On the fence about this place. First time there for my husbands birthday. It was Tuesday - family night - big mistake. The atmosphere was noisy, not the quaint little romantic place I thought it would be. We were seated between a large noisy group and a couple with 2 little kids. I can handle the kids, but overall it was just too loud in there. We noticed a table for 2 on the other side of the room and asked to be moved there. We were told no, that was reserved as part of a group. Not 10 minutes later another couple was seated there and they clearly were there alone....strike 1. The waitress never told us about the specials which is a point of people going for family night, even if that wasn't why we were there - strike 2. We asked for a wine list as we heard they had lots of wine - we had a selection of 5....seriously? We picked the Chianti and it was very good. My husband ordered Filet Mignon and I ordered sea bass. Both good, sea bass was a bit soft and the filet a bit overdone on the outside but we ate it all. Then we had dessert, and they apparently didn't see the note from the reservation about a birthday. As i didn't remind them when we came in I can let that pass though disappointing. Then we get the check and there's a $3.75 charge for using a credit card. Wait...what ?? #1 - I know it doesn't cost them that much for a cc transaction, and #2 - if you are going to do that, you don't put it on the check, those costs should be absorbed elsewhere. That was literally strike #3 in my eyes, don't know if I will give this place another chance. read more

Thank you Robert and staff at Pignetti's for making our luncheon there on Saturday following our love one's funeral so nice! The room was beautiful and worked perfectly. Your staff was amazing!! So caring and couldn't have been more helpful! The food was delicious!!! Also, thx for the parking arrangements for the wheelchair accessibility! Looking forward to dining here again!! V Wade read more

Celebrating our 19 year anniversary, we decided to go here for dinner. This place is awesome! Our server Phil was very nice and efficient. The decor was so fun and classic and very clean.Now to the food. My husband ordered the veal Parmesan with seafood scampi and I had the lobster ravioli. Excellent choices. For dessert we shared tiramisu and creme brûlée. Needless to say we both walked out with happy food babies. We highly recommend this for any occasion. Plus they have specials that are affordable on certain days but since we were celebrating we indulged on what we wanted. read more

We visited Pignetti's on a Saturday night (last weekend) and it happened to be one of the local school's Prom Night. It was pretty busy, but we were able to get a table without a reservation, the atmosphere was just right, the service was still on point, and the food was absolutely perfect! I was really impressed with the lack of disruption and business as usual feeling that we had when we left. It was a delicious meal and an enjoyable evening. Thanks all! read more

We drove almost 30 minutes to get to the restaurant on a Thursday at 6 p.m. We were turned away because they were filming a commercial and wouldn't be ready to begin service for at least an hour. They really should have communicated that, either via their website or FB page. I was very disappointed as our family was all dressed up to finally eat at Pignetti's. It left a bad taste in my mouth and it will be awhile before we try again. read more

Fantastic place to eat. And just to hangout at. Food is really good drinks are fantastic as well.

I moved to Temple from Seattle with my boyfriend a couple months ago. We were very disappointed by the restaurant options in Temple. We found Pignettis on Google and decided to give it a try. We have been back at least once a week since. We love it here! We like to come on Wednesday's for wine tasting. Their food is great and they have great service. We always hope to get Valerie when we come. She gives us great service and is very friendly. Best restaurant in Temple. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the area. The food is wonderful, the wine selection fabulous and the service is exceptional. I had lunch there for the first time last week and am really glad I did. In the past, I always over looked Pignettis as a lunch option and generally only considered it as a dinner spot. However, it was a lovely choice for lunch that was very reasonably priced and still extremely enjoyable. Definetely one of my family favs! read more

Went here for the second time today. I like the atmosphere, and they do have a great wine selection although I haven't had a chance to try any as I've only been able to come at lunch during workdays. I've tried the lobster ravioli and il fico pizza, and both were great! Pricing is in the 10-25 range, so not terribly expensive either. Wasn't incredibly impressed with service either time but it wasn't horrible either. I usually leave leeway on that because I'm young (assumption="no good tip there!") :( and a server myself. I totally plan on bringing my boyfriend and checking it out for dinner sometime! read more

