Pepe Nero Review

Awesome food, one of the best dining experience I ve ever had. Our server, Brad, was great!

Wonderful food, so reminiscent of a recent trip
to Naples. Knowledgeable and friendly service, an interesting wine list. A lovely experience that we didn t expect.

Don't go there i don't want to have to wait in line longer than normal to get the best Italian around

Chef, 2nd to none. Been to Italy 4 times. Coming here, like being there again. Staff Fantastic

Oh yea! High quality Italian food. Never had anything off their menu I wouldn't eat again.

Our waiter David enchanted us into ordering one of the best meals we had in years. So grateful for the care we received.

Amazing meal, great design, on point staff. Everything about the place was enjoyable.

Kat and the entire service team were amazing! Food was fantastic! Will definitely be back and recommending!

Terrible experience. We went in to enjoy a cocktail before a wedding reception that started upstairs. What a stuck up atmosphere! The food was little, expensive and overrated! Very snobby owner and wait staff! Definitely seems like they are trying to hard. I was even told ahead of time by many people it was a snooty, uncomfortable place. They were correct.

One of the best meals I have ever eaten. I can t wait to go back! Great service as well. Drinks were spectacular. Atmosphere was relaxing.

PepeNero is one of the best restaurants in Traverse City. Although the food and drinks are pricey, the establishment always fires on all cylinders. The food, drinks, service and atmosphere, always exceed expectations. PepeNero properly delivers a fine dining experience.

Delicious italian food with a twist. Pretty presentation. Friendly staff. Reservation recommended.

One of the best meals I've ever had. Thought I should open with that.
First visit. Went during restaurant week.
They included three courses, and we added dessert for a fourth.
For starters, my husband's crab couquette was delicious, as was my Arincina (a saffron risotto with 10 hr bed & pork).
Then for the pasta course I had Ravioloni (lobster and crab filled), and he had Tagliatelli (made with 10 hr bed and pork).
Third course I had (Spiedine Don Ciccio (Royal wagyu sirloin roll with house made sausage) and hubby had Mini Fish with saffon couscous and root vegetables.
We also ordered desserts. I had a Tiramisu done in a chocolate globe, and he had a triple chocolate mousse thingy I can't remember the name of but would order again in a heartbeat. The service was fantastic which really helps make the meal.
I also couldn't have asked for a more attentive or personable waiter. We met the chef/owner as well while he was making rounds of the tables which is always a plus in my book.
Cannot recommend this place enough. The Commons are gorgeous all four seasons, and a great setting for this most impressive restaurant. Definitely the best restaurant in the Commons.

Service was excellent, food was amazing!!! Especially the mushroom Zuppa. We will be back.

Only reason I'm giving this 4 stars and not 5 is because of how they handled their reservations. I was not in the least bit impressed by that or the attitude of the host. We had reservations for 930p and apparently when you make a reservation it gets booked at a specific table. If the group of people at the table before you decide to make their meal a 6 hour ordeal (which is totally in their right to do so) you have to wait until they are done instead of being placed at a number of other empty tables. So we waited at the bar for over an hour for our specific table while there was at least 2 empty tables (and no I'm not including tables being used for 'social distancing'). I found that extremely flusterating. Moving on from the snotty host who acted like it was an inconvenience to have us wait at the bar buying multiple drinks vs being outside in the 48 degree weather the service was great as was the food. The bartenders were great and attentive. Once we moved to the table our waiter was equally helpful if not more. Went over his favorites and told us what was best to order and answered all of our questions. Over all experience was great except the wait.

We had a great experience and can t wait to go back!

This was great food, our waitress was really good. Will be back for sure!!

I love their ambiance and the food. Our server, Mikail was taking good care of us and his recommendations were the best.Great job guys!

We just had the perfect meal. Delicious food and superb friendly service. Highly recommend!

Another great one in TC. David was our waiter. He was very knowledgeable about all the wines on the menu and had good conversation. The linguine seafood bowl was great along with the Cannelloni. Desert were art with flavor. Glad we could stop in.

We had an incredible dinner at PepeNero! Our server Dorin was knowledgeable on the menu and very personable, which made our experience one to remember. The food and cocktails are worth every penny. Every server was wearing masks and taking precautions during COVID-19. We will definitely be back!

