One of my favs-I go here at least twice a month. Love Heather, Cosimo and Sam- very neighborhood friendly- food's great, too-
(5)
Michelle W.
Charming reasonably priced South Philly BYO. The bill for appetizers, entrees (including two specials) and dessert came to just over $100 for three people. Excellent Southern Italian food and lovely presentation. The caprese salads were stacked and beatiful. Our smoked mozzarella and crabmeat appetizer was delicious, with a port wine reduction. The marinated octopus was less exciting -- it needed an acid, like a lemon juice, to add interest. The menu features a nice mix of classics and and innovation, particularly in the specials, and the meats and fish (I had the branzino, my friend had the veal special with gorgonzola, and my husband had a chicken and pasta dish) were all perfectly prepared. My only complaint is that the service wasn't all it could be, hence the four stars.
(4)
Megan R.
Besides the delicious gnocchi, I loved the complimentary limoncello. Get the cannoli if you're in the mood for something sweet... You won't regret it. Prices= very affordable, waitstaff=accomodating. overall a great dining experience.
(5)
Kathy D.
Cute small spot, though they've since expanded. Food was okay, but the highlight was the tiramisu. Definitely worth going back just for that!
(3)
Meredith B.
This is a great spot for your go-to Italian meal. It's exactly what I want when I'm looking for the true Italian meal we've all grown up with. No bells no whistles no menu items that are a paragraph long to read with words you mumble when ordering because you're not sure how to pronounce. Clean, friendly, priced accordingly.
(4)
Russ B.
This place had a nice atmosphere. Sam was a good server and very knowledgeable, memorized all the specials. The pizza was delicious, and the food was good. Nice and cozy place will definitely return. You get two servers as well which is handy when you want to refill on water. Price is reasonable as well.
(5)
Parker S.
I have lived around the corner from Caffe Valentino for a year and a half and somehow never made it here. Maybe because it doesn't have the buzz of alot of other city BYOB restaurants. Because of the lack of buzz and the fact that I hadn't even heard my neighbors talking about it I guess I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife and I decided to stop by. We sat outside with our dog and brought a bottle of wine. The service was attentive but not overbearing. We received a basket of bread with olive oil upon arrival. The bread was good and fresh. The olive oil was fine, but I prefer to have a seasoned dipping oil rather than straight olive oil. For entrees, I got the eggplant lasagna my wife got the caprese salad and lobster ravioli. The caprese salad was good. The tomatoes were fresh and thick cut. The mozzarella was very good as well. Sometimes I find fresh mozzarella to be flavorless, this however was a nice mild cheese which I enjoyed. The salad also had greens and proscuitto. The eggplant lasagna was very good, easy on the ricotta but very good. The sauce and noodles were very good. My wifes lobster ravioli was very good. It was spinach ravioli and my wife was a big fan of the dish. Price wise the entrees were reasonable. $13 for the salad, $16 for the lasagna, and $22 for the lobster ravioli. I can't say its my favorite restaurant but I did enjoy the food and my experience and while it may not be the the sexy new byo in philly, it was a good experience and I'm sure I'll be back.
(4)
Julie P.
Great restaurant! The food was fresh and delicious. They had great appetizers and entrees. The service was great and the staff was very friendly. I'm looking forward to going back for a great meal.
(5)
Robert R.
Love this Place! So cool that they now added a pizza bar out front! We've been going for a few years now.
(4)
Katherine K.
This place is literally right down the street from our apartment, so I was surprised when my boyfriend sent me a link to this page and I had never heard of it before! We ended up going there last night with his family and had a great dinner. Good atmosphere- almost all the tables were full. I had the mushroom soup and the Linguine Valentino- both delicious. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it wasn't exceptional. The dishes are very simple, but that's what makes for good Italian food anyway. About $30 a head for appetizer/main entree plus BYOB, always a plus.
(4)
Margo v.
Dropped in one evening and what a great surprise. The menu excellent. Had imported Burata from Italy. Truly delicious. The pizza was perfect. Great toppings, perfect tomato sauce on it and crust very good. I'll be back!
(5)
Mary T.
I really enjoyed the food and and service was great , UNTILL I saw the waiter he was fired from the DPA for stealing, and also from a Auto rental Co for the same thing , it was a good thing that I had cash on me to pay my bill, seeing Sam made me realize the need for the identity protection program,
(4)
Jane C.
I've always been a fan of this neighborhood (very close to our home) byob - my one complaint had always been that it was not really a place we would bring our kids because of the menu choices/price of entrees... that is all different now that they are serving brick oven pizza!! Awesome for the kids and reasonably priced! My go-to dish is the gnocchi with shrimp: GET IT - YUM! It's nice to bring a bottle of wine and eat some good home-cooked Italian and enjoy the service which is attentive without being overbearing. It can get a little pricey if all 4 of us go to dinner and get dessert (the cannoli: GET IT - YUM!) over $100 after tip which is kinda pricey for the hood, but once in awhile it's so nice to walk to a neighborhood spot and have a lovely family dinner.
(4)
Marissa B.
Went here more recently for my youngest sister's 8th grade graduation. We were seated downstairs this time. Food was great as expected and the dining room was actually comfortable,though, it was also a little cooler than the last time I went. I got fried calamari for an app and a salmon special for my meal which was served with asparagus. I still am noticing issues with the service, though. They can take a little longer than expected when getting things (I.e. the beer I brought in and paid for)and be rushy, still. It's not too much of an issue, but, can be annoying.
(4)
Meghan M.
They don't even deserve one star. All I can say is UNPROFESSIONAL. The person who's supposed to be "in charge" (not sure if it was manager or owner with his awful fake accent) was the absolute worst. He doesn't handle problems or questions, he pawns them off to other workers because apparently he's "too busy" the only experience I've had, was enough to make me never want to go back. No customer service skills, and they do not by any means know the first thing about running a business.
(1)
Rebecca H.
I was at Caffe Valentino for my bachelorette party this past weekend. The food was delicious, and it was very classy. The menu is easy to understand. Definitely a reasonable price, portions are a tiny bit small but it was still tasty and satisfying. I'd like to add that the servers were very kind. However, it really took forever. We were there at 8 PM and didn't leave until 11 PM. The food just took so long to come out- I'm sure that's because we were a party of about 15, but perhaps consider this before coming with a huge group if you have a time crunch.
(4)
B H.
Went here for an early dinner and was disappointed with the price to quantity ratio. Food was good but for three people the bill was close to $100 for small servings is ridiculous. Waitstaff was friendly and attentive until the restaurant starts to fill up and then we felt forgotten in all the chaos.
(2)
Laura H.
Cute BYOB in my neighborhood. Food is great! I had the pasta with scallops and cream sauce and it was perfect. Cream sauce not too heavy and the scallops done just right. My dissappointment was with the price/serving size. My dish was $20+ and there was only 3 scallops and a small amount of pasta. If you are going to charge me that much then there needs to be more pasta atleast. Service was also slow.
(3)
Angela A.
We had been to Caffe Valentino a number of times in the past and have always enjoyed the food and the service. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the experience was immensely different from previous experience. The menu was minimal at best. We ordered the Eggplant Rollatini for starters. It was cold on the ends, but worse it was frozen in the middle. I was not even asked why I didn't eat it. I ordered a pasta dish because well even though I really like pasta, there weren't very many other items that look good enough to order. The pasta was good, but still not as hot as it should have been and I had to ask for grated cheese. We noted that they had the pizza oven, so ordered a small pizza to go in case the kids were hungry, (actually we were still hungry because the food was so bad). We took a look at the pizza when we got home (not far). It was already cooled off, to be expected, but the crust was burnt! It was not tasty at all, very bland. Needless to say we won't return to Caffe Valentino.
(1)
YelpHatesMe Y.
I was bordering on 2 stars but we actually went there during the hurrica.......I mean thunderstorm on Saturday night. I had the mussels in white wine and risotto pescatora for dinner. The risotto was undercooked and the mussels were overcooked. The shrimp were really really good. The desert was good also, great cannoli. For $100 for 2 people (with tip) I just expected a little bit more. I honestly believe I will try at least 12 other BYOB's that I haven't been to yet before I return here. I would say if you're in the neighborhood maybe stop in, but don't make a special trip for it. Bottom line; Average neighborhood BYOB. Nothing stand out great and nothing stand out poor.
(3)
Jill C.
This is my husband's and my go-to byo. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. The food is simple but never disappointing. Last visit I had parpadalle with brussel sprouts, pine nuts and Parmesan. It was so light and delicious! The waitstaff is always friendly and accommodating. Now that the weather is nice they have added some outdoors seating. My only complaint is that they have gotten a bit pricey recently. Boo.
(4)
Rebecca Y.
I was craving tiramisu one night and came here because it was one of the few restaurants open late. I ended up getting soup and tiramisu. The soup was decent, the tiramisu was ok, both were overpriced. The decor is very nice and romantic and service was decent. I wouldn't come back again just because there are better Italian restaurants in Philly.
(3)
Melanie D.
Went last week with a group of 10 for my birthday. We were seated on the 2nd floor with two other large parties, which was fine. The main entrance of the restaurant is currently under construction and there are no signs directing you where to actually enter. We wound up going through one of the large dining room doors because the main door is blocked by two large potted plants that make it seem you shouldn't use them. So, entering the restaurant was very awkward as we walked right into the dining room amidst many people. The service was pretty spotty since everything was coming from downstairs. Appetizers and entrees were forgotten, servers had to be asked several times to open bottles of wine. The food was good; the garlic mashed potatoes that came with the entrees were my favorite part of the meal.
(3)
Gabrielle L.
Terrible. First visit was great, second visit was a completely inconsistent experience, one that makes me say, "I warn you, do NOT ever eat there." Let me also say that my (only) 2 visits were within 3 weeks of one another, which means the food should have been of the exact same quality, if not darn close. Not so much. The fried calamari was flavorless - oh wait, it tasted like an old, dingy roux that was doused in year-old fryer oil and the marinara was less flavorful than the sauce that Chef Boyardee uses with his circular pastas. All 4 of our entrees were complete crap. Literally. Not one of us finished more than 2/3 of what we were given. I'm not even going to describe their horrific-ness. Sorry to say I'd give it .5 stars if possible - which is unfortunate, considering my first visit would have been rated a 4.
(1)
Charles R.
I would do 3 1/2. The restaurant had only 2 other tables when we walked in at 7:30 on a Saturday night, which surprised me. Since there were only 3 tables service was not a problem. The salads were fresh, chilled and fresh so no problems there. The 2 veal dishes were also good with tender veal and nice sauces. The only drawback was the brocolli that were stone cold. Little surprsing given the few customers and the kitchen wasn't taxed. On their website they say outdoor seating on their "patio". The patio really consists of sitting on the sidewalk. All in all for the prices it's a good place. They take all cards, and parking is fairly easy to find on the streets around the restaurant.
(3)
Anna Marie C.
after many a years of higher education, i am done. and where to celebrate done-ness other than the upstairs of caffe valentino? put together too much byo alcohol, about 30 residents, a smattering of attendings, significant others, nerdy home-made videos, and a white baby grand piano...and really, you've got yourself quite the shin-dig. the pluses-pasta that if i had an italian grandmother, she would approve of. cannoli. awesome wait staff. the veggies and cheese on the antipasti platter. and i have a bias towards their coffee. well, just their coffee maker. the minuses: the decor is cheesy, in an italian-ish sort of way. it gets way too warm upstairs. the prosciutto... very very meh. go. eat too much pasta. and then wait 20 minutes, and have some more. trust me, you won't regret it.
(4)
Timothy W.
I have eaten here twice and both times have been nothing short of wonderful. The first time going in was slightly confusing, the server would ask questions and I would sit there trying to figure out what he had said without looking like a total idiot. Myself not being used to hearing authentic 'fresh off the boat' Italian accents, and not being such a master of my own English language, I was a little befuddled. However, noticing my obvious confusing the server-taking no offense-respectfully slowed down his question so that I could better understand..."would you like some water?"....ahh...yes. This confusing interaction did not take away from the experience, in fact it added to it. There was something refreshing about eating at an Italian restaurant and having a hard time understanding real Italian accents. Again, my knowledge of Italian anything falls fairly short, but the food was amazing. I may not know much, but this wasn't some old run of the mill food you'll get at Maggiano's, or generic plates you'll see at Olive Garden. This was even better than some of the food I have had at smaller places up and down the Italian Market (where I happen to work). I was impressed, and my stomach was pleased. ****NOTE, BYOB, and doesn't charge a corking fee.
(5)
Katie B.
I hadn't been to Caffe Valentino in years when I decided to take some friends there this weekend. I was shocked to see the little South Philly BYOB had changed into a neon signed massive restaurant --- the prices had also tripled!! There was only 1 server in the whole restaurant on a Saturday night and to say that service was slow is a complete understatement! I ordered the pasta special which was homemade pasta with scallops and shrimp. The meal cost 22 bucks and came out with 2 scallops and 1 shrimp....what is that?! Why would I pay 22 bucks for this when there are a thousand other tiny byob's in philly that have so much more to offer. not making the trip to south philly for this overpriced slow service again.
(2)
Rosina R.
WONDERFUL, fresh, beautifully prepared foods and desserts; lovely atmosphere; over-the-top excellent service. Wish I lived across the street from it. Always return; never soon enough. RR
(5)
Melissa H.
Amazing! This evening I had my first experience there, and it was the best Italian I have ever had. The staff was personable, attentive and friendly. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was intimate and warm. I had initially ordered stuffed portobella, however the waiter informed me the mushrooms were not as fresh as the chef would like and they refused to serve me something less than satisfactory. I was very impressed with the integrity of the restaurant and was blown away by their eggplant lasagna. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone.:)
(5)
Anne H.
