Little Nonna’s

I like the outdoors seating atmosphere a lot. Not great for big parties as the restaurant as a whole is small. After viewing the menu before we arrived I was planning on getting the seafood mixed grill. Upon arrival I learned it was taken off the menu so I was a little disappointed. I don’t usually do heavy Italian food. I had the branzino instead. The portion was decent but the food was incredibly salty. Our waitress was nice and attentive despite it being busy on the first night of Sips.

We had a great first visit to Little Nonna’s last Friday night. I had made a reservation the week before, and didn’t have a problem getting a prime 7:30pm spot on a busy night.
The space itself is really inviting and charming. We were seated at one of the two-​top tables along the long wall in the restaurant.
We tried to sample the menu the best we could, without breaking the bank or way over-​ordering (a common theme we seem to have.) But, our server encouraged us and confirmed that our choices were an appropriate amount of food.
We ordered:
–Garlic Bread
–BVP Meatballs
–Pan-​seared gnocchi
–Swordfish a la Sicilian
To be honest, I was underwhelmed by the garlic bread. But all of that can be forgiven because of the BVP Meatballs. Super flavorful and tender, with the killer combo of polenta and sauce — super delicious.
The pan-​seared gnocchi and the Swordfish were both delicate and light, but still very flavorful and hearty. The Swordfish had these amazing grill marks which made it so visually appealing, and the bed of grains with the hints of orange and prosciutto was really surprising and tasty.
For dessert, we couldn’t resist the Marscapone cheesecake, rich and classic.
Service was fantastic and very quick.

I thought the food here was good but not great. The service and presentation of the food were both on point. The noodles in the spaghetti and meatballs were over salted, and the meatballs were overcooked. The meatballs tasted quite dry and gamey — not what I had expected. I also tried the Lancaster chicken. It was a light dish with the chicken cooked in wine — not exactly what I was expecting but it was very flavorful. Definitely willing to come back, but will likely opt for Giorgio’s down the block.

All of the stars. God bless this place.
Get the Eggplant Parm, the meatballs, the garlic bread. Enjoy your life for christs sake.

I’ve never had a less than delicious meal here. But my absolute favorite thing on the menu is the Sunday Gravy – meatballs, sausage, tender ribs and broccoli rabe, smothered in red sauce worthy of any nonna, plus a side of whatever the pasta on hand is that day. Order a salad or another app, and it’s a nicely sized meal for two.
If you can, get a table in the sunroom out back. A lovely little escape from the bustle of 13^th Street.

WOW. Wow. Just wow. Ordered the spaghetti and meatballs but what I got was a life changing experience. Absolutely delicious cheese filled meatballs loaded with flavor and spices. Spaghetti perfectly cooked and nice and saucy. Garlic bread was also incredibly tasty and full of buttery garlic flavor. First meal in Philadelphia and I am floored.

The interior (and exterior patio) of Little Nonna’s is enchanting, and its truly what made our date night last night so special. The service was impersonable, but attentive, needless to say we were not over impressed by our waiter. Unfortunately last night was so hot my boyfriend couldn’t bear to sit outside on their patio, but we did agree to come back on a cooler night.
Unfortunately the food was not really a stand out for me. We chose the meatballs appetizer, cesear salad and eggplant parm (starter size), gnocchi, and tiramisu to end. Highlights included the polenta with the spicy, sausage-​heavy meatballs, the pillow like gnocchi, and our drinks, the Italian Lemonade (very refreshing!) However, the salad, eggplant parm, and the gnocchi were EXTREMELY salty. Like almost unbearably salty, to the point where I only made it halfway through my starter-​size eggplant parmesan before calling it quits, which was really unfortunate. The salad was so salty it honestly did not taste like vegetables. The kitchen could have absolutely substituted a spritz of lemon on that instead of heavy salt. The gnocchi were fluffy, however there was a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt over top. Every bite was practically like chewing through salty sand; much too grainy and over seasoned.
I would have expressed this to my server, but he did not ask how our meals were. Unfortunately he did not get the hint after I only made it halfway through my salad and eggplant parm.
The tiramisu would have been dreadfully boring, had it not been for the adorable teacup it was served in. The homemade whipped cream was a nice added touch, but the entire dessert was lacking that rich, cloying Kahlua/​espresso flavor. It almost had none, which was really disappointing.
Would I come back? Probably. The outdoor patio makes it worth it, especially because we felt cramped inside. However, I would absolutely make it a point to ask the chef to withhold the salt, because this morning I woke up feeling like a pufferfish I was so bloated!

