Paesano

Went here the other weekend with my boyfriends family! It was just a treat! It was crowded so it was noisy! The waiter was awesome! The wait for the food was long but the food was amazing! It was a nice treat that the waiter gave my boyfriends dad a birthday dessert. Will definitely come back again!

Paesano restaurant in the Manoa Marketplace has yummy food, good service, and honest employees. I left my wallet at dinner, and someone called to arrange pick-​up. I knew that wallet was coming back to me; I just didn’t know how. Thanks, Paesano!

Definitely one of my favorite Italian restautants. My first time actually coming here was years way back, maybe when it first opened, and I had a conversation with the owner or manager. From that conversation, I knew I’d be passionate about their food because a lot of thought goes into their recipes for food. And everything I’ve had here, has been exceptional to my taste buda. Their steak with shrimp scampi beats a simian combination at assagios. Their steak is soft, their sauce is tasty, and their shrimps are larger. I love their fresh clam casino as well. Their fettuccine is one of the best I’ve had. their broccoli is not soggy. Something as simple as their cheese ravioli is good! It’s a romantic setting, but also great for family dining. Service is great and they have an extensive wine list. I actually really like they’re service because it shows they are professionally trained.

Forgot the name of the dish, I think it was called Calamari parmesano. I was a squid stake with cheese over it. The dish came with the spaghetti with tomato sauce. It tasted «squid with cheese, pasta with tomato sauce»… I mean, that’s it, it was «flat» with no special flavor to it. I could make the same dish with just simple seasonings/​simple steps. I would not pay over $ 16 for something that I could make at home. I liked the green salad. It came with many different colorful veggies, olives, cubed cheese. The salad was generous amount for the price, a little over $ 6. Do I come back??? No… I paid $ 28 including tips for 2 dishes. I would rather cook the same dish at home.

So I’ve been living 3 minutes away from Manoa Marketplace for years now and went to Paesano for the first time this past weekend! Don’t let the stark restaurant front fool you. Paesano is a cute and intimate Italian restaurant located right next to Subway in Manoa Marketplace.
My family ordered the calamari and prosciutto and melon appetizers which were delicious! The food came out quickly, despite the restaurant being busy. I ordered an Opah Piccata for my entrée, which came with linguine pasta. It was a delicious meal!
To top it all off, I was celebrating my birthday and they gave me a complimentary slice of a chocolate mousse cake. I didn’t get a chance to see the other desserts on the menu, but I have no doubt they are all delicious!

Nestled in the heart of Manoa lies a little gem in the Manoa Marketplace, Paesano Italian Restaurant! Although the restaurant isn’t very large (seating capacity is about 70), every dish is prepared with a big heart. The savory flavor of its Italian dishes makes for a memorable experience. The New York steak is grilled and baked to perfection over your choice of pasta. I have tried almost all of their appetizers and they do not disappoint!
And don’t forget desserts! Yummy! My favorite is their Tiramisu! If you’re craving something lighter, they also offer sorbet.
I have been here several times and the hosts/​hostess and waiters and waitresses are always very welcoming.
There are ample parking in the Manoa Marketplace. Just a quick drive from town or leisurely drive into Manoa make this place worth the drive!

Service was great but the food needs helps. We ordered the garlic bread it had hardly any garlic taste to it.

Great for business lunch. Nice ambiance. Food quality vs. price I give 3 stars. But, overall 4 ½ stars.

Stopped here for lunch with the girls after our day at the spa and was sadly disappointed. We chose Paesano’s because we were craving their Caesar salad. Unfortunately for us, everything we ordered was just «meh». Salad, cheese sticks, rigatoni with meat sauce, garlic bread with marinara? Meh. Crab cakes? Triple meh. All of the dishes lacked flavor and the textures were off too. Weird. I didn’t order dessert, just coffee and even that was served luke warm. Yuck. Don’t know if maybe we came on a bad day or, has service and quality shifted for the worse? Can’t say that I will be back to figure that one out. It’s difficult to want to patronize a restaurant that doesn’t serve food with flavor or hot coffee that is hot.
Ciao Paesano Manoa.

