PHLReview
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Osteria
Included In
Planning a romantic night is a classic “you get what you give” situation. Walgreens flowers or a cheap bottle of wine doesn’t exactly scream I love you. But candlelight, stunning florals, and an atmosphere that feels more relaxing than a velvet recliner? That’s better than a John Legend slow jam. A night at Spring Garden’s Osteria offers the latter, plus excellent pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and creative Italian mains.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
From the outside, Osteria looks more like an old office building—one with an impressive gardening budget—than a place to have a great meal or celebration. But inside, you’ll find all the markings of a sophisticated Italian restaurant: an antique pasta machine, doughy focaccia stacked on a table in the corner, cookbooks on the shelves, and a brick oven churning out pizzas to the pace of mandolin chords coming from the speakers. Even more surprising, though, is the glass-encased patio off of the main dining room. It's essentially a greenhouse, offering botanical garden-esque escapism on a date night or dinner with friends unlike any other in town.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
It’s a laid back atmosphere, but there’s a certain allure to drinking at the long marble bar, watching plates of chicken liver rigatoni go to smiling couples, and hearing waitstaff utter something like, “The branzino is fantastic tonight” and knowing that it’s true. The menu is massive, stacked with cheese boards, pizzas, and entrees lumped into every Italian course that ends in “i.”
Most dishes give you the feeling you’re on a flavorful Tuscan holiday without actually having to set foot in PHL. Start with the oniony beef tartare or grilled octopus, move on to any of the fantastic handmade pastas, and end with the duck breast topped with fig and husk cherry. If you’re here with a group, share a pizza. With toppings like spicy coppa, aged balsamic, and bufala mozzarella, each one is an Italian feast in pizza form.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Head to this sprawling yet intimate restaurant when you want to break free from mediocre date nights. You’ll be in for a first-class romantic experience, an impressive wine list, and satisfying dishes that will remind you to book that trip to Tuscany. Finally.
Food Rundown
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Beef Tartare
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Duck Leg Confit
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Caramelle
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Ravioli
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Trentino Pizza
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Seared Duck Breast
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Teres Major Fillet