La Penna D’Oca

Ristorante la Penna D’Oca totally delivered during a recent visit by my older daughter, my wife, and I. We had been in Rome for four days and had nice experiences at a handful of restaurants; however, our evening at this establishment has us writing our first Unilocal review! Upon arriving early we chose to be seated inside at a corner table near the window. The room had a nice ambiance with antique furniture that holds the glassware and white linens on the table. The hostess, who we found out later on was the owner, was warm and inviting. We chose a lovely Russo house wine that arrived perfectly chilled and was stored on ice at our table. A selection of homemade breads was brought along with a complimentary hors d’œuvre of basil, tomato, and breadcrumb spread. In addition, we ordered two appetizers including the mixed fried Roman Style and caprese at the suggestion of the owner who seemed genuinely excited to serve these dishes. The caprese was a delicious variation on the typical chunks of mozzarella, tomato and basil (though we enjoy this too) that highlighted the bufala cheese. The mixed fried roman style was amazing, with delicately fried zucchini flower and other specialties. For dinner, my wife and daughter had the cappellacci stuffed with cheese and served with asparagus cream. The noodles are house made and the crispy artichokes are to die for. I had the spaghetti with clams and a mix of seafood including prawns that the owner most accurately recommended. Throughout the dining experience that included a visit from the head cook we felt truly cared for and wanted. We made an early decision (extra cook time needed) to not to try the soufflé dessert in favor of the thought of going to our regular take out gelato place at the end of the evening. Not to be outdone, the staff offered us complimentary la Penna D’Oca homemade chocolate-​topped gelato to finish our dining experience. We loved our experience and plan to return. Rome is awesome!

It started out well. Nice location, a bit off the beaten path. We should have seen the English/​French/​Italian menus as a warning sign (ideally, you should only go places with native menus), but we charged ahead.
The outside tables were all reserved even though they and all the tables inside were empty at 7pm, so we were stuck inside with subpar AC in the hot Rome Summer. The hostess was very attentive to my wife’s 10 year old nephew and us as well at the start, offering us a very nice vinegar and cheese sample from the chef. No sign of the artichokes on the menu other reviews mentioned (perhaps they’re seasonal). Above average salmon tartarre and below average croquette appetizer, but by then we were melting in the heat. The hostess was a little pushy about ordering souffles, but given the 50 minutes cooking time, that can be forgiven. We ordered primi piatti (traditional Italian pasta course) of mediocre carbonara and gnocchi lamb ragu. Nothing terrible, just nothing good. And then…
Bam! It was like someone had thrown a switch and we’d turned invisible. Perhaps it was a mistake to ask for the front door to be opened for fresh air (of which there was only sporadic breezes interrupted by bursts of cigarette smoke — to be expected in Rome, so not their fault), but once we were locked into a dessert and had ordered first course, we couldn’t get the staff’s attention to save our lives. Did we offend them? Was it the beginning of the dinner rush that made them ignore us? (Of note: Italian and Canadian customers were offered inside or out seating. We were not, either because we were early, were American, had a 10 year old with us, or some combination thereof — yes, I am bitter about that as I melted in the heat) Whatever the cause, my wife nearly had to let out a wolf whistle to place a secondi order of shrimp for her nephew (tempura, suitable for any good Mom & Pop Japanese place in the USA, but not worth € 20 even if you were starving in the desert). Then the souffles (actually, not bad) and a screwed up bill (€ 55.10 instead of the actual, shocking € 155.10 — damn me and my honesty for calling their attention to the error!) and we were rushed out.
So, in summary: Food slightly better than tourist trap standard with pretty good service until they find something better to do with their time. Far, far more expensive than the misleading «€€» rating would imply (€ 155 for appetizers, three primi, one secondi, three desserts, and one bottle of syrah — not ««€€» by a long shot). For a better meal, try Triplo to the north (loved it!) or just go for a tourist trap pizzeria. They’ll overcharge you but you’ll still come out ahead.

La Penna D’Oca was recommended to us by another American couple whom we met the day before, and we loved our meal here so much, we came back the next day as well! My favorite dishes were the scallops and the cappellacci with asparagus cream, my husband loved the lamp chops and the carbonara, and we both couldn’t get enough of the souffles. The services was wonderful, the house wine was excellent, and they also treated us to a complimentary appetizer and after-​dinner house-​made limoncello (amazing). Go here, you won’t regret it!

Simply amazing! We stumbled upon this place and I’m glad we did. We started with the meat and cheese plate and I had the Cappellacci stuffed with cheese, black pepper, asparagus cream and crispy artichokes for my main course. This was the best meal I’ve had in Rome thus far. Buonissimo!

Fantastic pasta. Very relaxing/​romantic atmosphere. Not far away from the Spanish Steps.
The soufflé and tiramisu were both a bit unconventional. They still tasted pretty good but I love the classics more.

Artichokes are a must for antipasto.
Carbonara is creamy. Pieces of pancetta makes it a hearty meal.
I loved the entrée ordered was beef cheeks.
The chicken goulash with polenta is okay.
We had 2 glasses of wine
Soufflé with pistachio sauce
Total 102 Euros
They gave us a nice surprise by serving us «compliments of the chef» type of hors d’oeuvres. Pistacchio purée with eggplant. That was great.
We thought it was steep for the price. We had a full meal at another restaurant with a WHOLE bottle of wine, and it was 87 euros.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal though. Our server was friendly and accommodating.

Great food, all home made! A must. Plus great service

Dinner on April 13, 2010. An outstanding multi-​course meal. Very serene atmosphere.