So disappointed! Paesano HAD my favorite Caesar salad and fettuccine Alfredo. We ordered takeout last night and ate it at home. As soon as I put the Caesar salad in my mouth I knew something was different. No anchovies!!! What!!! Then I ate some Alfredo. It was so bland! It used to be so rich and creamy! Now it literally has no taste! I told my sister and she said she thinks they’re under new owners. I haven’t gone to Paesano in a long time so I was so excited to finally get a fix of my favorite Italian joint. Not going back there anymore.

Paesano’s is a neighborhood Italian Restaurant with an extensive menu of the usual favorites – chicken alfredo with broccoli, veal marsala, chicken piccata, and shrimp scampi.
I recommend getting the house salad to get some veggies into your meal. It has a tangy dressing, olives, cubes of parmesan, and pepperoncini. I wouldn’t recommend the seafood pasta. It was loaded with fat strips of calamari, mussels, shrimp and clams, but the seafood wasn’t particularly fresh and the pasta was swimming in a watery sauce. If you go, I would order a chicken dish, since it’s more frequently ordered it should be more fresh.
The restaurant is nice inside with white table cloths and soft lighting, it would be good for date night or a business lunch when you don’t want to leave Manoa.

Went there for dinner on Monday 71 315… it was a Monday night but for some odd reason it seems pretty busy… most of the tables were filled…
Upon arrival i noticed before that a waittess was atva table who had a complaint … after hearjng tge customers complsint shevwent near the host /​cashier desk where she was to my understand blowing off steam in chinese… okay being thst i can understabd it wasnt reakky welcoming… I mean even for a person who doesn’t understand Chinese.. would you want to walk into a restaurant and have the host or waitress look upset and yelling¿¡ aside from this incident. .
were seated promptly and menus were given and drink orders were taken… the ambience was typical nothing special but it set a relaxing mood I could say. Not noisy at all… we got two cokes and order our main dishes I hot the shrimp scampi… got the chicken Parma with ravioli (pictures are uploaded) the food came out in a decent time … my shrimp scampi was oksy. not the best but a whole lot… of garlic and big chunks of it too. I mean if you like it then okay but it seemed raw to me =(… my dish was pretty yummy and both our dishes were not dry… but it lack some flavor but still pretty decent…
So we were near empty of our glass of coke we asked the waiter for refills for both … and he totally forgot about it =(so it was no big deal 15… mind later he asked is everything oksy and we said coke please … he forgets 5 mind later he then realizes and brings in my one refill likevreally… you noticed we are out wouldn’t you ask if we want another one? Whatever.. I mean no refills or what… ¿¡ besides the fact we then boxed up our leftover and had dessert I had the lychee sorbet and it was really yummy u u can taste the fruit… boyfriend had vanilla Gelato and he said he had better… as far as coming back hmm. dinner was oksy but this won’t be my first choice but if in the area yes if I’m craving Italian…

Was on the prowl for Italian tonight. You know, the simple but unctuous, make you curl your spine, raise your shoulders to the sky kind of Italian food. Read through Unilocal and each review just did not «ooh.»
What to do?
What else? Go to what provides comfort. For me, it’s Paesano. Easy to get a rez, close to home, service is so polite, prices are comfortable. As for the food, it’s pleasing. It’s not a kabammm wow, but when you call a couple of hours before you wanna eat, hey, let’s be *reality-​based* — as I have been called.
The prosciutto and melon was a decent starter. I ordered the chicken Florentina with mozzarella and it was what I wanted! EV had chicken Parmesan. We each finished with a scoop of spumoni.
Overall, it was a pleasant evening — which is always the case at Paesano.
The bill for two including a couple glasses of wine and espresso was $ 150. A bit pricey, but all considered, well worth it.

Very disappointed that they did not let us know that the Assagios/​Paesano gift certificate would not be honored until after we were finished with our meal. Hmmmm.
Thank goodness for credit cards.

The food was alright. Nothing amazing about it, but it was good enough that I would come back if I just wanted some Italian food and was too lazy to make it on my own.
I live in Manoa, so it is convenient for me, which gives it an edge.
Service was also good, and the staff were helpful and attentive to everyone who was seated as far as I could tell.
Prices are a little on the higher side, but not outrageous. Portion sizes are also good.

