Parma

Very pretty atmosphere. Nice selection of beer and wine although it is a little pricey. I went there last night for my moms birthday we have never been there before. Ordered a cheese platter The bread that It came with was so hard that it was more like a croûton than bread we kindly ask the waitress for more bread, she then came back and told us that if we wanted more bread it was a dollar a piece. None of us really liked our meals except for my mom everybody’s meal was either over cooked or not cooked enough. It was six of us altogether and my aunt did not eat and our bill was still almost $ 300 if you ask me that’s a bit ridiculous for only five people eating. At the end of the meal we order gelato that was the only decent thing about being there besides that it is a pretty place horrible food and not the best service.

Bummer. Have been looking forward to trying this place for a while.
For the positives first. Nice interior. That’s it
Beer menu was decent but overpriced. I ordered an IPA and it came out in a tall skinny glass with way too much foam. If there was 7 ounces of beer in the glass I’d be surprised. I didn’t order a second.
Service was mediocre at best. I think out server was on muscle relaxers or some other drug. Waited forever for more water.
My food was decent. Presentation was good on my plate at least. My fiancé had some carrots on her plate that looked like they were months old. It was disgusting. The chef should be ashamed for serving that.
I got the sole plate on special. Our server didn’t tell us what the price was before ordering. I should have asked. $ 26 for the fish was a joke.
Very disappointed and I won’t be back.

We love to try new places and friends recommended we try Parma. We were pleasantly surprised to see they bill themselves as a farm to table Italian restaurant. We had no trouble getting a table after 7:00 on a Friday night. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were quickly seated by the owner, Mark.
Before reading on, I will tell you that we highly recommend Parma. The food was delicious, fresh, different, and very flavorful. If you live in the area or are just visiting, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
We considered ordering a bottle of wine only to find out they serve and price by the glass. We could order a bottle by paying four times the glass cost. Perhaps the owner knows something we don’t know, but I would expect to see bottles and enticing prices on the menu; but I digress.
As your wait-​staff will tell you, if you want dessert, you need to order it when you order your dinner as all desserts are made to order on site. We were saving ourselves for an after-​dinner drink and didn’t partake in dessert but they all looked amazing.
Bottles of Parma’s own olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette arrived accompanied by delicious bread. We started with the salami bruschetta and the mussels. The salami was rich and smoky sitting on crispy bread. The real treat was the mussels. A good sized appetizer portion for two came in a rich tomato arrabiatta («angry style»)-like sauce. The mussels were cooked to perfection and the sauce was so delicious I finished it with a spoon. Might I suggest that the chefs consider accompanying the dish with a side of bread or, better still, pasta to finish off that delicious sauce?
Next came our entrees, two of the specials of the night. My wife ordered the lamb — three perfectly seared and cooked lollipop loins accompanied by a Door County cherry and balsamic reduction. The well-​seasoned lamb and the sweet reduction combined for a wonderful taste explosion. Butternut squash purée and fingerling potatoes rounded out the dish. I had the ahi tuna, served rare (ever so slightly seared) over a bed of lemon pesto risotto, with drizzled olive oil and balsamic around the plate. The tuna was cooked perfectly and I could tell that it was flown in fresh (as is all of their seafood) as our waitress explained.
We love to meet people and were happy that the owner came over and engaged us. He was quick to tell my wife she made a great choice for her entrée. We also got a bit of an education on how Mark sources his food. Instead of dessert, we treated ourselves to after-​dinner Scotch and Parma (and Mike) did not disappoint in terms of their many offerings. We will be back for more on our next visit to Appleton.

Nice atmosphere but the food and service not so much. The veal was not cooked correctly and tasted greasy. The hostess was irritated that we wanted to eat in the restaurant and not the bar. The waitress must have been new, it seemed to take forever to get our drink order.

Amazing food and beer selection

I dined at Parma for dinner and was not impressed with the food or the service. After my boyfriend and I walked in the restaurant we waited about 10 minutes before anyone came to seat us. I don’t mind waiting to be seated if a restaurant is busy, but there should be a host/​hostess to greet customers and let them know if there is going to be a wait. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, and it was inedible. Our server was nice and noticed we weren’t eating the calmari and offered to bring us a replacement. We ordered the bruschetta, and it was very good. Both of our entrees were ok but nothing fantastic. I probably won’t go back to eat, but if you’re just wanting to have a drink this is a good place to go for beer or wine.

