Eatalia

A cozy little hidden gem, and a BYO! Score.
The service was absolutely wonderful, I felt very welcomed and «at home». Our waiter sold us on the Grilled Peach Burrata Bruschetta, which was very good and a very large portion size. I would definitely recommend their homemade Vodka Gnocchi, some of the best «melt in your mouth» gnocchi I’ve ever had.
The only negative I have is that there was zero air conditioning. The temperature outside was 75−80+ degrees, and our only heat relief and salvation was the open windows and a ceiling fan. No can do. Especially when seated directly next to the kitchen and your pasta is doused in crushed red pepper.
I will definitely be back when it isn’t blazing hot outside.

By far the best Italian BYOB in Philadelphia! I came here twice within a week. Everything is delicious and Vince is the man! We be coming here with larger parties soon.

I had the great pleasure of dining at EATalia BYOB last night. I was entertaining family visiting from out of town, and the dinner request was old world Italian cuisine, so we decided to try EATalia BYOB, It was absolutely amazing! EATalia is a very cozy restaurant, dimly lit, with the most amazing homemade Italian cooking aromas permeating the dining area. The Italian music playing softly in the background gives it that old world Italian feel that is very welcoming. The wait staff made us feel like the most important customers in the establishment. The food was out of this world delicious, the service was absolutely exceptional, and the experience was truly outstanding. I would highly recommend EATalia BYOB and know we will be back! We started out the meal with the Burrata Bruchetta which was the appetizer special. If you have never tried this, you must! It is amazing! Toasted garlic bread with homemade burrata cheese and grilled peaches with a balsamic reduction. YUM!!! We also had traditional bruchetta which was superb and a stuffed eggplant appetizer that was equally amazing. The pepperoni platter with slow roasted peppers, assorted cheeses, and olives with homemade bread was also out of this world. We all had different entrees which were all on point. The chicken parm was tender and delicious with a very generous portion. The pasta primavera had tender fresh vegetables over pasta in a red sauce and it was terrific! The smoked salmon and spinach served over rigatoni in a brandy cream sauce was delightful, and the rigatoni served with peas and pancetta in a vodka sauce was exceptional. We all were very pleased with our food and extremely satisfied. I loved the ambiance and will definitely be back EATalia is truly a well kept secret in Philadelphia. You will be truly amazed! Five stars all the way!

Great food, very good portions and nice service at reasonable prices. Everything has been great every time we ate there during the past few years. We eat here on a regular basis and will return.

Heard some decent things about Eatalia, and would love to support the local restaurants and see more places come to the neighborhood, but unfortunately this place fell way short.
Atmosphere is similar to an old school catering hall. Mismatched banquet chairs, poorly painted stencils on the wall and overall lackluster environment.
Service was solid, though we were the only party in there.
Food… while the menu read well, I felt it was slightly overpriced. Presentation left a lot to be desired as I felt like I was dining at one of the restaurant schools with aspiring student chefs. The chicken parm was decent and the portion was hearty. The mahi special with lumped crab looked like a overcooked slop and I made the mistake of not inquiring about the price. Was astounded when the bill came and was charges $ 36 for that entrée. Still cannot believe it.
Wish them the best of luck, as I’m sure it’s not easy having a nice restaurant in a neighborhood where Applebee’s is gourmet, but I feel the food and atmosphere doesn’t command the price tag associated.

This tiny place served up some tasty Italian!
They started us of with bread and pesto with olive oil. Love me some fresh pesto and olive oil over bread.
Our party of 5 started with a bunch of appetizers:
–bruschetta
–pepperoni
–caprese salad
–cozze
–meatballs
Everything was good! Esp the cozze and caprese salad and MEATBALLS. The sauce and texture was on point. The mussels were juicy with a nice fragrant wine sauce. The caprese had just the right amount of balsamic and just kept me coming back for more.
For mains we had:
–rigatoni with chicken and spinach in light white wine sauce
–veal porterhouse
–lobster ravioli
–amertriciana pasta
My rigatoni had a nice chicken-​y white wine sauce flavor. Hubsters veal porterhouse was cold to perfection and tasted amazing. The lobster ravioli and amertriciana pasta were also nice b
This is a byob resto so a nice bottle of Nero or montepulciano would pair well!

Another great meal for lunch today. Went there with a group of 15 people from work and every order was on point. I had gnocchi in vodka sauce with pancetta and peas and it actually took me off guard just how good it was. They were perfect and the sauce was excellent. Our waiter was on the ball as well. Thanks for another great meal!!!

Cozy little Italian restaurant with good food. Very convenient location and seems to have great rotating specials. Quantity is also very substantial as both the wife and I brought home leftovers.

This was our second attempt to like this restaurant but alas it was not in the cards. We came here several months ago and were scared off because the food was soooo salty. Well tonight the food was much better but the service was not. Our server was indifferent at best and even surly. He was clearly overwhelmed as they were very busy. That does not excuse them for ignoring us or having such an indifferent persona when they remembered we were here, even though we were only a party of two. We watched several parties show up, wait patiently, get ignored, then leave. We will not put this on our
favorite restaurant list.

