The story
Tucked in a narrow Parma alley, PepeN commands a loyal following and a 4.7-star rating, with a queue that speaks to its reputation. Yet both visiting creators flagged the bread as a weak point. Franchino Er Criminale noted the bread "isn’t as good as the first place," and Giuliacrossbow said the classic horse pesto panino was "ruined by bad bread and too much mayo," despite the shop’s 70-year history.
The fillings, however, earn consistent praise. Franchino singled out the Pesto di Cavallo Crudo, Carciofa, and Polpetta di Carne as good and tasty. Giuliacrossbow agreed the fried meatball was great, though the carciofa was just okay; she found the pancarrè version of the horse pesto sandwich "much better." The lesson: at PepeN, the fillings shine—just manage your bread expectations.
Synthesised by AI from every creator’s review. First reviewed 2024.
Most-loved dishes
AI summary of what 7 dish mentions say about the food
Reviewers rave about PepeN’s Carciofa, a standout dish that delivers bold, earthy flavor. The overall vibe is warm, rustic comfort with a refined, soulful touch.
“This is a soft focaccia filled with artichoke, mortadella, and ricotta. The predominant flavor is the ricotta, it's very good, soft and tasty.”
“The top part is very crunchy and good, but the bottom is too soggy for my taste. Inside I can see jarred artichokes, ricotta, parmigiano, and supposedly some mortadella — but the mortadella is almost imperceptible, just tiny pieces. The dough on top is nice, but the inside is nothing special. It's not the erbazzone from Reggio Emilia that blew my mind — this is flatter. I won't remember it when I leave Parma.”
What creators say
2 creators have covered PepeN. Most active: Franchino Er Criminale, Giuliacrossbow
A popular spot with a long queue, offering good horse meat sandwiches and tasty extras, though the bread isn't as good as the first place.
Dishes mentioned
Pesto di Cavallo Crudo
This sandwich is bigger than the first one, with an oil-based bun lightly toasted on the griddle. The horse meat tartare is abundant and well seasoned, with less mayonnaise than the first place, and there's a grilled zucchini inside. The bread is worse than the first one, but the meat is lighter and more delicate. I'd give it an 8 out of 10, it's good but a step behind the first one because the bread and seasoning aren't as strong.
- Carciofi
Polpetta di Carne
This meatball is soft and very flavorful, all meat, well seasoned. It's even better than the carciofa.
Pepen in Parma is a historic institution with over 70 years of history, but the experience was mixed: the fried meatball was great, the carciofa was okay, the classic panino with horse pesto was ruined by bad bread and too much mayo, while the pancarrè version was much better.
Dishes mentioned
- Polpetta di Carne
Carciofa
The top part is very crunchy and good, but the bottom is too soggy for my taste. Inside I can see jarred artichokes, ricotta, parmigiano, and supposedly some mortadella — but the mortadella is almost imperceptible, just tiny pieces. The dough on top is nice, but the inside is nothing special. It's not the erbazzone from Reggio Emilia that blew my mind — this is flatter. I won't remember it when I leave Parma.
Panino con Pesto di Cavallo
The bread is terrible — it feels like a cracker, like it's been sitting out too long and then reheated, so it crumbles in my hand and hurts my palate. There's way too much mayonnaise, so much that I can't taste the horse meat pesto at all. The horse meat itself is good, finely minced and fresh, but the whole thing is very unbalanced. The bread really ruins the experience.
Pancarrè con Pesto di Cavallo
This one is much better. The bread is soft like a pillow, very accommodating. I can immediately taste the horse pesto here, unlike the other sandwich. The zucchini is cut thick and very pleasant. The spicy kick helps too. This is way more balanced — I was right to prefer this over the panino.
