Mia Ragazza is a contemporary Italian restaurant that is fairly new to Main Street Manayunk in Philadelphia. Their website says they put “the ol’ Philly spin on Central Italian cuisine”. It was opened in September of 2023 by the same owner as the nearby Goat’s Beard (which I love!). It’s certainly a welcome addition to a neighborhood that with so many other food options, somehow was missing a great non-pizzeria Italian joint!

When you walk in the front door, you’ll find the bar straight ahead along with a few tables looking out over main street. Both times we’ve eaten here we’ve been in the back room, which honestly is the simplest looking room they have. The second floor is a light/bright atrium, where I’m hoping to sit during my next visit! They also have some heated outdoor seating year round in the back, and a few tables on the sidewalk in the warmer months.

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Brunch

I will never turn down an invitation to brunch. EVER. I’ve never really been a morning person, so brunch is a perfect first meal time, and I love any excuse to have coffee and bubbly! When it comes to brunch choices, my husband and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Jasper almost always goes the sweet route, while I prefer savory. I have two go-to dishes: eggs benedict or huevos rancheros. If they have one of these on the menu, its safe to say that’s what I’m ordering 99% of the time. These are also the meals I generally use to decide if the restaurant has a good brunch or not.

First things first: of course I had to try all 5 of their mimosa flavors. You’re welcome! From worst to first:

1. Chamomile Peach – I already knew going into it that I probably wasn’t going to like this one, since I’m not a huge fan of tea normally.
2. Grapefruit Hibiscus – Another I didn’t have high hopes for, only because I’m not crazy about grapefruit either.
3. Limoncello Sorbetto – This is actually the one I was expecting to like the most! (This particular spot on the mimosa list seems to be rotating/seasonal, because currently I’m seeing a blackberry limoncello on the menu).
4. Lavender Raspberry – Fruit + lavender is one of my all-time favorite mimosa flavor pairings.
5. Orangecello Sorbetto – Kind of reminded me of a creamsicle float, yum! It was so good that we got a second one.

Next up, the food. As someone who got major food poisoning from eggs on two separate occasions in my early 20s, the fact that I started eating them again a few years ago feels like a miracle. It has made me a little more skeptical about the doneness of over-easy eggs, but I’m getting better with trusting that chefs know what they’re doing!

We decided to start with the cacio e pepe fries topped with over-easy eggs. I ordered the eggs benedict over arancini and mortadella, plus a side of focaccia carbonara toast. Jasper on the other hand went with the tiramisu stuffed French toast and a side of bacon. The portion sizes meant we each went home with a small to-go container.

We got there toward the end of brunch (around 1:30) and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t super busy. We definitely could have gotten a table without a reservation, but better to be safe!

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Dinner

Technically I wrote this post out of chronological order, because brunch was actually our second visit to Mia Ragazza. We had gone for the first time earlier in the year with my mom as a belated birthday dinner for Jasper. We like to use her visits as an excuse to cross restaurants off my “want to try” list. More people in the group means you can try more of the menu!

We all purposefully got a variety of drinks: the Italian old fashioned, tiramisu espresso martini, my girl, stella dolce, blue bee lavender, and some limoncello to end the night. No matter how many times I’ve ordered an old fashioned, I always forget how strong they are.

On to the starters: we ordered the meatball with ricotta and crispy calamari with a saffron aioli. Its hard to say which I preferred, but if I had to choose I’d say the calamari. Calamari is another one of those dishes where if a restaurant can nail it, you know everything else will be great. For the main course, our group went with the lasagna (beef & pork ragu béchamel), pan seared salmon over risotto, and eggplant rollatini. We were so happy with everything we’d eaten so far, we wanted to keep the meal going!

While I’m known for my love of baking, most people are surprised to learn that I’m not a big dessert person. But since it was a special occasion, we went all out. Mom got the tiramisu, my coffee loving self had to get the affogato, and Jasper ordered the cannoli trio. It was a perfect end to the night.

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Overall Thoughts

If you’re looking to have a super fancy evening, this isn’t necessarily where I’d recommend you go. It’s not exactly casual, but its definitely a great neighborhood brunch and dinner spot. I can’t wait to stop back in and try their happy hour too!

Practically every dish and drink we ordered tasted delicious. Honestly, our only complaint was the focaccia – it tasted good but was much oilier than I expected/prefer.

Italian restaurants are some of my favorites. Know one in Philly (or even another city/country) that I should try?
Let me know in the comments!

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