08/17/09

The right portions, the right atmosphere

by spanky194

if you are looking for a good homemade Italian BYO meal in the city this is great. The owner was out talking and interacting with the patrons. In my mind, this makes the meal, he was not intrusive. He was a little loud, but aren't all Italians! Going to a place is not just about the food, it is about the whole experience. They have a cute little bay window in the front and if you are looking for a romantic night, ask to sit here. You can watch the crowd stroll by and also get some extra room.

• Pros: food
• Cons: decor

05/13/09

Staff publicly humiliated me and my friends

by YourAverageCustomer

I made reservations for 10 people at 7:00 on a tuesday. Apparently the gentleman on the phone was more than happy to accommodate us for the dinner.

Due to some traffic, I called ahead to apologize and to let them know that we were going to be 10 minutes late. Still, the gentleman on the phone seemed happy and told us not to worry about anything.

As soon as we were seated by the nice waiter, a guy came bursting out of the kitchen with rage, screaming his head off at us "Nobody makes a fool of me!" He walked up to us pretty close and personal, screaming at us in front of everyone in that restaurant. This was clearly one of the worst dining experience I have ever had.

My point is AVOID THIS PLACE AT ANY COST!!! definitely not worth the trouble. There are way too many nice Italian restaurants out in this city who would treat their customers with respect and courtesy.

• Pros: food was good, byob
• Cons: small proportions, and unreasonably angry staff

12/13/08

A Great First Dining Experience in Philly.

by imlisi

My wife and I came to Philadelphia from Arizona to see the city for the first time. A college student from Penn recommended this place to us as the good little italian place where the college students go. Not quite knowing what we were going to find in the city and concerned how we were going to navigate the cold, we took off to find Porcini dressed in blue jeans and layers of sweaters. We took a short metro ride down market street and exited the 15th St. station. We then walked for about 10 minutes over to Porcini. When we arrived, we were afraid that we might be underdressed. We stepped through the door to ask the host/hostess...but there wasn't one. Instead, the owner of the restaurant opened the door for us as he reached out the door to wave goodbye to some of his guests. When we asked him if we were underdressed, he gave us a warm smile and said that we looked like good people and that was enough. He escorted us through a narrow walkway through the handful of tables in the restaurant to a little table in the back. I was most appreciative of the atmosphere. The people there seemed to love being there. The food was very good. A little pricey, but reasonable. We had some pesto bruschetta, and some pasta dishes along with a couple bottles of pelligrino. When I asked about wines, the owner explained that this is a restaurant where people bring their own. I've never heard of a restaurant like that before. He then grinned and said he thought he had something in the back...then returned with a couple glasses of white wine. All in all, I think the place is very charming. If I was a local to Philadelphia, I'd put this on my list of favorites.

12/12/08

Owner is crazy!! Avoid this place at all costs!

by fillyfran

I went to this restaurant last night as it was a horrible, rainy night and was close to the Adrienne where we had tickets for a show later on. My girlfriend and I walked into this tiny space and the owner was on the phone in the middle of the room booking a party for someone and speaking very loudly on the phone. After what seemed like forever, i gently asked him if he could lower his voice. He said he'd be off shortly. When he did hang up, however, he became hostile with us, saying "i can talk as loud as I want in my restaurant. You are so rude", etc. My friend and I felt we had no choice but to leave and got up to put on our coats. He wasn't satisfied with that, however, and continued to harass us, even to the point of standing in the doorway as we were getting soaked, forgetting our umbrella. This guy is nuts and does not deserve anyone's business, particularly when there are so many nice and accomodating restaurant owners hungry for business these days.

By the way, we ended up at the newly relocated Melograno a few doors down, and had a delicious meal with normal staff.

07/23/08

Great hidden gem

by PC126

My friend introduced me to this place a few years ago. I had no idea it even existed. It's definitely well hidden. They don't take reservations so if you come when it's crowded, be prepared to wait. The restaurant is very small too. It's a BYOB which I love. It's a great place to eat a good meal and have good conversation with friends. The service is great too.

• Pros: great food, service, BYOB
• Cons: parking in the area, really small

07/18/08

Best Italian Food EVER!

by ItalianFoodLover333

While in Philadelphia on a business trip my husband and I went into Porcini's Restaurant. The food, service and hospitality of the staff and owners is absolutely amazing! Everything was perfectly cooked and flavored for a truly mouth watering experience! I have never wanted a meal to last forever as much as I did this one. We both found ourselves savoring the taste long after the food passed through our mouths.

