Abruzzo Italian Bistro

We LOVE their food! My family and I eat there every chance we can. The servers are friendly, especially Nancy and her daughter, Gianna. It’s a BYOB which is a plus!
The food is fantastic! We always start with arancini and salads. Entrees are also fantastic, the chef can make killer sauces. My favorite is the penne rosa. The dessert is also a favorite, we especially love the crème brûlée and apple tarts. Give it a chance and you won’t be disappointed.

LOVE this place!!! I’m Italian and this is by far the most authentic Italian food I’ve ever had. My husband and I have been coming here for a few years, and we had dinner again this past weekend and as always — a stellar experience! Staff is very friendly and accommodating, food is always hot and delicious and deserts are really yummy! I am very surprised at the 1 star reviews on this page because this is seriously one of our favorite restaurants in all of the Philadelphia area!!!

My fiancé, his parents and I LOVED this place. We even took my parents when they visited for my fiancé’s college graduation 2 years ago and they loved it as well. Well, we went there last night for dinner… actually, more like called to find out their number was disconnected, then pulled up to see it was closed (tables were set mind you) with no note on the door. We have no clue what happened or why nothing is on their website or nothing is posted on the door, but very disappointing to see what used to be a spot we all loved has either taken a serious downward turn or closed with no notice.

If I could I would give Abruzzo 3.5 stars. Plain and simple this place is plain and simple. Our waitress and bus boy were very friendly. Although the bus boy seemed new, he was harmless. There was nothing substantial about the food. It was just okay. The one thing I did like was that we were able to just chill out and have coffee after coffee until the place closed. There was no rush at all. The BYO and the «hangout» part are probably the best aspects of this restaurant. The meals are reasonably priced and they accept coupons as well. I would go back to try something else, but not anytime soon.

Came here a couple months ago and raved about it. Came tonight and was one of the worst meals I’ve had in a long time. Service was very slow and food was covered in oil and salt. Also took way too long to come out. Will not go back

Local good food!
Clam app was delish, save some bread for dipping! We shared the large (not really lrg) Caesar salad between three people, so was good amount for a tasting.
I had the Tilapia, good size portion, really good. I tasted veal parm and veal medallions, both were really good.
BYO ! Gotta love that

From the minute we got seated, the waitress had an attitude with us. Not sure why– we were polite and the place was not crowded at all. It took about 20 minutes for them to take our order. Another waitress did– not the one who sat us. Our salads came out about 15 minutes after that and they were good. However, an hour after we arrived we still didn’t have our dinner. Again, it was still not busy at all. We asked how much longer and the waitress with the attitude gave us more attitude and just said «soon.» I think she thought it was perfectly acceptable to wait an hour for dinner when you were one of four tables. The waitress seemed to have one table she preferred. She was over there all the time.
We had a concert to go to so we had a hard stop. When other diners also complained about the wait, we decide to pay for our salads and leave. The waitress was rude (again) and told us just to go. Like it was our fault. I was surprised by the entire experience. We won’t be back again.

The food here is great, but the website needs work. It is out of date (it’s August, and there is info on the homepage about spring lunch specials that are coming soon). It also offers no menu that I could see for people who want to order takeout or for catering purposes.

The food was very bland and the waiter was rude and I was excited to try this place out but unfortunately it wasn’t worth the trip. Disappointed is an understatement. Don’t waste your time

Was there 2÷8÷2015. The owner was very accommodating for my large party of 15, and the manager, Michael, provided us with the best service, and was very welcoming. I had the grilled calamari, and the mushroom ravioli. Both were wonderful, and of ample proportions.
I tasted the special appetizer, polenta and it was delish. Everything I sampled was great, and I didn’t taste it, but the eggplant parmigiana was huge! For dessert, I had the apple pie with the vanilla gelato. That was a big hit, as was the tira misu. The crème brûlée was tasty, but in a small narrow cup. Never saw it served like that before. The overall experience was wonderful, and thank you Abruzzo for a wonderful time.

BYO!!! And they use those cute little wide and stout wine glasses that evoke memories of my trip to Italy. We foodies, who also do the blues, happy hours and shore trips together secured a reservation for a big table and went on a weeknight. We were greeted by the very friendly owner who was also our server.
What a delight this cozy, warm place is to sit with friends over wine while sampling appetizers. Ample time is allowed before ordering the entrée.
Menu:
— House Salad– All the standard items with the good greens. Paper thin red onions
— Eggplant Involtini which was Eggplant rolled in Prosciutto, spinach, and topped with a thick slice of mozzarella with a side of spaghetti. Excellent. All homemade and tasting just as good as a South Philly restaurant.
We all delight in sampling each others choices. Everyone who attended enjoyed their meals and samples obtained from friend’s plates.
Although I didn’t order dessert they were all visually appealing and judging from the «OOOO’s and Aaaaah’s «I heard up and down the table, they were well received.

