Cry Baby Pasta Reviews

If things are bigger in Texas...they are smaller in Philly. I came here to eat for my birthday eve, the night I arrived in PA for my birthday getaway. I was so excited to eat here. Don't get me wrong, I applaud those restaurants that give people who are gluten-free the opportunity to eat like other human beings. I've said this before and even spoke with the manager about it during my visit. She feels good about offering pasta to GF individuals, and she genuinely seemed excited about it. The atmosphere was dark but charged. Lots of lively discussion, even on a Thursday night. The area felt safe, and I loved the cute and quirky planter pots in the windows. There were apartments across the way, and it was fun to see the people in the windows socializing, especially after the pandemic. The drink was small and weak. I don't mind paying $13 for a drink, but I noticed all the drinks were in small glasses in every restaurant where I ate. Maybe I'm too used to being in New Orleans, but no bang for my buck there. It was some kind of Punch. Kind of an orangey taste. My server was Jackie L. She did a great job of taking note that I was GF and making me feel safe. I ordered the GF rigatoni with vodka sauce and chicken. When I received the plate, I was shocked. Don't take my word for it...look at the picture. The pasta didn't even cover the bottom of the bowl. There were LITERALLY two little pieces of chicken in it. I mean...it's pasta. It's $3-4 a pack. I did get GF pasta, but paid $2 extra for it. Look at that picture and tell me if $25 for a small scoop of pasta is fair. Now, was the sauce exquisite...yes, it was. The dish was delicious, but two hours later, I was running to Mcdonald's for a bunless burger because I was so hungry (I had been travelling all day long from Ontario). I did also get the flourless chocolate torte. That was very rich, and I thought the price was a bit high ($12 for a dessert) but it was a treat I don't often get to have and felt worth it to me. The dish I ordered was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed the location, but I could never justify going back and paying what was charged for such a small portion. It wasn't a fair value for the $. But hey, kudos to them for that sauce. I would eat that every day (as long as we fill the bowl up at least halfway).

Ordered the Bronzino which was a very small portion for the price and was tasteless and cold . They upcharged $1.50 for ice in alcoholic drink! Due to gluten allergy we asked for the chicken liver to be served NOT on toast and they refused . Just bizarre

This space, on 3rd and Bainbridge, just below South, had been beloved local Judy's, then beloved center city Ansil's, then (briefly) something else (Iron Chef contestant?) that no one from around here (i.e. Wash West/Gayborhood, Bella Vista, or Queen Village) went to even once. And now, following random raves from the usual Philly taste-makers, finally gave it a try. And was worth it. The rigatoni with chicken in vodka sauce is the house speciality and it was good. Comfort food, to be sure, but done right. The casarecce with mushroom sauce was actually more subtle than expected -- subtle enough that it merited attention on its own as a primo piatto rather than as part of a mixture of plates à partager. The Italian salad was basically a set of antipasti mixed together -- good salumi, good cheese, really excellent olives and radicchio -- perfect antipasto, but enough for more than two people, in fact as many as four. But the real treat of the evening was, foodwise, the charred broccoli, which was just perfect. Can't say for sure because didn't ask, but imagine it was blanched very briefly in scaldingly hot and then very cold water, then flash pan-fried with just a tiny bit of chile and oil. But regardless, should be a go to with any meal here. The other real treat of the evening was the small but imaginative cocktail list. My dining companion and I can't stand sweet cocktails, and too many of the interesting cocktails in Philadelphia, even in great and creative local venues, err on the side of sugar. But both a rye-based and a vodka-based cocktail had house-infused twists that worked, with fruit-infused edges that understated the sugar. And then, finally, the wine list is amazing -- not posh or pricey amazing, but rather unusual regional Italian amazing, things I've never seen on a North American wine list, and varieties of orange/macerato wine that I've never seen outside Veneto or Slovenia. Plus Sicilian and Basilicatan varieties that don't turn up at the excellent regional-Italian places on Passyunk (avoiding direct comparisons here). All to say, since Ansil's closed, and since Southwark lost its mojo when it repainted its walls in bright colors, this neighborhood has been lacking anything anywhere near as good as Cry Baby Pasta. Am always, always skeptical about local causes celebres, and I am quite sure that if you're trying to impress out of town guests there will be spaces and presentations in Rittenhouse, Society Hill and even Fitler that will make them more impressed. But living in Wash West, and assuming it maintains this level of consistency over time, Cry Baby is likely to compete with our favourite E Passyunk regional Italian for neighbourhood best.

