Vetri tops list of best Italian restaurants in the United States

There’s no question that Philadelphia is an ideal place to find great Italian food, and once again the city has earned national acclaim for the cuisine.

Vetri, located at 1312 Spruce St., has topped Time Out’s list of the 20 best Italian restaurants in the United States.

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“What can be said about Marc Vetri’s hall-of-fame flagship that hasn’t already been said? Well, at the time of this writing, the national restaurant industry was abuzz with the news that the illustrious chef-restaurateur had sold much of his empire to Urban Outfitters. So there’s that,” Time Out wrote in its ranking.

In case you missed it, Urban Outfitters announced in November it purchased Vetri Restaurant Group as a way of boosting its business.

“Executives at the company point to a concept in Houston, called Space 24, that incorporates a Pizzeria Vetri, along with a burger joint, an Urban Outfitters store and a live music venue,” Metro reported. “The company says that they could expand Pizzeria Vetri as standalone restaurants, but it’s likely that these restaurants will be incorporated into what executives call “retail-restaurant complexes.”

But despite the sale, the company’s “cornerstone, Vetri, remains intact,” Time Out wrote.

“What a cornerstone it is. A stately yet intimate Washington Square West townhouse sets the stage for an eight-course meal that, being painstakingly tailored to each guest, is truly once-in-a-lifetime, ranging perhaps from a seasonal crudo and the renowned sweet-onion crepe with truffle fondue to a raviolo stuffed with squash confited in honey butter, salt-baked branzino, and pistachio flan or chocolate-polenta souffle. The caliber of the wine list goes without saying; rare beer pairings, however, are a revelation.”

Vetri isn’t the only Italian eatery in the city to receive national praise recently.

Bon Appetit magazine named Pizzeria Beddia’s slices as the best in America this June.

Matt Lee is a Web producer for Metro New York. He writes about almost everything and anything. Talk to him (or yell at him) on Twitter so he doesn’t feel lonely@mattlee2669.