The service, food, drinks, and atmosphere are fantastic.

The location was nice. The ambiance was very inviting for our occasion. We were a tad late for our reservations but they still accommodated is upon arrival. The mushroom soup was EXCELLENT! The romaine salad was definitely a tongue teaser and filled with flavor. Our servers were punctual, hospitable and provided us with exceptional service. The only reason I would have to give a 4, my entree wasn t to my liking but it didn t take away from the fact that this is actually a great authentic Italian restaurant to enjoy the evening.

Very beautiful ambiance. Ordered fig & beet salad as a starter. It was beautifully presented but lacked in dressing and flavor. I ordered Casarecce as my entree. This was flavorful with home made pasta, rock shrimp and huge prawn. Then our party tried three desserts...all of which
were light and delicious. Victoria was our server and she was impeccable and very detailed and highly attentive. Perfect service! I would return to this restaurant any time I'm in the area. High quality dining experience all around!

I was impressed with every aspect of my dining experience the food and service was outstanding! Thank you

Outstanding dining experience - best ever!
Ambience, service, food preparation, plate presentation, etc.

One of the best resturants in traverse a must eat for anyone looking for an amazing meal

Romantic seating inside or out, knowledgeable service and food that releases endorphins.

Impressive and highly recommended! The best vegetable main dish I've ever eater.

Excellent entrees. We started with roasted brussel sprouts. My bride had the scallops and I had the branzino. Both had excellent flavor. We finished with tiramisu, Spanish coffee their own mixture of coffee, dark chocolate with desorrano infused whipped cream. Highly recommend this meal!

It was an amazing meal tonight as my friends and I participated in Restaurant Week. Absolutely delicious! And the service was stellar as well.

Outstanding food, outdoor seating appropriately spaced apart. All staff friendly and masked.

Oh my gosh how amazing! And they were very serious about making sure our health and safety were a priority (as well as their own). The ravioli was the best we have ever had!! And the tre chocolati dessert was fabulous! Compliments to the owners wife for her creation!

Beautiful decor. Authentic Italian food with a focus on serving the guest a full experience. No turn and burn here. Owners will go the extra mile for customers.

Service was great. The wine list is extensive and very affordable. We ordered a seafood board which was delicious. I had the Gorgonzola pasta which was the best I've ever had. The Gorgonzola is mixed with pears and it is an interesting and tasty combination. My husband got the paparadelle but he didn't think it was saucy enough.

Absolutely the worst experience ever. Very pompous and arroogant bartenders and wait staff. Asked if we'd like water then charged us $8.00. Will not return.

This was the best meal I've had in a long time.Service was impeccable. You will pay for this though. Not a place for younger children.

Just happened upon this exquisite restaurant! Delicious entree's! Very friendly staff! Love it! Great for quiet, personal, intimate dinner.

Excellent food one of the best restaurants in traverse city you will not be disappointed from the cocktails to the main entrees everything was amazing we will be back

I can t say enough good things about this place! My husband and I visited PepeNero to celebrate his 25th birthday and we were treated with such class from the time we walked in from the time we left.



I also have to give a special shout out to our waitress Ana. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. She suggested a wine for me that I loved and made my husbands birthday truly special!

The atmosphere was comfortable and a bit romantic which was perfect for the occasion. I would recommend again.

Wonderful late dinner. The squash soup was amazing. Also had the scallops. Cooked just right!

Beautiful represent at ion of Sicilily. This food is outstanding & the chocolate desert is the Cadillac.

Excellent! The lamb chops and the scallops were out of this world!

Excellent overall experience. Our waitress, Kathleen, was knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Our meals were exceptionally constructed while the cocktail was crafted with great skill.

Upscale dining inside the former chapel of the Asylum. Menu was limited but the available options were enough to satisfy even the pickiest of tastebuds. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. In light of the times, it was a great experience and highly recommend stopping for lunch or dinner.

Love this restaurant - my favorite place for a great meal with wonderful service as well!!

One of the best dinners I have ever had. A culinary triumph. Panna Cotta was heaven.

Nice Italian place in TC. Great bar with some nice wine specials. Menu changes regularly.

