Core De Roma

Coming here is like having dinner at your Nonna, the Chicken Parmesan was most and tender, with a choice of many sides Veggies or any pasta just ask. Friendly staff and the owner always has time to stop and say hello

We have eaten here twice, now, and will probably continue to visit since it is only a few blocks from our place… first experience was better than the second.
First time, server was wonderful — super friendly and accommodating, and both appetizers and entrees were delicious — they even were more than happy to make my sauce option a little more «fra diavalo» style without hesitation :)
Second time, I don’t know if the air conditioner was broken, or if they don’t think they need one… but they DO! It was sweltering, and on top of that, our server seemed flustered each time she visited our table, which was not more than to take take drinks/​food orders and to deliver the food/​check.

Our «Go-​To» Italian BYO. Have rarely been disappointed by a meal here. Best entrees for us have been pasta and fish. We’ve sat at the bar when we forgot to get a reservation. Not very comfortable but worth it to have a good meal! Unusually good espresso. Not a fan of their bread but their bean «salad» which comes with is outstanding.

We were pretty consistent customers of Gnocchi before they closed and hadn’t tried Core de Rome until recently. Despite several attempts the food is consistently mediocre. The artichoke appetizer is very good but the bread is just okay. I have had several of the pasta dishes and some specials as well. Overall the food is not all that great. Their red sauce is average and their pasta is often served with way too much sauce on it.

I don’t know what it is about these South Street restaurants, but they all seem to have a faint odor to them, and not the good kind. Overall the place was fine. The food was good and not too salty like most places. The wait staff was nice but seemed incredibly thrown off that we showed up early for our reservation (even though nobody else was in the restaurant). It was a fine experience, A-​OK, but certainly not a place I’d go to twice.

This place was adorable. It was quiet, with great Italian food. Get the artichoke appetizer and lemonchello dessert!

Make sure you make a reservation. Fast service food was fantastic. Good portions. Bread appears home made. Fettuccini is home made! Very cute place. Good spot for a date.

It wasn’t bad it was ok Service was nice place over all cozy but small menu with nothing to mind blowing not bad but not worth the wait.

Honestly some of the worst service I’ve ever had
Went to this place with a group of 8 this weekend. We were seated and right off the bat it took a while to get menus for everyone and it took even longer to get our bottle of wine opened, after we asked 3 times.
We ordered appetizers and entrees at the same time to try to speed things up a little bit. The calamari was gummy and flavorless, bruschetta wasn’t very good either. We pretty much didn’t see our waitress for the next hour. This one waiter with a permanent scowl on his face would walk by occasionally to maybe refill water. Finally we asked where our food was, and our waitress said it was «up on the line» and almost ready. 20 minutes later, after a table of 5 who got there well after us had received their food, we finally got ours. Most of the food was fine, not all of it though by any means. When we finally saw our waitress again, we expressed our dissatisfaction and she basically said she didn’t know what happened and then said that they probably rushed the other table’s food because they had kids with them, and that was about all she had to say. Even though it had taken about an hour and 45 minutes for the food, they never offered any way to make it right. After another 20 minutes, we finally got the checks, and they had kindly added a 20% tip to the check which was maybe the biggest joke/​slap in the face ever. I would definitely not recommend this place. there are so many other restaurants that are so much better. Stay away!

Great atmosphere! Great waitress! Great food!
The stuffed artichoke was awesome as was the shrimp appetizer. The home made fettucinni with the bolognese sauce was fantastic!
Bellisimo!

We were on South Street and I mentioned to my husband that I was in the mood for Italian. One block later and there was Core de Roma. While we were reading the menu outside, a regular was heading in for takeout and gave us an enthusiastic recommendation. So glad we took his advice! We just returned from Rome last month and I am still longing for all things Rome. A painting of Castel St Angelo on the wall; cacio e pepe and bucatini on the menu… sigh! We were served really fresh, crusty bread with an accompanying white bean salad. We shared the stuffed artichoke appetizer. My husband inhaled his pollo valdostana, while I happily twirled my spaghetti carbonara. All of this, plus a glass of pino, came to $ 54! What a wonderful find.

I’m a fan of the fettucini in bolognese sauce here. The sauce is a mix of lamb and beef and the fettucini is made in house! Portions are large, so bring an appetite!

I had the pollo francese and Spo had a plate of linguini and mixed seafood. The food was spectacular, but on another note, our waitress, Nicole, was EFFING SUPERB. Honestly, it’s very difficult to be served by a member of the waitstaff that is so attentive and also, proactive without being intrusive. She even gave me a tip on how to deal with a toothache.
Back to the food or whatever… Everyone loved their orders, and the birthday girl, Spo, was given a free order of tiramisu. Everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday to her, which took me back to my grammar school days, but it was actually a lovely and not campy gesture. Even though the weather epitomized «meh,» we all had a great time. The next time I’m in Philly, I want to go back to Core de Roma, and I will ask to be served by Nicole. GO AS ROMA!

Dined here with a group of 18 people on a Thursday night in May 2013. They had us set up along one wall with a long family style table. Nice that you can BYOB. The food was good. We ordered everything family style. Started with the Antipasto Italiano, Carpaccio, and Verdure Miste (3 orders of each). Lots of good bread served with the apps and a nice white bean and garlic topper. Moved onto the specials — again family style– wild mushroom ravioli with a smoked Gouda sauce and a Tilapia stuffed with crab. Very good.
We also shared the Chicken Parmesan,
Ossobuco Di Vitello, Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca and Penne All’arrabbiata. The red sauce was nice and the entrees served hot. Good not extraordinary.
The four star is really for how much fun we had. Service was only ok. The servers did there best as there were other large tables dining during our meal. This place is right on south street and a fun time with a group.

