Paon Restaurant and Wine Bar

My wife and I started coming here a few months ago and love the food, service and atmosphere. We usually share a few dishes and the food is always great! This is definitely a favorite spot in Carlsbad and North County.

First time coming here and I discovered THEY DO NOT READ THE RESERVATION REQUESTS.
My boyfriend and I had reservations for Saturday night at 7pm. When we made the reservation we made sure to let them know that we wanted an outside table and that we’re celebrating a birthday (my boyfriends). Once we arrived we were standing there for a while and no one greeted us, several workers kept walking past us. Finally a man greets us and we tell him our name for the reservation. He then asks if we want to sit inside or outside, we said outside. Then we asked if they don’t read the reservation because we stated we wanted outside. He said they do but some people change there mind. Okay that’s understandable. We sat at a table on the patio and the ambiance was so beautiful and romantic, I loved the fountain and the plants. Also the bathrooms are not in the restaurant itself they are behind a gate that’s on the patio then down the hall to the side of the restaurant.
We both ordered some yummy cocktails (we had to ask for the menu, since they only gave us the wine menu) I got the tequini which was great. I loved it and highly recommend. We also got some complementary bread which we also had to ask for. Our waiter wasn’t friendly at all, we never once saw him smile. His vibe was very unwelcoming.
We started with the veal sweet breads, we both have never had them and thought we’d give it a try. My boyfriend enjoyed them I thought they tasted a bit gamey, also the portion was very small. While enjoying the appetizer we saw the waiters bring out a desert with a candle on it for someone else’s birthday and I thought it was great, and I was excited for my boyfriend to get his.
We first started with salads. I got the Indian spiced prawn salad and he got the Indian spiced scallop salad. For dinner he got the special which was a New York steak and I got the pan seared Maine diver scallops. I enjoyed my salad although the seasoning on the prawns were so strong I felt like I was eating Indian food, although I did still enjoy it. My boyfriend liked the seasoning but thought his salad was odd because it had no lettuce, only finely sliced up apples to replace the lettuce.
Our dinner arrives and my boyfriend loved his meal; the steak was very tender, cooked perfectly and he stated it cut «like butter». I loved my scallops as well they were cooked perfectly although I wasn’t a fan of the sauce/​broth that was underneath.
After we finished we were excitedly awaiting for his desert. Thinking each dish that came by would be for him but it wasn’t. We ended up deciding to order desert wine hoping the desert would come a bit later. We got our desert wines and at that moment realized they weren’t going to bring anything out for him. I wasn’t a fan of the desert wines they were extremely sweet, but it was also my first time trying desert wine.
I was getting very sad knowing they didn’t read or they just ignored what I wrote in the reservation. I kept telling my boyfriend I want to say something or go in and talk to someone. He kept telling me it was fine and he’s full anyway. I still felt horrible. I would of been more than happy to pay for a desert but the fact they did absolutely nothing completely shocked me. Overall i definitely will not be returning, the service lacked severely and I completely regret bringing my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner.

Beautiful place. Great date night. The wine tasting is amazing too. The «wine guy» is very friendly and talks to you about all the wines. Will be back!

Very unwelcoming. The man running the winery portion of this place was very rude. I had nicely asked to take Senior Portraits outside of the back of their beautiful building for 10 minutes and was quickly told that we couldn’t take pictures because they would «lose customers.» Not only were we offering free advertisement but also hoping for a glass of wine… However the short 8 minutes of our shoot a few stores down, not a single customer walked into your facility. Sorry you lost business because of 2 girls taking Senior Portraits. We’re in Carlsbad here… Where is the friendly, welcoming atmosphere? I’ll never recommend this place simply due to poor attitude and an unwelcoming atmosphere. Really disappointed.

came for lunch today with my family. Took a table at the terrace… Very nice and relaxing setting. Music, running water, and good wine. Order the apple salad with stilton cheese, very good prepared and not overpowering. Then the goat cheese with tapenade… Very good also. My wife had the duck confit cassoulet, which she loved. To me the duck was good, but the beans were not so good… It seems the pancetta was to strong… My kids and I order the burger with caramelised onions mushrooms, and stilton cheese… Great burger. Dessert was brownie, strawberries and chocolate cake. All very good. Need to come back for dinner. Bravo.

