4. Restaurants

Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar

3411 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104
  • (734) 971-0484
  • Store is closed

Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar Menu

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  • Jennifer T.

    Alas, this is a generous 3 stars, as the service was decent and the ambiance was nice, but the food was extremely sad, especially for its price point. I got some dish that had a few different local game meat, but it came out more like a soupy concoction with just tiny pieces of bone scrapings for meat. We also got some other stewed meat dish that was also unimpressive. The place is big, and was well attended after a U of M game, where the average clientele looked like larger families with mostly those in their 40s/50s+

    (3)

  • Emily B.

    The overall experience was disappointing. I could have gotten a similar meal with similar quality at Olive Garden. The service was okay. Nothing too exciting. Even though it is tempting to go back as I drive down Washtenaw, the first experience was more than enough for me.

    (2)

  • Katheryne M.

    The food is pretty good, the service is alright, but this place is a little pricy considering. I reccomend the bolognese. The lemon tart is exceptional.

    (3)

  • Dennis F.

    We had a dinner at Paesano's on Sunday and it was fantastic. Everything was delicious. However, my wife's dinner had some hot spices and she began to remove them The outstanding waitress, Page, insisted on giving her another dinner without the spices! We were astounded at her concern, the fabulous taste and the general welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant. We will return soon with other guests!

    (5)

  • MJ B.

    Had a work-related group lunch here and the atmosphere, food and service were really good. I don't usually eat lunch out (or at all, really) and the menu was still appealing. I kept thinking maybe I'd like to quit my current job and work here since I liked the whole vibe so much. The salmon was excellent. I'm still thinking about making the switch haha... excellent service and I'd like to return for dinner and drinks and see how that goes.

    (4)

  • Nancy C.

    I was surprisingly underwhelmed by Paesano's. The food was expensive and the dish I ordered (chicken dumplings with truffle) was not good. Hopefully this is the exception and not the rule. It will be hard to work up the will to try this place again since it's pretty cost prohibitive. And in the (rare) instances when I am willing to shell out a boatload of cash for dinner, I am positive I can easily find much better food elsewhere. On the plus side, the staff is super nice and accommodating! And their rolls are delicious.

    (2)

  • Greg S.

    Went to Paesano's for the first time in 1995 while in college. it has since been a staple in our lives. Anniversary dinners, birthdays, etc. We have been driving over an hour to eat here for the last 20 years and have NEVER been disappointed. The sauces, the pasta, the service, all top notch. Thank you for the years of enjoyable meals!

    (5)

  • Gordo P.

    The restaurant is a gem! They have best wine selection in the area and have a wine expert on hand to make recommendations for those that request one. The menu changes seasonally and I have to say there is not a bad season in the bunch. Service is excellent. My favorite dish is the Rigatoni and Country Greens. Reasonably priced.

    (5)

  • Jenne E.

    This restaurant has a seasonal changing menu. My husband and I visited this restaurant the first time fall of 2013. My husband really enjoyed the choice to duck meats, I had a squash ravioli, which has delicious! My went back for the spring 2014 menu and were kind of disappointed. The selection was not that great. The service and staff are excellent. For a taste of something new and different I definitely recommend giving this place a try.

    (3)

  • Michael K.

    Great service.....the food not so much. Ordered a basic pasta dish with chicken and there was barely any flavor at all. Dry chicken, tasteless marinara sauce as well. Nice interior and staff though. Maybe get a glass of wine here then leave.

    (2)

  • Stacy E.

    One of the best restaurants around. You'll never be disappointed in the food or the service. The menu is seasonally based and serves authentic Northern Italian cuisine. The ambiance is wonderful, as you never feel rushed. The bar is extensive as is the wine list. Go. You won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Christopher F.

    I have been here twice once for lunch and once for a birthday dinner. For lunch we tried the veal scallopini and the spicy Italian sausage with fresh greens. Both dishes were quite tasty, I thought the portions were adequate for the price. For dinner we tried the lamb chops and the truffle topped scallops. The lamb chops were wonderful cooked to a medium rare perfection. The scallops were great, the black truffle oil used was absolutely wonderful, nice earth, yet strong flavor, would definitely order this dish again.

    (4)

  • Nancy R.

    A friend of mine and I stopped here for a lunch date in the early autumn. The weather was gorgeous and we opted to sit on the patio. The rest of the restaurant was sparsely populated. We were given two menus, the (very) extensive wine and alcoholic drinks menu and the lunch menu which had salads, sandwiches, and, of course, pastas. My friend ordered the soup and a pizza. I went for a seasonal dish of razor clams with squid ink pasta in cherry tomato sauce. My friend enjoyed the soup which she ordered (I believe it was minestrone). I got a small side salad with my entree. It was a pile of leaves with a vinaigrette dressing. It tasted good with the dressing and a bit of pepper, but there were no cucumbers, no tomatoes, nothing else but leaves... a little sad, but a decent salad after my added dressing and pepper. While waiting for our lunches and eating our soup and salad, we munched on provided rolls and butter. We were summarily harassed by three wasps which wanted to co-opt our lunches. After noting our distress, our waitress very kindly moved us indoors. That was nice. What wasn't so nice and which brings this review down was my lunch entree. The razor clams in my pasta were not cleaned. After struggling with a few, I got a mouthful of grit and dirt in my mouth from their uncleaned digestive tracts. I tried cutting the tracts out on my own and was rewarded by the grit and waste being spitted out in the pasta sauce, thus ruining my entire dish. This entire thing could have been avoided by cleaning the razor clams in the first place so I didn't get a mouthful of sand and grit, which is a wholey unpleasant experience. Upon cleaning up our plates and noting my barely eaten pasta, our server didn't bother asking if everything was ok. So she was kind to notice our distress about annoying wasps, but not so observant about mostly-uneaten dishes. Oh well. The rest of the flavors were ok and the menu looked very seasonal, so that's a good point for them. I'd entertain the notion of going back, but I'd avoid shellfish since they apparently can't clean them.

    (2)

  • Jackie K.

    Ordered carry out for first time eating at Paesanos. Selected the kale and ricotta gnocchi entree with Gorgonzola and pear salad with roast olive bowl as app. For what was over a $30 purchase, the portions were disappointingly small, the gnocchi was bland and flavorless, the $10 olive bowl was meager and oversold. The salad was mediocre at best. The food quality was bad - will not return or recommend.

    (1)

  • Katherine P.

    I love this place! I've never had a bad meal here. Their starter salads are huge, with lots of options to choose from. I generally order pasta dishes, and have never been disappointed. Their minestrone soup is delicious too. Just thinking about it is making me hungry. :)

    (5)

  • Jeeheon C.

    Had dinner here last night for a Wine Tasting Dinner event that was fantastic. They brought in the owner of an Italian vineyard that makes the wine they serve at Paesano's and he talked to everyone about the process and pairing. Had an amazing 5 course meal there and every dish was fantastic. The restaurant has a great ambiance and the patio area is really amazing - feels like you've stepped out of Ann Arbor and into Italy!

    (5)

  • Eric A.

    Really good Italian food with a diverse menu. The only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is because the quality in food varies slightly. I've really been wowed there a number of times, but I've also been disappointed a few times. It is an expensive restaurant but about what you would expect from an Italian restaurant of this type. The quality of food also appropriately reflects the prices. My only other critique of the place is that sometimes you feel like you're sitting on the people at the table next to you because it can get a little crammed during busy hours. The wine menu is great and they have a diverse selection of Italian wines to suit their diverse menu. Bottle prices range about $30+ which is to be expected from a place like this. It is overall a very exceptional Italian restaurant, one of Ann Arbor's finest. In summary, if you have the money to spend, more times than not, you will really enjoy this place.

    (4)

  • Alissa B.

    I have been to Paesano's several times for a "lady date" with a friend. We enjoy having an appetizer (the Eggplant dishes are wonderful!), some fresh baked bread, the most delicious wine (Baci Dolci), and dessert. We love the seasonal menus and always have new foods to look forward to, although the Tiramisu is our favorite. I also truly appreciated how considerate the owner (Mike) was when I had an incident with my car in the parking lot. He went above and beyond in making sure that both myself and my car were okay, and I will definitely be back to his establishment. Thank you!

    (5)

  • Jessica R.

    I've been so curious to eat at Paesano for *years* now, and we finally went for dinner tonight. First, I was surprised by the size of the interior. Being used to eating in downtown A2, Paesano was just so big! We were seated by the window and got to look around. It was cozy in ambiance, though a little chilly in temperature. We split the escargot appetizer. There were two small pastries positively soaked in butter with maybe 6 snails placed on top of them. Not much for $12. We each ordered an entree, and they came with soup or salad. I got the minestrone soup, my fiance the sausage soup. Both were quite flavorful, and came with a big bread basket. The bread had less flavor, but was very hot and pleasant. As a main course, I had the chicken parmigiana. The chicken didn't taste like much, but the pasta was really soft and I liked the tomato sauce it was in. Very tomato-y. My fiance got the veal scaloppine and said it was "eh." He said that "after the first couple of bites I was wishing I'd ordered something else. It may have been good, but I wasn't into the caper-like taste." I'd be curious to come back here, but do feel the prices were QUITE high. Most dishes were in the low $20s, with a few lower than that and a few higher. Our meal came out to over $70 (with tax and tip), and we didn't even get drinks! Service was fine. Lots of water refilling.

    (3)

  • Kate B.

    Best wine I ever had. Delicious food. Ate the Halibut (special). Was a little dry but tasty! Tiramisu was FANTASTIC! (Huge though - definitely enough for FOUR people) I would highly recommend this restaurant! Busy place didn't slow down the wait staff, excellent & attentive service!

    (4)

  • Tamara Y.

    We went to this place to celebrate a 21st birthday. The atmosphere was good and the service was great, but the good was decidedly meh. We started out with bread, which was warm and delicious. I paid a bit extra to have a Caesar salad with my entree, but was told I couldn't get any anchovies with my Caesar. Sad trumpets for that. My entree was duck ravioli, with a sour cherry/pecan sauce. I ordered it because duck sounded good. The ravioli had absolutely NONE of the distinctive flavor of duck. Seriously. None. It could have been ground pork or ground turkey for all I know. I decided that it was best called "mystery meat" ravioli. Certainly not worth $24. On a positive note, the birthday girl received a piece of tiramisu with a lit sparkler on it. The was festive and fun. I might go back, but I'd avoid the duck ravioli.

    (2)

  • Ia K.

    I have dined here 4-5 times now. I LOVE their wine selection. However, their food and service are not that great. Actually I should say their chef and servers seem to have good days and bad days. I have no problem going back but would be very nervous to bring a guest with me.

