Ralph's Italian Restaurant
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2837
Phone: (215) 627-6011
- Price:
- $$
- Best of Citysearch:
- Italian Food 2004
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 12pm-9:45pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-10:45pm
Editorial Review for Ralph's Italian Restaurant – by Lauren McCutcheon
In Short
Ralph's reputation keeps the famished and the famous returning to its two historic floors. There's not much you won't recognize on the menu. Pasta and red sauce--also known as gravy in these parts--are staples, so stick to them. Basic veal dishes are the house specialty--choose from a tender cutlet dressed in egg yolk, or one topped with prosciutto, sauce and Parmesan.
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Insider Tips
What To DrinkYou could peruse the big book of Italian wines, but make it easy (and cheap), and order up a whole or half carafe of Chianti or Lambrusco.
Know Before You GoNo plastic is accepted here but an ATM is on the premises.
User Reviews for Ralph's Italian Restaurant
04/15/2008 Posted by justinvincent
Currently residing in Southern California, I don't have access to what anyone in South Philadelphia would consider to be Real Italian Food. As a consequence, I literally have dreams of Ralph's ravioli, gnocchi, mussels in red sauce, and everything else on their simple, classic, amazing menu. The dreams turn out to be nightmares when I wake up 3,000 miles from 9th and Catherine. Ok, seriously: the food here is absolutely incredible. I've personally never had a single complaint about the service, but then again, I'm from here. If you're looking for a waiter/waitress with "flair" who is going to kiss up to you (to your face at least), go to TGI Friday's. The staff at Ralph's does what it needs to (ie: takes your order, gets it right, brings you the bill), and the food speaks for itself. If you go into Ralph's with a certain respect for the establishment, you will have a 5-star dining experience. Tip - request to sit upstairs. In the Summer, when they open the windows to the street, the combination of the food and the local sounds is as authentic an experience as you'll have in any American city.
Pros: Food, environment, service, food, authenticity, and food.
Cons: It's true what they say: parking anywhere near here takes talent. Take a cab.
04/06/2008 Posted by yanelli1263
Inappropriate behavior. I had been to this restaurant several times, being of Italian descent I found the food excellent. One Sunday evening, I brought a physician friend of mine, who happens to be Asian for dessert a perhaps a cappucino. We had just finished a meal in another restaurant. I had talked to him several times about how wonderful Ralph's was, and well, their behavior was inexcusable. The waiters walked back and forth as if they did not know what to do with themselves and finally set a place for us. Prior to this, I had always had "on the spot service". There were clearly empty tables and an hour before closing. As we sat down, I said "we are here for dessert". The waiter just looked at me and said, "We don't do that and turned us away." I have never been so embarrassed of my own culture in my life. SHAME on them. What century are we living in? I am interested in medicine as a career and this is where my own kind left me. They have lost a customer and the many recommendations I have given them. I have never been treated as such in an Asian restaurant when dining out with him.
Pros: good Italian food
Cons: show predjudice against inter-racial couples
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