We have been wanting to go here for a while and finally snagged a reservation for my birthday! It is worth all the hype and accolades. We ordered 6 plates and it was the perfect amount. The mussels are perfection, I could eat those everyday. The cavatelli - superb! Honesty, it was all amazing. The staff is so warm, welcoming and personable too. We can’t wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tarah Natale
illata is such a beautiful and understated, elegant space with the best food and service in the city (in my opinion). Of the 13 years I've lived here, I've never felt so taken care of in a restaurant setting, and the food is to die for! I don't know who would ever give this place less than 5 stars.
We get the marinated mussels every time we go -- sometimes two orders of it! The tuna fennel and carrots + crab were very delicious too. I recommend getting the sourdough to clean off the plates ;)
Also, as a parent with little help or time to go out, my husband and I don't want to go anywhere else on our rare date nights. It's that good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ben Garnitz
It was nothing short of an absolute joy to eat here. Each plate we ordered was mind-blowingly good. Sharing as many plates as we could, my group of four had a lovely time not just eating, but discussing and reflecting on each dish. Delicious, unique, intimate, and, for the quality of the experience, reasonably priced. I will be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alison
The service and the food are great. Everything is incredibly unique. The menu really doesn't begin to describe the complexity of the dishes!
Victoria Leopardi
A truly fantastic experience! Every dish was beautifully presented and bursted with flavor. The staff was also lovely. I would highly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Austin Pare
11/10 food & experience. Highly recommend. Got there at 4:45 to secure a walk in spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Malphrus
SO so good. The dishes we had ranged from exceptional to mind blowing. It’s an extremely small restaurant but that just adds to the charm (if you’re lucky enough to get in!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janet Cary
A fabulous BYOB, with a small but unique menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Stone
We are so lucky to have such an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood. There are always unique, phenomenal options that are well crafted and delicious. The service is always friendly and professional, and we love every time we come.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yul Giraldo
Excellent. Amazing service. The food is exquisite. Layers of flavor! Staff is very friendly. Everyone seems to care about the full experience. A must on your list!
I really loved dinner for 2 here on Saturday night. We ordered 4 dishes and one dessert which was very reasonably priced all together. The dishes were quite good and service workers were exceptionally friendly. It was a little loud, but I think it's worth getting a reservation for!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin Yang
Ambiance and service was awesome. Unfortunately everything had an acidic undertone which ultimately made all dishes taste the same despite the creativity. I probably would not revisit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Alfredo Aviles
One of my favorite places to eat. The team is small but mighty. Food from the heart and mind and personality to match. I love this place 4ever 🫰
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Portia Melita
I moved to the neighborhood from Brooklyn recently. One day while walking around, I passed this unassuming place. The only indication that it was open was a chair outside with a bouquet of flowers to pin down a paper menu to the chair. The menu looked divine.
A few days later I walked past, showing my partner that the place almost seemed closed from the outside but was very cute inside. Someone who worked there came out as we were looking and was very kind, asking us if we had reservations yet. We said no but booked immediately.
The first time I visited, I had the sourdough, Marinated Mussels (hakurei turnips, miso, chili oil), Carrot (crab, brown butter), Shrimp (peaches, coppa, toasted marcona almonds), and Gnudi (corn& basil). It was an entirely no-skips meal. The mussels came cold, out of their shell, and the sauce was incredible. The “carrot” was more like a crab cake with coconut, brown butter, and an unidentifiable but delightful citrus. A perfect balance of rich & light. The gnudi seemed simple, but the lightly spicy sauce really pulled all the ingredients together. Finally, the shrimp with peaches really knocked my socks off. Lots of places will make “seasonal” menus but not put the effort into making sure that produce is top notch. The peaches would’ve been delicious on their own, but with the rest of the dish, they really shined.
The second time I went (just a few weeks later) I got the Chicory Salad (anchovy, buttermilk, comte), the Steelhead Trout (sungold tomato, perilla), and a tuna crudo special. I also re-ordered the bread, the carrot with crab, and the gnudi. Everything was just as good as last time, and the new additions were truly worth trying. Something as simple as a chicory salad can be so hit or miss - but WOW!
For dessert we had the cherry brown butter tart with crème fraiche. No complaints at all here.
Now I’ve rambled on plenty about the delicious food, which I will be back for very soon, but I truly haven’t ever been to a place with better service. The workers are extremely attentive and kind. I felt like I’ve known everyone there for a long time.
Thank you, Illata, for being such a wonderful neighborhood spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Kanouse
I'll be the first to say that this was our second try here after a meh experience the first time. And I'm so glad we gave it a second chance because it was one of the best meals we've had in Philadelphia.
It's such an unassuming place, small, tables close together. But the staff are so friendly and really do make it an enjoyable experience.
There aren't SO many options but what we got we mostly enjoyed. The bread/butter can be hit or miss but I do recommend. The crab and carrot salad is a dish I would never have created but was one of our favorites of the night (and everyone seems to get this). The shrimp/peaches/coppa dish was also such a strange combo that we loved. Can't skip their version of a little gem salad. The lamb skewers were probably our least favorite but were still delicious.
It's BYOB and they're super helpful in giving you an ice dish/etc. should you need it.
