If you are looking for a causal atmosphere  with a unique menu to enjoy Sunday brunch Alla Spina is a great place to visit. This Italian Gastropub gives you an array of Italian inspired brunch options to choose from and the beer and wine lists are plentiful. I frequent this establishment mainly when I am in the mood for delicious cooking and there is only one sporting event on TV that I want to see, the lounge area is a perfect spot to relax on a sofa sit back order food and drinks and enjoy the game. The spring and summertime is even better because the large garage doors open up and allow you to breathe in the fresh air.

I started the morning off with the chilled cafe corretto, this is a cold shaken espresso with grappa. For anybody who has ever had grappa and espresso separately, you may understand that this drink is like somebody waking you up in the morning by pouring a cold bucket of water over your head, but for some reason you like it. Plus, Alla Spina starts you off with an always welcomed present from the kitchen a glazed donut hole.

From there my friend and I decided to split the chorizo and octopus baked eggs as an appetizer.  This was the perfect app to split, it was not too heavy that you were regretting ordering your next course and the sweetness of the carrots worked perfectly with the spicyness of the chorizo and freshness of the octopus. After the chilled cafe corretto I switched to the Vetri Family Exclusive, the Victory Arso, which is a tart wheat ale with fire roasted malts, as someone who normally does not like wheat ales this was delicious and very refreshing, I stuck with these the rest of my time there. 

For the entrees, I ordered the Polentu, which is boneless pork ribs with cheesy parmigiano polenta and fried eggs. To tell you the truth this dish is almost perfect, except I don’t feel the eggs are needed, I think they add them just because it’s brunch. The tenderness of the pork ribs allows them to melt in your mouth as you drool over the succulent sweet tomato based sauce they were braised in, while the creamy polenta is a great accompaniment making sure you don’t miss out on any of the extra sauce.

My friend ordered the sweet onion frittata , this is a very light egg dish that is unexpectedly packed with flavor, from the sweet and pickled onions to the Gorgonzola, this dish really makes your tastebuds jump. We were too stuffed to order dessert and after the Flyers won, my friend decided to head home. 

I had a couple of friends in South Philly I decided to meet up with for a few nips before I headed home for the night, so I met up with them at Moonshine.  Moonshine is a great place for a South Philly Sunday, very causal bar with TV’s, good beer selection and some excellent moonshine. I drank Yards Brawler while I was here, along with some shots of Apple Pie moonshine that helped kept me running until I went home.

Alla Spina’s Sunday Brunch is a 4 out of 5 Tizzle experience.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!