Stella Sera

Today we went to try Stella Sera, an Italian restuarant in our neighborhood. Our experience was not so great with the food choice for vegetarians, although service was good. Another thing it was rude to write on the menu «Not to share entries». We do not have a big apetite and always share entries at all the big Italian or non-​Italian restaurants. As sensibles we did not get up and had food here. There are many vegetarian people around here and there was no vegetarian dish on the menu. No good vege starter. It was very surprising that they did not have Italian signature desert «Tiramishu». We will not go second time and will not recommend any vegetarian people. This was my wife’s 50^th birthday and I wanted to treat her well but came with a bad experience.

Simply put-​awesome! Just what I was a looking for in an Italian meal. The chicken parmesan was perfect & the service was exemplary. I will definitely frequent Stella Sera whenever the mood for Italy strikes me!

We were looking for someplace new to try with some friends and stumbled upon Stella Sera through online reviews, which were generally very positive, so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is small BYO, but does not feel crowded. The service was fantastic, very accommodating, but never rushed. All of our food was wonderful and timed perfectly. Three of us had spinach salads, and I had the carpaccio to start. For entries I had the duck which was prepared absolutely perfectly. My wife had the bronzino which was salt caked and filleted table side (and delicious). Our friends both had pastas which they said was excellent. Overall exactly what we were looking for, great good, great service in a nice atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

There was nothing horrible and nothing spectacular about my dinner. The polenta with mushrooms appetizer tasted primarily of cream and salt. The yellow fin special was plain, and while they encouraged me to have it rare, it was medium cooked. At this price point you can get a much tastier and fresher meal on Germantown Ave down in Mount Airy at the phenomenal Trattoria Moma.

Great BYOB. Specials are always a good bet, service very good. Small restaurant so tables are tight. Too pricey but at least you’re not paying for drinks. Parking can be a problem so plan for a little waking time.

My husband and I had dinner here with another couple last night. It was fabulous! The food was excellent. We shared two plates of calamari — it was very tender and both the red and white sauces were flavorful. Because the pasta is homemade — and everything is made to order — we all got a pasta dish. The gnocchi was light and the portions were a nice size. I got the Bolognese — highly recommend! It’s a BYOB, so remember to bring your favorite wine :) Make a reservation, especially on the weekend. It’s a small spot. We can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been wanting to try Stella Sera for about 2 years… and it definitely did not disappoint. Made a reservation for 2 on a Saturday night at 6:30pm. There were only 3 other tables there when we came in but it filled up throughout the hour & a half we were there. I would suggest making a reservation as there are only about 12 tables total — & it’s BYO so bring your own wine.
I forget the actual name of the appetizer we got but it was basically fried risotto with mozzarella & marinara. It came out as 3 decent sized fried balls. They were delicious. I got the filet — which I asked to be cooked medium… it came out more on the medium-​well side but it was fine. It’s an Italian place… I should have known better :) BUT, the sauce & jumbo lump crab meat & mushrooms on top of the filet was amazing. It was served with sliced potatoes & green beans. My bf got the gnocchi & it was served in a butternut squash sauce… so good. I almost wish I would have gotten the gnocchi because they were pillowy & delicious. I’d definitely come back for those alone. We also got a side of homemade pasta with marinara sauce. It was good but I’ve had better homemade pasta at some other places.
I have to admit, I expected to be there awhile since all the food is made to order but we were in and out within an hour & a half. We’ll definitely be back.

The food itself was definitely in my top Italian eats list, but the dinner I had here was beyond problematic.
I had the Carbonara with a side of Polenta. Creamy, delicious, flavors were on point, pasta was super fresh. My meal was delicious and the only reason why they didn’t get a two from me.
We arrived at 6:45pm and didn’t get our food until 8:30pm. Our party of six received our dishes all at different times, the longest wait was 10 mins in between. Most of us got fresh pasta, no one had meat in their dishes except for me and even then it was just pancetta in my spaghetti. We didn’t get bread for the first 20 mins of sitting there and we felt like the wait staff consistently ignored our table. Four other groups came after us and were served first. The place only has about 12 tables! They outright warn you on their menu about the wait time but «making everything fresh» does not excuse you from a two hour wait and bad service. Don’t tell me two of our friend’s dishes had to be redone 20 minutes after the first plates hit the table because the kitchen «messed up the batch»
I really commend them for the quality of the food being produced but this was not a good night for us. Fine Dining (fine dining prices, anyway) is about the total experience, not just what’s on your plate.