Wonderful neighborhood restaurant with cool but approachable vibe, great cocktails, and delicious food. We tried the meatballs, bruschetta with mozzarella, artichokes, and tagliatelle, and agreed it was one of the best meals we’ve had in Philly. The pasta was perfect and so flavorful. The atmosphere is warm and service attentive. Can’t wait to go back!

We went to Cry Baby on a Sunday night and it was very busy. Service felt a little rushed, our entrees arrived before our starters were finished. The butternut squash soup was delicious...silky smooth. The Caesar salad was excellent, as was the generous portion of meatballs. Our entree pastas were good, but the starters were better. The budino for dessert was also good, not fabulous. Prices are very reasonable.

The word 'pasta' is so underwhelming; Cry Baby Pasta is over the top! There may be a few 'traditional' Italian dishes on the menu, but you will want to try something novel. Consider ordering the farrotto to get a real sense of the depth of flavors and skilled technique employed to bring them forth. The fried mixed seafood was perfectly prepared and very tasty. The grilled artichoke hearts were a bit chewy for me. For dessert, the chocolate panna cotta was more than enough for two and truly heavenly. Go early if you want a quiet experience because by 630 the noise level is quite high.

My daughter and I found this gem by accident. She just finished her first semester at Temple University and was craving pasta. My search began and ended the minute I saw the name! The service was fantastic, Jen was tops!! Her knowledge of the menu was great. Her humor was on point. The food was fantastic. We will be back!! Repeatedly.

Lovely place with excellent food. The cacio de pepe was so good! And the ginger pineapple tiramisu was amazing. Not very authentic but so good. Service was great, atmosphere was conducive to visiting with a friend,

We were not certain what to expect when we finally made it south to Cry Baby Pasta. We were looking for something different than we have been doing during the last two years. We were, simply, very very impressed with what the team from Bridgette Foy’s has done in the spot that was Ela after it was Judy’s. The menu is not extensive but there is a wide range of dishes with interesting touches and superb execution. The artichoke bruschetta and the bronzino can not be bettered. The service was welcoming and professional and smart. The room is spacious and welcoming. Well worth another visit.

Cute space with good wine and food. Enjoyed the chicken liver and meatball small plates. The pasta with cheese and pepper was perfection on a plate... the butterscotch dessert was also memorable... it does get loud... so be prepared...

Ate here with a group of three and we all enjoyed our food. Funky scene (and such a weird name!) and somewhat noisy, but not to the point that it was disturbing. The charred broccoli appetizer was very tasty as were the main entree pastas. Would definitely go to again.

We went Sunday evening for a late dinner. We were warmly greeted and received great service. We had salad, meat ball appetizeter and pasta. All were delicious. Our server Fallon was friendly and attentive. We recommend giving this place a try.

This place was awesome! We had reservations at 645 on a Friday evening. We walked in and were promptly seated. The place is very cozy inside. There are tables and some areas that have something like couch or bench seating. The bar was nice. Our server was fantastic. Great food knowledge and great service. I personally can’t stand dining someplace where the server has no idea what the food tastes like. This was not the case. Great wine selection on the menu. Every wine was Italian. We were treated to small tastes of wine until we settled. We had a red and white. Both very good. We started with several appys. The Italian salad was excellent. The charred broccoli was the bomb. Fantastic. We had garlic butter bruschetta as well as chicken liver bruschetta. Both excellent as well. Main courses of braised short ribs, casarecce, cavatelli and a special of the day pasta were all an A+. I tried every one. We were all satisfied. Dessert was gelato and a complimentary piece of cheesecake with the best coffee. All great. We loved it all. Food was fantastic. Service A+. The owner stopped by and she was awesome as well. This is the type of place that is what a good restaurant should be. We’ll be back.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is very pleasant. Awesome waiter Jennifer. I ordered Rigatoni, but they turned out to be very spicy. So, they offer a free replacement for another dish - pasta with mushrooms, very tasty. In general, all the dishes were delicious. Bruscheta is soft, unusual. We liked the chicken liver bruschetta. They have a good wine list.

Friends and I visited on a Sunday. They have some unique food and drink offerings, in a fun atmosphere.

My friend and I decided to take advantage of the outdoor dining available at Cry Baby Pasta during the Covid crisis. We could not have felt safer...tables were well over 6feet apart, sanitizer available at every table, masks were worn by all servers etc. Well done by the owners! Our sever was Jen who was very pleasant & attentive. She helped us select a great bottle of Italian red wine for dinner. First course we tried the pate & crustinis and the garlic roasted artichokes. Both were delicious. Next came the entrees: Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Rigatoni, & Tagliatelle Bolognese. All of the entrees had great flavor profiles and we loved the unusual presentation of the eggplant. At this point we were feeling great but we made room for the tiramisu....What a way to finish off a meal & a 2nd bottle of the red! Highly recommend you check this place out.