Superb!
Went there last night for the first time and the whole experience was simply flawless. The place has a cozy feel, great for dates.
The gentleman who greeted/​seated us was very pleasant and attentive. We sat at the bar to wait for our table and the bartender took great care of us. My old fashioned was perfect, and I’m picky about them.
Our server was kind and attentive. His description of the steak special sold me on the spot. For appetizer we had the Brie and some fruits plate and it was really good. My entrée was delicious, perfect steak cut and he even added some mashed potatoes to my request. My friend had the short rib and it was also fantastic. For dessert we tried the cannoli and oh my! It was so so good.
Portion sizes were perfect, you get to eat enough without stuffing your face, which is great. Especially the dessert, perfect size to share.
We had one appetizer, two entrees, one dessert, two glasses of wine and two old fashioned and our check came out to less than $ 150. For a nice French restaurant, I can’t really complain.
Overall my experience at Paon was amazing, from beginning to end. I can’t wait to be back!

A wonderful restaurant with an outdoor seating patio to take in sunny Carlsbad on a lazy afternoon or early happy hour as the sun sets in this beautiful beach town.
We had lunch on a weekday and it was a nice experience. Our party had burgers, salads, and chicken meals. I tried the salmon atop a beet salad which I was hesitant to try, but was confidently urged by my server as a good pick.
The salmon was a solid block of fresh salmon with a dollop of a cream sauce on top. The beet salad was a perfect refreshing and tasty balance to the seafood gaminess. Cool, firm and flavorful. A business lunch we were on, so we opted out of the wine selections, but I’d love to come back to round out a meal with some drinks.
Great ambiance. Good service. And tasty entrees. Well done.

I have been back here a few times to eat from their menus and had these things.
On the lunch menu is the seared sashimi grade Hawaiian yellowfin tuna with haricot verts (green beans), roasted butternut squash, sun choke purée that really adds to the dish. It was a sweet purée that went well with the rare tuna. There seemed to be too many green beans and just enough tuna. I like small plates and this seemed excessive, as was the reason I gave a four star review last time.
There is a duck confit (just the leg) on the lounge menu. On the dinner menu is duck done two ways, which is duck confit and a duck breast with roasted turnip and sweet potato purée, which was delicious and I have had it a few times now, definitely worth a recommend. They know how to do a purée!
The dinner menu has the pan roasted pheasant w/​wild mushrooms, swiss chard, and vegetable truffle risotto isn’t their strongest dish, though I would get it again for the risotto, as they are very good at creating a savory and oftentimes delightful risotto. They used to have an olive risotto as a side to a previous dish and it was to die for! One the subject, they also used to have a delicious butternut squash ravioli! They have a chicken ravioli on the menu now that I should get to trying. They used to have a lamb dish with tomato purée and olive risotto that should come back.
The lounge has the burger, which is on a nice brioche bun and is super wet. It’s good to go rare and I like that about it. The fries are thick and short in a jenga like stack. Nothing to be known for, but I wouldn’t get it when there are so many other tempting options.
They know how to do a purée, they know how to do a risotto, they know how to do a ravioli. Stick to those and you’ll be getting the best of what Paon has to offer.

Salacious fine dining with the best wine selection of any Carlsbad establishment. I’m told the kitchen makes everything in house. Compliments to the chef! The menu demands a return visit.

Went here with my MIL for brunch. Loved all the food except wasn’t crazy about flavor of tuna tartar. Beautiful outdoor seating and attentive staff although was very quiet so couldn’t say how they are when restaurant busy. Will definitely bring my husband for romantic dinner.

My husband and I gave Paon a try this past Friday and loved it!
We had a long drive down to Carlsbad and this place was able to fit us in for a 7:30pm reservation.
Aaron took great care of us! (Everyone who visited out table, really)
My husband had the prosciutto salad with burrata, he’s still talking about it.
I started with the Warm Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese –Grapes, Peppered Honey and Walnut Raisin Bread. It was fantastic and almost seemed like a dessert.
For my entrée I had the duck two ways. It was super!
My husband had the Pan Roasted Flat Iron Pork. Also super… but I thought the spätzele was overcooked.
The only other complaint was it was drafty and I ended up wearing my jacket the whole dinner (as did the woman next to me).
I would go back in a heartbeat!

