I visited this restaurant recently to celebrate my birthday. While the food was ok, the atmosphere was loud as we were sat next to the kitchen, the service felt a bit underwhelming for a milestone event. We had noted the birthday on our reservation, but there was no acknowledgment from the staff throughout the evening. In a competitive dining scene where small gestures are standard for celebrations, the experience felt somewhat impersonal. I hope to see a more attentive approach to guest milestones in the future.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
James Bui
Ive been to this restaurants a few times. Love their chef tasting menu here . It has around 7-9 courses. Everything from appetizers, salad, pasta, sashimi, fish are all so fresh and yummy. You can taste the freshness and natural sweetness from their ingredients. I would highly recommend doing the chef tasting menu instead of order on your own. There was no single bad item in their chef tasting menu, everything was really delicious!
The waiting staff were so nice and friendly. The vibe and decoration in side the restaurants were also very nice, and relaxing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Duncan McCrae
Food was good but felt super rushed. Didn't love check was brought 30 seconds after desert was served as I was taking my first bite, no breathing room between courses.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Melissa Eisner
Amazing spot for an Italian meal. We ordered 2 pasta dishes and 1 started for 2 of us, and it was more than enough food. I loved the beet and ricotta salad, the beets were so fresh and the sauce gave it the right amount of zing. I loved my tortellini dish, it might have been a special, but it was light and fresh, and the fresh corn brightened it up. The service was great, the right amount of attentiveness. And I loved the decor and the vibe. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christy Gatchell
This restaurant is super charming and the thing that stood out the most was service. The team there is attentive and on top of their game the food was absolutely excellent. we got the halibut and the beet salad several pasta dishes. The brussels sprouts were absolutely 10 out of 10 and a great wine selection.Must dine here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jefferson Lin
This was somewhat of a disappointing experience. The service we received was fairly barebones for the experience paid for. This was also my final reminder that cacio pepe literally tastes the same everywhere and it tasted basic here. The best dish was the shrimp ravioli and the hanger steak was decent. We should’ve went to our usual State Bird for higher quality dining and this was not it. The ambiance was decent but nothing special. We did like that Anthony Bourdain candle in kitchen though lol. Won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Ugo C
Great place, excellent fresh pasta, amazing food, relaxing vibes and nice staff. Good for lunch and dinner. Ps: Try the agnolotti…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Agnolotti Dal Plin, Arancini, Arugula Salad, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Rigatoni All'Amatriciana Guanciale, Mushroom Pasta
Paul Glenn
The feast of 7 fishes was really good and worth the money for the quality of food, but leaving an experience like that still hungry is very inconsiderate in my opinion. We kept joking about asking if we could buy more pasta after we were finished but also thought it was insane that we would even desire more or have to buy more after dropping 500$ for 2 people to eat a prix fixe “family style” Italian meal lol… definitely the first Italian Christmas Eve I ever left and had to find somewhere to buy a cheese burger (because at that point where else can you even get food on Christmas Eve). Excellent quality food though. And excellent service. But I’m not a big guy I shouldn’t be hungry after that with so much thought and intent put into everything it’s weird to me this isn’t the highest consideration. This place really moves like a fine tuned machine otherwise, quite impressive. But again pretty inconsiderate.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Michael Schmid
Came for a date night with my fiancée. We started off with the focaccia and teh arancini di funghi. Highly recommend the arancini. For mains, the rigatoni cacio e pepe and the gnocchi di zucca and both were equally as delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher Chung
Top quality Italian served in fashionable surroundings. A buzz stemming from the well-executed flavors, post-industrial interior, and smartly-dressed clientele.
House-made pastas, excellent. Appetizers are at the highest level of execution. Quality vegetables and proteins are all too apparent.
As an Italian, I always appreciate when I find a restaurant that gets close to the flavors I grew up with. At Penny Roma, the taste was genuinely spot on… but you can definitely feel the weight of the new Trump tariffs on the portions.
Let’s just say the kitchen seems convinced nostalgia should be served in bite-sized elevations. This isn’t a taste of Italy, this is what happens when the plates get value-engineered.
Food: 4
Krzysztof Stopka
Delicious, definitely worth visiting while in SF! Pasta tastes very fresh and flavorful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica G
Penny Roma has consistently impressed me with its trendy vibe, outstanding food, and exceptional service. When my husband and I recently chose to host a small gathering in their event space, Mac, their director of hospitality, truly exceeded our expectations. He took the time to walk us through all the available options and helped us customize our event to perfectly match what we were looking for. I should have written this glowing review much sooner – Penny Roma and their team absolutely deserve the recognition!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amelie Sen
Really enjoyed sitting in the shop and watching the pasta being made fresh by hand — such a nice touch and definitely adds to the experience. The dishes themselves were delicious, though the portions ran on the smaller side. Tried a few of the wine pairings by the glass, but they were just okay and didn’t stand out. The menu is a bit limited as well.
