Forcella BYOB

This time around, not very good. It was Valentine’s Day and I think maybe they were so worried about getting everyone in and out quickly that there wasn’t enough focus on the food. Also we were late, so I’m sure that made them feel rushed, my fault. There was 90 minutes between when we sat down and the next seating, and we were done and paid in 45 minutes.
Unlike last time, the food wasn’t great and portions were tiny. Amuse bouche was chicken liver pâté on a very dry, crumbly crostini. Mushroom soup had so little broth in the bottom of the bowl that you couldn’t even pick it up with the non-​soup spoon we had. Scallops were good. I know ribeye is a fatty cut of meat but the amount of raw fatty gristle on the plate was unpleasant, though the flavor was tasty. Dessert was a very hard chocolate tart, which could only be cut by stabbing tiny pieces off and letting crumbs fly everywhere.
I think this time was a miss. Disappointing.

This charming BYOB restaurant is easy to miss on 611/​Old York Road, literally a hole in the wall with excellent service and surprisingly delicious, contemporary food. They have a new chef Bruce (per recent reviews, the old chef has left) who cooks a beautiful meal. We had the tasting menu and were almost overwhelmed by all the different food that was brought out. They will soon feature an a la cart menu and they seasonally change their menu. Make sure to make a reservation. They are only open Tues to Sat and can only seat 18 to 20 people. Definitely will go back to Forcella!

Most of the food was very good, but the ragu papardelle I got came out COLD. Not just lukewarm, but cold. I wanted to complain, but my (the whole restaurant’s) dinner was interrupted by a fight between the cook and the waiter/​host/​owner (?). Yelling, foot stomping, cursing, etc. The entire meal/​experience took an awful turn when the two cooks stormed out of the restaurant mid-​meal, leaving no one except the dishwasher in the back of the restaurant (as the prior reviewer said). The waiter/​owner (the only front of house person) literally ran after them, presumably to handle whatever the issue was. I am sure our experience would have been different had we gone on a different night, but as it was, we were not happy and will probably not return. For a «nice» restaurant, the way the staff behaved on Saturday was completely unprofessional and inexcusable. Aside from a hasty apology, no effort was made to ensure that we left as satisfied customers.

Forcella has been a favorite for me and my husband and we have frequently dined here for over the last two years. We have long respected and admired the high quality of both the cuisine and professional staff that cultivated an intimate and special dining experience. Unfortunately, Forcella is under new management (as the unfriendly host boasted several times) and the new owner who was on site to seat and tend to tables clearly has no understanding of the basics of the restaurant business let alone the qualities that have made Forcella excellent. Aside from unhelpful and rude service (which is a big departure from Forcella’s brand), it is clear the new management hasn’t the faintest clue and has somehow mistaken Forcella for a McDonald’s franchise. To make matters worse, the entire experience was disrupted for the entire dining room when the waiter/​host proceeded to get into a loud screaming match with his chefs and line cook, who both proceeded to march through the small dining room and out the front door – but not before yelling expletives at the waiter/​host/​owner. Many tables didn’t receive their full menu, or had to wait until a new chef replacement would arrive 10 minutes later. While the waiter/​host repeatedly apologized to the room, he did little to reassure loyal patrons that this experience would never be repeated – and he was pretty quick to bring out the full check before our desserts and coffee (scratch that – he never did actually remember to bring out our coffee). Someone please track down the previous owners and bring them back! Without them, this rare local gem will undoubtedly be out of business within 3 to 6 months.

Very small servings and tons of other issues. For $ 50 pp, the quantity of food was ridiculous. I was considering contacting the owner about my experience, but given the fact we were one of two tables the entire evening, I’m guessing this place will be shut down soon enough.

I went 2 times in 1 week! First trip was with a group of my girls for a bday party. It was so lovely that I took my fiancé back for his bday the same week. I just knew he would love the menu… rabbit, Quail, duck… right up his alley. The food is delish especially for the price. Love the city quality food for a Jenkintown price point (a tad higher but worth it for great food and still waaaaay cheaper than the city). So when we went for my fiancés bday the waiter wine and dined us to the utmost! They are a byob and we don’t drink but he made sure we had champ to celebrate. The chef used us as test dummies for menu items that were yet to come on the menu and gave us extra goodies and super special treatment! Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Haha. The ambiance of the restaurant is very quiet and quaint. I have never seen it packed but I always make reservations just in case. To sum it up… Forcella is delish! We love forcella!!! Can’t wait to go back! It on our small list of date night/​special event places to go chow down!

It is an extremely small restaurant. We had reservations and I’m not sure how easily they could accommodate walk-​ins because of the size. We used the municipal lot at the town hall across the street.
The service was excellent! The gnocchi and desserts were amazing. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. It’s also a BYOB which was nice.
They are prix fixe ($ 49) with four courses. They also brought focaccia bread with olive oil and toast with a chicken spread.
I would definitely recommend coming here to avoid the commute into the city for a fine dining experience.

Had a great dinner here. Earnest, charming service and thoughtful cooking that isn’t absurdly arted-​up or precious. By far, the best meal I’ve paid for in Jenkintown since moving here a few years ago.

It’s nice to see something a little more upscale in jenkintown. Our meal was decent but nothing that jumped out at me as being amazing and the price was a little much. I had a corn pudding appetizer which was tasty but kind of runny. My pasta of duck prosciutto was very unseasoned. The pasta itself was definitely fresh made so that was a plus. My duck entrée was seasoned beautifully but I must say that the dish it came in made it hard to cut. My husbands fluke entrée was really salty. I think that the concept is great and Compared to a few of the other choices to eat in jenkintown, they will continue to do well.

