Totaros Restuarant

First the good:
The evening started brightly. I was there for a friend’s birthday dinner, and we were seated in our own room and served by an attentive and efficient waiter.
The bruschetta were outstanding. Everybody was raving about the freshness. My lamb appetizer was tasty as well, thought the bland hunk of molded vegetable garnish might have given me a clue to what came next.
The bad:
I have never seen a simple dish like shrimp scampi so badly executed. It arrived in a bowl of what looked like soup. The pasta seemed to have been parboiled — much of it stuck together in clumps and exhibiting every texture from mushy to raw. The shrimp were overcooked and rubbery, and the wonderful mix of garlic and tang that should characterize this dish was absent. No aroma, no flavor. You wouldn’t last long in South Philly or even Northeast Philly serving food so shocking.
It doesn’t get one star because the service and some of the food was good, and my companions said their food was okay.

Pescatore was fantastic. Bruschetta was very good. Our waiter was excellent. We were there quite early so only a few other diners and not many people at the bar so it felt like a restaurant. Don’t know how it would be on a crowded night but the food is definitely worth trying

Note: Apparently there is another Totaro’s in Conshohoken (Thanks for the Unilocaler who let me know that I posted this review for Trattoria Totaro by accident. I was also told that Trattoria Totaro is much better than this Totaro’s, FYI.)
A friend of mine who lives not far away from this restauran, so we decided to go check it out.
a
This place looks like it used to be a full restaurant, but someone had the brilliant idea of splitting it into a bar restaurant. Okay, so we walk through the little bar and over to where we think the hostess station might be. We’re immediately greeted and sat in the tiny little restaurant area on the other side of the bar (there’s a wall between the bar and restaurant, but there are giant window cutouts, so you get the full on atmosphere of people drinking their PBR specials (which aren’t bad at $ 3.50).
The waitress comes over and puts our wine on ice — she was by far the best part of our experience. For dinner we ordered the chicken parm and a special with homemade tomato-​basil pasta with lump crab meat, shrimp, and scallops. I was told the chicken parm was good, but it came out in an overcrowded bowl with pasta and broccoli rabe. My dinner, the special, was pretty disappointing. The fresh pasta was super al dente and the flavors just weren’t there. I do have to say that the seafood was cooked perfectly and the lump crab meat was plentiful — for that, I am pretty grateful. But overall, the meal just wasn’t worth the price.
By the way, «outdoor seating» means 3 tables on the dark sidewalk. Just a warning!
Oh hey, let me also mention that it looks like there’s a bar menu, too. I saw some people with burgers and fries. That being said, I won’t return to the restaurant portion of Totaro’s, but I might be back to check out the bar area for a low-​key night. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays — yes please.

This place is a hidden gem in conshohocken, my wife and I are frequent restaurant goers. We love this place, it has the best menu in the area for interesting foods. Plus their hummus is outstanding and the owner Andrew makes his way around to your table to say hi most times we have been there. Also the cost is very reasonable based on the quality of the food!
Long story short its Good Food at a Fair price!

Totaro’s happy hour is the original Groupon. From 3:30 to 6:30 you get the bar food menu at half price without sheepishly unfolding the wrinkled $ 5 for $ 10 deal and the fear your OK Cupid date will think you’re trying to get to the sex stage as cheaply as possible. For that, we all thank you, Totaro’s.
You walk into a downstairs that’s equal parts cozy and dated, a pleasantly simple feel that could stand for an update, but really, who cares? The crowds are medium to light, and mostly void of anyone who might unironically refer to his friends as bros. Again, thanks, Totaro’s. You’re really looking out for us.
The food – excluding the proper sit-​down menu I’ve never tried – is 3 stars at a 5 star price. Arancini, escargot, and short rib gnocchi provide a reprieve from the wearisome uniformity of bar food, while the rest of the menu does it adequate justice. The roast pork can be very good.
Happy hour for the beer isn’t as generous if you’re looking for something other than the watered-​down players. $ 2 for the Big 3. Have at it if that’s your thing. The bar menu does have its limitations: the lobster mac-​n-​cheese is soupy and the crustacean count is paltry even with the lowered expectations of a half-​off deal.
And Charles Barkley hangs out here sometimes. Your move, every other bar in Conshy.

