Chef Paolino Cafe is a classic Catonsville MD restaurant, a casual Italian place that feels like you've eaten there all your life. It offers a menu of comfort foods, a display of ready-to-heat pizza slices and pockets, several weekly specials, and always a couple of fancier daily specials posted in the entryway. We shared their Greek salad, which looks small but is a full bowl of fresh crunchy greens, with ripe cherry tomatoes, sharp red onions, lightly salty black olives, a vinegary pepperoncini pepper, and a generous scoop of tangy feta. Their meatballs appetizer is four mid-size tender juicy balls in a rich red sauce. Their fettuccini bolognese was generous and savory, with enough to take some home. We love to come here for a tasty generous meal, just off Main Street at Ingleside. It's nice to say or wave a hello to Chef Paolino who is usually somewhere behind the counter. They have a nice selection of wine in their small takeout area, and a full bar, too. And we always keep in mind the small-town request on the door and avoid wearing cleats into the restaurant :-) read more

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If you take a look at the website for this place, it gives the vibes that it's a very traditional, "old world family recipe" type of place. You know, the kind of place where everything is fresh made and has that special taste that is indescribable but you crave it again a day later. That's the feel that "Chef" Paolino's website gives... In reality, it's actually nothing more than just a subs and pizza shop. Let's press on, gentle reader. I ordered four items over the phone to be picked up by me. The fellow on the phone was very pleasant and I told him so when I picked up the order. The order was a cheese steak sub with fries, a veal parmigiana sub with extra heavy sauce and extra heavy cheese, a baked Ziti dinner, and an order of onion rings. The baked ziti dish was just OK, if not a bit bland. It lacked seasoning and basically any flavor. It wasn't horrible, but I mean you have to be a real imbecile to fuck up pasta, sauce, and cheese. It was edible, but definitely below the quality of a frozen entree from Stouffer's or Michelina's though, ironically they are much better. The best part of the Ziti entree is that they give you a big portion, enough for two people-- but, as my dad used to say, "Son, two of shit it still shit". The cheese steak was shockingly bad. It was full of tough ligaments, and to be critical, I think even Arby's puts more and better meat in their Cheesesteak. It was pretty lame looking. Mr. X said it was practically inedible. On top of that, cheese was really nowhere to be found inside with the meat, and yes, we ordered the deluxe version. I am obsessed with veal parm subs. I'm always on a hunt for a better one. I always ask for extra sauce and very, very heavy cheese. I always tell them "pretend like you're making a cheese sub-- then add some veal and sauce". My direction went unheard. See pic. Not only was this perhaps the worst veal parm sub I have ever had, but there was no sign of heavy cheese and not really much sauce at all. In fact, there was nearly none of each. It was so bad I had to take a picture. Much of both ends of the sub didn't even have meat! And why do they just melt a big round piece of cheese right on top of the entire sub? Most of the cheese is on the bread!! Note to "Chef"-- cheese goes INSIDE the sub, not on top of it. The worst part of the entire event however was the fries and onion rings, which were laughable. Does "Chef" Paolino's grandmothers "Old World recipes" include frozen crinkle cut french fries shaken out of a Sysco bag and onion rings that are worse than Burger Kings? I make no exaggeration here. These were perhaps the most ridiculous fries and onion rings I ever had. There was literally almost NO onion in them!!! These have got to be the cheapest products they can buy. No matter what the website says about their "Old World Family Recipes", it's bullshittery. There ain't NOTHING special about this place. It's a PIZZA AND SUBS shop that makes some meh dinner options for folks with lower expectations. By the way, this bag of shit cost almost $60.00. Not a typo. Kids would probably like the pizza, and maybe some dogs if they aren't too finicky of eaters would too. I'm going to give 1 star-- for the guy answering the phone. read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Evidently Chef Paolino's and my idea of EXTRA SAUCE and HEAVY CHEESE are very different. Also, the veal is overdone and kinda small really. - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

This is a lovely place to bring your family, the sports, or a first date. The staff was a very accommodating and helpful. We had a big party and they held a huge space for us free of charge. The service was fast and polite. The pizzas looked delicious. The newyork style pizza was an 7/10. The tenders were okay, the bbq sauce was bomb. It would be nice to use to better quality of tenders. The tenders didn't have much chicken taste to them. I can't say enough how lovely the staff was. They did not play around. They checked back on us often to see if we needed anything else. I'm coming back for sure! read more