We went here for a prix fix Valentine’s Day meal. It was $ 70 per person for a set 4 course menu. Overall, I did feel that $ 70 was fairly pricey but it was Valentine’s Day and it is BYOB.
The place itself is sorta off the beaten path, right off 95 with a bodega and Applebees nearby. I was a bit wary but pleasantly surprised when we walked in. It’s warm, cozy, and very intimate. Probably about 25 tables very closely squeezed in but didn’t feel cramped. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and recited the menu as nothing was written down. Not rushed either so a big plus on the service. As far as the menu — we got a choice of cesar or house salad to start, choice of appetizer (eggplant, meatballs, or long hots), choice of entrée (lobster ravioli, branzino for fish, chicken parm, or filet mignon) and then choice of desert that was constantly changing.
Food was very good though certain things seemed better than others. I felt like my house salad could have used something besides lettuce and dressing. Amazing pesto sauce with the complimentary bread and they were very generous in giving loaves of bread throughout the meal. I got the meatballs for my appetizer and they were amazing! Tasted homemade with good seasoning. I also got the branzino which was flavorful, tender, and delicious! My boyfriend got the chicken parm and it tasted store bought and sorta artificial so glad with my choice of entrée. Not a huge fan of that chicken parm. All the portions sizes were large and didn’t feel pared down at all. I got the tiramsu for desert — fairly standard but a big piece. They were already out of the cannolis by the time we ordered so that was a little disappointing. All in all, a good meal and highly recommended!

Valentine’s dinner, $ 70 a person, Filet mignon was on the menu when it was served it looked more like pot roast. I called the owner and told him I was disappointed with the meal and said my girlfriend told me not to say anything at the restaurant. Said I didn’t want to cause a scene. I didn’t enjoy the meal, he said sorry you had a bad experience and hangs up on me. I was getting heated, I agree, but not to the point of complete anger that warranted to be hung up on. I called and said I’ll send a picture of the meat. He texts me a picture of (as he says) «standard grade filet». I said it’s not filet mignon like was stated. In the end he wins, it’s not the servers fault the meal was trash, they got my $ 180 dollars so good for them. I’m sure their food is amazing on any other night, but tonight was supposed to be the tops and what we got was sub par.

3 stars for service, fast and friendly server (Vinny) and the authentic Italian feel. The food well what can I say? Overpriced and over salty.
Lobster ravioli– too salty and the crabs were too fishy. I really didn’t appreciate the lobster filled ravioli, I don’t get what the big hype was all about. Plus at $ 28, totally not worth it.
Cod– topped with avocados and crab. Again too fishy and salty. The cod was not as fresh as I hoped it to be. Hyped. Again! $ 28.
Long hots– well the name said it all. 3 Long hot peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone. Another salty dish. And über hot! Just like the name. Ughhhh $ 12
The saving grace to this dinner was the server Vinny. He was attentive and helpful. Warning: everything on the «daily special» is not on the listed menu with price because they’re overpriced!
Prego!

Great atmosphere!!! Awesome for a date night. Food was delicious. I had the gnocchi in vodka sauce and it was amazing. Our party also ordered various apppetizers. The cheese plate was delicious as well as the bruscetta. I did not taste the eggplant but my friends claimed it was delicious. I definitely will be returning.

Great find! Had heard good things about Eatalia but had not made it there until somewhat recently. Happy I finally made it. Its a small seating area, but has a cozy warm feeling. Food was delicious and price was great and the staff was very friendly. The fact that it is BYOB is a plus as well. Looking forward to making a return soon.

The owners hosted a party for my girls’ soccer team. It was fantastic! The food was excellent and the service was superb! The tiramisu and pumpkin ravioli were second to none! Can’t wait to go back again. Thanks so much!

Start: Scored a reservation at 8:30, an hour and a half before seating time. Wait: about half hour, which would’ve been less had the 3-​top that was ours not stayed 1.5 hours after finishing their meal and desserts.
Appetizers:
Bruschetta-​Six large slivers of perfectly toasted bread topped with traditional bruschetta topping and a balsamic glaze. Very satisfying, the bread was edible and not overly toasted, and the tomato topping was very fresh. Recommended.
Caprese Salad-​Again, traditional caprese, super fresh toppings, one of the best I’ve had. Recommended.
PEI Mussels in White Sauce-​Ok, the mussels were a touch fishy, but, still edible for sure. I’d pass on this the next time around.
Entrees:
Lobster Ravioli-​Good, but not the best ever. Very generous portions of crab and shrimp with a very nice cream sauce, but, the lobster in the ravioli was just a touch fishy. That said, I’d still eat it again.
Triple Sec Tuna-​He loved it, although I didn’t try it.
Dessert:
Tiramisu-​At first glance, it appears heavy on the lady fingers, and I was dreading a soggy, rum filled mess, but it was delicious. Generous portion. Recommended.
Service:
Attentive, but a touch inexperienced. The main server was good, but, due to the noise level inside, we struggled to hear the specials. The girl setting and clearing the table was a bit inexperienced, stacking up the entire flight of appetizer plates and bread plates in one fell swoop. But, very pleasant.
I love the location here, its super close to home, and a great place for Italian food in Fishtown. Can’t wait to go back again.