My boyfriend and I went there for dinner this past weekend for the first time. We were immediately greeted by the owner who was friendly and maybe just a little overly so to where (to me) was borderline annoying. He came to our table three times before we even had our meals. First, the wine list is very disappointing and the glass of Cabernet that I ordered was absolutely horrible. We got an appetizer of seafood manicotti which was decent. For our meals I got the crab cakes because the owner had raved about them and the wonderful sauce that accompanied them that he said he loved to dip everything on his plate in and my boyfriend ordered the Tilapia. One plus about my crab cakes was that they contained very little filler and were full of lump crab meat. That was the only plus. The crust was very greasy and everything was just bland. The sauce he kept going on about was barely present and there was such a small amount I could hardly even taste it. My boyfriend gave me a piece of his fish to try before he even took a bite and I’m just happy I only took a small bite. It was extremely fishy tasting and I immediately said that I did not like that at all and itwasn’t even edible. He tried it and actually spit his bite back out on his plate and pushed his plate to the side. The waitress came pretty quickly and asked if there something wrong. He told her that the fish had gone bad and there was no way he could eat that. She asked if she could bring something else and he said he just wanted something that could be cooked quickly being I was already eating my meal. He ended up getting a tortellini dish that he said was pretty good. I had a hard time finishing my crab cakes after tasting that bad piece of fish and left more than half. The most shocking thing about the whole experience was that after coming to our table THREE times before our meal the owner did not come back to apologize after having to send back a bad piece of fish. We could see him though behind the bar socializing with the bar patrons. The fish was taken off of our bill but we were still charged for the replacement tortellini which I thought was in poor form. This is definitely a place that I will never return to.

After hearing all of these people speaking about how GREAT the food was, I finally went. I’m going to make this one on the shorter side. I had the lobster mac — what a mistake. It was runny and soupy and I’d be willing to bet money that there wasn’t real lobster in it. I know I’m spoiled with Gypsy’s lobster mac but good lord, this stuff was RANCID! I was there with my GF and her friend who had dishes that were about as fantastic. I see not reason what so ever for ever returning to this crime scene.
Bottom line; Listen to Flavor Flav — DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

My dad has been raving about this place for years. He especially loves their Caesar salad, which he apparently orders nine times out of ten. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so we made plans to meet for lunch one weekday afternoon.
We sat at the bar and my dad introduced me to the friendly owner and we talked about food and restaurants for a bit. We both ordered Caesar salads and cream of asparagus soup to start. The soup was creamy and velvety and rich with flavor.
Then we received a plate of smoked salmon and capers and some duck spring rolls, courtesy of the kitchen. I’m not a fan of eating salmon cold but always give it a try anyway. I think my dad was new to this dish but he also tried it and seemed to like it. We both enjoyed the spring rolls.
Then came the infamous salad. To me, it was a good Caesar salad, with nicely grilled shrimp. To my dad, it was heaven. He got his with shrimp and chicken. Next time, I think I’ll take the owner’s advice and branch out to try some of their pasta. But I am glad I finally got to check out my dad’s favorite lunch spot, and having some one on one time with him was certainly one of the highlights of the week.

Spent half an hour writing a review of this place, windows update shut me down. my computer restarts, I reopen my browser, great, my words are still there in the box… click on the box just to finish up… words dissapear. WTF??? Don’t jerk me around like that windows and Unilocal.you autosave or you dont’. get it together.
Great food, great service, casual pub/​sports bar with fine dining (a bit of an odd mix), a bit pricey (only reason I didn’t give it five stars), kitchen open til 10, outdoor seating, I’ll be back.

My wife and I have been here three times now so it’s time for a review.
It is always nice when the owner of a restaurant stops by to ask you how your meal is. The food is definitely a bit pricey but consider the happy hour at the bar with the half price menu. That’s the regular menu not some special «happy hour» menu.
The Buffalo Chicken was the best appetizer like food I have tasted in a long time. Real chicken strips in a hot but not too hot sauce. And a blue cheese dressing dip to die for.
They have limited tap space so the draft selection is lean. But they have a slightly better selection of import bottles.
All in all a very good place but because of the price the family outings here may be restricted to special occasions.

