Anytime we have family in from out of town, we finagle our way to DiPaolo. My daughter always says, "They have the BEST bruschetta!" and they do. I've gone with friends, family, done mom and daughter night - never, ever disappoints. - Service is superb from hostess to waitstaff to food delivery - Food is fresh, delicious, and unpretentious - Value is absolutely on point - Atmosphere is gracious, unpretentious, not too loud, table spacing is elegant read more

I probably had the worse dining experience ever at Di Paolo last Saturday night. Had a reservation at 7 pm. I was part of a social group that had 3 reservations Two tables promptly seated at 7PM, The third table waited 30 minutes to get seated however the third table ordered and received their entrees before us. My table waited 1.5 hours to get our entrees. I also ordered a bottle of Pelligrino and never got it. Asked twice. My hearts of palm salad only had 1 sliver of palm but did include a live bug! Our server kept making excuses, we asked for the manager who also made excuses. "It's a busy Saturday night, chicken takes longer to cook, nobody told him there was a problem." We had asked our server to speak with the manager a few times. A few people asked if they would comp dessert which after several conversations, the manager agreed. He did also reduce my check maybe due to the bug? At least the cocktails and wine were good. read more

Di Paolo - Hearts I Insalata Con Cuore Di Palma (no palm) - Italian Near Me - Alpharetta, Georgia

A Mixed Experience at di Paolo with a Large Group I recently hosted a Celebrate Atlanta Meetup dinner at di Paolo with 20 attendees. I want to start by saying the food was hot and delicious across all three tables with a few minor challenges, and the management was very accommodating prior to the event. I had spoken with Alex, the manager, earlier in the day, and he worked with me to place our three separate reservations near one another -- a thoughtful gesture that helped our group feel more connected. Unfortunately, the experience at my table of 8 was marred by poor service from our waitress, Dee Dee. While the other two tables -- each with different wait staff -- were served promptly and courteously, our table waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for food after being seated. Dee Dee was dismissive when asked about delays, inattentive to our needs, and frequently reached across guests in a way that disrupted the dining experience. She also prioritized other patrons over our group, despite our early seating. There were a few complaints about portion sizes relative to price, and one member had a food issue that wasn't addressed until the end of the meal. Alex did attempt to make things right by offering desserts to our table, which was appreciated, though tensions had already escalated by that point. As an organizer for Celebrate Atlanta -- a Meetup group with over 18,000 members and frequent restaurant events -- I've rarely encountered such a challenging experience. That said, I believe this was an isolated issue tied to one staff member, and I commend Alex for his professionalism and efforts to accommodate us both before and during the evening. I hope di Paolo continues to train and support their staff to ensure consistent service across all tables. The food and ambiance deserve it. read more

DiPaulo's never disappoints. We have been going here for 25 years and it is always a treat! The hearts of palm salad is a staple on the menu and wine selection is great. And the monk on the wall! read more

We're long time patrons of diPaolo. A birthday party for my granddaughter including uncles and cousins was held. I all of us, are foodies but some new to the restaurant. I /we cannot praise the server, food, overall excellence of this place. May they never leave and always be our most favorite Italian restaurant. Premire quality (sea bass, gnocchi, seafood, hearts of palm salad, mussels, all pasta) and then dessert. We shared baklava with pears and stilton Gelato. Plus a chocolate cake. Oh, boy. Awesome is not good enough a description. The pastry chef is incredibly talented. ​​ Our server was fabulous taking care of this diverse, opinionated crew. She, Dedie, was a treat. Superlatives could go on and on. read more

Shoutout to this whole place. It's so incredible. Everything is homemade and delicious and the staff are so personable (love Daniel) and it's very homey! Will definitely be back read more

We couldn't even get seated because of the rude patron at the bar who didn't want us looking at his food. Staff did nothing to help. We will never be back. Horrible experience! read more

Service was so bad. The waitress never introduced herself. Was abrupt and rude. Setting a bad tone for the entire evening. My date told her I had forgotten my glasses....she said "I guess you will have to read the menu to her" most nicer restaurants would offer readers or something. Friends told us Apparently she has been a server here for a long time! Maybe time to go!!! ! Food was not very good. I specifically asked if the chicken breast was boneless. She put it down in front of me with the bone and said "it's like the ones they serve on the airplane"???? Oh ok??? Ambiance was very loud. Sadly disappointed as it is very close to our home. read more