Excellent beer selection from all over the USA as well as Europe. Food was excellent as well. 1 star off for less than top notch service, but that shouldn’t stop you from coming and checking it out. I think some of the servers just seemed a bit inexperienced compared to what I would expect from a 5 star place, taking a while to satisfy requests, being awkward at times, mostly minor things.
Definitely worth your time if you are in Appleton and love a good tap line.

I was really excited to go to this place, but there were a few problems. The service was not that great. The hostess was very cranky and instead of telling us the reason why we could not order a pizza in the restaurant area, she just kept shooting our idea down. We know that that kitchen is small, but it would have been much appreciated if we could have gotten a reason right away rather than being told «no.» There were many young servers and they did not seem to know what they were doing, which is okay, but it seemed like every time my family would ask for something, it would either never be delivered or given late. The server also did not have much knowledge regarding wine, which is probably due to his age. For example, my mother wanted a to-​go box for her pasta and the server had to be reminded to get the pasta. We did appreciate that the chef stopped by at our table many times to check up on us though.
The food was delicious though. Lots of flavor. I did feel that the food was too drenched in sauce or dressing. My family and I ordered the beet salad, beef short ribs, bolognese and chicken piccata. I was surprised that the piccata was breaded.
Overall, the food helped our experience become better, but next time we go back, we hope for better service.

Beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious food. What more could you want?
This location has gone through a series of different restaurants that unfortunately did not succeed, but I hope this one brings in the crowd.
Came here for lunch and they had the bar menu out. I ordered the Farm to Table ½ lb burger and it was delicious. The burger was juicy, seasoned well and cooked to perfection. Toppings included bacon, garlic aioli, cheddar, and a sunny side egg. This was all sandwiched between a toasted brioche bun. As if the burger was juicy enough, the perfectly cooked sunny side eggs oozed out onto the burger when attempting to cut the larger burger in half. It just made the meal so much better!
Lunch was a little slow so the head chef and owner came out to serve us our plates. Nicest guy and it just made the entire experience a ⁵⁄₅.
Parma deserves the 5 stars.

Amazing Taphouse & Italian Restaurant!
60 Craft Beer Taps, Largest Bourbon selection in Wisconsin & over 150 bottles of Wine. Can’t miss restaurant & bar in Appleton.

My wife and I have been excited to try this place since it opened and we finally had the date night to give it a shot. Well now we know to hold our excitement for a new restaurant until we tried it.
Atmosphere was nice although it wasn’t warm and inviting. Beer selection was solid, For someone that enjoys good craft beer and 60 on tap the night started out well. Price for the beer was high considering the area. I was extremely disappointed in the pour of the beer as I watched almost every beer that was served with 2 inch head for a Pilsner glass. If the class was 14 oz I’d say 6 Oz were foam considering how glass widens at the top.
Overall food was good, freshness and favors were not your run of the mill Italian. Unfortunately portion size for price was high. For similar prices, better food is go to Carmella’s about 1 mile away.
I’ve read the other reviews prior to going and can confirm service was off and now up to par with what you’d expect for the prices.

hmmmm — stopped in to get an ap and some craft beer plus check out this new place. Confusing experience — I get that it’s Memorial Day weekend so points for the fact that no one is left in town and the place is empty (and it was raining)
Experienced some weird vibes from ex staff turning in their uniforms and current staff that may have just been quitting. Guy cleaning the taps was awesome and knowledgable but didn’t have anything to do with serving customers.
Our server was very pretentious and also appeared to be on something??? Maybe high on himself, because he DEFINATELY loved the sound of his own voice and certainly had trouble remembering customer requests — like another glass of wine, just a look at the evening menu, our bill, etc Not to mention that he charged us for something he recommended and we didn’t order (although he caught his mistake and fixed it, but also pointed it out to us)
Lastly Cheese Curds were curious — not fresh really but some odd cheesish fried ball with a tasteless «apple mustard» something — I was expecting more from a place that touts «farm» to table — I don’t know of any cheese factories that make cheese fried globs.
All in all Ok time stopping in for a drink and a snackie what what but not sure that I would spend forth the dollars to actually eat here.

