The area around Rittenhouse Square is literally teeming with options for diners. Seemingly each week a new restaurant opens to rave reviews. All of this is great news for you — the more options you have, the more likely you are to have an excellent meal.
Le Castagne opened on Chestnut Street a block north of Rittenhouse Square in 2001 and has been a neighborhood favorite for fine Italian fare ever since. The kitchen focuses on the cuisine of Northern Italy — updated for the 21st century. And these modern interpretations of homemade pastas, seafood and other long-standing traditional dishes are clearly the stars of the menu at La Castagne, a name literally meaning “chestnuts” in Italian.
Whatever you try, just be sure that you order one of the pastas for the table to share. They’re all delicious, but the gnocchi, tagliatelle and “macheronni” are especially sublime. The daily fish specials are always a treat as is the roasted Cornish hen. And be sure to complete your meal with something from Le Castagne’s extensive and excellent wine list.
Sit back, enjoy your wine and marvel as your worries leave you.