surprising touch. The pasta was divine, and I loved the kick of spice. We finished out with the grilled branzino, the braised pork shank, and a side of brussel sprouts. The sprouts were standard, but the inclusion of pork bits made it stand out a bit more. The pork was solid - loved the accompanying polenta and fennel salad. The branzino was my favorite, really enjoying the romesco sauce and touch of almonds. This was plenty enough food to feed our group, with very minimal left over but also not feeling too stuffed after.
Pricing was reasonable considering all that we ordered and the portion sizes. Being able to BYOB was an appreciated touch, but I can see the price of the meal going up a good bit if you did get drinks. Oltremare was a solid spot for a last minute change-in-plans dinner. There are so many excellent seafood spots in Philly, it's hard to place were Oltremare falls in my list. But if you're looking for good vibes, nice people, an Italian take on seafood, and reasonable pricing in the Rittenhouse area, I would direct you here!