Pensare Italian Bistro & Wine Bar

Too bad it is now closed!!! Mediocre sushi moving in. We really liked this place and the people were great. Sorry to see them go.

Good food. Nice ambience. But management has crammed too many tables into the available indoor space. Patrons sit inches from each other. I’ll return but will only sit outside.

With so many options in downtown Dunedin, we couldn’t decided where to eat, and then the smell of Italian food emanating from Pensare made the decision for us!
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Italian food is often a let-​down more often that not, but the reviews and pictures were good and everyone inside seemed to be enjoying their meals.
I have a few «go-​to» dishes at Italian places that I use to judge how good they are and whether I will return. One of which is Pappardelle Bolognese. There is just something about those flat, wide egg noodles that thrills the shit out of my taste buds. And then the thick, meaty ragu throws me over the edge of bliss. I’m happy to report that Pensare did not disappoint. Look at the picture of my dish, and keep in mind that it is misleading. The portion looks small, but it’s because the dish was huge. Two moderately hungry people could share this meal with ease. I was «starving» and struggled to finish it – but I did. No way was I leaving any of that behind to get tossed some dumpster.
I had a Caesar salad as well, and this too is another thing so many places get wrong – Not Pensare though. The dressing was not overly creamy and had the perfect hint of anchovies on the back end. Beautifully executed, and most definitely not a bottled dressing!
Complimentary bread to dip in olive oil and spices prior to the food’s arrival, so be careful!!! It is very good and wonderfully toasted, but do not make the mistake of filling up on it. You will be a sad face clown attempting to destroy your pasta dinner if you do so. Speaking from experience.
The place was as clean as it could’ve been after a busy 2^nd Friday, and the staff was great. Will definitely return soon!

Passed this place on a drive through Old Town Dunedin, and met friends here for dinner (they’re only open for dinner). My Veal Saltimbocca was incredible good — I cleaned my plate, something I rarely do. The Veal Piccata was also good, and the wine selections broad. Definitely will return here on our next trip. And the Old Town Dunedin hd lots of other places as well — lively little street.

Four stars instead of five only because the dining tables are a little too close, almost embarrassingly close. The food was great, average price tag was $ 24, portions enough (not too much & nobody brought home a doggy bag), service was good. I think next time we will try the outside patio as long as we can manage to stay away from smokers — the tables didn’t look so close.

Atmosphere and area were very nice. I met family there on a weeknight and we are all from out of town and found out about the place here on Unilocal.We were very happy with the service, the food and the atmosphere. Just felt like we should have been a little more dressed for the occasion. It was cold and rainy so we didn’t get to enjoy the patio but it looked like a nice place for people watching and relaxing. If I’m in the area again, I’d love to come back.

My favorite date night place. Menu is a bit pricey for drinks for the Dunedin area when the drinks are literally half the price of their’s a block away. But the food is always completely amazing and I still end up ordering a couple martinis with it. Their pasta is the best I have ever had.

Great meal. Polished service. Nice atmosphere. There is a nice outdoor patio, and inside is a full bar and dining room. We were greeted promptly and seated quickly. Our server was efficient, personable, and professional.
Several items on the menu caught our eye and based on our 1^st experience, we will be back to try them. We both ordered pasta dishes. Salad/​soup and bread were offered. I enjoyed the Caesar salad and DH said the soup was good. We both enjoyed the fresh bread. Even the olive oil dipping was good. I still prefer butter though and they were quick to provide. I had the chicken cannelloni (Cannelloni Tampa) and hubs had the linguini and claims in a white wine sauce. Both entrees had a touch more salt than we prefer but, not enough to keep us from returning to try other dishes.
Manager stopped by to check on our experience and seemed to genuinely care that we enjoyed ourselves. We are looking forward to our next visit.

Our daughter joined my wife and me for a special Sunday evening dinner and we decided to have our meal on the patio. It turned out to be another reminder why we love living in this area, and enjoining all that is has to offer.
Elaine, our Server, was excellent. She was personable, helpful and kept our table in good order. The Manager, Steven, visited our table twice and proved he has what it takes to keep customers happy and satisfied. The first visit was just a quick check-​up on how things were, but the second showed his interest in how we were enjoying our food, genuinely interested in our opinion and how to keep things improving.
We started off with Antipasto Meraviglia, which included mixed cheeses, meats, olives, grilled eggplant, zucchini and red peppers in olive oil. Very nicely done. Our entrees were
Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Marco, sautéed in a light cream sauce topped with arugula and mozzarella cheese, and Chicken Saltimbocca, with white wine sauce, mozzarella and prosciutto. Each dish was presented well, excellently prepared and delicious.
Thanks to the ambiance, service and taste, there is no doubt Pensare will be high on the list for special dinners in the future!

I heard really good things about this place so perhaps it was a hiccup or just the service.
My parents were in town visiting me so there last night we decided upon here. I met them and the waitress came and took my drink order as they were already here. After bringing my beer (which was not very cold and a repeat on my second and last of a different brand) asked if we were ready to order. I told her it was there last night here and we were looking to take our time. Another couple minutes (literally) she asked if we were ready to order (was a Tuesday so not full by any means)
I was thinking of a menu item but they had a special with pasta grouper shrimp and scallops. It was tasty but not a sign of a scallop. She literally picked up my fork and poked through my dish and said there is one. I told her no that is grouper scallops don’t fall apart like that. I think it was a simple mistake as it was served with shelled clams and I just wished she said so. If you can’t tell the truth then I am hesitant in eating your food.
The food was good. The veal piccata we’ve had much better. The lobster ravioli was tasty as was my special.
My only other criticism was the gentlemen that brought out bread. We asked for crushed red pepper and he did not understand English. I have no problem with people making a living and working hard but if you put them in front of customers make sure they can communicate.
I’d probably go back as it was service vs food but I am not dying to go back and want to try many other places before.