SOOOOOOOO good. I usually like pretty classic Italian dishes and Little Nona’s has a smaller menu but everything is really a level up.
My one piece of advice is make reservations– it is pretty difficult to walk in and they only seat walk ins on their covered patio that isn’t huge.
We ordered the burratta, mussels and bruschetta for appetizers and then split the spaghetti and meatballs (it is a HUGE order, definitely enough for 2 people). Everything was so great and didn’t make me think that this was something I could just make at home. We had cheesecake for dessert and it was also a huge piece.
The restaurant is pretty small but very intimate and nicely decorated. The staff was attentive and no complaints there!
We will definitely be back.

I came here last weekend with my friend. We sat outside in the garden. The service is great. We ordered the garlic bread (yumm) to start. My friend ordered the meatballs and spaghetti. She loved it — the meatballs are the size of softballs and there was a mound of pasta. I ordered the eggplant parm with a side of pasta. It was good. There was plenty for leftovers. I will definitely return. The staff is very friendly. The prices are very reasonable.

Little Nonna’s is in a nice spot in south Center City and an intimate dining room. It’s cozy, a bit dark, and with hanging string lights. It features both an indoor dining room and a heated garden outside. We opted for inside on this overcast day.
A carafe of wine and a three course meal split between my best friend and I cost us a very reasonable ~$ 65. The carafe of red was about $ 26 of this, and we each had a nice 2 glasses.
For our first course, we had toast with burrata, asparagus, soy beans, tossed in dressing and topped with crispy proscuitto. I liked this so much, I’m making it at home. It was big enough to split between us two.
For our main course, we had the spaghetti. Two large and tender meatballs served alongside a fresh spaghetti in marinara sauce. It was an incredible value for just $ 16. Those meatballs were delicious!
For the final course and the ringer was the tiramisu. A mixed version of the traditional Italian dessert had creamy custard mixed with cake. It was so rich, the whipped cream on top probably was unnecessary. We ate it anyway, of course. The crispy cookies on top made it the perfect balance.
We ate a pretty early dinner at 6:00, so there was no wait with our reservation. The house filled up though, as we reached the dinner hour, so I’d always be sure to make a reservation to avoid a wait.
I’ll be back! Enjoy!

My cousins and I had a delicious dinner here on Saturday night. We were able to sit in they beautiful additional dining room and enjoy the ambience there. Everything was so good. The only thing we didn’t like much was the Caesar salad because it was very heavy on the anchovies. We all like our Caesar salad more tangy than salty. My favorite part was the arrancini; it was unbelievable.

The food is so good here. We actually stumbled here as the line for Green Eggs was too long. I did the $ 20 tasting menu which was a great deal for the quantity. The wild mushroom arancini was amazing. The gnocchi was so filling and delicious, and apparently I ordered the wrong dessert, but I thought the cannoli was delicious. So maybe you can’t go wrong — just personal preference. Next time I come back I’ll be sure to try the eggplant parm. As a vegetarian, I didn’t taste the meatballs and neither did the person I was with, but when I bring my friends again I’ll be sure to.
The place is definitely not meant for huge groups although there are reasonably sized tables in the back, especially a group of 10. The ambience is definitely more lunch/​dinner than brunch, but still warm and cozy nonetheless.

