Serves meat, vegan options available. Kosher Italian food restaurant specializing in pasta and salad. Only meat served is fish. Reported closed February 2023.
They have several vegan options at the moment I was there. They served me parmesan cheese on the side but take the vegan part serious.
The ambiance in this restaurant is not one of the best, maybe I was there at the wrong day but people seemed reluctant to serve me and the only person who wanted to help me spoke only a tiny bit of English.
If you're craving pasta, do give it a try! :)
I've been going to Il Pentolino for probably 15 years. If you're a vegetarian who eats dairy then this place is a can't miss for Eilat, and despite the quality slipping over the last decade Il Pentolino is still one of the best Italian restaurants in the country.
If you order a pasta, pizza, or Salad you're likely to walk away a happy customer.
The Salads here are classic old school Israel heaping salads of the "I dare you to finish all this" variety. My personal favorite is the Halloumi. Big fresh mushrooms and Halloumi fried up over a beautiful fresh vegetable salad with dressings of your choice. The Il Penolino Salad is solid as well.
The Pasta's are always al dente and if you like a great alfredo sauce, the 4 cheese is excellent. The personal pizzas are also top quality here.
The Service as well is usually very friendly, helpful and attentive. We had Lee last time and she was really wonderful.
I think the biggest problem with Il Pentolino is the lack of Vegan options. For example, I understand why cheese ravioli would have cheese in it, but why can't sweet potato ravioli be vegan? Of the 17 sauces only 6 can be made vegan. So we ordered for our daughter penne & Pesto. The problem is for the Pesto was flavorless unless you mixed the Parmesan into it. When it has no Parmesan it tasted like pasta in olive oil and pepper. When you put the Parmesan in, it brought out all the flavor of the Sauce. Good pesto doesn't need to rely on Parmesan, there are a ton of ways to make delicious Pesto irregardless of whether you add cheese to it at the end.
My last gripe, is they are cheap with bread. A few times ago, a waitress (Not Lee) brought 2 bagels cut in half with butter to the table before our meal. Our table assumed that it was a complimentary bread for while we were waiting. It was never made clear this was only for the people that ordered the Shakshouka. When our Shakshouka came we asked if we were getting bread with it and were told that we already got the bread 15 minutes previously. We were surprised (as Shakshouka is not usually served with bagels
AND it was put between all 4 of us
AND it was NOT served at the same time as the meal,
AND it was never said "this is for the people who ordered shakshouka").
They then refused to give us bread to eat it with unless we paid more for bagels. Eating Shakshouka without bread is not pleasant.
Overall I still love this place, and recommend it highly for vegetarians, but there is room for improvement.
Not great for vegans but would be for vegetarians - Edit
My friend and I went to this restaurant because it was listed in Happy Cow but were disappointed in the vegan options. We did find some dishes that were pretty good in the end. They have a huge vegetarian menu so if you aren't vegan you'd really like this restaurant.
Updated from previous review on Saturday May 30, 2015
3 Reviews
First Review by Urbangirl
RoderickVtk
Points +39
The pasta was great! - Edit
They have several vegan options at the moment I was there. They served me parmesan cheese on the side but take the vegan part serious.
Read moreThe ambiance in this restaurant is not one of the best, maybe I was there at the wrong day but people seemed reluctant to serve me and the only person who wanted to help me spoke only a tiny bit of English.
If you're craving pasta, do give it a try! :)
Pros: Vegan pasta!!!
Cons: Staff could be a bit kinder and more helpful
Guest
A.Z.P.
Points +623
Yes for Vegetarians!... No for Vegans - Edit
I've been going to Il Pentolino for probably 15 years. If you're a vegetarian who eats dairy then this place is a can't miss for Eilat, and despite the quality slipping over the last decade Il Pentolino is still one of the best Italian restaurants in the country.
Read moreIf you order a pasta, pizza, or Salad you're likely to walk away a happy customer.
The Salads here are classic old school Israel heaping salads of the "I dare you to finish all this" variety. My personal favorite is the Halloumi. Big fresh mushrooms and Halloumi fried up over a beautiful fresh vegetable salad with dressings of your choice. The Il Penolino Salad is solid as well.
The Pasta's are always al dente and if you like a great alfredo sauce, the 4 cheese is excellent. The personal pizzas are also top quality here.
The Service as well is usually very friendly, helpful and attentive. We had Lee last time and she was really wonderful.
I think the biggest problem with Il Pentolino is the lack of Vegan options. For example, I understand why cheese ravioli would have cheese in it, but why can't sweet potato ravioli be vegan? Of the 17 sauces only 6 can be made vegan. So we ordered for our daughter penne & Pesto. The problem is for the Pesto was flavorless unless you mixed the Parmesan into it. When it has no Parmesan it tasted like pasta in olive oil and pepper. When you put the Parmesan in, it brought out all the flavor of the Sauce. Good pesto doesn't need to rely on Parmesan, there are a ton of ways to make delicious Pesto irregardless of whether you add cheese to it at the end.
My last gripe, is they are cheap with bread. A few times ago, a waitress (Not Lee) brought 2 bagels cut in half with butter to the table before our meal. Our table assumed that it was a complimentary bread for while we were waiting. It was never made clear this was only for the people that ordered the Shakshouka. When our Shakshouka came we asked if we were getting bread with it and were told that we already got the bread 15 minutes previously. We were surprised (as Shakshouka is not usually served with bagels
AND it was put between all 4 of us
AND it was NOT served at the same time as the meal,
AND it was never said "this is for the people who ordered shakshouka").
They then refused to give us bread to eat it with unless we paid more for bagels. Eating Shakshouka without bread is not pleasant.
Overall I still love this place, and recommend it highly for vegetarians, but there is room for improvement.
Pros: Big Portions at affordable prices, Great flavors and Kosher!, Outside seating has great atmosphere
Cons: Lack of Vegan options, Super stingy with bread
Guest
Urbangirl
Points +24
Not great for vegans but would be for vegetarians - Edit
My friend and I went to this restaurant because it was listed in Happy Cow but were disappointed in the vegan options. We did find some dishes that were pretty good in the end. They have a huge vegetarian menu so if you aren't vegan you'd really like this restaurant.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday May 30, 2015
Pros: Large menu primarily vegetarian, Nice outdoor seating and atmosphere , Great service
Cons: Not many vegan options
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 1915 times.