La Viola
| Address: | 253 S 16th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA |
| Phone: | +1 215-735-8630 |
| Site: | laviolaphiladelphia.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 5–11PM 4–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Jake Verterano
NIGHTMARE. We ate at La Viola West this evening...well, on top of another table. If you enjoy personal space DO. NOT. EAT. HERE. We were four inches from a large party next to us (who also shared that they had a terrible experience). Things began when we walked in and two waiter shoved past us at the hostess stand reeking of cigarette smoke. We were seats at our tight table in front of the kitchen doors. Waiters were literally RUNNING throughout the restaurant carrying food, balloons, boxes of wine, chairs....and literally trash cans. We were never quite sure who our waiter was as five different gentlemen approached our table...none introduced themselves. When I asked if I could sub the veggies for a side of pasta I was met with "NO!". I said I didnt mind if it was extra and asked for a vodka sauce. The waiter automatically argued and said "marinara would be easier". I insisted on the sauce I wanted. Our appetizer came out and the table next to us who was was there when we sat told us they had never received theirs. It wasnt anything special. Another waiter asked if we wanted more bread, took our basket and never returned. The food came...and my side was veggies. When I asked for the pasta I had ordered I was given pomodoro sauce with my pasta. The waiter dropped it off and ran away. After dinner, four different waiters asked if we wanted coffee and dessert. Two of which asked while clearing the table....together. We paid and needed change since this is a cash only place (seriously, its 2017...at least get a Square). No one came back after 20 minutes with our change. We had to go to the wait stand to get it. Do not here. Terrible service. Mediocre food. Awful ambiance. The ONLY good thing was that its BYO.
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A Private User
After leaving this restaurant I felt enraged, disrespected, and ripped off. I made a reservation for 20 people on a Sat night. When I entered the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by a seating hostess who had disrespectful attitude. I politely told her I had a reservation and she rudely said your table is across the street. I asked her, "where exactly” and she mumbled, "are you serious?!". She pointed to where it was, and as we exited she mumbled, "some people are just so stupid". When we were finally seated they took away the menus and said your party is too large and you must have a pre-fixed 3 course meal for $35 (never discussed when making the reservation). When the bill came they charged us $45 a head including tax and tip. This is robbery; we should have been notified beforehand. If you add up what I ordered (salad $6, entrée $12, dessert $6) it only totaled $24. The meal -took 25 minutes just for bread to be served -the pre fixed entrees was very limited; 4 choices: Gnocchi, penne pasta alla vodka, veal marsala, or chicken with artichokes. Tiramisu was horrible because it was frozen The bottom line: -food was very generic, nothing fantastic, very forgettable -service was slow -staff was rude and had attitude (especially the female seating hostesses in the front) -seating is extremely tight, not recommend for large parties -no ambiance -by all means avoid
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A Private User
We would not come back to this restaurant. We visited on a Saturday night with a reservation and we still had to wait 15 minutes for our table. The dining room is small, congested and loud. Tables are literally on top of each other where the servers even have a hard time getting around. For appetizers we ordered various salads b/c we had a party of eight. All salads were just average to poor. One salad was a special with carmelized pears and they were no where near carmelized. The grilled calamari was just OK. The pasta vodka appetizer was somewhat good. Al dente style pasta with a good sauce however the peas were still frozen or uncooked. Four people from our party ordered the special which was grilled Mahi Mahi in a white wine sauce topped with shrimp. The fish actually came out looking so unedible. It was grayish in color and we all sent it back. The chicken dish with artichokes in a lemon wine sauce was very good and the lamb chops seemed to be a winner at our table. The ricotta cannoli was a joke. It consisted of one mini mini cannoli barely filled with ricotta cheese and sitting on a warm melted bed of whipped cream. Pathetic. The tiramisu and cheesecake were OK. This restaurant was NOT authentic Italian at all. It actually had an Albanian flare since most of the waiters were from there.
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A Private User
First let me list the cons to you, then I will go onto the pros. Keep in mind I 110% support La Viola Con: Tight space, Cash only (That is a philly thing), no call ahead Pro: Amazing food, Amazing Service, and BYO. The prices are really good. I would say this is about $30/person for app, entree, dessert. Then you bring a bottle (or three) of whatever you want (no corkage fee). I have been going here since 2004 and love the place. I have brought many dates here - both first dates and ongoing dates. I come here approximately 2-3 times per year, and when I was single about 5-6 times per year. The service is so good they even remember my face. They are very friendly. In fact - my endorsement comes with this note - I like this place so much I am having my wedding rehearsal dinner here. Anyhow - try it out once, you will definitely come back for more.
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A Private User
Gets a little too crowded at times if you are trying to have a quiet and intimate dinner and hear one another without having to share your conversation with adjacent tables. A good place to go with groups - pretty cheap, byo, and everything that I have ordered here over the last several years has been delicious. It always seems to be extremely busy, so if you are the type that cannot tolerate imperfections or inadvertent errors from extremely busy servers (who are human and can forget or mix things up like the rest of us probably would if we were under the same pressure), this wouldnt be the place for you. If you want to have a delicious, inexpensive, and long dinner with all the wine you can bring in a bustling environment, this is the place to go.
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Janet Veitch
Usually Ive been disappointed by offerings during restaurant week, but La Viola has restored my hope. Today a friend and I had a delectable lunch that was perfect from start to finish--the best meal and service Ive had during restaurant week in years. For one thing, La Viola offered an extensive list of choices, not just the limited fare weve found at other restaurants during Restaurant Week. We had grilled calamari for a starter, veal with crab meat as an entree, tiramisu for dessert, and cappuccino--all absolutely delicious--for the Restaurant Week price of $20. Bravo, La Viola. Well be back. This is the way to thank regular customers and to lure new ones. Other restaurants should take a page from La Violas book.
KA
Kayla Waters
Went this Friday with about 15 people. We made the reservation for 8.. And two hours later we were still waiting - finally we were told to go across the street but as we were walking we noticed a party of 36 being seated. After a lot of frustration and back and forth we finally got seated. The waiter (we never did catch his name) was a complete life saver! He was the one who actually got us our seats and everything. He was funny and polite and very attentive - he definitely saved the day. He truly was amazing and an absolute charm! Left him an extra tip on the way out. We shall be back for more food! Hopefully without the 2 hour run around.
