Food For Thought: Montesini’s

In the mood for a quick bite or some fantastic pizza?  Montesini’s on Frankford Avenue in the Mayfair Shopping Center has delicious food at very affordable prices.  Whether you are in the mood for pizza shop fast food, or a sit-down, relaxed, casual dining experience, Montesini’s can accommodate.  Parking shouldn’t be too much trouble with the abundance of the shopping center spaces, but beware: with the holidays rapidly approaching, the malls are becoming more crowded.

Very small and common, Montesini’s may not impress you much by its look or décor, but taking the advice of an old adage “never judge a book by its cover,” you will be pleasantly surprised by the taste of the food.  The staff manages to keep the restaurant relatively tidy and the silverware and flatware is clean, which is always a good sign.  The service is very friendly and fast.  I ordered my food, and in less than 10 minutes it was at my table prepared steaming hot.

Cheesesteaks, hoagies and pizza are typical pizza shop favorites, but when venturing to Montesini’s I recommend you try the other Italian delights.  I had a surprising delicious veal parmigiana with a side of pasta.  The veal was not tough and lightly breaded, coated with a chunky tomato sauce and covered with mozzarella.  Parsley and parmigiana cheese where sprinkled across the top, adding flavor and a savory touch.  I ordered a side of linguini covered in an olive oil and garlic sauce that was also tasty, although ordinary by fine dining standards.

I was also shocked to learn that Montesini’s has a full menu side of fresh seafood prepared with Italian-style cooking.  The shrimp and scallops dish was delicious, and the seafood tasted fresh.  The tomato sauce was chunky and full of Italian seasonings, which add an extra zing to the flavors of the seafood.   Not to worry vegetarians; there is also a great selection of pasta, eggplant parmigiana and tasty, fresh pizza.

I would not recommend dessert, however, as the tiramisu was nothing special and even a little on the dry side.  It may have been a little, old which caused its ladyfingers to become dry, but the entire dish was hardly worth the calories.  Fill up on the entrees and skip dessert at this restaurant.

All in all if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for some fast, tasty Italian food Montesini’s is a great little pizza parlor that is sure to surprise you.  The food is inexpensive and the environment very casual, making this a great little haunt after a long day of shopping.

Food For Thought is a NEast restaurant review column written by Donna Ward that runs every other Thursday on NEastPhilly.com. See all of Donna’s reviews here. Read other NEastPhilly columns here.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal