Le Castagne

cindyupenn 

on Citysearch

17 years ago

Don't waste your money here at all – After reading the previous reviews, I went to Le Castagne with somewhat low expectations. I figured I could order the gnocchi as others had said, which is exactly what I did. We split the gnocchi w/prosciutto and broccoli rabe, which was okay, not great. Unfortunately, I also ordered the quail as my main entree and it was horrible. It actually tasted like the refrigerator and barely touched the food. We told the waiter, who proceeded to do nothing, there was no offer to bring something el... read more

np1982 

on Citysearch

17 years ago

The food was okay, but I'm not going back. – The food was fine. The service and management were beyond atrocious. As a party of one I was seated at the bar, which was fine. A short time later another woman was seated two seats down. She was disheveled and visibly intoxicated. She ordered a glass of red on the rocks and capellini with garlic and olive oil. Not having capellini on the menu the bartender tried to suggest other options and handed her a menu. The woman proceeded to yell, "capellini with garlic and olive oil." She... read more

oxjinixo 

on Citysearch

17 years ago

Worst Italian experience – There are only 2 Philly restaurants on my list that are deemed as "never going here again," and Le Castagne, unfortunately, is the worse of the two evils (the other being Paradigm). Simply the worst food ever. I understand that pasta is to be cooked al dente, but not to the point where my teeth would break (not that it did, but it was very, very underdone). Maybe it was because it was during restaurant week, I'm not sure. The restaurant itself is beautiful and so was the maitre'd, but I am not goin... read more

stoner50 

on Citysearch

17 years ago

DREADFUL AND EXPENSIVE – the room is beautiful, the acoustics wonderful, the settings lovely. but service is brusque, often thoughtless, verging on rude, and the food is outrageously expensive and utterly dreadful. four of us went on a saturday night. we were seated promptly. wine was ordered. then the food came. the salads were fine, but unexciting. the ravioli special was outstanding - a game-meat stuffed ravioli with egg yolk inside, with pomegranate sauce. boar ragu cavetelli tasted like chef boyardee, the ragu virtually... read more

enjoyrestaurants 

on Citysearch

17 years ago

Worst Dining Experience Ever – I can't believe that my husband and I dined at the same restaurant that is being reviewed. My husband and I had reservations but were told when we arrived that the only place we could sit was in the bar area. Since that is near the windows, we didn't complain. It took about 20 minutes before our drink order was taken. The appetizer was good but the rolls were hard and cold. We ordered a good bottle of wine and two different pastas for our main course. The pasta came about 20 minutes before our ... read more

gmarocks 

on Citysearch

18 years ago

Incredible authentic Italian food and excellent service! – It's obvious that Le Castagne is high priced-but the quality and taste of the food is worth every penny-especially if you go during restaurant week, which is when I most recently visited. The menu was incredible-varied selection of salads, appetizers, pastas and meat-and of course a delicious desser sampler. Everything my partner and I had was delicious-from the assagi vari appetizer to the veal scallopini-everything was cooking perfectly. The veal was extremely tend... read more

goodwch 

on Citysearch

18 years ago

Great Italian meals – I went to Le Castagne for Restaurant Week. Nice ambiance, but had to wait at least a half hour to be seated, even with a reservation. They seated another couple that came in after us because they had asked for a table near the window when placing their reservation - that was very frustrating. But all of the food was very good. We had the platter of italian meats and cheeses. Delicious! We also had bruscetta and a pasta dish for dinner. The pasta was good, but overpriced for what it is. I was disappointe... read more

therestaurantguy 

on Citysearch

18 years ago

Still Amazing – I recently enjoyed an exceptional dinner -- the malfatti with pumpkin was sinful. Every time I go to this restaurant I am amazed. The menu is innovative and interesting. They constantly achieve new highs with their menu choices. A place like this deserves best of Philly pasta and should be the best Italian restaurant in Philly. I cannot say enough about this treasure on Chestnut. 

paule123 

on Citysearch

18 years ago

Very good food, could use improvement on service – Food is quite good here, the pasta excellent, and the prices reasonable. Many dishes were around $19 which is a good deal for an elegant space like this. They have a very creative menu, and could rate near a 10 if they iron out some service issues. They seem to be understaffed. I think I saw one waiter and one waitress working the entire room, and another person taking care of dessert orders. Although our waitress was very pleasant, there were gaps in service. After being se... read more