I came here after a colleague enthusiastically recommended Paon.
It is one of the best meals I have ever had. Everything we ordered was great.
It is all about details. I love warm bread and warm butter and it amazes me when I get cold bread and rock hard butter at other places.
My wife had the «Warm Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese –Grapes, Peppered Honey and Walnut Raisin Bread.» It was excellent.
I had the prosciutto salad with burrata, greens and grapes. I LOVED it. Burrata + prosciutto is the stuff of dreams
I had the «Pan Roasted Flat Iron Pork — Swiss Chard, Turnips, Caramelized Golden Apples and Spätzele» which I really enjoyed.
My wife had the duck and loved it. The service was friendly and speedy (which I like because I was hungry).
I would definitely go back.

I wanted to try this restaurant because of all of the amazing reviews I had read on various sites ( Unilocal, trip advisor, etc). It did not disappoint!
First let me just get this out of the way, it’s expensive… like really expensive (definitely a special occasion type of place) but it’s totally worth it. My Uncle and I ordered the special which was a NY steak (btw my uncle is a super picky eater and he cleaned his plate), my husband ordered the venison and my aunt the pheasant.
The entire experience from beginning to end was top notch and just amazing. The food was to die for and the service was fantastic. My Aunt and Uncle said it was the best meal they had ever had.
The atmosphere is also classy, elegant and calming. I highly recommend sitting on the patio but the inside of the restaurant is just as beautiful.
We will definitely be back!

What a treat. Excellence at every level… the setting… the experience… the service… and yet the best food. We had dinner and lunch here.
I would highly recommend this place for special occasions or a romantic date night. They have lovely patio with heat lamps and waterfall.
The wine selections are very nice, too. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Carlsbad.
We plan on going back.

Wow. It is not often that the level of service, the quality of the food, and the excellence of execution overwhelm me. Paon did it.
I was here for a company holiday party, and was therefore unconcerned with the cost of the the extravagance– and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I like to stick with white or red, and opted for a Pinot Noir recommended by our server who was excellent. That wine (as I had asked for one that would) traveled with me from my appetizer, salad, and through the marsala I had as an entrée. The pairing was perfect, and probably not one that I would have chosen myself– great service!
Everything I tried from the salad, the rolls, through dessert was absolutely delicious. Paon is definitely expensive, but I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who can dine here, I had an absolutely stellar experience.
I will definitely be back for future special occasions! So Good!

In town on business and had a great dinner here the other night with our CEO and some colleagues. The staff was incredibly attentive, helpful and gave great recommendations for our late night dinner. We started off with the incredible bread and caprese appetizers for the table and then moved into our entrees.
I selected the Seared Rare Hawaiian Yellowfin Tuna, it came with roasted butternut squash and truffle vinaigrette — it was SO good, light enough to not feel overly stuffed, but a very filling entrée. I opted for one of their specialty cocktails — the «Carlsbad Cosmo» which was a nice addition to the meal. This is a really nice place with great atmosphere and staff — they have a lovely outdoor patio, an intimate dining room and seating options by the bar. We will definitely be back to support this local gem.