Had a new waitress. I wanted seafood which they didn't have on lunch menu. Asked if we could order off regular menu. She said no and there was no catch of the day. We asked to have some Champaign for desert and were told no? Called mgr who said you can order off menu. We weren't offered to purchase drinks with desert. read more

Tried to order from this place on a delivery app. None of what we selected was available. I called to ask if they delivered directly and the woman laughed and said they only deliver through the app. All I wanted was chicken Marsala but after all the effort and the poor customer service I'll never try this place again read more

I went with a bunch of coworkers to celebrate the retirement of an advertising veteran. The staff were quick to tend to us, as well as the other customers. I ordered the salmon, and was very impressed, in most of my experiences with salmon, this was the first one that didn't taste like it was boiled, or had too much of a smoky flavor. I definitely recommend Pignetti's to everyone who's looking to try wonderful Italian food :) read more

Awesome fettuccine. Great selection of wines, FANTASTIC service!! I drove 2 hours (all the way from Dallas) to visit a girlfriend in Temple and came across this gem due to the great reviews on yelp. We had a great lunch here and will definitely return! The portions are pretty big! I ate enough for lunch and had a good amount packed up to-go for dinner. read more

The best thing I can say to give those of you that have not yet dinned here is. Pignetti's decor & fare has that Fresh, Old World Italian taste that gives you the feeling of eating your favorites, prepared by your grandmother... in Italy no doubt. Try just going in for lunch, they offer great selections at a lower price but with the same great taste as you'll find at dinner. I promise that your lunch visit will have you coming back again and again. It's nothing close to being a chain restaurant, come see for yourself and taste the difference! You'll never eat Italian at another Name Brand establishment, I guarantee you that. read more

Pignetti's never disappoints! I always have to stop by here when I come into town. Not only is the food amazing but THE WINE! Such a great selection! I live in Austin and I still drive an hour north to get great wine. Being a part of the wine club has been such a great experience and has really expanded my palette! I will keep coming here again and again. Only thing I wish they would do is bring back the old version of the butternut squash ravioli with the green walnut sauce- it was a local favorite! read more

This is by far one of the best restaurants I've ever been too. It's in a quaint part of town, a nice atmosphere to it that is perfect for an intimate setting, and the food is amazing. I had the Filet Mignon, which was superb. It was cooked exactly to order, and was so tender and juicy. The staff was perfect, and knew exactly what to recommend, and was in and out of the way before you realized what they were doing. While it is more on the pricey side as far as restaurants go, if you are wanting to treat your significant other to an amazing time, this would be the place! read more

We love Pignettis and always will. We go at lunch usually and have excellent food, service and price. Sabrina is the best and is always great and we ask for her everytime. The eggplant, Ceasar salad and calamari is first class. I can't say enough about how wonderful Pignettis-THE ONLY GOOD RESTAURANT IN TEMPLE,TX!!! read more

Excellent food, drink, and service. Wait staff were spot on; and the owner made rounds in a sincere manner, and helped staff, as needed. It would be top drawer in any city. Cheers! read more

The service was great! We went on a Thursday night and they offer a bottle of wine at cost. I had the egg plant and paired it with a French white wine - delicious. read more

We visit this place often and always outstanding. Make reservations if supper hour.