The food here is simply amazing. We started off with garlic bread which was toasted to perfection and it comes with roasted garlic on the side that you can spread into your bread! So good!
Then for dinner we got the Sunday gravy and a pesto pasta dish. Unfortunately the pasta came with a really long hair cooked into the dish, but the staff handled it perfectly! They brought me a complementary appetizer while I waited for them to remake my dish. They went above and beyond what I expected them to do and everything was sooooo delicious!
They even comped my desert which they didn’t have to do but it was amazing! I had the tiramisu which was so good I wish took one to go. Overall I had a very good experience here. The food was amazing and the service was exceptional.
TLDR: You should eat here, the food is AMAZING!!!

Good, comforting Italian food — but slow service the time I went there. We were the first ones in the restaurant at 11:45am on a Friday afternoon, and the cozy restaurant filled up really fast. They have a $ 20 tasting menu which allows you to choose an appetizer, main course and dessert from three options each, and it really is a good deal; portions were sizable and left me satisfied.
I started off with the little gem Caesar. The vegetables were crunchy (some of them were grilled I believe), with the right amount of dressing mixed in evenly and this amazing huge croûton-​looking thing that was hot when you bit into it. I was already decently filled by the time I finished the salad — which was fortunate because we proceeded to waiting for a long long time for our main courses. Tables who came after us were all served before us, so I’m not sure if this was a typical experience here or if it was just a bad day for the kitchen. Anyhow, by the time we got our mains I was hungry again. I chose the meatballs with polenta, which came with two huge meatballs. I really enjoyed the polenta with its creaminess, and it goes well with the tomato sauce.
Overall, good food at a fair price, but service could be better based on my visit this time. They did ending up giving one of the salads we had for free, but the wait was unreasonably long. Would give them another try though, especially when their courtyard portion opens up in the spring /​summer!

It’s one of my favorite spots in Philly! It has a very warm and charming interior, especially if you get a table in the courtyard in the evening. The pasta dishes are very good and the salad we ordered was refreshing. If you’re looking for a small place to have good food and have good conversations, I highly recommend this place.

Be still my heart!
A charming, intimate, Italian joint with delicious pasta and great service! I finally got to try this place and I was very pleased all around. The pasta dish I had was delicious and I can’t wait to go back and try something else.
Little Nonna’s is a perfect spot for a date. The portions aren’t so big that you end up stuffing yourself (which is a date no-​no), and there’s a decent selection for dessert to share. If you haven’t been here this is a great place to check out.

Making it a point to check out all the retardants on 13^th st, I suggested little nonnas to my best friend for her birthday dinner on sat and turns out she wanted to go there too. Without a reservation available on opentable, we did a walk in at 7:30pm on a Saturday and luckily had seats at the counter. The restaurant is very cozy and charming, with rustic decorations and European teacups as decorations. It’s perfect for a romantic dinner or intimate meal with close friends.
Sitting at the counter had its perks since we got to watch the cooks perform their magic. Everything looked delicious and it was tempting to order way more than we could afford to squeeze into our tummies.
Our waiter was very attentive throughout the evening. We decided to share our food: got the squash bruschetta which had a creamy yet zesty taste topped with the crunch of the apples on top. The beets salads was really yummy. The best part was the spaghetti and meatballs, the meatballs being the size of my palm. It was a little burnt on the outside of the meatball, but still tasty. Of course, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente. We finished the meal with the blood orange basil water ice, texture was like a sherbet. So refreshing ! I would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves Italian food but enjoys a romantic atmosphere.

