Vetri Cucina

"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

"This revered Italian spot in Center City has a tasting menu that includes things like a dungeness crab budino with a puffy gnocco fritto, a pasta lineup featuring spinach gnocchi and corzetti with pistachio tarragon, and a few mains like poached halibut. It’s the kind of place that starts to feel like home after a few courses, especially since the servers make you feel so at ease that you may end up telling them your life story. While a meal here will run you $165 (and more with the worthwhile $95 wine pairing), a night at the intimate spot is more than worth it. Whatever they serve you, you’ll be replaying every bite in your mind all week like a highlight reel." - candis mclean, alison kessler

"Vetri Cucina sets the gold standard for a fancy night out in Philadelphia. The charming Center City townhouse has unparalleled, instinctive service, one of the better wine lists in the city, and an excellent $165 four-course prix fixe menu. Always go for the sweet onion crêpe and the classic split pasta, which has been on the menu for years and comes with spinach gnocchi with brown butter and almond tortellini with truffle." - alison kessler, candis mclean

"Tucked inside a gorgeous historic townhome on Spruce Street, Vetri Cucina has been serving up some of the finest Italian cuisine in Philly since 1998. The prix fixe menu showcases high-quality local, seasonal, and specialty ingredients in the form of outstanding dishes like garganelli with espresso-braised duck ragu and apples, seared venison with sweet potato and delicata squash, and smoked baby goat with house-milled polenta." - Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme

"Since 1998, this inventive, award-winning restaurant continues to blaze a trail for contemporary Italian cuisine with a bold prix-fixe menu that amazes diners from all over the world. Chef/Owner Marc Vetri continues to impress with remarkable dishes such as ricotta cavatelli with wild boar sausage and shishito peppers, pan seared fluke with summer tomatoes, olives and potato galette, and smoked baby goat with house-milled polenta." - Ernest Owens