My grandma posted this on her Facebook page. She does not have a yelp account, so I told her that I would spread the message for her. I am even impressed with this service. Keep up the good work Pignetti's! "All who know me know that I am a COKE person, NOT a Pepsi person! So this week some friends and I went to Pignetti's Italian Rest. They DO NOT carry Coke! So I gave my little speech about how I hate that we are not given choices anymore, and I will drink water instead of Pepsi! So we order our meal and a short while later, the waitress comes up to me and said that the Manager had sent an employee to the store to buy me some Coke!!! Now that is service!!! Besides loving Pignetti's food, their management is first class!!" read more

My sister took me here for my birthday. It was a Thursday night and it was kind of slow. We had a reservation and we're seated straight away. We viewed the menu and the waiter, who was new, offered us the wine list which was on a tablet. Pretty cool. We chose a wine Lady Lola white wine and I ordered the lobster ravioli with a Caesar salad and my sister chose the portabella mushroom ravioli with a Caesar salad. They brought us a loaf of bread and some seasoned olive oil and our wine and shortly after that, our salads. The salads were huge and good. Then the entrees came out. We each got 5 raviolis and a bunch of sauce. Just 5 raviolis, for 22 bucks. I felt jilted. We asked for more bread and it took the poor waiter 20 minutes to bring it. By the time I got it my sauce was cold. I still sopped it up with the bread though. I got another glass of wine which was listed as imported from Italy and was 9 bucks a glass. I found that exact same wine at HEB for 12 bucks a bottle. I have mixed emotions about this place. It was delicious. The atmosphere was cool. But it was overpriced and the service needs some work. read more

I've eaten twice at Pignetti's. The first experience was good. Good food and good service worthy of 3 stars. The second was absolutely horrible. Since I enjoyed it the first visit, I ordered the same dish as the first time. It looked and tasted completely different, and the meal came out very cold. My co-workers I was dining with had fish dishes that came out with sections of the fish that were still frozen. How disappointing! What was more disappointing is that the staff did not really try to make up for the misstep with the cold meals. I was shocked at the inconsistency between my 2 visits. Perhaps they had a new chef or something like that. I would be hesitant to go back. read more

I'd like to preface this review with the fact that in my previous visits the food and service were great. My husband took me here for my birthday. What started as a great evening quickly went downhill. Our server entered our order wrong, repeating an order from another table. When we got our food my dish was right and my husbands was not. She was very apologetic. Being in the food & beverage industry I understand mistakes happen. While she was having my husband's meal corrected she left my dinner on the table. There was no offer to hold my meal while his was cooked. My husband, being the gentleman he is, would not let me wait for his dinner. While we were waiting for his meal the manager looked in on the dining area several times. It was late and we were 1 of 3 two-tops in the restaurant. He NEVER came over to check why only one of us had our entree. He was too concerned to getting back to his glass of wine. To make matters worse my meal was definitely sub-par of what I expect dining here. I had the veal piccata, which is one of my favorite dishes. The veal was very tough and had been dredged in so much flour before sautéing that it was gummy. The sauce was also gummy because of this and tasted of raw flour. The risotto tasted like over cooked rice that had cream added to it. Very disappointed. When the server asked I expressed my dissatisfaction with the entree. Again, no manager intervention. I certainly don't blame our server for the kitchen's shortcomings. As an F&B director I would be livid with a manager who didn't follow through with unhappy guests. Unfortunately, this visit was very disappointing and we probably won't go back because of it. read more

This place is all right, I guess. We went as a family group for my mother-in-law's birthday. We had reservations at 7 PM on a Friday night, but the place was deserted. The place is in a pretty building in downtown Temple, and has a wood-fired pizza oven and a large wine closet. The room was very dim though, good for dates but a little dark for my taste (and the floor was dirty). Our waitress was not charming, but did sometimes refill drinks without being flagged down. She also gave us only 2 small bread baskets for 9 people until we flagged her down for refills (she didn't see that my mother-in-law was there! She can really eat!). The food took about 50 minutes to come out of the kitchen, but we did have a large party. Mine was on the menu as having marinara/red sauce, but came out in a white butter sauce. I didn't complain though, because it had taken so long and I was starving. My sister-in-law's shrimp scampi was expensive and had exactly 5 shrimp in it. When the waitress grumpily asked about dessert, we pointed out that we didn't have a menu. She wheeled around and grabbed one off of a couple's table instead of one from the many empty tables. Embarassing. We did not get dessert. My food ended up being good despite being the wrong order. Grandma had a steamed mussels dish that looked excellent. The ambiance was right for an expensive date ($15-25 range entrees). Perhaps a smaller party would have better/faster service. read more

