Pane E Bene

Here’s the deal. Friendly owner making the rounds for the regulars. Above average food but not great. the bar scene can get loud if seated near. Service is above average. Special trip… to Westport for this place… NO. Average to above average for the area.

We have been driving by this place for a year and finally decided to go in. Why did we wait so long? Such a friendly little place. Amazing food and wonderful warm service. Everyone spoiled us so. We will definitely go back!

We’ve been to Pane E Bene at least a dozen times and have never been disappointed. I usually have the Branzino encrusted with potato slices — very light and flavorful. I had their Linguini with Tonno (Italian tuna) as an appetizer and it was so memorable. We always bring out of town friends there when we want to have a top notch meal.
We usually have our New Year’s Eve dinner there and they don’t bring out any second rate, holiday only menu. You get to choose from their regular menu and a wide selection of specials.
Angelo always stops by to say hello and their wait staff is attentive, knowledgeable and ready to accommodate any want/​need.
This restaurant is truly a treasure and we know we’ll continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Great wine list, good bar scene, nice presentation of bland food. Best for drinks and shared apps, not a full meal. The wait staff was very friendly, and the owner is a charmer.

I came to Pane E Bene for the first time last Thursday and have been back two more times this week. Best Italian food in this part of Fairfield County. The service is impeccable and Angelo is right out of central casting for what you would want an owner of an Italian restaurant to be like. This restaurant is perfect for both business lunches and family dinners.

Pane e Bene is my girlfriends favorite Italian restaurant in Fairfield county. We have been 3 times. The owner is a great guy, and is friendly with all patrons. Wait staff does a great job and the food comes out quickly. The daily specials are the best part of the menu. They are always different and offer a different variety than what is on the regular menu.
The restaurant makes you feel comfortable and as if you are part of a family when you are there.
My only complaint is that the appetizers are a little overpriced considering they are very typical Italian dishes.
Great place to take a date, enjoy the good time at this restaurant.

Fabulous old-​world Italian, in a warm, comfortable atmosphere.
When I’m lucky enough to get a reservation, I know I’ll be welcomed like a family friend.
The blackboard menu changes according to what’s fresh and available, but you can always find your old favorites (the chicken Milanese and sole Meuniere). Hint: the arancini balls aren’t always on the menu, but they’re happy to make them if you call and order ahead.
The service is perfect — neither too fast or too slow — just the right speed for you to enjoy your meal. The owners are engaged through the entire process — clearly part of their success.
Our family seems to be returning to Pane E Bene more and more often. What used to be our «special occasion» place (it IS pricey), has now become a much-​appreciated extravagance.

Unbelievable food. I have chosen to go here as my «last meal» in town before college each year. The staff is overly friendly and I have always had an overly exceptional experience here.

Amazing owner Angelo who will treat you like family. Fabulous food… you don’t get Italian like this unless in NYC or Rome! Wish he could get a bigger place and spruce up the décor a bit… but otherwise… perfection.

If you want to see what a professional restaurant operation looks like, come to Pane E Bene. Angelo Capponi has spent his life running other people’s restaurants, and running them beautifully. This is his baby.
Angelo rolled the dice in this location, which has killed off a restaurant about every 18 months for the past 10 years (Phở, Zole being the most recent victims). It is, honestly, a ridiculous space for a restaurant. Long and narrow, it looks like it may have hosted 4 lanes of candlepin bowling at some point. The sizeable wait station abutting the bar takes up a chunk of space, setting up a little hallway of two-​tops which will seem terrible if you aren’t already a fan of the place, and like prime covers if you have struggled to get another rezzie after your first taste of the wonderful, fresh dishes coming out of the kitchen.
Overcoming the cursed space is no mean feat, and Angelo was just the guy. Radiating warmth and professional competence and courtesy, he radiates the warmth that makes the place feel special. None of which would be enough to overcome mediocre food, but bad pasta is not a problem here.
What italian food it is! Fresh house-​made pastas, market fresh seasonal specials, perfectly executed saffron risotto, fish in parchment. These are all crowd pleasers, and for good reason, they are better executed than all but the best places in Rome. Pair any of these up with one of the well-​selected and reasonable wines and, well, meraviglioso!
If you read my other reviews, you’ll know how hard it is to get worked up over Italian food, given what I call «Italian Fatigue», which is the malaise you feel on the East coast for yet another italian restaurant. There are so many mediocre red sauce joints! Westport is very fortunate to have Finalmente Trattoria and Pane E Bene, both of which strive to acheive the best of what you can find on the Boot.

