La Viola - West

Great food, we also learned about bring your own wine.

Omg what a find, I was looking at restaurant week places and found this gem, food was great, the service was even better. But best was one of the owners Dominick, his stories were so genuine. I love that guy

I had a delicious lunch here, it was restaurant week. Spinach gnocchi w salad. Bread. I tried two of my aunt and Uncle's dishes. Also very delicious. Broke diet in a big way with the tiramisu. Ate half my aunts tartuffo as well, she asked me. I couldn't let it just melt. Located in center city. I love how you can tell the building has been there. La Viola makes the spot cozy. I will miss the greater PHL area and this spot. Cheers.

This was a gem to discover! It’s cash only and BYOB. Buy a bottle and come enjoy some delicious Italian food. The outdoor seating is on the sidewalk but it’s still nice to be outside. The customer service is excellent. I would definitely recommend this place.

Went for a quick lunch during restaurant week. The food was fantastic and the staff was so kind, but it’s important to note that they’re cash only!

Had a wonderful experience for dinner. The service is exceptional. The staff was very attentive. Food was delicious. Highly recommend.

We went for a private party. The room was downstairs which if you had any mobility issues would have been a problem. The food was wonderful. The staff was wonderful and accommodating. The room was really really noisy

Had an amazing dinner a La Viola Ovest this evening. The food was fabulous and the server was great.

We had a table for 16. 9 adults and 7 children. The service was outstanding. Bread was constantly served. The waiter was super attentive. The food ….. fantastic!!! Dining with a large party can come with normal disappointments. But not this place. Everyone was served quickly , efficiently and with excellent hot meals. We will certainly be back !!!

Food was amazing, a nice intimate setting. Staff and service was wonderful. What a nice kept little secret. Definitely check this place out for your next date night, girls night out, or family dinner.

So delicious! Great food, fun atmosphere. A bit chaotic, but thats Philly baby!

We held a large dinner here for 20 over the weekend, and the team at La Viola went above and beyond for us. From putting the dinner together, to the service, and to the entire experience. 10/10. Thank you so much!

As a first time guest I couldn’t have been more impressed. Hands down the best meal I’ve had dining out maybe ever. From the Cesar salad to the main course…. Delicious!!!! The owner stopped at the table and gave us a warm welcome and the rest of the service was great as well! We will be going back.

On Friday, December 12th, 2025 Manager Ore and the entire La Viola West team went above and beyond to make my fiancé’s 40th birthday surprise absolutely unforgettable. Every year, my (now) fiancé looks forward to visiting La Viola, and this experience reminded us exactly why. From the moment we arrived, the team was incredibly attentive, thoughtful, and consistently polite. Any time I needed something, it was handled promptly and with care, making the entire evening feel seamless and special. They even validated our parking which was incredibly helpful since nearby parking garages were full. Thank you, Ore, and the La Viola West team for creating such a warm and memorable celebration. You helped turn a milestone birthday into a moment we’ll cherish for years to come. We can’t wait to return!

This TOTALLY hit the spot. I had the bolognese and she had the orecchiette. Both were delicious with hearty portions. And the bread they serve has the perfect texture. Quiet, small, intimate setting, with a professional waitstaff. Highly recommended.

Most important - this is a CASH only restaurant. I went there for lunch and was the only customer at 12 pm on a Wednesday! Food was quite good. I got the Caeser salad and ravioli alla viola.

La Viola is a consistently good neighborhood Italian bistro in Center City/ Rittenhouse Square area. The ambiance is friendly with a very acceptable noise level. Pasta is fresh and homemade. A number of good selections that Tilapia Picatta (pictured) Sautéed tilapia with lemon, capers, and white wine sauce, topped with shrimp. And leave room for their tasty desserts. BYO-

Very nice atmosphere.. Good medium priced menue My only problem is that they had Tilapia as one of their specials. A fish that in my humble opinion is not that good. Look it up to find out why

Food was great however staff was clearly overwhelmed. Not the best Italian food around but, overall, still pretty good.

Restaurant week lunch was excellent. I really enjoyed the chicken and shrimp marsala. I’m glad it wasn’t weighed down by a mound of pasta. Also cash only.

Overall, the service was great. I would highly recommend this place if you plan on having a large party or group of people. In terms of the food, I ordered the "Pollo Al Limone". While the portion was smaller than I had expected, the presentation of the food was excellent. The actual dish was very good and I would put it amongst some of the best Italian food that I have had. I would recommend going here with an Italian friend for interpretation purposes. For desert, I ordered Peach Sorbet. The presentation was good but the actual sorbet was average.