Almost a very good restaurant. First of all (and this may sound weird) but we got BREAD!! I haven't been served bread before dinner at a restaurant in ages. V. much appreciated. Now that I got that out of my system, the bruschetta was underwhelming and the fried zucchini just awful. It was cold and limp and when we asked for marinara sauce that came out cold too. My seafood pasta (dinner special) was pretty good. The lump crab meat was delicious, but the clams were a bit chewy. The homemade squid ink pasta was very tasty, as was the tiramisu dessert. Overall, an ok experience, and willing to give it another go.
(3)
Nat M.
I was checking out a new neighborhood in Philly (new to me) and came across BYOB Italian restaurant. We were asked if we had reservations (and we didn't) but they were able to provide seating outside. Waitress mentioned that they do take walk-ins but they were busy that night. The pizza was great and the food was ok. The owner provided a free glass of his home-made wine which was decent and really nice. They are opening a Beer establishment across the street in September that will offer beer and sandwiches. It has a front patio that has great potential as an outside seating area so I'll return to give that a try.
(3)
Andrea F.
I came here on a whim because The Industry was packed for Quizzo. I wish I would've planned, because this place was a lot fancier than I thought and my family and I were in tee shirts and jeans. Regardless, it wasn't stuffy or uptight and the staff was super friendly. The dinner menu is pretty limited: pastas, chicken dishes, and seafood, and everything is pretty pricy. They had several specials of the day, one of which I opted for (the branzino seasoned lightly in olive oil and other herbs and filleted tableside). It was FANTASTIC. The fish was super meaty and tender and cooked to perfection and our table and the adjacent tables watched wide-eyed as our server expertly filleted it. He was kind enough to ask if there were bones in it, since nobody's perfect. I only found 1 or 2, but it didn't ruin my experience cause the fish was just that good. My mom got a flatbread pizza, which I thought was only okay, and the other diners got the chicken parm and the shrimp and clam fra-diavolo, which was spicy and flavorful. Overall, I was pleased with my meal and the ambience, but the whole place smelled like the brick pizza oven, almost chemical, and it started to get to us towards the end. I would definitely come back and try a hearty pasta dish and bring a bottle of wine.
(4)
Lauren H.
Love this spot... so glad it opened just a few blocks from me last year. Brick oven pizza is awesome, as were all the entrees our friends ordered. Prices are decent, considering it's a BYO and the service has been great every time we've been.
(5)
Hammad H.
A wonderful BYOB that has some of the best Italian food I had in south Philly. We had the pizza Margherita for appetizer. It was on par with the pizza we had in Napoli. Our group shared three main courses: shrimp gnocchi wroth vodka sauce, stuffed manicottiand chicken marsala. They were all delicious, especially the gnocchi. The service was excellent and the prices reasonable. We will certainly go back.
(5)
Ron C.
Visiting Philadelphia and this restaurant was suggested for good Italian food. Had dinner and truly enjoyed the experience. Very comfortable surroundings. Clean and pleasant atmosphere. Service was great all around. We had veal, a shrimp/scallop pasta special and three meat platter. All food was well prepared and served hot. Each entree was very good. Sauce is also top notch (considering that I usually only like my mom's sauce). This experience added to my visit to Philadelphia. I recommend it to all and hope to return someday.
(4)
Mackie E.
I feel as though I'd like to say that a lot of my reviews have been very good as of late but it really is because high quality experiences. Last night I revisited Caffe Valentino after a very long time. I had been here in the first month they opened and nothing about the meal was remarkable. However, I was in a conundrum and had to go out to dinner at 4PM on a Tuesday and it had to be a place somewhat near home. I chose this restaurant expecting the standard South Philly BYOB experience, however, I felt this was a step above. We started with eggplant rollantini, grilled vegetable antipasto (which is the only thing I was able to get a picture of before we descended upon it), and burrata with arugula and cherry tomatoes. Every single appetizer was impressive. The eggplant was sliced so thin and more importantly wasn't over breaded. Now I know you're thinking, how hard could it be to grill vegetables? Well, I assure you I have had over seasoned, over cooked vegetables that are cooked in such a way to hide their lack of freshness. On the contrary, Caffe Valentino's grilled vegetable plate was perfection. It was so good, we actually ordered a second plate to go. Lastly, the burrata was also very high quality and worked very nicely with the fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes and balsamic reduction that accompanied it. As for the entrees, I was making an effort to cut back on my carbs and ordered the griglata mista which was grilled chicken, pork and sausage. My dish was only underwhelming because it was a bad order. It was good for what it was but I should have gone for something more interesting. Another entree that was ordered was the chicken pizzaiolo which was also exceptional. The flavor and richness of the sauce was very balanced. I would also recommend the chicken Valentino. It was spinach, roasted peppers and Gorgonzola cheese.... Need I say more? A note worth mentioning is that I actually found the side dishes that were served with the entrees were also very good which I find to be a rarity in BYOBs. Usually you find a side of burnt starch and over-oiled green, but here even the string beans kept a nice crunch without being ruined by the chef. We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed but I'm thinking we will save room next time.
(4)
Steve T.
Great byob. I live steps from this place (literally) and went here one night starving. Although food took a long time once it came out you knew why. It was fresh handmade great Italian food. My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner here and people rave still about how amazing and how much food they were served. Clearly this made us happy. We've been back several times (Sam) is the best waiter who remembers us, we once came in more casual clothes and had female waitress who looked at us like white trash because we were in t shirt shorts and 6 pack of beer. I was upset but still will go back.
(5)
Linda S.
I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Valentino's on my birthday (today) due to the negative reviews I had read. But hubby and I decided to forge ahead and experience it for ourselves and boy, am I ever glad we did! The service was impeccable and the food delectable. We both absolutely loved our dinners. I was a bit surprised at the lack of customers for a Saturday night but perhaps people are saving their money for New Year's Eve instead. I certainly hope it's not because of previous negative reviews because if that's the case, you're missing out. Valentino's is a lovely, homey little restaurant that is quite conducive to a romantic and intimate evening. We started with one of the specials for a shared appetizer--fresh mozzarella atop roasted red peppers, tomatoes and parma proscuitto over spring mix with a balsamic vinaigrette that was brought separately in a little gravy boat. The mozzarella was perfection, as were the peppers (no traces of the charred skin anywhere) and the proscuitto, which had little to no fat on it. The tomatoes were as expected given the winter season. The spring mix was fresh but the highlight was the vinaigrette, which was mixed expertly. Hubby had the seafood special and he couldn't stop raving. Tons of mussels, shrimp, calamari and swordfish (yes, swordfish!) over a bed of penne with a light tomatoey sauce. I tasted both the mussels (sweet and tender, not the least bit chewy) and the swordfish, which neither of us had ever eaten before, and declared his dish a success. I opted for the veal a la Valentino, which consisted of veal topped with gorgonzola, roasted peppers and spinach. I asked for the entree without the spinach, which presented no problem. The veal was tender and tasty and I loved the combination of gorgonzola and roasted peppers. You have to love gorgonzola to love this dish, however, as it's a bit heavy, but I do so no problem there. My entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes that had a hint of pecorino and parmesan cheeses. While it was a tad glutenous, the flavor far outweighed the consistency. There was also a hefty serving of sugar snap peas, which I love and they were cooked perfectly. Hubs and I had decaf coffee and shared a tiramisu for dessert which was one of the best tiramisus I've ever had. Believe me, that's saying a lot as I've had my fair share of that delectable Italian dessert. All in all, a smashing success made even better when the waiter removed the cost of the dessert from our bill once he found out we were celebrating my birthday. Now that's customer service! Without the dessert, our bill came to $65, much less than I anticipated given we had two of their specials. Just goes to show you, you shouldn't always rely on other people's opinions, especially when it comes to restaurants. Oh, for the reviewers who complained about the bread, it was so good, we devoured a basket-ful with our appetizer. 'Nuff said. We will definitely be enjoying the wonderful food at Caffe Valentino's again and if you're smart, you will be too.
(4)
Jack F.
Was there Sunday night with family for dinner. First rate food and service. Prices were good. Try the White Bean soup for an appetizer. BYOB
(4)
Andy Z.
From the top... I wanted this to be five stars, I really did. The wait staff was very attentive and informative. The waiter helped with the incredibly tough decision between all the great sounding pastas. Wound up going with Gnocchi with shrimp and pink vodka sauce. Holy schnikes that was good. The home made gnocchi was absolutely delicious. The shrimp was maybe a tad undercooked, but that's just nit picky. Sauce was delicious too. Perhaps the biggest downer was the bread. It was hard, dry and overcooked. Walking out of the place another table had much better looking bread. Had their been total bread equity this would have been an easy five. For the price you can't do much better, and I'm very likely going to be a repeat customer. Eat with confidence!!
(4)
Shaun H.
Very expensive for the food being just ok.
(3)
Thad S.
First time I went to Valentino, the food was legitimately good. The bread, which must be baked in house, was crumbly and terrible, but I was able to look past this weird, weird anomaly, and enjoy everything brought to the table. Inspired by this previous dining experience, and ignoring a recent report from a friend who said the food was mediocre when he just ate there, I took my sister and brother in law for dinner there last Saturday. To put it bluntly, I was completely embarrassed. On multiple levels. First off, we only went there because most of our favorites were booked. When we walked in, the cook, who seemed to want to be the host, almost mockingly wished us a good meal, and then said, "well I will be the one cooking it." Okay. Weird, but okay. So we sit down to the expected terrible bread (I had hoped the last time was a fluke), and it was as bad as expected. I mean seriously, this is some of the worst bread I have had in Philadelphia. It is dry, flaky, dense and bland. Everything Italian table bread should not be. The service was good, but we were constantly distracted by the table of women who took the BYO aspect quite seriously, they managed to consume half a fifth of sweet tea vodka, half a fifth of Sambuca, unknown quantities of wine, and all of this before eating. They were incredibility loud, and thoroughly obnoxious, which was only exacerbated by the fact that there was NO ONE ELSE in the place at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Well to make matters worse, we could hardly hear each other at our table, with them sitting on the complete other side of the restaurant, and apparently the staff had not thought out the fact that a party of 8 was coming at 7:30, and so they moved the women (bottles and all) all of the way across the place, directly next to us. At this point, we are sharing the restaurant with the loud, loud, loud drunk women and the party of 8. Seeing the commotion the women were causing, they moved them next to us, and the chef egged them on from behind the hot bar. Awesome. The one woman apologized while her evil step-sisters cackled. Terrible. On to the food! So we order calamari to start. It was some of the worst I have had. If you ordered calamari at J and J pizza, this is what you would get. The meat itself was like chewing on a rubber band, the breading was wet with old fryer oil and there was scant a seasoning in sight. The (dare I say) tomato dipping sauce had the consistency of pre-made bloody mary mix, minus the flavor. It was tomato water at it's finest. Okay, I am thinking at this point, the food was good last time, right? Am I losing my mind? Is there some alternate universe where I don't know what tastes good and what doesn't? The entrees will be good, right? Wrong. The only entree the was even palatable (honestly) was the black ravioli stuffed with crab. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't great or even good. It was okay. However, the sweet potato gnocchi, that last time was light, sweet and savory, came out like a huge porridge bowl of creamed chipped beef, only with bacon and a sprinkling of gnocchi. It was one quarter mediocre gnocchi, and three quarters heavy cream and bacon. There was no hint of sweet potato, and the pancetta was so overwhelming my poor sister could hardly palate the sorry amount of dumplings present in this giant bowl of cholesterol. I went for the veal "Al Prosciutto e Formaggio con Olio Tartufato." Which was supposed to mean "pan seared and topped with prosciutto & melted mozzarella, drizzled with white truffle oil." What it really meant was "unevenly cut and dreadfully over cooked what might have at one point been medallions of veal but in turn became so chewy I didn't eat them, topped with a deli slice of cheese, a bit of chewy, salted pork product, and whoops, someone forgot the truffle oil!" The under cooked potato slices and the half al dente, half raw kale could not save this meal. So sad. Seriously, the times when I haven't finished what I ordered in the last 5 years, you can count on one hand (probably 3 fingers), and if I am paying, then it might just be this one lonely middle finger. I was beyond disappointed, and with all of the options in South Philly alone, I will never, ever, ever go back to Caffe Valentino.
(1)
Richard F.
I first met Tony Bova the Chef at Caffe years ago when the restaurant first opened. He was haggling with his produce guy over the condition of the broccoli he had ordered. Originally a Fisherman from Apulia Italy he has a very high standard concerning the quality of the provisions he accepts into Caffe. This Chef is amazing and his calamari carpaccio is to die for.The Restaurant was recently renovated and a second story was added. Caffe is a great place for dinner, casual lunch, corporate events and definitely banquets. Parking is a breeze and you feel totally relaxed in the beautiful scenery of Pennsport. I have never had a bad meal at Caffe and i am always suprised by the simple elegance that the staff presents. I find myself lost in a timeless void I call Heaven, a piece of Italy in America.
(5)
Vinh T.
I had dinner here with my friends after a shopping trip for Halloween. everyone was tired and starved so i decided to go to a closest place. Well, i have a salad and a grilled calamari which were good. My Friends complained that they were salty but overall i think the meal was OK. The price is reasonable and the location is not hard to place. This place have a modern Italian twist not very cozy but nice and have enough space for you to not eavesdrop whatever the people sitting in the next table talking about. I would give this place 3.5 stars but i can't. A 4 stars is not fair cuz three of my friends were not happy with their meals.
