Italian BYOB in Philadelphia
 

Any recommendations for a good Italian BYO restaurant within walking distance of the Westin?

Thanks

Branzino is on 17th Street between Latimer and Spruce. It's very good. Most of the other good BYO's are in South Philly.

http://www.branzinophilly.com/

Go to this site and do a restaurant search. YOu can put in the area and type of restaurant you want.
http://www.philadelphiacuisine.com/

Branzino would be our choice, too.
Gracious service. And we always enjoy our meal. My husband never fails to order the grilled squid as an appetizer.

Ask to be seated in the upstairs room--really just a few steps up but you will be away from the entrance door.

La Viola is very nice and fairly inexpensive...it is on 16th Street between Locust and Spruce...there are two rooms now, across the street from each other, due to its immense popularity...a real gem!

thanks for the tips

We will be in Phila for the King Tut exhibit and would prefer to bring a nice bottlel of Chianti of our own

La Viola has very good food at good prices. BUT - we have had dinner there (original room) several times, and realized that they push the food at you so that it is mostly a place to get a quick dinner. It is not a place for a dining experience. And the tables are so close that if you want to stand, everyone around you has to move.

Any comments? ((*))

The classic center city BYOB is Audrey Claire at 276 S 20th Street. Great scene and great cuisine though I don't enjoy drinking my wine out of the little tumblers that they provide. It is a half mile from the Westin across the picturesque Rittenhouse Square. A closer choice would be a charming little Italian BYOB at 1701 Spruce Street called La Fortuna Della Citta.

I know you said walking distance, but please consider a brief cab ride to South Philly for an italian restaurant. There are many excellent BYOB's. I really enjoy L'Angelo's or Tre Scalini. See chowhound.com too.
Enjoy!

Here's a link I had bookmarked when looking myself last year. I know you want some personal recommendations, but maybe you can compare with this link.

http://www.marksquires.com/byob.htm ((b))

Pugsly, I took your advice and went to Branzino's this past Saturday night. THANK YOU! The food was excellent. We were a party of 8 and everyone loved it.
I highly recommend reservations. We called the day before and were able to get a seating for 7:30. Had to wait about 15 minutes outside the entrance for the table to clear but it was well worth the wait.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

We have a reservation at Branzino's .

We considered La Viola...but I was concerned about the crowds on a weekend.

Looking forward to the King Tut exhibit