Perella’s Ristorante

WOW walked in for first time, and like to give the local businesses support in our town and East Bay, the food was not good, the waitress had only us to service and she spent all the time we were there in the bar. I asked for coffee and she delivered a side of milk in a glass that was sour and obvious to anyone curled up in the whole glass. She seemed like she wasn’t too happy we were eating in the restaurant side. The bar side was loud which didnt bother us, but maybe if had family with us. Avoid at all costs.

I have had a few dishes here and have never been disappointed. It’s a very local neighborhood joint but the food is why I go and why I return.
Dan the server is as famous as the award wining dishes he created for a pasta cook off in Providence where he beat the fed hill gang. He has been around this area longer than I and my kids have attended school locally grades K thru 12.
Lou has a very friendly staff and has been a great member of the community for a long time. The food is great and the setting unpretentious. It is not El Forno but never said it was. And it’s priced as dinner not a overly dramatic culinary experience.
To quote coach Bill, it is what it is. But it is consistent and good.

The place smelled a bit strange. It was like a ghost town. The server greeted us with a frown, probably because we had kids with us. For the price, the food was only okay. We will probably not go back again.

August 16, 2014
Mom and I have wanted to go to Perella’s Ristorante for years, but something or other had always kept us from trying it out. We never really heard any feedback on the restaurant, and the online reviews were just «ok.» Since our movie didn’t start for quite some time, we decided to finally give Perella’s a shot.
We parked in an empty lot and stepped inside the colorful building. We walked past the bar area where there was no one seated and into the empty dining room. Our waiter, Robert, had been arranging one of the tabletops when we walked in, so he greeted us right away and told us that we had our choice of seating. We chose a large table by the window so that we could feel the warm breeze.
Perella’s is cute inside with little Italian trinkets scattered throughout, but I can see what people mean when they write about the restaurant being «dated.» I will say that everything was very clean and that Robert was an excellent server throughout our entire meal.
Robert handed us menus and discussed the soups of the day. He took our drink order — two waters with limes — and brought us a tasty bread basket complete with freshly roasted garlic for spreading. The smell of the garlic was amazing and Mom and I had never seen anything like that before. It was a nice touch and gave the soft bread a lot of extra flavor.
For our entrees, Mom chose the lasagna ($ 14.95) and I went with the stuffed shells ($ 10.95). Both came with a soup or salad option. Mom chose the pasta fagioli soup and I went with the chowder. They arrived quickly but right away I could tell that my chowder was not chowder at all. It was more of a white clam soup. It was absolutely filled with potatoes — most of them raw — and large pieces of celery. There were no more than three clams in the soup, and the bland broth tasted like chicken. It was the most watery chowder I’ve ever had, and I told Robert that although it was my choice to get chowder in an Italian restaurant — I was not a fan. Mom’s soup tasted better than mine but in keeping with the theme, the soup was very watered down. There was no texture to the broth at all. The soup had a strong smoky pork flavor and plenty of pasta shells, but hardly any vegetables or beans and certainly no spices. If it wasn’t for the pork taste, the soup would have been so blah.
We were hoping our entrees would be better than the soups, and when they arrived we had very high hopes. My shells came in a casserole dish filled with fragrant tomato sauce (made with pork butt) and topped with cheese. Mom’s homemade lasagna was an enormous brick filled with ground beef and ricotta cheese. When I started to dig in, I noticed something. There was a lot of water in my dish. The pasta was extremely wet and therefore the ricotta cheese that my shells were stuffed with started to disintegrate. I did enjoy the fact that the shells were actually stuffed, but unfortunately the taste of the watery pasta was a bit of a turnoff. The sauce was nothing to write home about and the cheese on top tasted like store-​bought shreds. It certainly tasted homemade, but not in a good way.
Mom’s lasagna — although huge in size — was flavorless. She couldn’t find an Italian spice in the dish if she had a magnifying glass. The noodles themselves were watery, just like someone threw a box of Barilla lasagna noodles into a pan and took them out — water attached. The meat sauce seemed to be just ground hamburg. There were no tomato chunks, no peppers, no onions and certainly no spices. The ricotta could have been a container of Sorrento, and the mozzarella on top could have come from a bag. The sauce was so smooth it was like someone opened a jar of Ragu and poured it on top without jazzing it up. Mom said she’s never had Italian food that has been so bland, and she LOVES Italian food and gets it often when we dine out.
I finished my dish, but Mom took half of hers home because of its size. Our total for the meal was $ 27.95. Robert offered us a dessert menu, but we declined. We ended up chatting for a while about different foods and movies. To be honest, Robert was the best thing about our experience.
Although we didn’t have a terrible time, we probably won’t be back unless we hear that things have improved. It’s a shame because we feel that Perella’s has a lot of potential, but we can’t understand why the food was so flavorless. Also, if everything is cooked in house, why did everything taste store-​bought? For the money they charge for the meals, they could have put a little more love into the food.
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Absolutely terrible. The food taste awful and the place is nasty. Sorry but this place needs a visit from Robert Irvine.

mehhh…
im not really too crazy about this palce as i used to be. I love the owner and the staff. but everytime i go. lately im just not diggin it as i used to. maybe its the winter and stuff… but still i used to want to go there for my eggplant and veal. but its just not what it seems like it used to be

Great ravioli & the award winning marinara is awesome! Friendly staff too. Will def be back!

