Best Historic Restaurants in South Philly

As always, Chef Rucker knows how to bring it! The food, service, ambience, music and vibe were all on point. The swordfish belly app, lobster toast, hash browns, crab claws, blue fun tuna, cabbage, scallops, swordfish Milanese, sea bass, ham and squid ink biscuits and chicken were unreal. This is our third visit, and the consistency and quality were outstanding. We’ve probably had every menu item and have been enjoying the changing drinks menu as well. The matcha cocktail is a favorite, can drink it like water! The new mezcal Negroni was delish!!! You have to get the desserts. I crave them constantly now. The granola cremeaux is in my dreams.

I enjoyed a Christmas Eve meal at the ever excellent Butcher + Singer. Everything was wonderful - from a warm welcome at check in, my fabulous, attentive server, Miss Brandy and, of course, the perfectly prepared food. Dining at Butcher + Singer is always a treat, but this particular meal will always be remembered as extra special. Thank you for another exceptional experience!

We went on Christmas Eve for drinks at the bar with friends and then a 5 course prix fixe dinner for 2. Both experiences were fabulous. Quality bartender and the table service team was top notch: professionally urgent, menu advice, flexible to small adjustments, on top of clearing and packaging to go, no time holes in waiting for food or drinks, EXCELLENT FOOD. I am embarrassed I lived in Philly for 21 years before coming here. I have been missing out. Will definitely be back.

Great food, ambience, and service. Alexis took great care of us. The chicken Milanese and poblano peppers were a hit. Drinks were excellent. A nice early Christmas treat for our family!

Wow! This was an awesome experience! As a fan of the Rocky film series, I knew about this place from the Rocky Balboa and Creed films. It is so much more than that, though. As the founder was a major player in early 20th century opera recordings, The Victor Cafe has an opera theme permeating its soul. The walls are adorned with photos of the opera greats, opera music plays softly in the background, and, most importantly, the waitstaff are all classically-trained opera performers. Every half hour or so, they gather everyone’s attention to perform a selection from a popular opera, complete with a synopsis of the story they’re about to tell through their performance. Every performer was wonderful and this made for a unique, joyful and memorable experience for my family. I grew up on Italian cuisine, and this was among the best I’ve had in a long time. We shared the Calamari Fritti, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we could have substituted Smelts for the calamari. This was a staple of our Christmas Eve dinners when I was young. My Veal Saltimbocca was perfect, as was my Daughter’s Prince Igor (penne with a vodka blush, salmon, tomato, and Asparagus). We enjoyed our cannolis while watching our last performance of the evening. Breathtaking! Special shout out to our server, Brenna, who took our dessert order mere seconds after completing her duet! Remarkable! I can’t say enough about The Victor Cafe; if you’re looking for a classic South Philly Italian Restaurant, paired with one of the most wonderful and unique experiences you’ll find today, then this is the place for you.