Panzanella Ristorante

the food here was fantastic, and i’m a tough critic. started with a roasted cauliflower and crab soup which fantastic, main course was risotto with all shrimp, scallop and squid which was divine but was with black squid ink which not all my enjoy. but i tried my date’s risotto which was also yummy. dinner was a simple affair of fresh fruit with a a perfect flan type cream which was just perfect. the service was also unbelievable.
now i will say that i went here for a valentine’s day dinner five years ago and the food/​service was just okay. so i never went back but after seeing all the reviews i decided to give them a second chance. its also not fair to judge a restaurant on super busy days.
long story short, i live in a sherman oaks and can’t wait to go back.

This place is awesome, food tastes great! they have amazing wine selection and the atmosphere is great.

I wish I could write a one word review I would… perfection…the eggplant wrapped spaghetti… the bass and mash was superb. Fine food! Well crafted and delicious!!!

Delicious restaurant, great service, lovely environment!
Their truffle risotto is amazing!
Really recommended!!!

I’m giving this place 5 stars not for the food, which wasn’t anything special and got both my husband and I very sick, but because our screaming baby was with us and the staff and waiter were so kind and understanding about it. She cried basically the whole time and we took turns sitting outside with her so we wouldn’t bother other guests. The waiter kept my food warm in the back and did the same when it was my husband’s turn to go back outside. It was an extremely crowded night and everyone went out of their way to be accommodating and inviting. Great customer service. It’s rare to find that in LA these days. Thank you Panzenella!

We came here recently and the food was bomb! I had spaghetti and my friend we pal had pizza. We had loads of bread before the food arrived so we got stuffed beforehand. All good! The wait was a while before our actual food arrived so we drank some beer and ate more bread. Definitely check it out.

Loved the atmosphere and food here! Stopped by for dinner and I’m so glad I did. I don’t eat Italian food very often, so when I do, it has to be somewhere great. That somewhere is here. Server recommended the linguini with pesto (not on the menu) and it was delicious! Flavorful but not packed with sodium. It is a little crammed inside but dimly lit and romantic

My Friend John treated me to a nice dinner here last night. Before we arrived he bragged about the food and this great server named Martina. Wow he was right! This place is fantastic. Martina is a great server and a caring person. The management was eager to please. The food was not only great but priced within reach of the average middle income family making it affordable to all… This place is a gem. I will be back!

First class the whole way through. Food was great and drinks were strong.
Host bought us a round of Lemoncello as our desert drink.
Walked in expecting nothing and walked out planning my next return.

Had dinner here a few nights ago. Started off with a glass of Chardonnay, followed by the spinach, beet and goat cheese salad. For the entrée, chicken scallopini with mushroom sauce. The chicken was crispy and pretty tasty on its own but the sauce made it even better… served along with mashed potatoes and veggies… was very good and the portion pretty generous so I ended up taking half home. Will be back to try some of the other dishes

The waitress was outgoing and friendly
She was full aware about all dishes’ details and she described it in such lovely, amazing, mouth-​watering, professional and Italian way. We loved that :)
The menu contained variety of delicious options a lot of vegetarian choices too.
I loved my spanich pasta with pumpkin. yummy yummy

As coming from a restaurant background CUSTOMER SERVICE should be number 1! My family and I eat out almost everyday and have been to this restaurant many times especially for special occasion and have recommend it many times. After today they lost many customers.
We came here for any early dinner with my 2 year old daughter and for literally 5 seconds she cried because her foot got stuck in the chair and the older man with grey hair came up to me rudely and said I need to go outside with her, that guest will complain. It was the rudest thing I have ever experienced. Not even is everything ok? Or may you need anything. Was simply so rude (never experienced such a thing esp since my daughter is so well behaved). Ruined all our dinner with the way we were treated!
Food is nothing special, mediocre.

We are 2 Italians from the east coast so we always have high expectations for Italian food. Ordered the fried calamari and it lacked seasoning. We saw people getting bread all around us although we didn’t receive any. Drinks (a wine and a martini) were tasty. Then the entrees came. I ordered the pasta with lobster and crab and in the dim lighting it looked amazing… however…I love taking food pictures and after taking my flash pic I realized the food looked just like it tasted: mediocre. (See pic.) Flavorless pasta and chewy lobster. Once receiving our entrees we had to ask for bread twice before we actually got any. I originally wanted to try the tiramisu but after the 1^st 2 courses I didn’t want to be disappointed again. The best part of the meal was our waitress who was friendly and attentive. I give this place a big «meh,» and we will not be back.

We checked out this place during restaurant week and it was a good experience. Our waiter was a bit awkward and initially slow in taking our order but by the end of the night things straightened out. The set menu is good value as it includes appetizer, 2 courses and dessert. I think the truffle pasta is a bit overpriced considering it’s 25 extra dollars for nearly flavorless black truffles. The wine was lovely (King Estate Signature Pinot Noir) as was the caprese which is made with mouth watering burrata, fresh Basil and colorful heirloom tomatoes. There is a lot of everything on Ventura Blvd and this restaurant is a perfect place for a romantic elegant dinner.

