Illata

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Illata last weekend. I was sat at the bar and chose the very comfy and intimate seat in the corner next to the wall. The restaurant is tiny and you can basically see into the kitchen. The service was so warm and hospitable, I'll definitely remember it for a long time. The food was equally great. These were the highlights:The Illata sourdough bread [$5] was magic. I'm glad I got a whole portion to myself. I was also impressed with the tortellini [$24] which swam in a tomato-like broth. The tomato flavor was super concentrated while the tortellini themselves were thin and airy. The brown butter tart [$12] is what I imagine all tarts and pie crusts to taste like, nutty with a bit of salt. It made me so happy. It's BYOB. I spent $107 after tax and tip.

A perfect little neighborhood byobIts the only one of its kind within a 10 min walk radius but it's kinda like an infinite number of new restaurants since their menu changes constantly! You can visit regularly and not be bored. And every time you go, you can basically order the entire menu between two people each time if you're hungry enough, it's never a big selection of items. Don't forget to go across the street to giant heirloom to grab some drinks! I would say it's more of the type of place you go for light bites and drink instead of to go eat the food. The food is good, but the whole menu lends itself well to having some drinks instead of focusing solely on food. Even the larger plates are pretty small and simple. A great place to have in the neighborhood!Its a little cramped and small inside, I liked when they had tables outside but they were getting really wobbly so I'm hoping they'll replace them for next spring. It's a busy street, fun to sit and people watch and have a glass of wine and some bites.

Book your reservation now, bring a bottle of wine, or your beverage of choice, sit back and relax. Your taste buds will be doing a happy dance and singing by the end of your meal! We shared almost everything on their small, seafood forward menu and could not be happier!!

Really struggled between 3 vs 4 stars for this place because there wasn't anything wrong but I am also not clamoring to go back because there are comparable options closer to me and the bill ended up being pretty high still even though it's a BYO. Small restaurant with a dim / romantic ambiance--it can be sort of hard to hear the person sitting across from you because of how echoey the dining room is so just be ready to project a bit if it's a full house (which seems to be the case more often than not). This place is somewhere where you can conceivably order the entire menu including dessert if you come very hungry and I would recommend trying everything that sounds even remotely interesting to you, as the menu changes and items might not be there forever. I love to order bread and butter at small places bc it tends to slap but the bread here was nothing to write home about, although it served the purpose of mopping up sauce in other dishes (mussels in particular). If I could do it over again I'd get the agnolotti, steak, tuna crudo, chicory salad, mussels and save room for dessert rather than get the trout and sourdough bread.

I bring anyone I care about to Illata because it feels like home. The dishes are so creative and the crew there knows everything about the menu backwards and forwards. They put their hearts and souls into this place! The bread is possibly the most important part. Extra impressed by the squid ink crepe and lobster as well as the gnudi when they are on the menu. Love to come back!

I have very mixed emotions about writing this review. This may be the best kept secret in Philly and I really don't want that secret to spread, because I want to be able to get future reservations. The space itself isn't much. I think they have enough table space to seat 14. In fact, it's so small, they can't fit a coffee station. However, the food is just ridiculously good and the service is amazing. It's the only place we've ever eaten where we made reservations to return before we left. Just incredible.

My husband made a reservation for us for date night at Illata a few weeks ago. It was a Thursday night, and I was surprised by how packed the place was. I'm not particularly a fan of the small-menu-highlighting-local-ingredients-and-changes-often format, but I have heard good things about Illata and was interested in checking them out, plus they are BYOB which already won them extra points in my book.Sourdough bread - We saw a lady come in just to pick up a loaf. We thought it must be that good and put down an order to share. It was okay.Fried oysters - my husband wanted to order this, and I didn't think I would enjoy them that much, but I did. It was the best thing I ate all night. The tomato and aioli combination really completed the whole dish.Pastas - I was looking to carb up, and so we ordered 2 pastas to share, the Trofie alla Nerano and Rigatoni Alla Pesto. Both were also okay. I like that they make their own pastas from scratch, though.Chicken Schnitzel - this was a good dish because it was prepared well. The schnitzel was crispy and juicy.This all was quite a lot of food. I have to say, I was very full, but we decided to share the brown butter tart anyway.Brown Butter Tart - I definitely do not regret getting the brown butter tart. It was the second-best thing I ate all night. While we probably enjoyed half of the dishes we ordered, we still had a good time. I really liked the ambiance and the staff were very nice. Maybe we'll come back again, but we'll skip the pastas next time.

Tried Ilata for the first time and already thinking about my next visit. Everything was well done and the standouts were the scallop with fennel - so tender it melted like butter and the flavor combination was divine - and the caramelle with English peas - full of fresh and layered flavors. Terrific staff who gave great recommendations and were very warm and friendly

Vibes: casual, intimate, minimalistic byob; bring a date Tasting notes:- bread and butter: thick cut slices with an airy crumb and crackly crust; a little nutty, just sour enough; butter was mild accented with large flakes of salt - fried oysters: excellent crunch with creamy, tender meat inside; tomatoes added color, a refreshing contrast in texture and flavor - trout: irresistibly crispy skin with flaky, delicate meat - chicken schnitzel: satisfyingly crunchy with well-seasoned meat; loved the fennel salad's gently spicy fragrance and snappy bite - brown butter tart: easy to fork into pieces,; very indulgent; richness is cut by tartness of the cherry; better suited for one person than to share Other thoughts:- offered still or sparkling water upon sitting down, with glasses of wine poured within minutes - dishes came free flowing from the kitchen at a steady pace - the above meal was just satisfying enough for two moderately hungry adults Impression: can't wait to see how the menu changes up as illata gets comfy in the neighborhood!

Welcome to the neighborhood, Illata: keep it up!Caught up with a friend over a delicious meal in this cute new restaurant in Graduate Hospital. Terrific service and food: every dish was well-seasoned and simply worked! We shared the:- Bread and Butter (Illata sourdough, served with salted, spreadable butter), perfectly pocketed and chewy;- Cucumber (melon, lime, basil), what an exactly-ripe melon, which is so hard (for me) to find and paired so well with the seasoned cucumber;- Marinated Mussels (hakurei turnips, miso, chili oil), the right balance of creamy, hint of spice, and gigantic mussels;- Fried Oysters (heirloom tomato, aoili), what an exactly-ripe tomato, which is also so hard (for me) to find and paired so well with the oysters--who doesn't love fried oysters?!- Trout (english peas, watercress), delicate with a nice crisp skin;- Brown Butter Tart (blueberries, creme fraiche), could've eaten an entire tart, or perhaps just the crust...no, the entire tart.Definitely recommend and look forward to seeing how the menu changes with the seasons!