I only had take out but it was wonderful. The location of the restaurant is charming and the inside of the building looked like it would be great place to dine. The hostess when you walk in is so cute and nice you are happy the moment you walk in the door. At first the portions did not seem that large but now that I have finished I can hardly move. I will definitely be back.

Had the veal. Very very good. Thin and very fresh. Loved it here. Service was very good too.

Friendly service… Elaine was great.
excellent food. Pasta special. Veal Marsala was outstanding. Worth coming back again and again

I love Pensare — from the great setting in Dunedin where you can dine out on the patio, to the intimate bar, great menu, awesome service and delicious food. I have had several different dishes but my favorite is the Ravioli Pensare — ravioli filled with lobster and mixed in with scallops and shrimp in a wonderful cream sauce. Waiter was very attentive but not overbearing and knew just when to show up. The bar is a great area for single dining and it’s a very nice place for date night as well — with great music for after dinner dining just a short walk away. Don’t miss this awesome little gem in Dunedin.

Very authentic style Italian. Family owned & friendly service for the most part. Inside atmosphere is a bit more dressy and a romantic setting. Would be a great date night. In turn, not an «Olive Garden kid friendly» place– i.e., no crayons. There’s a good sized outdoor patio where we were seated upon request — more casual atmosphere to fit our casual dress. All of the wait staff appeared very energetic– except ours. But his lack of excitement was overwhelmed by our food. We had a choice of a house salad or an arugula salad– we chose the arugula which was served with a lemon citrus vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan. It was absolutely delicious! My entrée choice was the Pappardelle Bolognese– Eggs pasta pappardelle with Bolognese meat ragu and parmigiano reggiano for 18.00. The meat sauce was amazing, as was the pasta! Overall a very nice dining experience and we would definitely return! I was told the rack of lamb was to die for!

Everything was great except the osso buco. Even though it was good, it was also the worst osso buco I’ve ever had because all the others were better. The presentation was mediocre with precious little veal muddled into the sauce and a drain hair-​sized strew of pasta underneath. It looked a lot like yesterday’s osso buco. The taste wasn’t bad, but for the premium price, I expected a lot more.
The ravioli and the tuna appetizer were excellent, as was the service. The wines were very nice.

Another good experience!
Highlights from this visit: mussels in white wine — well cleaned, not one single grain of sand in any bite, in the best wine sauce ever. The best entrée award goes to their Ravioli Pensare — ‘Ravioli filled with Maine lobster and served with shrimp and scallops in a light tomato cream sauce’ but they totally undersell the sauce with this description — it tasted similar to the best newberg sauce I’ve ever had in my life (which was at an old school Detroit restaurant called Joe Muer’s).
Also tried chicken picatta, chicken parmesan, and veal saltimbocca — all were good, but not OMG and the picatta was our least favorite.
Sat inside again — it’s intimate and the seating a little too close for big and/​or tall people — definitely requesting outdoor seating next visit.

Pensare is one of our favorite restaurants in Pinellas county. Food is consistently delicious and atmosphere is upscale without being «stuffy.»
Service has always been excellent with attentive servers (thanks Mathias!) who are well versed in the menu options.
Husband has declared that this restaurant serves the BEST veal parmesan ever. Also offers an expansive wine list and one of the best chocolate «lava style» soufflé desserts that I’ve eaten.

In a need to find a new favorite Italian restaurant in our neck of the woods, we stopped by for dinner. It was booked solid inside so we were seated on the patio next to a tall standing oil pot type heater. On this evening, it was actually quite romantic.
To start things off, we ordered the Frittura Mare. It is a great interpretation of fried calamari with a couple of zucchini circles and two fried shrimp (see pic). It came with a savory mayo based dipping sauce and our waiter (Mark) also brought us some marinara, too. It was a huge portion.
For entrees, we ordered the Veal Parmigiana and the Calamarata special. The dinners both came with a choice of a soup or salad and we chose the Caesar salad and added ($ 2) anchovies-​in-​oil for a topping. Next time, we will only order one order of the anchovies and split them. The veal parm was a tender ample portion that came with linguini in a superb marinara sauce as a side. All of the other meat and fish entrees come with potatoes and veggies. We were bluntly told that there was «No substitutions» for pasta. One would need to order a side of pasta seperately ($ 6 for pasta and with Alfredo or Ragu’ Bolognese $ 2 more). We both found this very odd for an upscale Italian restaurant that wants to satisfy it’s customer’s requests. The Calamarata special was awesome! The calamarata pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. It had a huge amount of calamari, shrimp and scallops swimming in a wonderfully tasty rose cream sauce. OMG! We would definitely order both dishes again.
Bottom line: This is a top notch Italian restaurant that has attentive service and delicious food. The price-​point of the food seemed in line with the caliber of cuisine they offer. On the patio, we experienced a romantic, cozy evening with a wonderful meal. What can be better in life?

The food at Pensare is the best Italian food, outside of Italy. It’s to die for, the pasta is fresh and hand made (not all the same size)! I wish I could give them more than 5-​stars.
Great for any occasion date, holiday, birthday, or just out for some great food. Make sure to bring your appetite because you won’t want to leave any left overs. It’s expensive but you get what you pay for and the price is justified.
Every time I go to Pensare I get a «Pensare Hangover» where for the next couple days I want to go back because it’s SO good.
I could go on how great it is, but go and try it, you won’t regret it.