Paganos Market and Bar

Charged $ 13 for a glass of cheap wine. Absolutely ridiculous… I will never go back. I had dirty martini’s with high end vodka at Davio’s for $ 11. They need to re-​think their pricing big time.

Pagano’s has a great outdoor area for summer happy hours and their food is pretty good, but a little over priced. If you go in and order from the market there are cheaper options like their $ 2 pizza which is delicious. Definitely more of a drinking spot than an eating spot.

What a great Center City spot. Picture a sandwich line but with higher end menu and food quality. Throw in an exquisite salad bar. Add a bar and a cool ambience plus outdoor seating and you have a great lunch spot. I met Mike Pagano, the owner, who wanted to make sure I enjoyed my meal there. And boy did I ever. Go check it out, especially on Wednesdays, where here the place is apparently jumping after work.

I’m always down for a good happy hour at Pagano’s, but I have to say I dread when I have to buy lunch here. Sometimes the options are limited especially if it’s bad weather as I don’t want to go out and find a place to eat, and I don’t want someone risking life and limb bringing it to me. So pagano’s is the only option.
Don’t get me wrong, food is great, but it costs an arm and a leg and makes me feel like I bought lunch for two instead of just one (price-​wise, not quantity-​wise).
Definitely will keep coming here inevitably, but I typically try to avoid it!

I called in an order for a burger and went down to grab… went in and had no clue where to go so I asked the bar and they sent me to the checkout line. The checkout line pointed to the meat area and the exact words were «you can talk to any of those guys behind the counter» so I went over and stood with a few other people. I got looked in the eye twice and as I would start to speak they’d walk away.
So one guy steps up and is helping another person and I say «excuse me I think that’s my burger» and point to it sitting on the counter and he says «yep okay» and walks away. I stand there for a second confused and he comes back and grabs it and in a very shitty tone says «sorry I didn’t hop to fast enough for you» and some other berating bullshit loud and rude as hell. I wasn’t rude to him in any way but he came at me like a complete asshole. Sorry that I was confused and told by the checkout line that I could just walk up.
Upon reading more reviews it sounds like i got the owner and I’m sure with the amount of business he does he just really doesn’t care.
My burger and fries are okay and I’m glad that I got them before they sat there getting soggy but I really can’t believe that guy talked to me that way and I won’t be back. Hire some people that can handle a lunch rush please.

I have told the Manager, Chuck, twice that the food servers do not wear gloves, especially the pizza maker and the servers behind the counters. He said he would «take care of it» and still no gloves. I saw the pizza maker wipe his sweaty forehead and continue to make pizza. I asked once for one server to put on gloves before picking up my pizza and he gave me an attitude. There was also no gloves available to him. I have also heard the servers make sexual comments about female customers. More fool me to go back, but it’s convenient as it’s in my bldg. No more!

This is another restaurant choice in the building where I work. More of a deli, they have a nice salad bar, great sandwich choices, pizza, and other prepared foods. They are expensive– to be expected in this neighborhood — but the food is always good. Some of the staff can be a bit stand-​offish– but if you’re just in and out for the food, you’ll be fine.

Rude staff. Expensive prices for deli and pizza. Did I mention that the staff was rude? Specifically the folks who man the pizza area. Everyone else is okay. Avoid the pizza.

After years of eating at faceless delis in NY, a highlight of my summer was getting lunch at Paganos where the options seemed at the same time gourmet but affordable and the staff incredibly nice. The lunch options are delicious, rotating and effectively limitless and quality has always been a step up from anywhere else. My biggest regret in coming back to NY for work is missing this place.

I work in Commerce Sq so their location is perfect for me. I usually hit up Paganos a few times a week for lunch.
Definitely a sucker for their pizza, but they’re entire menu is pretty much solid. Food tastes great, not too expensive, and they’ve got a bar.

This review is for Sips!
Love that it is outdoors but not as packed as Marathon/​Chops (Table 31) since there is plenty of room around the water fountain to sit. Service was super quick. Drink assortment is the usual. DJ played some fun throwbacks like «Jumpin Jumpin»…Yonce original wut wut. I’d definitely suggest this place to friends!
The crowd was your usual sips scene… girls copying outfits off of Pinterest and guys putting on fancier work wear to seem more corporate.

The food is pretty great for lunch if you live or work in the area. They usually have some awesome lunch specials in the bar and the salad bar and pizza options are very robust.
This place is right across from my office building so people always want to come here for happy hour. So, let’s focus on the bar side of the business… The bar manager is always present, but doesn’t appear to be running a tight ship. The service is always sub par and the bartenders rarely know anything regarding the current specials that have been advertised. When we visited last week, I literally watched as the bartender served EVERYONE standing around me, as I held a $ 20 bill in my hand with a smile on my face (this included a few older women who walked up after I had been waiting for about two minutes). After she finally took my order, she poured my wine and then she left it sitting on the wine cooler while she took the time to close out some else’s check.
It’s just always a struggle here. Do yourself a favor and head to one of the other bars in the area!