We have been eating at DiPaolo off and on for almost 20 years. Service here is outstanding! Many of the same servers have been here for years. It is a smaller restaurant and can get loud. Very cozy and has a definite Locals vibe. They have a very loyal clientele. I like that most entrees can be ordered full or half size. Sounds like a strange thing to comment on, but their salads are really spot on. They allow you to bring wine in, which is nice, although they have a nice wine list. Their desserts, like bread pudding and carrot cake are very well made. Consistent food and everyone we bring here always enjoys their experience. That's why people keep coming back here. read more

My husband and I went to Di Paolo tonight for dinner. We were first time diners there, but I could immediately tell based on the menu this is an excellent restaurant. We were greeted and seated immediately (although I do recommend having a reservation because it gets busy)! Our server came to our table within minutes of being seated, and shortly after we were brought a plate of fresh bread with olive oil. I ordered the Chilean sea bass special with was adorned with a lovely creamy risotto. The sea bass was cooked to absolute perfection. My husband ordered the tajarin alla carbonara. I could tell the pasta was prepared fresh and it was cooked to perfection, too. The wine and drink selection was fantastic. It was a warm welcoming environment and the servers were so attentive. 5 stars all the way. I hope you enjoy! read more

Always great before but had 1st iffy meal this evening. Everything seriously over salted and nothing special, which is quite unusual compared to the past. read more

I hate leaving reviews, but my experience at di Paolo this past weekend was single handedly THE WORST DINING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. Restaurants like this are a dime a dozen in the metro, so rest assured there are options for mid-tier Italian food anywhere else. If that's all you need for a review, you can stop reading now but here's the story: My partner and I made a reservation days in advance because this was Valentine's Day weekend. It was for 8:30, we show up 15 min early. We waited for nearly 45 minutes after showing up and are finally seated at 8:55pm FOR AN 8:30 REZZY. We order apps and drinks which were good. My partner orders a whole order of seafood pasta and I order a veal chop. After some time he gets a very obvious half order of pasta, I get what I think is the pasta order for my veal chop and the server said my veal should be right out. We correct him on the half order of seafood pasta, he apologizes and offers to bring out another half order to fix it. Fine, that's understandable mistakes happen. After the other half order comes out about 20 min later, I'm still waiting on my veal chop. They're busy, I get it, but the server comes back out asking how our meal was said I was still waiting on the rest of my food. He got my order wrong. At this time it's 10pm. Asks if I still want it. Yes I do. He says he'll get it out, I ask if he can remove it from the bill. He says he'll do what he can. It's 10:30, I finally get what I ordered. The manager comes over to talk about our issues. He said I understand you had an issue with your veal, I run down all the problems up to this point and he offers a free dessert or drinks. No thanks, my comped entree please or a gift certificate because to be quite honest we like giving places a second chance. He runs through excuses. "It's a busy valentines weekend, that server is one of the best." No hey we're sorry you had a bad experience, let's make it right, that's inexcusable. So after some time, he brings our check, comps my veal but we see that we got charged for two half orders of pasta which was more expensive than the whole order and I got charged for a carbonara entree, which I never ordered. We pay and leave because it's 10:45 and we're fed up. Do not come here if you want competent service. Do come here if you want mid-tier Italian food, incompetence, and poor management. Our server was Kline I believe and the manager was Alex. read more

We eat at Di Paolo quite often and enjoy half price wine night. Long overdue review....this place is amazing. The food is great, the wait staff is stable and excellent and the managers are present and always interacting with guests. An awesome example of a very well run establishment. read more

"We ran out of bread" We are here last night, party of 4 at 7:30 (not so late). The first thing we were told is that they were out of breadsticks, so they would give us an extra piece of bread. Didn't think much of it (though it seemed odd that the bread was so carefully counted) until we saw the small size of the pieces (2 bites?). It was good and, a bit later, we asked of we could have some more, only to hear the quote above. Really? Some story about the pastry chef usually making 2 loaves and it's enough. First time I ever experienced this and, esp for the prices charged, I think they could be a bit less stingy when it comes to bread. Food was pretty good, esp the antipasti platter (even without bread!). We ordered "full" portions of pasta and they seemed like normal size, so we were wondering what a half would be. read more

