L'angolo Ristorante

A genuine treasure among South Philadelphia BYOBs. I have been going to L'Angolo off and on since it opened (I was a weekly regular for lunch, which, sadly, is no more). Over that time there have been a number of changes in the kitchen, and I think the current chef, a young and talented Gallipolian (Puglia) may just be the best. The trick with getting the most out of the L'Angolo experience is the same one I advise for all true Italian restaurants: look for the simplest dishes and you will find the best. The baked funghi infused with the rich flavors of olive oil and rosemary, the grilled calamari drizzled with olive oil and your own squirt of lemon, the insalate served with olive oil and salt - just as is in Italy - all simple, all exquisite. Likewise with the pasta, stay away from the over-sauced, the over-creamed, the over-piled with ubiquitous lump crab meat. Choose instead the simple papardelle with Ox tail braised until it falls apart, a real "slow food" celebration for the palate. Or the orrecchiette with shredded duck cooked simply in wine and herbs. Or, my favorite, still made but no longer listed on the menu, delicate and flavorful gnocchi in a 'molte semplice' olive oil and rosemary condiment. (to call it a sauce would be to mislead). But superb simple food is only part of the allure of L'Angolo. The energetic, eager, and uncannily anticipatory young wait staff perfectly compliment the food with their own balance of simple artistry. To the reviewers who fault this part of the L'Angolo experience, I say, eat at Babbo or Vetri if formal pampered service is your Idea of Italian dining. For me, the uniqueness of L'Angolo is inseparable from Nino's familiar but always professional doting, and especially his vicarious participation in the festive celebration of il cibo italiano.…

Old School Italian, Cozy, Delicious. Small but comfortable. Fantastic meal. There were 6 of us. We all had 3 courses & coffee. We all raved throughout the 3 courses, and insisted on everyone else tasting how delicious it was. It was about $55 per with tip, byob. Probably better with a small group, it's a little close and bright for romance. Make reservations. Parking can be tough on the small South Philly streets.

Truly superb old school italian food. I highly recommend the aspargus wrapped in prosciutto as an appetizer. Two of us raved about the lobster ravioli.…

yummy food, great atmosphere. My Date and I came here on a friday night (made a reservation, was shown RIGHT to table). the place is small, but not cramped, and the decor transports you to an Italian villa, you forget you're in south philly! food was fantastic, service was good (all hot boy waiters!), although it took awhile for our main courses to come out. my date had one of the daily specials, veal and we both loved it ( i normally hate veal). i had a seafood and pasta combo (also for dinner the next night the portions were so generous). we ordered two desserts, tiramasu (totally homemade) and an awesome dark chocolate truffle tort with a raspberry sauce (maybe my favorite part of the night). oh and the fresh mozz and tomato appetizer was like they picked the tomatoes out back and aged the cheese in the basement. DELICIOUS!!! would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a quite date with above average food! bring a bottle: it definitely adds to the experience.…