(3)
Timothy W.
I have eaten here twice and both times have been nothing short of wonderful. The first time going in was slightly confusing, the server would ask questions and I would sit there trying to figure out what he had said without looking like a total idiot. Myself not being used to hearing authentic 'fresh off the boat' Italian accents, and not being such a master of my own English language, I was a little befuddled. However, noticing my obvious confusing the server-taking no offense-respectfully slowed down his question so that I could better understand..."would you like some water?"....ahh...yes. This confusing interaction did not take away from the experience, in fact it added to it. There was something refreshing about eating at an Italian restaurant and having a hard time understanding real Italian accents. Again, my knowledge of Italian anything falls fairly short, but the food was amazing. I may not know much, but this wasn't some old run of the mill food you'll get at Maggiano's, or generic plates you'll see at Olive Garden. This was even better than some of the food I have had at smaller places up and down the Italian Market (where I happen to work). I was impressed, and my stomach was pleased. ****NOTE, BYOB, and doesn't charge a corking fee.
(5)
Katie B.
I hadn't been to Caffe Valentino in years when I decided to take some friends there this weekend. I was shocked to see the little South Philly BYOB had changed into a neon signed massive restaurant --- the prices had also tripled!! There was only 1 server in the whole restaurant on a Saturday night and to say that service was slow is a complete understatement! I ordered the pasta special which was homemade pasta with scallops and shrimp. The meal cost 22 bucks and came out with 2 scallops and 1 shrimp....what is that?! Why would I pay 22 bucks for this when there are a thousand other tiny byob's in philly that have so much more to offer. not making the trip to south philly for this overpriced slow service again.
(2)
Rosina R.
WONDERFUL, fresh, beautifully prepared foods and desserts; lovely atmosphere; over-the-top excellent service. Wish I lived across the street from it. Always return; never soon enough. RR
(5)
Melissa H.
Amazing! This evening I had my first experience there, and it was the best Italian I have ever had. The staff was personable, attentive and friendly. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was intimate and warm. I had initially ordered stuffed portobella, however the waiter informed me the mushrooms were not as fresh as the chef would like and they refused to serve me something less than satisfactory. I was very impressed with the integrity of the restaurant and was blown away by their eggplant lasagna. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone.:)
(5)
Melanie D.
Went last week with a group of 10 for my birthday. We were seated on the 2nd floor with two other large parties, which was fine. The main entrance of the restaurant is currently under construction and there are no signs directing you where to actually enter. We wound up going through one of the large dining room doors because the main door is blocked by two large potted plants that make it seem you shouldn't use them. So, entering the restaurant was very awkward as we walked right into the dining room amidst many people. The service was pretty spotty since everything was coming from downstairs. Appetizers and entrees were forgotten, servers had to be asked several times to open bottles of wine. The food was good; the garlic mashed potatoes that came with the entrees were my favorite part of the meal.
(3)
Gabrielle L.
Terrible. First visit was great, second visit was a completely inconsistent experience, one that makes me say, "I warn you, do NOT ever eat there." Let me also say that my (only) 2 visits were within 3 weeks of one another, which means the food should have been of the exact same quality, if not darn close. Not so much. The fried calamari was flavorless - oh wait, it tasted like an old, dingy roux that was doused in year-old fryer oil and the marinara was less flavorful than the sauce that Chef Boyardee uses with his circular pastas. All 4 of our entrees were complete crap. Literally. Not one of us finished more than 2/3 of what we were given. I'm not even going to describe their horrific-ness. Sorry to say I'd give it .5 stars if possible - which is unfortunate, considering my first visit would have been rated a 4.
(1)
Charles R.
I would do 3 1/2. The restaurant had only 2 other tables when we walked in at 7:30 on a Saturday night, which surprised me. Since there were only 3 tables service was not a problem. The salads were fresh, chilled and fresh so no problems there. The 2 veal dishes were also good with tender veal and nice sauces. The only drawback was the brocolli that were stone cold. Little surprsing given the few customers and the kitchen wasn't taxed. On their website they say outdoor seating on their "patio". The patio really consists of sitting on the sidewalk. All in all for the prices it's a good place. They take all cards, and parking is fairly easy to find on the streets around the restaurant.
(3)
Anna Marie C.
after many a years of higher education, i am done. and where to celebrate done-ness other than the upstairs of caffe valentino? put together too much byo alcohol, about 30 residents, a smattering of attendings, significant others, nerdy home-made videos, and a white baby grand piano...and really, you've got yourself quite the shin-dig. the pluses-pasta that if i had an italian grandmother, she would approve of. cannoli. awesome wait staff. the veggies and cheese on the antipasti platter. and i have a bias towards their coffee. well, just their coffee maker. the minuses: the decor is cheesy, in an italian-ish sort of way. it gets way too warm upstairs. the prosciutto... very very meh. go. eat too much pasta. and then wait 20 minutes, and have some more. trust me, you won't regret it.
(4)
Parker S.
I have lived around the corner from Caffe Valentino for a year and a half and somehow never made it here. Maybe because it doesn't have the buzz of alot of other city BYOB restaurants. Because of the lack of buzz and the fact that I hadn't even heard my neighbors talking about it I guess I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife and I decided to stop by. We sat outside with our dog and brought a bottle of wine. The service was attentive but not overbearing. We received a basket of bread with olive oil upon arrival. The bread was good and fresh. The olive oil was fine, but I prefer to have a seasoned dipping oil rather than straight olive oil. For entrees, I got the eggplant lasagna my wife got the caprese salad and lobster ravioli. The caprese salad was good. The tomatoes were fresh and thick cut. The mozzarella was very good as well. Sometimes I find fresh mozzarella to be flavorless, this however was a nice mild cheese which I enjoyed. The salad also had greens and proscuitto. The eggplant lasagna was very good, easy on the ricotta but very good. The sauce and noodles were very good. My wifes lobster ravioli was very good. It was spinach ravioli and my wife was a big fan of the dish. Price wise the entrees were reasonable. $13 for the salad, $16 for the lasagna, and $22 for the lobster ravioli. I can't say its my favorite restaurant but I did enjoy the food and my experience and while it may not be the the sexy new byo in philly, it was a good experience and I'm sure I'll be back.
(4)
Anne H.
Almost a very good restaurant. First of all (and this may sound weird) but we got BREAD!! I haven't been served bread before dinner at a restaurant in ages. V. much appreciated. Now that I got that out of my system, the bruschetta was underwhelming and the fried zucchini just awful. It was cold and limp and when we asked for marinara sauce that came out cold too. My seafood pasta (dinner special) was pretty good. The lump crab meat was delicious, but the clams were a bit chewy. The homemade squid ink pasta was very tasty, as was the tiramisu dessert. Overall, an ok experience, and willing to give it another go.
(3)
Andy Z.
From the top... I wanted this to be five stars, I really did. The wait staff was very attentive and informative. The waiter helped with the incredibly tough decision between all the great sounding pastas. Wound up going with Gnocchi with shrimp and pink vodka sauce. Holy schnikes that was good. The home made gnocchi was absolutely delicious. The shrimp was maybe a tad undercooked, but that's just nit picky. Sauce was delicious too. Perhaps the biggest downer was the bread. It was hard, dry and overcooked. Walking out of the place another table had much better looking bread. Had their been total bread equity this would have been an easy five. For the price you can't do much better, and I'm very likely going to be a repeat customer. Eat with confidence!!
(4)
Thad S.
First time I went to Valentino, the food was legitimately good. The bread, which must be baked in house, was crumbly and terrible, but I was able to look past this weird, weird anomaly, and enjoy everything brought to the table. Inspired by this previous dining experience, and ignoring a recent report from a friend who said the food was mediocre when he just ate there, I took my sister and brother in law for dinner there last Saturday. To put it bluntly, I was completely embarrassed. On multiple levels. First off, we only went there because most of our favorites were booked. When we walked in, the cook, who seemed to want to be the host, almost mockingly wished us a good meal, and then said, "well I will be the one cooking it." Okay. Weird, but okay. So we sit down to the expected terrible bread (I had hoped the last time was a fluke), and it was as bad as expected. I mean seriously, this is some of the worst bread I have had in Philadelphia. It is dry, flaky, dense and bland. Everything Italian table bread should not be. The service was good, but we were constantly distracted by the table of women who took the BYO aspect quite seriously, they managed to consume half a fifth of sweet tea vodka, half a fifth of Sambuca, unknown quantities of wine, and all of this before eating. They were incredibility loud, and thoroughly obnoxious, which was only exacerbated by the fact that there was NO ONE ELSE in the place at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Well to make matters worse, we could hardly hear each other at our table, with them sitting on the complete other side of the restaurant, and apparently the staff had not thought out the fact that a party of 8 was coming at 7:30, and so they moved the women (bottles and all) all of the way across the place, directly next to us. At this point, we are sharing the restaurant with the loud, loud, loud drunk women and the party of 8. Seeing the commotion the women were causing, they moved them next to us, and the chef egged them on from behind the hot bar. Awesome. The one woman apologized while her evil step-sisters cackled. Terrible. On to the food! So we order calamari to start. It was some of the worst I have had. If you ordered calamari at J and J pizza, this is what you would get. The meat itself was like chewing on a rubber band, the breading was wet with old fryer oil and there was scant a seasoning in sight. The (dare I say) tomato dipping sauce had the consistency of pre-made bloody mary mix, minus the flavor. It was tomato water at it's finest. Okay, I am thinking at this point, the food was good last time, right? Am I losing my mind? Is there some alternate universe where I don't know what tastes good and what doesn't? The entrees will be good, right? Wrong. The only entree the was even palatable (honestly) was the black ravioli stuffed with crab. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't great or even good. It was okay. However, the sweet potato gnocchi, that last time was light, sweet and savory, came out like a huge porridge bowl of creamed chipped beef, only with bacon and a sprinkling of gnocchi. It was one quarter mediocre gnocchi, and three quarters heavy cream and bacon. There was no hint of sweet potato, and the pancetta was so overwhelming my poor sister could hardly palate the sorry amount of dumplings present in this giant bowl of cholesterol. I went for the veal "Al Prosciutto e Formaggio con Olio Tartufato." Which was supposed to mean "pan seared and topped with prosciutto & melted mozzarella, drizzled with white truffle oil." What it really meant was "unevenly cut and dreadfully over cooked what might have at one point been medallions of veal but in turn became so chewy I didn't eat them, topped with a deli slice of cheese, a bit of chewy, salted pork product, and whoops, someone forgot the truffle oil!" The under cooked potato slices and the half al dente, half raw kale could not save this meal. So sad. Seriously, the times when I haven't finished what I ordered in the last 5 years, you can count on one hand (probably 3 fingers), and if I am paying, then it might just be this one lonely middle finger. I was beyond disappointed, and with all of the options in South Philly alone, I will never, ever, ever go back to Caffe Valentino.
(1)
Michelle W.
Charming reasonably priced South Philly BYO. The bill for appetizers, entrees (including two specials) and dessert came to just over $100 for three people. Excellent Southern Italian food and lovely presentation. The caprese salads were stacked and beatiful. Our smoked mozzarella and crabmeat appetizer was delicious, with a port wine reduction. The marinated octopus was less exciting -- it needed an acid, like a lemon juice, to add interest. The menu features a nice mix of classics and and innovation, particularly in the specials, and the meats and fish (I had the branzino, my friend had the veal special with gorgonzola, and my husband had a chicken and pasta dish) were all perfectly prepared. My only complaint is that the service wasn't all it could be, hence the four stars.
(4)
Megan R.
Besides the delicious gnocchi, I loved the complimentary limoncello. Get the cannoli if you're in the mood for something sweet... You won't regret it. Prices= very affordable, waitstaff=accomodating. overall a great dining experience.
(5)
Kathy D.
Cute small spot, though they've since expanded. Food was okay, but the highlight was the tiramisu. Definitely worth going back just for that!
(3)
Richard F.
I first met Tony Bova the Chef at Caffe years ago when the restaurant first opened. He was haggling with his produce guy over the condition of the broccoli he had ordered. Originally a Fisherman from Apulia Italy he has a very high standard concerning the quality of the provisions he accepts into Caffe. This Chef is amazing and his calamari carpaccio is to die for.The Restaurant was recently renovated and a second story was added. Caffe is a great place for dinner, casual lunch, corporate events and definitely banquets. Parking is a breeze and you feel totally relaxed in the beautiful scenery of Pennsport. I have never had a bad meal at Caffe and i am always suprised by the simple elegance that the staff presents. I find myself lost in a timeless void I call Heaven, a piece of Italy in America.
(5)
Shaun H.
Very expensive for the food being just ok.
(3)
april o.
One of my favs-I go here at least twice a month. Love Heather, Cosimo and Sam- very neighborhood friendly- food's great, too-
(5)
Nat M.
I was checking out a new neighborhood in Philly (new to me) and came across BYOB Italian restaurant. We were asked if we had reservations (and we didn't) but they were able to provide seating outside. Waitress mentioned that they do take walk-ins but they were busy that night. The pizza was great and the food was ok. The owner provided a free glass of his home-made wine which was decent and really nice. They are opening a Beer establishment across the street in September that will offer beer and sandwiches. It has a front patio that has great potential as an outside seating area so I'll return to give that a try.
(3)
Hammad H.
A wonderful BYOB that has some of the best Italian food I had in south Philly. We had the pizza Margherita for appetizer. It was on par with the pizza we had in Napoli. Our group shared three main courses: shrimp gnocchi wroth vodka sauce, stuffed manicottiand chicken marsala. They were all delicious, especially the gnocchi. The service was excellent and the prices reasonable. We will certainly go back.
