"Vetri isn’t just one of the best Italian restaurants in Philadelphia—it’s one of the best restaurants in the city, period. The Center City staple can get extremely expensive, so it works best for a special occasion. As soon as you walk in the door, you’ll get an aperol spritz on the house, which feels nice until you realize you’re shelling out $165 for the tasting menu. The meal is actually worth all that money, though, because you’ll eat around 15 courses that include excellent housemade pasta, cured meats, and other Italian dishes like salt-baked branzino. If you have an occasion important enough to warrant dropping a few hundred dollars on dinner, Vetri is where you should do it." - candis mclean, alison kessler