Food is excellent. Been here three times. Completely satisfied. Last visit had veal parm. Cooked perfectly. Wife had fish dish. Service has been excellent every visit. The manager Alex is on top of everything and visits your table multiple times. The ambience is typical Italian restaurant. Very comfortable. read more

First time visiting. Saturday nites are busy! Party of four and we had about a 15 minute wait in spite of our reservation. Drinks and service were solid and the food was top notch. Would like to visit on a weeknight to see if things are calmer and quieter, it is pretty loud and I was surprised at how small a space it is given the impressive doors. read more

Management does not know what they are doing or they don't care. We arrived 15 mins before our 630p reservation for our 20th Anniversary dinner. The table wasn't ready yet, which was expected so we were waiting in the bar area. The bar itself only seats 8 and it was full and also appeared tight. Rather than reach over patrons to order a drink, I went to the side near the server stand where the bartender places the drinks for the tables. While I was cognizant of not standing too close the the end bar patron as well as the server area, I waited to order a couple drinks. After a few minutes, I was served and came back to sign the check because we were waiting on a table. While signing the check, the long, white haired guy sitting at the corner said to me, " don't sign that check here" and after realizing he wasn't trying to be funny, he said I was in his space - which I was not - but also "looking at his f@&)img food". All the hostess and manager cared about was not making a scene. We left obviously, but this place is so poorly Run and if you are of ANY color you are certainly not welcome by the staff and other customers. NOTHING was said to the excessively privileged long silver haired guy at the bar and they didn't care whether they made it right by us or not - we left so they were perfectly happy. There are so many better restaurants and also Italian restaurants in Atlanta - STAY AWAY - certainly if you aren't White because that they don't care about serving with equality. read more

As an Italian from New York now living in Alpharetta I am always hoping to find a go to Italian restaurant. While the food was good there was a few things lacking. First off when you have a table of 4, the bread basket should include more than two small quarter pieces of bread and 5 of the smallest bread sticks. I can't tell you how many times we had to ask for more bread. Really full it up with at least 4 pieces of bread. Then the menu. Just ok. A lot of creamy or cheesy dishes. Veal parm but No chicken parm. As a note. A lot of people do not eat veal. Maybe add a chicken francese or picatta. So in my opinion its ok. Not much on the menu I would choose. Others might feel differently. As I said food was good service was good place was clean. read more

Great service delicious food suggestions and changes were made to accommodate my dairy allergy

We've been going here since they opened many, many years ago. The food is still as good as any Italian restaurant in the metro Atlanta area and the service is always first rate. read more

The best Italian in Alpharetta/Roswell/JC area. The whole package - neighborhood place, authentic Italian dishes, reasonably priced, excellent service. read more

We have been enjoying DiPaolo for at least 20 years. I took my wife to dinner this past Sunday (2/18) for her birthday. The fish special was NC trout. It was cooked to perfection. We have found over the years, they really know how to prepare seafood. As usual, our dinner, service and ambience was superb. DiPaolo is the most consistently fine dining we have ever known. read more

Di Paolo is a great neighborhood Italian restaurant. It is closer to fine dining with casual service. Has been there for years and became a classic right away. It's a nice place for groups as well as dates. read more

First off the waiters and waitresses were top. Friendly, and well versed in the selection you wanted. This is the most Italian you can get! They are the Park Side in NY Queens. The decor is classic Italian. read more

di Paolo has a very dedicated following of return customers, and may very well be able to continue to go on for years using them as their foundation. But as new visitors (we have gone twice now), they just don't seem to be able to make me part of their "team". Our server (while more than a bit verbose) was fine, but we found the seafood linguini to be quite salty, and the portion of actual pasta staggeringly sparse. Our short rib was slightly overcooked but held it's flavor, which we can not say for the veal meatballs - desperately in need of seasoning they were a disappointment. The highlight of this visit was the veal parm. Very well done and coated nicely. A nice enough staff, I wish them well - I just don't think this will become a staple for us. read more

See all

Everything was just okay. Nothing outstanding. Very mediocre food. The best thing was the Caesar salad.. Veal meatballs lacked seasoning. Veal parm was overly salty. Stuffed chicken breast was rubbery. Ambience was nice. Waitress was pleasant. Wine was delicious! Not eager to return with so many other excellent Italian restaurants in Atlanta. read more