I work in the same building, so I eat here often by default. It is superior to my other close and quick options — Au Bön Pain and Coventry. The quality of Paganos is indisputably better than both. As such, I don’t mind paying a little more.
I have had a lot of things here — soups, salads, sandwiches, breakfast and pizza. Most things are good. I have two issues with this place though — 1. It is so hard to reach the soup under the glass covering. Every time I go I watch people struggle with that. There has to be a better way! 2. The salad bar is sorely lacking. I wish they would add better toppings in place of some of the pasta salads or have a build-​you-​own salad area. They would do SO, SO well with one of those. (think honeygrow or devon and blakely).
If I could give this place a 3.5, I probably would, but I default to 4 because they have to be doing something right to get as much business from my co-​workers and me as they do. Plus, they serve La Colombe coffee (major bonus!) and everyone who works there is very friendly.

Morning:
Coffee is good but overpriced. I ordered a large iced (thinking LARGE) and got what appeared to be a medium 16oz. They open early and have a nice selection of flavored syrups, and offer cappuccino, espresso and macchiato bevs. Heard they have a breakfast bar with hotfood but I have not tried it but should I crave scrambled eggs and bacon one day, I will know where I’m headed.
Afternoon:
Salad bar is on the smal side and a little overpriced but its good for lunch and especially convenient if you’re working in commerce square. Nice pizza selection and sandwich selection. Service is fast and the guys are so nice! $ 11 for a chicken finger platter is a little steep.
Night:
Hit or miss when it comes to the happy hour here. I’ve been here when there are 5 total people in the bar and when it’s packed. During SIP’s its the latter. Indoor and outside seating is always a plus. Nice for the ‘corporates’ who need a cocktail after work quickly.

Owner (bald headed fellow) is hotheaded and does not hesitate to curse at customers, in front of customers. The man does not set an example for his staff to follow and I have witnessed him yell at a customer when the customer asked one of his staff if he knew when a buffet item would be restocked. It sounded like a totally innocent and common question that would be asked at a buffet if you ask me… or anyone else whose been to a restaurant before. He then proceeded to rip the man’s plate from his hands and throw it in the trash while getting in his face, in his chef robe, at the busy cashier line for all of us to see. I will not be going back, nor will my coworkers who work in the building.
Owner who does not understand the business he is running, overpriced low quality food. No thank you. Go to Du Jour, the restaurant/​café right next it instead. The food is great and they know how to treat their customers with respect.

I go here often because I work in the same building. The food is terrible and pricey. I asked for slice of buffalo chicken pizza and the guy got mad at me for ordering that because he had run out of it and had to make one just for me. The salad bar is quick but not great. The sandwiches and other stuff is just ok.

I just stopped by at 2:30pm for lunch and stood at the counter for 10 minutes, without a single one of the people behind the counter acknowledging me.
I then left & within 2 minutes had a sandwich from Au Bön Pain.
Horrible customer service.

I think the reason it’s called Pagano’s is because calling a restaurant «We Sell All Kinds of Crap Here!» borders on ridiculous (though certainly not beneath me). But, it’s true. They sell all kinds of crap there!
Cheesesteaks… hoagies… pizza… fries… salads… pastas… meats… breakfast. It’s all there. And you get a lot of food that’s of a good quality and service that’s of an even better quality. The guys behind the grill are super-​nice and serve you quickly!
My suggestions for visiting are: 1. Bring a chunk of change. They are a wee bit pricey, and 2. Survey the layout before you get in line. It’s a bit wonky. It took me a minute to realize that I had to walk by the pizza to get in line for the entrees and grill. And afterward, I definitely entered the checkout line from the wrong direction. Thankfully, the guy ringing me up was understanding about it. I just hope the people I inadvertently cut in front of were as well. Sorry, good people!

Pagano’s is A-​OK — just as Unilocal 3 star joints are. An over-​priced salad/​hot food bar. Good soups, pricey platters of hot food (often chicken cutlets and pasta) and pizza. Plenty of seating and boy do they need it during the lunch rush.
A vast selection of yuppified bottled beverages.
Great if you work at Commerce Square — especially on a snowy or rainy day. Convenient.
Lots of options, priced a bit high.

I’m glad that I don’t work in One or Two Commerce full time (my company has an office there that I visit), because my wallet would be seriously hurting from visits to Paganos.
On my few visits to Paganos, I’ve noticed a couple of things:
— Food is pretty decent. I had a chicken marsala dish last time that I described as «almost as good as I make it at home». They have a pretty nice spread of hot breakfast items too, which I have not yet tried.
— Wide variety of food options. They have pizza, sandwiches, soup, salad bar, snacks, drinks. Something for everyone. Good place to go with coworkers who have varied tastes.
— Layout is a bit chaotic. They need to label their food better. I was so confused when I ordered that chicken marsala– how much is a platter, does it come by itself, how many sides do I get. It was one of those situations where you just order something and hope you didn’t order either a) a ton/​too little of food or b) something that is going to cost you a fortune…
— Price is high. I get that this is Center City. And I get that they are in an office building where they can command higher prices due to convenience. But the price is just high. That is all.
Overall, a decent lunch option for the area. Really no need to visit unless you work in the building and don’t feel like walking far.