Philadelphia, PA – For one night only, one of Philadelphia’s most famous and celebrated Italian restaurants will go all gluten-fre e! Le Virtù at 1927 E. Passyunk Avenue will present a special gluten-free, celiac safe dining experience on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. From when Le Virtù closes its doors on Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon, Chef and the staff will do a deep clean of the kitchen, bar and prep areas to present GF versions of their favorite dishes and special features – all celebrating and paying homage to the flavors and traditions of Abruzzo. Every single dish – from antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, dolci – will be GF and celiac safe – and include Philadelphia’s only versions of top hits like Buckwheat tortiglioni with octopus ragu and cuttlefish ink, Spaghetti with goat ragu, Green Pea Fusilli, Rigatoni alla Vittoria, Peposo red wine braised beef shoulder, Grilled Pumpkin alla Parmigiana and Toasted Gnocchi. All dishes are a la carte and available to order pay-as-you-go, no ticket is required. Reservations are available now on Resy. For additional information, and menu updates, visit levirtu.com or follow @levirtu on Instagram.
Le Virtù, already known as one of the top places in the Greater Philadelphia region for gluten-free dining, will take things to the next level and present a special one-night experience where those who are GF and celiac can come and be worry-freee. Dining out and being GF for medical reasons, including celiac disease, can be challenging. Eating out with celiac disease in particular means less choices, less freedom, less socializing – and often means worry about finding safe options, worry about safety protocols, and worrying that restaurants even understand the disease.
“We know so many people in our lives and over the years that are now GF and that have celiac – including people in and out of the industry,” said Executive Chef Andrew Wood. “This includes many former servers, sous chefs, vendors and partners. The number one thing we hear from our friends is that being GF and having celiac can be all about what you can’t do. You can’t go here. You can’t eat this. You can’t drink this. You can’t get a straight answer. You can’t dine out like you used to and be worry fre e. We want to create a special night where we turn the ‘you can’t’ into “now you can.’ We want our patrons and friends to have a safe space where we can all share in our love of food again – and not worry about getting sick, asking too many questions and not knowing our protocols.”
“We already have many GF options on the menu and get requests from our loyal customers all the time for more. This is a way for Cathy, Francis and I to really offer something special and serve our community in an expanded way.”
He added, “For Le Virtù’s first GF night we wanted to go big – and offer top quality dishes, unique things you can’t find on any other GF menu within hours of Philly, and to keep to our Abruzzo flavors and traditions. Look for everything from pastas like our Buckwheat Tortiglioni with Octopus Ragu and Cuttlefish Ink to Spaghetti with tomato braised goat ragu, to our sweets like our Lu Parrozz’ flourless almond cake, Ricotta Cheesecake.”
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, when the kitchen closes until prep begins on Thursday, the kitchen and bars will get a deep clean and scrub down. All dishes and drinks on this evening will be GF – with specials and features for every course:
Antipasti
Taglieri Misti
selection of house-cured salumi, giardiniera
Antipasti Vegetariani Misti
sicilian eggplant caponata, fava bean puree cruschi peppers, peperoni ripieni, grilled porcini frittata, marinated olives
Formaggi
selection of abruzzese cheeses, girasolle honey
Insalata
radicchio, frisee, oranges, gorgonzola, sunflower seeds, honey-balsamic vinaigrette
Pampanella Molisana
roasted pork belly skewers, cruschi peppers, roasted peppers, arugula
Grilled Provolone
toasted almonds, tropeo onion agrodolce, arugula
Salciccia Griglia
grilled abruzzese sausage, saffron-lentil ragu, peppers, ricotta, spinach
Pasta
Buckwheat tortiglioni
octopus ragu, tomato, basil, peperoncini, cuttlefish ink, ceci neri, lemon
Green Pea Fusilli
porcini sugo, seared local mushrooms, spinach, parmigiano-reggiano, aged balsamic
Rigatoni alla Vittoria
roasted butternut squash, abruzzese saffron, double smoked bacon, pecorino
Spaghetti
tomato braised goat ragu, peperoncini, rosemary, pecorino
Secondi
Pollo al Mattone
grilled 1/2 chicken, tropeo onions, roasted potatoes, salsa verde
Peposo
red wine-braised beef shoulder, black pepper, rosemary, yukon gold potato puree
Bombette di Cisternino
bacon wrapped, caciocavallo stuffed pork loin, grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes, potatoes
Seared Red Snapper
piennolo tomatoes, roasted peppers, potatoes, saffron butter sauce
Grilled Pumpkin alla Parmigiana
braised greens, tomato fondue, toasted pepitas, parmigiano-reggiano
Toasted gnocchi, salsa di pomodoro crudo, basil, mozzarella di bufala, parmigiano-reggiano
Dolci
Chocolate olive oil cake,
red wine poached pears, whipped cream
Lu Parrozz’
flourless almond cake, orange, saffron, dark chocolate ganache
Ricotta Cheesecake
oranges, citrus syrup
Gelati
coffee, nutella, pistacchio, vanilla
Sorbetti
cantaloupe, chocolate, citrus
For dining, look for seating inside in the multiple dining rooms and bar area – and if the weather cooperates, despite being later in the season, Le Virtù will look to explore outdoor dining in their famous patio and garden on the East Passyunk Restaurant Row.
