Alberto Lombardi is a legend in the restaurant business. So it’s no surprise that his daughters, Anna and Laura, would follow in his footsteps. However, instead of producing another high-end establishment like Dallas’ famous Lombardi Mare or Trattoria Lombardi, the sisters wanted to create a more casual, family-style, contemporary Italian restaurant. Hence the birth of Penne Pomodoro.

 

 “We wanted it to be a mom-and-pop-type place where you felt like it was your neighborhood,” says Anna Lombardi, who runs the Preston Hollow location. Open just more than a year, Lombardi says she’s starting to see her vision become a reality.

 

“If I don’t already know them, I’m starting to recognize the customers,” she says. “And they feel like it’s their home.”

 

Another reason patrons keep coming back? The affordable menu boasts freshly prepared and authentic Italian favorites such as the penne pomodoro pictured below. Diners can pick and choose from a variety of homemade pasta to pair with their favorite sauce, or choose from a selection of entrees, including the popular grilled salmon filet, pizzas, salads, sandwiches and house specialties. And for thirstier patrons, Penne Pomodoro’s weekend brunch features bottomless bellinis, bloody marys and mimosas.