Po Le Cucina

We cannot stay away from Po Le Cucina.
Lunch, dinner at least twice a month.
The chef and his wife are the nicest people you will ever find and he sure can cook.
He could start a wholesale dessert business selling to other restaurants but he doesn’t have the time.
I am reluctant to write a review that will bring in more crowds but Po Le deserves every success.
When I red Craig Leban’s reviews in the Inquirer I have no desire to go downtown.
Between Po Le and Massa in Ambler I don’t need to look any further for a great meal.

Po Le Cocina Restaurant .This is the worst meal I have had in a long time. The apetizer: grilled calmari$ 10, that was recommended by our waitress, was disgusting; I rarely return a dish in a restaurant but I really couldn’t eat it so I returned it. The sea food linguini was extremely average, the sauce tasted like it was out of a can. The linguini was not home made, the 1 shrimp was over cooked and the scalops were under cooked… this dish was very bland…$ 18 for the small portion. My husband had a lobster brisk soup… bland and no taste of lobster, though there were small pieces of lobster. His pasta bolognaise $ 22 was not home made, as advertized, and the tomato sauce was like it was out of a can… the ground beef meat was tough and tasteless.
Total waste of money… I DO NOTrecommend this restaurant. Last time for me for sure. Good thing we didn’t order any more food.

Absolutely fantastic
Only had a 5:30 reservation available.
The place is absolutely mobbed.
Says a lot about this hidden gem.

The best food experience every time. I’m scared to tell others about our favorite spot but others deserve to know and read about the BEST FOOD. We travel 1 hour to come here and every time we leave, we are happy, full and amazed with how great dinner was. SERVICE IS ALWAYS POLITE AND FRIENDLY. Quality ingredients, quality food, and even quantity is never a issue. I Alway recommend eating off their daily specials to try new dishes.
Overall review
*****
All 10’s
Thank you Po le Cucina!

Just met Po (the owner) tonight. First time I’d been in the restaurant and won’t be the last. Fantastic — and my wife and I go out to dinner about 5 times a week. This will be high on the list for the future. One of the best places we’ve come across in the area.
Happened to walk in late on a Tuesday but heard from several people (and from Po himself) that reservations are a must most days.
Bring your own bottle and take your lead from the waiter on what to order. Everything we had was awesome and I’m sure everything we haven’t yet tried is just as good.

I do NOT understand all these high ratings, wow. I just ate there with my son and was very underwhelmed to say the least, perhaps it’s because I grew up in south Philly with a Sicilian mother and grandparents and know good Italian food? This is not good Italian food. Fried calamari app, barely breaded and so-​so, weak marinara sauce. Gnocchi in Gorgonzola: obviously frozen gnocchi in a sauce that tasted like Alfredo sauce with a hint of Gorgonzola, bitter and unpleasant. Rigatoni with bolognese sauce. Ground beef does not constitute bolognese sauce, and this was thin and watery too, average at best. $ 65 with tip, totally not worth it. If you want real Italian food go into the city and skip the ‘burbs altogether! Very disappointing, won’t be back.

This is a very small, family run business and reservations are needed for dinner. We were even told up front we had a time limit and the table was needed for a later group. It was nice of them to tell us that up front instead of trying to rush us out after the meal. There were people being turned away at the door, so be sure to make a reservation. Like other said, the online menu is small, but they do have a special menu also which almost doubles the size of the menu.
The head server is the daughter of the owner. She is very friendly and very attentive. The owner is the head chef. Plates were cleared as needed and water was refilled continually when the glasses got below half.
This is the type of restaurant where you can order anything on the menu and it will be excellent. We split many of the appetizers and they were all excellent. A bit expensive for the size, but worth the price. I enjoyed the octopus salad and calamari the most, but the others were just as good. One person in our group got the osso buco after reading the reviews here. Other tables in the restaurant were talking about needing to get it also. It was a huge meal. I sampled that and the gnocchis. Both were excellent. The lamb chop also looked very good, but it was over $ 40. But this is the type of place where you should not ask about the prices. All the desserts were made there and they had about 10 to choose. I had samples of 4 of them and just like the food, they could not have been done any better.
The one downside to this place is the size of the eating area. It is very small. It is decorated to look like a room in a house and is not much bigger than one. It would be nice for a couple to go for a special night out, but the larger groups were really packed in. Their large round table, whick would be a table for 6 at other places was set up for 8 and they squeezed in a party of 10. I would not recommend going here with more than 4 people total if you want some elbow room.
While they do not have a dress code, most people are from the local area and were dressed very fancy. They are BYOB. I would eat here every day if someone else was paying for me. And just looking at the restaurant categories this is under, I do not think it was French or Asian fusion. While the owner is asian, the food all seemed to be strictly Italian.