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I've heard about this place years ago and have drove past it plenty of times. I finally decided to stop by today because I was in the area and had a taste for Pizza. When I walked in I was greeted by a Gentleman at counter. They have a dining room and carry out. I got carry out, you can get Pizza by the slice which was great because I didn't want a whole Pizza. I ordered a slice of Pepperoni and Veggie they were good and I like the crunchy crust, I also ordered and Italian Sub, it was good but the Sub Roll was a little hard and flaky on top. The lady at the Counter that took my order was friendly and gave me a take Home Menu and let me know their daily specials. Looking at the Menu I will return to try other items. read more

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Ordered a shrimp scampi and bolognese with side salad then a cheesesteak. The scampi sauce was terrible but the shrimp was good and the bolognese was average. The cheesesteak was dry and we have definitely had better. Wasn't worth the $60+ we paid for the meal. read more

Great food at great prices, very family and friendly atmosphere. Ample parking. Staff is very cordial and helpful.

The veal piccata was poor - bland, oily, no nuance. The pizza is good; the crust has a hint of crispiness to the bottom. The cheesesteaks are so-so. There are lots of worse cheesestaeaks you could buy, Overall, a serviceable option for Italian food. read more

This place is always better than the last trip so I needed to update my review. I still get the seafood pasta dish and somehow it's just gotten better! Do yourself a favor and upgrade to the Greek salad. Also eat in, it's a nice low key vibe! read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

This is one of our favorite italian resturants. The food is very good and the staff are always friendly. I do wish we could order at our table, but they're always fast in their counter service, and they do bring your order to your table, which is the difficult task when you have multiple people, making for a large order. Se'll keep coming back for more! read more

This is fast-casual, cafeteria-style Ameritalian. Order at the counter, grab a table, and wait for them to call your number, deli-style, to go pick up your food. My chicken parm sub was tough, breaded-fried chicken fingers and had SysCo vibes; I wouldn't order it again. My guest had one of the veal dishes (not parmigiana, but not sure which) and was likewise unimpressed. We were looking for sit-down Italian (whether of the red-and-white checked, or white-linen tablecloth variety) so maybe the fault in its stars is actually mine. But I think we'll forage elsewhere in future. read more

I've been on a personal cheesesteak tour trying to find the best cheesesteak, and literally this was a 10/10! An affordable combo and it tasted so good! Bread was fresh, meat was tender and felt like actual shaved beef, heavy handed on the cheese, and the flavor was perfect. The service was lovely, I order a Caesar salad too that was divine. Will certainly be going back and telling all my friends and family about it. i might even dine in because the vibe was super chill in there. I want to tell the world but literally I'm so scared that they're going to become the next viral restaurant on local tik tok and the prices will raise and I'm going to have to wait longer to get my food. Literally I just have to enjoy them while I can so I certainly will be back! read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Deluxe Cheesesteak with Provolone Cheese - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Interesting place. Chef driven but lacks the front of house skills to manage positive guest experiences and In some cases, they create conflict. Quality is average. Front desk and separate checks are the positives. read more

Awesome service and food everytime. I love the mista verde salad and garlic knots. Slices are always a hit for my toddler.

Absolutely.Loved the food here, but definitely visit again.Very clean family oriented The food is delicious!

I recently worked with Nick for a private family gathering for about 35 people with very short notice. He was the consumate professional in a time where his empathy was very much appreciated. He was great from the time we first sat down to plan out the food and seating to the time I settled the bill upon leaving just a week later, providing excellent service the entire time. The menu we chose for our gathering was a crowd pleaser: garden and Ceasar salads, penne marinara, tortellini alla penna, polpette (beef meatballs), chicken Brunello, and an incredible dessert platter of Italian cookies and mini cannollis. It was all very, very good by all accounts...Several of my friends and family mentioned they'd be back! read more

Good foods, nice people, family own not a franchise it is a must for all pizza lovers

Food smells amazing when you walk in and it has a family feeling. Unfortunately the food was under seasoned and bland. Freshest bite was the garlic knots. read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Vodka penne with chicken - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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Very rude owner. Not only to me but other customers. Disorganized and slow staff. I can't even tell you how the food was since we left before ordering. read more

