Restaurant Alba, Malvern PA

It's just not that great.

Upon entering the restaurant, a tall, slim man behind the front desk locked eyes with me. We held this uncomfortable silence for a few seconds until I asked him "How are you? " to which he replied "What's the name? " to ask if we had a reservation. We did, fortunately.

My wife and I were seated promptly and our server, Kim, was friendly enough. She described the wine special - a white Pinot Noir - as "something like flat Champagne. " We came hungry, so I mentioned as we ordered drinks that there was an appetizer I'd like to put in - Kim replied "Oh, we take the whole order at once here" and walked away. Having worked in hospitality I can understand that - some point of sale systems require that you have the whole order before putting any part of it in (or some places are just very particular about timing their dishes correctly) so it's not unheard of to want that. I do wish it'd been phrased a little differently.

The first courses - octopus with tender baby potatoes & pickled red onion, a warm beet salad, and a burrata bruschetta - came without much delay. The bread for the bruschetta was a bit over-grilled to the point of being a bit burnt, but it was fine. The octopus and the beet salad were both very good - we thoroughly enjoyed those.

For our mains, my wife had cacio e pepe and I ordered the cioppino. The cioppino was very tasty - scallops, shrimp, and sea bass. The broth was rich - it could have done with a bit more acid but the flavor was very good. I was disappointed the scallops, despite being cut into quarters, still had the tough adductor muscle on the side.

My wife's portion of pasta was laughably small. Again, there is precedent for this - one shouldn't expect to get a Cheesecake Factory-style mountain of pasta covered in cheese when it comes to authentic Italian food - but there were perhaps 3 ounces of cooked pasta on the plate.

We wrapped things up with a dessert to go. I haven't eaten it yet.

Overall, our bill came to just north of $210. We'd received a gift card that covered the majority of it - upon returning, Kim very helpfully circled the original check amount at the table with me as if to remind me to tip on the full amount of the bill.

I dunno. The food was definitely the best part of the experience, as it was pretty good. The service and atmosphere were fine - but for over $100 per person I want something better than "fine. "

Great fresh food and attentive service. This is a all around good experience. The chicken parm was amazing!

Fantastic! Homemade pasta. Chef’s special pasta was great. Antipasto was great. Dessert and service both great! Strongly recommend this place!

I was there for a dinner featuring duck and Pinot noirs. Everything was very good and well done.

Very cozy atmosphere, excellent food and great service — our server Eric was awesome. Perfect date night. Definitely coming back!

A true gem in Malvern. Been going since 2014, every meal we’ve had in house and take out is exquisite. Quality is second to none. Drinks are excellent too. Faves are Berkshire pork, pumpkin raviolis, whipped ricotta, and budino. ️️️️️

Excellent restaurant! Atmosphere is very quaint and cozy. Very interesting menu an had a hard time deciding on what to order! Had the most delicious spaghetti n clams I have ever eaten! Pasta was homemade and very light and there were plenty of whole clams. Many thanks to Holly and Frank for making our dining experience so pleasurable!

As always, exceptional food, wine, and service. Alba is a local gem. I hesitate to name entrees we have had because they are all uniformly excellent.

Fabulous meal. Truly inspired pasta dishes. Lovely staff and atmosphere. Great upscale experience.

Food was delicious and sourced beautifully. Very good service. Our family had a wonderful time.

“Cozy” truly is the operative word for this place, from the food to the atmosphere. I’m normally hesitant to order pasta out, since making it at home usually ends up tasting better and saving you cash, but I’ll make an exception here. Somewhat pricy, but you get what you pay for. Making this a regular spot in the rotation

My wife and I go here for every special occasion. We love the intimate atmosphere and the food is amazing every time. They literally never miss on any dish. This will always be a staple for us to remember life’s greatest moments together. Love Alba ️

You must try this place!
Perfect restaurant for a special night, very beautiful, great service and amazing food!
10/10

We ordered appetizers, pasta and dessert, DELICIOUS!

Wonderful staff with keen eye for detail and amazing food. Also have delicious drinks, I had a cucumber mint martini, highly recommended. A bit more pricey, but worth it for the quality.

We love it here by ourselves or with the kids. Prices are fair and the food is always excellent!

My sister and I went last night, first time for both of us. That was about 18 hours ago and I am still thinking about the garganelli w/ creamy pesto, sundried tomatoes and crawfish, it was delicious. My sister had the salmon and said it was perfectly cooked. We both ate our entire meal as they were too good to leave on the plate. Frank (more on him later) overheard me mention we were celebrating my sisters bday and made sure there was a candle on the dessert. She got the gelato (peanut butter as Frank suggested) and crossed her fingers that it would be good since "one should only order gelato while in Italy". She raved about the gelato! I enjoyed the bite of the biscotti that I ordered and did take it home for later. Now to Frank.he listened, asked questions, was extremely polite, cracked a joke or two and is very handsome.what more could two middle aged woman have asked for? ! Thank you Restaurant Alba for a delicious meal, pleasant atmosphere and wonderful service. We will see you again, soon.

Delivered product to this establishment and was treated poorly. The owner acted like I was something unpleasant that she found on the sole of her shoe. Sure hope she treats customers better than Inwas.

5 course tasting menu with wine pairing was superb. We also had (Didn't include pictures) bruschetta with flava beans, runny egg, and pancetta, 32oz ribeye steak (divided evenly), and arugula salad. Wine pairings were very appropriate.

Flavors were sophisticated and delicious. I wish I had remembered all of the descriptions from our server this evening.

Overall a very memorable corporate event on the outdoor patio. We'll be back for more.

The flatbread was good. The pasta in Vodka sauce unfortunately tasted like Chef Boyardee. Our server was a bit rude. Overall it’s just very mediocre. The ambiance is ok and from looking at the menu you would think that it would be very fresh, interesting Italian food but it’s actually just overpriced “macaroni. ” We cook better Italian at home.

Fantastic meal and excellent service! The wood roasted beet appetizer and the Berkshire pork was amazing!