A Love Letter to La Viola, the Restaurant That Helped Me Fall in Love With Philly

Tightly packed convivial theater crowds, college students, couples, and families happily sat elbow to elbow huddled over tiny square tables drinking bottles of red wine. Across my dorm room lover, I’d imagine our life together in the city: dining out every weekend, going to shows, and being professional creatives.

Almost a decade after graduating college, I brought my then-boyfriend-now-husband to La Viola as part of a “Don’t You Want to Move to Philly With Me?!” weekend tour. His first visit came with a warning, though. “If you don’t like this place, we stand no chance.”

I was relieved to see time had stood still. Inside, there were still gold-framed oil paintings of deep greens and ocean blues reflecting scenes of the old country — gifts from a neighbor who’s since passed. Large antique wall tapestries, velvet drapes, and curtains warmed up intimate conversations of two-tops nearby. Each table, draped in white tablecloths with matching burgundy folded napkins and upholstered chairs, is like a relic of fine dining in a town where casual service dominates. Servers were still dressed in suit vests and ties, with the same friendly faces that greeted me at the dining room entrance all those years back.

I turned to my husband to check his reaction.

“This place is amazing,” Philippe said, taking it all in.

That night he learned why La Viola holds such a special place in my heart.

As a broke college kid and now a broke adult, there is no better start to a meal in my humble opinion than La Viola’s Caesar salad. It has a perfect ratio of stem to leafy greens with housemade croutons that don’t crumble under a fork’s pierce. The creamy, tangy dressing is speckled with black pepper and doesn’t shy away from a bold anchovy flavor. My entrée of choice is typically the al dente tagliatelle pasta with still-pink-inside salmon in a cognac cream sauce. And it’s mandatory to end dinner with tiramisu. This three-course meal is roughly $50 per person, minus our bottle of Montepulciano, and remains unbeatable in this skyrocketing expensive climate.

Better yet, the lengthy menu, written mostly in Italian, has barely changed since the restaurant opened in 2006, except for recently added seasonal specials. Many classic dishes remain under $25 a piece and are portioned just right, meant to fill one hungry person, and not overly done with garnishes or technique. It’s Italian comfort food at its best. Over the years, our favorite plates have grown to include black linguine, a squid ink pasta with scallops, shrimp, and calamari in a blush creamy sauce. There’s jiggly burrata with roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes, and pesto olive oil that Philippe often orders as a starter. Their tender and thin lemon chicken with sautéed spinach, roasted garlic, and oil pasta is simple and flavorful. Penne al’ oriolo comes in a lightly creamed vodka tomato sauce with porcini mushrooms, peas, and pancetta. Gnocchi alla stagione with ricotta cheese, fresh basil, and Gorgonzola is surprisingly light. Oven-roasted salmon with pearl onions and capers in a light marinara sauce always hits the spot. Fusilli with hearty cannellini beans, crumbled herby sausage, and white onions tossed in olive oil is a cold-weather must.

You’ll see regulars like us (who’ve now become part of the pre-show theater dinner crowd) as well as the restaurant owners with their friends, chatting it up at coveted window tables. The downstairs wine cellar, an “if you know, you know” invitation, is filled with donated and leftover wine bottles from many of these regulars.

This is how Ramazan (Ram) and Xhevdet (Jerry) Hima, the brothers and owners of La Viola Ovest and Bistro La Viola across the street, have always intended it to be.

“I love that La Viola has deep roots in the community; the neighborhood has to like you,” says second-generation manager Ervin (Vin), Jerry’s son. Vin joined the family business in 2022 alongside his siblings and cousins, Eri, Afrim, and Hafize (Anna). These Drexel University alumni are the next generation keeping La Viola relevant and timeless.

When we first met Vin, he was our server. Now, he’s managing the books with Eri and Afrim, running dishes from the kitchen, and brainstorming ways to cultivate guests beyond annual Center City Restaurant Week visits. Anna is an energetic, always-smiling host who manages La Viola’s marketing, capturing both restaurants’ family-style dining and entertainment in real time for social media followers. Despite their young age, it’s clear they’ve inherited the same wholesome hospitality from their elders.

“Seeing families grow and choosing to share their milestones with us at La Viola is profoundly rewarding,” says Anna. “We cherish being a part of their life’s special moments.”

Day-one supporter and family friend Dominic Oriolo confirms this. He’s seen the younger generation work their way up the ranks while retaining the same business acumen and charming sensibilities that long-time patrons return for. Dominic himself is a fixture on the floor, greeting every table. On a recent visit, while lingering over end-of-meal cappuccinos, Oriolo shared his love for the restaurant.

“You come in here, especially when no one’s in, you look around and really appreciate everything that’s in here,” he says.

Hard agree.

Twenty-something years since my first visit, and now living in Philadelphia as a freelance writer, and married to the love of my life, I can’t help but thank La Viola for playing a part in making my youthful dreams a reality.

La Viola West is open for lunch on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and daily for dinner beginning at 5 p.m.

Alisha Miranda is a food and travel journalist and #LatinxIndustryNight cultural producer based in Philadelphia. Follow her at @alishainthebiz. Follow Resy, too.