Core de Roma - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Yummy food, nice quiet ambiance where you are not rushed and can relax.

One of Philadelphia's charms is its wealth of neighborhood bistros like Core de Roma. Arrive early, as we did, and you may meet Luigi, a loquacious, bushy-eyebrowed native of Trastevere who exudes justified pride in his food and his restaurant. This quirky BYOB, perched in the prosperous hills of Bala Cynwood, greeted us with warm, freshly baked bread accompanied by a plate of olive oil, sage, and white beans for dipping. Other delights followed: freshly made fettucine alla Bolognese; creamy spaghetti caccio e pepe; a voluptuous tiramisú. One spot in the sun: It was surprising not to be able to get a passable espresso at a restaurant of this caliber—perhaps the machine was “chiuso per ristauro”? Still, the pleasures of a small family restaurant, aspiring albeit uneven, far outweigh its odd deficiencies. The left-over fettucine was even better the next day, reminding us to return soon. See you there.

I visited Core de Roma with my sister yesterday for a nice italian dinner. It wasn't our first choice but was close and had reservations available. The restaurant is at the top of a hill and there is a parking lot but you will have to walk up the hill, which is fine it can be steep though. Immediately upon entering there was a couple ahead of us which was greeted by the hostess, an older blonde woman. As we waited for her to finish speaking with them another group of people came in behind us - about 7 people or so. The problem lies in the fact that the hostess finished speaking with the couple ahead of us (naturally) but then completely ignored us and started speaking to the party of 7, as if we were not standing right there. We were the only 2 black patrons in the building, which again is fine, but the fact that she ignored us and spoke to them first rubbed us both the wrong way. We decided to not make a big deal of it and just have our dinner. Bruschetta was good, but the bread they serve it on is they same bread they give you for free. My entree, chicken marsala was okay. I got it with the "vegetable and potatoes" which was just string beans, cut in half and potatoes cut in half. They also charge a fee if you use your credit/debit card. Which is weird. I know there are places that provide a "cash discount" however charging me to use my debit card seems frivolous. I won't return.

Classic neighborhood authentic Italian BYOB restaurant. Nice people who run all parts of operation.

Great food & service… the BEST chicken parm benchmarked against numerous others presentations! Treat yourself! And the very BEST waitress Judy ! Carol & John

Fantastic and authentic Italian dining. We will be back next time we are in Bala Cynwyd.

I ordered a chicken dish which was delicious. My fiancé ordered a veal entree, which was decent but a bit tough. Service was fine. The chocolate cake was very dry and we’d never order it again. Although this restaurant was a BYO, they charge a $5 corkage fee. Why charge a corkage fee if you don’t offer alcohol options?

Core De Roma is one of our favorites!! Get the artichokes as an appetizer!

The food is always cooked to perfection. Absolutely delicious!

A hidden Jewel!. The Italian food was great. Service excellent. You won't be disappointed. As good as my Nana used to make.

Delicious food and we love Judy!!

We had a family party of 15. The staff was excellent, service on point, 6 course meal where everything was best ever had. Glad we chose Core de Roma to make this the next favorite Italian restaurant. Maybe the owner will share his recipe for the Stuffed Artichokes! Thank for everything you helped make the birthday celebration a hit. Don't miss this place..

Great food. I only ordered take out but planning to visit in person as well. Their ordering app is Slice and it's causing some misunderstandings. Doesnt show sub orders on the restaurant side but it's not the restaurant's fault. I am no italian but the owner seems like real italian and care about his customers.

TLDR; Atmosphere: dated Food: food was decent Service: we were kinda ignored and the owners wife didn't seem to like us being there Outcome: not likely we'll return My veteran buddy loves Italian food and wanted to go to a new spot. Upon arrival we sat there for a few minutes waiting to be acknowledged--not like we were hiding or anything--we were in plain view of the owner! I thought it was customary to wait to be seated right? The owner finally tells us from behind the bar, we can sit anywhere. Seemed like a decent place, although, I get a little nervous when there are no other customers. Tonight, there were 2 other tables being waited on. Fast-forward, we order and food arrives. My friend ordered lasagna, I think a bottom corner of it was burnt so he was having trouble cutting into it. The one waitress noticed and asked if he needed a sharpener knife, when she brings it over, the owners wife is visibly upset stating he doesn't need a sharper knife. I personally don't appreciate when people belittle their employees. One of the dishes sounded great on paper, turned out to be incredibly heavy. I think maybe the recipe should be tweaked. My bechamel at home isn't that heavy either. The owner seemed to be hanging out with one table in particular, I was nervous I wouldn't know what to talk about when he came to hang with us... This didn't happen but it was very noticeable that their friends were in town. Dessert was pretty good. And the bill was somewhat reasonable. But based on the service, food quality to price ratio, I think if you want to try it, it might not hurt, but we won't be going back

We had a wonderful experience at this restaurant! The food was authentic and delicious, highly recommend their artichoke appetizer. If you’re looking for a relaxing and nice atmosphere, this place is it!

