Panicale Pasta — Restaurant in Fairfield

What a terrific surprise. After a recent meeting in New Haven, I visited the new East Rock Center, which had been described (accurately!) as a very cool industrial space reclaimed for mixed use, including a food market with a diverse variety of quick-serve restaurants. I had the good fortune to try Panicale Pasta, an attractive new pasta and pizza restaurant in the East Rock Market.

Panicale is a wonderful new place! The centerpiece of their sleek open-kitchen storefront is a very impressive Italian high-temperature pizza oven, so I decided to try one of their pizzas as well as one of their artisanal pasta dishes for take-out. Both dishes were superb and different. I ordered a special pasta: housemade fettuccini with a beautifully prepared lamb ragout and fresh mozzarella. The serving was very generous and the dish was totally yummy—the pasta was perfect and I wish I knew the recipe for the lamb ragout! For the pizza, I used their “build-your-own” option with sausage, mushrooms, broccolini, and roasted red peppers. The outcome was a thing of beauty that tasted even better than it looked. The crust was amazing, in part because of that magnificent oven. It truly was one of the best pizzas I have had.

Panicale is a delightful new gem for beautifully prepared delicious and distinctive food served quickly and easily for take-out or dining at the Market. The people are friendly and efficient, and they have good logistics for busy people, including ordering on Toast and excellent packaging of their take-out orders. It will be a definite repeat the next time I am...

Mother’s Day and my wife and mom did not want to go out. Our regulars were not delivering or doing take out, and Panicale Pasta sounded great with the fresh pasta so we gave it a try. Portions were small, no complementary bread or side salad to make up for the portion size, very little sauce (almost non-existent), which made the meals dry and noodles clump together, the kids butter pasta was really salty and they wouldn’t eat it. I never thought you could mess up butter pasta. The Amatriciana sauce on my meal was dry, bitter and oily. We ordered a margarita pizza that was “ok” but not great, I like a chew to the crust but it was a tough almost leathery chew. My wife also ordered the Burrata, and the focaccia was stale. My 2 star rating takes into consideration that this was delivery, had this been the experience eating in, this would be a 1. Great concept (especially going the extra mile with fresh pasta), but execution...

So to be clear, Panicale Pasta was originally in New Haven. The high end food court they were in closed a year or two ago and Panicale looked for a place to move to. They re-opened in March 2025 in Fairfield at 85 Mill Plain Rd in the Rec Plex complex. Take out or eat in. The food is delicious. I was here the day they opened and now 3 weeks later. All the usual service fumbles that occur as new staff in a new restaurant with a new menu get their bearings have been accomodated. The manager and staff could not be more attentive. The prices are fair. The wine is good! The pizza and salads are also delicious. Everything is fresh and quality of the ingredients are superb. I have not tried the desserts, other than an affogato which was great, but others who have tried them in my parties...