Reviews & Ratings for The Victor Cafe

03/07/11

dissapointing

by joanniexxxx at Citysearch

Unfortunately, the beautiful waiters and waitresses were so understaffed it was painful to watch them work so hard and entertain the customers at the same time.

07/28/10

great food/amazing singers

by craiggannon at Citysearch

the only con for me - is that if this restaurant was a byob it would be the best. but thats just me.

the waitstaff is very attentive, knowledgeable, come back often to check on you.

AND of course, the reason most people come here - because the watiers and waitresses are all trained opera singers! they are amazing and it is so much fun!

the portions are large and the food is very tasty. during the week, there is never a wait and it is not too noisy or crowded.

the prices are a little high - but not when you consider what you are getting!

def. a place to take the relatives when they come to visit.

and this is the restaurant Rocky owns in the lastest Rocky movie!!

• Pros: singing waitstaff
• Cons: none

12/11/09

Incredible dining experience! Great date place!!

by AGGIEZ at Citysearch

Was in town from Texas, visiting a few friends in Philly and we had the pleasure to dine at The Victor Cafe. Absolutely incredible dining experience and a very unique atmosphere. The servers take turns belting out beautiful opera songs every 15 minutes. The food was GREAT as well. We eat out alot, and have all over the world, and our Victor Cafe experience is certainly up at the top of our dining experiences!!

Would make for a great date place as well...

• Pros: Incredible dining experience! Great date place!!
• Cons: Location is a bit difficult to get to

02/13/09

wonderful entertainment, charming restaurant, delicious appetizers.

by coffeegirl36 at Citysearch

We have been to this charming South Philadelphia restaurant a few times and its always entertaining; the food is delicious and the service is very friendly. Wonderful date or family place with valet parking.

• Pros: wonderful, refreshing entertainment, great food, excellent service, valet parking, good for dates or a large group.
• Cons: none

07/01/08

One of the last, great, family-owned Italian restaurants around...

by KendrickB at Citysearch

Where do I begin? My dining experience at Victor Cafe was nothing short of spectacular. I took a date there a while ago on the recommendation of a friend. This is a place where "Grammy," who incidentally is pushing 90 years old, spends the entire day in the kitchen concocting new specials with the freshest ingredients available. When your server decides to break into song (which he or she will), the music may enchant you as much as gazing on the black and white photos of all the opera stars and celebrities who have patronized the restaurant over the past 80 years. If you are lucky enough, the current patroness, the latest in the family line, will come over to your table and charm you with her beauty, grace, and wit. Especially good for birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations, the staff will welcome your party as if you were a guest in one of their own homes. My pasta was perfectly cooked - not too soggy as is so common these days, and the chocolate cake melted in my mouth. When the check finally comes, you are assured not to want to leave - I stayed long enough that I was afraid to overstay my welcome - but true to family hospitality, I was never made to feel that way. Though I live in New York City, I look forward to the opportunity to return again - and for the right occasion, I would make a special trip just for the dining experience. BEWARE: there are other places nearby that claim to have waiters who sing opera, but don't be fooled: Victor Cafe is the original.

• Pros: Ambiance, Italian home cooking, opera...
• Cons: They eventually close at night...

05/29/08

Charming and Memorable

by mrsam123 at Citysearch

I had no idea what to expect when I decided to attend the Victor Cafe. A colleague of mine had recommend it a s a must see when visiting Philadelphia. Not only was the service perfect, but the staff's incredible singing talents blew us away. The food was excellent (get the filet, it was ridiculous) and the overall ambiance is something that will stay with me and my guests for a long time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

04/24/08

Changes all for the better

by JeffersonMD at Citysearch

My wife and I are longtime Victor's patrons and I agree with the above poster- there are a lot of new faces among the staff at the Cafe.. but I have to say- it's great! To be honest, I was getting a little tired of hearing many of the same arias each time we came, but my wife loves their Filet Maria and so we went last thursday night. To my total surpise I heard all brand new songs! Our waitress did a gorgeous version of "Summertime" and one of the busboys sang a beautiful aria that was so sad my wife and I were totally drawn in by his performance even though we don't understand Italian and then he sang a note we couldn't believe- High C??? The new staff are definitely younger but they share the same dedication to classical music and great service that their predecessors had.. Also, I recommend trying the cheesecake- it's new on the menu and the chef does a great job of keeping it very light and smooth.

Also, it was one elderly couple's anniversary and the staff made a big deal of announcing it to the restaurant and even got the couple to get up and have a dance together with everyone watching. You could tell their kids were really touched watching them dance- it was a really nice moment.

• Pros: Filet Maria, gorgeous singing, valet parking
• Cons: can get loud at times, definitely need reservations

04/10/08

Not the same!

by redsandal at Citysearch

I went to Victor's several times with my date. When I took my girlfriend over the weekend, I was shocked to see so many new faces. The singing was not that great. The food was just "ok" - but not great. What happened to this once popular restaurant? I would have to say that I was disappointed. I may return in the future.

• Pros: Valet

04/09/08

the perfect date place

by iheartfood86 at Citysearch

Last Saturday night me and my boyfriend wanted to try something different then just a restaurant, so we went to victors where there was live entertainment while we dined. I was first excited to see they had Valet parking in South Philly then when greeted by the hostess (who was all smiles) I was ushered to my table that I had reserved earlier in the week and was ready for me when i got there. My server neat and respectful also an amazing singer started us with cocktails and appetizers which I got a vanilla martini that was great and the Caprese and Mussels Red.. yum!. The portions were perfect . Then my main course the Tortellini took my breathe away the sauce was delicious and I found it to be really fulling that i even had leftovers. The opera singers gave me chills there voices were beautiful at the table or on stage. After ever good dinner we followed with dessert .. a warm piece of molten chocolate cake . need i say more .. and I was impressed by there large selection of herbal teas since Im not a coffee drinker. All in all this place was great , quint atmosphere , delicious food, and live opera entertainment . We Will Be Back Again!

• Pros: Valet, Good Service, and Delicious Food
• Cons: none

02/14/08

Not Worth It.

by RockyFan at Citysearch

I drove about 2 1/2 hours to get there last week. I found the place was where they filmed Rocky so I was excited to see the place. The food was ok but overpriced, I walked out of there about $70 bucks for one person. The manager was nice had to give him that. But the waiter I had was a bit on the snob side. When I was seated at the table for 4, the waiter came over about 5 times and never bothered to clear the remaining glasses, dishes and silverwear, so I was swamped by the whole thing. I had the most expensive piece of meat on the menu and asked them to cook it rare. There was no problem with the cook, but the waiter I think purposely didnt pick it up because when I got it the entire plate was ice cold.

I tried with all my abilities to try to be nice and all but I got nothing but a snobby attitude from him. What got me the most was that they filmed Rocky 6 there and when I walked in to the place, no one thought about it or you wouldnt of ever thought they filmed Rocky there. When asked about it, I got the impression they didnt want anything to be filmed there. Out of the entire place and there's about 5 different rooms, there was one poster hidden upstairs in the corner of the room that Stallone signed. You'd think they'd have more pride or respect then that.

But in my experience I would not drive 225 miles round trip to visit that place again, I wouldnt go to that place again even if I lived nearby. Very poor service, but it had nothing to do with the manager. The quality of the food was so so and its high priced. But if your looking for a small place to have desert or coffee, then you might enjoy it because the staff sings opera which I found to be nice.

• Pros: Manager was really nice.
• Cons: Waiter was acted like a 25 year old snob. Food was ehh. Ok for a quick bite to eat. Nothing more.