Goats Beard vs. Mia Ragazza

If you are planning on making a trip to the Philadelphia area in 2024, stopping in Manayunk is a must. Only a short drive from center city, this city suburb is one of the cutest parts of Philly.

Located right on the Schuylkill river, Main Street is lined with bright and colorful restaurants, boutiques, and bars all of which are begging you to try them.

I’ve been frequenting Manayunk, or Funky Yunky as my boyfriend calls it, for the past year and I’ve been able to try a few of these bars and restaurants and I got to say, they are worth the hype. Most recently, I was able to try two of the most recommended restaurants that also happen to be operated by the same owners, The Goat’s Beard and Mia Ragazza.

But which was better? Read on to find out.

Goat’s Beard

Now, this restaurant is definitely a more convenient commute (about 30 steps from my boyfriends apartment) but does that mean it has better food? Let’s see.

Burrata and Beet Salad

First up to bat was the burrata and beet salad.

Served over arugula with a garlic chive vinaigrette, this salad was quite good. Although it was a little boring and I think could have benefited from some nuts or additional toppings, the burrata was creamy and paired nicely with the golden beets and arugula.

Caesar Salad

Ok so I was definitely trying to be in my healthy era this dinner and we decided to also try the Caesar salad with chicken. It was a standard Caesar salad – good lettuce, well dressed and beautifully cooked chicken that tasted great.

Hard to mess up one of these salads.

Fries

I will say, these were some darn good fries. Crispy and golden and not too greasy. They came coated in parmesan and a little truffle oil and they were delicious.

Short Rib Disco Fries

Now I’m not normally a fan of loaded fries but the short rib on these was phenomenal.

I wish they served the short rib as a dish because it was so good. Unfortunately, that’s not on the menu. The next time I go back, I probably wouldn’t order these fries again but I would 1000% try the short rib pizza.

The Smoke Show

Detroit style pizza… in Philly? Don’t knock it until you try it.

This was without a doubt the best thing I’ve eaten in Philly so far. This Detroit style pizza was beautiful. Almost mistaken as a deep dish pie, it’s thick, fluffy crust looked and tasted like focaccia with an incredible soft texture yet crispy underside.

Additionally, it is topped with ricotta, mozzarella, cheddar, pepperoni, Italian sausage, basil, oregano and parmesan. It was fantastic.

When I go to visit my boyfriend and he asks what I want to eat, I tell him this pizza. I cannot get enough of it truly. This pizza alone has gotten me to go back to this restaurant multiple times.

Spicy Margarita

Yep, it’s me again ordering another spicy margarita that’s not on the menu. Although this isn’t on the menu, they made a delicious spicy margarita. Hard to complain on this one.

Mia Ragazza

While Goat’s Beard is a more traditional American style restaurant, if the name didn’t give it away, Mia Ragazza specializes in Italian food. The inside was adorable, and they even had an upstairs with a nice bar that overlooks the river. While I prefer the inside of this over Goat’s Beard, let’s see how the food matches up.

Crispy Calamari

To start, we decided to go the safe route and get the crispy calamari and it was the right choice. They were huge, juicy pieces of Calamari that were lightly breaded and served with a tangy aioli that made every bite so good.

Focaccia

We also were brought out their signature focaccia to start the evening and it was crunchy and bathed in a light olive oil drizzle that was very good.

Cavatelli

On first look at their menu, I knew I was going to try one of their handmade pastas. Made fresh daily, I decided to go with the cavatelli which was served in a carbonara sauce with pancetta and peas. Unfortunately, since it is handmade fresh daily, they ran out of cavatelli, so I had to substitute it for fettucine.

Now I didn’t get to try the cavatelli but I’m glad I got fettucine instead. The fettucine was great in the carbonara sauce, and each strand was cooked perfectly and felt so light with every bite.  

The only caveat I had with this dish is that the pancetta felt a little to overcooked to me. I like it with a little bit of crisp, but some pieces were extremely difficult to chew. Other than that, a great dish.

Gnocchi

My boyfriend’s heart settled on the gnocchi served in a basil pesto pistachio sauce. Again, another great dish. The gnocchi were soft and well-cooked, and you can tell the pesto was homemade with extra love. The sauce was creamy and had a great balance of pesto to basil.

Cannoli Trio

You can’t end dinner without dessert.

We decided to try the cannoli trio which came with 3 different flavored cannoli’s including: Chocolate chip, Candied Citrus, and Pistachio. They were OK. The shell was harder than I would have liked, and I wasn’t crazy about the candied citrus and pistachio flavors. I would’ve preferred a standard chocolate chip cannoli.

Limoncello

You also can’t end dinner without an Italian nightcap and when I saw homemade limoncello on the menu I had to give it a try. I got it served on the rocks and it was made perfectly. It tasted exactly like something you would drink in Italy.

Fat & Dirty Martini

To start the meal, I decided to try their fat and dirty martini (I love a good named drink). Unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea. I like martinis but I could not get over the overwhelming taste of olive oil in this. I couldn’t even finish it which never happens.

The Funky Yunky Winner

Atmosphere

When it comes to atmosphere, I have to give it to Mia Ragazza. The inside was much more spacious, had softer lighting, and better décor in my opinion. It’s a little more upscale than Goat’s Beard but it a great place for date nights or special events.

Food

When it comes to better food, this one is tough. It really depends on what you are in the mood for. While Goat’s Beard is a more traditional American style restaurant, Mia Ragazza specializes in Italian food. Both restaurants had delicious food but two totally different styles.

For me, this category is a draw. Both restaurants had amazing dishes I would order again, and ones that I wouldn’t. It really depends on what you are feeling.

Drinks

For drinks, I’m going to have to give it the Goat’s Beard. This could potentially change since I would return to this restaurant and try one of their other specialty cocktails, but after my Fat & Dirty martini, I can’t say it was better than my spicy margarita.

If I were to go back, I would order the Tiramisu Espresso Martini which is what the waiter recommended.

Overall

If there is one restaurant, I am choosing to go to the next time I’m back in Manayunk, it would have to be the Goat’s Beard. Mainly due to the pizza, convenience, and casualness of it.

I loved Mia Ragazza and will definitely be returning in the future to try out some more items on their menu, but it will stay reserved for date nights and special events.