PHLReview
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Paffuto
Included In
Once a roaming pop-up, Paffuto is now the Bella Vista cafe of our dreams. And by that, we mean a place where we devour bodega-esque mortadella breakfast sandwiches on griddled kaiser rolls, work on our laptops with a coffee, and sit back as our productivity loses the battle against puffy, cream-filled maritozzi. While Italian food is about as common in the area as shoppers lugging two-wheeled carts, Paffuto stands out for its panzerotti, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches that you’ll gladly wake up early to get.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
The daytime-only Italian shop specializes in crispy fried panzerotti—including a very good breakfast version with scrambled egg and melty cooper sharp—but there are also chicken cutlet sandwiches, agnolotti in a pork broth, and undeniably Philly foods like Italian hoagies for lunch. Almost everything Paffuto makes is great—including a rotating roast pork panzerotti special that we miss more than the flip board at 30th Street. Paffuto artfully understands that high quality meat, perfect dough, and thoughtful ingredients create something incredibly delicious.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
There are a few tables inside the colorful, cozy shop, along with counter seating next to a window where you can proudly show off your pillowy bombolini to the street like it’s a baby photo. Vintage china and tongue-in-cheek artwork hangs on the wall, including a photo of an old guy getting X-rated with a plate of spaghetti. It’s the kind of low-key place where someone with a deadline can linger with a roast turkey sandwich, look up, and realize three hours have passed.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Friends leave with a roast pork panzerotti in one hand and Eagles-green merch in the other. It’s no surprise—like water ice, fictional boxers, and old as* restaurants, it’s climbing the city's list of Italian classics.
Food Rundown
Pastries
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Egg And Cheese Panzerotti
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Crispy Morty
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Pepperoni Panzerotti
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Chicken Vodka Sandwich