I absolutely LOVE this family owned restaurant; they are very friendly and welcoming. I am not too big on the regular pizza, but that is because i am bias, i don't care for many of the pizza spots out here i think the pizza where i am from just taste better. However, this restaurants sicilian pizza is FIRE! aside from that i have had many other things from here that is really good. I am a true LOVER of Italian food! i grew up around it my whole life and i can honestly say this food is amazing! i love their meat balls and sauce, their bruschetta bread is absolutely amazing!!! the subs are good, their chicken salad is good! i can go on and on. But it is better if your try the restaurant and the food for yourself. I personally think it is well seasoned, and the food especially the pizza is not overpriced read more

I think Chef Pasolino Cafe has some of the best Italian food in Catonsville, and definitely the best pizza place. First, their pizza is delicious and their topics are fantastic (seriously, try the Italian sausage on pizza and you'll never get it anywhere else). They have excellent salads with romaine lettuce that is always fresh and the chicken is juicey and cooked fresh! I love their subs. The Veal parm and Eggplant parm subs are my favorite, but others are tasty too. Unlike other Italian fast causal places in Catonsville, this place uses fresh veal parm in their subs and I love that. Their bread is also fresh. Their Alfredo sauce is delicious and cooked to order, and they have the very best garlic knots I've had outside of NYC. Again, overall, this place is fantastic. read more

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We've been regulars at Chef P's for years. The food has generally been very good & moderately priced. Recently, however, we've noticed a decline in the food quality. Prices have also increased during the same timeframe. Tonight, we paid extra for their opera (creamy tomato) sauce. The price went up to $2.50 per dish, which is a bit high for what's essentially a little bit of cream and a bit of butter. Even worse though, both of our dishes had very little in the way of sauce in proportion to the huge mountains of pasta. The pasta itself was also overcooked & a bit gummy. On the plus side, it was buy one pizza, get the same size cheese for $5. That's a pretty good deal when you're feeding a group of teens & 20-something's. We're a bit disappointed that one of our go-to places isn't putting in the efforts it used to make. They've become a bit complacent. read more

Great food- super service- right price! Salads are the best! Great for a family night out as there is little waiting for the food.

The pizza tasted pretty good. Hardly any flop at all. Maybe char it a little more if definitely eat this again if I was in the area

Food is ok until you factor in the price. $10 for two slices of pepperoni. And don't give me that inflation sht, you can still get a slice of pizza for $2-4 in nyc, the most expensive city in America. I support local businesses until they start price gouging read more

Visited with some co workers. The pizza was ok but the cheese sticks were absolutely delicious. I only ordered them because I saw them on another customer's plate and they looked to good I wanted to try them. I'm sorry I don't have a photo to share by the time I thought of taking one I was knee deep in cheese sticks! I'd recommend folks try them out! Thanks for lunch! Inside the restaurant is cute too. read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Seating - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Clean, food was great, but the best part besides the In The Rocks cocktails are the people. It has that ma and pa feel. Will definitely head back. read more

I can only comment on having the pizza for takeout and that was delicious! The flavors of the veggie pizza went very well together and there's nothing I can think of that would have made it any better. I'll definitely go here again for the veggie pizza and to try something else on the menu. read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Veggie pizza...very good - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Pizza was meh. Not enough topping, toppings to of questionable quality, crust ok but no flavor. I've had worse, but it should be much better

Always amazing food and the service is always with a smile. The garlic knots are to die for! You must order.

Giving 4 stars because it's more of a takeout place, not full service. You order at the counter, then they bring the food out. It's a pain to keep going to the counter to order if you want to add on: food, drinks, etc. I'm showing pictures of something from the menu other than pizza. I highly recommend the garlic knots! The small house salad is enough for two people. Oh, and the wine is reasonably priced. read more

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Chef Paolino is a small Italian food shop located near Frederick road (I know the address says Frederick road but it's technically not on Frederick road). It can be difficult to find if you're not familiar with the area. Once you get here, you can just park in the parking lot and don't have to worry about street parking like other places in Frederick road. Also, my review is only for takeout and only for pizza. I have never sat down and eaten here so I don't know how the service is. Same with their other food like subs and pasta, never had them so this review doesn't include them. I ordered 1 cheese pizza and 1 pepperoni Sicilian pizza to go. Takes a couple of minutes to heat up and total came out to be $5. The pizza is pretty good here. The Sicilian was decent but I definitely liked the cheese more. The crust on both was really good. Nice and crispy and wasn't too dry. If you're in the area and want to grab a slice, you should check this place out. read more

