Zavino

Definitely epitomizes a center-​city type restaurant (small, but good). I decided to take my mother out for dinner and drinks… but they sat us at a table where we were shoved into a corner sitting side by side. Thank God she was my mother and not a first date (would have been super awkward). Regardless of the bad setting, the food was actually pretty good. We ordered 2 small pies and some appetizers and were still hungry for more. Definitely not a place to go if you like to indulge. Tasty, but could be better.

Zavino has quickly become one of my favourite place in the city ever since I came for the first time a few weeks ago. I think I’ve averaged once a week ever since!
It’s difficult to get seated because it is very small, so if you’re coming for dinner definitely make a reservation. Otherwise pick an off time to come, like Saturday afternoon.
The food is absolutely delicious. So far I’ve had two pizzas, the mushroom pizza and classic marg. It’s not your average pizzeria pizza. I’ve also had their tasting board of meat and cheese, SO GOOD! And homemade pasta! Pork Ragu linguini was unbeatable. Lastly, the veal and ricotta meatballs were killer. I really haven’t had a bad thing yet.
The happy hour is great $ 5 wine. The Pinot noir is my fav!
Highly recommended.

Tasty Joey pizza with whole wheat crust, and a delicious Dolcetto wine! Good, will be back! Fairly small inside, nice bar & friendly staff!
1÷11÷15. Enjoying the tasting board again and olives w/​Pinot noir, yum!

Going into the city without a reservation is self-​torture especially with a party of 4. This was not the first place we tried to grab a table so we weren’t expecting a small wait of just 20 minutes. We put our name in, the hostess took my number and send me a text notification when our table was ready, well before the 20 minutes she originally quoted us. We were seated at the first booth next to the front entryway which gave us some privacy.
Our waitress let us know that there were 5 minutes left untill happy hour ended and went down the list of specials. $ 5 select wines and $ 3 drafts excluding the seasonal, not a bad deal.
We ordered the joey pizza and the rosa, spaghetti squash and a caesar salad. The joey was decent but I thought the sausage was a little bland. My fiancé loved it! My rosa (with mozzarella) was delicious! I love garlic and they sure were not shy about the amount they put on it. It does not come with cheese so be sure to request it. The dough was perfectly crispy and chewy all at once. My caesar salad was interesting — it comes with sun dried tomatoes which I requested on the side not knowing if they would be drenched in oil, which they were not. I like that they were slightly sweet, so ended up adding them in anyway. The salad also included croutons (my favorite — its not a salad without croutons) and pine nuts.
We found the service to be genuinely attentive and friendly. I have to admit pictures led me to believe this was more upscale than it really is. In my opinion its more rustic than upscale. This spot would be perfect in the spring to enjoy pizza and wine outdoors. Lastly, I looked at their website later on and noticed they do not take reservations, that is why they were able to accomodate us, they were built for walk-​ins.

Tasting boards are a good balance, bartenders are attentive & friendly and a great calming atmosphere I would recommend this place anytime.

Absolutely fabulous service and excellent wine list!
I sat at the bar in hopes of enjoying a nice glass of wine with my mother. After leaving Vintage, I wanted an experience to make me forget about the horrible one before. The bartender was absolutely wonderful, accommodating our requests and making us feel so welcome. The atmosphere was great and the prices were reasonable. I am looking forward to coming here for some delicious pizza.
Happy Hour: $ 5 glasses of wine

Zavinos has now become one of my favorite restaurants in Philly! Now Zavino certainly has good restaurant competition at their trendy 13^th street location but they stand on their own. Boasting a long wait daily (and no reservations) make sure you come early if you want to sit. The specials are always spectacular and play a local/​seasonal feel to the restaurant’s favorites.
My absolute favorite is the ricotta. Served with crispy yet soft rosemary flatbread I could eat this dish all day everyday. Every pizza is amazing and I always order the kale caesar. The dressing is made with pesto and puts a unique spin on the traditional salad.
A must go in center city!

I’ve only been here once. I’m not really a fan. The menu doesn’t have the variety i need it to however the service was good and fast. If you’re into meats and cheeses this is the place for you.

Service — good.
Menu — very good.
Ambiance — good.
Martini was served with 3 blue cheese stuffed olives with prosciutto wrapped around it. RIIIGHT up my alley, but it’s a gamble because I can see a disgusted vegetarian on the receiving end from time to time.
Our server convinced us to get the Cheese & Charcuterie Tasting Board for $ 20 which was a bargain, but really a ton of food for only the two of us. Not wanting to fill up on the first course, we had most of it wrapped up.
We then ate The Joey Pizza (berkshire pork sausage, mozzarella, crushed tomato, spinach, garlic, chili flakes, provolone) which was fabulous. Loved it.

I debated whether I should give Zavino two or three stars. I’m being generous with three, and that’s only because the food is so good. The service sucked, though.
I ate here last week with a few co-​workers. I had the beet salad to start. It was delicious — sliced beets, goat cheese, candied pecans and kale drizzled with a port wine reduction. It was big, too — big enough to be an entrée for some people. Because of the size, I shared it with a few of my dining companions. In doing so, I dirtied my plate, and when the pizza arrived, I didn’t have a plate. The beet stuff and port wine dressing was all over it. I tried to get the attention of our server, who had magenta hair and glasses, but she seemed to look right past me, and nobody checked on us after we received the pizza. So I ate my pizza without a plate! Whatever, it was fine, but sort of disappointing. The servers acted like they just didn’t care. I went to the restroom and a few of them were toward the back of the restaurant sitting on a table checking their phones. Really?
Speaking of pizza, we got a margherita and a Joey, which is a meat pizza. I don’t eat meat so I was surprised to see that the pizza came out on a double decker serving thing with the meat pizza above the margherita, and some of the sausage and other stuff fell onto the margherita! Gross.
I’d recommend this place for the food (the beer selection is great, too) with the warning to expect bad service.