    (3)

  • Krystle S.

    I've been disappointed each time I've went here. First they rarely if ever have cream pasta dishes and the one time I enjoyed myself it was with a Chicken Parmesan Cream Sauce over pasta....about two years ago. Next, the last three times I've had unprofessional servers. Just constantly underwhelmed... Reluctant to try again...but this could be a great restaurant one day.

    (2)

  • Beth H.

    I want to like this restaurant. Especially since my brother in law favors gifting us certificates for this place at Christmas time because he knows I love wine bars. But Liz W. is very correct - either you like this place or you don't. This is my and my husband's third visit in four years. Perhaps it's a preference but I don't know how it was voted BEST PLACE FOR ITALIAN food at AnnArbor.com . The atmosphere is great, and the service is top-notch. However, the food is unimpressive and unappetizing. We ordered Calamari to start - it was ok. Done in a cornmeal coat, tender but flavorless. The Sweet Italian sausage and lentil soup was tasty and hot. The table bread was cold, hard and not very good. Like it was basketed and had been sitting out for way too long. Even the olive oil couldn't save it. Husband ordered the lasagna but only ate the noodles out of it. It was dry and he loves lasagna, but didn't care for this stuff. I order veal scaloppini, which was came as a hunk of pasty noodles, topped with veal cutlets swimming is a salty sour gravy. I give up. We were really looking forward to a good meal from this place, but just not happening for us. You might like it though. don't knock it until you try it... I tried and tried and tried - I don't like. Pic of my veal scaloppini is uploaded - how would you like that put in front of you for dinner with a $25 price tag? Blah.

    (2)

  • Steven C.

    I have been to this restaurant several times with other people. Mostly we have the same experience: Meh. I've experienced better! I find both the food and the staff mediocre. I've never been to an Italian restaurant that didn't have spaghetti carbonara on the menu? I had the rigatoni sasuage & greens it was put together nicely, but was way to salty and oily.

    (2)

  • MaryLiz S.

    Executive Summary: The food is reliably decent. The portions are extremely generous, but everything is overpriced. Great atmosphere for an elegant dining experience, if that's what you're after. Get one of the booths if you want to be able to hear each other talk. The "atmosphere" only seems to have improved over the many years I've been coming here. But atmosphere hardly matters compared to the food itself. It's consistently very good, but I've never had my socks blown off. My in-laws like this restaurant because it has traditional food, lots of wine choices, and it's close to the highway for when they head home after a UofM football game. There's a TV at the bar, so you can watch the post-game show while you wait for your table. We usually get reservations. There is no minimum number of people, as with some restaurants on game day. I wish I knew more about all the fancy wines, but I guess I could just ask my server for the type I'm after. Have to remember to try that in the future. Last night, I wanted to order the eggplant appetizer, but as we were deciding what we wanted, my MIL said to me, "You always get the calamari." I think that was her way of saying, "Get the one you know we'll like." OK, I guess we're getting the calamari. The calamari has a crackly cornmeal crust, but is devoid of flavor. The white, creamy horseradish dipping sauce doesn't add much zing to this dish. Our calamari came with a lemon slice that added a little sparkle, but I'd like to see this dish served with a tangy marinara instead. So if I end up ordering this again, I'll ask for that change. The bread arrived ... hot from the oven ... but this time, I didn't detect any herbs or garlic. Rather bland, and I should have asked for olive oil to dip it in, but the place was packed after a UofM football game. The menu changes seasonally. I have had many interesting salads there. Last night, hubby and I split the salad that had roasted beets and goat cheese. I liked the ever so slightly sweet walnuts, hubby did not. The greens were fresh and crunchy. It was enough for two of us. I almost could have stopped eating, but we had ordered pesto grilled salmon, which had an almost-crackly exterior, while the inside had just turned opaque -- the way I like it! This was served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. Hubby and I split this, too. We didn't have room to contemplate dessert. We had eaten lunch late. My MIL got the scallop appetizer for her entree. She raved more than one time about how it was just the right amount. Three large scallops, one served on top of a butternut squash ravioli, the other two on beds of pureed veggies of one kind or another. I had seen it in the list of appetizers, and do not remember all the stuff, but it contained a nice variety of flavors. It was hard to carry on a conversation on my most recent visit. We usually get a booth, but this time my brother-in-law came to the game, so five people bumped us from a booth into a table at the center of the room. (Though hubby said that there were some six-person booths. Didn't realize it would make that much of a difference!) We were bombarded on all sides by the loud conversations. I had a hard time hearing; my FIL gave up after a while. We were grateful to get out into the parking lot so we could hear each other and say goodbye. ~~~ An Update: I went back and tried the eggplant appetizer. Love it! A tasty snack for four, a healthy sized appetizer for two ravenous people, an entree for one tomato-loving lycopene addict. Served with grated Romano cheese and a serrated knife. Wish they gave us a serving spoon, but I used the bread to soak up every delicious bite of sauce. Hubby liked the swordfish special and I had salmon with a dollop of sweet-spicy tomato jelly on top.

    (3)

  • Jennifer E.

    I wish this place was closer, because I'd try it more often. It's tough to find an Italian joint that's not either super-spendy or all about the red sauce, but this is the one. I ate a peasant-style concoction of hot sausage and slice peppers on pasta, and it was seriously tasty. The wine selection is good without being snobby- nice to have a choice that falls between the usual offerings of sangiovese, extra salt, or forty-dollar mortgage-your-house cabernet. Bonus points for reasonably priced take-home bottles. Why doesn't everyone do this? The salad was amazing, and nobody does amazing salad anymore- so nice to have a choice outside of blah greens-in-balsamic and trendy things with ground pistachios and shaved fennel. The desserts were good, but too freaking large. This makes me nuts, because I like dessert, and it would be nice to have it sometime without finding most of it forgotten in a takeout box on the floor of the car a week later. (don't judge me...I know your car's not pretty either!)

    (4)

  • Raphie B.

    My husband and another friend and I stopped here last night for a late dinner. The choice was made last minute, based on location, and the fact that they were open. We'd driven past them a million times and always said we'd give them a shot. Last night was that shot. I have to admit, it was not a stellar experience. They were out of several items, a couple of our requests were forgotten, and there was a couple of other issues. I won't get into details of the issues because our fantastic server, who was friendly, attentive and informative, too our concerns to the manager (possibly owner?) and he insisted on making things right (even though i had said we were fine). The issues were minor. They were important enough to point out to the server, so she could pass the info along, but not important enough to ruin a meal, by any means. The food was good. My vegetable lasagna was a bit bland, but at least it was inventive. My husband enjoyed his pasta and our friend was rather enamored with his swordfish. The wedge salad my husband had was good (he raved about the bacon on it - something about it being brown sugar coated, possibly?), my salad was a great seasonal salad of fennel, spinach, apples and a lemon thyme dressing, and our friend dug his classic minestrone. Dessert offerings were interesting, but our maple pecan poundcake failed to impress. They were out of the candied pears that its supposed to be served with. Perhaps that would have made the difference. This seems to be a family run place, and run with pride. I wasn't overly impressed, but I want to like the place. I want to have a better experience. We will probably give it another shot, but I can honestly say that I base that solely on how much we adored our server and not so much on the food or ambiance. If I could give the server a separate score, it would be 5 stars for sure. Her name was Margarite and after serving us we found out she was new and had only been there a week. If they're smart, they'll keep her around. She was awesome!

    (3)

  • Patrick T.

    I had very high hopes for this place, having heard good things from multiple friends. I've been three times, and have been underwhelmed three times. Don't get the whole wheat pasta ever. Mine was for some fall/winter special and it was just gross. I appreciate that their menu changes seasonally, but I wish there were something reliably good I could have ordered and enjoyed. I was just disappointed with all of my meals.

    (2)

  • Nater B.

    Stopped in for a few appetizers and a Peroni or two with friend. Ordered, the Calamari, and some stuffed sardine dish. I love sardines, I've had them fresh and canned in many ways. Both dishes came out, looked nice. Sardine dish stunk a bit, we both tried it and were like, no way. Fish was very "fishy", this only means that the fish was old; which is gross and in-edible. We both burped up gnarly old fish taste after 1 bite for hours, it was gross. Cooks should have not served this, and noticed it was foul. Besides that it was just weird. I mean full on not edible. It was just bad. We sent the sardine dish back, waitress comped us. Calamari was quite decent, and simple. Not sure whats going on here, but for the price and expectation, the sardine dish put a sour taste in our mouths. I doubt I'll be back for any reason. Decor seems a bit dated, plastic plants and that, meh. Waitress was nice. Thats my experience, I expect more.

    (2)

  • Ryan B.

    Great food and service. I even love their bread and soup. They are great about letting you split meals if you don't want to end up with leftovers. Some things I've liked get changed or go away, but I can always find something I like.

    (5)

  • Frank E.

    The best Italian, if not the best restaurant in Ann Arbor area. The food was excellent, the service was excellent. Perfect for a birthday celebration.

    (5)

  • Rose S.

    Went here on Valentines night. Our server was nice but seemed really distracted, constantly looking over at other tables when she was interacting with us and taking our orders. I had the swordfish (special) ... I hated it, didn't like the flavor, I literally couldn't eat more than a couple bites... And I'm not a picky eater. I likes boyfriends side polenta. Tiramisu was alright, a bit too "cakey" for my liking. Probably won't be coming back, which is a shame because I'd heard great things.

    (2)

  • Oakleaf H.

    We go to Paesanos again and again. Best Minestrone anywhere. Seasonal menu changes are refreshing. Wine is fabulous and you can buy a bottle to take home at cost. Owners are warm and welcoming.

    (5)

  • Krithi B.

    This place is no better than Olive Garden. Well, actually Olive Garden may be slightly better. The service is sub-par and the food has no ingredients but salt and pasta. The price is way to high for the quality! If this is the food your looking for save some money go to Olive Garden.

    (1)

  • Ryan O.

    I figure I owe Paesano a review finally, especially after my experience last night. Paesano is owned by a husband and wife and has been in Ann Arbor for a long time (30 years I think). It's the best Italian food in Ann Arbor (Mani Osteria is giving it a run for its money these days, but Mani is harder to get to and way too trendy for my tastes). The restaurant itself is nicely appointed. The waitstaff is knowledgable and friendly. And the food is good. Now, about that food. I've eaten at Paesano dozens of times. The food has ranged from fantastic to adequate. But when I have been less than satisfied with my food, they are adamant about making sure I'm happy. Last night, I ordered the 18 oz. sea-salt crusted ribeye. It came out and looked beautiful, but it was incredibly salty. Even after scraping as much salt off as I could, it was obvious I was still unhappy, so the waitress took back a $30 steak and brought me something else. I was pretty impressed by that. The rigatoni with sausage and peppers is a favorite of mine - fairly light, delicious pasta and sausage, with some greens. It's really a pleasant dish. The lasagna is delicious, but heavy. The desserts are fantastic. And their menu is always changing, which I really like. They offer seasonal dishes as well as their classics. I can definitely recommend Paesano - you will enjoy the food, they'll make sure of that.