We had a party of 8 with no reservation. They worked quickly and were seated within a few minutes. The owner chef stopped by the table and explained the specials. This was surprising due to the pure size of the restaurant. I ordered the Osso Bucco and it was very good. I didn’t need my knife — the pork was so tender. It was a fantastic dish and the service was good. The atmosphere is pretty good and they have a huge bar area. My only gripe — was not a fan of my salad and hate that they keep loading you up on bread. Someone was hovering over the table almost every few minutes trying to give me bread. I hate to be picky about an overzealous staff but it interrupted conversation on many occasions.
Other than that awesome. i will go back again and again.

This was our first visit. We sat at the bar and had a bottle of wine, appetizers and a pizza. The service by the bartender, Jeremy, was great. He was attentive, friendly and helpful. They have an awesome beer and wine selection.
The food was amazing. We had a meat and cheese board and truffle fries for appetizers. The fries have a garlic aioli that tastes great, but would not be a good option for a first date. The meat and cheese was very good as well. We split a chicken basil pesto pizza. It was delicious
The décor in here is so much nicer than the previous restaurant. The servers were all dressed nicely in all black. The bill for all of the above was about $ 75.
We will definitely be coming here again.

I decide to stop in because I was craving pasta. I was sad key disappointed to find no pasta dishes on the lunch menu. However, my turkey sandwich was delicious! As was my daughter’s gourmet Mac n cheese bowl.
I would not bring children under 12 in since they don’t have a children’s menu. My 4 year old daughter’s soda was served in a wine glass. I kept waiting for her to spill it.

My critic is basically a compliment to our server, Cameron. He was welcoming, informative, and attentive. The pizza was unique and delicious as was the Parma Burger, but would stick with the «regular» fries. The beverages were not just beer and coffee, but fun experiences. Looking forward to trying the gelato and other desserts. Cannoli was a nice ending. Thanks for a fun and enjoyable time, Cameron.

Friday night is date night for my husband and me. In the interest of full disclosure, we are regulars at Houdini’s Gastropub, but decided to branch out. My husband had already eaten at Parma for lunch and we had eaten at the owner’s previous restaurant, Wild Truffle, on several occasions. In general, my hopes were high.
Other reviews have mentioned the fine dining/​Gastropub options, but that was never explained to us. We asked to sit at the bar and were offered the choice of two, not distinguished between fine dining and Gastropub, but tap room or cocktail bar. Parma offers a HUGE selection of tap beers — 60 some. If you can’t find one you like, then you either don’t drink beer or only drink swill. They offer decent sized flights at a very reasonable cost. I had the Cider/​Nitro flight. Four flavorful samples that hit the spot. For those who prefer vino, the selection is much more limited. I have been known to drink my fair share of wine, but there wasn’t any I recognized. That’s certainly not a bad thing! The price per glass was within the norm for the area. Individuals interested in mixed cocktails fare better than their wine compatriots. While you can cross order between the two bars, we did wait an inordinate amount of time for our signature Mojito to come from the cocktail bar. When it arrived, it was quite flavorful and a different take on the usual Mojito.
While imbibing, we partook in the hand cut chips with Gorgonzola dip. The chips were slightly on the greasy side but crisp and nicely salted. The dip was excellent with just the right amount of Gorgonzola flavor. I moved on to a cup of the Roasted Wild Mushroom soup. This is one of my all time favorites! The consistency is thick and creamy with large pieces of mushroom. The flavor is bold and I am pleased this item made the move from the old restaurant. My husband had the Caesar salad with calamari. The salad itself average. The calamari was a bit over fried and greasy. Houdini’s calamari still reigns supreme.
We finished with the chocolate truffle cake. The caramel ice cream that accompanied it was fabulous. The cake itself was little more than your run of the mill lava cake. I was expecting a bit more.
I am giving Parma 3 stars because it was decent but not above average. The staff was attentive and the atmosphere is comfortable and inviting, but it needs some kind of hook. Happy hour specials would draw me in again, but I don’t foresee becoming a regular.