The food (especially for the price), the people, the crazy-awesome happy hour that starts at 3pm EVERY DAY, and the overall atmosphere are the reasons we come here at least 3 times a week. We love PepeNero!!

So,
I said:
Hey Georgio, thank you for dinner. It was unbelievably wonderful.
If you go to TVC, please stop and see Monica and Georgio at Pepe Nero in the TVC Commons. They will make you happy.
Thank you,
Andrew and Noah.
So well done.

Second time here. Came back to TC, primarily to eat here, and Aragon, did not disappoint. Meal and service were top drawer/. You can tell these people love food. Tip, the Tiramisu looked like nothing I have ever seen before, but was every bit as delicious, and more, as any I have ever eaten. Job well done!

Excellent food with superior service!!! Our server (Noah) was first class.

Server Brad was amazing, very helpful with the menus. Amazing wine selection, hundreds of bottles to choose from. Food was over the top! Filet was best I have had in a while.

We are here from Chicago for two nights.

This is our first dining experience and it by far exceeded our expectations. Drinks at the bar are customized and have great presentation details in each. The food was delicious traditional Sicilian and each dish was spectacular. The desserts (with Bavarian cream) was like nothing we have ever had and OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Our waiter David took his time with each course on the menu and answered all of questions in detail. Sat outside on their patio with huge umbrellas and perfect weather. The absolute best date night!

This is easily one of our top three dining experiences! Monica and Giorgio (owners) even came by our table to ask us about the food and our experience. A personal touch many restaurants do not make the time to do.

Highly recommended

Food, atmosphere and service are wonderful. Pricing is worth it and not insane. Highly recommend! Don't waste your space on the rolls though :)

Friendly, knowledgeable waitstaff and food that all other Traverse City Restaurants should aspire to.

Fantastic experience for our first time at PepeNero. Quality food, extra friendly staff and our server Eugene was awesome!

Best fine dining in all of Traverse City. The other Italian place at the Village doesn't even come close. Don't miss the sea bass! And if you enjoy cocktails, the espresso martini is to die for.

Pepe Nero is one of the number one restaurants in Traverse City for fine dining. We go there at least once a month for the service, ambience, wine selection, and authentic Sicilian cuisine. I am Sicilian and have been to Sicily s several times, and their food is equivalent to and as fresco as the food in Sicily. Chef Giorgio has executed this perfectly. It is a taste of home and a wonderful experience. All of the waitstaff is wonderful. Mika always makes our experience the most exceptional!! Check out the fritto misto, fresh olives and cheeses, and handmade pastas, my favorite when it is on the menu is pasta al nero di seppia. I always try to get a glass of the Sicilian wine Nero di Avola, no other restaurant has a better selection of this mineral rich red wine. Make sure to get a picture by the vespa that is displayed on a shelf. It s beautiful! Many of the paintings and pictures are symbolic of Sicilia. Grazie mille Pepe Nero.

This is a unique experience.....
The wait staff was excellent and the wine list is superb. The ambiance was great, but the acoustics were absolutely awful. Only book the large dinningroom if you can rent the whole space, otherwise it sounds like a high school party. I loved the apps and my dinner was great. However, most of my party was not impressed. Great restaurant in many ways, but listen to the staff for recommendations.

Food and drinks were great. Ambiance is amazing. Service was excellent. Special shout out to David for being present and funny when we needed him and being in the background when we were in conversation. Can t wait to come back!

We had a reservation for 7 people supposed to be in the lounge, at 7:00pm. As we arrived we were seated in the main dinning area, and we questioned this as our reservation was for the lounge. We said we would be happy to stay put in the main dinning area if we could have access to the lounge menu. However we were told this was IMPOSSIBLE. The manager told us the reservation was never for the lounge, when the hostess looked in the computer and stated CLEARLY it was for the lounge.

We were then told we could either sit in the main dinning, with the main dining menu; or wait 30-40minutes for a lounge table.

After agreeing to wait we then waited in the bar area, PURCHASED appetizers and drinks. While sitting in the bar area we then witnessed the manager begin to seat other tables. Concerned by this we re-approached the host stand and questioned what was going on. (at this point being 7:30) and were told they had reservations. Which mind you our reservations was for 7:00.