    (4)

  • Amy G.

    I was really disappointed with our experience here. My brother, my mom and I met up for a rare family dinner. The service was slow and inattentive, which we initially just laughed off. But we were starving, and laboring over which items to order from the seemingly delicious choices. We picked out four which looked amazing. ALL of them disappointed us. They were bland and lackluster. I ordered the pea and pancetta cannelloni. Very little sauce to differentiate it from simply pasta and ricotta. I had to ask for more and when she brought it out it was cold. Not sure where the peas were. My mom ordered Mama Bessie's pasta, which I tried. It tasted like someone dumped a can if plan tomato sauce on some pasta. Go somewhere else!

    (2)

  • Diana D.

    They have an ambitious and exciting menu so we were excited to eat here. For appetizers we had the fried calamari and a special app of scallop and pork belly. For entrees, I had the olive oil poached chicken over rapini with an asparagus and potato cake, and the chicken was dry and flavorless, the rapini was great though. My spouse had the razor clams and pasta special and it was really bland. We didn't hang around for dessert. One glass of wine and an iced tea and the bill was over $100. Disappointing.

    (2)

  • Ana D.

    Consistently underwhelming in terms of lukewarm service, slow delivery time, bland food, small portions. Good decor and ambience for older crowd or romantic setting. But then again there are much better places around town with stellar food; so enjoy good food elsewhere!

    (2)

  • Reed N.

    With colleagues I had a veal scallopini dish that they mask the true identity of until you get to the description. Saltimboca. With prosciutto, lemon, wine, garlic and sage it is very good, and Paesano did a good job with it. Two veal cutlets and a nest of al dente pasta. The only thing they left out was the saute or braise of escarole or spinach. These are traditional and would balance the dish to have a green veggie. That is why the Italians make it that way! : ) The wine selection is not pretentious and should be adequate for all but wine snobs... and I hope all of those people disappear. So annoying. lol The desserts are okay. I think most desserts are a total waste of money in most restaurants. The chocolate trifle here was bland to me. The vanilla gelato I tried tasted more like decent ice cream... it lacked that flavor intensity that gelato and glace have. The service here was just fine and very friendly. I appreciated it very much.

    (4)

  • Colleen H.

    This is one of my favorite places. I have been for lunch and for dinner several times and have not had a bad meal. The wine list is excellent! The vegetarian options are great and so good! I love that there is private parking (as opposed to downtown restaurants). I recently found out that they have Italian Language classes! Talk about authentic Italian restaurant right?

    (5)

  • Kittie K.

    I've eaten here many times and the last few times I have really been disappointed with my entree as did my friend. The wine was superb and the minestrone soup tops all the other restaurants around. Salad was delicious as well. Had the chicken parmesan and it was not a good flavor at all. My friend had a chicken dish as well and it was over cooked. Maybe they have a new chef? The wait staff was great but main dish not so much.

    (3)

  • Sumana P.

    Due to my gluten intolerance, Italian restaurants are a no-no. However, I checked their website and saw that they had gluten-free options. I was expecting crappy substitutes and a clueless waitress but not only was the gluten-free pasta a great quinoa pasta but the waitress was extremely accommodative and friendly. I have other food allergies which she really took care of. Can't recommend enough! My friend also got a gluten-free pasta so I could try hers and both our dishes were great. We really liked the decor and found it cozy. Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Meeta B.

    Based on my last experience here, I would've just given this place 2 stars. However, given that I've been here multiple times and walked away happier. I think I can handle 3 stars here. What I like about Paesanos is that their menu changes by season. So if you like to eat via the seasons, this place works. Came here the other night with a group of friends. Also, this place has a fairly decent wine list and you can get some of the wines by the glass. The hidden secret I didn't know about before? The breadsticks at the bar are delicious! A mixture of cheese coats these breadsticks making them irresistible! The only downside? These were so chewy, that it hurt my jaw after awhile to keep chewing on them. But, that honestly didn't stop me. This time I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. The dish came with a choice of either soup or salad. I chose the minestrone because they do a pretty decent minestrone. I was happy at that point with my chewy breadsticks and minestrone soup. Maybe I should've stopped right there because the spag didn't really excite me. First, the dish was tepid, and I mean it was a weeknight but to get semi-lukewarm food was my first turn off. The meatballs were missing some kind of seasoning as was the spaghetti sauce. I was a bit disappointed. I did try a bite of the mortadella and pistachio ravioli someone else at our table had gotten and wished I had ordered that instead. The filling was delicate and the pistachios added this nice little crunch to a fairly light dish. Our service was a little slow for the night too, which is interesting because I've been there on busy nights and had exceptional service. Maybe this night was just a miss on all fronts.

    (3)

  • Annette J.

    This place ain't too shabby! My meal definitely had its ups and sorta downs but overall it was pretty darn good. The tossed salad with house-made dressing was fantastic. I'd been indulging a bit the last few days before my meal here so a salad sounded so darn good at the time. Luckily this did not disappoint. Fresh, crunchy, and lovely. My main course was the plain spaghetti and meatballs. It was ai'ight. The pasta was tossed with the sauce for some reason I prefer the sauce on top so I can control how much I mix in. Kind of silly but I have weird food preferences like that. With the sauce mixed in I wasn't able to really get a bite without it and sometimes I just like a plain noodle, ya know? Plus it made the pasta a little mushy. The sauce was good, though. Nothing mind blowing but it did the trick for a light meal. The meatballs were ok. Again, nothing fancy and a little bland but filling and added a bit of heartiness to the dish. Not sure I'd get this again here but I wasn't mad at it while I ate it. The dessert was OUTSTANDING. A ricotta cranberry cheesecake. It was fabulous. Super creamy, smooth, and dense. The cranberries were fresh and lent a bit of tartness to the sweetness of the cake. I would go back here for this dish alone. For real, for real. Alas, this dessert is a seasonal dish so I guess I'll have go again soon to nom on this before it's gone. I like that, though; it's nice to have seasonal, fresh ingredients. It's always weird to me to eat a summery dish in the middle of winter, so I appreciate that Paesano's mostly rotates their menu but leaves a few standards there yearround. Our waiter was just a delight! So chatty (in a non-annoying way) and had great suggestions. We talked about things other than the food and the restaurant, which I like. The restaurant is spacious and decorated very "Italian restaurant"-esque. You know, yellow/orange tones, wooden wine racks, vines and such painted around. It's comfortable but not rocking the boat at all. In the end I'd definitely be up to trying something here again. Or at least going for dessert and a glass of wine or so.

    (3)

  • Jessica E.

    Way over priced for the quality and taste of the food. I had the chicken florentine and while the presentation of my dinner was superb, the taste was awful! My chicken was dry and overdone and my potatoes and carrots weren't cooked enough. Our service was just as disappointing. I was with a party of 8 and out of 8 only one or two really enjoyed their food. The decor and atmosphere is relaxing and immedatiely when my husband and I walked in we liked the cleaniness and the staff was very welcoming. I agree with Beth H. food was very unimpressive and I also can't believe they one BEST PLACE FOR ITALIAN food in AnnArbor.com . We will not be returning.

    (2)

  • Michael S.

    Very inconsistent food and service. One day great service and food, the next terrible clueless service and food to match. My hard earned money is too valuable to settle for that kind of Russian roulette while dining out. No more Paesano for us.

    (1)

  • Jessica M.

    Not a fan. Unimaginative menu, borderline rude staff, and cheesy decor. If I'm really craving pasta, I'll go. Otherwise, there's no reason.

    (2)

  • Grant G.

    We had a fantastic meal here the other night while in town for the art fair. The decor is gorgeous and very elegantly done. Our server, Kenny, was professional and answered all of our questions about the menu. They have a wide selection of options to choose from, and from what I could tell, you really couldn't go wrong with any of them. Everyone at our table thoroughly enjoyed all parts of their meal, from the appetizers through dessert. The prices, while not cheap, were reasonable and less than expected from such a high caliber of a restaurant. Parking is in a large, free lot. We were so glad to have found this restaurant and will definitely make it a point to stop back in next time we're in town. P.S. - If you stay at The Queen's Residence Bed & Breakfast, like we did, be sure to pick up your free appetizer/dessert coupon for this place on the check-in desk!

    (5)

  • Colleen Z.

    Hubby and I eat at Paesano's quite often as it is our Italian restaurant of choice. Although we are food adventurous we typically get simple spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmesan. We love the seasonal menu too. Wine list is pretty good and the bartender always makes a great martini. Last night we had a family dinner as my son was returning to Iraq today to complete a tour of active duty. I had asked for our server Amy to give my son anything he wanted including drinks and dessert, and to give me the bill at the end of the night. Amy took care of our party flawlessly (which she has on several other occasions) and at the end of the night thanked my son for his service to our country and told him his dinner and drinks were on the house. We were all amazed and and thanked Amy profusely. Thanks Paesanos for good food and for taking care of your customers. Oh, love the outdoor patio and movie nights!

    (4)

  • Sarah G.

    If you have a gluten intolerance / allergy / diet plan, then this is the place for you! Almost everything on the menu can be made gluten free, I have never seen so many GF bubbles next to menu items in my life. My mom (who is gluten free) ordered the bolognese, which was very tasty, and even got to have bread with the meal. I was most impressed by the bread; it actually tasted like bread unlike a lot of other knockoffs, and I was very impressed. However, the bread slices are tiny, just so you know. For the rest of you gluten-lovers such as myself, the food was pretty good! I got the spinach / mushroom tortelloni (special), and I found it to be pretty decent. Definitely better than anything Olive Garden can cook up, and I appreciate that they change their menu to seasonal tastes. I wouldn't say the food was 5-star worthy, but it was certainly good. I will say it seemed a bit overpriced for the taste; sometimes the flavors seemed a little bit bland, but perhaps it was just the dishes we chose. Wait staff was excellent. Prompt, friendly, polite, professional, and very helpful. Maybe not 5-star quality, but good for dinner out, at least with a reservation at a not-so-busy time!

    (4)

  • Marya A.

