Reviews for A Mano in Philadelphia, PA
This was our third time at A Mano. I love the energy of the dining room. The coziness of sharing the long bench with fellow... diners creates an intimate atmosphere. Picking up tid bits of conversation is a form of mid-meal entertainment and it alwaysseems as though a group is celebrating a birthday or other occasion. The menu is brief but being locked into a three or fourcourse meal allows you to customize your experience. Strategy is important when dining at A Mano. I thought to myself ?the porkbelly appetizer sounds lovely but if I order that I probably shouldn?t also get the pork shank as my main.? I?ve had both onseparate occasions and they are the two most memorable dishes in my opinion, so next time I may throw strategy out the window.If you opt for a pasta main course, the portion is sizable, which is of course welcome. I feel upscale pasta dishes are alwaystoo small. There is something nostalgic about a big plate of pasta and A Mano?s pasta is a refined version of the food ofchildhood. This trip I noticed everything I ate was perfectly seasoned. The last course was tiramisu. It was a sweet andpleasant end to the meal, but not anything more noteworthy than that. Don?t be in a rush when dining here. Enjoy the bottle(s)of wine and company your with. Read more
I am not one to leave a negative review but honestly this was some of the worst Italian food I?ve had in Philly. My boyfriend... and I went for a date night and waited 20 mins past our reservation time. Once we were finally seated, we decided to do thechef?s tasting menu. We were told each tasting menu was a set price. Once we got the check, there was $15 extra added. Theserver was very knowledgeable about the menu and went into an in-depth explanation before we ordered, conveniently leaving outanything about added fees for certain dishes. When we asked about the fee she said ?it?s for the ingredients?. I asked why weweren?t told about it and she said ?it?s on the menu?. After re reviewing the menu, there is a very encrypted, tiny message nextto the dishes that cost extra which honestly means nothing without an explanation. It?s ridiculous to advertise a set price forany of the dishes on the tasting menu and then hit your customers with surprise fees at the end. If the food was good Iwouldn?t even care, but it was not. As someone who has lived in Italy and grew up eating Italian food, this is sub par Italianfood. The sauces may have been from a jar. The serving sizes were embarrassing. Definitely won?t go back or recommend. Read more
Good food but not what it was. I have been here a few times over the years. Unfortunately, the quality of the dishes has... diminished over time. In my most recent visit the fish was very over cooked, the meat was under-flavored and many of thevegetables and pasta dishes were excessively oiled. The service and ambiance is always excellent. Read more
One of the better BYOB experiences in the city. They have two tiers of tasting menus which I feel offered great value. Service... was outstanding. Highly recommend the pork belly starter and mushroom risotto if it?s offered. Try to save room for dessert, theberry panna cotta was incredible as well! Read more
Very good food, fair portions, great presentation, and solid service. There was only a 3 or 4 course tasting menu happening... which was a surprise. The burrata and pork belly starters were my favorite, all the pastas were solid, though I?d have to saythe cavatelli a bit too heavy on the lemon. Read more
Stopped by A Mano for an early Friday dinner and was very impressed. Previously this restaurant was cash only, but as of... September 2021 A Mano accepts card as well. In addition to being BYOB, this is a small Italian style restaurant with outdoorseating and a breezy main indoor dining area. While there are two multi-course options, we decided to select our own platesfrom the different categories. These included foccacia bread, scallop crudo, pesto gnocchi, mushroom and corn pasta, and thebranzino. Every dish was fantastic. I would have preferred slightly larger portions, but that is really my only complaint.Service was very good and fast, and our overall meal was a great experience. We fully plan to return - this definitely feelslike a South Philly restaurant which found its way up to Fairmount, and I would argue it can compete with all the other optionsin this category without a problem. Read more
When I tell you we must have been sleeping under a rock, we live not 8 minutes away from this place... and ma'am, I used to live... in Rome. This place is nothing short of incredible not only as a dining experience but as an Italian cuisine experience. Loveit. Will be back soon. Read more
We really enjoyed our meal here, and loved the flexibility that one person could get 3 courses and the other could get 4, so we... could try a secondi without having too much food. I probably liked the starters the best (burrata and the pork belly), but allof the dishes were truly delicious and interesting. We loved the range of menu choices, they're really showing off the varietyof Italian cuisine from several different regions. The service was fantastic, friendly, efficient and professional. We willdefinitely come back when we're in Philly again! Read more