I had a mostly positive experience but a few things left me feeling put off. I'll start with the positive... the food was good (not amazing), basic in it's preparation, presentation and flavors. But I find that often, simple food can be some of the best. The service was good (not great), ample but not particularly personal, special or friendly, very robotic. The issue that was very off-putting to me was an atmosphere and booking issue. I looked at pics of both locations (across the street from each other) online and specifically chose and made a RESERVATION for La Viola WEST because of the atmosphere and ambience as compared to the Bistro. When arriving at La Viola West we found a sign on the door that said "we are open across the street". So instead of sitting in a charming restaurant, we were sat in what reminded me of my grandparent's living room. See pics of the difference below. The restaurant should not give the option or illusion that you're able to choose a location if you are not, it's misleading. And we were given no explanation or apology. The tiramisu was really good.

Overall: The experience was decent until we found a piece of plastic in the desert and they decided to treat us badly. Good: - At first the service was good. The waiters were polite and thoughtful. - The food was decent, with a few exceptions. - The dining room was comfortable and had enough space to move around. - The ribeye was cooked well but was a little dry. Bad: - The canoli cake was terrible. - The mushroom dish that was solely mushroom was overwhelming and it became difficult to eat the more you had it. - At the end of the meal I found a large piece of plastic in my dessert (chocolate shell covered ice cream) and when I told the hostess about it she didn't apologize and started acting as if we were trying to get a free meal or something. I get that some people do that but the bad treatment was uncalled for, especially when I phrased it in a way to ensure she knew I wasn't trying to make a big deal about it. - They didn't tell us the restaurant was cash only until the end of the meal. There were no signs or anything. Strange to leave that detail until the end.

Forgot my leftovers that I boxed up, went back not even 5 minutes later and they threw them away. Heart broken.

I never really understood why people left negative reviews for restaurants until I dined at La Viola Ovest. Great food, super quaint and delicious BYOB spot. Maybe I am just being judgemental because we were a table of servers and bartenders. Inappropriate time allotted for dining and pushy staff. Primarily we had issues with the food since there are some dietary restrictions and some random rule where everyone has to get an entree? Got over that quickly. We had a table of 8 for what we expected to be 6:30-8:30, but while we were waiting on our ride, we were anxiously pushed out before we had even been there because the host told us our “time slot was up” when it actually was not at all…for me to be spending $300 out of my own pocket and not even allowed to sit and enjoy my wine while I wait for my Uber is crazy. Not an authentic Italian dining experience in the slightest.

We had a very nice dinner for four last night at La Viola the dinner reservation was at 8:30 and we had a great dinner. The food was delicious, hot and flavorful. It is a BYOB. We had to stop to get wine, that’s nothing against the restaurant. However, our experience was dampened by the fact that we were being quite rushed through our entire eating process. The waiter was asking for drink orders before the 4th person came in, and asked “when will they be here? “ Waiter asked to give the specials when someone was still away from the table twice, we had our plates removed while we were still picking and having conversation. And then at the time that we asked for the check, several staff were lined up against the wall, and some of them had their coats on sitting looking at us. It was approx 9:45-10 when this ended our one hour meal experience. We were looking forward to relaxing all together for our new years dinner but we felt encouraged to leave asap. We ended up heading to sky high to finish the night out. The staff was friendly, but we were given the feeling that we needed to get out Why would you rush someone out at 9:45 to 10 o’clock when the restaurants posted hours are closing at 11 o’clock?

It was so, so small and tight. My back was touching the back of the person of the table behind me and it was so, so uncomfortable. We were not told it was cash only until we got the bill and neither one of us had an ATM card so we were just about not able to pay the bill. Didn't tip much simply because we didn't have enough cash.

My girlfriend and I unfortunately chose this restaurant as the place for our first Valentine's Day together. I had reservations almost a month in advance, and due to us being in college, going out to a dinner like this is a special event and few and far between due to my financial situation. When we arrived, our reservation was not even taken, and we were brought to a side room. This side room was essentially a glorified shed. We were sat on fold-out chairs and an extremely small table. Some of the tables were right next to garbage cans! The door kept getting stuck open, so we were met with a freezing breeze for large portions of the meal. The menu itself was questionable and fixed at $65 per person. The appetizers were nothing to write home about, and their selection for entrees was very limited and did not seem to cater to the strengths of the menu that it looks like they usually have. I ordered the filet mignon, and it was huge, and not huge in a good way. It was a chewy, massive blob of meat that I only ate because I was paying $65. The desserts were very good, as well as the coffee that was also included, but that was the only pleasant part of the experience. To top things off, this place is cash only, which isn't too much of an issue, but the ATM has its own fee, so it feels sort of like you're being taken advantage of. I am so disappointed in this experience as a whole.