(5)
Andrea F.
I came here on a whim because The Industry was packed for Quizzo. I wish I would've planned, because this place was a lot fancier than I thought and my family and I were in tee shirts and jeans. Regardless, it wasn't stuffy or uptight and the staff was super friendly. The dinner menu is pretty limited: pastas, chicken dishes, and seafood, and everything is pretty pricy. They had several specials of the day, one of which I opted for (the branzino seasoned lightly in olive oil and other herbs and filleted tableside). It was FANTASTIC. The fish was super meaty and tender and cooked to perfection and our table and the adjacent tables watched wide-eyed as our server expertly filleted it. He was kind enough to ask if there were bones in it, since nobody's perfect. I only found 1 or 2, but it didn't ruin my experience cause the fish was just that good. My mom got a flatbread pizza, which I thought was only okay, and the other diners got the chicken parm and the shrimp and clam fra-diavolo, which was spicy and flavorful. Overall, I was pleased with my meal and the ambience, but the whole place smelled like the brick pizza oven, almost chemical, and it started to get to us towards the end. I would definitely come back and try a hearty pasta dish and bring a bottle of wine.
(4)
Lauren H.
Love this spot... so glad it opened just a few blocks from me last year. Brick oven pizza is awesome, as were all the entrees our friends ordered. Prices are decent, considering it's a BYO and the service has been great every time we've been.
(5)
Ron C.
Visiting Philadelphia and this restaurant was suggested for good Italian food. Had dinner and truly enjoyed the experience. Very comfortable surroundings. Clean and pleasant atmosphere. Service was great all around. We had veal, a shrimp/scallop pasta special and three meat platter. All food was well prepared and served hot. Each entree was very good. Sauce is also top notch (considering that I usually only like my mom's sauce). This experience added to my visit to Philadelphia. I recommend it to all and hope to return someday.
(4)
Jane C.
I've always been a fan of this neighborhood (very close to our home) byob - my one complaint had always been that it was not really a place we would bring our kids because of the menu choices/price of entrees... that is all different now that they are serving brick oven pizza!! Awesome for the kids and reasonably priced! My go-to dish is the gnocchi with shrimp: GET IT - YUM! It's nice to bring a bottle of wine and eat some good home-cooked Italian and enjoy the service which is attentive without being overbearing. It can get a little pricey if all 4 of us go to dinner and get dessert (the cannoli: GET IT - YUM!) over $100 after tip which is kinda pricey for the hood, but once in awhile it's so nice to walk to a neighborhood spot and have a lovely family dinner.
(4)
Marissa B.
Went here more recently for my youngest sister's 8th grade graduation. We were seated downstairs this time. Food was great as expected and the dining room was actually comfortable,though, it was also a little cooler than the last time I went. I got fried calamari for an app and a salmon special for my meal which was served with asparagus. I still am noticing issues with the service, though. They can take a little longer than expected when getting things (I.e. the beer I brought in and paid for)and be rushy, still. It's not too much of an issue, but, can be annoying.
(4)
Meghan M.
They don't even deserve one star. All I can say is UNPROFESSIONAL. The person who's supposed to be "in charge" (not sure if it was manager or owner with his awful fake accent) was the absolute worst. He doesn't handle problems or questions, he pawns them off to other workers because apparently he's "too busy" the only experience I've had, was enough to make me never want to go back. No customer service skills, and they do not by any means know the first thing about running a business.
(1)
Rebecca H.
I was at Caffe Valentino for my bachelorette party this past weekend. The food was delicious, and it was very classy. The menu is easy to understand. Definitely a reasonable price, portions are a tiny bit small but it was still tasty and satisfying. I'd like to add that the servers were very kind. However, it really took forever. We were there at 8 PM and didn't leave until 11 PM. The food just took so long to come out- I'm sure that's because we were a party of about 15, but perhaps consider this before coming with a huge group if you have a time crunch.
(4)
Meredith B.
This is a great spot for your go-to Italian meal. It's exactly what I want when I'm looking for the true Italian meal we've all grown up with. No bells no whistles no menu items that are a paragraph long to read with words you mumble when ordering because you're not sure how to pronounce. Clean, friendly, priced accordingly.
(4)
Russ B.
This place had a nice atmosphere. Sam was a good server and very knowledgeable, memorized all the specials. The pizza was delicious, and the food was good. Nice and cozy place will definitely return. You get two servers as well which is handy when you want to refill on water. Price is reasonable as well.
(5)
Mackie E.
I feel as though I'd like to say that a lot of my reviews have been very good as of late but it really is because high quality experiences. Last night I revisited Caffe Valentino after a very long time. I had been here in the first month they opened and nothing about the meal was remarkable. However, I was in a conundrum and had to go out to dinner at 4PM on a Tuesday and it had to be a place somewhat near home. I chose this restaurant expecting the standard South Philly BYOB experience, however, I felt this was a step above. We started with eggplant rollantini, grilled vegetable antipasto (which is the only thing I was able to get a picture of before we descended upon it), and burrata with arugula and cherry tomatoes. Every single appetizer was impressive. The eggplant was sliced so thin and more importantly wasn't over breaded. Now I know you're thinking, how hard could it be to grill vegetables? Well, I assure you I have had over seasoned, over cooked vegetables that are cooked in such a way to hide their lack of freshness. On the contrary, Caffe Valentino's grilled vegetable plate was perfection. It was so good, we actually ordered a second plate to go. Lastly, the burrata was also very high quality and worked very nicely with the fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes and balsamic reduction that accompanied it. As for the entrees, I was making an effort to cut back on my carbs and ordered the griglata mista which was grilled chicken, pork and sausage. My dish was only underwhelming because it was a bad order. It was good for what it was but I should have gone for something more interesting. Another entree that was ordered was the chicken pizzaiolo which was also exceptional. The flavor and richness of the sauce was very balanced. I would also recommend the chicken Valentino. It was spinach, roasted peppers and Gorgonzola cheese.... Need I say more? A note worth mentioning is that I actually found the side dishes that were served with the entrees were also very good which I find to be a rarity in BYOBs. Usually you find a side of burnt starch and over-oiled green, but here even the string beans kept a nice crunch without being ruined by the chef. We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed but I'm thinking we will save room next time.
(4)
Steve T.
Great byob. I live steps from this place (literally) and went here one night starving. Although food took a long time once it came out you knew why. It was fresh handmade great Italian food. My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner here and people rave still about how amazing and how much food they were served. Clearly this made us happy. We've been back several times (Sam) is the best waiter who remembers us, we once came in more casual clothes and had female waitress who looked at us like white trash because we were in t shirt shorts and 6 pack of beer. I was upset but still will go back.
(5)
Margo v.
Dropped in one evening and what a great surprise. The menu excellent. Had imported Burata from Italy. Truly delicious. The pizza was perfect. Great toppings, perfect tomato sauce on it and crust very good. I'll be back!
(5)
Mary T.
I really enjoyed the food and and service was great , UNTILL I saw the waiter he was fired from the DPA for stealing, and also from a Auto rental Co for the same thing , it was a good thing that I had cash on me to pay my bill, seeing Sam made me realize the need for the identity protection program,
(4)
Jack F.
Was there Sunday night with family for dinner. First rate food and service. Prices were good. Try the White Bean soup for an appetizer. BYOB
(4)
Vinh T.
I had dinner here with my friends after a shopping trip for Halloween. everyone was tired and starved so i decided to go to a closest place. Well, i have a salad and a grilled calamari which were good. My Friends complained that they were salty but overall i think the meal was OK. The price is reasonable and the location is not hard to place. This place have a modern Italian twist not very cozy but nice and have enough space for you to not eavesdrop whatever the people sitting in the next table talking about. I would give this place 3.5 stars but i can't. A 4 stars is not fair cuz three of my friends were not happy with their meals.
(3)
Julie P.
Great restaurant! The food was fresh and delicious. They had great appetizers and entrees. The service was great and the staff was very friendly. I'm looking forward to going back for a great meal.
(5)
Robert R.
Love this Place! So cool that they now added a pizza bar out front! We've been going for a few years now.
(4)
Katherine K.
This place is literally right down the street from our apartment, so I was surprised when my boyfriend sent me a link to this page and I had never heard of it before! We ended up going there last night with his family and had a great dinner. Good atmosphere- almost all the tables were full. I had the mushroom soup and the Linguine Valentino- both delicious. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it wasn't exceptional. The dishes are very simple, but that's what makes for good Italian food anyway. About $30 a head for appetizer/main entree plus BYOB, always a plus.
(4)
B H.
Went here for an early dinner and was disappointed with the price to quantity ratio. Food was good but for three people the bill was close to $100 for small servings is ridiculous. Waitstaff was friendly and attentive until the restaurant starts to fill up and then we felt forgotten in all the chaos.
(2)
Laura H.
Cute BYOB in my neighborhood. Food is great! I had the pasta with scallops and cream sauce and it was perfect. Cream sauce not too heavy and the scallops done just right. My dissappointment was with the price/serving size. My dish was $20+ and there was only 3 scallops and a small amount of pasta. If you are going to charge me that much then there needs to be more pasta atleast. Service was also slow.
(3)
Rebecca Y.
I was craving tiramisu one night and came here because it was one of the few restaurants open late. I ended up getting soup and tiramisu. The soup was decent, the tiramisu was ok, both were overpriced. The decor is very nice and romantic and service was decent. I wouldn't come back again just because there are better Italian restaurants in Philly.
(3)
Linda S.
I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Valentino's on my birthday (today) due to the negative reviews I had read. But hubby and I decided to forge ahead and experience it for ourselves and boy, am I ever glad we did! The service was impeccable and the food delectable. We both absolutely loved our dinners. I was a bit surprised at the lack of customers for a Saturday night but perhaps people are saving their money for New Year's Eve instead. I certainly hope it's not because of previous negative reviews because if that's the case, you're missing out. Valentino's is a lovely, homey little restaurant that is quite conducive to a romantic and intimate evening. We started with one of the specials for a shared appetizer--fresh mozzarella atop roasted red peppers, tomatoes and parma proscuitto over spring mix with a balsamic vinaigrette that was brought separately in a little gravy boat. The mozzarella was perfection, as were the peppers (no traces of the charred skin anywhere) and the proscuitto, which had little to no fat on it. The tomatoes were as expected given the winter season. The spring mix was fresh but the highlight was the vinaigrette, which was mixed expertly. Hubby had the seafood special and he couldn't stop raving. Tons of mussels, shrimp, calamari and swordfish (yes, swordfish!) over a bed of penne with a light tomatoey sauce. I tasted both the mussels (sweet and tender, not the least bit chewy) and the swordfish, which neither of us had ever eaten before, and declared his dish a success. I opted for the veal a la Valentino, which consisted of veal topped with gorgonzola, roasted peppers and spinach. I asked for the entree without the spinach, which presented no problem. The veal was tender and tasty and I loved the combination of gorgonzola and roasted peppers. You have to love gorgonzola to love this dish, however, as it's a bit heavy, but I do so no problem there. My entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes that had a hint of pecorino and parmesan cheeses. While it was a tad glutenous, the flavor far outweighed the consistency. There was also a hefty serving of sugar snap peas, which I love and they were cooked perfectly. Hubs and I had decaf coffee and shared a tiramisu for dessert which was one of the best tiramisus I've ever had. Believe me, that's saying a lot as I've had my fair share of that delectable Italian dessert. All in all, a smashing success made even better when the waiter removed the cost of the dessert from our bill once he found out we were celebrating my birthday. Now that's customer service! Without the dessert, our bill came to $65, much less than I anticipated given we had two of their specials. Just goes to show you, you shouldn't always rely on other people's opinions, especially when it comes to restaurants. Oh, for the reviewers who complained about the bread, it was so good, we devoured a basket-ful with our appetizer. 'Nuff said. We will definitely be enjoying the wonderful food at Caffe Valentino's again and if you're smart, you will be too.
(4)
Angela A.
We had been to Caffe Valentino a number of times in the past and have always enjoyed the food and the service. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the experience was immensely different from previous experience. The menu was minimal at best. We ordered the Eggplant Rollatini for starters. It was cold on the ends, but worse it was frozen in the middle. I was not even asked why I didn't eat it. I ordered a pasta dish because well even though I really like pasta, there weren't very many other items that look good enough to order. The pasta was good, but still not as hot as it should have been and I had to ask for grated cheese. We noted that they had the pizza oven, so ordered a small pizza to go in case the kids were hungry, (actually we were still hungry because the food was so bad). We took a look at the pizza when we got home (not far). It was already cooled off, to be expected, but the crust was burnt! It was not tasty at all, very bland. Needless to say we won't return to Caffe Valentino.
(1)
YelpHatesMe Y.
I was bordering on 2 stars but we actually went there during the hurrica.......I mean thunderstorm on Saturday night. I had the mussels in white wine and risotto pescatora for dinner. The risotto was undercooked and the mussels were overcooked. The shrimp were really really good. The desert was good also, great cannoli. For $100 for 2 people (with tip) I just expected a little bit more. I honestly believe I will try at least 12 other BYOB's that I haven't been to yet before I return here. I would say if you're in the neighborhood maybe stop in, but don't make a special trip for it. Bottom line; Average neighborhood BYOB. Nothing stand out great and nothing stand out poor.
(3)
Jill C.
This is my husband's and my go-to byo. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. The food is simple but never disappointing. Last visit I had parpadalle with brussel sprouts, pine nuts and Parmesan. It was so light and delicious! The waitstaff is always friendly and accommodating. Now that the weather is nice they have added some outdoors seating. My only complaint is that they have gotten a bit pricey recently. Boo.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
april o.