We needed up here when another place didn’t have open reservations. Brussels were good. Cocktails were just ok and wine recommendation by wait staff was disappointing (asked for similar to Chardonnay and got something sweet instead). Pasta was just ok and few options with no meat.

This restaurant did not disappoint. We ate there a few years ago and loved it. The room is charming but was noisy this Thursday night. The house salad was well made and large enough for sharing. The smashed fingerling potatoes over aioli were good but not a smash. The chicken Francaise and the branzino were excellent, as was the smoked chicken rigatoni.

The food was delicious but not worth the price tag. Two orders of tiny bruschetta, 3 entrees, a bottle of wine, and 1 dessert were $185. With a noise level precluding dinner conversation, Cry baby pasta won’t be on my list of places to go back with my family.

A truly delicious meal! I would highly recommend the charred broccoli (and we are not even broccoli fans!). The crab bruschetta was so tasty! The cocktails were original and delicious. They were very welcoming and even had a kids menu and crayons for our 3.5 year old, which was a lovely surprise!

We loved our meal here at crybaby, but we just had to deduct a star for the decibel level which hit 90 to 95 (phone meters) at seven pm on a weeknight. The food was wonderful. We shared vegetable starters to begin, mushroom bruschetta, greens, artichokes, crispy potatoes & charred broccoli. And ordered 3 pastas, the pomodoro, cacia y Pepe and the orechetti with broccoli as mains along with a delicious lemony chicken, francais cooked perfectly. To finish we sampled the gelatos (very good) but our favorite was the pine nut torta; a good sharing dessert & not overly sweet. With some cocktails, a good reasonably priced bottle of verdicchio we spent about $60 per person with tax & tip. Service was warm & efficiently unobtrusive. I’ll definitely return but will book early or later to avoid the peak noise hours.

While the atmosphere was nice & the service was stellar, the food was variable. Brussel sprout appetizer was just ok, as were some other pasta dishes. Ravioli was a standout, but the "pesto" spaghetti was not very pesto-like (little garlic or cheese flavor)--it was more like a basil reduction, which was ok, but certainly not pesto-y. Portions were not generous, but sorta expected. I'd probably give it a 3 if not for the service, which, again, was top notch.

I’m still crying ,I’ve never been in Italian restaurant or any other restaurant that didn’t serve bread if you wanted bread you paid extra for it 🥵 I think it was about $3.00or 3.50 for plain bread

Vibrant and fun. Full of life. This little jewel is a gift to the neighnorhood. A menu that delivers creative food packed with flavour. Loved it !

The place felt like it was trying was too hard to be cool. It was not unpleasant but I just can’t see myself going back. The menu was limited and while the food was decent I’ve certainly had better pasta elsewhere. And the name is just weird.

3-4-5 because it was. My entree, their featured, rigatoni with smoked chicken was a 5! My wifes, tagliatelle bolognese, a 3. Not warmed properly and not near the depth and richness one would expect from a bolognese. Both pastas were very good though, in and of themselves. Service was a teetering 4 nearing 3. Very friendly and nice but rushed for no good reason, not packed at 6:30 on a Wednesday evening, and too ready to whisk plates away plates away while still finishing. This place is good and fairly priced. I can see where this could be almost great but not this night. Liked it though.

I was pleasantly surprised at our recent visit to this Italian newcomer in Queen Village The menu is not expansive but it demonstrates creative variety and the dishes are thoughtfully constructed. Starters that we enjoyed included heirloom tomatoes with gigantic beans, ricotta, and cucumber; a tasty Caesar salad with just the right amount of whole anchovies; a mushroom/smoked ricotta bruschetta; and an arugula salad with hazelnuts and figs which could have benfitted from a more exuberant use of the advertised gorgonzola. The waitstaff was attentive and especially careful with regard to food allergies. The chicken francaise entree was up to standard versions of this favorite but the portion size was way too small for $21. The eggplant parmesan was deemed "delicious" . The orrechiette with smatterings of broccoli rabe, lots of breadcrumbs (why?), and "fiore sardo" was very good and, naturally, filling. An enjoyable sangiovese wine seemed somewhat ovepriced at $45. Overall a good adddition to the Queen Village restaurant scene and worth a trip back.