Overall, they really seem to have come into themselves with their summer menu and found a flavor profile that has significantly improved.
We have been wanting to go here for a while and finally snagged a reservation for my birthday! It is worth all the hype and accolades. We ordered 6 plates and it was the perfect amount. The mussels are perfection, I could eat those everyday. The cavatelli - superb! Honesty, it was all amazing. The staff is so warm, welcoming and personable too. We can’t wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
illata is such a beautiful and understated, elegant space with the best food and service in the city (in my opinion). Of the 13 years I've lived here, I've never felt so taken care of in a restaurant setting, and the food is to die for! I don't know who would ever give this place less than 5 stars.
We get the marinated mussels every time we go -- sometimes two orders of it! The tuna fennel and carrots + crab were very delicious too. I recommend getting the sourdough to clean off the plates ;)
Also, as a parent with little help or time to go out, my husband and I don't want to go anywhere else on our rare date nights. It's that good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was nothing short of an absolute joy to eat here. Each plate we ordered was mind-blowingly good. Sharing as many plates as we could, my group of four had a lovely time not just eating, but discussing and reflecting on each dish. Delicious, unique, intimate, and, for the quality of the experience, reasonably priced. I will be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service and the food are great. Everything is incredibly unique. The menu really doesn't begin to describe the complexity of the dishes!
A truly fantastic experience! Every dish was beautifully presented and bursted with flavor. The staff was also lovely. I would highly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
11/10 food & experience. Highly recommend. Got there at 4:45 to secure a walk in spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
SO so good. The dishes we had ranged from exceptional to mind blowing. It’s an extremely small restaurant but that just adds to the charm (if you’re lucky enough to get in!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A fabulous BYOB, with a small but unique menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We are so lucky to have such an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood. There are always unique, phenomenal options that are well crafted and delicious. The service is always friendly and professional, and we love every time we come.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent. Amazing service.
The food is exquisite. Layers of flavor! Staff is very friendly. Everyone seems to care about the full experience. A must on your list!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I really loved dinner for 2 here on Saturday night. We ordered 4 dishes and one dessert which was very reasonably priced all together. The dishes were quite good and service workers were exceptionally friendly. It was a little loud, but I think it's worth getting a reservation for!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance and service was awesome. Unfortunately everything had an acidic undertone which ultimately made all dishes taste the same despite the creativity. I probably would not revisit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
One of my favorite places to eat. The team is small but mighty. Food from the heart and mind and personality to match. I love this place 4ever 🫰
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I moved to the neighborhood from Brooklyn recently. One day while walking around, I passed this unassuming place. The only indication that it was open was a chair outside with a bouquet of flowers to pin down a paper menu to the chair. The menu looked divine.
A few days later I walked past, showing my partner that the place almost seemed closed from the outside but was very cute inside. Someone who worked there came out as we were looking and was very kind, asking us if we had reservations yet. We said no but booked immediately.
The first time I visited, I had the sourdough, Marinated Mussels (hakurei turnips, miso, chili oil), Carrot (crab, brown butter), Shrimp (peaches, coppa, toasted marcona almonds), and Gnudi (corn& basil). It was an entirely no-skips meal. The mussels came cold, out of their shell, and the sauce was incredible. The “carrot” was more like a crab cake with coconut, brown butter, and an unidentifiable but delightful citrus. A perfect balance of rich & light. The gnudi seemed simple, but the lightly spicy sauce really pulled all the ingredients together. Finally, the shrimp with peaches really knocked my socks off. Lots of places will make “seasonal” menus but not put the effort into making sure that produce is top notch. The peaches would’ve been delicious on their own, but with the rest of the dish, they really shined.
The second time I went (just a few weeks later) I got the Chicory Salad (anchovy, buttermilk, comte), the Steelhead Trout (sungold tomato, perilla), and a tuna crudo special. I also re-ordered the bread, the carrot with crab, and the gnudi. Everything was just as good as last time, and the new additions were truly worth trying. Something as simple as a chicory salad can be so hit or miss - but WOW!
For dessert we had the cherry brown butter tart with crème fraiche. No complaints at all here.
Now I’ve rambled on plenty about the delicious food, which I will be back for very soon, but I truly haven’t ever been to a place with better service. The workers are extremely attentive and kind. I felt like I’ve known everyone there for a long time.
Thank you, Illata, for being such a wonderful neighborhood spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I'll be the first to say that this was our second try here after a meh experience the first time. And I'm so glad we gave it a second chance because it was one of the best meals we've had in Philadelphia.
It's such an unassuming place, small, tables close together. But the staff are so friendly and really do make it an enjoyable experience.
There aren't SO many options but what we got we mostly enjoyed. The bread/butter can be hit or miss but I do recommend. The crab and carrot salad is a dish I would never have created but was one of our favorites of the night (and everyone seems to get this). The shrimp/peaches/coppa dish was also such a strange combo that we loved. Can't skip their version of a little gem salad. The lamb skewers were probably our least favorite but were still delicious.
It's BYOB and they're super helpful in giving you an ice dish/etc. should you need it.
Overall, they really seem to have come into themselves with their summer menu and found a flavor profile that has significantly improved.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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