Palma Ristorante — Restaurant in Burbank

I had been eyeing this restaurant for the last year and finally took myself on a solo date on 11/1/2025. I was craving a beautifully made meal, and longing for grilled octopus that I had in Sardinia last year, and this was the right place to scratch that itch. I called at 7pm and made a reservation for the bar at 7:45pm, more people started to pour in at 8pm.

At the bar, I was taken care of by Carlos and Casey who were great company and conversationalists all evening.

I was in the mood for little of everything, so I intentionally ordered smaller plates, I cleaned all the plates off (except for desert because I was completely stuffed by that point) because everything was just too good.

To start I ordered a glass of Moscato, (Michele Chiarlo "Nivole", Moscato d'Asti, Italy) and the Salmon crudo with Truffle Ponzu. The buttery salmon with the truffle oil and tangy ponzu sauce was the perfect balance of flavors, the salmon just melts in your mouth, and the edible violets were a lovely touch.

The moscato was very sweet, I love a sweet wine, but I switched to the house Chardonnay to avoid a headache the next day, and I thought it would pair better with my main course.

Next, I ordered the Burrata, Baby Yellow Frisée, and Butternut Squash salad. Now, when it came out, neither frisée nor squash were on the plate, but it didn’t matter. Instead it was a small tower of fresh yellow tomatoes and burrata with greens and violets on top. The burrata was perfectly creamy and a touch sweet, accompanied by what I assume was caviar, the salty/briney flavor against the tomatoes and burrata was fantastic. I had a different idea of what I’d be getting, but I was still very happy with it—it’s probably best to split that much burrata between two people, but, I couldn’t not eat the entire plate.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled Spanish octopus with green pea purée and fingerling potatoes. The octopus was perfectly cooked, I’ve had grilled octopus off the boat in Alaska, Sardinia, and Dominican Republic, and the quality here was on-par (although to be transparent, a smaller piece of octopus in this dish, but, still equally tasty).

I was super stuffed after all of that, but Carlos offered the desert menu and also told me the special was blackberry cobbler with imported gelato. So, of course, I had to try the cobbler. The cobbler was served warm in a ramekin with creamy vanilla gelato on top, I wanted to eat more but I could not take more than a few bites. I was full from everything else. The crust of the cobbler was carmelized and SO good. Unexpectedly, I was told the cobbler was on the house when I got the bill, so that was a nice treat.

I highly recommend this place for any special occasion with friends and family, or just the occasion of celebrating and gifting a lovely experience to yourself. Do sit at the bar if you come solo, you’ll be well taken care of and have great conversations. Can’t wait...

A couple of others and I, being in the area, decided to give this place a try during its soft opening. We made a reservation through OpenTable and arrived with high expectations, and went in.

Atmosphere: This establishment is well-executed, particularly considering the shortcomings of previous establishments in this building (which didn’t end so well). Each area of the restaurant has a separate vibe and theme. The couches are very comfortable, albeit slightly low and slightly cumbersome while dining.

Service: The staff was exceptionally friendly and polite, and our waiter had a great sense of humor while also making sure we were well tended to throughout our dinner.

Food (These are the most noteworthy of the dishes we ordered):

Pappardelle: The portion size was relatively small, and the presentation was questionable. The acidity and flavor of the tomato overpowered the mild taste of the oxtail, which should have a rich, deep flavor. Despite the server’s claims of a reduced stew with a deep flavor, the dish simply didn’t deliver what was promised. The pappardelle noodles were tough and disintegrated easily, lacking bite. They were either over-rested or overcooked, especially shown by their lengthwise splitting on the plate. The price was somewhat reasonable, but the dish was generally mediocre.

Steak: The steak was excellently cooked but cold. The meat was juicy, but it lacked seasoning. The decision to keep it plain, which I usually respect, was poorly executed; it was just drab.

Focaccia Bread: The focaccia bread had a pleasant garlic flavor, but it was not very warm and rather dense. This, for focaccia bread, was much too expensive.

Salmon: The salmon was served with nicely crisped skin and a simple preparation. It was not accompanied by any extraneous sauces or excessive seasoning. This dish was quite enjoyable and well-executed.

Generally, I find the dishes here to be of decent quality, and I would enjoy them if the prices weren’t so steep. When considering the price, the food fails to meet any expectations that their price tags suggest, and the overall experience was just underwhelming. A higher price should assure better quality, which was not reflected in the food— at least not to...

A very beautiful restaurant with tremendous potential. At this price point, however, several areas require improvement. The service was gracious, but the frequency of check-ins throughout the meal detracted from the experience. Every presentation was inventive, and I appreciated that creativity.

The oil and balsamic plate was attractive, but the bread was excessively hard to chew. There was no automatic refill of the olive oil and balsamic, and at this price point I would expect those items to remain on the table without request. All of the dishes were well prepared and demonstrated the chef’s skill. The pappardelle, however, had the texture of dried pasta rather than fresh pasta, which I generally expect in fine dining. The oxtail ragu contained large chunks of fat that could easily have been trimmed away.

Each time a food runner visited our table, there was an “auction” of dishes—“Who had the…”—which interrupted our dinner conversation and is unacceptable in fine dining. Seating charts exist in the software to aide in identifying who ordered what. Guests should never have to claim their items and staff should always know where to place the food.

Staff training should take place off the floor; new servers should take tables only once fully prepared. The check arrived before we had finished dessert. In my experience, the check should be presented only after the last bite is eaten.

One food runner did not speak English fluently and mispronounced dish names on delivery. Even non–native English speakers can and should learn the correct names of dishes. For four people, including drinks, appetizers, dinner, and dessert, the total was about $600 with tip. The food was tasty, interesting, and satisfying, but not yet a complete fine-dining experience. I hope that with improved staff training and attention to these details, the restaurant will match its beautiful décor and compelling menu. I look forward to returning in a year once the kinks have...