Meal was disrupted by the manager who moved my wife from our table so the large cockroach on the wall above our table could be removed. Owner was there and did not come by or acknowledge. Disgusting and nasty to say the least, not sure if it was in the table etc... saw it on the wall after server noticed. Have always loved this place the people and the food. We have been there probably 50 times over the years but hard to overlook something like this. They did give us a free desert, lol . Once we filled out the review and left they called a few times within minutes. Server was Tim who was very nice and apologetic, his service was excellent. not at all an acceptable experience read more

Di Paolo is much better than you'd expect from a restaurant in a sleepy shopping center in John's Creek. If I was rating the restaurant vs expectation, it knocked it out of the park! But if rate against other Italian restaurants throughout Atlanta, it's fine. The bread service was nice. The atmosphere was cozy. The veal parm, ceasar salad, bruschetta and short rib were good, but just good. If you're looking for a four star Italian meal in the suburbs, it delivers. If you're driving to John's Creek for a great Italian dinner don't bother. read more

This place is a hole in the wall, mom and pop vibe Restaurant! Food is immaculate. It's pretty easy to get reservations. Staff and servers are very nice and accommodating anytime we go with our baby! We've taken all our friends here for dinner dates! Their food is fresh and delicious! We love that they have the half portion options so you can try multiple things if you have a hard time deciding. ALWAYS leave room for desert and a cappuccino! Their homemade desert menu is incredible! read more

We were a party of 8. They let us all catch up and the service worked around our talking. The food was good as well.

My friend and I decided to have dinner here during Roswell Restaurant Week. It was a great experience! Definitely more fine dining than expected. Even though, it was a Prix Menu all portions were a decent side and I still had leftovers. For my main course I had the shrimp and grits. The cheese used in the grits was delicious and had a truly different flavor than any other grits I've had. read more

Just returned from Di Paolo tonight. It was our second visit. The first was a very pleasant dining experience. The Friday night outing was extremely disappointing. The food was good, but the ambiance was HORRIBLE. in fact there was NO ambience. The restaurant was beyond loud. We recorded a decibel level approx 95...close to the sound of a hair dryer or lawn mower. The tables were jammed together...we felt like we were dining with the people sitting next to us. We might return, but definitely not on a Friday night. read more

This place offers pretty tasty Italian food. They have many different pasta options as well as other traditional favorites one may look for in a Italian restaurant. The price is definitely higher than the average Italian restaurant, but the food is also good quality. You will not be let down if you get this place a try. read more

A local go to for us . See zack at the bar. Always a vibrate atmosphere with lots of locals