As hidden gems go, this one is located in an obscure corner of an obscure strip mall way up in Manoa Valley. You would never guess there was actually a fabulous Italian restaurant behind the darkened walls. I would have certainly never found it on my own.
We had reservations for a family birthday dinner which took place on the day before Valentine’s Day. Even though it was a busy night, our party ended up being half an hour late for our reservations, and we also brought our own birthday cake for them to serve. As guests, we would be getting three stars right there, but the staff was beyond gracious. They did not give our table away, nor did they give us any attitude whatsoever.
I ordered the steak and veggies in the «small» portion which ended up being quite large. The veggies were fresh, crisp and perfect. The steak was a hair overdone for medium rare, and the beefy wine sauce was quite rich, but it was still really good, and a reasonable value. I did not eat the house bread, but the other members of my party said it tasted like authentic Italian bread. Everyone was happy with their meal choice, and the portions were quite huge.
For dessert I had vanilla gelato instead of cake — excellent — and a cup of coffee. I am used to coffee served at night being on the bad side of «MEH» even at nice restaurants, but this coffee was crazy good. Mild, fresh and flavorful. I asked our server what was the brand and he said Hawaiian Isles Kona blend. I immediately went out and bought some at Sam’s Club.
The food was more than decent quality and the portions were generous, but the service was absolutely out of this world. If they can provide this high level of care during peak dinner hour on a busy night, they must really know what they are doing.
I will definitely be back. This place is perfect for date night because the atmosphere is cozy and calm, as well. Quite a surprise for the back of the mall behind the Safeway.

Meh. Paesano is like an Assagio variant, and I must say I prefer the o.g. joint way better. The best dish we ordered was the crab cakes appetizer. Our main dishes were forgettable. I ordered the saltimbocca and the cheese seemed almost cheap-​tasting and overpowering. By five bites all I could taste was cheese, even though my plate also had chicken, eggplant, and noodles on it. We came here with a gift card, and I don’t see any other reason to revisit, except maybe those crab cakes.

Small neighborhood Italian eatery situated in Manoa Marketplace next to Bank of Hawaii. The menu has a wide variety of dishes made with ingredients from land and sea. My personal faves are the shrimp marinara and linguine chicken anchovy olio. Buyer beware — the linguine chicken anchovy olio is loaded with garlic, so you’ll need plenty of breath mints for afterwards!
The complimentary bread is irresistible. It’s always served warm and the bread is so soft. And I love how they give you slices of block butter with it. Can’t eat bread without butter!
Paesano is open for lunch and dinner service. The entrees come in one size during the lunch service, and two sizes during the dinner service. I recommend going for the regular size (it’s only $ 5 more) during the dinner service, so that you can take home the leftovers for the next day’s lunch, dinner or snack.
This place is always full of regular customers, which signifies that the food is consistently good to keep them coming back.

Finally got back to Paesano… took my friend there for birthday lunch… We were lucky, parking spot was waiting for us, but I can see how one might not be quite so lucky with all of the businesses in the Manoa shopping center.
The restaurant was dimly lit and nice and quiet. We got a table in the corner… sounds kind of mysterious huh… ha ha… my friend is an old buddy from high school days. I don’t even want to say how many years ago that was… back to the review.
Service was prompt and polite… specials explained and we ordered. We both had the special, shrimp and clam scamp… I had pasta, he had potatoes… very good, generous portions and tasty. Pasta was done perfectly and his potatoes were really nice, just a little crispy on the edges. Then it was dessert, cheesecake and coffee… both good…
All in all, very enjoyable… good timing on the meal, tasty and well prepared.

Celebrating a successful business deal with some friends, we were invited out for lunch to Paesano’s in Manoa Marketplace. I remember coming here a few times even way back when we were younger.
The food is always decent here but I don’t think the quality is quite as good as it should be for the price. This time I had the osso bucco, which came as a combo with a seafood olio pasta. I thought everything about this dish was average. The meat could definitely have been more flavorful and the pasta, while decent, was pretty boring as well. We also had the bruchetta and some sort of steak tartar. I wasn’t very impressed with either of the appetizers and would not order them again. The tiramisu was quite good, but this was not enough to make me come back again.
Overall, there are definitely better italian restaurants around town. «I’ve experienced better».