L'Anima Reviews

This is a great neighborhood addition with reliable great quality classics (like the steak), innovative starters (like the beet, orange, pistachio, Gorgonzola salad with mint olive oil), many fish options, like the breaded swordfish with citrus and olives, and lots more. Really delightful and the wait staff couldn’t be more attentive or helpful. Very reasonably priced byob. Love it.

BYOB takes credit cards. Parking is tough. Food id very good. Only suggestion we have is to create a seasonal menu as the current hasn't changed in eight months.

This is a new neighborhood spot in a developing neighborhood just north of Point Breeze, and it's worth getting to know. The site is appealing--lots of sidewalk dining, a comfortable dining room in which the floor-to-ceiling windows allow lots of light. The service is top-notch--solicitous but not heavy-handed--and the food is very good! Our appetizers included a special eggplant "Napoleon," stacked with mozzarella and tomato, the fritturina (not enough shrimp) and a great salad, all to share. Our entrees included pasta amatriciana, delightfully spicy and rich, pappardelle with pesto and scallops, cacio e pepe, the incredible lamb with the tastiest canneloni beans, and the animae pinsa. Desserts were ample and satisfying. Customers are invited to bring their own alcoholic beverages, and all the above went beautifully with Tuscan reds and a nice dry Italian white. We could not have asked for more--great service, great food, good location, nice atmosphere. We'll definitely be back.

We had a 5pm reservation and had the whole restaurant to ourselves on a Thursday night. When we left we were still the only diners?? The food however was good. We had Fritturina (fried shrimp calamari) , Baccala Acqua Pazza (cod) and Spigola (sea bass). Portions could have been bigger. Pricey for a neighborhood BYOB.

Very cool spot near South Philly, brand new building with indoor and outdoor seating for Roman style Italian food. We had excellent starters, the grilled octopus stole the show and then several pasta dishes for the table for dinner. Great meal and very very good service. It's also BYOB, so it didn't break the bank.

I live in the neighborhood and since the inception of this restaurant, for well over a year, I had never visited the restaurant. The interior decor is nice, it's got a precious outdoor space, amiable for both boomers and millennials alike. I walk by this place everyday and you never see the place at full capacity, but it has had it fair share of popping evenings, suitable for large parties, families with small children, and pairs. I went with a friend for dinner on a Wednesday evening. Bread was brought to the table before the meal. I ordered the Gnocchi di Patate ($18.00, potato dumpling seasonal mushroom truffle crema toasted walnuts) and I was absolutely delighted by my meal. It was delicious and a reasonable portion size of food. My dining partner got the Caputmundi Pinsa Romana which was a good sized personal flatbread style dish. I ended up eating most of the proscuitto off of the caputmundi and it made a tasty addition to my gnocchi. The restaurant was not busy, we had very prompt service and at no point were our water glasses less than half full. It is worth checking out if you have been at all curious about this place.

After three months of cooking at home and takeout meals, it was nice to sit down outside at L’Anima. We have always liked the sister restaurant, Melograno, but had never ventured south to 17 and Carpenter. It was a pleasant evening made nicer by the capable service provided by Nick and by the wonderful glazed pork chop and Gorgonzola polenta with a side of sautéed escarole that could not be improved upon. L’Anima is BYOB and having checked the menu in advance we had brought a nice cab franc to go with our dinner. Kudos to the management for the smart absence of print menus and the well spaced arrangement of tables.

We had a very good meal at this restaurant. The grilled octopus, calamari salad, sea bass and pasta were delicious. The service was good, although the dishes came out a little too quickly. We shared two desserts, a chocolate cake and a cannoli. Both were very good as was the cup of cappuccino. I have two complaints- the restaurant is very noisy and difficult to carry on a conversation. The second one is that we drove around for a while and didn't find a parking spot. We finally found a lot three blocks away that closes at 9. Other than that, I recommend this restaurant for a good Italian meal, especially if you can walk there!

We went to dinner last night with another couple for dinner, and had an outstanding experience. We each started out with first dishes to share: they the "pulpo-squid" and we had the warm mushroom and goat cheese. Our friends described their dish as the best they had ever had, and we were delighted with the presentation, and taste of ours. Then we proceeded to main courses that included the scallops and pesto pasta, and the special which was a tuna and linguini plate. My wife and I divided ours as we had had the scallops during our preceding visit. The waiter and manager were extremely attentive and helpful, and the atmosphere very conducive to conversation. While we did not order dessert, we were surprised by an absolutely delicious cannoli creation served to us gratis. When presented with this bonus were demolished it in no time. The prices were very reasonable for everything, and we left looking forward to future meals. We live walking distance, and the new park being created across the street add to the attractiveness to the setting. There is a very nice and spacious outdoor area where we ate the last time as well as a large, well lighted and comfortable indoors within sight of the kitchens.

We arrived ten minutes late at 8:40 and were in the return Uber at 9:15. Need I say more. A disappointing experience to say the least. The waiter ran off so quickly each time that we asked a question that it was disturbing. He finally told us that the grilled vegetables were enough for two people - not at all, it was sparse and oily. The black pasta was rubbery and skimpy. The table was univiting and the noice awful. Not worth a second time.

Neighborhood place with floor to ceiling windows. Excellent service. Good food. Cacio Pepe with thicker sauce, pasta under done (~1-2 min less than al dente). Nice pizza, fresh tasting crust. Wonderful coffee. Will return.

WHAT A GREAT TIME WE HAD!!! Thanks to Luca and Zack for their SUPERB service and EXCELLENCE in customer service delivery. All the attention to making sure we were having a great time seemed to be a team effort. The leadership exemplified by Zack appears to come from deep passion and determination. Luca spoke Italian to us and was so attentive with making sure out wine and food was handled properly. The assistant staff too filled water and removed used items from table. And of course, the FOOD WAS DELICIOUS AND AUTHENTIC!!!!! I love it and would not go anywhere else. Thanks guys- Group of Girls, dinner for 5 8/2/23 @ 5:30 PM

I had such a great time, Brandon goes above and beyond with service. The food was so good. By far the best Branzino I have ever had!

We went here for dinner. We had reservations for 5. Dinner was excellent. We had artichoke and octopus appetizers and spinach side. Pasta main courses which were great. Crab pasta was my favorite. Service is excellent. It is somewhat pricey but BYOB. Parking is the hardest part.

We went here with another couple. What a gem. I had never been here before. The service was spectacular. My husband goes through a lot of water at dinner and his glass was never empty. The food was amazing. We shared appetizers, had entrees, and shared some desserts. It's a neighborhood gem and I'm hoping to return here soon.