Trattoria Carina — Restaurant in Philadelphia

We always used to pass by this restaurant and saw people waiting in line like crazy. We also looked at the reviews and decided to give it a try. Yes, the venue is in a nice location, but it's not the same for the atmosphere and the food. ​We ordered two main dishes and a burrata. It wasn't a complete disappointment, but there was no 'wow factor'; it wasn't anything special. Frankly, paying this much for a place like this is not reasonable at all. We paid nearly $100, and that was without any drinks. In my opinion, this price is way too high for this kind of establishment. The tables are also very cramped. ​When it comes to the food: I said I wanted to try their signature dish. The waiter was helpful, thankfully. First, the burrata arrived. It was fine, but I'm not sure if it was worth $18. I could have made it at home with more ingredients. They served it with 4 small slices of bread. We asked for extra bread, and they added it to the bill for $2. It's the first time I've ever experienced that. ​Then the ricotta ravioli came. It was swimming in oil. It was a very heavy pasta. It was too much for us. Honestly, if this is their best dish, I can't imagine the rest. I think it needs improvement. There was zero presentation. They just plopped it on the plate, added oil, and served it. ​Then we ordered the chicken parmesan. Oh my god, I have never encountered a dish that used parmesan so poorly. There was way too much cheese and sauce. The chicken itself was burnt, and all you could taste was the fried breadcrumbs. Honestly, the chicken was dry and flavorless. Is paying $35 for a piece of chicken covered in cheese logical? I think not at all. You can eat much better food elsewhere. ​There's no view, the atmosphere is dim and exhausting. It's a very cramped space. ​The only good thing about the place was the waitstaff and other employees. They were friendly and pleasant. Other than that, in terms of food, it's an average and overhyped place. In Turkey, with this amount of money, you could eat the best meal (with drinks included) at a place with the best view. And it would be more delicious. ​Honestly, we’ve had much better food near Rittenhouse. But we were just curious about this particular place. ​I can say this in short: It's a very overrated place. ​I've realized something in America. If there's a line or a crowd at a restaurant, it's either overhyped or genuinely very good. But in my experience, whenever I go to a place with a line, it always turns out to be average or mediocre. My rating for this place is slightly...

You ever just had a Chicken Parm that changed your life? One that makes you question if you've ever actually had a Chicken Parm before? I hear you lol, it's not the most common occurrence.

Well, you can guess where this is going, but if you want your life to be changed by a beautiful amalgamation of breaded chicken and mozzarella cheese with a side of rigatoni pasta, Trattoria Carina is the place. My God.

I know they put mozzarella cheese on this bad boy, but this isn't no normal mozzarella. This is like pizza cheese. I LOVE pizza cheese. I know that likely doesn't make any sense to you, but it makes sense to me and I think real ones will understand. Look at the attached pic and tell me you don't feel me.

Every bite of this goliath was spiritual, as it was perfectly breaded and kept its crisp all the way throughout the last bite. It didn't turn soggy like some mid Chicken Parms do.

The only other time I've had a Chicken Parm in the same stratosphere was Emilio Ballato in NYC. Emilio an egomaniac though lowkey...

There is no corkage fee here, so we walked into this beautiful Northern Italian ambiance with a chilled bottle of 1858 Red Blend (bottled by Caymus) and a dream.

We built a SOLID team around the S-Tier Chicken Parm (CP), starting with the Prosciutto and Caesar salad and getting the Spicy Crab Pasta to be the Robin to CP's batman.

My girlfriend's death row meal is a caesar salad and fries (the craziest death row meal I've ever heard, I know), with her caesar salad of choice being from here. That should tell you everything.

The Spicy Crab was PHENOMENAL, and paired extremely well with the chilled bottle of 1858 Red Blend (bottled by Caymus). My sources are actually saying it is looking to be the goto guy next year on a new team. Spicy Crab wants to run his own show... CP and Spicy Crab oddly reminiscent of LeBron and Kyrie on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers...

All in all, Trattoria Carina has become my 2nd favorite restaurant in Philly right behind Kalaya. They're so different though it's hard to pick...

IG @jnov_ Tiktok...

The food at Trattoria Carina was excellent. The service was fantastically good, cheerful, and our server made some excellent meal suggestions. The rigatoni is home made, and has a wonderfully bold aldente texture. Exactly what I was expecting for a home made pasta. The red gravy (pasta sauce) was flavorful. It melded well with the bold texture of the rigatoni. A grade of A+ for a side dish that is often forgotten days after the meal. Trattoria is known for their chicken parmesan main course. The dish is large and more than ample for a healthy eater. Again, the chicken was tender and cooked perfectly. A standout was the wonderful chopped salad. The choice of salad greens, cheese and luncheon meats was a perfect match of flavors and textures. The salad dressing was delicious and did not overpower the salad items. The chopped salad at Trattoria Carina was the best tasting salad I can remember being served in a restaurant. I highly recommend this dish. It is large enough for two to share. For my main course, I had the Sunday Gravy. This is a spaghetti dish served with sliced sausage, and a meatball. The red gravy is prepared with a beef short rib. Some restaurants would over salt a dish like this I was pleased that the chef did a good job holding back the use of salt. Allowing the full flavor of the short rib red gravy to be the most important flavor. Trattoria Carina has several specialty alcoholic beverages on their menu. All seem to be unique and well thought out. The Paper Plane, made with Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and Lemon was a unique mixed drink. Meals are served with sliced Italian bread and spiced olive oil. My guest and I enjoyed every dish we tried. I encourage all those who visit Philadelphia to give this charming little Italian food...