    Not impressed. Our waiter being a really nice guy is the only reason I gave this place 2 stars (mostly because he actually knew his wines without BS'ing me! For REAL foodies who have had true Italian food along the East Coast will regret buying into the hype and hate the bill. If you've never had mind blowong good Italian and you're sorta from the area, I'm sure you'd habe a better experience than I!

    (2)

  • Liz W.

    You either really like Paesanos or you do not. I really like it. I find the menu to be interesting and the fare well cooked and presented. I think it is not what most people expect but for me that is more of a positive than a negative. We had a rather mini sized luncheon reception here after my friend renewed her vows with her husband. They were in Kalamazoo and so I was in charge of facilitating the whole deal. I ultimately went with Paesanos as her mother has celiac issues and they offer a good variety of gluten free dishes and were more than willing to work with us to make sure everyone involved would be satisfied. I was also concerned about a vegetarian in the party having decent options but the restaurant made it very easy on me and everyone involved was equally pleased with the food. Service can run slow but it is not fast food. I find them attentive about beverages and bread so I am not too upset with any delays myself. This is the kind of place I really am inclined to enjoy my wine and savor the experience so I am generally not in a hurry. I love the wide variety of wines by the glass as I am usually the only wine drinker. I can only have a glass at any rate or my blood sugar goes to hell so even if I make more wine loving friends I will always appreciate wine by the glass. The food is seasonal and always something fun. I like the flavor combinations the chef comes up with. I am more of a lunch girl but I do not find it to be overly outrageous at dinner given the quality. I have never been to brunch or had a buffet experience here but I am willing to give it a whirl.

    (4)

  • Darrell K.

    I went with a friend/Date. I went because it received good reviews. The restaurant is cozy on the inside. The food was OK. Not the best but it was good. I had the Scallops with a side of Spaghetti. The Italian Spring rolls were excellent. The final cost was about $80 with about 3 drinks and an appetizer. I would recommend this restaurant to draw your own opinion. Service was OK. Started out great but the waitress that took over was OK. This place is nothing to brag about. I have been to better and paid less money.

    (3)

  • Barnaby F.

    I've been to Paesano's quite a bit. And I will likely be back. People I trust say they've had great meals there, but I'm not a fan, and over the past three years, I haven't had a single meal that's made me understand why people love this place. The food has been reliably mediocre. The service has been spotty. The wine list has pretentions but isn't interesting in the least. This is a sampling from at least 8 visits over three years. Members of my family meet here for group dinners because it's convenient for people coming from disparate locations, and has reliable parking that downtown Ann Arbor locations lack. But it always feels like a 'lowest-common-denominator' kind of a choice.

    (2)

  • sue m.

    We had a really good meal with friends tonight. We went for movie night at Paesanos-Godfather part I-but the weather did not cooperate so we just had dinner. Everything was excellent. Our orders included country green and rigatoni with sausage and hot peppers, duck ravioli, and linguini with claims. The meals were very flavorful, presented well, and were generous portions. The pear and gorgonzola salad is a must. Dessert was equally good. The owner brought over Sambuca to end the meal. Good service and a good meal.

    (5)

  • Bob M.

    We arrived on a busy Saturday night, and received a gracious welcome from the hostesses and were seated quickly. The restaurant was crowded, with several large parties, but the noise level was moderate, and we did not have to scream to carry on a conversation, which is (unfortunately) not always the case. Our waitress was very friendly and very helpful in explaining dishes, recommending wine, etc. We started with salads (him - pear, gorgonzola, and toasted walnut; me- roasted beet, brussel sprouts, and pearl barley - delicious, and very generous portions. The bread was hot and proved to be addictive. My partner got the Chicken Parmigiana, and I got the Rigatoni, Sausage,Greens, and Hot Peppers. Both pasta dishes were exceptional; the Chicken Parm was served in manageable medallions over wonderful Angel Hair pasta, and my pasta dish was perfect, and VERY generous with the sausage. We noted a card on the table that mentioned a holiday buffet, and our waitress was thoughtful enough to take the time to find out some details about the buffet and jot them down for us. Definitely a keeper.

    (4)

  • N P.

    Been here many times, over 10 and maybe much more. That's what happens when you find a place you like and live in Ann Arbor for years. I love the ambiance. It's off to the side on Washtenaw but that gives it charm and it's nice that it's not part of a mall or any other cluster of restaurants. The interior has a nice open seating area and there's a backroom which is more private for special events. They are great with larger groups. I've been here for more formal events and the waitstaff was attentive. I've had food from here catered to an on campus event and they were reasonable with pricing and portions. The food itself is delicious but very pricey, particularly to dine in when you consider drinks and desserts may be ordered. I think the last few times I was here I had some type of coupon or discount which helped. I'd still go without the coupon but not quite as frequently. There are not a huge number of straight vegetarian or vegan options but they are very accommodating to helping us vegetarians find something on the menu. I love the spinach-butternut squash ravioli along with a nice salad. These also aren't your usual, uncreative salads. The salads are delicious and fresh and they were a hit in the event we catered (the pear, gorgonzola, walnut salad). I haven't been here in awhile but I'm sure the quality of all the food is still great. I hope to return soon.

    (4)

  • Hymae W.

    Went here last night on a whim and was pretty impressed. I got the venison and it was reaallly reaaallly good. I wasn't a fan of the atmosphere but the food made up for it.

    (4)

  • Adam S.

    You'll like it if you're a fan of Italian-American (as opposed to Italian) food. We were pleased with the decor, the friendly wait staff, and the unapologetically Americanized menu. This is not authentic Italian cuisine -- it is hearty glorified peasant food, which is what most Italian-Americans brought to this country. The flavors are warm and comforting, and though none would call them sophisticated, they struck me as reliable, predictable and satisfying. Not what I'd call a destination restaurant, but when you want a nice plate of food, I think that Paesano's can provide.

    (4)

  • Chang L.

    Came here for lunch with parents and family friends. The place is spacious and great for groups. The waitress was very attentive and friendly. Good service. Amazing bread, soft and buttery. The dishes were a little disappointing. We ordered 5 dishes to share, and 3 of them had the same angel hair pasta, which was a bit overcooked and therefore mushier than I like. The Rigatoni was the opposite, it was a bit too chewy. The swordfish was a bit dry and the salmon was good with the sauce, but maybe that could have used a bit less time too. I think our favorite was definitely the Rigatoni with the spicy sausage. Italian is one of my favorite cuisines and I'm not too picky as long as I get some delicious carbs, but I just wasn't crazy about this place. I will probably look for another place for Italian next time.

    (2)

  • Mr. Critic X.

    Loved this place when I lived in A2. Great service, classy crowd and their best dish imo is the traditional spagetti and meat sauce.

    (4)

  • Rene G.

    I love Paesano's and eat here once or twice a week. They have a great menu based on fresh seasonal produce. For starters, the house minestrone and all of the salads are delicious, though my favorite is the walnut gorgonzola. As a vegetarian, I appreciate the flexibility to modify menu items to meet my tastes. When I'm in the mood for pasta, I get the Rigatoni with no sausage and extra greens and hot peppers - delicious and always cooked perfectly. They also have a fabulous wine list and a very wine-educated waitstaff that can help you find exactly what you're craving. In the summertime, the cozy little back patio is our favorite place to dine with beautiful landscaping and a fountain centerpiece. And if you haven't been back since the new chef took over, I would encourage a repeat visit. We always enjoyed dining here but have noticed improvement in both selection and execution since the change.

    (5)

  • Kristina G.

    Inexperienced wait staff too much to deal with. This is the third time out of three visits that I have been disappointed with the wait staff. The food was good but was overshadowed by the wait staff. Had the waitress not disappeared for long lengths of time, or could articulate the difference between a cup and bowl of soup, or not blamed the computer system for the slow transaction (which was very unprofessional of her), then we might have had a more positive experience.

    (2)

  • John C.

    Great local spot for Italian in Ann Arbor. They accommodated our large group with great service. Pastas could have used more sauce, in my opinion, but none the less it was very tasty.

    (5)

  • Lindsay E.

    I would like to begin with saying that for those who have Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance), this is a great place to go. I went on a busy day--Valentine's Day--and the service was pretty good. First time I'd been to Paesano's in years, but I had fond memories. I had high expectations and for the most part, I'd say they were met. First of all, this is the only place I've found in Ann Arbor that serves gluten-free bread with dinner. If you would like to have gluten-free bread with your dinner, tell your server when you come in. The bread takes longer to make because they have to be careful in preparing it and only do so on request, I believe. The gluten-free options were abundant, relatively speaking of course. In comparison to most restaurants, Paesano's has a vast selection of gluten-free options, and the GF menu touts that they can make pretty much anything gluten-free by modifying the dish a little. I had the rigatoni with sausage, hot peppers, and greens. It was good, but not phenomenal. If I go back, I will definitely try something new. The size was sufficient--and this is coming from someone who has a bigger-than-average appetite. Despite not blowing my socks off, it was still delicious and I cleaned my plate. My favorite part of my meal was *hands-down* the cheesecake. It was the richest, most decadent cheesecake I've ever had--with a gluten-free graham cracker crust, nonetheless! I highly recommend this to the cheesecake fans of the world. Have an open mind when going to Paesano's--it might not be strictly "authentic" but its inventive, Italian-inspired dishes make it unique and worth trying. Also, it's expensive...but not as bad as you think! Don't go if you don't want to fork out the cash...such is life.

    (4)

  • Janice O.

    It truly is as good as it gets! My husband and I enjoy frequent trips. From the casual bar seating to the huge wine selection, absolutely everything is top-notch. I love the re-do on the interior. Paesanos feels like home. LOVE IT!

    (5)

  • Marissa B.

    When I'm spending more than $15 on dinner I think it should be consistently good - it shouldn't be hit or miss. I've had good meals at Paesano's, but I've also had meals that make me rather eat two baskets of bread because it tastes better than whatever I've ordered. Unfortunately last night was the latter. Paesano's is a large restaurant on Washtenaw, near Arborland. They have a very nice patio that's surrounded by bushes & flowers. Our dinner stretched into evening and unfortunately there was no outdoor lighting. (Well, besides the soft glow of the Discount Tire sign next door...) I could see candles and lanterns scattered about, but nobody lit them (while they have in the past). Our server was pleasant and friendly, and Paesano's does have really good bread (herbed & served piping hot). This would come in handy later. Paesano's has a creative menu, but unfortunately sometimes things are just too much of a stretch. Bruschetta for example - a very popular hors d'oeuvre, right? They have several options (none being the standard), one of which had smashed peas, pears and cheese. It was slightly strange. Sometimes my opinion is "don't mess with a good thing". The Strawberry Salad with Panchetta was nicely balanced and went over well. The Roast Baby Corn salad was a disappointment; the corn seemed out of a can, definitely not roasted. Entrees can be pricey, but at least they come with your choice of a soup or salad. I ordered the Ravioli Rapini, served in a mustard cream sauce. It was white ravioli in a white sauce on a white plate... not particularly visually appealing. I hoped it would taste better than it looked, unfortunately not so. However, this could just be because I've never had Rapini before (it's in the broccoli family) and this may be an acquired taste. Another diner in our group had the Summer Pasta with Clams - described as needing more garlic & veggies. Fish entrees went over well - the sea bass was cooked to perfection. BOTTOM LINE: Paesano's can be hit or miss. Unfortunately I'm not willing to risk the misses with my dining dollars at a pricey place - I'd rather know I'm walking into a sure thing.