While the place is small, there is a coziness that greets you. The menu is varied and the pasta is homemade, they offer all your favorites. Everything is well prepared-​like skipping to Tuscany for a meal. It is a BYOB, but there is a wine store across the street. I highly recommend this neighborhood location where the locals guard their secret.

I had a great dinner here with friends! First, the staff was great with finding parking and picking out the perfect cozy table to sit at. The food was delicious! We started off with the salad and the bread is great! Ask for balsamic on the side to dip in! Amazing.
I decided to get the home-​made pasta with vodka sauce (to die for) and my friend got gnocchi which was WOW!
Also, such great deserts! we had the crème brûlée and tiramisu! So good.
I definitely recommend this restaurant! Will be back soon! :)

I just recently had a private party at Stella Sera and everything was perfect. The food was delicious, the presentation was wonderful, and the service was impeccable. The owners did everything possible to ensure that everyone had an amazing experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

I have been here now several times and can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place so far. It is hard to say for sure if my review is influenced by the fact that there are very few quality restaurants in Chestnut Hill, but Stella Sera ranks in the top two. I can say that I have truly enjoyed every single course I have ever been served here.
The service is always courteous, friendly and efficient. Recently we ate there on a Saturday night and, sure, service was a bit slower than on a weeknight. It was still as accommodating as one could expect given the crowd.
The food is truly delicious and this is coming from an Italian-​American woman who has worked in the business and her 84-​year-​old Italian dad who has no time for poor food. Their portions are more than adequate, the bread is good, the seasonings are just right. I don’t know what more I could ask for.

My experience at Stella Sera was very different from all these reviews. They could have just had an «off» Saturday night but it was in fact, extremely off then. It’s not a new business from what I can tell so unless the manager or chef walked out, I’m not sure what the reasons were for the poor service…
I went in with my parents on a Saturday night and we were promptly seated after our 8 pm reservation but had to ask the waiter to uncork the wine. He never told us what the specials were; I had to ask him. We waited for 15 – 20 minutes before the server came back to take our order. We ordered the artichoke heart appetizer and jumbo lump crabmeat appetizer. 30 – 40 minutes later after asking our server where the appetizers were, the artichokes and a calamari dish appeared. The server thought we wanted the calamari instead of the crabmeat appetizer but who could blame him? We could barely hear ourselves think let alone talk in the restaurant. We were so hungry though we didn’t even attempt to send it back. There was no spectacular presentation with the appetizers, it was almost like they had just thrown it on the plate from a big pot in the kitchen. I couldn’t really blame him though — the place was so loud with people talking we could barely hear ourselves. Not only did the appetizers take 40 minutes to get to our table, the artichokes were way too salty and the calamari was so spicy it masked the flavors of the dish.
After the appetizers, we sat around for 30+ more minutes while waiting for our entrees. I’m usually pretty patient but I was so hungry I had eaten the entire basket of bread and was about to start knawing my arm off. The server said he would go check with the kitchen and told us «every meal is prepared to order»…yes as most restaurants do. I’m not a big fan of leaving a restaurant in the middle of dinner service but no tables around us had received their entrees either so I knew we would be waiting some time. We asked for the server to speak to the manager. The man who originally poured us water and whom I had to ask what the specials were came over and asked us if everything was ok. I’m guessing he was not in fact the manager because he was not very professional. We said we just wanted the check and to leave and he said he would go check with the kitchen. He came back up and all he said was «The kitchen said it’s fine.» Yes… I was just as confused as you are.
So overall, very disappointing. I usually give places a second chance and having been a server and bartender myself, I would never blame the waitstaff or make them feel at fault but there is a missing link in this chain. I was not impressed with the atmosphere, food, or service, especially at prices like that. I would recommend you bring your expensive bottle of wine some place where you can enjoy it with your meal and not drink the entire bottle before the entrees come out.

Excellent food and service. Owner and staff are very friendly and accommodating. I have been dining here since the place opened. Great neighborhood establishment.

