Le Virtu

If I had reviewed this place as I had remembered it in the past, it would have been a solid 4. The meal I had tonight was not only average in flavor, but in some dishes was overcooked and in others undercooked. I don’t recognize the new Le Virtu, at all.

Disappointed. Even though it looks like an awesome place, especially in nice weather. It’s menu is really interesting and kinda fun too. Maybe we went on a bad day, but the experience soured us all to the place.
We went there with a group of 8 for a little birthday celebration. We were told the day of the event that they needed to change our reservation to 1.5 hours earlier. We had the reservation for two weeks…
Dinner was mixed results. The cod and branzino were both very tasty and thoroughly enjoyed. The boar ragut and panchetta raviolis were also quite good. The hand pressed «gnocchi» that accompanied the boar are just little flat pieces of pasta and rather underwhelming. The handkerchief pasta with sausage and truffle was tasteless. The hand pulled pasta was not even close to aldente and woefully hard, which is strange for «fresh pasta». We ordered a few of the desserts because they sounded good, but were not worth it. Oh… Don’t plan on getting decaff cappuccino even if you order it. A
It was very nice that they waived the $ 15/​bottle byo corking fee on a Tuesday night. However, what was a bit appalling was they charged $ 5/​plate ($ 40) for the birthday cake we brought and all that was provided for that fee was a stack of plates, a knife and a few candles. They didn’t cut or plate the cake, nor offer even whipped cream or anything for the fee. …The next evening we celebrated same person’s Birthday at Redstone Grill and there was no fee for the cake that they cut and plated, while also providing an extravagant sparkler when presenting.

A-​OK in my book. 3.5 Unilocal.
Four of us went for NYE dinner. I believe I was one of 2 who enjoyed their meal thoroughly. Know that it is a different kind of Italian. Fresh and homemade but def different. Let me start by saying that the best dishes of the night were the apps. They were awesome! Risotto balls and some sort of egg and cheese croquettes that the waiter recommended– great job. Loved them. As a group, we ordered the rabbit, which i thought was the best entrée, the single strand spaghetti, the ravioli special, and the gnocchi. The gnocchi aren’t really potato gnocchi, but rather flat pasta. Confused me as I guess we expected it to be shaped like an gnocchi. Our meal was good though, Again I really liked the Rabbit. The service was also good. Not a bad stop, especially if your not looking for traditional gravy.

We went to LeVertu with a couple that we traveled with to Abrusso& Pulia Italy this past spring to reminisce all the wonderful food we enjoyed. We weren’t disappointed.
The pork belly was so delicious as was the cheese balls and 3different pastas. I think you could close your eyes and point and have a memorable meal.
The service was efficient and helpful. My one disappointment was the price of the wine. We are partial to Montilpuciano de Abrusso and drink it offen. Even with a reasonable restaurant markup you could find a great wine for much less. Itdrives the price of a pasta dinner (delicious as it was) to an exorbitant level. Please consider choosing a variety of price ranges.

went on the recommendation from a friend who lives in Philly and got me so excited to try the single strand pasta dish! I found myself in philly and made this my first stop with friends. on point and courteous staff helped makes our dining experience amazing. kale salad, fried risotto balls and scallops with cauliflower purée and single strand pasta was just the welcome wagon to Philly that we wanted! the only downside was the children’s craft scissors used to cut the peppers to add to our meal but what a great addition to the new just the right amount of spice! bravo! I will definitely be back!

This review is a couple of weeks overdue, sorry. In my previous review I had noted that the service was not up to what the standard should be. I am changing that to excellent service and as always the food is awesome. I have tried most of the menu, and some of the seasonal items, and have been impressed with all the food I’ve tried. The service has really stepped up since my last reviews. I would say that the service is now up to par of where it should be. Again, you really cannot go wrong with the food here. Sorry to not get into more specifics, but if you need advice on what to eat here, just pick anything on the menu.

I love when I walk into a restaurant and the first thing I am told is «she will help you.» And it’s some lady on the phone. Umm no why don’t you help me? Sat at bar and disgusting used utensils and plates are there. Please. Step up your game. Also, they bring a basket of pepper to make your pasta more spicy and you grate them on your plate. But disturbingly the peppers you are offered a bowl of peppers that are halfway gated and clearly touched by other people’s hands. So gross. If that’s ok, what else in the kitchen is considered ok? Dirty silverware? Played? Bread baskets??? Ugh and bus people are like incompetent. So annoyed. Oh and asked waiter what Mural meant and he laughed and went on.