Absolutely terrible food. Soggy pasta sauce, thing slices of chicken that were bland, and just store bought cheese microwaved on top. Paid $31 for this garbo

Not good but the service is fast. About the service it is fast but really not great, not nice, not making you feel welcome. But the important is really the food. We had a caprese to start. The mozzarella is not di buffala, but fine. Then gnocchi with basil, tomato sauce and Gorgonzola. The gnocchi were doughy, not flavorful, the basil color is there but no taste. There is no fresh basil the seasoning is done by a tomato sauce, not really cooked yet for long with big chunks of oinion and tomato, not seasoned either, finally some chunks of a fridge temperature Gorgonzola on top, the presentation? Just pile it up in this order. The linguine with salmone, pasta stick to each other, really al dente, the salmon is just a bunch of chunks not grilled or presented as a whole. The sauce is well present cream and likely white wine and tomato sauce, nothing stands out it s fine. Time for a homemade tiramisu. It s watery, cannot feel the sambucca. The thin layer of mascarpone is to small to see any bubble or feel it s taste. It s mostly a wet ladyfinger cake with coffee powder and chocolate syrup (the fancy touch). Service is fast the notes comes fast, it s 60$. You can get a lot better at Georgio on pine or other Italian restaurants of Philadelphia. It s "not good".

They charge $24 for TWO pieces of ravioli, couple pieces of gnocchi and couples pieces of pasta …. What a disgrace , stealing money from the people AND the food is very mediocre, nothing special. Portions are TINY and when you bring it up all they say is “want to add a side” … which is $8 by the way. I would NEVER come back . Service is good though.

There was a fly in my soup and the desserts were actually bad. I tried them all because we all got different ones. The cheesecake had a strong refrigerator taste to it. Most of it went unfinished. The waiters made me uncomfortable throughout the meal. They pressed us on reservations which we did have, even though there were open tables. One pretended to spill soup on me. Updated to 2 stars now that I'm less mad cause I liked the salad and the veal was okay. Suuuuuper not worth the money. And the desserts were a bad deal no matter how much they cost.

Probably the most below average Italian food I’ve had ever. Excruciatingly bland pastas but the tiramisu was nice.

The food is strictly mediocre. A veal with prosciutto came with dices of some hard pork product that definitely was not prosciutto. The sauce was gummy. The plate included some spaghetti in red sauce and this side was the worst pasta and sauce I have ever had in a restaurant. The service was OK but the wait staff and servers buzzed about so quickly I would not have been surprised to see my plate cleared while I was still eating. I won't go back.

Terrible experience, with racial and religious discrimination! I went with a group of my friends (all hijabis) and we were placed in a separate room, that was closed off from the rest of the restaurant. I specifically had booked a reservation for La Viola West, but only after we had all finished our meal, we were told that we were in La Viola East, which only accepted cash. We were not informed of this beforehand. Additionally, the food did not taste good (except for the dessert) and we felt very hurt by the entire experience. Do better!!!

RACIALLY MOTIVATED TREATMENT AND BAD FOOD. Me and my friends went to lunch for restaurant week that we had reservations for. As soon as we walked in (a group of hijabis), the host said we were getting seated somewhere else. We had to walk out and into another dining room that was completely empty and we were sat in the very back. Mind you, the main dining room had plenty of room to seat us, and our reservation was made days in advance. This is supposed to be a nice fancy restaurant, the area we were sat at had folding chairs and tables with a table cloth on top. Aside from the treatment, the food was very bland and the texture was weird. If I could give them 0 stars, I would.

Save your time. Go to any other BYOB within a 5 minute walk. The service here will make you wish you had. - The food was fine, but we had to wait quite a while for it despite being seated alongside two other parties who had their entrees long before we were asked for our order. - We had multiple dishes incorrectly delivered to our table. - I found out (unfortunately too late) that the tails were left on the shrimp risotto. You never leave the tails on shrimp when they’re embedded in a risotto. - Despite the decor and prices, they serve powdered imitation Parmesan cheese. It really makes me doubt the quality of the other ingredients. - It took TWENTY MINUTES to get the bill before we gave up, paid cash, and left. Adjacent tables had gotten dessert, paid, left, and the tables were re-set and we hadn’t even had our dishes collected despite a near-empty basement dining room.

Was with a big group… would not let us not order just an appetizer but then brought out a side salad priced to an entree. My ceasar was 12 dollars orginally but was priced up to 26 even though it was tiny. There were also no gluten free options.

My experience at la viola bistro west was repulsive. I attended a birthday dinner for my friend and wanted to have an enjoyable night out and the service that was given ruined our night. My girlfriend has dietary restrictions and did not want to order a full meal, but was forced to order an entree (plain arugula salad with a few pieces of chicken which was $35 by the way). We wondered if this restaurant would sing happy birthday with us for our friends birthday so we politely asked. However, the server laughed in our faces when we mentioned this and said "do you want us to do a little dance too?". Finally, a 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill which was written in chicken scratch so we could not even see what items were priced. All in all a very unprofessional establishment given it's high price point.

Worst Italian restaurant in town. Our food came very salty. I mean we chewed on salt! The dish also came swimming in disgusting sauce with very little (like 8 strips) of pasta. The decorations were ugly too. The service though was nice and professional but it does not compensate on having a bad chef.