Le Virtù is located at 1927 E. Passyunk Ave. in South Philadelphia. Reservations are available via the restaurant’s Resy page. For reservations, additional information, and menu updates, visit levirtu.com or follow @levirtu on Instagram.
ABOUT LE VIRTÙ
Since 2007, Le Virtù is our homage to Abruzzo, our place of family origin, constant inspiration and part-time home. Italy’s wildest and greenest region, with over 30% of its territory designated parkland, it’s a place where traditions persist, resourcefulness and ingenuity are essential, and hospitality is natural and fre ely given. Geographically in Central Italy but historically and culturally part of the South, the northernmost territory of former southern kingdoms, the region is a melting pot and crossroads of Italian cuisine. Including the highest, most remote sections of the Apennines, a dramatic hill country of vineyards and olive groves, and 133 kilometers of Adriatic coastline, Abruzzo boasts a culinary palette singular in its diversity. It’s the cuisine of farmers, shepherds, and fisherman, rooted in the so-called cucina povera (”cuisine of the poor”), a term of respect.
But Le Virtù is also dedicated to sustainable and local farming, what they call in Italy a chilometro zero (ingredients sourced from less than a kilometer from the kitchen). We work closely with local farms who do things the right way. Local produce, meats (sometimes whole animal, butchered in house, with nothing tossed) and seafood from the Jersey coastline. The area surrounding Philly is rich with responsible agriculture; we do our best to support it and bring the healthiest, most wholesome ingredients to you.
The vibe at Le Virtù is comfortable, relaxed, unhurried and unfussy. It’s the feel that best fits the region we honor and the South Philly neighborhood we call home.
OWNERS AND ABRUZZO HISTORIANS
Francis Cratil-Cretarola and Catherine Lee have owned and operated Le Virtù since 2007. The restaurant has been featured in The Washington Post, Food & Wine, The Guardian, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Lucky Peach, Food Republic, Elle, Forbes, National Geographic, and BBC.com, among other publications.
Le Virtù was the first restaurant south of Washington Avenue to receive “3 Bells” from The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the only US restaurant to have regularly hosted authentic Panarda feasts (a multi-hour, multi-course celebration peculiar to Abruzzo’s hinterlands). Francis and Cathy have worked, traveled and lived in Abruzzo for over 25 years: they’ve assisted and/or guided culinary tours of the region, produced a program on Abruzzese cuisine for Philadelphia-area public television and the Comcast network; supported, produced, and promoted Abruzzo-related cultural events (traditional music, and chefs and wine producers) in Philadelphia and its suburbs, NYC, NJ, and Delaware; consulted on articles about the region for Saveur, Elle, The New York Times, National Geographic, and the BBC. Francis’s paternal roots are in the region (Castiglione Messer Raimondo in Teramo) and he and Cathy spend part of their year (whenever they can) at their home in Penne, in Abruzzo’s Pescara province.
Francis has a BA in History from Gettysburg College and an MFA in Creative Writing from The American University. He worked previously in publishing (fre elance and for SSI, a monthly reference publication and ring of hell not mentioned by Dante, in Bethesda, MD), loading trucks for a worker’s-owned health food warehouse (Somerville, MA), Godiva Chocolatier (Reading, PA), and the National Association for the Advancement of Science (where he also batted cleanup for the softball team; Washington, DC). He served for a brief but traumatic time as a guide (sometimes dressed in period costume) at the Daniel Boone Homestead, located just outside of Reading, where he was born and raised. Cathy earned her BA in Liberal Arts at Sarah Lawrence College, and her MFA in Creative Writing at The American University. She has learned to deal with Francis’s insufferable pedantry and grandiosity. She also worked in publishing at Putnam Berkley in Manhattan (Tom Clancy, Dean Koontz, historical romances, self-help, science fiction), and as the assistant to the COO of the PMA (as well as positions in Development). Cathy was born in DC, and raised in Queens and NJ. She neither takes nor gives it (best not to try). Together, they’ve raised and mourned three Jack Russell terriers (two of whom lived for a time in Abruzzo), and currently cohabitate with Magda, a rescue beagle mix with whom they’ve established a tenuous détente.
-
-
-
-
-