I was excited to return to this place after so many years… But I was a bit disappointed this time around.
First off let’s start with the pluses: the amazing outdoor patio. Such a lovely little retreat. Wednesday was movie night. The weather the lovely candles. Ambience was so great.
The meal started off lovely. The croquettes were little balls of tastiness. The sausage with peaches was this perfect combo of salty and sweet.
But the main course… I’m not so sure what went wrong. We got the timpano (to go with the movie) and bucatini. Both dishes came out lukewarm. And with how layer-​y the timpano is… It just all sort of gelled together.
I felt then a bit rushed at the end of the meal… Didn’t seem like the place was packed especially at the end but it seemed like they just wanted us to gtfo.
And now, as I eat my leftovers I find a hair and eggshells in my food – and I know it’s not either one of ours. And yes, I know it happens… But it’s always a bit unnerving.

Went last night to celebrate a birthday after reading rave reviews and realizing the convenience of its proximity to the Eagles stadium. We were so glad we made the choice!
As it says in other reviews, the outside courtyard is beautiful but the ambiance and atmosphere of the inside was more romantic.
They had a nice wine list with many different options and fair price points. We started with the grilled octopus appetizer that was over a salad with fennel, arugula, and potatoes. It was served chilled and tasted very fresh and light. They split it on separate plates for us with out being asked.
Next, we got two pastas to share, a homemade bucatini with lobster, fresh corn, and herbs. It was absolutely delicious and had so many of my favorite summer ingredients in a bowl. My fiancé got the homemade handkerchief pasta which was prepared with chopped sausage, porcini mushrooms, and truffles. It was slightly creamy and definitely rich, but had a rustic earthy flavor from the mushrooms and truffle. I could never finish it but would eat it again and again. For an entrée, we split the porchetta which was perfectly cooked with tender meat and crispy skin. The beans offered a nice contrast in flavor, but it would have benefitted from a green or something to bring it together more.
Finally, we ended with a plum and almond cake topped with a scoop of plum ice cream. It was a fantastic dessert and not an after thought as desserts so often are at restaurants. It had a nice candy brittle over top which brought together the ice cream and soft cake. I am not sweets person but this was really good.
Great service, we will definitely be back!

I have to be honest with our own experience here and not influenced by others, and believe me, I read a lot of other reviews before and after our dinner here. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps we did not order the right items from the menu. But everything should be great, right?
First, the alcohol. The cocktail with gin, a bit of Amaro, and Orangina. A take on a Negroni, but not as bitter or as tasty, and a lot less alcohol. Their wine list is very impressive, and the wine could have been a highlight of the meal, but unfortunately everyone ordered by the glass to start, and we only got one bottle of white, a beautiful Vermentino. I would return here just to keep sampling the wine, which is very well-​represented in the off the beaten path sections of Italy.
My appetizer was the Suppli. The menu lists its ingredients but does not mention that it is a form of arancini, which I do like. My bad. This version was interesting and spicy. Unfortunately, it is probably better to split with one or three people. Eating 5 or 6 heavy rice balls is kinda rough.
The main course was the porchetta, which is slow roasted pork. This one had skin on it which was beautifully caramelized but very chewy, not so crisp. I tackled half of it before my mouth collapsed in exhaustion. The pork was tender and tasty. There were beans served on the side, gigantes, but they were so overcooked they were chalky. The appearance of the dish was bland, white. It could have used more flavor, more acid (tomatoes in the beans?) more herbs. I couldn’t finish it. Another one of us had the roasted chicken with potatoes. It was described as «good.» She did not finish it.
The service was average, our waiter was ok, but seemed bored.

