Trattoria Carina Just Rolled Out Italian-Style Brunch

Cipollini onion and potato tart at Trattoria Carina | Photo by Michael Persico

Trattoria Carina has been quietly crushing it since owner Dan Clark quietly replaced the too-popular Fitler Dining Room at 22nd and Spruce with the Italian concept a little over a year ago. Now, they’ve hit the next milestone for any successful neighborhood restaurant: brunch service, which they’ve softly rolled out over the past few weekends.

The menu from chef Melissa McGrath, who came over to Trattoria Carina after two summers as executive chef at Clark’s Diving Horse in Avalon, puts a thoughtful Italian spin on comforting breakfast classics. Sure, you can get your two eggs any style, but that’s pretty much the only straightforward nod to traditional American breakfast.

Try those eggs baked in a spicy Amatriciana sauce or poached alongside stewed gigante beans and artichokes (both come with slices from Lost Bread Co. on the side), or go for a cipollini onion and potato tart with bitter greens and pecorino.

There are sweets like seckel pear cake with a side of salted butter, and a bowl of polenta from Doylestown-based Castle Valley Mill with walnut granola, a Concord grape sauce, and honey mascarpone cheese. Or, if you’re feeling the later side of brunch, there’s a selection of salads, a meatball sandwich, and bucatini carbonara, too.

To drink, there’s Rival Bros. coffee plus wine, mimosas, and seasonal Bellinis — and the Carina Bloody Mary, garnished with a skewer of antipasti classics like provolone, Castelvetrano olive, spicy soppressata, and pepperoncini.

Baked eggs all’Amatriciana (L) and artichokes alla Anna | Photo by Michael Persico

Warm Castle Valley polenta | Photo by Michael Persico

Seckel pear cake | Photo by Michael Persico

Get brunch at Trattoria Carina on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Check out the menu here.