What a little hidden gem! Reservations is a must here but you will be so happy when you sit down and have your first bite. The food is delicious, the server is exceptional and you can’t go wrong when the owners stop amd talk with every table.

This restaurant is a gem. From the moment you walk in, you feel welcomed. The family that runs this restaurant exudes a warm vibe that enhances the experience. Food was excellent. My friend enjoyed the large artichoke appetizer and I had the stone crab. Didn’t love the honey mustard sauce that came with the crab, but that is my sole issue. For dinner we both had the homemade seafood fettuccine, mine with a wine sauce and hers in marinara. We ordered the appetizer portion, which was perfect, as we were saving room for desert. The dessert tray had a great variety to choose from. We ended up sharing a raspberry tart with mango sorbet. Perfection. Lastly, we sat at our table on a Friday night for three hours and never once felt rushed. Will definitely come again.

A friend recommended this restaurant, so my wife and I tried it for lunch in January 2016. We loved it. Service is good and personalized. Our waitress did not speak English well, but it was no big deal. The owner/​chef chatted with us, and we liked him. The room is attractive and clean. Prices are very reasonable. My wife had pasta primavera which had a light sauce (not rich and creamy) and lots of perfectly cooked veggies. She raves about that dish. I ordered rigatoni with meat sauce (bolognese) and it was excellent. This is a somewhat small restaurant located at one end of a strip mall on Bethlehem Pike. Highly recommended.

If you have never tried PoLe Cucina, you are missing out on life. For one, the sea bass is out of this world and is the best piece of fish I have ever tasted. Buttery, garlicy, lemony tenderness-​what more do you want? Oh, but wait there’s more! Chef Po Le’s homemade cesar salad dressing is deliciously fragrant, creamy and thick-​his cesar salads might appear plain but man oh man! The calamari will not disappoint either, it is very light and does not make you feel like you have indigestion, best of both worlds, tastes great without the heaviness. Shrimp cocktails are plump and the size of your palm-​three to four pieces are more than enough as appetizers. As for dessert, try it all, fruit tarts, and tiramisu! If you are lucky, the special occasional biscotti is sooo fresh, filled with dried cranberries and almonds. Just as a disclaimer, I live in nyc and the drive for Chef Po Le’s food is worth every minute in traffic!

I had a great dinner here. The wait staff are friendly, the atmosphere is quaint and the food is great! They have delicious appetizers, pastas, salad soups and entrees with about 8 – 10 specials. And i love that it’s a BYOB. I would definitely recommend this place.

This was our first visit to this restaurant and we dined to another couple. The appetizers were very good, in fact, the mushroom soup as excellent. Our main courses were also good with the exception of one misstep. I had the Seafood Linguini and the shrimp were vert tough, like eating tires, however, all of the other seafood (which there was plenty) was very good.
The desserts were spectacular, however, the coffee was terrible. They may want to think about using a better coffee brand, like la Columbe.

We ate at Po Le at the recommendation of a friend and we are so glad to have found this hidden treasure. The chef /​family are delightful and the food was delicious from beginning to end. Can’t wait to go back and try some other entrees!

It was a last minute decision to go out to dinner on a Wednesday night. We did not know anything about this restaurant until we arrived. It is not a big place and although it was busy we didn’t feel cramped and it wasn’t noisy. The food was out of this world. We had appetizers, dinner and dessert. There were four of us and we were all very satisfied with our meals. The portions were generous. The dessert tray was unique and all homemade. The service was top notch and the wait for our food was minimal. Our waiter, David, was very friendly and did a great job explaining the specials. Their menu is not huge but has plenty to choose from. They had maybe 4 or 5 specials.
The highlight of the night was when Mr. Po Le came out and talked to us. We were blown away with his friendly personality. He shared his personal story with us which was priceless. I would recommend reservations because I could see this place filling up quick.
Food = 10
Service = 10
Atmosphere = 8
Mr. Po Le = 100
I can’t wait to go back!