This place is fabulous. From the bread and olive dip to dessert, you just can’t go wrong. We always order the burrata salad and another favorite is the Involtini Di Melanzane Con Spaghetti. It’s outrageously delicious. Wine list is wonderful and it is a nice romantic setting!

3.5 stars, rounded up since they give great service. Came here for a work dinner. Nice restaurant and pretty good Italian food. They definitely know how to do pasta right. Appetizers need more work though.
FOOD
Burrata Caprese (4 stars): Good burrata!
Rollini Di Melanzane (3 stars): Too mushy of a dish for me. not that flavorful.
Polpette Di Granchio (3 stars): Crab cakes. Tasted fishy.
Calamari Fritti (3 stars): Chewy.
Ravioli filled with Burrata (4 stars): Tomato sauce was amazing. Ravioli melts in your mouth, so soft. Needs more basil though.
DESSERT
Blackberry Tart (4 stars): More like a muffin than a tart. Best dessert I tried here. Really moist and flavorful.
Torta di Mele –Apple Tart (3 stars): Standard.
Cannoli alla Siciliana (2 stars): Wasn’t crazy about the filling.
ATMOSPHERE (5 stars)
Nice restaurant, big tables with a lot of room.
SERVICE (5 stars)
Service was great. We had a group of 6 and they were on top of every request and checked in with us often.
PARKING
Valet or street parking if you’re lucky. Valet is in the drive way right next to the restaurant which is where the entrance is.

One of the greatest Italian Restaurants I have been.
Location is great– Ventura Blvd
Parking– Street or Valet
Décor– Amazing, Romantic place
Crowd — Classy Elegant Italian Couples, Older Generation.
Service– Excellent
Food– Amazing, Me and my boss tried ravioli with truffle oil staffed mushrooms, Yummm.
Drink: I had berry mojito (light almost no alcohol since I don’t drink) my boss had Lemon Drop, she said it was good.
Desert: Tasty– I had my cannoli since I can’t live without, she had panna cotta.
Will I go back, of course its close to home so once a week definitely 10 min and i am in Panzanella.

Came here for a Christmas party recently. Really good food. Enjoyed the eggplant pasta. Lots of different drink options and wine was on point. Enjoyed the dessert as well which was some custard with berries. Not too sweet and well balanced. Most restaurant catered food tends to be average. However, here food was excellent and seemed to be made individually per person. Anyhow, would really recommend if in area!

Stumbled upon this place after a friend had been meaning to check it out and so we did. We found metered parking along Ventura so we didn’t end up using their valet which is in the alley. We arrived for a late dinner at around 9ish and were quickly seated. Although arriving somewhat late for a nice dinner the service we received was wonderful and not rushed at all. Our server was Martina and she was really nice and informative. Everyone who served us or helped in any manner was in fact.
The restaurant is pretty nice, it has a modern appeal to it. We were seated at a nice window table with a nice ocean view! Jk, it was Ventura Blvd, just making sure you’re paying attention.
We were given their specials menu as well as the regular menu. I asked for their wine menu and ordered a glass of Antinori Villa Toscana Cabernet which was one of the many Italian wines I had no idea about but nevertheless it was great.
We were served a bread basket made up of nice crusty bread and bread-​sticks, and on the side they brought a really yummy olive tapenade to dip in or spread upon the bread.
Food:
Appetizer — Prosciutto e Burrata: Italian parma ham served with soft creamy mozzarella cheese and roasted bell peppers. This was all fresh, and the prosciutto was so good that my friend, who’s restricted to eat ham for religious reasons, was more than willing to sin again for this dish!
Entrees — Fettuccine Boscaiola: Wide fettucine pasta with meat ragu, mushrooms, peas and a touch of cream. This was my friend’s order and it was pretty good. Tasty but my dish is what I craved more of.
Scaloppini a Piacere w/​the choice of the lemon caper sauce: This was a great dish, tender chicken pieces with a zesty lemon caper sauce served with mashed potatoes and vegetables (carrots, green beans, broccoli, zucchini). I’m a sucker for anything with a lemon caper sauce so this did not disappoint. It was delicious.

My hubby and I had a great date night here last weekend. We had driven by this restaurant many times and decided to give it a try. Reservations are a must since the room filled up quickly once 7pm hit. We ordered a pizza to share as an appetizer and really like it. I can’t remember the name of it (everything is in specific Italian on the menu) but it has argula and prosciutto. I really enjoyed it. I had the beet salad with goat cheese. It was perfect. I could eat that all day every day. So delicious. My husband had the lasagna which he enjoyed but I did not like at all. It looked messy and tasted strictly of meat and no pasta.
This is definitely a place I would go again. There are many items on the menu I would like to try. I reccomend asking for a seat in the main square dining room. We sat along the wall that leads in to the main space. The servers congregate by a computer near the kitchen and I spent my meal with view of all of their rear ends in my face. They seem to have social hour in the middle of the space even when busy. It was distracting. It was also way too warm in the area we sat in. I feel the larger space would be preferable. There are larger round tables for parties of 6 or more that looked great.