    (3)

  • Betsy W.

    My Mom and I went here for dinner last Friday night. I had not been here in a very long time. I had a glass of very good red wine and I'm usually picky about wine. I decided to be adventurous and got the mushroom ravioli with leeks, fennel and duck. It was very good. The flavors when well together. I like that the menu lets you know about seasonal dishes and dishes that have local ingredients in them. Even though I don't go here very often I've always had a great meal whenever I've come.

    (4)

  • Karen L.

    I actually worked here 20+ years ago while a student at UofM. I hadn't been back since graduating and moving out of the area. The service continues to be wonderful and the atmosphere was great (the restaurant has been renovated since my time and has a very cozy, inviting atmosphere) but I was a bit UNDERwhelmed by the food. The house salad was nothing more than a plate of lettuce with carrot shreds and one half of a cherry tomato. I ordered a pasta with cream sauce (like a carbonara). The pasta was more than al dente (actually hard) and the cream sauce was flavorless. I actually salted and peppered it to give it taste. While I have good feelings about working here, I'd say most of the good feeling is mostly nostalgia at this point.

    (2)

  • Bob M.

    I have always adored Paesano's Eggplant Parmesan. Not being made of $$$, it had been a while since I had been here. However, my latest visit confirmed it: The Eggplant was excellent as always. This is indeed the home of my favorite Eggplant Parmesan. The service on the night a friend and I went was even more excellent. The friend I was with and I had a GREAT time. Yet...I have to ask some questions. Or at least make a rhetorical statement. I don't know what is up. Why does most of Ann Arbor seem to have a whispering campaign against this wonderful place? And if it's so freaking horrible, how come Ann Arborites pack the place out? Looking on here, and talking to several Ann Arbor foodies that I know, one would think Paesano's is incompetently run. There is always this "Oooooo...Paesano's" knowing look and shaking of the head in conversation with these people (and kind of on here). What I REALLY don't get is this: Paesano's has never been slow for me. The food has ALWAYS been first rate (and yeah...I DO love the pear and blue cheese salad...is there something wrong with that?), and...I have to also say this: while I saw one customer be a dick while I was at Paesano's the last time, I have never had anything...ANY THING y'all...but the best of service here. Not to take a broad swipe, but maybe the problem with Paesano's is its customers, not the restaurant? Maybe my problem in conversation is that I have been talking to Ann Arbor foodies? That is conjecture and beside the point. I guess what I am saying is this... Paesano's is a pretty darn good...one might even say kinda magical place. I was somewhere between giving it a 4 or a 5 star review until I got on here and read more of this weird, pseudo-superior, substance-less trash talk. Now they get a 5. And if you're sitting here reading this and wondering...yeah. Come check this place out. It is more than worth it.

    (5)

  • Jen S.

    I had never heard of this place until a friend, who had been here many times, had suggested it. This is going to sound weird but I really liked the font on the sign and this not weird but I liked the decor inside; I thought it was really cute. The food on the other hand is tricky. They had so many delicious-sounding entrees on the menu and I had a hard time deciding. I couldn't decide between a more traditional Italian dish, Chicken Parmigiana, and a more eccentric dish, a Chicken BBQ something (I forget the exact name). I wish I had stuck to the more traditional dish because I was really disappointed by my dish. It was bland and pretty boring and just a complete let down. I tried the Chicken Parmigiana, which someone else at my table ordered, and it was delicious! Other people at my table who ordered a more unique sounding dish had similar reactions to my own so I think this is a place where you have to stick to what they know -- i.e. spaghetti & meatballs, lasagna, etc. Other good things -- the wine, bread at the table was yummy, and our waitress was great.

    (3)

  • mariah c.

    I was a little burnt out on the buffet, but after a little break, my family returned. Another holiday, another try of the buffet. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with two things -- 1) The buffet had a few specific gluten-free options, which seemed really considerate. I doubt I would ever expect that from a buffet. 2) Our wait staff were really on-it. True, it's not that difficult to just stay on top of drinks (when food service is a buffet), but our drinks -- hot and cold -- were refilled as quickly as we could gulp them.

    (4)

  • Mickey L.

    This place came highly recommended (okay, by my mother). She explained that they recently had a change of chef and that it was better now than before. I must say, it was certainly very good. We started with three different salads, all of which were fresh and colorful. I had the gorgonzola, pear, and walnut salad. The pears could have been sweeter, but that's just the way I like my pears. The bread, as mentioned before, was fantastic. Hot, soft, and served with a delicious whipped butter. I then had the special of monkfish in a truffle soft. Quite delicate and subtle. We also had a mushroom linguine, also a special, with the mushrooms baked right into the pasta. Very nice. The desserts, however, were fabulous. Starting with cappuccino, which was served with a side of cinnamon sticks, fresh whipped cream, and shaved chocolate. We moved on to a creme brulee that came with three cups, a peach brulee, a lemon rosemary brulee, and a vanilla brulee. Finally we ended with a pistachio shortcake served with Michigan cherries and white chocolate mouse. Definitely a place to return to. The service was excellent, we had no wait, even at 7p on a Friday.

    (5)

  • Julia B.

    Yesterday I went to Paesano's, and did NOT have the greatest experience. Being half Italian, I know good Italian food when I taste it. (I've been to Italy 11 times). First off, when we were sat down it was a good twenty minutes before any servers looked at us, let alone got our drink orders. When we called someone over, we were smothered with I'm-so-sorry's, and apologetic smiles. She did take the drinks off our bill, however, which I appreciated. When we ordered, it took me a while to find anything I could even consider simple, basic, authentic Italian food. Which was strange, because some of the chefs are Italian.. Isabella, the head chef and the one who has a cookbook (*that she wrote) Wrote the menu, so that was strange. I went with the classic spaghetti and meatballs, what I would urge anyone to order when (and if) they go here. My mom got the Spedini, (shishkabobs of steak and sausage wrapped in bacon, over Italian grits.) Naturally, I tasted it. It was alright, pretty good even. My spaghetti was fine, but the meatballs were underdone. However, the prices were extremely high. The meatballs in my meal were extra, and it came to 12.50. My mother's meal was 22.00 Overall, I would say it's worth a try, but if you're unhappy, well, Go figure.

    (2)

  • Chad C.

    Paesano's is not exclusively southern italian, which is what many Americans think of when they hear italian (naturally since the vast majority of our italian immigrant heritage came from the south). Thus, if you are looking for the same old, which I love as well, then you can go elsewhere and find those more straightforward dishes at less expensive prices. If, however, you are into seasonal menus, experimental cuisine (which inherently has the risk of not always hitting the mark), and food from various regions of Italy, then Paesano's is the place to go! They also have an excellent wine list, which to me is an essential part of a great italian meal.

    (5)

  • Dave Y.

    We've eaten here several times before and had pretty good experiences. However, this last time was very strange. Generally I'm pretty tolerant of less-than-stellar service provided that the food is good, but when you're paying $25 for a plate of pasta, you expect professional service and the staff having some knowledge about what's going on. The pasta came w/ soup (or salad), and we chose the pork sausage with fennel soup instead of the minestrone. When the soup came, it immediately looked like minestrone before the waitress even served it, so we asked if that was the sausage and fennel soup. The waitress replied something like "I assure you it's the sausage and fennel soup." When we started eating, it was clearly minestrone. There's no a trace of fennel, and the meat was clearly beef instead of pork sausage. We asked the waitress again, pointing out that this was not sausage. She strongly insisted that it was pork sausage and that there is fennel in the soup, and it's starting to feel like she's insulting our intelligence because fennel is one of the things that's so easy to taste, and a 5-year-old can tell the difference b/t a chunk of beef and pork sausage. We got her back and put the bowl of soup in her hand so she can take it back to the kitchen and find out what it was, and she immediately put it back on our plate and said "I can go back and bring out the list of ingredients to show you that it's not minestrone." We got the manager, who also insisted that beef was pork sausage, and the soup was not minestrone. After some pressing, he then basically revealed that he doesn't really know what's going on, and the soup probably doesn't taste like what it's supposed to. Now, this all sound a bit petty, but what I found offensive was that right off the bat the waitress was either lying to us or bull*****ing us in a very insistent way, and trying to prove us wrong. Trying to pass off a minestrone soup with beef as pork sausage soup with fennel is like saying the peanuts in your customer's food is almond. What if I can't eat beef? I also got the sense that there was a big disconnect b/t the kitchen and the waiting staff, or maybe there was some mislabeling back there, but that coupled with a manager that seemed to know nothing is just not ok in a place like this. In the end, the food was fine, and the manager did comp us our appetizer, but it's one of those experiences that makes you feel bad and not ever wanting to come back. There're now enough new and great places being opened in town that this type of experience is not going to cut it much longer. If you're looking for a good and upscale sit-down Italian restaurant, go to Mani instead.

    (1)

  • Peter B.

    Greatest Italian food in area. Wonderful atmosphere and service. Every time we go, we ask ourself why don't we go more frequently.

    (5)

  • Debra S.

    Being an Italian New Yorker myself, I heard this was "the only place" for Italian in Ann Arbor. So naturally, I tried. Then tried again, and again, and just last night- for the last time. When Isabella was there, the food was more creative, but lots of hit/miss entrees. Now it's just all around boring, and the food is not great. I ordered a $25 sea bass tonight, and it was like a light lunch. It was a normal to small piece of fish on top of about 1/2 a cup of orzo with pesto. That's it. It was comically pushed to one side of a very large dish. I guess the chef's nice presentation. Apparently, this chef has something to learn about presentation... and serving sizes. Orzo is super cheap, I would have appreciated a little more. I seriously cannot remember ever leaving hungry after spending so much. My fiance got the veal scallopine, which was destroyed by drowning in capers, too much lemon and crappy sundried tomatoes. It tasted... "weird." We thought dessert might save the day- not. boring, boring BORING. Oh, and the salad? Was literally a little plate of greens hiding some cheaper romaine. And get this... ONE HALF of a cherry tomato. That's it. Come on, that's just cheap. Not thrilled, never again, no way.