It was a Friday night. We went by another nearby Italian place and the parking lot was so full we decided to go to Peralla’s. Total of seven diners and I saw some people in the bar. Really dim and very old school looking. I think it’s a prime candidate for Robert Irvine … seriously. I had chicken Marsala. Two small pieces of thin sliced chicken swimming in a brown sauce. The linguini with marinara sauce … sauce tasted like diced tomatoes out of a can. They offer roasted garlic with bread to start … the garlic was way over cooked … we asked for a second one … which we were charged for. In the past we were not. My companion ordered wrong … her fault … they offered to change it she just stayed with her plate of pasta and salad. She has been here previously and raved about past meals or veal and peas. Will I be back … no. Quantity, quality, atmosphere, presentation for the price were not up to what I would expect. If I could I would probably give it one and a half stars. Have been in the past and it was better.

My friend threw a party here for her boyfriend. They really took care of us, and the food was great, especially the appetizers — amazing stuffed mushrooms, calamari, cold antipasti, mozz sticks, etc. The food is not exceptionally creative or unique, but it tastes pretty good for the most part. The atmosphere is generally quite comfortable and homey, although the bathroom could use a little bit of work. Overall, a nice hometown place with affordable prices.

The atmosphere here is very run down. When you first walk in there isn’t a clear direction on where you are supposed to go and nobody to greet you. We kind of stood at the door to the dining room wondering what to do. There were no servers or a hostess in sight. We walked into the bar area and the bartender said we could go in and sit anywhere in the dining room.
We sat down and waited for about 5 minutes before we saw anyone. We were about to leave. There were only 2 other tables that were occupied in the whole place. We ordered some wine and were promptly brought fresh bread and roasted garlic. Points for that.
I had been here when they first opened (years and years ago) and before that when it was the Old Venice. I had great experiences back in the day at both places. Upon my return it just looked run down and had a vibe of sub-​par complacency. I couldn’t help but think it was the perfect place for one of those shows where they gut the place, fire everyone and start fresh.
The items on the menu all sounded great but based on the vibe and the prices I proceeded with caution. I decided to order simple and got penne with meatballs. The gf ordered eggplant parm.
You get a choice of soup or salad. I went with the onion soup, she got the salad. Both sucked. The onion soup was straight out of a can just poured in the cup and zapped. No bread and cheese baked on top. She took one bite of her salad and had a look of disgust. Gross.
Main dishes came out soon after. The portions are huge. Penne was overcooked and the sauce was pretty tasteless. The meatballs were huge and definitely homemade but lacked any flavor. Same thing goes for the eggplant parm. I would not come back.

I tried this a while ago and can’t wait to go back. It was a little off-​putting at first because of the location and the décor. However, the food was great. My husband and I split a sampler entrée that had a little bit of everything. It was so good and there was enough there to take some home for the next day. My son had the pizza and enjoyed that, too. I will admit that the service left a lot to be desired, but the food made up for it.

I thought the prices here were a little steep considering the atmosphere, etc. Eateries in the area do seem expensive in general, but that doesn’t make me want to pay these prices.
I ordered the chicken marsala and I was surprised at how good it was. I think I was alone at being impressed by the food. Besides, I think I was surprised because nothing about Perella’s suggested that the food would be good. I didn’t pick it and I wouldn’t have picked it if I had seen what it looked like.
The service was good at first, but then our server seemed to disappear. It was awkward because one of our party (the one paying) was less than patient. But, the server really was nowhere to be found. We were glancing around, obviously ready to leave and the message was not being received.
««the best Italian food.. .outside of Providence» by another Unilocaler only scares me when I consider the other options out there. I would drive to Providence — it’s only about 15 minutes away even during «rush hour» (I know because I drove through it from Warren a few times while I was there).

Good food, good prices
At home, in between, two lots
Homemade sauces; best
Dead. Maybe everyone was planning on going out on Valentines day, but this place was deader than I’ve ever seen a restaurant at 8PM on a Saturday night. Dead as in there were only two customers in the restaurant area, and we were sitting at the same table.
This fact shouldn’t make you shy away; Perella’s was no letdown with regard to the service and quality. For about $ 50, we had a bottle of pinot grigio, pasta primavera (hers), veal parmesan (mine), and tiramisu to split. Both meals came with soup or salad and bread. Not a bad deal if you’re going dutch.
Perella’s isn’t flashy or even well lit. Nestled in the strange split in rt. 136 in Warren, we almost missed the parking lot on the way in. The interior isn’t anything fancy either, but it’s perfect for an evening out without getting dolled up. Plus, if you’re into a nightcap, the lounge area is open until midnight (the restaurant closes at 10PM.)
The food was decent; you can tell the sauce is homemade, and with generous portions (it is an Italian place after all) we had enough to save for lunch the next day. I would recommend the house vinaigrette for the salad. It’s made right on premises, and I’d certainly buy it for company if they sold it in bottles.
I’m a sucker for accessible Italian food, and Perella’s definitely hits the mark. It’s not the best, but then again it’s not too pricey either. I just wish there had been more people there, it was certainly a unique experience being the only folks in the dining room.

This is probably the best Italian food I’ve come across outside of Providence in the Greater Fall River/​New Bedford Area. The restaurant décor itself is almost similar to a diner, so don’t expect an incredible atmosphere. The real draws here are the food and service. This is the kind of place I could return to a few times to explore the menu. The service was great because they were attentive without being overbearing and had great recommendations.
As far as dishes, I’d highly recommend the Pasta e Fagioli, the Cioppino and the Lasagna. I didn’t have the Lasagna, but my wingman on this trip knows lasagna and gave it two thumbs… discerning eater like myself, so I’ll go with it. The Cioppino wasn’t a traditional Cioppino (I think almost more of a soup), but it was excellent. A hearty mix of seafood and pasta in a truly flavorful Marinara sauces (marinara sauces are generally boring).
When I go back the next time, I plan on trying some veal and saving room for the fried icecream.