Penny Roma

A Perfect Dining Experience from Start to Finish!If I could give this place more than five stars, I would! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm hospitality and seated right away, even though the restaurant was packed.We went with the Cacio e Pepe featuring black pepper and Pecorino Romano and the Casunziei all'Ampezzana which included beet, ricotta, cauliflower, poppy seed, and parmigiano reggiano. Every bite was pure perfection. The pasta was handmade and cooked flawlessly, and the freshness of the ingredients truly shined.Beyond the incredible food, the service was exceptional. Our waiter went above and beyond, offering detailed wine and food recommendations that made our meal even more memorable.The atmosphere was just as impressive as the food. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and we loved all the thoughtful details: custom matchboxes, a menu listing the music playing, and an overall vibe that made the experience feel extra special.Already counting down the days until we can come back. If you're looking for an unforgettable meal, this is the place to go!

My boyfriend and I went here to celebrate our anniversary, it was a great choice.We sat outside in their courtyard and it was the perfect setting to not feel like you were in the city. The food was so good, we both order two different pasta dishes and shared. We asked for a wine pairing and the waiter had just the right recommendations! The service was great and fast, we had a reservation which got us our table as soon as we got there. We'll definitely go again to try more dishes!

Gonna be thinking about this place for awhile... We waited 30 minutes on a weekend night to get seated. Our table went with the dinner course menu plus wine pairing.Like the other reviewers have mentioned, this place gives off LA vibes. Lots of greenery with an indoor and outdoor courtyard. The lights were dimmed during dinner service which created a more intimate and personal ambiance.Our server really helped us with the menu since it was our first time and we were going back and forth on the party menu vs ordering à la carte. She also consistently checked in on us and made sure we got new plates each course.What's funny was Flour + Water was one of our other dinner suggestions for the night. Come to find out they're sister restaurants and their pastas are made from the same shop lol!The Leek Casoncelli and Rigatoni Arrabbiata were our favorites from the night. The texture and flavor of the pastas were SO GOOD. If we never went with the party menu, we would have never discovered the Leek Casoncelli omg. Honorable mentions to the Albacore Tartare, Pork Chop, and Seasonal Dolci (Olive Oil Ice Cream). We received four drinks each for the wine pairing, which all paired well with our dishes.Although everything was half-portioned, everyone left satisfied. Love the concept of this restaurant and I'm looking forward to coming back or trying Flour + Water.

Traditional Italian restaurant located in SF's Mission District! The Albacore Tartare was a tasty starter plate. Very flavorful and fresh! Server was able to have the pistachios placed on the side due to my tree nut allergy. The Agnolotti dal Plin and Tagliatelle alla Bolognese were delicious! They had the right amount of seasoning and meat in each plate. Great combination to go with the focaccia. The bread was soft and warm as if it just came out of the oven! The huckleberry and ricotta on the roasted baby carrots added a special kick to them!The ambiance is romantic and cozy with the dim lights. Its sister restaurant, Flour + Water, is a short walking distance down the street. Parking was difficult due to street parking only, so we took an uber to get to the restaurant. Staff were friendly and attentive throughout the night.Great experience! I'd love to try its sister restaurant next time!

My friend was visiting from SoCal so I was looking for a place that would wow him. After sending him multiple choices, he was curious about Penny Roma's menu so we decided to book a ressie. Given that it was my first time too, I was a lil nervous to see if this place lived up to its hype. | v i b e |Actually a very huge space. It gives me LA vibes. We were seated under the area with the glass ceiling so we had incredible natural lighting.I wish I caught our waiters name. He was very well-dressed and very friendly, offering us great recs! | f o o d |From the summer menu, my top 3 dishes were:- halibut crudo: BLEW MY MIND. The fish was fresh, and it was the perfect amount of citrus. The plums were an amazing touch, but I'm partial to stone fruits. - prosciutto san daniele: the combo of saltiness from the prosciutto with the sweet juiciness of the melon was an explosion of flavor! - gnocchi arrabbiata: because gnocchi is dense, I feel like this combo was perfect. The sauce wasn't heavy at all, and it was a very simple but flavorful dish. Executed very well!| t l ; d r |I prefer Penny Roma over its sister restaurant. Well-executed dishes that don't stray tooooo far from the classics. Definitely recommend for a nice dinner date or even to take an out-of-town visitor!

