Il Fiore — Restaurant in Collingswood

Went here last night with a friend. This place is absolutely amazing. Nothing but good things to say, and there’s a whole lot of good things to say.

First off, the atmosphere is great. Granted, I don’t really care about the atmosphere in restaurants in general. I’d eat my dinner out of the back of a truck, it’s all the same to me. It’s all about the food. But for whatever it’s worth coming from me, the atmosphere is great. They’ll make you feel richer than you really are 😂.

The staff is super friendly and attentive. The second I chose what to order and put my menu down, bam, there was the waiter to take my order. Barely 10 minutes later there was a plate of pasta in front of me. And man was that a killer pasta dish… penne alla something or other, I don’t recall the name. It’s got pancetta and peas in it. Seriously one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had in my life. I dissected the damn thing trying to figure out the recipe so I can make it at home 😂. Not sure if that one is an old timey Italian recipe or their own invention, but that recipe is absolutely killer. I honestly think that was probably the best pasta dish I’ve ever eaten at any restaurant period. I can’t think of another off the top of my head that would have topped it. Kudos to the chef/chefs on that one, really nice work. Pasta was perfectly cooked, the pasta water they cooked it in was perfectly seasoned, the sauce was unbelievably good. Also tried the lobster ravioli. Excellent as well, but that Penne dish was on a whole different level.

The prices are unbelievably good for a restaurant in their category. It’s essentially a fine dining atmosphere with prices comparable to a typical diner. You can’t beat this place man, I don’t know how they do it. This was the first time I’ve eaten here, and it certainly won’t be the last. Thanks to the staff and the owner for a great experience. Keep doing what you’re doing guys....

We were able to get a reservation mid week for a Friday night date night out (It is December so we know this is a busy holiday month). We arrived a few minutes early and while we were greeted/checked in quickly by the hostess there were over 25 people crowded in the entryway waiting to be seated, the door remained open (it was very cold out) and it seemed to be very disorganized. I was very surprised that we were actually seated on time. This is not the place if you want a quiet, romantic dimly lit dining experience, the noise level was tremendous and being only a party of two we were sat a very small table towards the back of the restaurant. It seems if you have a party of 4 or more you would have better options for seating at a nicer more spacious table selection against the wall or near the window. They do seem to make the most of their limited space. I will say that our service was very good once we sat down, our waiter was attentive and went over all specials and menu additions. We enjoyed two different arugula salads and warm bread that was brought to the table with dipping oil. This is a BYOB so we brought a favorite bottle of wine. For entrees we had a whole wheat pasta with shrimp in marinara which came out steaming hot and was a generous portion, and penne with pancetta in a blush sauce. We saved a little room for a delicious cannoli and some coffee. The hostess did bring the check over before we had asked for it as I am assuming she needed us to finish so she could seat the table so we felt a little rushed to finish our coffee. It is worth trying as far as the food and food service, the ambience and noise level however didn't provide us for a romantic quiet...

Ate here for new years eve. I could rate it lower for the fact we waited an hour even after having made reservations online, but I'll just leave that as a comment, I prefer rating a place once I sit and eat. Either way, they should try and do a better job with time management for patrons. The ambiance is ok, and it's always nice to be in place where it's full of people enjoying themselves. It's byob, and the waiters are helpful uncorking and pouring a glass for you without even requesting. I had mushroom antipasti (funghi gratinati) for a starter, and my friend had the antipasto freddo, which was a mix of cheeses, cured meats, and spring mix. I found both to be a little to oily, and just ok. Don't think I would order either the next time. For mains I had the meat of the day which was ironically recommended in a review a read online. It is a filet in a lovely sauce (the name which escapes me at the moment). I usually like my filet simple without sauces, but this plate was really done well and the steak was super tender. I really liked it, and recommend it as well. My friend had the pollo asparago (chicken with asparagus). I sampled a few bites and must say it was good as well. Overall a good experience, and will have to try again. Tip of you come here, be mindful you will need to find street parking or a lot where you may have to walk a...