Another Chestnut Hill gem!
Their homemade pasta is delicious and has the perfect texture that you look for at a good Italian restaurant. Our party of 6 arrived late to our reservation unfortunately because of the weather conditions that evening. The staff still greeted us and seated us with friendly faces.
I had their pasta dish that comes in a white sauce topped with crab meat, asparagus, and roasted tomatoes (sorry I’m unable to remember what it was called and it’s not on their website’s menu). It was a lighter option but still very flavorful and delicious. However, the star on their menu has to be their pasta in a cream sauce of beef and mushrooms. Three members of our party ordered this dish and everyone made sure to have a bite of it. Rich and creamy deliciousness!

great meal last night!
had the fungji entre, was rich in flavor, and the homemade pasta was cooked perfectly!
great BYO in the cute chestnut hill area.

So we finally got around to eating a meal at Stella Sera and I’m so glad we made the effort to come back! We had a lovely, romantic meal and discovered a great new Italian place to frequent. The atmosphere is dark and charming and I like that they don’t over stuff their space with tables. Service was attentive but not overly in your face which is very much appreciated.
Slight complaint: Our table was all the way in the back of the restaurant, right next to the curtain the staff is constantly walking past to get drinks and such and every time they walked past it would hit me. Kind of annoying and I wish it had been tacked down or something. However, once the food arrived I was distracted enough that it didn’t matter. :)
I started off with the Caesar salad and T got the Carciofo which were grilled artichokes with capers and lemon garlic wine sauce. The artichokes were incredible. The Caesar was good and not overly dressed.
For dinner I got the Funghi with filet tips, truffle oil, and a mushroom medley. Wow. After that was served I have no idea what happened for the next twenty minutes as I slowly devoured my plate of pasta. Heavenly and rich and the serving was a perfect size. T got the Sera pasta which was covered with lump and fresh veggies such as asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and lemon garlic sauce. He really enjoyed his as well. While mine was rich and filling, his was light but hearty.
We skipped dessert because we had some leftover Coldstone in the freezer but next time we’ll be sure to take part and report back! Amazing!

With Valentine’s Day falling on a weekday this year, we decided to keep it local and try something new. The deep blues and twinkling lights of Stella Sera had been beckoning us for months, so it was an easy choice.
Our table was ready when we arrived at 8pm so we were seated immediately, almost directly opposite an exceptional guitarist who played ballads the entire evening. I’m not sure whether he was a regular feature or brought in for the occasion.
The only let down occurred within the first five minutes, when we learned they were BYOB only and we hadn’t thought to bring a bottle. It would have been nice of them to let us know when they called to confirm our reservation two days earlier. Luckily, there’s a Wine and Spirits virtually right across the street, so the boyfriend was able to go there and back while I was still on my first piece of warm bread.
I started with the Stella Sera, a delightfully presented smoked salmon and goat cheese salad that probably would have been great on a bagel. See my photo upload. The boyfriend had calamari in sauce that didn’t look as good but tastes delicious.
My veal medallions and crab meat were not very interesting, but I did have a bite of the boyfriend’s perfectly medium rare fillet mignon.
The portions were large, especially for a fancy pants restaurant, but the desserts looked too good to pass up. The boyfriend had a solidly good crème brûlée, and I made as much of a dent as I could in my very rich dark and white chocolate mousse. Our cappuccinos were weak but enjoyable.
At the end of the night, they gave the check to him and a single red rose to me. Take that, feminism.

Nice Italian restaurant tucked away in the adorable Chestnut Hill area.
Everything is made to order, which is nice for people who like to change specific things in the dish.
Our table shared the Caprese salad and Arancini. All delicious and fresh.
For my entrée, I had veal medallions in a Cognac Cream Sauce. The veal was cooked well and the sauce added a nice touch.
For dessert we have the hazelnut mousse, which tasted like creamy Ferrero Rocher (my fave). I also had a cappuccino which was actually one of the best I’ve had.

My partner and I had an excellent gourmet meal tonight at Stella Sera in Chestnut Hill. The Portabella Mushroom with shrimp and lump crabmeat was a great starter. My entrée was pan blackened Mako Shark steak. Seasoned perfectly, very tender and a large portion size.
The Chef/​owner even came out to my table after the meal to ensure we had a great experience here.
Table service was very prompt and professional.
It is nice to know that places like this exist where the chef cares that his patrons have an excellent dining experience.
It is without reservation that I recommend you give this chef an opportunity to show you his gourmet italian flare.