The food was fantastic! I loved everything that I ordered, but I couldn’t tell you what their official Italian names were, sorry (take a look at the photos). I had the octopus, a pasta dish and the rabbit. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned. My husband ordered the seafood chowder — IF I’d had a strainer, I would have strained the stock into a glass and sucked it down through a straw — it was that flavorful. Thank God for the waiter! He was helpful in making recommendations and answering questions. I felt out of my element when I saw all of the Italian words on the menu, but our server patiently walked me through it. My only regret was not leaving any room for dessert. next time!
We sat outside and there was a muted Italian film, «Meléna» with subtitles projected on the wall next to where we were sitting. It was pretty cool, but I closed my eyes during the sex-​scenes & nudity because I felt uncomfortable.

Food was wonderful and loved sitting on their garden patio on a beautiful night! I highly recommend the lobster bucatini and the arugula salad. Our waiter was an ass. He was not friendly and was not attentive. He also tried to up-​sell us telling us that we were not ordering enough food. I told him that we would stick with our current order and that we would order more food if need be. Needless to say we did have enough food. He was no where to by found when it came time to pay the bill so we had to walk in our own check in order to leave. The hostess and the bartender were kind and professional and apologized for the poor service. This could be and should be a five star experience I just couldn’t bring myself to do it with the poor service that we received.

This was not the restaurant to visit with out-​of-​town family for a celebratory occasion. I’ll start off with the disclaimer that I was, indeed, agitated throughout my entire meal. Dining here was an incredibly frustrating experience.
I received a call in the middle of birthday-​brunch earlier in the day from Le Virtu requesting I confirm my reservation. Once home, I called back and was asked if I’d like to sit inside or outside. I teetered — knowing that I enjoy sitting outside but that my family often likes being indoors. I said inside.
Upon arriving to the restaurant, we found an entirely empty and dark indoor area, and a bright, lovely, covered al fresco dining area. I asked if it was possible to switch to outdoors, and was briskly told that they were booked, which was a bummer start. I wish that when I was on the phone earlier in the day, it had been specified that they have a great outdoor area and that we would’ve enjoyed sitting there. Especially since I wrote that it was a birthday dinner and a first visit!
It also would have been great if the hostess had read my reservation to see that I requested a «light» area, since I didn’t notice the secondary room near the kitchen until later on. She had pointed at four tables in the darker area and told us to pick which one we liked. My family wanted the back corner, but as soon as I sat down, I felt the AC whipping away and asked to move.
Okay. So we’re up to our meal now. I’ve seen the establishment responses here defending the food to the folks who give poor reviews. I’ve seen the recent reply citing Wikipedia to explain why the pasta has a crunch to it. But here’s the thing. Italian food is generally wonderful, and as someone who has a very strong Italian heritage and has been to many regions of Italy, I just can’t say that Le Virtu’s offerings were anything outstanding. This is, obviously, strictly my opinion.
Abruzzo came into play when my mom asked about the wine list. She only really likes very sweet wines. Their wine list obviously does not lean that way, but the server instantly seemed to defend Abruzzo when she asked. I tried to steer her to a cocktail, but fortunately they were able to find a moscato for her.
I ordered the burrata to start and my mom ordered the risotto balls. She enjoyed the risotto; the burrata was okay but not worth the $ 14 price tag to me (okay, I know it’s from Puglia, but that doesn’t mean it was worth it).
For our mains, my grandmom chose the trout and loved it. My mom chose the maccheroni alla mugnaia and, as much as she loves pasta, left half her plate. I tried it too and thought it needed to be cooked just a tad longer (but again, I’ve read the reply of why it tastes that way so no need to explain it to me).
I had read great things about the porchetta so I ordered that. I love pork belly and have had it at many other establishments. By the end of my meal, I had taken two bites of it and my grandmom took a bite. This was mostly just fat (as expected) but not in a good, flavorful way.
At the end, as I was boxing up my entire meal, the server asked how everything was, and I replied with: «I’ve had better,» to which he raised an eyebrow, said «okay,» and walked away. Clearly I offended him, but frankly, this was a milestone birthday, this place nearly ruined it, and he could’ve at least faked an apology or asked why. But hey, I guess food from Abruzzo can do no wrong.
After this purse-​breaking experience, I walked down the street and had an excellent burger for dinner.
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Update ⁵⁄₂₅ after reading owner’s comments:
I knew Francis would reply to me since he snaps back on every poor review, but I didn’t think he’d blatantly make things up. Calling the hostess «dude»? Really, now? I don’t even use the word «dude» in my vocabulary. Using a curse word all throughout dinner in front of my conservative grandmother who I don’t even say «crap» in front of, knowing that she hates that word? Please.
I specified that I was agitated, because, yes, Francis, your horrific establishment caused me to be upset. But I never made any sort of scene during my time there, and if you were so disgusted by my table and all the apparent «cursing,» perhaps you should’ve said something to me in person. You had the perfect opportunity when I told the server that I didn’t like my meal.
In the future, you should really stop snapping back on people when they write their opinions. It’s unprofessional. And how about you try thanking the people that enjoy your food instead? I think that might work better for you.
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Update ⁵⁄₂₆:
Last update. This is absurd. I received seven emails over the course of the night yesterday letting me know that Francis had updated his review comment. In one of them, he was «in much despair.» Since he had also privately messaged me, I sent him a long message back trying to again detail why I was so upset by my meal. He flipped out. I’ve reached my word limit now. NEVER AGAIN, LE VITRU. Holy crap.