I feel compelled to write about my awful experience at Eatalia as a warning so others don’t waste their time here! The food and service were both abysmal. Seriously, don’t go!
First, the service was memorably, traumatically terrible. The waiter seemed either really incompetent or just really unintelligent and could not hold a conversation or say a complete sentence to save his life. He sort of told us the specials, but he gave them all 3 word descriptions like «chicken in sauce,» so we were left wondering what the specials really were (and he clearly had no clue). He didn’t say any specials I was interested in, so I ordered the spaghetti carbonara off the standard menu.
Important side note– my favorite, go-​to item on any Italian menu, as boring as it sounds, is bolognese. I love it! However there was not a bolognese on the menu, hence why I ordered carbonara. This is important because…
About 15 minutes after we placed our orders, a different waitress appeared to serve a large group seated next to us. She seemed slightly more talented and began describing the specials loudly enough for us to overhear. What’s that I hear? Gnocchi bolognese? HE NEVER TOLD US THAT ONE! Oh, I was pissed. That is totally what I would have gotten! I’ve never had a waiter just straight up forget to say all the specials before, wtf. Even still, I tried to be polite and optimistically assume the carbonara would be alright…
Out comes the most flavorless, pointless plate of food I have ever had. Carbonara, for those who haven’t had it, is a rich pasta dish made with cheese, eggs, pancetta, garlic, and peas. It’s pretty hard to make ingredients like that taste like literally nothing, and yet what was placed in front of me had zero flavor whatsoever. Just a bowl full of pointless, flavorless calories. I started drowning it in salt and pepper because I was really hungry, so in the end I essentially ate salt and pepper flavored pasta.
To boot, we started off with a couple of appetizers that sounded promising but tasted terrible — meatballs that had no seasoning and were way overcooked, and a jersey tomato/​cucumber salad in which all of the tomatoes were whitish pink. We also got a complementary basket of slightly stale, low quality bread and a dish of something described as «veggie pesto» (sounds delicious, right?) that once again literally tasted like nothing. Seriously, I think it was made from tofu and red food dye. We spent quite a while trying to figure out what vegetable could possibly have so little flavor, and what on earth they felt made this gloppy stuff qualify as pesto.
All in all, my date night out with the man, other than his wonderful company, was a total wash. I genuinely want my $ 70 back so I can take it to a place where the food and service are at least passable! Save yourself time, money, and worthless calories and go to one of the many, many other Italian BYO’s in Philly.

I honestly don’t think this Unilocal review will do this amazing meal justice but I will try!
We were visiting Philly on a Saturday night and pulled up Unilocal to find a good italian spot. This place exceeded every expectation we had!
First, its BYOB (doesn’t exist in VA) so we were already pumped and prepared with two bottles of red wine. We pulled up in an über to this «off the beaten path» cute little restaurant close to 9pm. We were one of 3 tables and ended up closing the place down.
They start you off with fresh hot peppers (spicy!) and fresh baked bread.
I ordered the Amatricianna with the spicy sauce and my boy got the veal saltimboca. I literally cannot express how delicious both dishes were.
We definitely would have ordered dessert — but I really wanted the Tiramisu — which wasn’t a speical that evening.
Did I mention all this great food cost only $ 42 bucks! We will definitely be back next time we are in Philly (basically planning a trip back just to eat here).

One of them places you just have to go to
Food and service couldn’t have been any better…

This Italian restaurant is tucked on a corner of cumberland and is located almost directly under the busy highway/​freeway. We didnt have any trouble finding it and parking was also pretty easy, which was great. We had reserved an outdoor table because the weather was overcast but not rainy, and we also brought a bottle of red wine to accompany our dinner. BYOB is always excellent.
Unfortunately as we sat down a few drizzles began and we asked the server, «what happens if it begins to rain?» he replied «um nothing we can do if that happens». Hmmm interesting. There is a covering along that side of the building but it barely extends to the edge of the (very small might I add) table. We just had to pray it didnt start to come down in the middle of the meal then I guess. I think because there was a large party inside the service was a little spotty, which they did apologize about at the end of our dinner, but still.
The menu was impressive and we ordered a few starters from our servers recommendations– I can say that the fried eggplant mussels in white sauce were pretty delicious. It was my entrée– the carbonara, which was a major disappointment. Just nothing wow for the $ 18 dinner price. My friend’s bf got the special of the night which was branzino, but I wasnt a whole fish as I have been acustomed to, and the skin wasnt even that crispy. The orange flavored sauce gave it a sweetness that did not fit my taste. The lobster ravioli was probably the best, and even that was just OK.
I think they warrant another try, but maybe after a little time has passed.