    (2)

  • Papa W.

    Excellent dining experience. My wife and I stopped in coming from Metro and enjoyed every bite. Nice atmosphere. Food was freshly made. Nice presentation.

    (5)

  • Riki L.

    For the price of food and quality of service received, I wouldn't return and wouldn't recommend to others. I have been to Paesano's plenty of times with family and the only standout meal I've had was a steak that was a dinner special one weekend months ago. It's a bad sign if I can't seem to recall any other dish that was flavorful. Even though that steak was delicious, the Lime Panna Cotta we ordered for dessert afterward was inedible. Panna Cotta DOES have gelatin as an ingredient but the final product should never be so rubbery, so much so it felt like slicing through ice cream cake. It was gross and looking back I should have sent it back, but whatever. Tonight I met a family member for dinner at 9:30. The hostess was very polite guiding me over to the table, but no server came for ten minutes. Actually, no one came until I got up and asked the owner what was up. At that point the hostess ran over immediately, cutting the owner off and explaining it was all her fault and could she get us anything to drink. I asked to see the gluten free menu and she disappeared to get it and our waters. The server arrived, didn't offer up any apology for our wait time, and got me a different gluten free menu to look at... but he said it was outdated and didn't match the current menu. Hmmmm.. that really helps me make a choice, huh? The waiter looked at me as though I was crazy, which really didn't help the situation! My wine was enjoyable, but at $8.50/glass I'm not sure that's a luxury that was worth it. The server told me I could get another side besides the one coming with my meal (potato gratin) but when I asked him what my options were he clammed up and offered up pasta.... which isn't really a side, in my opinion. The potato gratin that came with my pork was undercooked and possibly had shredded cabbage between the layers? Who wants to eat crunchy potato slices? My dinner smelled great, like Thanksgiving, but was tough to get down. My dinner guest and I both agreed that it was poor of the owner and/or server that they didn't acknowledge the bad service and at least offer us coffee or dessert on the house. I mean, when a late table is seated it's usually speedy service in order to get them out of there in a timely fashion. At the rate we were served I thought I was back in Italy, but this time with bland Italian food and no atmosphere.

    (2)

  • A H.

    I've been here so many times, I am every so slightly biased... Started going back more and more after we got back from a recent trip to Italy. The chef is from the northern area of Italy and it reflects in her food. Our favorite is the Rigatoni with Country Greens, Sausage and Hot Peppers, there aren't words... Spend a few bucks more and upgrade to the Gorgonzola Pear Walnut salad, it's amazing. The wait staff is very good, ask for suggestions if you can't decide what you want. The wine list is well maintained thanks to Kenny and he brings small batch wines in special. I tried one last night that was very good, and when I went looking for it online this morning it was no where! We also recently went to a cooking demo a few weeks ago, the chef is very funny. Also, during the summer they have old movies on a projector outside on the patio, its a nice way to spend a Saturday night.

    (4)

  • LeeAnn E.

    Had a very good meal and an enjoyable evening at Paesano. We started off with the deep fried asparagus and artichoke appetizer. Quite nice and not overly greasy. For the 'verde' course we tried two different salads. One was a caesar salad with hot peppers and Mediterranean olives. The other was a beautiful and fresh mix of raddicchio, endive, and arugula with a rhubarb/balsamic vinaigrette topped with a phyllo-wrapped gorgonzola. These delicious treats went along pleasantly with the simple red Barbera we selected from the interesting and reasonably priced wine menu. For entrees we had the hot pepper rigatoni and the "southern" porchetta cannelloni. The rigatoni was zesty and light with delicious greens; pasta was just right and the sausage was tangy. The cannelloni was excellent, the porchetta falling apart on the fork; sauce may have been a bit sweet but it is advertised as "southern" so think barbecue, not Arricia. Our server was very pleasant and did an excellent job bringing out our meals at the right time, staggered perfectly to give us time to finish each course. This was our first dinner at Paesano. We very much enjoyed ourselves despite the fact that we thought the restaurant might be like an "Olive Garden" because of the architecture. Nevertheless, even though it is a huge place with lots of people - esp. Friday at dinner time - it was quite a pleasant atmosphere by the time we had dinner after 8:30pm. We probably recommend going later in the evening if you want to have a quieter dinner since there are many large tables - some with loud people. Overall, worth while checking out.

    (4)

  • Sarah L.

    What can I say! You've got to love it when a nice Italian restaurant makes considerations for us gluten-free eaters. The restaurant has a great ambiance (good place to go with parents when they are in town visiting), though it was a bit loud the night I was there. Our server was really helpful in letting us know what the gluten-free options on the menu were and brought us a binder with information about the ingredients and substitution options. They were able to substitute quinoa pasta in any of the dishes made with regular spaghetti. My mother and I are both GF and we each got a pasta dish: I got the Mama Bessie Pasta - "Sicillian specialty with fettuccine, chicken, artichokes and sliced black olives with our house made, healthy tomato sauce." It was delicious! even with the quinoa pasta it was still very good. I usually prefer brown rice pasta since it passes more easily for regular pasta, but the quinoa pasta was not sticky or overly al dente. My mom got the Fettuccine alla Bolagnese: "Rustic thick meat sauce of beef, cheese, red wine." Though her dish was moderately good, there was far too much meat in the sauce without enough saucey-ness (We both decided we preferred my dish). We each started our meal with a side salad, I got the Caesar and my mother got the Gorgonzola, Pear and Toasted Walnut Salad. Both were very large for side dishes and quite good. The Caesar was GF if ordered with out croutons. The dressing is a bit heavy, (creamy Caesar) so if you like a lighter salad as I do you might ask them to go light on the dressing. Overall- it was a good experience. I will definitely plan on going back, though it was a bit pricey on a grad-student budget. The staff were very nice and the place looks great.

    (4)

  • Brad T.

    I can't believe so many people have such strong anti-Paesano's feelings on this site, but I think I can at least try to rationalize the reason why. It is true, Paesano's has a very untraditional menu and if you judge your very basic pasta dishes by other Ann Arbor Italian restaurants' standards, I can see where you'd be disappointed. There are only a few dishes here that really fit that description, and I'm sure it is frustrating for those who aren't used to authentic regional Italian cooking, which isn't really like that. I'd go so far as to say that if you're looking for the red sauce/noodles version of Italian food, you may want to head downtown and hit up Gratzi or Palio, which have larger selections of pasta dishes and aren't as experimental with their menu. That's not a knock, they're just that style of restaurant and I'm sure that fits the image of Italian food for more people than Chef Isabella's seasonal menus. In fact, if you're really a fan of that style of Italian, skip Ann Arbor altogether and hit up the Roma Cafe in Detroit, which is probably the very best restaurant in that style in all of Southeast Michigan. For myself, I grew up around a lot of 2nd generation Italians on my dad's side of the family, and was often thrust into large feasts that were focused on oddball meat dishes and polenta. From my experience, Paesano's comes the closest to replicating that style of cooking, and I absolutely love it for that reason. My wife and I make this a very regular stop since we live close, and I'm always discovering new and delicious dishes thanks to the revolving menu. I've never had the experience that other describe here in terms of either bad service or (especially) bad food, and I've eaten here at least two dozen times since I've lived in the area. From the bar staff to the patio waitresses, I always get rock solid service and whenever they were unable to describe a dish or recommend a wine, they've been more than happy to pull in a kitchen or bar staff member to help them out. The salads can be especially good depending on the season, with their recent spring eggplant salad being a perfect example. Don't focus on the bad reviews here, check this place out for yourself and keep an open mind. Paesano's isn't for everyone, but it would land in my top 5 restaurants in Ann Arbor without reservation and I know there are many others that feel this way.

    (5)

  • Lindy D.

    We can eat here. That may not sound very amazing to most people, but for us Celiacs (and I'm also a vegetarian) it's pretty huge. The fact that they are SO careful with their gluten-free dishes is a lifesaver for us, and while the price-point means it's a place we cannot frequent, just knowing that we have an option for a nice meal out is such a relief. We've always had tremendous luck with service, and enjoy our meal a good 90% of the time (there are occasional misses, but not enough to deter us). If you're in need of gluten-free, it's one of the most reliable places in town to go - and that's definitely worth it for us!

    (4)

  • Matt G.

    Beware: An expensive experiment. My SO and I heard good things, actually great things about Paesano's, so we decided to go check it out. Now, I wasn't the most excited to go there in the first place, after giving their menu a quick look online, especially considering the prices. We've never gone there before though, and I'm always up for trying new places, so we saddled up our chariot and rode into the abyss, which happens to run through Washtenaw Ave. believe it or not. I don't want to complain to much about our server, because she was evidently new, but it did effect our meal. I think she could have been a little more knowledgable on the menu. We had calamari for our app, which was probably below average for calamari I've had around town, but not God-awful. When I ordered my entree though, I decided on the tuna, and one thing that I thought was strange was she never asked me how I wanted it cooked. I figured for 26 dollars, I would at least be getting searing grade tuna, if not sushi grade tuna. I asked her just to cover myself what grade the tuna was, and she didn't know, which I thought was sort of strange, but she offered to find out, which was nice. She came back later and assured me it was sushi grade and that she would have them just sear it for me. My SO ordered a seafood pasta dish, which for the price, seemed awfully small. My tuna was good sized, but a large piece of the tuna was full of connective tissue, which is just about inedible. For dessert we had a coffee beverage with Frangelico in it, and that was actually pretty good. They even brought a dish with shaved chocolate, whipped cream, and cinnamon sticks out with it, quite creative. I must say I was super disappointed with Paesano's, to me it was just a glorified Olive Garden. Even if Olive Garden was the same price as Paesano's, I would still choose Olive Garden. I can respect the fact that some people love Paesano's, just not me. This is the end of my reivew, and a very sad story of my expensive culinary experiment :(

    (2)

  • Brian G.

    Found it! That rarest of all breeds - a good restaurant in Ann Arbor. It was late-ish (after 9.30pm) feeling hungry after the movie (The Debt - also 4 stars). Felt like something Italian and found Paesano's with the help of the Aroundme app (5 stars!) on my iPhone. As soon as we walked to the door felt it was going to be good (open til midnight - a rarity around here) and as we walked in a truly heartfelt, warm greeting from a tall white-haired gentleman who turned out to be the owner. What a difference from the other good restaurant in AA (The Quarter) - at Paesano's we felt welcomed, warm and special from the first moment. The owners care, concern and attention spills over to the other guests and especially the staff. Our server Cara was an absolute gem. The menu looks great and we will definitely, definitely be back. It was late so we just had a glass of wine each (different choices - we tried a sip first) a fresh salad and we shared the pepperoni pizza. All very nice - when we go back we will have dinner and see just how good that is - but I have high expectations - and yes they have the normal italian fare but out-of-the-box items too (I seem to recall wild boar for example).