I really quite like it here. I wouldn’t say it is the most incredible restaurant in Philadelphia, but they are top-​notch and not the most expensive by a long-​shot.
Food is great, service isn’t perfect but is decent, décor is nice, seating is cramped and a bit crowded. But man if you want a pizza and some wine, this is a great place to go. Weekend nights are going to be a wait.

I’ve been to this Zavino a couple of times, most recently on a double date with JJ, my cousin, and his wife. I’ve highly enjoyed myself both times that I have eaten at Zavino – the space is extremely cozy, but lends itself well to a romantic evening.
My favorite pizza has to be the Stache ($ 17) – a veritable mound of arugula arrives piled on top, and the whole wheat crust is just as delicious as their traditional pie. Another standout is the rosemary flatbread (conveniently also available at happy hour), which, when paired with dipping oil, is utterly delectable. Overall, any type of bread that you order here (pizza or not) is going to be outstanding – the perfect mix of doughy and crusty. The beet salad ($ 10) felt a little flat, but JJ and I still wolfed it down in a short amount of time.
An extensive wine list rounds out the menu and there is enough on it for even the pickiest wino. $ 5 a glass during happy hour was much appreciated, and points to the overall reasonably-​priced menu.
Wine and pizza is probably as good a pairing as peanut butter and jelly, just saying. Zavino has a monopoly on the former pair for sure.

I walked by Zavino so many times and never really went in. I was on Instagram, saw a picture of their margherita pizza and I needed to have it. It was a pleasant surprise that even in November, I ate outside and their heating lamps kept me warm. Since it was happy hour, I started off with some wine. I tried the marghertia pizza and it was one of the best I have ever had. Plus since it was happy hour it was $ 8, instead of $ 14. Then I tried the Fettuccine and that was really good too. After I tried the Romeso Roaster Cauliflower and that was good.
So the bottom line is order the Marghertia PIzza. It is seriously so good! I can’t wait to try more pizzas.

Randomly ended up here with my friend on a Friday night because they happened to have an opening at the bar. For the wine menu, they have two different sizes, the larger being a very generous pour. My friend and I each got the larger one which was the perfect size. We both liked our wines. We ordered the drunken goat cheese plate which was delicious and great for sharing. The amount of cheese though was a little small. Service and atmosphere was great. The pizzas looked really good, I would definitely try them if I went again. A little overpriced, but reasonably priced by center city standards.

Crikey. We were having lunch there during a very cold and rainy day and I kept thinking, «why do we have to leave? Why do we have to go outside? Why can’t we just stay here and eat delicious things all day?»
Really lovely.
Warm staff. Handsome space. Solid wine list with a few champagnes (there’s your best pairing).
The ricotta (with honey + lemon zest + orange zest + thyme (well, that’s what we guessed)) was awesome. Pizzas: yes. Gnocchi: yes. Veal meatballs: yum. Cured meats: of course! Salads: I need my veg.
Stuffed eggplant: yes and yes.

OMG OMG OMG YES
A Philly based coworker strongly recommended Zavino and I am ever so grateful. From the get-​go we knew this was going to be a solid meal and Zavino delivered.
First of all, their wine list is solid and I absolutely love the 4oz and 8oz options. Perfect for lunch time :)
Second, the service is just wonderful. I truly mean it, always with a smile and always at just the right times.
Third, when you order a pizza (the diavolo) and are told they are fresh out of soppressata in order to make it only to then watch the miracle timing of their meat delivery for the day, it just makes the experience. Watching your toppings be hand delivered and freshly sliced not only makes you feel special but makes your mouth water.
I can’t wait to be back in Philly for another wonderful experience here!

Great service by a knowledgeable waitress. Love the idea of getting ¹⁄₈ bottle of wine so that you can try multiple options! Started with the kale Caesar salad and a Riesling. I loved both. The salad had this delicious pesto sauce and the crunch from the pine nuts was perfect. It was super cheesy, filled with Parmesan, which you can’t really go wrong with with. Then got the Joey pizza with a Malbec. The sausage was flavorful and so spicy but was balanced by the mozzarella and spinach. Only complaint was the chili flakes if you got a bite it was a bit much. Would definitely return.

Came here on their anniversary $ 5 pizza night a few months ago. They have thin crust pizzas which are easy to devour. I really enjoyed the meat ones, particularly the sausage one.
The bottom can be a little burnt but I think that’s the point lol.
Service is always great here! It’s a little pricey in my opinion for pizza but you’re paying for the ambiance and considering the area, it’s decent.

Solid thin crust wood fired pizza. We tried the margarita and the stache. Both were good, the stache was a little different, I probably wouldn’t order it again. The margarita was quite tasty. We also tried the spaghetti squash which was okay, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. It tasted to me like something someone on a low carb diet might try to make using the squash as a noodle substitue.
For the food I would give a solid 3.5 overall. I do find that everything is a little overpriced. The other small plates that I saw people eating, particularity the ones with flat bread looked amazing. Service was prompt and friendly.

YUM-​O!
An Arugula + Prosciutto Pizza always wins in my book. How could you say no to that combination? A fluffy, chewy yet nicely charred crust also helps make their pizzas great! It’s everything you want in a pizza. My friend ordered the Joey pizza and equally delighted by her choice! Seriously, I’m in love with their crust. It’s SO GOOD!
I tried the Roasted Beet salad on my 2^nd visit and it converted me into a beet liker (not lover just yet). I never enjoyed beets before that but the combo of beets with goat cheese, kale, and pecans was not only beautiful but equally luscious and delightful.