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Local neighborhood hangout ... always a good crowd and the place people come with families or meeting friends. Food order is up front and then you find a seat in the back and someone will deliver it to your table. There is a small bar area and a room for parties. Food portions are generous and they have to go boxes right there in the seating area to take home extras. Staff is very friendly. Can get loud and boisterous but it's a welcoming atmosphere. Food is good and there is a lot to choose from on the menu. Seafood specials offered during the weekdays. The pizza here is very good also. read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Prosciutto wrapped scallops - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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Not sure which yelp restaurant to add this to since there appear to be two for this business, so picked the one with the most reviews: Nice take out NY pizza... I've had a lot from all over the US and this was really tasty and the crust was well developed. Obviously you lose a little quality when it's to-go, but everyone in my 20+ person family get together agreed it was really good. The pizzas are pretty big, so we ended up with some extras so make sure you double check how much you want. BTW - reheated leftovers the next day in the oven, it was almost as good as when originally delivered. Good job guys... we especially liked the Chef Special and the Veggie. See my photos of the CS. read more

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Really good Italian food. Order at the counter, but his is not a fast food place. They bring it to your table on real plates with real silverware. Friendly, attentive staff. Fast service. read more

I was greeted when walking in - with a server telling me where the menus were. On the Wall! She pointed at them then walked away. I was told to figure it out and order at the front area. No seating. There were three hostesses standing at the corner. Not doing anything. I was not directed to a table. When I said something, they were laughing at me and told me "I could sit down with a menu and figure out what to eat, then come to the counter and order". All three servers were snickering at me while I expressed my dissatisfaction of a lack of modicum. The owner was in the back and just smiled at me while I said I didn't feel that this was supposed to be a restaurant environment. VERY RACIST. Just because my wife is Asian, doesn't mean you can treat me like a piece of crap. read more

For a while I worked in Catonsville, frequently for lunch a coworker and I would head over to Chef Paolino Café for what is arguably the best Caesar salad I've ever had. Fast forward a year later and I'm hiking with a friend and we are discussing where we should go for dinner after the hike. We wanted something on the lighter side, and while Caesar salad isn't the 'healthy' salad, it's significantly better than some of the other things we could be eating. It had been about a year since I last visited Chef P's, but the Caesar salad was as good as I remembered it. The dressing was incredibly creamy and the salad was well dressed. Caesar salad in general is nothing particularly special, but if you have the craving for one, this one is dressed very well. To accompany our salads, we ordered a side of Garlic Knots, the knots were the perfect. They were garlicky and greasy, just how garlic knots should be. But they weren't too greasy where the thought of touching them disgusted us. If you're out in Catonsville and craving some quick delicious Italian food, Chef Paolino Café has plenty of great options. On previous visits, I've tried their pizza and pastas and loved them both! read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Caesar Salad - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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If you enjoy spaghetti with meat sauce don't waste your gas money heading down to Little Italy. Chef Paolino gives you a heaping big plate and it is loaded. I always finish the dinner portion but most of the time I am so full the rest of the night is relax time. They also have a lunch size portion which is great also. The other item I order is the Stromboli with sausage. Very good also but get the meat sauce with angel hair pasta. Went there again tonight. Check out the size of the pasta and meat sauce!!! read more

Chef Paolino Cafe - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Real Italian Food!!!! Love it. Enjoy good food. If you're Italian or enjoy real Italian food this is the place to eat. They are on top of it with what's up-to-date. They don't give you tiny portions, they really give you a full Italian meal. read more

Had the shrimp scampi lunch speial served over spaghetti. Top gun Italian restaurant in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Great Italian food. We've tried the calzones, the spinach roll, the NY Style pizza and the combo Sicilian. The crust on the Sicilian was wonderful, it was perfectly done. The cannolis are to die for. They give you enough pasta to split into 2 meals. The service is excellent. They keep the line moving. It's a cute and clean cafe style restaurant. It's a nice place to go with friends. We're repeat customers. read more