    (4)

  • Miriam S.

    I now know how Columbus felt when he sighted land. If I were an official food reviewer, I would declare that I landed in Ann Arbor's best...We have been in restaurants all over the world, from humble to special. Paesano rates the best in every category I have come up with. CREATIVE, TASTY FOOD.. ( try their Waldorf salad with fresh figs), try their Gorgonzola and fresh figs appetizer...wow!...and their homemade pasta....wow!, DETAILS: they provided three elegantly presented goblets of Merlot so I could decide which one I liked. The chosen one came in a goblet that was sparkling clear enhancing the beauty of the Merlot. My husband and I share plates as we both do not eat a lot, so our gracious server kept on changing our plates so we could use the center dish as a serving plate..ATTENTIVE SERVICE: the server Adrian, was efficient, alert and gracious...MANAGEMENT BY WALKING AROUND was evident by the personal care and involvement of its elegant owner, Michael Roddy. Do you know that he takes a large group of customers to Italy every year? ENVIRONMENT: the moment you walk in, you feel at home, there is a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. QUALITY: nothing that we tasted, was substandard, do not miss their Spumoni gelato.......Magnifico!!! IMAGINATIVE: Do you know they show movies on Saturdays in their patio after sundown?

    (5)

  • Eric M.

    Ok - bottom line up front. I had low expectations when I walked in, and this place failed to even come close to meeting them. The food is marginal, doesn't meet expectations, and is over-priced. When you're buying pasta for $18.50, it had better be good. I had the "special", which was spaghetti carbonara. It was decidedly NOT special. As a matter of fact, I think I've had better pasta in a school cafeteria. Seriously, it was about the blandest pasta I've had in a long, long time. Thought the decor was pretty decent, until I heard the staff yelling at each other back in the kitchen. The waitress we had was super nice, and was clearly embarrassed that we could hear what was going on back in the kitchen. Not her fault, though, and she did her best to make up for it by taking good care of us. HOWEVER... I won't be going back here ever, and the friends who recommended it? Oh, yeah... they're buying dinner next week. Somewhere ELSE...

    (1)

  • ying l.

    Worst Italian style restaurant food I have ever had. I give it one star for the ambience and the decent side salad. The pasta was simply awful- the texture was like rubber, wrong kind (shape) to complement the sauce, which in itself was not decent enough to support the dish. I wonder who is the cook in the back? A Mexican? A Chinese?

    (1)

  • Lawrence L.

    I have dined at Paesano's numerous times over the years -- by and large it is A+. I have more good experiences eating here than bad, unfortunately when it's bad it's very bad. A big hint to watch out for: Is the owner/manager in the building? If he is you will have a much better dining experience. On the up-side he typically IS in the building. But when he's not, consider going elsewhere - when the cats away... well you get it. The food has always been very good. Better than anything you'll find in the "downtown" Ann Arbor Italian restaurants. The menu is creative, and changes seasonally. Sometimes items show-up that seem kinda "out-there" but that can be nice too. The pasta is always cooked to perfection, the bread is great and the soups are right on the spot. The wine list is good - there is always something interesting. I'm not a wine expert and do not have a discerning palette, I just know what tastes good to me and I have always enjoyed my selections. The service staff is a student service staff, and sometimes who is dating who is much more important than delivering hot food. If you want to catch-up on the Paesano's gossip spend time near the server area in the bar. In fact the entire bar area becomes gossip central when the boss is away. If you are just chilling, enjoying a beer this is not an issue, it only becomes an issue when you are ready for another drink, or hoping to cash-out. The bar area really is unique, depending on your mood you may find it charming or you may find it irritating and juvenile. The bar and server staff seem to think there is a dome-of-silence surrounding the service area, leaving the customer thinking "did I really need to hear that?" The bartender is quick with off-color humor - as frequently followed by awkward silence as by laughter. Finally, the bar area is small; the first cigarette lit quickly invades the space leaving non-smokers gasping for the bill.

    (4)

  • Brad T.

    This is a great italian restaurant. You won't get bored with the menu, Chef Isabella changes the menu regularly to feature seasonal items. The wine list is heavily Italian of course and there are some great picks. You can't go wrong with the weekly featured wine, which is available by the glass or bottle. The staff is really helpful and friendly. Hang out in the bar for 5 minutes with a glass of wine and Pat the bartender will be your friend. This isn't a traditional italian red sauce menu. Sure they have that and it's great, but the more regional italian items on the menu are amazing and something you may not find elsewhere. Go for it.

    (4)

  • Mary F.

    Re. Paesano's Catering Service. While I did say Paesano's can be up there is price for catering (but no more so than other caterers in town), I also meant to add that their catering staff/manager are very accomodating and pleasant to deal with. Both the people with whom you set the menu to those that come to do set-up and serve.

    (3)

  • Emily D.

    Great seasonal menus. Solid wine list. Wonderful bread that could be a meal in itself. Must try the salads! Salads are creative and substantial and usually change on a weekly basis. I still remember one I had 4 years ago with raw white mushrooms, shaved parmesan pieces, greens, and lemon juice in a tostada style bowl. It was unique and lovely. Rigatoni with country greens, Italian sausage and hot peppers is superb. It's got a great kick and it's my favorite dish. Fettuccine alla Bolognese and the seafood linguini are quality dishes too. I'm a little bummed that some of the previous reviews are so scathing. We really love the food at this restaurant and would often eat here at least once a week during the long, long MI winters. And I ain't no country bumpkin who hasn't enjoyed enough fine dining to know the difference. I'm from Los Angeles and lived in Berkeley as well, and I think much of Paesano's menu is top notch. I'd give 5 stars for the food. The bump down to 4 is because of the odd location of the place (nondescript corner of Washtenaw) and the borderline Olive Garden decor of certain areas of the restaurant. But overall, it's a lovely and comfortable place and they'll let you sit for hours. Bar area is enjoyable. Despite the great owner/chef (Irish husband/Italian wife) duo running the place, service can occasionally dip a bit depending on who's working that night. But they are pretty great about responding accordingly to unhappy customers. I've had a $50 bottle of wine comped before when someone's food order got screwed up. Awesome place to go for a really good sit-down meal when you don't want to brave the crowds and parking in downtown treetown. Also nice place to go grab a meal and kill some time if you need to get a flat tire repaired at Discount Tires next door!

    (4)

  • Joyo P.

    The food was good, the wine list reasonable. I am vegetarian, and there was a fair bit of choice, it seemed. My problem was the following: I was offered a soup or salad with my pasta meal, and I asked if the artichoke soup had meat in it, waitress says no. Soup shows up, looks rather like it has bacon bits, I ask again, waitress says "Trust me.." and something to that effect. I start on the soup, and am almost convinced there is meat -- my wife, not a vegetarian, agrees. I leave the soup midway, when the waitress comes to clear the table, I ask her to confirm with the chef. When she brings the bill, she says it did indeed have bacon, but that it was a new addition to the menu. The waitress was very young and I felt sorry for her, plus I was on a date and did not want to make a scene. Even the soup was not taken off my bill. Sadly, this goes with my general experience of the meatless experience not being taken seriously by restaurants in the midwest. At the very least, it is the job of the restaurant to train the staff on whether things they are serving have meat, bacon qualifies.

    (2)

  • Steve G.

    Stopped here on a recent road trip. We sat outside in a nice patio area as the weather was beautiful. The fresh bread and salads were very good and I was looking forward to our main course. Unfortunately the wait was loooonnng and entrees ended up disappointing. I ordered the Chicken Parm (I don't get very adventurous on long road trips) and it arrived as three thin squares of chicken atop a bed of angel hair pasta. The chicken was cooked so thoroughly I had difficulty sawing through with my serrated knife. In contrast the pasta was overcooked and slightly mushy. The flavor was good, execution poor. My tablemates expressed similar disappointments with their dishes. It was as if our dishes had set under a heat lamp for a half hour before being presented. The decor was very nice and the first half of our meal was very good. However the long wait and overcooked food spoiled our experience. I'm assigning three stars since it may have just been a bad night for the kitchen (dining area was very empty though).

    (3)

  • David S.

    Pleasant Italian restaurant on Washtenaw. Menu features seasonal dishes and shows a lot more variation and creativity than you typical Italian place. Ingredients are good quality and service staff is pleasant and well trained.

    (4)

  • Wallace H.

    My wife and I love Italian food and finally decided to try Paesano's after hearing a mix of good and bad reviews. Sadly, we were disappointed to find that the bad reviews seem to be on the mark. Our experience started going south right from the beginning. After being seated, a waitress came and told us enthusiastically that the menu is constantly changing and that she would give us time to "absorb" it. With great fanfare she explained that she would come back with our water and discuss the various options with us. After a few minutes, a different waitress delivered the water and asked abruptly "So, what do you want?" We thought the original waitress had gone on break, passed out, been fired or worse. But no. She reappeared almost immediately to serve customers all around us who had arrived just after we did. No explanation. No eye contact. No indication that she had ever spoken with us. Could we have been "dumped" as undesirable customers? I don't know. But the odd behavior of both waitresses certainly detracted from our experience. Despite the problematic service, we were determined to give the food a fair chance. Unfortunately, the best I can say is that it was okay. The pasta was undercooked. Sauces were bland. Salads were plain. While we didn't find flies in the food, there was just nothing to make it stand out. Compared with the other Italian restaurants in Ann Arbor, including pricey places like Gratzi and chains like Olive Garden, I would put Paesano's food quality near the bottom and their prices near the top. Add to this an uninspiring interior with windows looking out at the traffic of Washtenaw Ave and this is just not a place we will give a second chance.

    (2)

  • Dwayne F.

