261 S. 17th Street, Philadelphia PA 19103. Show in the map

https://www.vitainphilly.com/

About the restaurant

What appears to be a gelateria has an interesting speakeasy restaurant component. When you walk in, you’ll notice a big red door in the corner of the entrance. Behind that red door is a full Italian restaurant and bar with some 100 seats plus a patio area for the warmer months.

When we arrived we were greeted by the gentleman behind the gelato counter and inquired about available seating. Fortunately they just had some seats opened up at the bar which suited the 3 of us. It definitely has an interesting element as you walk through the big red refrigerator door. Inside was bustling.

Our party ordered several cocktails plus a sampling of 3 of their appetizers (steak tartare, whipped ricotta, crudo) and 3 Primi dishes (balanzoni, ragu, mazzaluna).