Overall, I’d say it’s slightly overhyped, but still a tasty spot worth trying if you’re in the mood for fresh pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ilya Fomin
Loved the food, himachi and salmon appetisers were great, the pasta with pepper and cheese sounds simple but they made if well, tiramisu desert was wonderful
I visited this restaurant recently to celebrate my birthday. While the food was ok, the atmosphere was loud as we were sat next to the kitchen, the service felt a bit underwhelming for a milestone event. We had noted the birthday on our reservation, but there was no acknowledgment from the staff throughout the evening. In a competitive dining scene where small gestures are standard for celebrations, the experience felt somewhat impersonal. I hope to see a more attentive approach to guest milestones in the future.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Ive been to this restaurants a few times. Love their chef tasting menu here . It has around 7-9 courses. Everything from appetizers, salad, pasta, sashimi, fish are all so fresh and yummy. You can taste the freshness and natural sweetness from their ingredients. I would highly recommend doing the chef tasting menu instead of order on your own. There was no single bad item in their chef tasting menu, everything was really delicious!
The waiting staff were so nice and friendly. The vibe and decoration in side the restaurants were also very nice, and relaxing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was good but felt super rushed. Didn't love check was brought 30 seconds after desert was served as I was taking my first bite, no breathing room between courses.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Amazing spot for an Italian meal. We ordered 2 pasta dishes and 1 started for 2 of us, and it was more than enough food. I loved the beet and ricotta salad, the beets were so fresh and the sauce gave it the right amount of zing. I loved my tortellini dish, it might have been a special, but it was light and fresh, and the fresh corn brightened it up. The service was great, the right amount of attentiveness. And I loved the decor and the vibe. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant is super charming and the thing that stood out the most was service. The team there is attentive and on top of their game the food was absolutely excellent. we got the halibut and the beet salad several pasta dishes. The brussels sprouts were absolutely 10 out of 10 and a great wine selection.Must dine here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was somewhat of a disappointing experience. The service we received was fairly barebones for the experience paid for. This was also my final reminder that cacio pepe literally tastes the same everywhere and it tasted basic here. The best dish was the shrimp ravioli and the hanger steak was decent. We should’ve went to our usual State Bird for higher quality dining and this was not it. The ambiance was decent but nothing special. We did like that Anthony Bourdain candle in kitchen though lol. Won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Great place, excellent fresh pasta, amazing food, relaxing vibes and nice staff. Good for lunch and dinner. Ps: Try the agnolotti…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Agnolotti Dal Plin, Arancini, Arugula Salad, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Rigatoni All'Amatriciana Guanciale, Mushroom Pasta
The feast of 7 fishes was really good and worth the money for the quality of food, but leaving an experience like that still hungry is very inconsiderate in my opinion. We kept joking about asking if we could buy more pasta after we were finished but also thought it was insane that we would even desire more or have to buy more after dropping 500$ for 2 people to eat a prix fixe “family style” Italian meal lol… definitely the first Italian Christmas Eve I ever left and had to find somewhere to buy a cheese burger (because at that point where else can you even get food on Christmas Eve). Excellent quality food though. And excellent service. But I’m not a big guy I shouldn’t be hungry after that with so much thought and intent put into everything it’s weird to me this isn’t the highest consideration. This place really moves like a fine tuned machine otherwise, quite impressive. But again pretty inconsiderate.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Came for a date night with my fiancée. We started off with the focaccia and teh arancini di funghi. Highly recommend the arancini. For mains, the rigatoni cacio e pepe and the gnocchi di zucca and both were equally as delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Top quality Italian served in fashionable surroundings. A buzz stemming from the well-executed flavors, post-industrial interior, and smartly-dressed clientele.
House-made pastas, excellent. Appetizers are at the highest level of execution. Quality vegetables and proteins are all too apparent.
Perfect for a fun date to impress
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
As an Italian, I always appreciate when I find a restaurant that gets close to the flavors I grew up with. At Penny Roma, the taste was genuinely spot on… but you can definitely feel the weight of the new Trump tariffs on the portions.
Let’s just say the kitchen seems convinced nostalgia should be served in bite-sized elevations.
This isn’t a taste of Italy, this is what happens when the plates get value-engineered.
Food: 4
Delicious, definitely worth visiting while in SF! Pasta tastes very fresh and flavorful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Penny Roma has consistently impressed me with its trendy vibe, outstanding food, and exceptional service. When my husband and I recently chose to host a small gathering in their event space, Mac, their director of hospitality, truly exceeded our expectations. He took the time to walk us through all the available options and helped us customize our event to perfectly match what we were looking for. I should have written this glowing review much sooner – Penny Roma and their team absolutely deserve the recognition!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really enjoyed sitting in the shop and watching the pasta being made fresh by hand — such a nice touch and definitely adds to the experience. The dishes themselves were delicious, though the portions ran on the smaller side. Tried a few of the wine pairings by the glass, but they were just okay and didn’t stand out. The menu is a bit limited as well.
Overall, I’d say it’s slightly overhyped, but still a tasty spot worth trying if you’re in the mood for fresh pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loved the food, himachi and salmon appetisers were great, the pasta with pepper and cheese sounds simple but they made if well, tiramisu desert was wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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