09/26/09

not what I expected

by sandyp15

She was excrutiatingly rude. I went there on a Saturday night, alone. She made me feel as though I were going to, single handedly, destroy the atmosphere of the place. She also took a phone call while I was waiting to be seated. The place was practically empty, and one would have thought any customer at the door should have been treated with a little more respect. And my " server" was beyond pretentious. I have a family that likes to eat out, often. This place will not be seeing any of my family. It is a shame really, because the food was very good. Too bad their staff didn't live up to the quality of the food.

• Pros: The food.
• Cons: Hostess/Greeter

08/26/09

ATTENTION EDITOR!!! Please Update Your Information!!!!!

by Ristorante

Tre Scalini's "only" and "current location" since January 2007 is 1915 East Passyunk Avenue they also have a new building and a website. I hope this update has been helpful!!!!!!!

02/19/09

Unwelcoming service

by 5369

Went to Tre Scalini for nieces 18th birthday. From the word go it was negative. My niece gave are reservation name then was asked the phone number and said we were for 5 and we were 6 we'll they only had two tables dining. The Host/Server michael was very condisending he tried to tell me what i was ordering would not be good. Well i think i know what I like. Through the meal the staff was acting put out through the entire meal. The food was very good. Then we were leaving we were chased down the street like criminals for accidentally taking the signed copy of credit card. we will never return there are to many places to try in this economy resturants should be putting out their best and brightest. this bulb was dull at best.

• Pros: Food was very good
• Cons: Server was arrogant and Condisending

01/28/09

Great food

by car1215

I loved the atmosphere and also the service int this restaurant. The black pasta was wonderful and i love the loud fast busy enviorment

01/12/09

Very Disappointed

by AnitaJerry

The food at this restaurant was wonderful. Unfortunately, the service and servers our party of eight encountered last Saturday night were awful. It took almost 3-1/2 hours to eat. Our reservation was 7:30 and we were not even offered bread until 8:15. They ran out of the ?special fish dish? that two in our party ordered. It was so long between courses that by the time our main courses arrived no one was hungry. The servers were clueless and refused to acknowledge that the service was slow. We ordered coffee and one woman wanted hot water with lemon. Her hot water arrived 10 minutes after we all drank our coffee minus the lemon. The server said they were all out of lemon. She questioned another server about the lemon and he was able to bring her some. The problem was that they were out of cut lemon slices. The server had to cut her a piece. When we tried to pay our bill, we were told that that the policy of the restaurant was that they could only accept three credit cards; the other couple would have to pay cash. This was not posted nor were we told when making the reservation or by the server when we ordered our dinner. Since the other couple did not bring cash, they eventually took the fourth card but it took another half hour. Despite the wonderful food I would not recommend this restaurant. There are many other establishments where the food is good and the servers are trained to make the customer feel they are worth a slice of lemon.

03/28/07

Not the typical spaghetti and meatballs

by tamablue

This place is great. It's no wonder they've been in business for so long. One of the things that impressed me the most was the service. For example, our server wouldn't take my empty plate away until my husband had finished his meal -- this is very old school but it's proper serving etiquette (I'm a real stickler for details). Clearing my husband's plate while I'm still eating always makes me feel rushed. I can't say enough how delightful it was to be in a restaurant where the staff seemed genuinely flattered to have you there. No wonder, we soon learned that our server was part owner (his wife is the hostess and his mother-in-law is the chef).

They recently expanded and moved down the street from their original (small) location to a larger venue. The two adjoining dining rooms are set up in a way that accommodates larger parties in one room but also leaves smaller tables for couples and foursomes. I appreciated the way they spaced everyone out - a lot of BYOs try to cram as many tables in as possible, to the point where you're often seated less than a foot away from the couple next to you.

We indulged in a three course meal and enjoyed every part of the meal. To his credit, our server tried to talk us out of ordering so much food (he was right - we took home a doggie bag).

For his "prima plati" my husband had mussels which were large and succulent and came in a lovely, light broth (excellent for the bread!) For our "secondi" we both had absolutely amazing homemade pasta. My husband's gnocchi was probably the best I've ever had. for me, nothing beats a great tomato sauce and Tre Scalini does not disappoint. Our final course was a lamb dish which was tasty but I prefer mine a little rarer -- I asked for "medium rare" and it arrived medium. Although, I must state that my husband disagreed with me and thought it was excellent.

Needless to say, we did not have room for dessert, but are looking forward to returning.

• Pros: The food and the service
• Cons: Parking, maybe (we walked but I didn't notice any parking)

10/26/06

mmmmmhmmm...

by ktodaaren

Now if you are off for an evening of fine dining in an intimate setting, then you have found the right place. The food is with out a question true Italian cooking. So if you are expecting spaghetti and meatballs I bet you would be disappointed, hahahaha. The food is always fresh and always prepared to perfection. Try the beans and shrimp followed by the swordfish, you'll thank me.

• Pros: anything on the menu...

South Philly Italian B.Y.O.B. the way it should be.

by Contributor

In Short
Cedar paneling and stone overlays frame rectangular mirrors in an inconspicuous row house. Suburban foodies have discovered Tre Scalini, diluting its neighborhood feel and allowing the owners to up prices. Regulars swear by the black squid ink pappardelle, thick oceanic ribbons of pasta entangled with plump shrimp and savory crab meat in salty tomato essence. Homemade gnocchi is plain and hearty, and a tender veal chop exudes woodsy goodness beneath a smattering of mushrooms.

• Pros: great food

03/07/05

never a disappointment

by nikkolai

I've eaten all over the world and dine at Tre Scalini every time I'm in town and have only been made happier each time. In response to the most recent review by "affinity," who is of course entitled to his/her opinion: this restaurant has never been a disappointment, food is always superb and with all do respect "not easy to get into" unless you call ahead for the weekends. If you are going out for cheap food (e.g. and entree below $20 bucks) then go to a fast food establishment where they compromise quality. As for dessert, their tiramisu is the best!!!

• Pros: quality ingredients, more than fair prices

12/16/04

Underwhelming food, extraordinary prices

by affinity292

Underwhelming food at extraordinary prices. The Risotto was undercooked but ok. The staff was not so great when we entered. She suggested a large eggplant dish as a vegetarian entree. It was 5 pieces of eggplant and was decent but unremarkable, except for the 20.00 price for those 5 pieces. The dessert was an overly refrigerated and too lemony ricotta cheesecake. There are very many far better Italian restaurants that cost the same or less.

• Pros: easy to get in
• Cons: , extraordinary prices