You’ll be Paon a lot of money, but the place is great.
FOOD
First, the bread to start is very fresh and tastes a bit like macaroni to me. You get one big piece so you can’t stuff yourself.
The goat cheese appetizer w/​walnuts and honey, served with grapes is delicious. (My wife makes the same thing, but with chives for a little color and bite).
The squash soup is nice and savory (some are too sweet).
The short rib was GREAT– flavorful and super tender and absolutely no fatty pieces. Though the Yukon potato was just three half dollar slices of potato, and the spinach was probably ½ cup, the two big pieces of short rib the size of a blackboard eraser made up for it.
We liked the food so much we returned the next night to take advantage of the Lounge Menu. I could have gotten the short rib (half portion, half price, a great deal), but I got the burger on a shiny brioche bun. It was very yummy and juicy: it wasn’t even close to well-​done as I asked, so if you really want it well-​done ask for it to burnt. It came with ten stubby fries stacked in a Jenga tower.
Returned four months later on Valentine’s Day. Sat at the bar again because we really like the friendly and attentive John.
The onion soup is pretty good. Oniony.
The chocolate brownie was very rich. Though fans of fudge will like it, I had to cut each bite with the tiny serving of vanilla ice cream. The tart diced strawberries’ sweetness could have been helped along, but interesting and well balanced dish.
Not a fan of my wife’s sea bass, a little mushy though requested well done (or «cooked through» as John says). I suspect the chef might be too proud to send out tough, rubbery fish but that’s what my wife likes.
Finally, the filet mignon. I’ve been to many steakhouse including Ruth Chris, 555 East, many Morton’s, and this is the best I’ve had. My steak (the thickest cut ever) was flawless, and perfectly cooked so that the inside was medium rare but the perimeter was well-​done enough for my wife to have some, and to provide two eating experiences (I love medium rare but the kid in me still loves well done).
DRINKS
My Tito’s vodka cranberries were not weak. And I was surprised to see them at $ 8.75 when other nice places charge $ 10 and up. The wife enjoyed her wine. I liked that our server John poured the last drops of her old glass into her new one.
AMBIANCE
For better service (and access to the Lounge Menu), we prefer the bar, which was rich and classic and seemed more lively, with the busy servers, the cling and clang of the glasses, the TV (low volume, if any), and people beside us. Another option we considered was the charming patio, equally romantic, more lush and open, yet secluded from the outside world. The third option was the dining room, which to me looked nice but isn’t my style. The fourth option was to eat in the bathroom, the only advantage being an unlimited amount of perforated napkins.

I loved this restaurant so much that I dined here both nights on my vacation in Carlsbad. My husband and I sat at the bar both times. The restaurant was beautiful, nice lighting and very attentive and friendly service.
We ordered the goat cheese appetizer and I got the chicken dish. Both were presented beautifully and were delicious.
The second night I ordered the butternut squash soup, and the salmon. Both delicious as well.
I would highly recommend this place for special occasions or a romantic date night.
Just a hint, if you sit in the bar they have a lounge menu that is a bit cheaper than the dinner menu.

Paon is a fantastic restaurant located amidst the charm of the Village in Carlsbad. This places food is ridiculously good and the menu options are absolutely awesome. I have been to this joint a couple of times and am continuously amazed wth their level of service and quality of dishes. Among my favorites are the diver scallops, watermelon salad and of course the cannoli as a dessert. The above menu items are delicious but literally everything on the menu is top notch. Overall, the ambience, food and service equal a 5 star experience all the way.
Pros–
Service
Ambiance
Indoor/​outdoor seating
Taste
Presentation
Lighting
Bread service
Parking is plentiful across the street
Wine menu
Cons–
A tad pricey

3.5 star rounded up to a 4.
Hubby and I had lunch on a Saturday before we checked out the flower fields. We made reservations via OpenTable, but it wasn’t needed (at least for lunch). We were greeted right away and chose to sit outside next to the fountain.
We started with some complimentary warm bread and butter and then ordered the marinated goat cheese and mango prosciutto salad. Both were delish. For our main dishes he had the short rib and I had the duck. Both dishes were really good. The short rib was so tender and the mushroom, spinach, and potatoes complemented the dish beautifully. The duck itself was pretty tasty. The only part of my dish I wasn’t too satisfied with was the white bean cassoulet. There was mixed corn, carrot, green beans that just tasted like they were frozen/​canned. I expected fresh from this kind of restaurant.
Overall food was good, service was great. Would we rush to come back? Probably not. BUT if my husband is ever willing to try escargot, then we will! LOL

Muy grosero la persona que atiende Omg ! Maître de. Primer paso di la persona no saludo nice, preguntamos por el vino de la Casa y nos tiro el menu de vino! Era una occasion especial ahora voy a Otro restaurante ! The maître is very rude I not have the opportunity for testing the duck! So no spend money in this place and feel discrimation toooo