Unbelievably delicious. Nice to have such top notch food in town. Service is excellent. Every dish was satisfying. As a bigger eater, the portion size exceeded expectations.

My girlfriend and I had a fantastic meal at Forcella a few nights ago. We heard about it from friends, and came all the way out from Center City. It’s a very small restaurant, so the ambiance is cozy but not cramped at all. The interior was nicely decorated and the seating was comfortable. The menu is a prix-​fix, 4 courses for $ 45, and there was plenty of food, which is Italian-​style, but with interesting twists. Each dish was great (even the complimentary paprika bread with artichoke butter and red snapper crudo that we started out with), but my absolute favorites were the pan-​roasted shrimp over eggplant caponata, the corzetti pasta with crab and heirloom tomatoes, and the zeppolis, which were the best that I have ever had. Each dish was presented very nicely. The service was well-​timed and very friendly — we felt like we were well taken care of and we didn’t feel rushed at all.
All in all, a true gem for people that live in the area (we heard a few groups next to us mentioning how incredible the food was) and certainly worth the trip from Center City. We will definitely be coming back.

A rare gem in the suburbs, this is one of the best meals ice had in years. Service was slow but the food made it worth the wait.

An absolutely outstanding meal. If you live locally, and enjoy fine dining, thoughtfully crafted menus and cuisine this is a can’t miss. So happy we made a visit. We will definitely be back.

As seasoned diners in the Philadelphia area, it has been years since we’ve had a meal as good as the one at Forcella. EVERYTHING was spot on. The small restaurant has only 5 – 6 tables with one very attentive server. The fixed price 4 course meal had just the right amount of choices. The chef also offered a complimentary homemade bread, salad and cocktail (not included on the menu). All of our plates were spectacular, though the duck breast was a standout, and highly recommended. But really, I don’t think you could go wrong with any of your choices– the only wrong decision would be to pass by this excellent establishment without dining there!

We went to the restaurant on Tuesday April 7 at 6:00 pm to find that the lights were off and the doors were locked. What kind of restaurant is this? It was supposed to open at 5 o’clock. There was no sign on the door telling us why they were closed

We walk up to the restaurant. Door is stuck to the point where I need to shove it open — almost like it was trying to tell us not to come in, and I should have listened.
We go in, and we’re told to sit at a table by the door. The one with the fire pull for the alarm right next to your head. But the rest of the place, save for one table, is empty. We’re told, after the server admitted it was a crappy table, we could sit at this other table, but we’d have to be out by 7. Fine, that’s over an hour for dinner, we’re willing to do our part and not drag dinner out to not sit at that table. (not that we should feel responsible for their planning decisions. This is also after I received a phone call a few weeks earlier from the restaurant telling me I needed to move my reservation from 6 pm to 5:30 pm. Really?)
That being said, your first reservations of the evening, made a month in advance, should never be given your ADMITTEDLY worst table in an empty restaurant.
Knowing we’re on a time crunch, we sit. 5 minutes go by. I start to get annoyed, I get out my phone, start the timer. 7 minutes and 37 seconds later (so almost 14 minutes after we sit) someone finally shows up to open our wine and tell us about the menu. I thought I had to be out by 7? I did my part. Do yours and don’t take 15 minutes out of my dinner time.
All that being said, the food was really good. Coursing was good, everything really well seasoned. The chef isn’t the problem here. The duck was the only thing that could have been better, I just prefer a much crispier skin, but the meat was perfectly cooked.
The server, of course, never cared to ask us how the food was — not during the meal and not even at the end. He just dropped the check off.
My fiancé and I are both past servers. The experience was just painful and there’s no excuse for their behavior.
We won’t be going back. There are other places with better service and food that’s just as good if not better. We go out to dinner quite often and tip good servers well. Oh well, there are other places that deserve the business more.

Food that has a soul, tastes delicious, and is totally original. So excited to keep going back!

Fabulous dinner! So lucky I managed to get a 5:30 reservation. The scallops and gnocchi were out of this world! Hope I can return soon

Loved the comfortable chairs and the lack of unnecessary junk on the small table.
The food was wonderful!
Didn’t like the fact that there is no itemized receipt offered. The receipt was something you’d get at a diner. That was unusual for this kind of restaurant in this day and age.

Loved this place! I’d probably give it a 4.5, but I’m rounding up because the ravioli… OMG THE RAVIOLI! It’s worth a trip if only for them.
The chef used to work at Modo Mio, and it shows: similar house-​baked, salt-​raised bread and whipped ricotta to start, reasonably priced tasting menu, house-​made pasta, etc. The bread and ricotta were delicious, but to be honest, I wish I’d had less of them because by the time I got to dessert I was ready to explode. I kind of wish they offered an a la carte option because although $ 45 is a total steal for this caliber of food, it was a LOT of food. Like, it’s the next day, and I’m still stuffed.
My husband and I ordered different things for each course. Him: braised shrimp, ravioli, short rib, flourless chocolate torte. Me: mushroom crespelle (a special), gnocculi, fish, apple pie panna cotta. Course for course, his dishes won, with the exception of dessert, where I preferred mine (I’m not a chocolate person). It’s not that my selections weren’t good — they were (although the crespelle was a bit underseasoned) — but his courses were really fantastic and something special (the shrimp was a bit large for a starter, though).
Anyway, we’re SO happy to have a restaurant like this in the neighborhood! We hope more people find out about it because we want it to stick around. Oh, and cash/​check only and BYOB!
EDITED TO ADD: Went a second time and ordered off an updated menu. Different ravioli were still divine, and the octopus was moist, tender, and totally delicious.