Ovenella

This is a must visit restaurant in the Boca area. This restaurant has only been opened 2 years and has numerous positive write ups in magazines and local newspapers. Chef Mennans creativity and attention to detail make his dishes uniquely delicious. Having worked there my senior year of college I can truly say this place uses only the freshest ingredients and the head chef takes personal pride in every dish. I wish this place nothing but the best.
My personal favorites are the Braised Short Ribs, Yellowtail Snapper and Rosemary Pappardelle. Lastly, save some room for the Apple Tart. you’ll thank me later.

Last night I took my three boys M1(15 years old), M2 (13 yo), A (9 yo) along with their fried D (9 yo) and our Tibetan Terrier, K (4 yo) to Ovenella. As far as I know the Federal highway location is their only location. Ovenella is located on the south end of the Boca Raton restaurant district across Federal Highway from Royal Palm Plaza (the pink plaza that is no longer pink) We got there at 8:30 p.m. and were immediately offered a table for 5 outside.
Although the outdoor seating faces Federal Highway the ambiance is nice and it didn’t seem noisy at all. The seats were comfortable and the table was nice and sturdy. We all drank water and didn’t accept the offer of warm bread because I wanted the kids to eat their meals.
The menu offerings were traditional Italian with lots of meals that included red sauce. I had the Cesar salad which was crisp and fresh. M2 had the CLAMS & MUSSELS POSSILIPO appetizer which was also fresh and very tasty.
For the main course, I had OVENELLA’S GRAVY which consisted of several meats, pasta, and red sauce. It was delicious but a little bland which will cost them a star. K enjoyed my left over short rib bones. M1 had the LASAGNA BOLOGNESE which he rated as a ten out of ten and cleaned his plate. M2 had the RIGATONI BOLOGNESE which he enjoyed. A and D had plain pizza. D liked his but A didn’t like his because he said «the tomato sauce has red clumps in it».
Please ask for Jeff as your server. He was prompt, courteous and definitely offered so additional entertainment to our evening. Our table was well maintained and we didn’t feel rushed. He even brought some ice water for K.
After about 90 minutes we paid the $ 142 bill including tip and walked to Mizner Park for ice cream. I would estimate that Ovenella is a little pricey for Italian food and that will cost them another star.

Was looking for something special amid the endless chains of Boca and found this place on Unilocal and open table. To sum it up… yum!
We tried the crispy skinned snapper, a great roast chicken breast with ragu and the ovenella «gravy» pasta from grandmas recipe that was full of slow roasted pork and sausage. Beware, salads are huge-​1 was enough for all three of us. We also tried and enjoyed the meatball appetizer stuffed with mozzarella and served with the house sauce on a toasted bread.
Even the bread basket was a treat — it came with a whole head of roasted garlic-​a great start to our meal. The service was good and the young wait staff efficient.
Highly recommended.

This is the place you go where everybody knows your name and you’re always glad you came yet not in a pub like Boston setting but rather a casually contemporary italian restaurant in Boca Raton. We didn’t get past the bar and why would we need to after work on a Friday night? The place is new but you wouldn’t know by the level and maturity of service. Our bartender made ordering our glass of wine fun and easy. He was very attentive and yet left us alone.
The food that I did view looked like a culinary dream and I’m surprised I haven’t been back yet after a few weeks since visiting to try it out! Definitely looking forward to my next visit very soon.

I really enjoy Ovenella! Everything is always delicious! Their beef carpaccio is amazing and as a tip, I definitely recommend grabbing one of their specialty cocktails while waiting!