Ristorante Pesto

Ristorante Pesto is cozy, old-school, and consistently great! I’ve grown up coming here for family dinners, then date nights as I got older, and now have an annual work Christmas dinner tradition for the last 7 years and it never misses. The gnocchi flight is my must-order, with the braciola, marinated carrots. They have the best cocktails and get very creative for the holidays. (I don’t have photos of my mentioned favorites as I was going to town as soon as they hit the table!) If you want a place that feels familiar and special, this is it.

5 stars across the board! I'm sooo glad we found this place after flying in to Philly for a short birthday trip! Absolutely everything was great, from the ambiance to the service to the food. We tried the (forgive the spelling) eggplant rollitini (stuffed eggplant rolls), insalata de pere (pear salad), gnocchi trio, pollo di parmesiana (chicken parmesan), cannoli, pistachio gelato, Reese's explosion cake, and the cheesecake, and there were carrots and bread to start. Every single bite was delicious. I'm a big back. Never before have I been so excited to eat carrots! I mopped up some of that sauce from the carrots with the bread, and I had to stop myself from just eating that and filling up before the food came because it was so good. In fact, most of our plates were literally wiped cl

We were able to squeeze in a last minute reservation on Saturday. I remember going to Pesto years ago and everything about the restaurant is so nice from the place, to the staff, to the excellent food. Concetta is the best. We started our meal with the marinated carrots that everyone just loves. Our appetizers were the mushrooms and the calamari. Our entrees, the chicken parm, the lamb chops, the chicken piccata. The mushrooms were in a blush sauce and the sauce itself I’m surprised has not been bottled. It’s absolutely delicious! We were given complimentary roasted peppers and of course, Concetta sent over a piece of her grandmothers most delicious ricotta cheesecake. Our servers were more than accommodating. Thank you, so very much for a most memorable dinner. Looking forward t

Ristorante Pesto is truly one of Philadelphia’s hidden gems. This family-owned Italian restaurant has been operating for over 30 years, and you can absolutely feel the pride and tradition the moment you walk in. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and authentic — exactly what you hope for in a classic Italian spot. The lobster ravioli was incredible — perfectly cooked, rich, and full of flavor. It was easily one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in Philly. My friends loved their meals as well, and everything that came out of the kitchen looked amazing. They’re BYOB, which is always a plus, but they also offer reasonably priced bottles of wine if you prefer to purchase there — such a nice option to have. A special shoutout to Gianna, who was super attentive and took the time to explain ev

Ristorante Pesto is an absolute gem of a restaurant and embodies what South Philadelphia is all about! The atmosphere is cozy and Concetta made us feel right at home. We had to wait about 20 minutes after our reservation because people do tend to stay a while, but she was kind and kept us updated. We started with the burrata, bracciolatini and calamari. The burrata and bracciolatini were good but not my favorite. The calamari was out of this world. A must order! Huge rings, battered and fried well, with a juicy lemon to squeeze all over them. We didn’t even need the marinara. We then got the cavatelli and gnocchi flight. The cavatelli is award winning for a reason. The sauce was addicting, huge portion and so much seafood. One of my favorite pasta dishes I’ve ever had. The gnocchi fligh