PROS: Fantastic service. Very good homemade pasta. Nice sound proofing so you can actually have conversation. Extremely accommodating of dietary requests.
CONS: Heavy, spicy food, not a lot of vegetables.
I liked a lot about this restaurant but sadly won’t end up eating here often as the downside for me is the menu: I don’t enjoy spicy food and nearly everything on the menu has serious kick to it. Even dishes that the waiter described as extremely mild were not. Also, there is not a lot of vegetable action going on here, which I find disappointing. When I am ordering a lot of heavy pasta and meat, it would be nice to have some veggies to balance it out. If you like spicy, heavy food, this is the place for you.

Le Virtù has changed chefs and consequently, signature dishes, over the years, but their commitment to excellent Italian food remains unchanged. It serves up one of the best (if not the best) Italian cuisine in town.
For antipasti, we ordered the fried risotto and braised egg and cheese croquettes. They turned out to be quite similar — both fried balls — and quite heavy. The fried risotto was tasty, though I wish the wild boar ragù flavor had been more prominent. The cheese croquettes tasted like balls of fried parmesan, which our party did not enjoy (but if you love parmesan, the croquettes are an excellent choice).
Our pasta dishes and secondi were outstanding — we ordered the taccozzelle with housemade sausage and a pasta special, sagne with mussels in a spicy saffron sauce. Again, both were quite rich, but so addictively full of flavor, we couldn’t stop eating. We also had the porchetta and brodetto casalese (seafood stew). The stew turned out to be the lightest item we ordered, but still had a full-​bodied flavor as the seafood and tomato sauce melded together perfectly. (The shrimps were quite mushy and did not have the heads on as advertised, which was a little disappointing, but the monkfish was perfectly cooked.) The porchetta had a winning combination of crackly skin and fall-​apart tender pork belly, served atop a rich chickpea stew.
Le Virtù also has an excellent selection of Italian desserts. I ordered the bread pudding, which was delicious but a little pricey at $ 11. The caramelized pear-​olive oil cake elevated the classic Italian dolci with the addition of the pear and saffron-​whipped mascarpone.
Our server, Gabe, was friendly and attentive, answering all our questions and occasionally checking in on us. When we first arrived, the restaurant was still quite empty and our food came out at a good pace. However, as the restaurant filled up, it became clear that the restaurant was understaffed — we saw only two servers (and one busboy) handling the entire restaurant. At one point, the maître d jumped in and took our order for desserts, wires got crossed, and we ended up with two bread puddings (not that I’m complaining).
For excellent Italian food, Le Virtù is the best game in town. Their dishes do run on the heavier side and are very filling, so definitely come hungry.

