Amidst a sea of popular Italian restaurants serving up the same classic dishes, one particular restaurant stands out—LaScala’s Fire. By revamping traditional foods and adding a signature spin, this restaurant provides a unique and delicious dining experience. Moreover, the sheer number of LaScala’s restaurants alone denotes it as memorable. With three locations in Philadelphia, plus a Villanova location, the restaurant is hard to miss.

The interior of LaScala’s Fire—whether in Philadelphia or Villanova—serves a sleek, modern, marble look, fresh and clean without looking like a millennial home flip. Paired with the bar, the warm lighting, and the open window design, the atmosphere is particularly inviting for dinner dining. Be warned, though: this appeal makes the place quite popular. 

We started with the appetizers. The ricotta board was served with sliced bread and a mason jar filled to the brim with ricotta cheese and honey. The ricotta’s texture itself was slightly gritty, but the honey drizzled on the side balanced it out. 

The Calabrian brussel sprouts were sweet, crispy, and roasted to a warm brown. By far the best was the calamari. Even after frying, the calamari stayed fresh. When paired with their red sauce, the crisp, then chewy, texture and tangy taste matched perfectly. 

It would be impossible to go to LaScala’s Fire without tasting their wood-fired pizza. The margherita pizza was solid, but the signature Hot Honey pizza knocked it out of the park. For someone with a particularly low spice tolerance, the sausage and pepperoni were just fiery enough. Although the pizza was coated in honey, the balance was not overly saccharine nor overly hot. The ricotta cheese piped on top worked to offset the pizza’s oily consistency. LaScala’s Pizza may be thin-crusted, but it is thick with flavor. 

Though LaScala’s offers a variety of options on their menu—sushi, poke bowls, and salads—we felt it couldn’t be a true Italian experience without ordering their pasta. We first tried the rigatoni vodka, which was a simple rosé sauce—amped up with triple the amount of butter and cream. While delicious, the dish was so decadent that three-quarters came home in a take-out container. 

LaScala’s Ricotta Tortellini was just as dense. The melted ricotta was heavily poured over peas and paired with a generously sized dish of pasta. This dish was especially aromatic with its intense truffle smell and salted prosciutto pieces, which were small and nearly leathery. Even with the robustly flavored entrees, we knew we had to try dessert. 

The tiramisu, a personal and popular favorite, was wonderful. We were given a large piece, centered in the middle of a plate adorned with chocolate drizzle and topped with chocolate shavings. The ladyfingers dipped lightly in coffee.While the cocoa powder and shavings provided a chocolatey layer of the dessert, it wasn’t quite enough to make it “the perfect” tiramisu. Even so, we understood why it was a fan favorite: it was the perfect ending to our night. 

Whether you’re visiting Villanova, dropping someone off at the airport, going ice skating, or taking a walk in Rittenhouse Square, LaScala’s Fire is a worthwhile experience. Rich in flavor, polished in design, and buzzing with affability, LaScala’s is the perfect place to dine.