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in this part of town. Before I started Yelping, I'd come here for special occasions. Then I was all into trying new places and sadly forgot about this gem - until one of our friends told us she wanted to celebrate her birthday here. Now Di Paolo is back on the radar if anyone asks me for restaurant recommendations :) Everything about this place is wonderful - the food, presentation, service, & ambiance. And pastas are handmade every morning! Prices are reasonable for this sort of place, and while they also offer "1/2 portions" which are almost 1/2 price less - the portions are small. However if you pair the 1/2 portion pasta with one of their delicious salads, you'll be fine - and filling up on their bread will help, too :) FYI - as some of the other reviews mention, this place is not family-style Italian. But that didn't stop our party of 5 from sharing bites of each other's food. I love sampling :) Here is what we had: HEARTS OF PALM SALAD - $10 One of the best salads I've ever had - I was just sad I passed around my salad for others to try. Next time no sharing if I really like my dish :) My salad had mixed local greens, hearts of palm, grape tomatoes, crumbled egg, & crispy prosciutto (YUM), with a creamy shallot vinaigrette. Delicious salad - everything tasted so fresh, and I loved that the dressing was light and just the perfect amt. This salad was our server's favorite! CAPRESE SALAD - $10 This salad is another really good one. Their mozzarella is house-made, and while I had just one bite of my friend's Caprese salad, that bite was really good. And the 3 people who ordered it loved it, too. Portion-wise, I think 2 people could share this salad. MIXED GREENS SALAD - $6 This salad was good too but I'd recommend going with the hearts of palm or Caprese salad b/c they're even better. CAPELLINI ALLA CARBONARA (1/2 portion) - $9 I got this pasta b/c our server said it was one of his favorites. While it tasted good, it was maybe a little too creamy for me. I should've known better, too, esp. b/c I have high cholesterol. But my friend who loves creamy sauces thought it tasted fantastic. 1/2 portion of this pasta does look small but b/c it's more heavy-tasting, the portion size was just right. This pasta dish has pancetta, cream, egg, black pepper, & chives. RAVIOLI DI CAPRA (1/2 portion) - $9 Nice presentation but 1/2 portion includes just 3 ravioli. The goat cheese ravioli also came w/ portabello, red onions, & tomato butter. I took just one bite and while it was good, I didn't think it was as good as the other dishes. My friend liked it though but I think she wanted more :) LINGUINI CON FRUTTI DI MARA (1/2 portion) - $10 This was another good one - came w/ littleneck clams, mussels, & shrimp in a spicy tomato broth. Based on just 1 bite, i thought it tasted good. My friend enjoyed it a lot and said next time, she'd order the full portion. POLLO ARROSTO - $19 While the 1/2 portion pastas are small, the "secondi piatti" selections are very generous. Our birthday girl ordered the gorgonzola & spinach stuffed chicken which came w/ Swiss chard, cipollini, & lemon caper sauce. Very flavorful (maybe slightly on the salty side) and more than anything, I just remember there was a lot of food. NIMAN RANCH PORK TENDERLOIN - $23 This was the group favorite. Pork tenderloin might've looked dry but it was moist & tasty, esp. w/ the "peach agro dolce". Loved the chopped peaches. Roasted potatoes & arugula were also very flavorful. Portion size is generous which means I got to sample more than just one bite :) The friend who ordered this dish had gotten the lamb loin last time, and said she liked the lamb loin even more (which is also one of our server's favorites). HONEY PECAN CAKE - $7 Another big winner, esp. if you love sweet & salty. Thanks to our server for recommending this one b/c honestly, I would've never guessed from the dessert name that it would be this good. The cake came w/ cream anglais, caramel gelato, & sea salt. All of us agreed we'd get this dessert again. Thanks to Di Paolo too, for the complimentary dessert for our birthday girl. Again, Di Paolo is a great choice for celebrating special occasions. FYI - they are closed on Mondays. And for Early Bird fans, they have a $10 "pasta & house salad" special every Tue/Wed/Thur 5:30-6:30. read more

See all

Had dinner at di Paolo tonight. The special, Sea Bass, was the best I have ever had anywhere and I have eaten wall over the world. Service was impeccable. Sean, our server, was fantastic! The wine he suggested was excellent. Dessert was shared by our group and consisted of Butterfinger Cheesecake, Chocolate Torte and Pecan Bread Pudding. Overall an excellent dining experience in a wonderful, friendly atmosphere. read more

The only Italian thing @DiPaolo is the Menabrea beer. People like it and think that's how they eat in Italia? Oh well.... read more

Overall, this restaurant is decently good. It's a pretty upscale environment and isn't too big. We got there right at 6 and didn't have to wait. The portions are a bit on the smaller side and the food was okay. We got the Margherita pizza and the Tagliatelle pasta with chicken and pesto. The pizza was great but the pasta was underwhelming - not bad but not spectacular. We got cheesecake for dessert and that was delicious! You can easily split dishes or get half portions of the pastas, which is great so you get more variety. I would be willing to try this place again, but I don't particularly like the portions being so small. The service is great and everyone is very friendly! That alone made the dining experience very enjoyable. read more

Di Paolo - Pizza Margherita with sausage - Italian Near Me - Alpharetta, Georgia

First time I went here. The atmosphere was good, the waiter was awesome, but the food was just exceptional! Their pasta is homemade and hand rolled daily... not doughy, just melts in your mouth, like the finest family owned restaurants in Rome. I had the duck lasagne, divine. The bread and Cesar salad, terrific. I can't wait to go back on a date night. Wish the restaurant was near me, then it would be my Italian staple. Truly, just authentic Italian, not trying to hard to be fake fancy- impeccable, it doesn't disappoint. read more

Terrible. Overcooked mushy pasta. Bland sauce. Bland sausage. This place is rated as one of the best Italian places in ATL. It was awful. The carbonara was made with fettucine, pork belly, and alfredo. The rigatoni was so mushy you couldn't fork it. Do not expect a zagat rated Italian place. It's overrated American EYEtalian. read more