Papagallos Restaurant — Restaurant in Swanzey

While visiting my sister in Keene, NH, I enjoyed the distinct pleasure of dining at Papagallo's Restaurant.

My first positive impression of the place occurred as soon as we first walked in as were warmly greeted by two smiling young women working at the front desk.

....and it just got BETTER from there!

One of the best reasons for my review is that our server "Hunter," was simply amazing. She was friendly, knew the menu, answered questions about their specials and truly anticipated our needs from the beginning right through to the end of our dining experience - a personal quality sometimes hard to find in these current times. Hunter took our drink orders, and was back in a flash with both beverages, bringing us house baked bread served with a warm, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and garlic pesto. Incredible!

I ordered one of their specials, lobster ravioli in a Madeira cream sauce that came with a salad. One of their "house" made dressings was a creamy "Greek ranch," which sounded perfect to me. My sister ordered their house made minestrone soup. In what seemed like minutes, our soup and salad was served. At my sister's behest to taste, I reached over to try a spoon of the soup - OUTSTANDING! While generally not a soup person, I was delighted when I sampled this soup - a rich, robust tomato broth with beans, ditalini pasta, sweet onions and other perfectly textured aromatic vegetables along with fresh herbs and seasoned with just the right touch of salt.

My own salad, with cold, crisp greens and accompanying slices of onions and whole, sweet, locally sourced grape tomatoes was absolutely delicious. With a quality and fresh savory taste so much more than a conventional or (horror!) bottled ranch dressing, I was compelled to ask David, one of the owners, if they bottled the stuff. "That may be coming soon," he said with a smile. I could tell that David was a competent person who was very adept at managing the front of the house, which is likely just one of his many responsibilities. David - your place is great!

....but the BEST was yet to come!

When our dinners arrived, I just gasped at the portion sizes! My sister's eggplant rollatini, served with linguine, was light, fresh, and tasty - and there was so much she had to save half for home. Then there's that lobster ravioli special I ordered...

The plate was ample with house made, two-toned ravioli, full of exquisite lobster, served with their house Madeira Cream sauce, was the best I've ever had. The sauce, which is, to me, the hallmark of true gourmet cooking, was so outstanding because of the chef's expertise in preparation. While the fully bloomed Madeira flavor was present - the sauce had been properly reduced to cook off the alcohol - resulting in a perfect pairing with the filled pasta - along with the sweet and savory whole pieces of claw and knuckle meat. An incredible dish!

I have had the pleasure of dining at the renowned "Le Champlain Restaurant" located in the historic landmark Chateau Frontenac Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City, Canada when the brilliant French born Jean Soulard was executive chef and author of "Chateau Cuisine" (January, 1997)

This dish, Papgallo's Lobster Ravioli with Madeira Cream sauce, a special that day and not on the regular menu (I hope they make it happen!) was as sumptuous and just as pleasurable as many of the meals I enjoyed at Le Champlain when I stayed at the hotel in 2010.

I will admit, while comparing my own previous experiences as a satisfied patron of several Michelin rated French restaurants in both Montreal and Quebec, the style and ratings are quite different.

Nonetheless, my experience as an appreciative and enthusiastic first time diner at Pappagallo's Restaurant on July 26, 2022 was surprisingly, hence, the five-star rating! Papagallo's Restaurant is worth a return trip for me, even though I live 156 miles...

I have driven by this place about 200 times in my life, and always wondered about the very non-descript outside appearance with a giant parking lot that was always full. On my visit, the parking lot was packed as always, so i was preparing myself to wait for a table. Absolutely not the case, was immediately seated and was frankly shocked at the lack of people. I assume they had a banquet on the other side, as when we left the parking lot was way less packed.

Our waitress was an incredible salesperson. Everything she said made me want to try whatever it was she was describing. I had gone over the menu and was undecided until she introducing the specials. I stopped listening after she mentioned lobster ravioli, as its one of my favorite foods. Got a calamari app to share, and we both got lobster ravioli. apps came out in a heartbeat, salad came out soon after with home made blue cheese. Best blue cheese dressing i'd ever had. About 10 minutes later, our main course came out and i could smell it coming from across the dining room. I took one taste of the sauce and was immediately in love. Well balanced, perfectly seasoned, very tender pasta filled with this cloud like stuffing that was packed with lobster flavor. Mixed on top, and in the sauce were huge claw chunks, and misc pieces of tail meat. The most delicious lobster ravioli i have ever had in my life, and will order it again.

I will say, the prices were a touch on the high side for the area but low considering the quality of food and service. Had a great chat with the owner as he personally checked on our table.

I am a little shocked that people have had bad experiences here, but i can assure you they are not the norm. 20/10 will go...

During my last visit to this establishment, my opinion of the food changed dramatically. I ordered the chicken parmesan, while my family chose veal and tortellini. We also had soups, salads, and bruschetta.

Unfortunately, the starters were disappointing, which is a shame because this restaurant used to have much better quality. The bruschetta lacked flavor; it was bland, and I expected it to have a tangy vinegar taste like most places serve. It was only slightly toasted, which was also off-putting. While the tomatoes and cheese were fresh, the overall dish was lacking in taste.

The soup was very bland and tasted like it came from a can, with no flavor in the base at all. It was quite watery, although it did have a significant amount of vegetables, which somewhat made up for its lack of taste.

My chicken parmesan was burned, and as someone who enjoys a sweeter sauce, I found the sauce to be too bitter and devoid of flavor. It really hindered my enjoyment of the meal. My family also commented that their meals lacked spice and flavor.

On a positive note, we had an enjoyable evening thanks to the pleasant waitstaff and the owner, who greeted guests warmly. However, I did notice that the interior is looking a little dated and could use a refresh. A change in the music selection to better match the restaurant's theme would also be beneficial.

If you appreciate friendly waitstaff and a clean interior with a vintage edge, this is a nice place to visit. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food. Our table, which included three entrées, two appetizers, and three drinks, totaled $103—not bad overall, but it just didn’t meet our...