One of my favs-I go here at least twice a month. Love Heather, Cosimo and Sam- very neighborhood friendly- food's great, too-
(5)Michelle W.
Charming reasonably priced South Philly BYO. The bill for appetizers, entrees (including two specials) and dessert came to just over $100 for three people. Excellent Southern Italian food and lovely presentation. The caprese salads were stacked and beatiful. Our smoked mozzarella and crabmeat appetizer was delicious, with a port wine reduction. The marinated octopus was less exciting -- it needed an acid, like a lemon juice, to add interest. The menu features a nice mix of classics and and innovation, particularly in the specials, and the meats and fish (I had the branzino, my friend had the veal special with gorgonzola, and my husband had a chicken and pasta dish) were all perfectly prepared. My only complaint is that the service wasn't all it could be, hence the four stars.
(4)Megan R.
Besides the delicious gnocchi, I loved the complimentary limoncello. Get the cannoli if you're in the mood for something sweet... You won't regret it. Prices= very affordable, waitstaff=accomodating. overall a great dining experience.
(5)Kathy D.
Cute small spot, though they've since expanded. Food was okay, but the highlight was the tiramisu. Definitely worth going back just for that!
(3)Meredith B.
This is a great spot for your go-to Italian meal. It's exactly what I want when I'm looking for the true Italian meal we've all grown up with. No bells no whistles no menu items that are a paragraph long to read with words you mumble when ordering because you're not sure how to pronounce. Clean, friendly, priced accordingly.
(4)Russ B.
This place had a nice atmosphere. Sam was a good server and very knowledgeable, memorized all the specials. The pizza was delicious, and the food was good. Nice and cozy place will definitely return. You get two servers as well which is handy when you want to refill on water. Price is reasonable as well.
(5)Parker S.
I have lived around the corner from Caffe Valentino for a year and a half and somehow never made it here. Maybe because it doesn't have the buzz of alot of other city BYOB restaurants. Because of the lack of buzz and the fact that I hadn't even heard my neighbors talking about it I guess I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife and I decided to stop by. We sat outside with our dog and brought a bottle of wine. The service was attentive but not overbearing. We received a basket of bread with olive oil upon arrival. The bread was good and fresh. The olive oil was fine, but I prefer to have a seasoned dipping oil rather than straight olive oil. For entrees, I got the eggplant lasagna my wife got the caprese salad and lobster ravioli. The caprese salad was good. The tomatoes were fresh and thick cut. The mozzarella was very good as well. Sometimes I find fresh mozzarella to be flavorless, this however was a nice mild cheese which I enjoyed. The salad also had greens and proscuitto. The eggplant lasagna was very good, easy on the ricotta but very good. The sauce and noodles were very good. My wifes lobster ravioli was very good. It was spinach ravioli and my wife was a big fan of the dish. Price wise the entrees were reasonable. $13 for the salad, $16 for the lasagna, and $22 for the lobster ravioli. I can't say its my favorite restaurant but I did enjoy the food and my experience and while it may not be the the sexy new byo in philly, it was a good experience and I'm sure I'll be back.
(4)Julie P.
Great restaurant! The food was fresh and delicious. They had great appetizers and entrees. The service was great and the staff was very friendly. I'm looking forward to going back for a great meal.
(5)Robert R.
Love this Place! So cool that they now added a pizza bar out front! We've been going for a few years now.
(4)Katherine K.
This place is literally right down the street from our apartment, so I was surprised when my boyfriend sent me a link to this page and I had never heard of it before! We ended up going there last night with his family and had a great dinner. Good atmosphere- almost all the tables were full. I had the mushroom soup and the Linguine Valentino- both delicious. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it wasn't exceptional. The dishes are very simple, but that's what makes for good Italian food anyway. About $30 a head for appetizer/main entree plus BYOB, always a plus.
(4)Margo v.
Dropped in one evening and what a great surprise. The menu excellent. Had imported Burata from Italy. Truly delicious. The pizza was perfect. Great toppings, perfect tomato sauce on it and crust very good. I'll be back!
(5)Mary T.
I really enjoyed the food and and service was great , UNTILL I saw the waiter he was fired from the DPA for stealing, and also from a Auto rental Co for the same thing , it was a good thing that I had cash on me to pay my bill, seeing Sam made me realize the need for the identity protection program,
(4)Jane C.
I've always been a fan of this neighborhood (very close to our home) byob - my one complaint had always been that it was not really a place we would bring our kids because of the menu choices/price of entrees... that is all different now that they are serving brick oven pizza!! Awesome for the kids and reasonably priced! My go-to dish is the gnocchi with shrimp: GET IT - YUM! It's nice to bring a bottle of wine and eat some good home-cooked Italian and enjoy the service which is attentive without being overbearing. It can get a little pricey if all 4 of us go to dinner and get dessert (the cannoli: GET IT - YUM!) over $100 after tip which is kinda pricey for the hood, but once in awhile it's so nice to walk to a neighborhood spot and have a lovely family dinner.
(4)Marissa B.
Went here more recently for my youngest sister's 8th grade graduation. We were seated downstairs this time. Food was great as expected and the dining room was actually comfortable,though, it was also a little cooler than the last time I went. I got fried calamari for an app and a salmon special for my meal which was served with asparagus. I still am noticing issues with the service, though. They can take a little longer than expected when getting things (I.e. the beer I brought in and paid for)and be rushy, still. It's not too much of an issue, but, can be annoying.
(4)Meghan M.
They don't even deserve one star. All I can say is UNPROFESSIONAL. The person who's supposed to be "in charge" (not sure if it was manager or owner with his awful fake accent) was the absolute worst. He doesn't handle problems or questions, he pawns them off to other workers because apparently he's "too busy" the only experience I've had, was enough to make me never want to go back. No customer service skills, and they do not by any means know the first thing about running a business.
(1)Rebecca H.
I was at Caffe Valentino for my bachelorette party this past weekend. The food was delicious, and it was very classy. The menu is easy to understand. Definitely a reasonable price, portions are a tiny bit small but it was still tasty and satisfying. I'd like to add that the servers were very kind. However, it really took forever. We were there at 8 PM and didn't leave until 11 PM. The food just took so long to come out- I'm sure that's because we were a party of about 15, but perhaps consider this before coming with a huge group if you have a time crunch.
(4)B H.
Went here for an early dinner and was disappointed with the price to quantity ratio. Food was good but for three people the bill was close to $100 for small servings is ridiculous. Waitstaff was friendly and attentive until the restaurant starts to fill up and then we felt forgotten in all the chaos.
(2)Laura H.
Cute BYOB in my neighborhood. Food is great! I had the pasta with scallops and cream sauce and it was perfect. Cream sauce not too heavy and the scallops done just right. My dissappointment was with the price/serving size. My dish was $20+ and there was only 3 scallops and a small amount of pasta. If you are going to charge me that much then there needs to be more pasta atleast. Service was also slow.
(3)Angela A.
We had been to Caffe Valentino a number of times in the past and have always enjoyed the food and the service. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the experience was immensely different from previous experience. The menu was minimal at best. We ordered the Eggplant Rollatini for starters. It was cold on the ends, but worse it was frozen in the middle. I was not even asked why I didn't eat it. I ordered a pasta dish because well even though I really like pasta, there weren't very many other items that look good enough to order. The pasta was good, but still not as hot as it should have been and I had to ask for grated cheese. We noted that they had the pizza oven, so ordered a small pizza to go in case the kids were hungry, (actually we were still hungry because the food was so bad). We took a look at the pizza when we got home (not far). It was already cooled off, to be expected, but the crust was burnt! It was not tasty at all, very bland. Needless to say we won't return to Caffe Valentino.
(1)YelpHatesMe Y.
I was bordering on 2 stars but we actually went there during the hurrica.......I mean thunderstorm on Saturday night. I had the mussels in white wine and risotto pescatora for dinner. The risotto was undercooked and the mussels were overcooked. The shrimp were really really good. The desert was good also, great cannoli. For $100 for 2 people (with tip) I just expected a little bit more. I honestly believe I will try at least 12 other BYOB's that I haven't been to yet before I return here. I would say if you're in the neighborhood maybe stop in, but don't make a special trip for it. Bottom line; Average neighborhood BYOB. Nothing stand out great and nothing stand out poor.
(3)Jill C.
This is my husband's and my go-to byo. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. The food is simple but never disappointing. Last visit I had parpadalle with brussel sprouts, pine nuts and Parmesan. It was so light and delicious! The waitstaff is always friendly and accommodating. Now that the weather is nice they have added some outdoors seating. My only complaint is that they have gotten a bit pricey recently. Boo.
(4)Rebecca Y.
I was craving tiramisu one night and came here because it was one of the few restaurants open late. I ended up getting soup and tiramisu. The soup was decent, the tiramisu was ok, both were overpriced. The decor is very nice and romantic and service was decent. I wouldn't come back again just because there are better Italian restaurants in Philly.
(3)Melanie D.
Went last week with a group of 10 for my birthday. We were seated on the 2nd floor with two other large parties, which was fine. The main entrance of the restaurant is currently under construction and there are no signs directing you where to actually enter. We wound up going through one of the large dining room doors because the main door is blocked by two large potted plants that make it seem you shouldn't use them. So, entering the restaurant was very awkward as we walked right into the dining room amidst many people. The service was pretty spotty since everything was coming from downstairs. Appetizers and entrees were forgotten, servers had to be asked several times to open bottles of wine. The food was good; the garlic mashed potatoes that came with the entrees were my favorite part of the meal.
(3)Gabrielle L.
Terrible. First visit was great, second visit was a completely inconsistent experience, one that makes me say, "I warn you, do NOT ever eat there." Let me also say that my (only) 2 visits were within 3 weeks of one another, which means the food should have been of the exact same quality, if not darn close. Not so much. The fried calamari was flavorless - oh wait, it tasted like an old, dingy roux that was doused in year-old fryer oil and the marinara was less flavorful than the sauce that Chef Boyardee uses with his circular pastas. All 4 of our entrees were complete crap. Literally. Not one of us finished more than 2/3 of what we were given. I'm not even going to describe their horrific-ness. Sorry to say I'd give it .5 stars if possible - which is unfortunate, considering my first visit would have been rated a 4.
(1)Charles R.
I would do 3 1/2. The restaurant had only 2 other tables when we walked in at 7:30 on a Saturday night, which surprised me. Since there were only 3 tables service was not a problem. The salads were fresh, chilled and fresh so no problems there. The 2 veal dishes were also good with tender veal and nice sauces. The only drawback was the brocolli that were stone cold. Little surprsing given the few customers and the kitchen wasn't taxed. On their website they say outdoor seating on their "patio". The patio really consists of sitting on the sidewalk. All in all for the prices it's a good place. They take all cards, and parking is fairly easy to find on the streets around the restaurant.
(3)Anna Marie C.
after many a years of higher education, i am done. and where to celebrate done-ness other than the upstairs of caffe valentino? put together too much byo alcohol, about 30 residents, a smattering of attendings, significant others, nerdy home-made videos, and a white baby grand piano...and really, you've got yourself quite the shin-dig. the pluses-pasta that if i had an italian grandmother, she would approve of. cannoli. awesome wait staff. the veggies and cheese on the antipasti platter. and i have a bias towards their coffee. well, just their coffee maker. the minuses: the decor is cheesy, in an italian-ish sort of way. it gets way too warm upstairs. the prosciutto... very very meh. go. eat too much pasta. and then wait 20 minutes, and have some more. trust me, you won't regret it.
(4)Timothy W.
I have eaten here twice and both times have been nothing short of wonderful. The first time going in was slightly confusing, the server would ask questions and I would sit there trying to figure out what he had said without looking like a total idiot. Myself not being used to hearing authentic 'fresh off the boat' Italian accents, and not being such a master of my own English language, I was a little befuddled. However, noticing my obvious confusing the server-taking no offense-respectfully slowed down his question so that I could better understand..."would you like some water?"....ahh...yes. This confusing interaction did not take away from the experience, in fact it added to it. There was something refreshing about eating at an Italian restaurant and having a hard time understanding real Italian accents. Again, my knowledge of Italian anything falls fairly short, but the food was amazing. I may not know much, but this wasn't some old run of the mill food you'll get at Maggiano's, or generic plates you'll see at Olive Garden. This was even better than some of the food I have had at smaller places up and down the Italian Market (where I happen to work). I was impressed, and my stomach was pleased. ****NOTE, BYOB, and doesn't charge a corking fee.
(5)Katie B.
I hadn't been to Caffe Valentino in years when I decided to take some friends there this weekend. I was shocked to see the little South Philly BYOB had changed into a neon signed massive restaurant --- the prices had also tripled!! There was only 1 server in the whole restaurant on a Saturday night and to say that service was slow is a complete understatement! I ordered the pasta special which was homemade pasta with scallops and shrimp. The meal cost 22 bucks and came out with 2 scallops and 1 shrimp....what is that?! Why would I pay 22 bucks for this when there are a thousand other tiny byob's in philly that have so much more to offer. not making the trip to south philly for this overpriced slow service again.
(2)Rosina R.
WONDERFUL, fresh, beautifully prepared foods and desserts; lovely atmosphere; over-the-top excellent service. Wish I lived across the street from it. Always return; never soon enough. RR
(5)Melissa H.
Amazing! This evening I had my first experience there, and it was the best Italian I have ever had. The staff was personable, attentive and friendly. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was intimate and warm. I had initially ordered stuffed portobella, however the waiter informed me the mushrooms were not as fresh as the chef would like and they refused to serve me something less than satisfactory. I was very impressed with the integrity of the restaurant and was blown away by their eggplant lasagna. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone.:)
(5)Anne H.