My boyfriend and I wanted to try some place new for my birthday and I came across Po Le Cucina online.
So thrilled I found this gem. We made reservations, which is highly recommended because it’s a small place. We were the first people there, but soon the place filled up with first timers and frequent customers.
The first thing that amazed us was the service. Front of house was amazing. Byob and our wine was opened instantly and poured. The list of specials was extensive and the servers knew them without needing a list to reference. They worked together to make each persons evening memorable. When our order was taken, my boyfriend had three courses and I had two. The server asked which course I would like to skip so I wouldn’t be sitting there watching him eat. Wow! Very insightful and kind.
The food was prepared quickly and was amazing. We started with two specials. I had the caprese salad with avocado. Tomatoes were fresh, mozzarella was fresh and spectacular, and the avocado was a full half. I was surprised by the portion and the plate was beautiful. The vinegrette on top was tart and refreshing. My boyfriend had the prosciutto wrapped figs with fresh parmesan. Again, beautifully plated and very tasty. He finished faster and his plate was cleared quickly which allowed his second plate to come out.
This course was a seafood risotto. He got the smaller portion which again was plenty. I also was given a small plate to share with him. So glad I did. The amount of seafood was shocking. Full of shrimp, mussels, scallops, lobster, and a delicious sauce. Very good.
Our entrees were lamb for him and seafood ravioli for me. His lamb was perfectly cooked and he says had the best balsamic reduction he’s ever had [which says alot because he is a foodie and eats out all the time and also in some of the best places in Philly area].
My ravioli was delicious. The vodka sauce was addictive and when I had my leftovers packed, I even asked for as much of the sauce as possible [which I got]. I only was able to eat one ravioli because I wanted to eat all the seafood first. Lobster-​2 huge chunks, shrimp, and scallops filled the plate.
The food was stunning but I was so blown away by the service I had to sign up for Unilocal.Our wine and water glasses were topped off multiple times. Plates were cleared quickly. My food was packaged very quickly and with the bill we received a small plate of chocolate chip cranberry cookies. Staff was friendly and joked with customers. Even one couple came in and hugged the one employee, Lily. The chef came out to talk to some regulars… basically every single person was treated the same way and like a valued friend.
Listening to others tables near us, they were just as thrilled with their food and every single one said they would be returning. As we left, all three servers said goodbye and our main server paused while talking to a new table to shake my boyfriend’s hand and invite us back. We also will be returning and bringing friends and family, and when the weather cools a little we would love to sit outside. I called people as soon as we got to the car to recommend this establishment. Can’t say enough!

We enjoyed our meal, very fresh and very tasteful. The service was excellent. Im so glad I didn’t see Zach «the lego guys» post.
We might not have eaten here, Its as if some people that post reviews have to high of an opinion of their self.
My compliments to the chef and servers.

Po Le opened in the former location of Mina Cucina and Filippo’s in a strip mall along Bethlehem Pike in Spring House. The owner was formally a chef at San Marco up the street.
The only changes to the design of the restaurant was the addition of outside seating. The layout remained mostly the same from how Mina was setup. The buzz locally was that the food was top notch and I had to see for myself.
We made reservations 1 week in advance for a Friday night around 7pm. We arrived and were seated immediately. The restaurant was completely full shortly after we were seated. Our sever came over after a few minutes to open our wine and get some ice for our beer.
The menu is rather compact which is fine but the specials list was about the same size. After the server was finished advising us of the specials it almost seemed like there were more specials then entrees.
My mother ordered an anti pasta for the table and we all shared an order of Calamari. Each of us also ordered and entrée. I thought he food was good and it was obviously fresh. While I did enjoy my meal It wasn’t memorable. I’m sure I will return again sometime but I didn’t get what all the hype was about.

It just goes to show you, when a chef with talent is given the freedom to do his own thing, away from those tyrant owners and miserable bartender at that overrated restaurant down the Pike, creativity, quality and professionalism shines.
The service was excellent. Intelligent, articulate and pleasant servers were attentive and efficient. With tablecloths, and a comfortable, clean, fresh dining room, and an open kitchen, Po Le has a wonderful atmosphere in which to dine.
We started with the grilled calamari, which was so tender, dressed with a little lemon and olive oil, had a terrific grilled flavor and simplistic charm. The pasta e fagioli was OK, very light, more like a chicken soup rather than the traditional depth and richness to what one may be accustomed.
For an entrée, I had a beautiful, not small osso buco. This was very tender, not a lot of un-​rendered fat but some. And it was moist throughout. Served with crisp haricot vert and plain white rice. I would prefer risotto rather than a plain white rice to be served with this Italian dish. My «friend» had the Pappardelle with the duck ragu. This was decadent, very rich, a little salty, and for the most part enjoyable, but not something I would order after tasting.
It took me awhile to get here and I very much look forward to get this in my collection of local weeknight BYOB destinations.

So this is really an Italian place (there is nothing really Asian about it other than the chef and staff)
An upbeat local place with quality meal at a nice price
Had grilled octopus appetizer ;that was tasty (but cold) and linguini with shellfish in a garlic sauce which was nice (however the larger pasta portion did not seem much different in size to smaller plate at $ 10 less)
After dinner coffee was good with complimentary cookies
Attentive family staff