Food should be made with love, and nothing tastes quite as loving as family. The Lamberti Family of Restaurants recently opened their latest venture in the culinary world and it has all of the ingredients there to have Philadelphians feeling right at home for dinner.
Lamberti Pizza and Market, at 7th and Market in Old City, comes from owners Aldo and Rosita Lamberti with partner and Chef Regulo Reyes, and joins the restaurant family along with other Philly hotspots and beyond such as Caffe Aldo Lamberti, Positano Coast by Aldo Lamberti, Tutti Toscani by Lamberti, Aldo Lamberti Trattoria in PHL and Palat in Miami.
“I am so proud to introduce the newest concept for our family of restaurants,” said Aldo Lamberti in a statement. “Lamberti Pizza and Market is pizza and so much more. We wanted to bring back our favorite pies and recipes, but also pivot and present an immense grab-and-go selection. This is our family’s first-ever Italian market that fits in perfectly within our fast-paced and re-emerging society.
“We will provide multiple options for small lunch breaks, quick dinner preparations and everything in between. Freshly prepared meals are waiting for you to enjoy inside our restaurant, or to take back home or to the office. Our grab & go offerings change daily so you will always find something new to enjoy. In keeping with Philadelphia tradition, you will also find we make the best hand-made pizzas and cheesesteaks. Lamberti Pizza and Market is a new concept that also pays homage to our family’s roots in the region. We look forward to serving you and sharing our story.”
The 4,300 square foot space will be serving up pizza and packaged meals to go, plus sandwiches, paninis, salads, entrees, appetizers, sides, desserts and much more. Diners can order fresh, and made to order pizzas and cheesesteaks, while the extensive refrigerated grab-and-go and counter display cases will house additional options, full meals, entrees, sauces, pastas and more that can be brought home, warmed up and enjoyed.
According to the release, in late spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Lamberti family closed the doors to Pizza Fresca when the city’s corporate lunch business ceased to exist. “We relied heavily on traffic from guests who worked in nearby offices and stores, as well as tourists,” said Director of Restaurants Rosita Lamberti. “When both of those disappeared, we were unable to stay open. Having the opportunity to lease a larger space (with reasonable rent) as the city has started to reopen is an enormous blessing that we are so thankful for.
“While the shut-down closed our other dining rooms, Aldo immediately made plans to safely open for take-out and delivery at Positano Coast and Caffe Aldo. We were able to create takeout packages and curbside pickup options. We developed new systems to maximize takeout business. We discovered that our cuisine traveled well, and we also felt supported by the many loyal guests that ordered often in order to make sure that we would stay in business. That helped shape our journey back to Chestnut Street and Center City with this exciting new space and dual concept.”
Rosita Lamberti also notes that opening this new concept after the pandemic is more than exciting for the family, it’s also meaningful. “For our immediate (Lamberti) family, we have all been spending time there together which has been fun and different. Finally, working at the market has added a sense of fun and hope to our family of restaurants. Opening a restaurant after fearing potential losses has been gratifying, and the welcome we have had from the guests that have stopped in already has been lovely,” she said in the release.
Overall, the main aim for this new family-styled business is to make classic pizza with a Philly-styled flair. That means that diners can indulge in flavors and quality they recognize as part of the Lamberti name, but in a quick-service way. The service altogether focuses on concentrating on convenience and speed, but the emphasis will always be on pizza, ready-to-go sandwiches and entrees, and packaged foods ready to go. Owner, Operating Partner and Chef Reyes runs and gives leadership to the scratch kitchen that focuses on fresh ingredients and Italian flavors. For pasta, the kitchen partners with Talluto’s and for olive oil, the kitchen uses the family’s new retail brand that debuts in the market, Lamberti Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Options to choose from span from roast pork paninis to fried mozzarella and ricotta calzones, chicken fajita strombolis, vegetable lasagna, chicken florentine, a tuna salad hoagie, roasted sweet potato wedges, eggplant parmigiana, Italian wedding soup and cavatappi amatriciana, among other options.
The space has been after a complete top to bottom renovation as well: The interior now seats 60 people with a socially distanced layout and three main dining sections that are all self-serve. The release states for interior design and murals, Aldo Lambeti came up with the concept and all initial design ideas. These ideas were executed with the assistance of Adriano Martino, who helped with the design, and Sean Martorana, a local Philadelphia artist, who helped bring the vision to life. The end product is a stunning space with tall ceilings and a clean, crisp and modern look with a bright, airy and welcoming feel.