Almost a very good restaurant. First of all (and this may sound weird) but we got BREAD!! I haven't been served bread before dinner at a restaurant in ages. V. much appreciated. Now that I got that out of my system, the bruschetta was underwhelming and the fried zucchini just awful. It was cold and limp and when we asked for marinara sauce that came out cold too. My seafood pasta (dinner special) was pretty good. The lump crab meat was delicious, but the clams were a bit chewy. The homemade squid ink pasta was very tasty, as was the tiramisu dessert. Overall, an ok experience, and willing to give it another go.
(3)Nat M.
I was checking out a new neighborhood in Philly (new to me) and came across BYOB Italian restaurant. We were asked if we had reservations (and we didn't) but they were able to provide seating outside. Waitress mentioned that they do take walk-ins but they were busy that night. The pizza was great and the food was ok. The owner provided a free glass of his home-made wine which was decent and really nice. They are opening a Beer establishment across the street in September that will offer beer and sandwiches. It has a front patio that has great potential as an outside seating area so I'll return to give that a try.
(3)Andrea F.
I came here on a whim because The Industry was packed for Quizzo. I wish I would've planned, because this place was a lot fancier than I thought and my family and I were in tee shirts and jeans. Regardless, it wasn't stuffy or uptight and the staff was super friendly. The dinner menu is pretty limited: pastas, chicken dishes, and seafood, and everything is pretty pricy. They had several specials of the day, one of which I opted for (the branzino seasoned lightly in olive oil and other herbs and filleted tableside). It was FANTASTIC. The fish was super meaty and tender and cooked to perfection and our table and the adjacent tables watched wide-eyed as our server expertly filleted it. He was kind enough to ask if there were bones in it, since nobody's perfect. I only found 1 or 2, but it didn't ruin my experience cause the fish was just that good. My mom got a flatbread pizza, which I thought was only okay, and the other diners got the chicken parm and the shrimp and clam fra-diavolo, which was spicy and flavorful. Overall, I was pleased with my meal and the ambience, but the whole place smelled like the brick pizza oven, almost chemical, and it started to get to us towards the end. I would definitely come back and try a hearty pasta dish and bring a bottle of wine.
(4)Lauren H.
Love this spot... so glad it opened just a few blocks from me last year. Brick oven pizza is awesome, as were all the entrees our friends ordered. Prices are decent, considering it's a BYO and the service has been great every time we've been.
(5)Hammad H.
A wonderful BYOB that has some of the best Italian food I had in south Philly. We had the pizza Margherita for appetizer. It was on par with the pizza we had in Napoli. Our group shared three main courses: shrimp gnocchi wroth vodka sauce, stuffed manicottiand chicken marsala. They were all delicious, especially the gnocchi. The service was excellent and the prices reasonable. We will certainly go back.
(5)Ron C.
Visiting Philadelphia and this restaurant was suggested for good Italian food. Had dinner and truly enjoyed the experience. Very comfortable surroundings. Clean and pleasant atmosphere. Service was great all around. We had veal, a shrimp/scallop pasta special and three meat platter. All food was well prepared and served hot. Each entree was very good. Sauce is also top notch (considering that I usually only like my mom's sauce). This experience added to my visit to Philadelphia. I recommend it to all and hope to return someday.
(4)Mackie E.
I feel as though I'd like to say that a lot of my reviews have been very good as of late but it really is because high quality experiences. Last night I revisited Caffe Valentino after a very long time. I had been here in the first month they opened and nothing about the meal was remarkable. However, I was in a conundrum and had to go out to dinner at 4PM on a Tuesday and it had to be a place somewhat near home. I chose this restaurant expecting the standard South Philly BYOB experience, however, I felt this was a step above. We started with eggplant rollantini, grilled vegetable antipasto (which is the only thing I was able to get a picture of before we descended upon it), and burrata with arugula and cherry tomatoes. Every single appetizer was impressive. The eggplant was sliced so thin and more importantly wasn't over breaded. Now I know you're thinking, how hard could it be to grill vegetables? Well, I assure you I have had over seasoned, over cooked vegetables that are cooked in such a way to hide their lack of freshness. On the contrary, Caffe Valentino's grilled vegetable plate was perfection. It was so good, we actually ordered a second plate to go. Lastly, the burrata was also very high quality and worked very nicely with the fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes and balsamic reduction that accompanied it. As for the entrees, I was making an effort to cut back on my carbs and ordered the griglata mista which was grilled chicken, pork and sausage. My dish was only underwhelming because it was a bad order. It was good for what it was but I should have gone for something more interesting. Another entree that was ordered was the chicken pizzaiolo which was also exceptional. The flavor and richness of the sauce was very balanced. I would also recommend the chicken Valentino. It was spinach, roasted peppers and Gorgonzola cheese.... Need I say more? A note worth mentioning is that I actually found the side dishes that were served with the entrees were also very good which I find to be a rarity in BYOBs. Usually you find a side of burnt starch and over-oiled green, but here even the string beans kept a nice crunch without being ruined by the chef. We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed but I'm thinking we will save room next time.
(4)Steve T.
Great byob. I live steps from this place (literally) and went here one night starving. Although food took a long time once it came out you knew why. It was fresh handmade great Italian food. My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner here and people rave still about how amazing and how much food they were served. Clearly this made us happy. We've been back several times (Sam) is the best waiter who remembers us, we once came in more casual clothes and had female waitress who looked at us like white trash because we were in t shirt shorts and 6 pack of beer. I was upset but still will go back.
(5)Linda S.
I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Valentino's on my birthday (today) due to the negative reviews I had read. But hubby and I decided to forge ahead and experience it for ourselves and boy, am I ever glad we did! The service was impeccable and the food delectable. We both absolutely loved our dinners. I was a bit surprised at the lack of customers for a Saturday night but perhaps people are saving their money for New Year's Eve instead. I certainly hope it's not because of previous negative reviews because if that's the case, you're missing out. Valentino's is a lovely, homey little restaurant that is quite conducive to a romantic and intimate evening. We started with one of the specials for a shared appetizer--fresh mozzarella atop roasted red peppers, tomatoes and parma proscuitto over spring mix with a balsamic vinaigrette that was brought separately in a little gravy boat. The mozzarella was perfection, as were the peppers (no traces of the charred skin anywhere) and the proscuitto, which had little to no fat on it. The tomatoes were as expected given the winter season. The spring mix was fresh but the highlight was the vinaigrette, which was mixed expertly. Hubby had the seafood special and he couldn't stop raving. Tons of mussels, shrimp, calamari and swordfish (yes, swordfish!) over a bed of penne with a light tomatoey sauce. I tasted both the mussels (sweet and tender, not the least bit chewy) and the swordfish, which neither of us had ever eaten before, and declared his dish a success. I opted for the veal a la Valentino, which consisted of veal topped with gorgonzola, roasted peppers and spinach. I asked for the entree without the spinach, which presented no problem. The veal was tender and tasty and I loved the combination of gorgonzola and roasted peppers. You have to love gorgonzola to love this dish, however, as it's a bit heavy, but I do so no problem there. My entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes that had a hint of pecorino and parmesan cheeses. While it was a tad glutenous, the flavor far outweighed the consistency. There was also a hefty serving of sugar snap peas, which I love and they were cooked perfectly. Hubs and I had decaf coffee and shared a tiramisu for dessert which was one of the best tiramisus I've ever had. Believe me, that's saying a lot as I've had my fair share of that delectable Italian dessert. All in all, a smashing success made even better when the waiter removed the cost of the dessert from our bill once he found out we were celebrating my birthday. Now that's customer service! Without the dessert, our bill came to $65, much less than I anticipated given we had two of their specials. Just goes to show you, you shouldn't always rely on other people's opinions, especially when it comes to restaurants. Oh, for the reviewers who complained about the bread, it was so good, we devoured a basket-ful with our appetizer. 'Nuff said. We will definitely be enjoying the wonderful food at Caffe Valentino's again and if you're smart, you will be too.
(4)Jack F.
Was there Sunday night with family for dinner. First rate food and service. Prices were good. Try the White Bean soup for an appetizer. BYOB
(4)Andy Z.
From the top... I wanted this to be five stars, I really did. The wait staff was very attentive and informative. The waiter helped with the incredibly tough decision between all the great sounding pastas. Wound up going with Gnocchi with shrimp and pink vodka sauce. Holy schnikes that was good. The home made gnocchi was absolutely delicious. The shrimp was maybe a tad undercooked, but that's just nit picky. Sauce was delicious too. Perhaps the biggest downer was the bread. It was hard, dry and overcooked. Walking out of the place another table had much better looking bread. Had their been total bread equity this would have been an easy five. For the price you can't do much better, and I'm very likely going to be a repeat customer. Eat with confidence!!
(4)Shaun H.
Very expensive for the food being just ok.
(3)Thad S.
First time I went to Valentino, the food was legitimately good. The bread, which must be baked in house, was crumbly and terrible, but I was able to look past this weird, weird anomaly, and enjoy everything brought to the table. Inspired by this previous dining experience, and ignoring a recent report from a friend who said the food was mediocre when he just ate there, I took my sister and brother in law for dinner there last Saturday. To put it bluntly, I was completely embarrassed. On multiple levels. First off, we only went there because most of our favorites were booked. When we walked in, the cook, who seemed to want to be the host, almost mockingly wished us a good meal, and then said, "well I will be the one cooking it." Okay. Weird, but okay. So we sit down to the expected terrible bread (I had hoped the last time was a fluke), and it was as bad as expected. I mean seriously, this is some of the worst bread I have had in Philadelphia. It is dry, flaky, dense and bland. Everything Italian table bread should not be. The service was good, but we were constantly distracted by the table of women who took the BYO aspect quite seriously, they managed to consume half a fifth of sweet tea vodka, half a fifth of Sambuca, unknown quantities of wine, and all of this before eating. They were incredibility loud, and thoroughly obnoxious, which was only exacerbated by the fact that there was NO ONE ELSE in the place at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Well to make matters worse, we could hardly hear each other at our table, with them sitting on the complete other side of the restaurant, and apparently the staff had not thought out the fact that a party of 8 was coming at 7:30, and so they moved the women (bottles and all) all of the way across the place, directly next to us. At this point, we are sharing the restaurant with the loud, loud, loud drunk women and the party of 8. Seeing the commotion the women were causing, they moved them next to us, and the chef egged them on from behind the hot bar. Awesome. The one woman apologized while her evil step-sisters cackled. Terrible. On to the food! So we order calamari to start. It was some of the worst I have had. If you ordered calamari at J and J pizza, this is what you would get. The meat itself was like chewing on a rubber band, the breading was wet with old fryer oil and there was scant a seasoning in sight. The (dare I say) tomato dipping sauce had the consistency of pre-made bloody mary mix, minus the flavor. It was tomato water at it's finest. Okay, I am thinking at this point, the food was good last time, right? Am I losing my mind? Is there some alternate universe where I don't know what tastes good and what doesn't? The entrees will be good, right? Wrong. The only entree the was even palatable (honestly) was the black ravioli stuffed with crab. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't great or even good. It was okay. However, the sweet potato gnocchi, that last time was light, sweet and savory, came out like a huge porridge bowl of creamed chipped beef, only with bacon and a sprinkling of gnocchi. It was one quarter mediocre gnocchi, and three quarters heavy cream and bacon. There was no hint of sweet potato, and the pancetta was so overwhelming my poor sister could hardly palate the sorry amount of dumplings present in this giant bowl of cholesterol. I went for the veal "Al Prosciutto e Formaggio con Olio Tartufato." Which was supposed to mean "pan seared and topped with prosciutto & melted mozzarella, drizzled with white truffle oil." What it really meant was "unevenly cut and dreadfully over cooked what might have at one point been medallions of veal but in turn became so chewy I didn't eat them, topped with a deli slice of cheese, a bit of chewy, salted pork product, and whoops, someone forgot the truffle oil!" The under cooked potato slices and the half al dente, half raw kale could not save this meal. So sad. Seriously, the times when I haven't finished what I ordered in the last 5 years, you can count on one hand (probably 3 fingers), and if I am paying, then it might just be this one lonely middle finger. I was beyond disappointed, and with all of the options in South Philly alone, I will never, ever, ever go back to Caffe Valentino.
(1)Richard F.
I first met Tony Bova the Chef at Caffe years ago when the restaurant first opened. He was haggling with his produce guy over the condition of the broccoli he had ordered. Originally a Fisherman from Apulia Italy he has a very high standard concerning the quality of the provisions he accepts into Caffe. This Chef is amazing and his calamari carpaccio is to die for.The Restaurant was recently renovated and a second story was added. Caffe is a great place for dinner, casual lunch, corporate events and definitely banquets. Parking is a breeze and you feel totally relaxed in the beautiful scenery of Pennsport. I have never had a bad meal at Caffe and i am always suprised by the simple elegance that the staff presents. I find myself lost in a timeless void I call Heaven, a piece of Italy in America.
(5)Vinh T.
I had dinner here with my friends after a shopping trip for Halloween. everyone was tired and starved so i decided to go to a closest place. Well, i have a salad and a grilled calamari which were good. My Friends complained that they were salty but overall i think the meal was OK. The price is reasonable and the location is not hard to place. This place have a modern Italian twist not very cozy but nice and have enough space for you to not eavesdrop whatever the people sitting in the next table talking about. I would give this place 3.5 stars but i can't. A 4 stars is not fair cuz three of my friends were not happy with their meals.