My husband and I recently went to Le Virtu for the east Passyunk restaurant week.
It was surprisingly easy to get a reservation, I just called a couple of hours ahead. It’s a beautiful restaurant, classy and not snooty.
The food was on point. We ordered from the restaurant week menu. The house made pork sausage was the best Iv had in a long time.
There pastas are unique in a great way, try Em all.
The ricotta fritta with caramel sauce was wolves down by us despite being quite satiated already.
Ps: great wine selection

*Yelp moderators, please do not take down my update/​edit*
I would like to respond to Francis in reference to my OP, since he asked me, ‘To OWN my words’.
I have no issues reposting what I originally wrote– when I edited my review, I reached the maximum characters allotted per review– since I could not elaborate without eliminating other parts of my review, I streamlined my comments in regards to the oil/​bread/​charcuterie, to the underlining point= I did not like those aspects of our meal.
I do not have the exact posting, but I will paraphrase to the best of my ability.
OP– OIL
*it tasted like the cheap cooking oil, the kind I use to sauté vegetables in– it had no flavor*
(For the record, I absolutely DID NOT question the authenticity of the oil, I made a brash comment that it ‘tasted like cheap oil, I did not know it hailed specifically from Umbria, to question it’s origin/​quality/​cost-​again it was not mentioned or listed anywhere on your site and as you mentioned it was not meant to be flavored, so I was not wrong when I said it was lacked flavor) If we were supposed to enjoy the thin viscosity of the oil, then it was truly lost on both of us, I am not afraid to admit that. However, I NEVER once said it was cheap oil.
OP-​CHARCUTERIE
*The charcuterie platter was slimy and I believe I might have used the term ‘gross’ for the texture (Had we know that this platter was on the fattier side, we would have avoided it as we knew we did not like it served that way, but that is neither here nor there. I feel anything with the texture of uncooked bacon/​fat, is slimy= gross to me. There is nothing wrong with the platter, some people prefer it this way, WE do not– again, I was merely commenting on the texture only.
OP-​BREAD
’ The bread was stale and probably should have been used for croutons instead.’ I’ve had stale bread before, in my mind, the bread was stale, (we possibly got a stale piece/​bad batch? IDK, but that’s what arrived on our plate), unless it was meant to have that texture, then it was spot on! If I were to have a dinner party and had slightly stale bread. I, personally would NOT serve it, I would probably feed it to the birds or toss it in the oven and make some croutons.
OCTOPUS
I’m not sure why the cold octopi and potatoes being an ‘odd’ combination was upsetting though, it was odd to me (would ‘different’ have been a better synonym?) regardless it worked well together, so I’m NOT sure how that was construed as a negative comment, because it wasn’t.
I DID NOT omit the above comments from the review, because I wanted to paint myself in a better light or because I was subsequently informed of the quality of the ingredients or how the meat was cured (I appreciate the curing process and origin of the oil) we still did not care for it and it does not change my mind after the fact. I have had fine French wine on numerous occasions– sometimes I like it, sometimes I do not. Someone stating that it was a fine French wine, does not make me all of a suddenly like it, my palate will STILL disagree.
I most definitely could have worked on my delivery, for that I apologize– these were my frank thoughts.
In fairness, I did do my due diligence in regards to our dinner at Le Virtue, by reading all points on your website, also I read a lot of wonderful Unilocal reviews and came across a lot of references to the restaurant, which is why we ultimately made reservations and ventured down to Passyunk Square. I’m not a novice to Italian cuisine by any means, I have it quite often, but do not know of the intricate nuances of certain things, i.e.) origin of the oil, how a particular region prepares octopi or bread that is indigenous to said region. I knew enough to enjoy a night out with my husband for dinner and drinks and what kind of experience we could expect from Le Virtue.
Unilocal review guidelines say, share YOUR experience, this review was OUR experience. I do not know enough about the Abruzzo region cuisine to write a thorough essay. I am not Craig LaBan, nor do I claim to be. This is again, just my opinion, on one meal and as you said, it is MY RIGHT to not like something. I do not need to do any due diligence to know what tastes good to me vs. what does not.
Taste is VERY subjective, I did NOT think, I had to state, the obvious= what tastes perfectly fine to one person may be unpalatable to another, If you do not share my opinion, that’s fine, but don’t tell me I’m wrong– it’s an opinion not fact!
For the record, my friends and I like to converse with the staff about the food, it opens the lines of communication and makes the staff more approachable, others obviously don’t feel the same. But for my husband and I, that would have made our meal more enjoyable.
I do find it interesting, that there was no issue with my assessment of the delicious pasta or my nice fish entrée. Why was my ‘lack of knowledge’ of the cuisine not chastised here, but only for the portion of the meal we did not find satisfying…