Booked for a Birthday meal and it did not disappoint.Very cute - open, airy interior, kind of like sitting in a fancy greenhouse- was giving LA vibes. Very attentive staff, they came up and greeted up and the server explained the menu and the favorite choices (also came down to table level to take our orders and talk which i though was a nice touch- felt more personable) We ordered a few dishes to share- which is what they recommend so you get to try a couple of different dishes. We started with the albacore tartare, focaccia and the mushroom arancini - all delicious and good portions- not too big but not tiny either- enough to share between 2 people. The pistachios on the tartare added that little extra crunch and paired really well with the fresh albacore- we are not usually tartare lovers but were feeling adventurous and glad we did- ate every last bite. Our bellies were ready for the main event- the pastas! We ordered casoncelli (the seasonal flavor being squash) and the Agnolotti dal Plin. Both looked so pretty on the plates and tasted just as great! Our personal favorite was the casoncelli with the squash- a perfect mixture of savory and sweet flavors with a delicious brown butter sauce paired with the pasta (which we dipped the focaccia into!) nice meaty taste to the agnolotti dal plin also, and of course the pasta itself tasting nice and fresh. I loved every mouthful of the meal and experience.They even brought out a candle on the dessert for us for the birthday celebration which was a lovely surprise and nice touch. Really glad we picked this restaurant for the birthday celebrations. We had booked a few weeks in advance- would definitely recommend a reservation as this place is always busy! Definitely a great place for a celebration, date or any fancy occasion where you want to eat good quality pasta and have a special experience.

Quick Summary- Disclaimer: I visited this restaurant during SF Restaurant Week, so the dishes might be that time only- Hefty dishes; entered hungry, left very full- Located in Mission DistrictAs mentioned in the first bullet point, I want to share an early disclaimer that I ate at Penny Roma during SF restaurant week. My friend and I booked a reservation for the night and we promptly arrived at the restaurant entrance. It was a small joy to see a sign at the front that mentioned that they will open its doors, and they delivered this punctually.Even though the dishes were served the same, the staff was attentive by timing when to clear the table and serve the next meal. We had one main staff and occasionally a different staff member came by to check in or wipe away the table, so we were able to express our thanks and compliment the dishes as they came by.The dishes are hefty, so even though the portions appear small, because of the courses, the volume gradually stuffs us up. The dishes that left an impression on me where the halibut crudo, prosciutto San Daniele, Tortelloni di Zucca.

Did a walk-in at 5:30 on a Sunday - we were able to get a spot within 15 minutes. Decently sized restaurant located in Mission (super close to Flour + Water). I've been to Flour and Water so was interested to see how this spot would compare.For apps, we got the Foccacia, Arancini, and the Squash dip. Foccacia was delicious- portion was small. For mains, we did 4 pastas: arabbiata, cacio e pepe, tortellini e zucca and the mushroom gnocchi. The gnocchi and arabbiata were delicious! The cacio e pepe was quite bland.For dessert - their apple torte was delicious - loved the caramel.Overall great spot - Flour + Water is a little better but this is a great spot to check out in case you can't get a Flour + Water rezy.

Incredible dinner here. Came with a friend with no reservation on a Monday night. They were somewhat busy but were able to seat me 30 min later in the attached workshop section (not sure what to call it). We sat on high tops, which I'm sure would be especially cool if cooking was going on in front of us.I got the cappellette do zucchini and it was EXCELLENT. I eat a lot so wish there was a bit more, but the flavor was excellent. The Brussels sprouts were also nice- crunchy and flavorful. My friend got the cacio e Pepe and she said it was above average.Overall, this is a decent Italian spot in SF with creative fresh pastas. I'd go again

Really cute spot for a date night! We came as walk-ins on a Wednesday night at around 7:30, but we were seated immediately. The ambiance is really cute, with plants decorating the whole restaurant. If you're seated in a table, just be wary that you might be sitting really close to another table. We ordered the focaccia to share. The flavor was pretty good and had a good crust, but it was a bit dry. I ordered the agnolotti dal plin and I really enjoyed it! The tangy sauce balanced the meat dumplings really well. My bf ordered the caccio e pepe, and it was also really good! It was very savory and comforting, and I love how peppery it was. Parking was also easy to find, but it might be more difficult on the weekends since there's other popular restaurants in the area.