All show and no-go! My wife and I dined here and although it had a nice atmosphere and attentive service the food was very disappointing. Our pasta dishes were overcooked and had little to no flavor. A beautiful restaurant that lacks quality food. read more

When arriving here for the first time i was quite excited at the idea of a finer dining italian restaurant in the area. Unfortunately it was just that, an idea. Everything about this place exuded excellence: the colors, the smells, the entire ambiance in general. Everything except the flavor of the food. I ordered the veal with shrimp and scallops. It was $24 for 3 shrimp, 3 scallops and a small portion of veal. It was drowned in a creamy and extremely rich sauce. The food had no flavor. When I say no flavor I mean if there wasn't a ridiculous amount of sauce on everything then the food would be as bland as something just pulled out of boiling water. The shrimp was very fishy tasting. It smelled strong and potent as though it was close to going bad. I did not finish my food nor did i feel well after eating the portion that i did. The waiter was young and inexperienced. He treated us very indifferently. I nice restaurant is always introduced by the waiter. Wines, foods, things of that nature. He dropped off an ipad with a scattered array of drinks and gave a very small amount of time to look at the wines. The one positive thing was that the dessert was excellent. Other then that I will not be going back again. read more

Wow! What a disappointment didn't even get to have dinner because we were looked at in disgusted the second we walked in. My husband and I were going to take my mother here for dinner for her birthday and it was very early in the evening around 5:30 and it looked like there were maybe 2 tables taken. We didn't have a reservation and said we would be willing to wait since I knew we didn't have a reservation. She said we could sit at the smallest table I've ever seen and said that we would prefer to wait for a bigger table if possible. Then we were completely ignored when a couple walked in the door that had a reservation. Very rude service we walked out and will never come back here after treated that way. read more

Let me start by saying I am saddened to write this review. I travel periodically to Temple for business and stumbled across this restaurant a few years ago. I truly enjoy the food and did the service also until my recent visit. I had a waitress who was pleasant enough but either did not understand English well or simply did not listen well to my request. I then waited a ridiculously long time for my glass of wine, and then as if that was not enough to shatter the illusion of the idea of the perfect restaurant.... the 2 right legs on my chair broke and I collapsed to the ground.... No lie : (. A patron seated across from me rushed to my assistance. This took me by surprise as I am a small woman at 104#. The manager (I am guessing, but at minimum a manager type) eventually came over and asked if I was ok. A little shaken up perhaps, but not at all injured, I replied no. I however was a little surprised to see that between waiting over 30 mins for my wine and my encounter with faulty furniture I was not afforded even a complimentary glass of wine. Could I afford it .... Absolutely. But the gesture would have spoken volumes. I will leave it at that. : ( read more

So perfect! Just nice enough and just casual enough.The service is excellent and welcoming. The food is wonderful. My wife and I will be back again and again! The butternut squash ravioli is amazing as is their marinara sauce! We were enjoying ourselves so much we even opted for dessert and of course it was wonderful as well. read more

Not sure how all these high reviews are possible... Quite possibly the worst service I have ever experienced at any place I've taken my business dining or otherwise !! The food was good enough but nothing spectacular... The real kicker is the waiter "confused" our check with another tables and charged us $412 yes $412 !!! The manager was over sipping wine with one of his regulars and wasn't even going to come over until I got his attention to express my displeasure with $412 being processed on my debit card, he tried to say oh it will all be ok by next week, as if I have an extra $400 to not care about.... Would never eat here again, always support local business but due to the poor management and lack of attention id avoid this place like the plague ! read more