I’ve eaten here a few times and I’ve gotta say that I was very impressed. The menu may be a little pricey but you have to go for happy hour apps (half off apps 4 – 7) or the 5 course meal for $ 20. They also have a $ 35 dollar option with more expensive entrees or double crab cakes but this was plenty of food and I eat a lot.
Here is what the meal consisted of:
1) bruschetta
2) salad — Caesar or garden
3) soup de jour or the soup of the day
4) choice of 5 or 6 entrees. I get the crab cake. By far the best crab cake ive ever had and ive tried quite a few of them. Crispy crust, lump crabmeat, minimal filler topped with a shrimp and chive reduction sauce. I will drink gallons of that sauce its that good. Next time I may order extra sauce.
5) Dessert — cannoli, brownies and ice cream or a third one that I cant recall.
They also have a singer there some nights. He was very good last night. I saw someone complain about the décor being too outdated and the chairs being 7 years too old. Eff that, Im here for the food, I don’t care about chairs lol.

Went here with my buddy and his parents for dinner. Cool little neighborhood joint with unexpectedly great Italian food. I had the Braised Veal Osso Bucco over a risotto that was really really tasty. The entrees were a little pricey, but the menu looked pretty solid and everything was authentic for a tiny little neighborhood bar. Not many places where you can get a braised osso bucco and then look at the bar and see a guy eating a hot dog drinkin a Miller lite and watching the Phils game.
I will say that the place only had one waitress, and she was very impressed with me when i asked for a little spoon to scoop the marrow out of the osso bucco bone. Gimme a break lady this isnt my first rodeo.
One more thing that caught my eye was the high ration of cougars to younger guys. Hint Hint if you live in Conshi. There was a band playing as we left, which was also pretty cool. Good vibes and if you live in the area I would definitely recommend, just a little pricey for a neighborhood joint.

This place must be an institution in Conshohocken, it has been open for 50 years! The service was friendly and attentive, and they split our bill with no complaints at all.
The food was classic and simple Italian. We had a charcuterie plate, then I ordered from the $ 35 prix fixe menu. Caesar salad (plain), gnocchi with a marinara sauce (gummy stick-​to-​your-​ribs gnocchi which was not very good, but the sauce was nice) and boar served with mashed potatoes and green beans. The boar was gristly and fatty and the mashed potatoes were kind of plain, but the sauce was rich and good.
For dessert, the tira misu, which needed more flavor, (not much coffee or chocolate in it, and no booze), but it was huge. Big dessert lovers might be impressed.

Big fan of the food and the restaurant. Service was a little slow and split between two people (not sure why), but the friendly staff made up for it. They also have $ 2 Bud Smooths during any Eagles, Phillies or Flyers game. Big thumbs up.

I have been meaning to go here forever and finally did recently. It is really odd inside, the restaurant is right in the middle of a bar crowd, and it is tough to think am i at an upscale restaurant, while sitting there with people hanging out a a dingy bar and watching sports. Not that I am complaining but it definitely does not have a romantic classy feel to it. Service was very quick, however I felt like they were rushing me a little while we were there, it was pretty crowded so not sure if it is like that all the time. the food was ok not great not horrible just ok, my gf had the veal chop which i liked a lot, she seemed to question the brown sauce. i had the swordfish, didnt really like it at all it had no flavor to it. we split a steak house wedge, which we both really liked and got a choc cheesecake for dessert which was really good and apparently made in house as all of their desserts are by their pastry chef. all in all not too bad, i would go again but it isnt in the class of blackfish or stone rose in terms of quality of food,

We are huge fans of this place now for Happy Hour. We went years ago for a sit down dinner… saw the prices and left. Recently went back after noticing the happy hour sign and decided to give it another try. Glad we did! Awesome food for half price that you can wash down with tasty $ 5 martinis. The best part of all is that they have happy hour on Saturday and Sunday also! Plenty of tvs to watch your favorite game while having excellent food. Try it… you will definitely like it!