Le Virtu
1927 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19 148 (215) 271‑5626
Le Virtu prides itself on being based on Abruzzese culinary tradition. Abruzzo is a region of Southern Italy bordered on the east by the coastal waters of the Adriatic sea and on the west by the outskirts of Rome. Le Virtu, Italian for «the virtues,» is based on the concept of presenting unspoiled, wild, unpretentious food either imported from Abruzzo itself or made using locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant prides itself on the quality and authenticity of its food and guests are encouraged to stay and savor the experience. The restaurant itself is nice on the interior with an excellent covered al fresco dining area.
Traditional Italian fare starting with bread and extra virgin olive oil. Personally, it was good, but nothing too special.
Burrata pugliese: Imported Pugliese burrata, rainbow cherry tomatoes, basil. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Excellent start. The tartness of the tomatoes balanced well with the creamy dairy of the burrata.
Shrimp Bisque. Creamy and rich. Also a very good start to a meal.
Casarecce al pesto di pistacchi: Casarecce, pistachio pesto, grated ricotta salata. Casarecce pasta is shaped like a very narrow, twisted and rolled tube. It has a green hue from the pistachio pesto. Ricotta salata is a variation of ricotta that has been pressed, salted and dried. Ricotta salata is hard and white and has a mildly salty, nutty and milky flavor. It can be shaved or grated over salads, pastas and vegetable dishes.
Taccozzelle ali’aquilana: Handkerchief pasta, Abruzzese-​style sausage, porcini, black truffle, Navelli saffron. Navelli saffron, more often called L’Aquila saffron, is generally agreed to be the very best in the world. Its stigmas are longer, its aroma stronger and its colour deeper than any other. And after eating this dish, I’d have to agree.
Trota. Grilled lake trout, heirloom beans, cucumbers, lentils. Trout was served with the skin, wish it had been taken off, but that is easily remedied. Otherwise, fairly good, nothing to write home about however, but not bad by any means. Meat was tender and seasoning was perfectly adequate.
Agnello alla griglia. Smoked lamb top round, chick peas, mint. A far better main course in my opinion. This italian phrase is for «grilled lamb» and it was complimented by the chick peas and mint. Served with a tasty jus sauce as well. B+ in my book. It’s only deficits were a slight overcooking of the meat and the mint was a bit too overpowering in my book.

This is probably my favourite Italian place in Philly, close call between this spot and Osteria. Come here for the pasta, it is out of this world.
I had a friend visiting recently and she requested a good authentic Italian meal. We made a late reservation here for a Friday night, but after stuffing ourselves with a charcuterie board at my house neither of us was super hungry by the time we got here. She went with the sheep’s milk ricotta app and I got the handkerchief pasta with saffron, black truffle, and abruzze sausage. I thought dirty, dirty thoughts about that pasta the rest of the weekend. It was everything I wanted it to be– savory, earthy, perfectly al dente handmade pasta. I paired it with a glass of the Illuminati Riparosso (thanks Google) and it was an absolutely perfect match. She had a cocktail with lavender and prosecco that was delicious as well.
Service was excellent, attentive but not overbearing, and he didn’t seem to mind that we weren’t spending a ton of money. The noise level was also a lot more bearable than other places, even though it was quite busy that night. I’d definitely recommend this place for a romantic date spot.

Le Virtu may be my favorite Italian in the city. I regularly crave the maccheroni alla mugnaia, a single strand of perfectly al dente pasta tossed in olive oil, garlic, hot peppers and pecorino. It’s simple and perfect all at the same time. A basket of dried peppers is served alongside in case you want to add an extra kick.
On my last visit we had the peasant meatballs (palott cac’ e ove), which don’t involve meat at all. They consisted of egg and cheese and were served in a delicious red sauce. They were some of the best meatballs I’ve ever had, and I didn’t even miss the meat. You also can’t go wrong with the burrata or salumi offerings, or any of the pastas.
Earlier in the summer we had a granita dessert that was absolutely fabulous. There were four flavors and two were wine-​based. Every flavor popped and it was a wonderfully light treat.
Another thing I love about Le Virtu is that even when you don’t snag a table, the bar is a great place to enjoy dinner or even just some drinks. Their bartenders are lovely and always fun to chat with — and there’s usually someone you already know sitting at the bar, anyway. What a gem in South Philly.