My husband and I decided to come here for our anniversary dinner last friday. Parma had opened last Monday or Tuesday and we had been waiting patiently to go there! This is a farm to table concept restaurant and also contains a gastropub.
We arrived at about 8:30 — 9:00. The hostess was kind and asked us if we wanted to go with the fine dining or gastropub menu. We opted for fine dining.
However. We were surprised by the small amount of people at the restaurant in both the fine dining and gastropub area. It was the friday evening following the grand opening, after all. Granted, my husband had stopped in earlier to find out if reservations were needed and they were very busy.
The environment is pretty cool in appearance, wine bottles are in racks to serve as walls. And Sinatra was playing so that is fine by me!
Our waitress was friendly and you could tell she was new to the menu but politeness goes a long way. Lol.
At Parma, a waiter? comes around and will offer you bread. One slice, per person, at a time. Then they would make the rounds again and serve you another piece, if you wanted it.
I am not sure why they went with this format. A bread basket would be not only be more convenient, but less awkward for carb-​lovers like us who want MORE MORE MORE bread! Lol. But, there were little decanters of olive oil and balsamic at the table so you could mix your dipping oils.
Now time for why I give one star. I had decided on Lobster Mac and Cheese since I was not insanely hungry, but love lobster mac.
After making my request, the waitress looked at another nearby waiter and asked him to check if there is any lobster left. Huh?
There was no lobster left. Annoyed but repressing it, I went with a braised pork on polenta dish.
You have to order your dessert with your entrée since they are handmade, so I consoled myself with being able to get tiramisu. Which would have been GREAT, right? If they were not out of THAT, too. Okay, how about the crème brûlée?! Sorry, we are out of that, too! Uhhhhhh…
I went with what was essentially the upgraded sister of the molten lava cake you can get at Outback. Except you get gelato. It was good, but not mind-​blowing.
Now I was just pissed. Three things that you have run out of and it is 9pm on a Friday night? Not off to a promising start, guys.
The Bellini was delicious and the cheese and salami appetizer was better than our entrees, which were OHkay. I do not even remember what my husband got, it was that unremarkable.
Other than an apology, we were not offered anything for the inconvenience of the kitchen having run out of three things that I wanted.
Although I did not expect a comped meal, a drink on the house would have been an appropriate gesture!
Remember, WE chose YOUR restaurant to have an anniversary dinner. Make us want to give you another chance.
Two staff members, maybe one of them a chef? were chatting in the walkway that leads to either side of the restaurant. They greeted us nicely when we arrived, but for some reason different staff members would make this their common area!
So throughout our meal we could hear and at times were almost competing with the chatter of staff conversation.
Overall, Parma was a disappointment. Especially with it being our anniversary.
If you are going to run out of food, folks, be prepared to go above and beyond for your guests. We could have walked out when you told me you ran out of the lobster.
An offer for a comped drink, appetizer, dessert, hell even a COFFEE would have been appreciated.
Good luck, but we will not be back.
P.S.
I had forgotten to put my leftovers in the fridge when we returned home. The next morning, I noticed that the cats did not even finish them. :-/

This place just opened on March 16. The décor is great. It was just kind of an odd experience. When you walk into the place to register the hostess has to go through an explanation about the sides of the buidling. On the left side is the dining area focusing on Italian dishes. On the right side is the bar area, supposed to be like a gastropub. You have to choose which one you want to go to. So, there ends up being a line at the front door as you peruse menus trying to decide which to do. We decided on the Italian side so we went to the bar to wait. There are seats the bar but a lot of open area where additional tables and chairs could be setup for waiting. Maybe those are still coming. The thing that I find odd, is that is that they are trying to keep the two sides of the venue separate. So, you cannot order food from the opposite side you are sitting on.
When ordering they also want you to order everything at once, from your appetizers to your desserts. Yet, they will bring you the food in the order it comes out of the kitchen, so it isn’t like you have three courses to your meal. The waitress said they are trying to make it like a tapas restaurant.
We ordered the kale chips with parsnips which were very good. The cheese plate was good. And, we had calamari. The breading on the calamari was meh. It just wasn’t as crispy/​crunchy of a breading that I prefer. We shared pasta and ravioli. It was plenty for the three of us.
Will I go back? Probably. It was ok. I didn’t walk out of there saying «Wow» and I didn’t walk out thinking it was terrible.

Opening night at Parma was a wonderful experience. Interior is absolutely stunning and atmosphere equally beautiful. Enjoyed the dinner menu without missing all the fantastic flavors I loved from The Wild Truffle. Great choices, and the same fabulous service we have had for years from Holly. And, the owner, Marc, went out of his way to make us feel welcome.