PennePazze Nashville — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

I'm surpised by so many great reviews to be honest and here's why: We were a party of 4 on a Friday evening. The restaurant was full yet we were able to get a seat inside without delay. There are different areas to the restaurant and each seems to have a niche vibe about it. Some areas are large tables for group or communal seating as well as bar seats overlooking the cooking and prep areas. There are several cafe type tables and chairs tucked in an out of the way spot. This adds character to this location. The downside that evening was that the restaurant was at about 75% capacity and seemed stuffy and poorly ventilated. The AC was fine and the temperature pleasant.

More than any other restaurant I have been to this restaurant is run by the order processing system. This is how you explore the menu, how you place your order, how you pay for your meal. There is no human interaction unless you have a question or when items from your order are delivered to the table. When your ticket is processed by whatever part of the restaurant is serving that item (drinks, breads, mains) a server picks it up and delivers it to your table. Items arrive at different times to the table apparently independent of where the serving fits with the meal. For example one of the four entrees was served 10 minutes after the other three. The bread was delivered another 15 minutes later after we asked a server about it. This is where I learned about the order processing system.

The menu has a nice selection of pasta dishes and salads as well as what looked like a tasty lasagna. The recipes included fresh ingredients and higher quality imported cheeses and hams. It is an exciting menu and it was not easy making a choice.

Of the four people in our party two ordered the same entree, one ordered the Ragu, and the other the Nonna Paula. The Ragu was reportedly excellent. Very flavorful and filling. The Paula however was prepared poorly. While the entree contained a range of fresh and bold ingredients it was lost in a pesto/four cheese amalgam that did little but make the dish mushy and sticky. Tangy sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic comfit, pine nuts, fresh basil, house made pasta, fresh pesto. How could you go wrong right? Well it was the preparation that held this entree back.

Two of our party ordered the Creme de broccoli. Both entrees arrived at the same time yet looked considerablly different. One was creamy and filled the plate, the fresh spices were well blended with the cheeses to make a flavorful sauce for the pasta. The other dish was dryer with little creamy sauce and filled half of the plate. The fresh basil wasn't blended as well into the dish. Both dishes were tasty and enough for a puppy bag to take home. When I asked a server why thitem looked so differently he explained that the dishes could have been made by different chefs. This would be consistent with an order system where the order is split into items and dropped from the order que in sequence. Each ticket is then processed by whoever is available. This is the way that fast food restaurants like Burger King manage order scheduling. Burger king for the most part has smoothed out the wrinkles in a system like this. They are able to coordinate your order that contains a sandwich, fries, and a drink of your choice.

One thing that was apparent from the time we were seated is that the employees don't run this restaurant the order system does. It sets the pace and takes the accountability for customer satisfaction away from the staff. The servers, more like runners, were for the most part respectful of customers. Everyone that I know who works in a direct customer contact role likes interacting with people and providing great service.

You need to get the chef situation figured out folks and ditch the system you are using to...

Penne Pazze is truly a gem among Italian restaurants in Nashville. One of the first things you notice is their seamless dining experience—you simply scan the code at your table, place your order through your phone, and pay directly from it. It’s effortless!

From the moment we stepped in, the modern ambiance set the tone for a memorable meal. Tyler, our server, was attentive and warm, ensuring everything flowed seamlessly.

We began with the Pane Puffs—delicate, fluffy Italian bread bites lightly tossed in olive oil, Pecorino cheese, salt, and pepper. Simple yet absolutely delightful. The Pinsa Pazza, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and burrata, was the perfect balance of flavor and texture, while the Panini Caprese—crafted with their famous Pinsa dough, roasted tomato, pesto, and smashed burrata—was a standout combination of freshness and richness.

What makes the dining experience even more special is that their pastas are crafted fresh in-house, and you can truly taste the difference in every bite. The Crema di Broccoli, pasta with four cheeses and roasted pine nuts, was indulgent and comforting, and the Nonna Paula, pasta layered with cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, confit garlic, and olive oil, carried a depth of flavor that was simply exquisite. The Risotto al Funghi was another highlight—silky arborio rice infused with earthy mushrooms and finished with parmesan cheese, a dish that felt both rustic and refined.

For dessert, the Tiramisu was as luscious as one could hope for, paired beautifully with a smooth cappuccino. To end on a sweet note, we took home the Cannoli Cones filled with Nutella and ricotta—an irresistible treat to savor later.

Penne Pazze captures the essence of modern Italian dining with authenticity, creativity, and warmth. A place I would return to...

I unfortunately do not have enough bad things to say about this place. The service across the board was terrible. The menu and all transactions are done with your personal phone and you use it by scanning a QR code, kind of like McDonald's kiosks. The server isn't a real server, they only come by and ask questions and are very dismissive. You have to get up and go fill your own drinks, which we were not told that, we had to ask. The QR code had a labeled table, so they could track which orders are coming from which table, but they brought the wrong food to us 4 times. This whole business structure took way longer than just a regular server taking orders and running drinks and food back and forth. There were two managers that came to the table and all they had were excuses and chose to counter every piece of criticism we had. They don't want to change, but still ask for feedback. Most of their reviews are definitely fake. The alcohol drinks were extremely overpriced and tasted cheap. The wine tasted like box wine and the "Italian" beers were just regular bottles. There is no way any of the food is homemade. If you want overpriced low quality food with terrible service, this is the place to go. I saw an older negative review complaining about the QR code menu with the owner responding "welcome to 2024" and then also said that the app is nice to use to see what the food looks like before ordering. I have attached to this review on what the food on the menu looks like vs what was served. Mind you, this was every dish we received...