The best Italian - hands down. Certainly the experience is as close to Italy as you can get in the US. So many dishes to chose from, just pick one and know whatever you picked was going to be awesome. Also this place is BYOB so you can have each course paired with a bottle of your choice.
Kathy Vickers
My dearest girlfriends and I, had a wonderful dinner this evening. Staff was amazing the food was delicious from beginning to end and the atmosphere was perfect. Thank you chef, for a delightful outing.
Blake Ertner
Fantastic food and super friendly service, to bad they are closing :(
Martin Spellman Jr.
No better BYOB in the city. Truly one of a kind
Adam Braunton
Great little Italian, sorry it's closing
Remedy BCN
One of the best, sad to see you go
Austin B.
tl;dr a quaint Italian trattoria, offering traditional and straightforward Old World cooking White tablecloths, wine and beer aplenty, a mural of an Italian cobblestone street, loud chatter drowning out the instrumental soundtrack, and a menu featuring Italian classic -- all of these are the name of the game at Ristorante Tre Scalini. One of the early players on the BYOB scene, this family-run trattoria is among the old guard at East Passyunk. With its impending closure at year's end, Philadelphia will lose a piece of its food history. It'd be a crime for me to let the year finish having not given Tre Scalini a whirl. And, so it seems, everyone else had the same idea. My partner and I called last-minute for a Saturday night reservation and lucked out with a cancelation at 8:30PM. Excited, we picked up a Cabernet Sauvignon and arrived a few minutes early to our reservation. We were informed that they were running behind, and it would be a few minutes. Both of us unconcerned, we took a stroll down Passyunk to check out the Christmas decorations. Yet, when we arrived back by 8:45, our table was still not available -- it was not until nearly 9PM that we were finally seated. Our meal began with bread and vegetable hummus to whet our appetites -- a tall (and, unfortunately, future) order for our ravenous bellies. We opted for the Polenta del Giorno, the Ravioli con Carne di Granchio alla Crema, the Gnocchi di Casa alla Molisano, and the Vitello Piccante. The polenta topped with sautéed broccoli rabe and sprinkled with red pepper. The piping hot temperature complemented the zing of red pepper, while the bitter broccoli rabe contrasted the savory, char-grilled polenta brick. The pastas, both made in-house and served al dente, came out together. These were the highlight of our meal, and we found ourselves dipping bread into any leftovers of sauce. The lobster ravioli was stuffed with a hearty shellfish-and-cheese filling, then coated generously with a robust tomato-cream sauce, swirls of melted cheese, and lumps of crab meat. The potato-saffron gnocchi, meanwhile, melted in our mouths, as a sweet-and-savoriness from the red-sauce ragu left a lingering complexity of flavor on the tip of our tongues. We ended our main courses with the veal, thinly pounded into two exceedingly tender medallions, then topped with an oil-based lemon-caper sauce. Similarly delicious, I only wish there was a stronger flavor to the sauce. At this point, our waitress (the daughter of the owner) expressed her apologies and offered us dessert and coffee on the house. We opted for the Tiramisu and the Lemon Sorbet. The tiramisu combined the light creaminess of a mousse with the bold flavors of an espresso shot and was among the best I've had in recent memory. The sorbet was served in a halved lemon skin, a whimsical take on the dish. Although somewhat on the pricey side, at $45 each (without including the cost of dessert), the no-frills take on Italian classics masterful tow the balance between comfortable and sophisticated. It's a shame that I hadn't discovered this gem sooner, but as the saying goes: Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
Bruce F.
Very pleased with the service. I don't think the server was arrogant, but he was Italian. He kept our wine glasses full and balanced being attentive without being intrusive. The food is a little dated and the menu hasn't changed much since their old location, but it's still good. Not a fan of the tomato basil sauce, but that's me. Loved the ragu which last night was short rib ragu, but is also made sometimes with wild boar. The pastas are all fresh and well cooked. The meats grilled and flavorful. We had grilled lamb chops as an appetizer and they were perfect. My veal chop was well cooked, though a little under seasoned. My wife enjoyed the bronzino. My kids loved the parpadelle and gnocchi dishes. My mom raved about her veal fillet medallions with mushrooms and her husband ate every bit of his zuppe de pesce . I don't think $350 including tax and tip is bad for a party of 7, certainly not expensive. I understand that Tre Scalini will be closing after New Years and it is probably time. The cooking is straight forward and simple and has not kept up with times. While I enjoyed my meal I probably wouldn't rush back bcs there are so many options in the city and burbs. However Tre Scalini has been a part of the BYOB trend that helped propel the restaurant scene in Philly, pay it back by saying goodbye and have one last taste of old school simple Italian fare!
Fine scene for delicious Italian food. it's so delicious. the place has a nice feel to it.
110rose723
The best Italian food I ever ate out, so sorry to hear they’re closing at the end of the year. Staff very accommodating
Benjamin K.
Nothing new foodwise, but unfortunately, Tre Scalini will be closing at the end of this year. Kind of surprising and not surprising at the same time, as South Philly has been changing a lot (many fewer Italian restaurants, and those that are Italian, are more of a different style like Le Virtu) and people's tastes change. I have had many memories here since I was a kid, so for me, this is quite side. I'll try to get back before it closes.
Melissa H.
This place is amazing. I love their lobster ravioli. The apps are really good too. The muscles in red and the eggplant app is delicious. I would recommend and definitely be back. And its BYOB which is a plus.