The owners (two brothers) make you feel like family, taking the time out of the kitchen to visit with you and have real conversations. The personability of the staff and owners, taste of the food and reasonable prices makes this a restaurant one we would make a special trip to Philadelphia for! This food made me remember what good home made Italian cooking really is! No more chain Italian restaurants for us! It is obvious why it made Zagat's 2008 Top Italian Restaurant list! If you are looking for an amazing restaurant with incredible home made food, reasonable prices, personality and old time friendliness - visit Porcini's in Philadelphia - it is in a class all its own! A+++++++++++++++++++++

• Pros: Food and Service
• Cons: Restaurant only seats about 30 people

03/01/08

With so many outstanding Italian BYOB's in Philadelphia, don't waste your time and money at Porcini.

by chkwg09

I completely agree with the last reviewer. This restaurant was very inconvenient. When making reservations, they were adamant that we arrive on time. We were all there on time but the table was not ready. We were sent to purgatory upstairs and told that someone would be along to look after us. After ten minutes, one of us went back down to at least get a corkscrew. We were assured that someone would be up to help us. Someone did come but when we asked to see a menu while we were waiting, he said that that wasn't allowed. When we were finally seated (20 minutes after our reservation) we were very cramped. After the entire table had ordered six plates to be shared among a table of six, the manager/owner came and told us that everyone was required to order an entree. We had to cancel that order and start over. I thought all of this trouble might be worth it if the food was great. The food was fine, but nothing special. The portions were small and none of us left full. They were very quick to drop the check and then hovered around us until we paid. With so many outstanding BYOBs in Philadelphia (Mercato, Melograno, La Viola, etc.) there is no reason to waste your time at Porcini.

• Cons: Bad service, mnimal ambience, poor value

02/02/08

Mediocre at best

by mevali

We don't understand all the good reviews. The food and service on our visit was sub-par. Based on the prices and reviews, we expected some yummy moderately upscale Italian. As far as food, we started with bruschetta which was burnt on the edges. For the main courses, we had bucatini (which was a good portion size but nothing special in terms of taste) and ravioli (which was a really small portion and not tasty at all). The wait staff was also weirdly unaccommodating. We asked if we could order appetizers to start while we waited for 2 more members of our group of 12 to show up and they said their policy was to take the entire order at once. When we asked for bread at the very least, they also said they couldn't bring that to our table until after we ordered. Overall a very strange, disappointing experience. There are so many good Italian restaurants in Philly but this is not one of them!

01/24/08

Good for a snack.

by beelezebub

Quite disappointing. We went there on a whim. Appeared charming from the outside. The small space didn't bother us at all. The waiter was very nice, and the (?) owner seemed friendly. The bread was lousy (out of a plastic bag from WaWa). Seems like an easy/important thing to do right in an Italian restaurant. The portions were small for the price - very small. The food was reasonable/good, but certainly not worth the money we spent given the size of the portions. The presentation of the food left a lot to be desired. We will not be going back any time soon.

12/12/07

New favorite restaurant

by mr97654

I recently dined at Porcini's for the first time upon the recommendation of close friends. They had raved about the great food and genuinely friendly owners and staff, calling Porcini's their favorite restaurant. We were a party of four discriminating diners on a Saturday evening. To say the least, I fully understand why this great restaurant came so highly recommended. I had been warned that they get very busy and only accept reservations for parties of six or more. With that in mind, we arrived early to beat the anticipated crowd. We were immediately greeted by the owner who made us all feel very welcome and escorted us to our table. Our very pleasant waitress came within minutes to introduce herself and hand us menus containing a nice variety of moderately priced appetizers and entrees. We opted to share two wonderful appetizers, an excellent gnocchi special and mussels in a light garlic red sauce. I had another special for my entree, a fantastic linguini pescatore containing a delicious combination of lobster, crab and shrimp. My wife and our other friends equally enjoyed their meals. We finished with two great desserts and cappucinos. By the time we left there were several groups waiting to be seated, validating our decision to arrive early. The ambience of the restaurant is unpretentious and inviting, with the owners and staff contributing to that atmosphere. I noticed the owner affectionately greeting and even hugging some people I presume to be regular diners. The entire experience reminded me of dining at one of the great local restaurants one might find in a piazza in Rome. I now join my friends who initially recommended it to us in calling Porcini's my new favorite restaurant.

• Pros: Fantastic food and service
• Cons: Does not accept reservations for parties less than six