(3)Timothy W.
I have eaten here twice and both times have been nothing short of wonderful. The first time going in was slightly confusing, the server would ask questions and I would sit there trying to figure out what he had said without looking like a total idiot. Myself not being used to hearing authentic 'fresh off the boat' Italian accents, and not being such a master of my own English language, I was a little befuddled. However, noticing my obvious confusing the server-taking no offense-respectfully slowed down his question so that I could better understand..."would you like some water?"....ahh...yes. This confusing interaction did not take away from the experience, in fact it added to it. There was something refreshing about eating at an Italian restaurant and having a hard time understanding real Italian accents. Again, my knowledge of Italian anything falls fairly short, but the food was amazing. I may not know much, but this wasn't some old run of the mill food you'll get at Maggiano's, or generic plates you'll see at Olive Garden. This was even better than some of the food I have had at smaller places up and down the Italian Market (where I happen to work). I was impressed, and my stomach was pleased. ****NOTE, BYOB, and doesn't charge a corking fee.
(5)Katie B.
I hadn't been to Caffe Valentino in years when I decided to take some friends there this weekend. I was shocked to see the little South Philly BYOB had changed into a neon signed massive restaurant --- the prices had also tripled!! There was only 1 server in the whole restaurant on a Saturday night and to say that service was slow is a complete understatement! I ordered the pasta special which was homemade pasta with scallops and shrimp. The meal cost 22 bucks and came out with 2 scallops and 1 shrimp....what is that?! Why would I pay 22 bucks for this when there are a thousand other tiny byob's in philly that have so much more to offer. not making the trip to south philly for this overpriced slow service again.
(2)Rosina R.
WONDERFUL, fresh, beautifully prepared foods and desserts; lovely atmosphere; over-the-top excellent service. Wish I lived across the street from it. Always return; never soon enough. RR
(5)Melissa H.
Amazing! This evening I had my first experience there, and it was the best Italian I have ever had. The staff was personable, attentive and friendly. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was intimate and warm. I had initially ordered stuffed portobella, however the waiter informed me the mushrooms were not as fresh as the chef would like and they refused to serve me something less than satisfactory. I was very impressed with the integrity of the restaurant and was blown away by their eggplant lasagna. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone.:)
(5)Melanie D.
Went last week with a group of 10 for my birthday. We were seated on the 2nd floor with two other large parties, which was fine. The main entrance of the restaurant is currently under construction and there are no signs directing you where to actually enter. We wound up going through one of the large dining room doors because the main door is blocked by two large potted plants that make it seem you shouldn't use them. So, entering the restaurant was very awkward as we walked right into the dining room amidst many people. The service was pretty spotty since everything was coming from downstairs. Appetizers and entrees were forgotten, servers had to be asked several times to open bottles of wine. The food was good; the garlic mashed potatoes that came with the entrees were my favorite part of the meal.
(3)Gabrielle L.
Terrible. First visit was great, second visit was a completely inconsistent experience, one that makes me say, "I warn you, do NOT ever eat there." Let me also say that my (only) 2 visits were within 3 weeks of one another, which means the food should have been of the exact same quality, if not darn close. Not so much. The fried calamari was flavorless - oh wait, it tasted like an old, dingy roux that was doused in year-old fryer oil and the marinara was less flavorful than the sauce that Chef Boyardee uses with his circular pastas. All 4 of our entrees were complete crap. Literally. Not one of us finished more than 2/3 of what we were given. I'm not even going to describe their horrific-ness. Sorry to say I'd give it .5 stars if possible - which is unfortunate, considering my first visit would have been rated a 4.
(1)Charles R.
I would do 3 1/2. The restaurant had only 2 other tables when we walked in at 7:30 on a Saturday night, which surprised me. Since there were only 3 tables service was not a problem. The salads were fresh, chilled and fresh so no problems there. The 2 veal dishes were also good with tender veal and nice sauces. The only drawback was the brocolli that were stone cold. Little surprsing given the few customers and the kitchen wasn't taxed. On their website they say outdoor seating on their "patio". The patio really consists of sitting on the sidewalk. All in all for the prices it's a good place. They take all cards, and parking is fairly easy to find on the streets around the restaurant.
(3)Anna Marie C.
after many a years of higher education, i am done. and where to celebrate done-ness other than the upstairs of caffe valentino? put together too much byo alcohol, about 30 residents, a smattering of attendings, significant others, nerdy home-made videos, and a white baby grand piano...and really, you've got yourself quite the shin-dig. the pluses-pasta that if i had an italian grandmother, she would approve of. cannoli. awesome wait staff. the veggies and cheese on the antipasti platter. and i have a bias towards their coffee. well, just their coffee maker. the minuses: the decor is cheesy, in an italian-ish sort of way. it gets way too warm upstairs. the prosciutto... very very meh. go. eat too much pasta. and then wait 20 minutes, and have some more. trust me, you won't regret it.
(4)Parker S.
I have lived around the corner from Caffe Valentino for a year and a half and somehow never made it here. Maybe because it doesn't have the buzz of alot of other city BYOB restaurants. Because of the lack of buzz and the fact that I hadn't even heard my neighbors talking about it I guess I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife and I decided to stop by. We sat outside with our dog and brought a bottle of wine. The service was attentive but not overbearing. We received a basket of bread with olive oil upon arrival. The bread was good and fresh. The olive oil was fine, but I prefer to have a seasoned dipping oil rather than straight olive oil. For entrees, I got the eggplant lasagna my wife got the caprese salad and lobster ravioli. The caprese salad was good. The tomatoes were fresh and thick cut. The mozzarella was very good as well. Sometimes I find fresh mozzarella to be flavorless, this however was a nice mild cheese which I enjoyed. The salad also had greens and proscuitto. The eggplant lasagna was very good, easy on the ricotta but very good. The sauce and noodles were very good. My wifes lobster ravioli was very good. It was spinach ravioli and my wife was a big fan of the dish. Price wise the entrees were reasonable. $13 for the salad, $16 for the lasagna, and $22 for the lobster ravioli. I can't say its my favorite restaurant but I did enjoy the food and my experience and while it may not be the the sexy new byo in philly, it was a good experience and I'm sure I'll be back.
(4)Anne H.
Almost a very good restaurant. First of all (and this may sound weird) but we got BREAD!! I haven't been served bread before dinner at a restaurant in ages. V. much appreciated. Now that I got that out of my system, the bruschetta was underwhelming and the fried zucchini just awful. It was cold and limp and when we asked for marinara sauce that came out cold too. My seafood pasta (dinner special) was pretty good. The lump crab meat was delicious, but the clams were a bit chewy. The homemade squid ink pasta was very tasty, as was the tiramisu dessert. Overall, an ok experience, and willing to give it another go.
(3)Andy Z.
From the top... I wanted this to be five stars, I really did. The wait staff was very attentive and informative. The waiter helped with the incredibly tough decision between all the great sounding pastas. Wound up going with Gnocchi with shrimp and pink vodka sauce. Holy schnikes that was good. The home made gnocchi was absolutely delicious. The shrimp was maybe a tad undercooked, but that's just nit picky. Sauce was delicious too. Perhaps the biggest downer was the bread. It was hard, dry and overcooked. Walking out of the place another table had much better looking bread. Had their been total bread equity this would have been an easy five. For the price you can't do much better, and I'm very likely going to be a repeat customer. Eat with confidence!!
(4)Thad S.
First time I went to Valentino, the food was legitimately good. The bread, which must be baked in house, was crumbly and terrible, but I was able to look past this weird, weird anomaly, and enjoy everything brought to the table. Inspired by this previous dining experience, and ignoring a recent report from a friend who said the food was mediocre when he just ate there, I took my sister and brother in law for dinner there last Saturday. To put it bluntly, I was completely embarrassed. On multiple levels. First off, we only went there because most of our favorites were booked. When we walked in, the cook, who seemed to want to be the host, almost mockingly wished us a good meal, and then said, "well I will be the one cooking it." Okay. Weird, but okay. So we sit down to the expected terrible bread (I had hoped the last time was a fluke), and it was as bad as expected. I mean seriously, this is some of the worst bread I have had in Philadelphia. It is dry, flaky, dense and bland. Everything Italian table bread should not be. The service was good, but we were constantly distracted by the table of women who took the BYO aspect quite seriously, they managed to consume half a fifth of sweet tea vodka, half a fifth of Sambuca, unknown quantities of wine, and all of this before eating. They were incredibility loud, and thoroughly obnoxious, which was only exacerbated by the fact that there was NO ONE ELSE in the place at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Well to make matters worse, we could hardly hear each other at our table, with them sitting on the complete other side of the restaurant, and apparently the staff had not thought out the fact that a party of 8 was coming at 7:30, and so they moved the women (bottles and all) all of the way across the place, directly next to us. At this point, we are sharing the restaurant with the loud, loud, loud drunk women and the party of 8. Seeing the commotion the women were causing, they moved them next to us, and the chef egged them on from behind the hot bar. Awesome. The one woman apologized while her evil step-sisters cackled. Terrible. On to the food! So we order calamari to start. It was some of the worst I have had. If you ordered calamari at J and J pizza, this is what you would get. The meat itself was like chewing on a rubber band, the breading was wet with old fryer oil and there was scant a seasoning in sight. The (dare I say) tomato dipping sauce had the consistency of pre-made bloody mary mix, minus the flavor. It was tomato water at it's finest. Okay, I am thinking at this point, the food was good last time, right? Am I losing my mind? Is there some alternate universe where I don't know what tastes good and what doesn't? The entrees will be good, right? Wrong. The only entree the was even palatable (honestly) was the black ravioli stuffed with crab. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't great or even good. It was okay. However, the sweet potato gnocchi, that last time was light, sweet and savory, came out like a huge porridge bowl of creamed chipped beef, only with bacon and a sprinkling of gnocchi. It was one quarter mediocre gnocchi, and three quarters heavy cream and bacon. There was no hint of sweet potato, and the pancetta was so overwhelming my poor sister could hardly palate the sorry amount of dumplings present in this giant bowl of cholesterol. I went for the veal "Al Prosciutto e Formaggio con Olio Tartufato." Which was supposed to mean "pan seared and topped with prosciutto & melted mozzarella, drizzled with white truffle oil." What it really meant was "unevenly cut and dreadfully over cooked what might have at one point been medallions of veal but in turn became so chewy I didn't eat them, topped with a deli slice of cheese, a bit of chewy, salted pork product, and whoops, someone forgot the truffle oil!" The under cooked potato slices and the half al dente, half raw kale could not save this meal. So sad. Seriously, the times when I haven't finished what I ordered in the last 5 years, you can count on one hand (probably 3 fingers), and if I am paying, then it might just be this one lonely middle finger. I was beyond disappointed, and with all of the options in South Philly alone, I will never, ever, ever go back to Caffe Valentino.
(1)Michelle W.
Charming reasonably priced South Philly BYO. The bill for appetizers, entrees (including two specials) and dessert came to just over $100 for three people. Excellent Southern Italian food and lovely presentation. The caprese salads were stacked and beatiful. Our smoked mozzarella and crabmeat appetizer was delicious, with a port wine reduction. The marinated octopus was less exciting -- it needed an acid, like a lemon juice, to add interest. The menu features a nice mix of classics and and innovation, particularly in the specials, and the meats and fish (I had the branzino, my friend had the veal special with gorgonzola, and my husband had a chicken and pasta dish) were all perfectly prepared. My only complaint is that the service wasn't all it could be, hence the four stars.
(4)Megan R.
Besides the delicious gnocchi, I loved the complimentary limoncello. Get the cannoli if you're in the mood for something sweet... You won't regret it. Prices= very affordable, waitstaff=accomodating. overall a great dining experience.
(5)Kathy D.
Cute small spot, though they've since expanded. Food was okay, but the highlight was the tiramisu. Definitely worth going back just for that!
(3)Richard F.
I first met Tony Bova the Chef at Caffe years ago when the restaurant first opened. He was haggling with his produce guy over the condition of the broccoli he had ordered. Originally a Fisherman from Apulia Italy he has a very high standard concerning the quality of the provisions he accepts into Caffe. This Chef is amazing and his calamari carpaccio is to die for.The Restaurant was recently renovated and a second story was added. Caffe is a great place for dinner, casual lunch, corporate events and definitely banquets. Parking is a breeze and you feel totally relaxed in the beautiful scenery of Pennsport. I have never had a bad meal at Caffe and i am always suprised by the simple elegance that the staff presents. I find myself lost in a timeless void I call Heaven, a piece of Italy in America.
(5)Shaun H.
Very expensive for the food being just ok.
(3)april o.
One of my favs-I go here at least twice a month. Love Heather, Cosimo and Sam- very neighborhood friendly- food's great, too-
(5)Nat M.
I was checking out a new neighborhood in Philly (new to me) and came across BYOB Italian restaurant. We were asked if we had reservations (and we didn't) but they were able to provide seating outside. Waitress mentioned that they do take walk-ins but they were busy that night. The pizza was great and the food was ok. The owner provided a free glass of his home-made wine which was decent and really nice. They are opening a Beer establishment across the street in September that will offer beer and sandwiches. It has a front patio that has great potential as an outside seating area so I'll return to give that a try.
(3)Hammad H.
A wonderful BYOB that has some of the best Italian food I had in south Philly. We had the pizza Margherita for appetizer. It was on par with the pizza we had in Napoli. Our group shared three main courses: shrimp gnocchi wroth vodka sauce, stuffed manicottiand chicken marsala. They were all delicious, especially the gnocchi. The service was excellent and the prices reasonable. We will certainly go back.
