Philly’s Fanciest Italian Restaurant Kicks Off Weekly Lunch Service Next Month

Want the Vetri Ristorante experience without the three-hour, $155 commitment?

Vetri/Facebook

Vetri/Facebook

Last year, Marc Vetri decided to open up the Vetri books to the city’s lunch clique. Initially, it was a three-month stint — a first for the then-18-year-old restaurant — and it would happen on the first Friday of each month for $85 a person. Of course, it sold out immediately.

So for the past nine months, he made lunch a monthly event, but, still, the people wanted more. So, starting next month, lunch at 1312 Spruce Street will become a weekly affair.

Beginning on March 3rd (and every subsequent Friday) you’ll be able to snag a seat inside one of the city’s — and country’s — best Italian restaurants. There’s one seating at 11:30 a.m., and instead of the $155 dinnertime price tag, $85 will get you four courses during the day: antipasti, pasta, entrée and dessert. And since it’ll be a weekly occurrence, the kitchen will expand its lunch menu, yet still keeping it in tune with the basic Vetri format.

“It’ll be a very similar menu,” Vetri told me today. “We still believe people want the classics like spinach gnocchi, boar ragù, goat, salt crust branzino etc., but having a smaller menu in a shorter time frame opens it up to many new customers who may not like eating for 3 hours.”

So, there you have it: a low-stakes opportunity to enjoy the Vetri experience. Make your reservations online, or call the restaurant at (215) 732-3478.

Vetri [Foobooz]