Peno Soul Food — Restaurant in Clayton

My boyfriend and I on a whim one night decided to go to Peno for a date night after an afternoon movie. Now this place has become our regular date night spot!

We love the outdoor seating and have been lucky to get a spot on the patio for each visit.

Our wait staff has been prompt in greeting us, quick to take our order, extremely accommodating and friendly, and just overall very professional. Even on a Friday night when you know they are busy!

On our first visit, we decided to split the Tucci salad and the eggplant appetizer as we weren't hungry enough for our own dishes.

While waiting, Peno offers hand baked bread topped with evoo which comes to the table warm and fresh. It's SOO hard to not gobble it all down at once. We tried to save some to dip with our eggplant dish and barely had the willpower.

The Tucci salad is a staple in St. Louis and this one was so light, fresh, and crisp topped with generous portion of provel cheese. The combination of all the salad fixins' with the vinegarette gets me every time. So much so, that I have come to crave this salad.

The eggplant dish is out of this world. The portion is so generous as well and was enough for both is us to feel satisfied. I've never had an eggplant parm that was THIS good. It really was cooked to perfection and with so much sauce to either eat with the rest of the bread, or to use your spoon to finish it off. It was too good to waste!

On our second visit we added two dirty martinis with blue cheese stuffed olives. So divine! A good cocktail makes a huge difference, and this one, in my opinion, was the perfect amount of dirty.

We also tried the Ragú dish with homemade fusili pasta that was cooked al dente. Again, the sauce was delicious and the ragú was so soft and tender.

On our third visit, we added spaghetti with claims in a white sauce that did not disappoint, but I did prefer the Ragú from the previous visit. I think I'm a red sauce kinda gal.

For dessert, of course, we had to do a classic Italian affogato; an espresso shot over a scoop of ice cream. This hands down is my favorite light dessert at the end of the meal. Plus, It made me feel as if I was ending my meal in an Italian cafe.

We really love the neighborhood feel of this place and we look forward to trying everything...

We came to Peno (pronounced PAY-no) for a late dinner last night with no expectation, but we were very impressed with their outstanding food quality and an exceptional staffs/service. We got seated immediately on a covered patio. Soon after that, my server brought water and bread to our table. I love how cozy and elegant the restaurant is.

For appetizer, we got the Sicilian eggplant. I am a sucker for Asian eggplant dishes, so we were both really excited to try this dish. After the first bite, I couldn't stop eating. The owner/chef Pepe really took this simple ingredient to another level. The eggplant flesh was so tender and sweet. The tomato sauce was well seasoned and had great flavor. Must try item 10/10!!!

For entrée, my partner wanted to try the Roasted lamb shank Calabrese but it was sold out. He got the Tagliatelle instead. He wasn't a fan of the pasta texture - too soft for his liking, but nothing wrong with the dish. I got the Spaghetti tutto mare substituted with white sauce. Seafood was very fresh and I loved the sauce - rich, creamy but not overwhelming. I definitely will come back for the seafood stew and lamb shank.

I didn't plan to drink tonight but it was such a good vibe here...So I got the Pink Sangria which was suggested by my waitress. I was happy with it over the red sangria. And my partner got the Berry Basil Smash (non alcoholic) and wow it was so refreshing. Of course we couldn't leave without having tiramisu for dessert.

My waitress was amazing and attentive. She asked if I wanted a bowl for seafood shell : ) . I ordered a watermelon Italian soda for my little one, and she offered to switch the drink from glass to plastic cup. She came by a few times to check if we needed anything or if we were satisfied with our food.

Overall, we had a fantastic time here. We"ll definitely come back to try their Mare pizza.They looked delicious from other tables' orders. We left very full...

The food here is excellent! I have absolutely no complaints there. Flavorful meals and good sized portions that leave you feeling very gratified. Additionally, everyone is warm and welcoming.

They are currently understaffed like everyone so you will need to be patient. BUT dishes arrived hot and executed well. So it's more a matter of being okay with a European length meal than anything else.

This was our first time at Peno so we didn't know that ALL the seating was outside. I guess the first issue with this in the winter is that the atmosphere sucks. It's a tent, with tables in it. In the summer with the walls down and tropical plants about I'm sure it's nice but in the winter, nope. They have heaters but by the time our 3.5hr meal was over the dinning area was only 60f. Eating with your parka on wasn't really what we had in mind.

The menu didn't have any pricing on it (save for the wine). I just found this odd. Perhaps it's one of those "if you have to ask you shouldn't come" situations? We actually found the pricing pretty reasonable...$230 before tip - 2 bottles of decent wine, 4 appetizers, 4 entrees, and a tart. And again, the portions are generous so there is good value here.

Lastly, one member of our party chose to go for something other than the bottles we ordered. The wine by the glass was served in a water tumbler, slightly unconventional.

So I'm conflicted about Peno. I'd say we're likely to go again in the spring when eating outside doesn't come...