Pennell's Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Saratoga Springs

I'm from Brooklyn, so I have a special place in my heart for the old school, Italian-American, garlic and oil/red sauce joints of my youth. There are plenty of restaurants that have that style of menu, but the restaurants that do it well are becoming rare. I’m adding Pennell’s to that elite list.

Ambiance: We were there for a sixth-grade class reunion (don’t ask…just organize one for yourself…trust me, you’ll thank me later) where we dined in their party room in the back. Great for events. We had about 20 people. Seemed very homey in the rest of the restaurant.

Food: Portions were sizable, so you’re not just ordering dinner, you’re taking home your lunch that you’re going to heat up and enjoy the next day. Everything was cooked beautifully, but the shining star was the NY Strip Steak.

Staff: The thing that impressed me most though was the staff. The young woman who organized our event on the day—"Neigh-Alicia”—(of course that’s not how it’s spelled…I’m writing it phonetically) was delightful, thoughtful, responsive, and readily accommodating to our needs. Cameron and Talon (yes…as in an eagle’s claw) were so efficient, but more than that—were confident enough to interact and communicate with us directly so that their service made our event run more smoothly. And to top it all off… We were having so much fun that we were lingering too long after closing time. I have never been kicked out of an establishment so sweetly and politely.

I’m dining at Pennell’s again when I’m back in this neck of the woods....

Went here for dinner last night. Ordered three entrees. One of which was eggplant parmigiana. We received it and the eggplant was charred and disgusting. However, the chef just piled cheese and sauce on it hoping it wouldn’t be noticed. Ok, I guess that happens. It takes 5 minutes just to get the waitress’s attention. Only got her to come over after flagging down a bus person. By this time the rest of the table was halfway through their meal. They took it off our check. No manager coming over to apologize, no “can we get you a free glass of wine.” Nothing (again, it’s not just that they burned the eggplant to the point it was disgusting and uneatable but they then attempted to serve as if it wouldn’t be noticed). We pay the check and the waitress says “we’re sorry you didn’t enjoy your meal” as if it was an opinion or preference someone wouldn’t enjoy disgusting and completely charred eggplant. Just unbelievable but not surprising as it was clear the waitress couldn’t care less about our table or what occurred. I worked in restaurants for 15 years. Working my way up from a bus boy to management and it’s unfathomable to me that this is how a place would treat their customers. From the chef who sent out a clearly uneatable meal, a waitress would couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it, and management that clearly was ok letting all of this happen. It’s unfortunate that we would be required to make a scene or ask for a manager just to get an acknowledgement that they messed up. Go somewhere...

A MUST every time I visit Saratoga Racetrack I crave Pennell's. Make Reservations, unless you get lucky like me w/ a seat at the bar, which I prefer. Ol school New York ambiance w/ the wooden bar that you never want to change. Love the bartender & company at the bar. All very hardworking chefs, staff & absolutely wonderful owner, Bruce.

To start, we always order the Clams Bianco. Garlicky-butter goodness! The bread to dip into the white wine clam sauce, devine! Veal Parmigiana is the BEST I've ever had! Over penne pasta this time. It's huge so I was excited to eat it the next day & I never take home leftovers & eat them. A+ NY Strip totally melts in your mouth. Cooked to perfection accompanied by buttery mashed potatoes & green beans. Makes me hungry writing this review! Almost forgot the entrees come with a salad & all the dressing are homemade, or at least the ones I've had. The Blue Cheese & Thousand Island are wonderful, but the ladies next to me had a special ranch dressing that I have to try next August when I'm back! Everything I've had here had been A+ & always a great experience. I hope they get the Meomi Pinot Noir back next time, but either way...