Andiario calls itself a Pennsylvania restaurant in the borough of West Chester, but its culinary roots are firmly in Italy. After an extended closure, chef Anthony Andiario is back with a series of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday indoor dinners featuring his signature takes on Italian dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant. 

Trattoria Carina is the perfect neighborhood Italian spot. Start off the meal with a well made Aperol spritz and then move on to a chopped salad or charcuterie plate before digging into mains like spicy crab arrabbiata or gemelli with Meyer lemon and pistachio pesto. The all-Italian wine list keeps things reasonable with nothing over $60 a bottle. Reservations can be made online.

After an extended hiatus, Fairmount’s beloved BYOB A Mano is back in business. George Sabatino has taken over as executive chef and revamped the menu with starters like an heirloom tomato panzanella salad and honey grilled peaches with stracciatella. House-made pastas include lumache with corn and porcini butter, and mains like grilled branzino and chicken Milanese round out the menu. To get the full A Mano experience, opt for the four course family style Abbondanza menu. Reserve through Resy.

Co-owners Michael Schulson and Jeff Michaud have taken the name of their second Italian venture to heart, expanding the dining room onto Locust Street. Handmade pastas are the core of the menu and intriguing additions such as freshly baked focaccia with a variety of accompaniments and Italian accented mains like grilled swordfish with Prosecco vinaigrette round out the menu. Reservations for indoor and outdoor dining are available through Resy.

The Italy-Philly connection is strong at Center City’s bi-level Gran Caffe L’Aquila, a recreation of an Italian cafe destroyed in the 2009 earthquake that hit Abruzzo. The entire restaurant was designed and built in Italy before being shipped to Philly, along with its co-owners, Stefano Biasini and Michele Morelli. Biasini is a world champion gelato maker and even finds ways to incorporate the sweet stuff into savory entrees (think: truffle gelato melting over buttery pasta). Stop in for a scoop from the case in the front, or settle into one of the restaurants’ indoor or outdoor tables for the full experience. Reserve through the restaurant’s website.

Housed in a former gramophone shop on Dickinson Street, Victor Cafe is Philadelphia’s premier destination for red sauce Italian and live opera. Choose from a menu of straightforward Italian classics like linguine with clams and veal saltimbocca and enjoy an evening of being serenaded by opera singing servers. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant.

Is something automatically more fun when it has a secret, exclusive vibe? Maybe, but it helps when one of the region’s best Italian chefs is at the helm. A hundred years ago a group of expats from a town in Italy started a club in a South Philly rowhome and named it after an Italian painter. In 2016, chef Joey Baldino — known for his Collingswood destination spot Zeppoli — inherited the club from his uncle and now runs it as a members-only restaurant and bar. Those lucky enough to hold a membership card feast on raviolo, spiedini, spaghetti with crabs, and tricolor spumoni.

After more than 20 years, Marc Vetri’s landmark Italian restaurant, set in an elegant townhome with room for just 32 diners, is still one of the most essential dining experiences Philly has to offer. The tasting menu experience ($135 per person) can be booked online and diners can look forward to a customizable multi-course menu featuring classics like ricotta spinach gnocchi and a truffled sweet onion crepe with options for luxe add-ons like foie gras pastrami and paired wines.

It’s been a decade-plus since Marc Vetri expanded from his small ristorante Vetri to bigger digs with Osteria. An ownership changes means the North Broad Street restaurant is now in the more-than-capable hands of James Beard Award winner Jeff Michaud, who’s been with Osteria since the beginning, and prolific restaurateur Michael Schulson. Consistently one of Philadelphia’s top Italian — and overall — restaurants, Osteria’s charred-crust pizzas and delicate pastas are always winners. The restaurant’s patio is primed for warm weather dining. Book though Resy.

When everyone’s favorite Res Ipsa Cafe closed last year, executive chef Michael Vincent Ferreri’s traditional-with-a-twist Sicilian fare was dearly missed in the city. A year later, though, Ferreri has taken over the reopening of Irwin’s on the rooftop of Bok Building in South Philly and diners can rejoice. You’d be forgiven for thinking a reservation at Irwin’s is all about the view — at Bok Building, there’s nothing like it — but it’s Ferreri’s family-style dorade, fritto misto, and handmade pastas that really take the cake. Reservations can be made through Resy.

Old school is the name of the game at Dante & Luigi’s, going strong since 1899. With its high ceilings, chandeliers, fireplace, wainscoting, and white tablecloths, the South Philly spot is the most upscale of the city’s historic Italian restaurants. But talk about street cred: As the story goes, Dante & Luigi’s was once the scene of an attempted mob hit. Go for the ricotta gnocchi, lasagna, or perciatelli Genovese, a richer spin on a classic Bolognese. This South Philly stalwart is offering sidewalk as well as dining room tables. Reserve by calling the restaurant.

For more than a century, Ralph’s has been a Philly institution. This place isn’t just locally famous: It’s considered the oldest Italian restaurant in the country. More than a few celebrities have come through the door, including Frank Sinatra, Taylor Swift, and Joe Biden (not all at once). Devoted diners keep coming back for sausage and peppers, mussels, pasta, and veal parm. Ralph’s is still family-run and much of its staff has been around for decades. Reservations are available for indoor and outdoor seating.

Marc Vetri’s Italian Market pasta bar is perennially packed and for good reason. From creative cocktails like the Dirty Pasta Water Martini to a tight menu full of fantastic small plates and gorgeous handmade pastas, there’s a lot to love about this former butcher shop turned dining destination. Reservations are available through Tock.

At Fiore Fine Foods in Queen Village, there are a range of options on offer for a host of different tastes — from picture-perfect breakfast pastries to elegant pasta dishes for dinnertime like ricotta gnudi and orecchiette with pork and tomatillo ragu. The amaro cocktails and the rotating menu of luxe gelatos are highlights for after dinner. Reservations can be made for the outdoor patio or indoor dining room online.

South Philly native Joey Baldino worked his way up to chef de cuisine at Vetri before opening his 35-seat BYOB in 2011. He focuses on Sicilian cooking at Zeppoli, a short ride across the river in Collingswood, New Jersey. It’s the only spot on this list that isn’t in Philadelphia proper, but it’s too good not to include. Don’t skip the overflowing antipasto to start or the zeppoli Siciliano for dessert. Reservations for indoor and outdoor dining are available through Resy.