Amazing food
It was great they're closed now
The best Italian - hands down. Certainly the experience is as close to Italy as you can get in the US. So many dishes to chose from, just pick one and know whatever you picked was going to be awesome. Also this place is BYOB so you can have each course paired with a bottle of your choice.
My dearest girlfriends and I, had a wonderful dinner this evening. Staff was amazing the food was delicious from beginning to end and the atmosphere was perfect. Thank you chef, for a delightful outing.
Fantastic food and super friendly service, to bad they are closing :(
No better BYOB in the city. Truly one of a kind
Great little Italian, sorry it's closing
One of the best, sad to see you go
tl;dr a quaint Italian trattoria, offering traditional and straightforward Old World cooking White tablecloths, wine and beer aplenty, a mural of an Italian cobblestone street, loud chatter drowning out the instrumental soundtrack, and a menu featuring Italian classic -- all of these are the name of the game at Ristorante Tre Scalini. One of the early players on the BYOB scene, this family-run trattoria is among the old guard at East Passyunk. With its impending closure at year's end, Philadelphia will lose a piece of its food history. It'd be a crime for me to let the year finish having not given Tre Scalini a whirl. And, so it seems, everyone else had the same idea. My partner and I called last-minute for a Saturday night reservation and lucked out with a cancelation at 8:30PM. Excited, we picked up a Cabernet Sauvignon and arrived a few minutes early to our reservation. We were informed that they were running behind, and it would be a few minutes. Both of us unconcerned, we took a stroll down Passyunk to check out the Christmas decorations. Yet, when we arrived back by 8:45, our table was still not available -- it was not until nearly 9PM that we were finally seated. Our meal began with bread and vegetable hummus to whet our appetites -- a tall (and, unfortunately, future) order for our ravenous bellies. We opted for the Polenta del Giorno, the Ravioli con Carne di Granchio alla Crema, the Gnocchi di Casa alla Molisano, and the Vitello Piccante. The polenta topped with sautéed broccoli rabe and sprinkled with red pepper. The piping hot temperature complemented the zing of red pepper, while the bitter broccoli rabe contrasted the savory, char-grilled polenta brick. The pastas, both made in-house and served al dente, came out together. These were the highlight of our meal, and we found ourselves dipping bread into any leftovers of sauce. The lobster ravioli was stuffed with a hearty shellfish-and-cheese filling, then coated generously with a robust tomato-cream sauce, swirls of melted cheese, and lumps of crab meat. The potato-saffron gnocchi, meanwhile, melted in our mouths, as a sweet-and-savoriness from the red-sauce ragu left a lingering complexity of flavor on the tip of our tongues. We ended our main courses with the veal, thinly pounded into two exceedingly tender medallions, then topped with an oil-based lemon-caper sauce. Similarly delicious, I only wish there was a stronger flavor to the sauce. At this point, our waitress (the daughter of the owner) expressed her apologies and offered us dessert and coffee on the house. We opted for the Tiramisu and the Lemon Sorbet. The tiramisu combined the light creaminess of a mousse with the bold flavors of an espresso shot and was among the best I've had in recent memory. The sorbet was served in a halved lemon skin, a whimsical take on the dish. Although somewhat on the pricey side, at $45 each (without including the cost of dessert), the no-frills take on Italian classics masterful tow the balance between comfortable and sophisticated. It's a shame that I hadn't discovered this gem sooner, but as the saying goes: Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
Very pleased with the service. I don't think the server was arrogant, but he was Italian. He kept our wine glasses full and balanced being attentive without being intrusive. The food is a little dated and the menu hasn't changed much since their old location, but it's still good. Not a fan of the tomato basil sauce, but that's me. Loved the ragu which last night was short rib ragu, but is also made sometimes with wild boar. The pastas are all fresh and well cooked. The meats grilled and flavorful. We had grilled lamb chops as an appetizer and they were perfect. My veal chop was well cooked, though a little under seasoned. My wife enjoyed the bronzino. My kids loved the parpadelle and gnocchi dishes. My mom raved about her veal fillet medallions with mushrooms and her husband ate every bit of his zuppe de pesce . I don't think $350 including tax and tip is bad for a party of 7, certainly not expensive. I understand that Tre Scalini will be closing after New Years and it is probably time. The cooking is straight forward and simple and has not kept up with times. While I enjoyed my meal I probably wouldn't rush back bcs there are so many options in the city and burbs. However Tre Scalini has been a part of the BYOB trend that helped propel the restaurant scene in Philly, pay it back by saying goodbye and have one last taste of old school simple Italian fare!
Restaurantji Recommends
Fine scene for delicious Italian food. it's so delicious. the place has a nice feel to it.
The best Italian food I ever ate out, so sorry to hear they’re closing at the end of the year. Staff very accommodating
Nothing new foodwise, but unfortunately, Tre Scalini will be closing at the end of this year. Kind of surprising and not surprising at the same time, as South Philly has been changing a lot (many fewer Italian restaurants, and those that are Italian, are more of a different style like Le Virtu) and people's tastes change. I have had many memories here since I was a kid, so for me, this is quite side. I'll try to get back before it closes.
This place is amazing. I love their lobster ravioli. The apps are really good too. The muscles in red and the eggplant app is delicious. I would recommend and definitely be back. And its BYOB which is a plus.
Fabulous food. Great service. Loved it.