Hate to say it but Totaro’s has really slipped. The food is still great. And the lunch menu has improved (more salads and sandwiches in addition to the pasta). But it smells funny and the chairs are about 7 years too old — they need to gut the place. Service is questionable too. All that said, the food is consistently good. It used to be packed and now it’s mostly empty. I’d love to see them turn it around.

Totaros is an upscale restaurant in the wrong part of town. The place is nestled between the Seventh Heaven titty bar and a dive known as Bobby’s Burgers. I’ve been here before and the menu in the dining room is pricey and even the bar menu isn’t cheap. That was until I stumbled in here Friday afternoon. Happy hour from 4:30 — 6:30 pm is one of the best deals going.
We pony up to the bar around 5:30 for a quick bite to eat and order a Budweiser bottle and Hoegarden draft. $ 2 domestic bottles and $ 3 dollar drafts is news to my ears. The bartender then tells us that their bar menu is also half price so we ask to see it. We have the menus in our hands while she proceeds to fold two cloth napkins into triangles and lay them on the bar as personal tablecloths. She placed real silverware wrapped in another matching cloth napkin on the bar and delivered us 4 pieces of complimentary bruschetta.
I ordered a burger done medium which was tasty as hell for 5 dollars and it came with fries. My friend ordered the clams and mussels combo for 6 dollars that came with plenty of bread for dipping. The shellfish were fresh and the broth was excellent too. The bar menu seems to range from 9 – 16 or 4.50−8 during HH with Lobster Mac&Cheese being the most expensive. I’ll definitely head back to try the duck spring rolls at a later date.
20 dollars for two meals and four beers is a deal anywhere. The service was great even though the bar area was pretty full. I’ll be back for happy hour soon and wanted to spread the word.

I found the food here to be surprisingly excellent. From the outside I was expecting dive bar or cheap family italian restaurant, but on the inside it’s kind of humble bar/​restaurant but with very good food. Prices are a bit higher than one might expect, but the food is worth it.
They start you off with complimentary bruschetta which was a nice touch. I ordered the roast pork sandwich which came out juicy, salty, and delicious. Fries were very good and the pork was great. My friend is a waitress here and told me that staff aren’t allowed to eat the roast pork unless they pay because it’s slow roasted and made from scratch. An excellent sign! She got the lobster mac ‘n cheese which is kinda cliché and unoriginal, but pretty decent. More of a cheese sauce than a typical mac ‘n cheese has but it still had a nice combo of saltiness and sharpness.
I think the highlight here was the desserts. The dessert tray had a huge assortment of items and all sounded delicious. They have a pastry chef that comes in every morning to create the desserts. They’re awfully small and expensive ($ 6.50 each) but boy was this cake good. Easily the best tres leches cake I’ve had, and that’s compared to several different Puerto Rican restaurants where I’ve had it. A very impressive feat.
The drinks menu is also pretty unique, though the presence of a modified Harvey Wallbanger had me a little perplexed/​entertained. I ordered an Obama Mama, mostly because of the name, and it was very good.
I was a bit shocked at the resulting bill. An appetizer, sandwich, and dessert cost over $ 30, which I wasn’t expecting. After drinks and tip, we were looking at a pretty sizeable bill.
Totaros feels somewhat outdated, and the atmosphere does not match the food or prices. Still, I really enjoyed my experience from appetizer, to main dish to dessert and the staff was very friendly. You can get some good food here, but don’t go in expecting a typical bar experience because your wallet will be sorely disappointed.

Went with some friends, mostly inspired by the 26 Zagat food rating and some buzz from coworkers.
You walk through the packed bar area to get to your host (very classy). We were seated relatively quickly in a cramped dining room adjacent to the bar.
The complimentary bruschetta served was fantastic. Thus ends the positive notes. The waiter was nice enough but we hardly saw him. Water and drinks were rarely refilled, and he was clearly overtaxed.
Food notes:
Apps were awful. Risotto ball was deep fried and hard (literally hard to even cut or chew). Frogs legs were awful. Smothered in this hot sauce that totally overwhelmed any frog flavor. No desserts were tried.
For an average of $ 40/​person, this is a major pass.
Note: Their head chef apparently left in Aug 2007 so that 26 in Zagat should be forgotten.