    Here's the thing, every restaurant has its good nights and bad nights so you have to keep that in mind when going to a restaurant. In my opinion, it's what they do to try and fix the problem on bad nights that sets bad restaurants apart from good ones. Paesano's, especially the owner, will try and try again to make your meal the way you want it. For all those people that complain about this restaurant, here's a tip; when a server asks you how everything is, and everything is NOT GREAT, don't be passive-aggressive and blog about it after the point, tell them!!! Honestly the husband and wife combo that own this place are amazing. They will bend over backwards to assure that you are pleased when you walk out the door, even if there were a couple mistakes during your dining experience. This place is a great place to experience something out of the ordinary, and with their new executive chef, David Whitney, you're going to get that. His first solo menu creating is upcoming in mid-March so keep an eye out. The service can be a bit lacking at times because, like any other restaurant, they have to hire new people and there is something called a learning curve. Each server that I've had (with a couple exceptions) is well trained on the menu, the weekly specials, and the wine list, and if they're not they are not afraid to go ask to find out an answer for you. This restaurant is for people who want to experience something new, fun, and creative. It's also for people who want to experience a extraordinary wine list. If you want to eat cheap here, you can. But, if you want to spend some dough, you can definitely do that as well. It's all up to you. I recommend this restaurant because the food is great and the location is convenient, but it's the people that work there and who are regulars there that keep me coming back.

    (4)

  • Susan D.

    Went for the Mother's Day Brunch today and were wondering how the new head chef would do. (This is our third visit, I think, since the departure of the much beloved Isabella.) We were impressed once again. He has mastery of roast meats, excellent prep of sides, particularly the scalloped potatoes and the pastas, and wonderful desserts. The poached salmon was done to perfection. I think it's hard to do a good brunch on a big holiday like Mother's Day, and Paesano's did a stellar job.

    (5)

  • Michelangelo S.

    Paesano's serves a rotating menu of authentic Italian. For me, this is a brithdays-and-anniversaries place; dinner for 2 with one bottle of wine can run $50-80, but it's the rarity of visits that makes it special. While you can get fine quality Italian-American dishes all over Ann Arbor, including Cottage Inn downtown and Argiero's in Kerrytown, I especially enjoy Paesano's for its Old-World cooking, including new, authentically European twists. I've enjoyed dishes here including quail, duck, and primavera. The pasta is very good; the polenta, when offered, is incredible. I've never had anything less than great food here, but service can be slow- not because it's a time-honored characteristic of an authentic Italian dining experience, but because the servers here are clearly just not that into you. For the price, I'd rather have better service. -1 star for that. Between the worldliness of Chef Isabella and the deep knowledge of sommelier Chaad, you can get really outstanding food here without having to deal with downtown. Ask for recommendations form the staff, and if your server happens to be new, simple: ask if there's someone on hand who knows the menu well. You won't regret it.

    (4)

  • Sarah R.

    Paesano's is one of those places I'd love to dine at when someone else is paying! It has a lovely atmosphere, and the food is good, but it's a little overrated and a little out of my usual price range. The rigatoni with country greens, sausage and hot peppers is quite good. If you're a vegetarian, you can also order it without the sausage, and it's just as tasty. However, at $15.75, the price is a little steep. Paesano's dinner salads are also quite good and fresh. The Gorgonzola, Pear and Toasted Walnut salad with walnut viniagrette was a real winner. The atmosphere is really nice for groups, though. I've been there several times with members of a local writing group, once for a holiday celebration, and once to send off a member who was moving out of state. The restaurant staff was very accommodating of the large group, though a little slow with service compared to the times I've come with a smaller group. One thing that makes Paesano's unique is that it doesn't just provide dining opportunities. Other unusual offerings at Paesano's include Italian language classes and a variety of themed special events, from a Sangria Patio party to a beer dinner featuring local microbrews. They have weekly Wednesday night wine-tastings as well, and one of these weeks, I plan to fork over $20 to check one out.

    (3)

  • Mark S.

    Food was excellent! I had the Veal scalopini and it was amazing! Mindy is an excellent bartender, very good service!

    (5)

  • Mel T.

    I think is one of the most over rated restaurants in Ann Arbor. I've been dragged here multiple times w/ friends and neither my boyfriend or I have ever had a meal we enjoyed. I love lamb, but every time I've ordered it it is impossible to tell the quality of the meat because it comes prepped like chicken fried steak (and just about as tasty). Meat, pasta, seafood all sort of eh. Nothing to get excited about. Half the wait staff seem to have no clue about the wine and obviously just make things up if you ask questions instead of getting a wine steward to answer. Also if you don't show up dressed expensively they will just blow you off and you'll get your food after everyone else around is fed no matter when they came in. Skip this place and go the Common Grill in Chelsea. The food and service is much better at CG and the price is about the same.

    (1)

  • Jillian D.

    get thee to the wine room, stat!!! saturday night, my family had much to celebrate - not only did michigan deliver the upset of all upsets, beating notre dame in a back-and-forth nail biter, but it was my brother's 22nd birthday. to celebrate, my mom booked ta reservation at his fave restaurant, paesanos. we lucked out and got the private wine room - an italian country table and chairs set up in - you guessed it - the restaurant's wine room. it was intimate and cozy - perfect for a celebration of this kind. the seasonal menu is inventive and never disappoints. we were there for the last evening of summer specials, and took advantage of certain dishes before they disappeared forever. from braised lamb meatballs in tomato sauce and summer fruit salad with fried gorgonzola balls to swordfish with olive tapenade over greens and braised pork belly with caramelized figs and mozzarella grits. oh my god, YUM. they allowed us to bring our own cake - carrot, my brother's favorite, and even lit the candles for us so we could sing. slices were served up with various coffee drinks - including the house cappuccino, a delightful beverage that comes with bowls of chocolate shavings, cinnamon sticks and whipped cream so you can dress it to your heart's content. i wish i lived closer so i could return more often to sample the chef's ever-changing menu of seasonal ingredients. whatever you order, you won't be disappointed!!

    (5)

  • Mei O.

    This is within walking distance of home, so I was really hoping it would be good. I really liked their walnut and pear salad, the dressing was awesome, so I was pumped for the main course. What a let down... Andrew ordered the lemon fettucine, and it was pretty bland, my lemon fettucine I make at home tastes way better. My spicy pasta was ok, but for the price that we paid, I would expect much more. If you know what good Italian food tastes like, then don't come here, because you'll be disappointed.

    (2)

  • Tricia T.

    I have been in search of the best gnocchi in the greater Detroit area and I can confidently say that it is NOT at Paesano's. What I hoped to be soft pillowy pasta was dense, bland oversized pellets that could be found in the refridgerated section at Meijer's. The reason I had decided to even try Paesano's is because some food critic had listed it as one of the ten lesser known restaurants in the Detroit area that is surprisingly good. I think this critic had concluded this after smoking a couple joints and needing to satisfy the munchies....where "Chef Boyardee" would have tasted like Mario Batali. While not a criticism, but more of an observation, Paesano's is popular with the suburban family with kids or the non-Yuppie, 40ish crowd.

    (1)

  • zin b.

    Generous portions on pasta and salads, and a crowd-pleaser lunch buffet with more choices than you can process. I have eaten here four times in a decade, I'm not a regular, and I freely admit I am a down townie. Paesano's is a local restaurant (hooray!) which is a notch-and-a-half above Olive Garden and aiming for those in search of the fine dining experience. Despite the restaurant's name, if you have wine mojo, do not expect Vino-Village-Corner-Ology. This week I ordered a red wine I know and like (a Nebbiolo) and it came to the table cold. Not slightly chilled (definitely not room temperature), but cola-off-the-gun-over-ice cold. Response: "it just came off the truck." (Do you, a waiter, have temperature sensation in your hands?) I palmed it to bring it up to serving temperature for six or seven minutes until I surrendered it to the bar, where the owner, who is very genial, plus working his own bar kudos to him, told me (a) it wasn't cold; then (b) I needed to cradle it and it would warm right up; then finally (c) a lot of people like their red wine cold. I hate to be high maintenance but these days, you know, with a glass of wine in two digits that costs per bottle around twenty retail, okay so call me high maintenance. I asked for something comparable on the bar at room temperature and was graciously offered something red and not chilly but disappointingly dissimilar but happily less expensive but oops there was no adjustment. (Me, I would have sized me up and seized on the opportunity here to schmooze me, supersize me, and proselytize me.) I would not go to one of the prominently advertised wine tastings here until they prove they know that cold red wine is even worse than a refrigerated cheese plate. Rigatoni with greens, sausage, walnuts and peppers, a menu favorite and a personal favorite, umami-satisfying. Nice balance of chunks of chewy pasta cheesiness, toothsome nuggets of meat and nuts, and palate cleansing emerald colored, perfectly cooked, mildly bitter greens. Pear gorgonzola salad straightforward and competent. I find it interesting that so many people on here think the menu is innovative. Because, it's not 1970's Italian-American? Go thou and read some classic Italian regional cookbookery, this all comes from there. Service was good at lunch. Very, very popular, so popular you may have to park across the street behind the GNC and cross the muddy gravel side street. Hopefully you are not wearing expensive high heels (or if you are maybe you have on those kinky galoshes for high heels that wrap around the shoe part leaving the heel bare hmm now what could be wrong with that). Make a reservation to be sure. 3323 / 4.

    (3)

  • Tasha M.

    This is a wonderful choice for your 'gourmet' Italian palette. My husband and I went here 2 days ago (our 2nd time) and were again impressed. He had the short ribs and I had minestrone soup and the Pasta Pouch (which was a daily special), which was filled with cheeses and vegetables and served in a garlic sauce. I was, however, disappointed with the latte. Bummer.

    (5)

  • Mae S.

    This restaurant can be good one day and slow and kind of mediocre the next. Everyone seems to like the pear and cheese salad, and to enjoy at least some of the pasta dishes. At peak dinner times, the kitchen seems to be overwhelmed. Or maybe there's another explanation. Pretty expensive: rarely worth it.

    (2)

  • SaSa ..

    I wish I could give this place a better rating because there are some good parts about the restaurant, but overall the place is mediocre. Food: 4 Stars - I think the food is actually very good. The bread is yummy (especially when hot!), and the salads are big. The entrees are somewhat hit or miss. I like the chicken parm (though it's a big greasy), and the rigitoni with sausage and peppers. The lasagana is kind of boring. Service 2.5 stars - the servers are friendly enough, but every time I've gone, it's taken forever to get the food. Last time we went, it was a solid hour between when we were seated and when our entrees arrived. Granted we were supplied with tons of bread, but that's still a bit much. Accessibility - 4 stars. Despite the traffic, it's nice not to deal with main street and the parking problems. Overall this is a decent restaurant, though there is still much that can be improved.

    (3)

  • Amy W.

    The menu changes seasonally. The food is good, not great. Limited vegetarian selections. Friendly service.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 10

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Romantic
    Noise Level : Average
    Music : Background
    Good For Dancing : No
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Happy Hour : No
    Best Nights : Wed, Thu, Sat
    Coat Check : No
    Smoking : No
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Categories

Italian Cuisine

The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.

Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.

If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.

Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar

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