A visit to Martorano’s Prime in Rivers Casino Philadelphia

-Brenda Hillegas
feature photo courtesy of Rivers Casino Philadelphia

The much anticipated Italian-American Steakhouse by South Philly native Steve Martorano recently opened at Rivers Casino. Martorano’s Prime is Steve’s first hometown restaurant in over 30 years, following successful fine-dining locations in multiple U.S. cities. The Martorano’s flagship location in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is well into its third market-leading decade. This new restaurant blends the celebrity chef’s Italian-American menu with high-end steakhouse staples. Perfect for a night out which includes a trip to the casino and event center.

A nod to Philly with the lemon water ice martini and a Sicilian Mule

As you sip on your cocktails, take in the beautiful setting with old school movies playing on the screens throughout. You’ll feel like you stepped back in time. Service was beyond fantastic with the staff taking care of your every need. I especially enjoyed the digital display our server had on hand so we could visualize the dishes.

Appetizers are definitely meant to share (though, we don’t judge if you don’t want to!) with portions big enough to be a full meal. We went with the fresh, house made mozzarella because you just have to! And the cheese steak, of course, made with bread from our friends at Boaggio’s. Let your server know if you will be in fact sharing, so they can plate it for you.

Entrees are well-portioned and the options are not overwhelming. Choose from a handful of pasta dishes, prime steaks, seafood and chops. Though the spicy rigatoni vodka looked incredibly tempting, I went for one of the evening’s specials- a Chilean seabass with clams, spinach and tomatos.

Make sure you have room for dessert though. Steve’s wife, Marsha Daley-Martorano, has a delicious line of cakes called Lilly Cakes. An entire Lilly Cakes dessert boutique will be opening at the casino soon, but until then you can get a (very large) slice at Martorano’s Prime. We went with pistachio.

There are two important parts of Martorano’s Prime that I skipped out on- the fresh pasta (cooked al dente) with “Sunday Gravy” and Steve’s famous meatballs which Gourmet Magazine famously called the best in the world. Do I regret it? Nah, it just gives me another reason to come back. Those menu items aren’t going anywhere! But for people who may not be into those dishes, it was important to note you have plenty of options. And we loved every single thing we picked out.

Hours of operation for Martorano’s Prime are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. The bar will remain open until 12:30 a.m. Reservations (available here) are suggested but not required. Also open at Rivers Casino, Martorano’s Sicilian Slice- a fast, casual spot where you can buy Sicilian-style fresh pizza by the slice.

Keep an eye on rowhomemag on Instagram for a closer look at our visit.