My wife and our friends are a bunch of foodies. One bad meal dives them away from any restaurant. They all love the place and I do too. We come here several times a mont and have never had a bad one. prices are very reasonable for what you get.

My husband and another couple went to dinner at Abruzzo. The other couple recommended it and we had never been there before. It was Friday night. We had reservations for 6:30 pm and were seated right away when we arrived. We had a delightful waitress named Nancy; she was very helpful when I had a hard time making up my mind what to order. I ended up getting the braised short rib over polenta which I loved! I am VERY picky but the meat was perfect and it came with spinach, which is a veggie that I actually like. We all enjoyed out meals and will definitely return again.

Exceptional food and very good service.
Very friendly owner and staff, too.
Tastiest veal parmesan, chicken paillard, and spaghettini with meat sauce I’ve ever had. The flavors were spot on, the quality of the ingredients could not have been better, and each was made with equal parts love and skill. Generous portions were served.
Hope to return as soon as the ink is dry on this review. :-)

I’m not sure when it happened but my neighborhood in Drexel Hill has recently become a hotbed of 30 seat BYOB bistros. I suspect that it might be because small, intimate restaurants are every chef’s dream from a creative perspective, but the business model stinks. Consequently, they cannot do this kind of thing in the city where rents are higher, but in the ring suburb of Drexel Hill they might be able to make a go of it. Whatever the reason, I love it.
Add Abruzzo to the list of unique D.H. BYOBs that offer a true gourmet experience at a value price. Others in the neighborhood include Tabbalon, Drexel Hill Pizza & Grill and Saigon Harbor, which I think is actually in neighboring Havertown. What all of these have in common is that they’re chef driven, food centric restaurants where service and atmosphere are second to the food. Personally, I enjoy the casual and informal approach to service, although it might put some critics off.
Abruzzo’s grilled calamari is an outstanding starter. Their seafood entrees are fresh and expertly prepare. And what they do to a braised short rib… heavenly. With gems like Abruzzo in the neighborhood, I will never understand why people wait in line down the road for crab fries at Chickie-n-Pete’s

Foods fantastic, service is great and it’s a nice cozy place to sit and enjoy a glass of wine with family and friends! I know the food is wonderful but because of their friendly atmosphere and over the top service — it makes the places definitely worth while!

FIVE STAR FABULOUS ALL THE WAY!!! Really shocked this place doesn’t have a thousand 5-​star reviews!!! REALLY SHOCKED & COMPLETELY FLOORED!!! I had the best experience here. From the 5-​star food-​a small caesar salad is huge & delizioso & the chicken parm was TDF; to the incredible service. Couldn’t have asked for a better meal or overall experience. Also thanks to Bob & Sue for making the experience even better, incredible, in fact, and thanx so much for the wonderful wine, your generosity is unrivaled!!! Luv u guys!!! If you haven’t tried Abruzzo, all I can say is «What are you waiting for?». You don’t know what you’re missing.

Four of us went to Abruzzo on Christmas Eve and enjoyed a fantastic 7 fish dinner. Service was superb, everything was cooked perfectly and each course was hot and beautifully presented. I would encourage anyone to try it and you will not be disappointed. They are now accepting credit cards and as time goes on I hope they will open for Sunday Brunch and lunch. We will be going back very soon

My rating of the food was 7 out of 10 based on the first time I was there. So I was willing to give it another shot even though the portions were small and pricey.
My rating of 1 star was based on my second time I was there. We decided to go there for dinner last week so we called and asked what time they were open to. They told us as long as we were there before 9:30 they would be more than happy to have us. We get there at 9:20 pm and they told us sorry were closed.
These restaurants wonder why they can’t make it more than a year in Havertown. That really left a bad taste in my mouth, never go back there again. This was on a weekend night to, wonder why all the chain restaurants are killing the local spots. Their willing to stay open past 9pm, get a clue guys people eat after 8pm. Also don’t tell customers your open and then change your mind when they get there.

What makes a Bistro a Bistro? I have begun to wonder. Is it white linen table cloths? Nah. Entrees straight from Shunk Street? Nope. Sinatra on the stereo (at least till the CD played out)? Nu-​uh. Old fashioned South Philly gravy? Ditto. Entrees $ 22 – 30 and apps over $ 12. Nooowayyyy.
It would have all been good if the food was great. but it wasn’t. I won’t bore you with the details, but the food was decidedly under-​whelming and over-​priced. The service (considering they had all of three tables down, and two servers on) was spotty at best.
Positives — the room is really cute — they have done nice things since Lorro’s.