We then asked if we could push together the two tables they were about to seat people at. The manager once again said this was IMPOSSIBLE. A booth then opened up that seated 6 and we offered to try and squeeze. The manager said that was "WE DONT DO THAT".

Shortly there after, the chef/owner came out asking what was going on. A female in our party explained the situation to him, at which point she was referred to as "honey" and spoken to in a condescending voice. Instead of offering to help he told us we could get out of his restaurant .

After this encounter, WE PAID OUR BAR TAB, and left. Only to be chased out by the restaurant manager into the parking lot. At that point pleading us to come back in, as it wouldn't be too much longer (at 7:47pm). Needless to say we did not go back in as they were not accommodating and willing accept responsibility for their mistake.

We have never experienced such a thing in a restaurant before. What ever happened to hospitality?

Delicious italian! Fiocchi is hard to come by; their's is very tasty! They couldn't find disposable utensils so they gave us flatware to go- went above and beyond!

Absolutely fantastic vibe. New location same great food choices. This is a new favorite you will not be disappointed! Enough cant be said about how great of experience this was. 5 stars is not enough.

Just had drinks at the wine bar during happy hour. Great atmosphere and staff is very friendly and efficient. We will return for drinks and appetizers. The food menu looks a little too phoofy for us. I'm sure many will like it.

Authentic with great fresh flavor. Only downside would be portion size for the price, it's good so you want to eat more.

Above par food, but a highly uncomfortable dining experience. I m not sure if it was because I was young or dressed casually, but I was not made a priority and felt very judged instead of welcomed as a paying customer. For a higher-end restaurant (and for as allergy-conscious as they advertise), I would have expected some alcohol-free desserts, as well as milk alternatives for the mochas and other dessert beverages. Sorely lacking in HR and very rude if they didn t want me to come back, they definitely succeeded.

Food was good, service was bad. It took the food too long to come out to table, and waitress had too many tables to take care of customers.

Wonderful experience even in times of COVID-19! The restaurant exceeded our expectations for the high quality of food, service, and presentation. Amazing attention for details and interesting menu made our dinner the highlight of our trip in Traverse City!

The Angus steak was well worth the price. We also enjoyed the butternut squash soup and the Purple Heart cocktails. The Brazzino was was also tasty. The ambiance was great and the service was top notch. Chris took such good care of us and made some excellent recommendations. We will certainly be back!

Meals arrived cold, didn't do anything for us even when we told the server. Poor service in general. Uninformed server, unable to make recommendations. Food was mediocre.

As good as it gets and chef Georgio is the real deal!

Absolutely the finest Italian establishment in TC area! Amazing small plates, great wine, superb atmosphere, and the friendliest/most sincerely happy service I ve seen in a long time. Clearly great management! Every bite was delicious! We ll become frequent diners!

An incredible experience of flavors and surprises. Would give 6 stars if able.

Wow is all I can say. We went to PepeNero based on recommendations from 2 people in our party over the weekend, they had hyped it up quite a bit and PepeNero exceeded all of our (high) expectations. Everything I ordered (I cannot remember the name - but some kind of strawberry smash vodka drink, the Vellutata - a butternut squash soup, the Pappardelle, and the Panna Cotta dessert) were all delicious and some of the best dishes I have ever had. Our experience was elevated by our waiter, Brad, and Chris who was in training. Brad was so knowledgeable on the menu and offered up so much advice and perspective and was a joy to be around. Brad truly made dinner an experience vs. just another meal out. I will be recommending PepeNero to anyone traveling to Traverse City, and I hope to return - and will be requesting Brad!

It looks nice but way to expensive. My family left.

Great ambiance. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Beautiful presentation!

Is this place even real?
Fantastic ambience. Awesome wine, Delicious food and exemplary service. Need I say more?
If you miss this place when you are in Traverse City, curse yourself!.

Celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary and it couldn't have been better. From the atmosphere to the amazing food to the service this was a perfect night. Shout out to our server Noel for making the night so special for us.

I would like to put out a big thank you for the best experience I have ever had the food was really amazing our sever was the best I've ever had in any restaurant he was very Knowledgeable about everything on the menu i couldn't of asked for a better dinner