Truly outstanding. Best italian food that I have had in CT. Great dishes with great fresh flavors. Don’t let the bland exterior fool you. Small but warm inside. Make a reservation. Not roomy or conducive for kids.

Ate there twice. Seafood both times. Gastroenteritis followed both occasions. Yes, seafood twice… I thought the first time was a fluke. The previous reviewer is correct: that owner puts on a good show for the Westporters.

Went there last night with my family to celebrate my birthday. We were seated promptly, atmosphere was old school Italian with a very authentic feel. I knew from the look and vibe of the place that the food was going to be good! And it did not disappoint. Great Food! Great service! The best Italian food that I have found so far in the area, My new favorite restaurant and I will most definitely be back soon.

Amazingly delicious homemade pastas (carbonara!) with a fresh menu everyday. They are packed for dinner but would be a great work lunch as well. The owner is a wonderfully friendly Italian man who aims to please. Great spot for authentic Italian in Westport.

Pane e Bene is owned and managed (and even some cooking) by Angelo Capponi who knows great food. He and his service team are wonderful hosts and always happy to make requested changes. The food is consistently top shelf. In fact, we went to Pane e Bene the night after returning home from three weeks in Italy; because it was the closest experience to eating through Italy. The restaurant also sports a good wine list, great specials every night, and a broad menu. This is a place not to be missed if you’re in Fairfield county.

Extremely authentic in feel, delicious in taste (with fresh clean flavors) and rather surprisingly sophisticated presentations. Dish after dish made us go «wow!» This is Italian cuisine like I have never had before.
Our first dish was Farinata, Di Parma. A delicious chickpea pancake topped with arugula, prosciutto and Stracchino cheese. Topped with fresh tomatoes and olives it offered delicate nuances of salty, bitter, tart flavors. Such a great summertime choice.
Next we tried a special on the menu, Vittelo Tonnato. Chilled veal served with a tuna and olive oil cream sauce, topped with capers, and thin slices of cooked egg. There is a version of this dish enjoyed in Argentina as well. I did some research and realized that this dish takes over a day to prepare — not in cooking time but in the time it takes for all the wonderful flavors to develop in the veal. Having a dish like that on the menu shows me that the owner and chef are not doing this to make a quick buck — rather they are doing it because they truly believe in this cuisine and all of its delicate complexities.
Peperone Farcito was our next bite. Super moist peppers stuffed with sweet italian sausage. I loved this dish with its perfectly portioned topping of marinara sauce and cheese. It was warm and comforting, deeply flavorful from the sausage, it’s spices as well as the marinara sauce … and artfully presented.
By now we were feeling quite full and almost said no to trying one more savory course. So glad we didn’t! Are you ready for this? … Ravioli Di Ricotta e Spinach Al Limoncello. A spinach and ricotta ravioli in Limoncello cream sauce. OMG! Absolutely divine. I loved the hint of lemon from the Limoncello and the creaminess surrounding it. It’s gentle sweetness really takes this dish to a whole new level. This could be main course or even a dessert in my world!

We returned for another dinner on Saturday evening. The restaurant was incredibly busy, which attests to its popularily. The food was just as delicious, but in spite of a reservation, we had to wait a half hour as the people occupying our table lingered way after they finished. And then we had to wait another half hour for our salads. We’ll definitely go back, but not on a Saturday!

Stopped here with my boyfriend on a Thursday night. The place was packed with families and older couples. We got seated right away. The food was O.K. We shared a gnocchi app. It was bland. He had ossobucco which was good. The risotto that came with it tasted like plastic. I had pumpkin ravioli which was good, but slightly overcooked. After plates were cleared we waited a good 20 minutes before we had to snag a busboy to find our waiter. We ordered a fruit tart which was fresh and yummy. Except for the crust which you needed a jackhammer to cut through. Prices were a bit pricy but its Westport.

Wow. Wow.
Authentic and fresh — just amazing. Great wine selection, great fish, great pasta… staff is very attentive and knowledgable.
Easy to overlook as the entrance is not obvious but an absolutely FABULOUS experience.

A little slice of Italy in Westport! What a wonderful evening we had… Fresh Burrata mozzarella appetizer and homemade pastas with Bolonese and Porcini and with Sausages, two glasses of the Montepulciano and we were transported to Tuscany! When the personable owner, Angelo, came over to greet us, we could not say enough good things about the food, wine and service!
Small and noisy… but feels like you are having an Italian family dinner! We loved it!