Stephen Starr is no stranger to the Philly food scene, with different cuisines, themes and venues sprinkled throughout the city. With his latest venture, Borromini, the celeb chef has opted for a timeless Italian concept with the backdrop of Rittenhouse Square outside, and plenty of pasta options to peruse through.
Borromini sits in the old Barnes & Noble location right across from one of Starr’s most famous Philly locales, the French-forward restaurant Parc. With this new Italian spot, the aim was to create an expansive (the venue is 15,000 square feet over two floors) and authentically Italian locale with a variety of antipasti, house-made crostini, and carefully curated selections of meat and fish on top of its carb-driven cuisine. When doors first opened in August, Borromini offered dinner, but recently, lunch and brunch was also added to the list of options.
For those kicking off their day a little early (the locale opens at 11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on the weekends), menu options span bomboloni (brioche donuts), bruschetta di ricotta with nuts and honey, soft scrambled eggs carbonara and lemon ricotta pancakes for brunch (available on Saturday and Sunday), plus arancini, caprese salad, an assortment of paninis (think meatball, chicken milanese, mortadella and more) for lunch.
There’s also a wide variety of options you can nab any time of day, like their 100 Layer Lasagna (stratified with ricotta besciamella and tomato), spaghetti al limone, cacio e pepe and eggplant parmigiana. Dinner at this locale also adds some more decadent options to the mix: Philadelphians can order up dishes like grilled branzino with tuscan white beans fennel and citrus, rabbit cacciatore with tomato, bell pepper and castelvetrano olives, and their Osso Buco Di Vitello, aka a braised veal shank with risotto “alla milanese.”
Dessert-wise, the establishment also leans into Italian favorites with tiramisù, panna cotta, an apple crostada (with hazelnut crust and spiced gelato), chocolate olive oil cake, Amalfi lemon sorbetto and a whole frozen lemon sorbetto dubbed the limone di Amalfi.
The food is paired with an assortment of drink options: Cocktails span some breezier sips like their Hugo Spritz, Aperol Spritz, Americano and Garibaldi. More savory options include their Caffe (their take on a refined spiked coffee with espresso), Borro-Mini Tini (complete with provolone stuffed olives), and the Pomodoro Martini, made with Wheatley vodka, tomato gin, basil eau de vie, cocktail tomato, lemon and black pepper.
There’s also an assortment of beer, mocktails and Italian sodas to choose from, but their most expansive list of offerings definitely comes from their wine selection. The list hones in on the “greatest expressions from the most iconic wine regions from north to south”, with a map even included in the list to showcase just where each sip is from. Another notch on its vino belt, the restaurant also now dons one of the largest dessert wine lists in Philadelphia.
Overall, Borromini focuses on flavor; it’s not the typical over-stuffed plate experience you might find at some locales. Instead, every serving seems purposeful.
The design of the space was crafted by James Beard Award winner and best-selling author Keith McNally and designer Ian McPheely of Paisley Design, a release notes. What the outcome is, is a cozy, low-lit locale by night and a bright, naturally lit venue by day with an ecelectic backdrop of bottles, art and a grand bar to tie everything together. More notably, visitors can also find a mural from artist Zach Bird if you happen to take the stairs to the seond floor, which was designed to mimic an art piece found during the building's renovations.
Borromini marks Starr’s first original restaurant concept in Philadelphia since 2021, when the Baja-inspired LMNO opened in Fishtown. It also keeps the reputation of this celeb chef alive—Starr knows how to bring “vibe dining” to the forefront of whichever locale (or cuisine) he tackles next.
Philadelphians can make reservations for lunch (weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), brunch (weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), or dinner (daily from 5 p.m. to close) via OpenTable. To learn more information on Borromini (1805 Walnut St.), visit borrominiristorante.com