Came here for lunch — it’s not that big of a place, so I would recommend making reservations ahead of time. They also have a nice string of lights.
They have a decent lunch tasting menu — 3 items (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) for $ 20 bucks — essentially a restaurant week special all year long. The choices you get are apart of the normal menu. I got:
Appetizer — wild mushroom arancini. Three risotto balls that have mozzarella and truffle aioli to dip. Very crispy and gooey on the inside.
Entrée: stuffed fontina meatballs made with beef, veal, and pork served on a bed of polenta, and san marzano gravy. The sauce was a little too salty for me. The meatballs also ha da little spice to them, which I liked. I was baiscally almost full after eating the meatballs and polenta! Also would’ve preferred more fontina in the meatball.
Dessert: Hazelnut cannoli — tasted like a nice ferrero rocher to end the meal!
Lunch overall took about 1:15 — 1:20 minutes. It took a while for the food to come by the table even though it wasn’t as busy when we came in. Pretty affordable options, so would come check out their other options!

Wow. Just wow. Little Nonna’s is so spectacular. This tiny Italian restaurant packs so much complexity and flavor into every morsel it serves.
I had the pleasure of dining at Little Nonna’s on a Thursday evening. It was early, but the place was packed solid — which is probably a common occurrence, since the restaurant is teeny-​tiny. Thankfully, I was able to snag one of the last available first-​come-​first-​serve seats at the back counter, overlooking the kitchen.
The server dropped by to grab my drink order. I always try to have wine with Italian food, and she recommended an inexpensive yet tasty Pinot Grigio. — not too sweet, perfect for sipping, and pairs well with most things.
She also told me that the best way for a newbie to experience Little Nonna’s is to resist the temptation to fill up on a large pasta dish and, instead, try a sampling of their smaller plates. So that’s what I did.
First course was a plate of wild mushroom arancini (a.k.a. deep-​fried risotto balls). This dish was mind-​blowingly delicious. It’s the best risotto I’ve ever had, and it’s probably one of the best Italian dishes *of any kind* I’ve ever had. These balls were simultaneously crispy, creamy, savory, sweet — the total gastronomic package.
Next up was the eggplant parmesan. This dish is nothing like the heavy, one-​note eggplant parmesan served elsewhere, where you can’t even identify the eggplant in a sea of breading, cheese, and grease. Nope — Nonna makes the eggplant the star, with just enough breading to provide crisp and just enough cheese provide layers of flavor. This dish let the eggplant shine, and I loved it.
To finish the meal, I had the tiramisu, which was also total perfection. It was served beautifully, towering high in a large teacup. The flavors were perfect, and not to sweet either. I loved the touch of fresh hazelnuts, which gave this tiramisu a contrasting crunchy texture that other tiramisus lack.
To say I love Little Nonna’s is an understatement. If I lived in the area, I’d be dining here over and over again. It’s the real deal — check it out for yourself!

Walking in to Little Nonna’s brought one overwhelming question: «where are all the customers.» As the night progressed, it was easy to see why.
Though you can immediately tell this is a sister restaurant of Barbuzzo and the others (mostly from the little string lights and charming interior, the service is almost distinctively different. Perhaps it was just the waitress, but at best, it was always awkward and forced anytime she approached the table. On several occasions, we had to remind her about our orders or drink refills. The worst phrase you can hear after being seated for 5 minutes is «are you ready to order.» No only did we hear this once… we had it chirped to us 4 to 5 times. It rushed us to order and didn’t offer enough time to process the menu. Additionally, she couldn’t recommend anything on the menu because «it was all good.» Ok???
The food was relatively ok… but the menu lacked classic Italian dishes that you’d certainly expect to find at your Nonna’s house (hello– where’s the lasagna). Barbuzzo’s meatballs are a grade above what you’ll find here, and that facet actually made me wonder why they didn’t borrow more heavily from those instead. In fact, can we just admit that Barbuzzo borderlines Italian anyway?!? I really question the existence of Nonna’s given that.
The highlight of the meal was definitely the tiramisu… which of all the Marcie and Valerie restaurants, the iteration of the dish here stands out as the best. It’s not marred by the striated attempts to reinvent the dish (which is evident at Barbuzzo by the drenching of Amaretto flavoring they use).
I wouldn’t return to Little Nonna’s…especially considering the steep competition in Philly for Italian.