The best authentic Italian food we have had in the past few years living in Philly

Never disappointed at Core de Roma

This was our first time here and the food is absolutely awesome 🤩 loved the risotto rolls and Alfredo ❤️ we had the limoncello cake as desert - so so good! we’ll definitely come back!!!!!! Everyone was super friendly.

Great experience. Little hole in the wall Italian BYOB. Best bruschetta potentially ever. The service was excellent. Little slow with the bill, but they had a waiter out sick. The infinity mirrors in the bathroom were an extra fun bonus!

Absolutely incredible place. Roman taste, Philly grit, lovely owners. Core de Roma style Artichokes are sublime. Cacio e pepe and gricia pastas might have been very well be served in a Trastevere restaurant -- where Luigi is from. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this place. Will come back regularly.

My favorite place to eat at! Everything is homemade and delicious and you can tell that the owners care about what they put out. I will come here over and over again.

The fettuccine was fresh and delicious. We also loved the artichokes. Some of the pastas aren’t home made and those are not nearly as good as the home made stuff. So, make sure you read the menu carefully if you do want fresh pasta. The service, unfortunately, left a bad taste in our mouths. Our table wasn’t fully set and we couldn’t get anyone’s attention to help us. So, we ended up having to take what we needed from an empty table. The entire service was slow and unfriendly. About 10 minutes after they cleared our dinner plates I walked over to the back of the restaurant near the kitchen and register to ask about dessert since nobody was coming to take our order. I made eye contact with one worker who turned around and ignored me. After a few minutes, I went back to my table and waited for someone to come over. I continued to be ignored even when the rest of my party had left the table. When I finally got someone to come, I asked them to just bring the check. The woman who brought the check asked how everything was and when I started telling her that I was frustrated with the service, she argued with me instead of apologizing.

Excellent meal. Not fancy but welcoming atmosphere ! Owner very pleasant. Food authentic!!! BYOB. But $5 corkage fee.

Great dinner and wonderful service.

Luigi and his staff treated me and my family to a wonderful authentic Italian dinner! Highly recommend, and I would return

Today was a true experience of Rome; Luigi and his wife made our experience amazing! I asked Luigi to surprise me with my dish and he did not disappoint me. You will have a customer for a very long time! Keep up the amazing work Luigi!

The food was superb. The owner was welcoming and engaging. The outside may fool you, but it is charming inside. We had been in Italy five months prior to our visit and the food here was just as good. We live in Minnesota and only visit Philadelphia once a year, but we will plan to dine at Core de Roma on every visit. We highly recommend this place. BYOB was a plus. It made a fantastic meal very afforable.

Truly a hidden gem. If you want authentic Italian cuisine, and an atmosphere that feels relaxed and refined, then I highly recommend you try this restaurant. The owners are so kind and we have been lucky enough to celebrate special moments there with them.

Delicious Italian BYOB. All our pasta dishes were cooked to perfection, and great service

Great food, pleasant atmosphere.

The food was great! Would have given five stars but we waited over a half hour to close out our check. The owner is very friendly but very controlling and is the only one who works as the host, waiter, and the only one who can close out your check. Stretched a little thin.

Enjoyed the food. Luigi made us feel at home.

This is hands down the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. The service and staff were incredible, and the place was truly authentic to its Italian roots. I’m sorry, grandma, but your spaghetti and meatballs have been outranked. I swear these meatballs are the most tender, juiciest meatballs I’ve ever had in my life. We will absolutely be coming back again soon!

Food was okay. Service was poor. We liked it better the past two times we were there.

Amazing place! My husband and I go there often - every meal is great!

Really Italian food made from Italian people. Very good. We got the cacio e peppe, burrata and tiramisu, all perfect.

Excellent Italian menu and service! Our dinner was the best! Terrific place! The owner was very friendly! We'll be back!!

Great food and service. They were short staffed and went above and beyond to provide top service. Thank you Luigi.

Excellent Italian restaurant. This was our first visit. It is beautiful and inviting inside. Service was great and the owner is welcoming and very friendly. We had calamari, and crab-lobster ravioli with shrimps. Both dishes were extremely tasty. Highly recommended.

This restaurant has a very good Italian food. Please check it out if you like to have good Italian food

We were greeted by the owner and promptly seated. Special’s were discussed. Our BYOB bottles were opened. Orders taken. Reasonably priced and all my dining companions enjoyed their entrees. Artichokes we’re especially tasty. A gem of Belmont Hills.

Got the bolognese which was very good. Definitely going to come back soon

This is amazing food. Ignore the outside and go inside. Took my parents and will go back. Maybe be the best Italian I've had on the main line.

One of the best aglio e olio’s I have ever eaten! Flavorful and just the right amount. Plus very kind staff!

Angel Hair pasta boulanais was excellent. I picked it up and was ready on time.