(5)Andrea F.
I came here on a whim because The Industry was packed for Quizzo. I wish I would've planned, because this place was a lot fancier than I thought and my family and I were in tee shirts and jeans. Regardless, it wasn't stuffy or uptight and the staff was super friendly. The dinner menu is pretty limited: pastas, chicken dishes, and seafood, and everything is pretty pricy. They had several specials of the day, one of which I opted for (the branzino seasoned lightly in olive oil and other herbs and filleted tableside). It was FANTASTIC. The fish was super meaty and tender and cooked to perfection and our table and the adjacent tables watched wide-eyed as our server expertly filleted it. He was kind enough to ask if there were bones in it, since nobody's perfect. I only found 1 or 2, but it didn't ruin my experience cause the fish was just that good. My mom got a flatbread pizza, which I thought was only okay, and the other diners got the chicken parm and the shrimp and clam fra-diavolo, which was spicy and flavorful. Overall, I was pleased with my meal and the ambience, but the whole place smelled like the brick pizza oven, almost chemical, and it started to get to us towards the end. I would definitely come back and try a hearty pasta dish and bring a bottle of wine.
(4)Lauren H.
Love this spot... so glad it opened just a few blocks from me last year. Brick oven pizza is awesome, as were all the entrees our friends ordered. Prices are decent, considering it's a BYO and the service has been great every time we've been.
(5)Ron C.
Visiting Philadelphia and this restaurant was suggested for good Italian food. Had dinner and truly enjoyed the experience. Very comfortable surroundings. Clean and pleasant atmosphere. Service was great all around. We had veal, a shrimp/scallop pasta special and three meat platter. All food was well prepared and served hot. Each entree was very good. Sauce is also top notch (considering that I usually only like my mom's sauce). This experience added to my visit to Philadelphia. I recommend it to all and hope to return someday.
(4)Jane C.
I've always been a fan of this neighborhood (very close to our home) byob - my one complaint had always been that it was not really a place we would bring our kids because of the menu choices/price of entrees... that is all different now that they are serving brick oven pizza!! Awesome for the kids and reasonably priced! My go-to dish is the gnocchi with shrimp: GET IT - YUM! It's nice to bring a bottle of wine and eat some good home-cooked Italian and enjoy the service which is attentive without being overbearing. It can get a little pricey if all 4 of us go to dinner and get dessert (the cannoli: GET IT - YUM!) over $100 after tip which is kinda pricey for the hood, but once in awhile it's so nice to walk to a neighborhood spot and have a lovely family dinner.
(4)Marissa B.
Went here more recently for my youngest sister's 8th grade graduation. We were seated downstairs this time. Food was great as expected and the dining room was actually comfortable,though, it was also a little cooler than the last time I went. I got fried calamari for an app and a salmon special for my meal which was served with asparagus. I still am noticing issues with the service, though. They can take a little longer than expected when getting things (I.e. the beer I brought in and paid for)and be rushy, still. It's not too much of an issue, but, can be annoying.
(4)Meghan M.
They don't even deserve one star. All I can say is UNPROFESSIONAL. The person who's supposed to be "in charge" (not sure if it was manager or owner with his awful fake accent) was the absolute worst. He doesn't handle problems or questions, he pawns them off to other workers because apparently he's "too busy" the only experience I've had, was enough to make me never want to go back. No customer service skills, and they do not by any means know the first thing about running a business.
(1)Rebecca H.
I was at Caffe Valentino for my bachelorette party this past weekend. The food was delicious, and it was very classy. The menu is easy to understand. Definitely a reasonable price, portions are a tiny bit small but it was still tasty and satisfying. I'd like to add that the servers were very kind. However, it really took forever. We were there at 8 PM and didn't leave until 11 PM. The food just took so long to come out- I'm sure that's because we were a party of about 15, but perhaps consider this before coming with a huge group if you have a time crunch.
(4)Meredith B.
This is a great spot for your go-to Italian meal. It's exactly what I want when I'm looking for the true Italian meal we've all grown up with. No bells no whistles no menu items that are a paragraph long to read with words you mumble when ordering because you're not sure how to pronounce. Clean, friendly, priced accordingly.
(4)Russ B.
This place had a nice atmosphere. Sam was a good server and very knowledgeable, memorized all the specials. The pizza was delicious, and the food was good. Nice and cozy place will definitely return. You get two servers as well which is handy when you want to refill on water. Price is reasonable as well.
(5)Mackie E.
I feel as though I'd like to say that a lot of my reviews have been very good as of late but it really is because high quality experiences. Last night I revisited Caffe Valentino after a very long time. I had been here in the first month they opened and nothing about the meal was remarkable. However, I was in a conundrum and had to go out to dinner at 4PM on a Tuesday and it had to be a place somewhat near home. I chose this restaurant expecting the standard South Philly BYOB experience, however, I felt this was a step above. We started with eggplant rollantini, grilled vegetable antipasto (which is the only thing I was able to get a picture of before we descended upon it), and burrata with arugula and cherry tomatoes. Every single appetizer was impressive. The eggplant was sliced so thin and more importantly wasn't over breaded. Now I know you're thinking, how hard could it be to grill vegetables? Well, I assure you I have had over seasoned, over cooked vegetables that are cooked in such a way to hide their lack of freshness. On the contrary, Caffe Valentino's grilled vegetable plate was perfection. It was so good, we actually ordered a second plate to go. Lastly, the burrata was also very high quality and worked very nicely with the fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes and balsamic reduction that accompanied it. As for the entrees, I was making an effort to cut back on my carbs and ordered the griglata mista which was grilled chicken, pork and sausage. My dish was only underwhelming because it was a bad order. It was good for what it was but I should have gone for something more interesting. Another entree that was ordered was the chicken pizzaiolo which was also exceptional. The flavor and richness of the sauce was very balanced. I would also recommend the chicken Valentino. It was spinach, roasted peppers and Gorgonzola cheese.... Need I say more? A note worth mentioning is that I actually found the side dishes that were served with the entrees were also very good which I find to be a rarity in BYOBs. Usually you find a side of burnt starch and over-oiled green, but here even the string beans kept a nice crunch without being ruined by the chef. We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed but I'm thinking we will save room next time.
(4)Steve T.
Great byob. I live steps from this place (literally) and went here one night starving. Although food took a long time once it came out you knew why. It was fresh handmade great Italian food. My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner here and people rave still about how amazing and how much food they were served. Clearly this made us happy. We've been back several times (Sam) is the best waiter who remembers us, we once came in more casual clothes and had female waitress who looked at us like white trash because we were in t shirt shorts and 6 pack of beer. I was upset but still will go back.
(5)Margo v.
Dropped in one evening and what a great surprise. The menu excellent. Had imported Burata from Italy. Truly delicious. The pizza was perfect. Great toppings, perfect tomato sauce on it and crust very good. I'll be back!
(5)Mary T.
I really enjoyed the food and and service was great , UNTILL I saw the waiter he was fired from the DPA for stealing, and also from a Auto rental Co for the same thing , it was a good thing that I had cash on me to pay my bill, seeing Sam made me realize the need for the identity protection program,
(4)Jack F.
Was there Sunday night with family for dinner. First rate food and service. Prices were good. Try the White Bean soup for an appetizer. BYOB
(4)Vinh T.
I had dinner here with my friends after a shopping trip for Halloween. everyone was tired and starved so i decided to go to a closest place. Well, i have a salad and a grilled calamari which were good. My Friends complained that they were salty but overall i think the meal was OK. The price is reasonable and the location is not hard to place. This place have a modern Italian twist not very cozy but nice and have enough space for you to not eavesdrop whatever the people sitting in the next table talking about. I would give this place 3.5 stars but i can't. A 4 stars is not fair cuz three of my friends were not happy with their meals.
(3)Julie P.
Great restaurant! The food was fresh and delicious. They had great appetizers and entrees. The service was great and the staff was very friendly. I'm looking forward to going back for a great meal.
(5)Robert R.
Love this Place! So cool that they now added a pizza bar out front! We've been going for a few years now.
(4)Katherine K.
This place is literally right down the street from our apartment, so I was surprised when my boyfriend sent me a link to this page and I had never heard of it before! We ended up going there last night with his family and had a great dinner. Good atmosphere- almost all the tables were full. I had the mushroom soup and the Linguine Valentino- both delicious. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it wasn't exceptional. The dishes are very simple, but that's what makes for good Italian food anyway. About $30 a head for appetizer/main entree plus BYOB, always a plus.
(4)B H.
Went here for an early dinner and was disappointed with the price to quantity ratio. Food was good but for three people the bill was close to $100 for small servings is ridiculous. Waitstaff was friendly and attentive until the restaurant starts to fill up and then we felt forgotten in all the chaos.
(2)Laura H.
Cute BYOB in my neighborhood. Food is great! I had the pasta with scallops and cream sauce and it was perfect. Cream sauce not too heavy and the scallops done just right. My dissappointment was with the price/serving size. My dish was $20+ and there was only 3 scallops and a small amount of pasta. If you are going to charge me that much then there needs to be more pasta atleast. Service was also slow.
(3)Rebecca Y.
I was craving tiramisu one night and came here because it was one of the few restaurants open late. I ended up getting soup and tiramisu. The soup was decent, the tiramisu was ok, both were overpriced. The decor is very nice and romantic and service was decent. I wouldn't come back again just because there are better Italian restaurants in Philly.
(3)Linda S.
I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Valentino's on my birthday (today) due to the negative reviews I had read. But hubby and I decided to forge ahead and experience it for ourselves and boy, am I ever glad we did! The service was impeccable and the food delectable. We both absolutely loved our dinners. I was a bit surprised at the lack of customers for a Saturday night but perhaps people are saving their money for New Year's Eve instead. I certainly hope it's not because of previous negative reviews because if that's the case, you're missing out. Valentino's is a lovely, homey little restaurant that is quite conducive to a romantic and intimate evening. We started with one of the specials for a shared appetizer--fresh mozzarella atop roasted red peppers, tomatoes and parma proscuitto over spring mix with a balsamic vinaigrette that was brought separately in a little gravy boat. The mozzarella was perfection, as were the peppers (no traces of the charred skin anywhere) and the proscuitto, which had little to no fat on it. The tomatoes were as expected given the winter season. The spring mix was fresh but the highlight was the vinaigrette, which was mixed expertly. Hubby had the seafood special and he couldn't stop raving. Tons of mussels, shrimp, calamari and swordfish (yes, swordfish!) over a bed of penne with a light tomatoey sauce. I tasted both the mussels (sweet and tender, not the least bit chewy) and the swordfish, which neither of us had ever eaten before, and declared his dish a success. I opted for the veal a la Valentino, which consisted of veal topped with gorgonzola, roasted peppers and spinach. I asked for the entree without the spinach, which presented no problem. The veal was tender and tasty and I loved the combination of gorgonzola and roasted peppers. You have to love gorgonzola to love this dish, however, as it's a bit heavy, but I do so no problem there. My entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes that had a hint of pecorino and parmesan cheeses. While it was a tad glutenous, the flavor far outweighed the consistency. There was also a hefty serving of sugar snap peas, which I love and they were cooked perfectly. Hubs and I had decaf coffee and shared a tiramisu for dessert which was one of the best tiramisus I've ever had. Believe me, that's saying a lot as I've had my fair share of that delectable Italian dessert. All in all, a smashing success made even better when the waiter removed the cost of the dessert from our bill once he found out we were celebrating my birthday. Now that's customer service! Without the dessert, our bill came to $65, much less than I anticipated given we had two of their specials. Just goes to show you, you shouldn't always rely on other people's opinions, especially when it comes to restaurants. Oh, for the reviewers who complained about the bread, it was so good, we devoured a basket-ful with our appetizer. 'Nuff said. We will definitely be enjoying the wonderful food at Caffe Valentino's again and if you're smart, you will be too.
(4)Angela A.
We had been to Caffe Valentino a number of times in the past and have always enjoyed the food and the service. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the experience was immensely different from previous experience. The menu was minimal at best. We ordered the Eggplant Rollatini for starters. It was cold on the ends, but worse it was frozen in the middle. I was not even asked why I didn't eat it. I ordered a pasta dish because well even though I really like pasta, there weren't very many other items that look good enough to order. The pasta was good, but still not as hot as it should have been and I had to ask for grated cheese. We noted that they had the pizza oven, so ordered a small pizza to go in case the kids were hungry, (actually we were still hungry because the food was so bad). We took a look at the pizza when we got home (not far). It was already cooled off, to be expected, but the crust was burnt! It was not tasty at all, very bland. Needless to say we won't return to Caffe Valentino.
(1)YelpHatesMe Y.
I was bordering on 2 stars but we actually went there during the hurrica.......I mean thunderstorm on Saturday night. I had the mussels in white wine and risotto pescatora for dinner. The risotto was undercooked and the mussels were overcooked. The shrimp were really really good. The desert was good also, great cannoli. For $100 for 2 people (with tip) I just expected a little bit more. I honestly believe I will try at least 12 other BYOB's that I haven't been to yet before I return here. I would say if you're in the neighborhood maybe stop in, but don't make a special trip for it. Bottom line; Average neighborhood BYOB. Nothing stand out great and nothing stand out poor.
(3)Jill C.
This is my husband's and my go-to byo. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. The food is simple but never disappointing. Last visit I had parpadalle with brussel sprouts, pine nuts and Parmesan. It was so light and delicious! The waitstaff is always friendly and accommodating. Now that the weather is nice they have added some outdoors seating. My only complaint is that they have gotten a bit pricey recently. Boo.
(4)