Pignetti's - This is the BS amount they charged me,yes they voided it but it still was set as processing the manager did 0 to help compensate - Italian Near Me - Temple, Texas

My wife and I stopped by after hearing rave reviews about the food in addition to a wine tasting special they have each Wednesday. This place is OK. The wine pairings were not very good and our waitress did not have a clue as to the specials, what they entailed, or even the menu itself. It was almost like playing charades as we tried to figure out what she was describing as the kitchens special that day. The food was so so, nothing out of the ordinary and the selection was rather small. I would choose a different restaurant in the area to visit for Italian (just not the Olive Garden! Ehhhhhh). read more

We were searching for an antique store and stumbled on Pignetti's right at lunchtime so decided to give it a try. I don't know what happened with the diners who gave it lousy reviews, because we had a great meal and attentive service. The crusty sourdough bread was terrific. I ordered a chicken breast sandwich and the chicken was piled high on the bread, with leaf lettuce, red onion, and what seemed to be flavored mayo on really good bread. My husband ordered the chicken parm sandwich and gobbled every bite. Prices were reasonable. I liked the high ceilings and rustic walls. It was a delightful surprise in a city we'd never actually visited, only passed as we head south on IH35. We'll probably pay a return visit. read more

My family and I enjoyed a relaxing evening with a great wine and delicious appetizers! First of all, the environment is beautiful! It is dim and romantic, and my family and I were all comfortable. The wine selection is outstanding! We made a great choice with our Chianti. We ordered several appetizers, all of which we enjoyed. The presentation of the food was elegant, and the food itself was delicious. Two managers individually stopped by our table to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying our night. That was an excellent touch, since we are newbies in Temple. We all agreed that we relished our experience at Pignetti's and are looking forward to going back. read more

exactly what the rating says..."Meh. I've experienced better." The food is way over priced! I ordered a chicken an pasta plate and the chicken was way over done. The service was ok, not very attentive for the "fancy" restaurant they claim to be and the food took quite a while to be served. Overall i would not recommend this place. read more

A true gem in Temple. The food is amazing and service top notch! Lobster ravioli and ribeye lasagna was so good. Even the salad was super fresh and yummy! We enjoyed a bottle of wine with dinner... Wonderful best friend night out. read more

Nice ambience but unremarkable food. Service was terrible at 3:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. We were the only customers in the restaurant. Two waiters were eating and reading the newspaper while we needed refills and more burned bread. The food took over 30 minutes to come out and again we were the only patrons. Won't be back. read more

I had a salad which had a bug crawl out as soon as I was finishing. A lady that was dining had a bug in her drink. I dared to have a bite of the chocolate cake, and crunched on something unseen. This establishment definitely needs to work on its cleanliness. read more

if it were in a big city w/ lots of dining options i would give a place like pignetti's three stars, but given that a true visionary has decided to nestle this little gem in the heart of downtown temple i will gladly give it four stars. pignetti's has saved me time and time again from other less palatable dining options in the temple area. pignetti's boasts a fun and interesting italian menu. the wine list is fantastic. the service always friendly. i have spent a lot of time dining in temple and i can tell you, there are about two options for high end food in the entire city. pignetti's is one of them. i recommend the crab cake appetizers, the salmon fiorenzia is also yummy as are the tenderloin medallions. unless you like butter (and by "like" i mean...if someone offered you an IV bag filled w/ butter you would be tempted to hook yourself up to it) don't get the crab claws...ughh...drenched in thick thick butter. pignetti's is a great place and mr pignetti is doing a great service to the community (in more ways than one...i heard he is currently serving time for tax evasion). temple sorely needs more restaurants like this. read more

The service was exceptional. Very fluid in the presentations and attention. The fettuccine was some of the best I've had. I also got the wine sampler. It was very well presented. I've been here a few times but it has been awhile. I am sure not to wait so long to go back. Best Italian food in the area. read more