Ever get that jonesin’ for Italian food? I mean the hearty servings (ahhh…I can’t eat anymore…) you’d get from your loving, overly affectionate, light facial hair nonna? Yeah, that kind of food. Well, Core de Roma is that kind of place.
A mid size joint with seating for perhaps 40, byob, CdR delivered knockout delicious food in big portions. The artichoke hearts were the best interpretation of this classic I grew up with and an absolute must if you visit. I also enjoyed their bolognese with paparadelle and it really spoke to me (in Italian of course). Service was spot on and prices were reasonable. Make reservations as the place was packed on Friday night.
Really, as close to your Italian grandmother’s cooking as you’ll get, sans facial hair. Mangia bene!

Core de Roma gave us a better dining experience than most places when we were in Roma (we went December 2012 so it wasn’t too long ago and the memories are still pretty fresh). The fresh ingredients really make the difference here at Core de Roma and I am in love with their appetizer-​size options for all of their pastas. An appetizer portion is half the price of whatever dish you want +$ 2. Practically a steal and you’ll definitely finish what’s on your plate.
My taste buds were in for an adventure and I didn’t even know it. I ordered the appetizer portion of their Pasta Carbonara (pasta choice: fettuccine) and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that their pasta is HOMEMADE. I was falling in love with every single bite that I took. This portion was actually the perfect size for me to finish without overwhelming my stomach. I sampled some Fettuccine Alfredo and the bites of cheese were very fresh. This version of fettuccine alfredo is both lighter and heavier at the same time … you could see and taste the bites of cheese and the sauce was thicker, but the taste wasn’t as heavy as other alfredos I’ve tried. I also tried their Suppli Al Telefono (basically a rice ball) and they were great — both in texture and in taste.
The ambiance is quite intimate and they open their windows on nicer days so that it feels like you’re dining al fresco. Definitely a great place to bring a date or to have an intimate dinner. Our server was awesome — giving us recommendations and interactive without making us feel like she was too consistent in checking up on us.

Came here for a holiday dinner with friends; I’d give it 3.5 stars for decent, but not exceptional, Italian. Their menu is so exciting considering it is so ROMAN, but I’d have to say that the biggest issue on the execution of the dishes is blandness. The tomato sauce for the gnocchi (homemade and ⁴⁄₅ stars) was bland, and the cream sauce for the Boscaiola (which is exactly a dish I’d eat regularly at La Scala in Trastevere that they called «Norcina») was also bland. I was seriously considering the Carbonara, but am happy I avoided as Carbonara is only good when it’s done really really right, and I“m not sure it would have been done right here.
If they’d step it up just a few notches and update their décor, they’d blow all the Italian in S Philly out of the water with that menu!

Dinner for four here the weekend following Thanksgiving.
There was a snaffu with our electronic reservations, but they were still able to seat us immediately, so props for that.
The stuffed veal chop (saturday special, I think) was earth-​shattering. Veal is generally mild, so the sauce and the cheese really took this entrée to the next level.
Also tried the lasagna (very tasty) and the excellent home-​made pasta (I think it was fettuccine or linguine).
This establishment is BYOB, but also features a bar. (I can vouch for their lemon cello.)
Oh, and for appetizers, have the artichoke, you can thank me later.

Very nice Italian BYOB restaurant.
I had a veal marsala special with spinach and mozz, and my girlfriend had a creamy pasta dish with chunks of crab and tomatoes. Both were delicious.
The very friendly waitstaff, a short wait for the food, and a pleasant atmosphere made this a great choice.

I was tasked once again with the charge of finding a restaurant that would appeal to the picky senses of my college girlfriends. To be clear, not all of them are picky, but the ones who are, are to the extreme. After several rounds of emails, each with links to several restaurants, Core de Roma fit the bill. I suspect it’s because they have chicken parmesan on their menu, although I’ll never know for sure since no one ordered it.
I called to make a reservation several weeks in advance and was told that only 8:30pm was available. Would that fly with the mommies and mommies-​to-​be? It appeared so. And in the end, it really worked out since the Phillies (RIP) had their first playoff game against the Cardinals that night at 5pm.
So at 8:30, happy from a day packed with a 5K, festivals and Phillies win, we arrived hungry and armed with bottles of wine (well, three of us did, anyway). We received bread and a plate of white beans in garlic and olive oil, which I definitely liked as an alternative to plain olive oil. Then we shared some bruschetta and a few salads. All were tasty and everyone seemed happy.
Not all pastas at Core de Roma are homemade, so if that’s your thing, be sure to ask first. I believe the proprietor told us the ravioli, fettuccini and gnocchi are the three that are. I went with the ravioli in arrabbiata sauce. It was very good. Not the best I’ve ever had in life, but certainly good. My neighboring friend’s chicken francaise was excellent. I stole forkfuls of her broccoli rabe, which soaked in the lemony butter sauce, knowing she wouldn’t eat it anyway (one of the picky ones).
Desserts were traditional but above average. I definitely favored the cannoli over the tiramisu, but that was just my preference.
With gratuity figured in, we walked out having spent less than $ 35 per girl, without any of the aggravation of a comparably-​priced place like La Viola. Really the only thing I can think to criticize of the night was the fact that smokers would go outside and puff away in front of the open windows, causing the smoke smell to travel all the way back to our table. Overall, Core de Roma was a great choice for the group and we were pleased with our experience.