PHLReview
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Café Carmela
Included In
Sometimes Italian restaurants feel like clones of each other. There’s white tablecloths, candlelight, and chandeliers shipped over from Venice. And while the more upscale places can be great, there’s something special about the cozy and casual places that give you the warm feeling of a family dinner. That’s just what Café Carmela offers—along with great Italian food and one of the best cheesesteaks in town.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Located in a strip mall in Northeast Philly, the walk-in only spot attracts larger crowds than Spirit Halloween in October (and it can get just as frantic). But once inside, they pull off that classic Italian ambiance: a chatty neighborhood crowd that treats it like their second home, kids stretching out long strands of cheese, and grandfathers complaining that Stallone’s Rocky accent was more New York than South Philly. You’ll feel like you can linger and take your time here—and you should, since the flavorful family-style dishes are so large. Dive into a rich bowl of rigatoni while you watch pizza dough get tossed, and consider joining the staff pictured on the walls so you can eat like this for the rest of your life.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Come here to crack open a chianti, have a cheesesteak or pizza good enough to invade your dreams, and indulge in a restaurant meal that feels more like Thanksgiving at your aunt’s (and is just as welcoming).
Food Rundown
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Fried Mozzarella
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Mamma Leuzzi Pie
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
American Boy Pizza
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Drunken Rigatoni
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO