The food was great. Service was a little slow especially after ordering food. Was surprised to see that the appetizer arrived with a couple of minutes of the rest of the meal. read more

Stopped by for lunch on a Friday afternoon and felt the service was really slow, but my waitress was really nice when I did interact with her. I got their calamari appetizer and lunch special (BLT + side salad). I think that if I had gotten a pizza, the lunch special would have been a bigger bang for my buck. The BLT was good but the side salad was a little sad. For around $14 (if I remember correctly), it wasn't bad. The calamari was pretty good and it was around $15 for the plate. Overall, I rated them a 3 because I felt that my service wasn't great - it was pretty slow and I felt ignored - and the dining room area wasn't very clean. My booth really should have been wiped down before I sat down and there were grease stains on the chairs. They also have shower curtains up to separate the tables from the booths - Which I kind of understand because of COVID, but it's so weird at the same time. The bathrooms were clean though! read more

I love Paesano's! Can't believe I've never reviewed the Davis one! We've been here several times. It's right in the heart of downtown by the train station. Street parking - not usually a problem except on weekends. I love the vibe and the atmosphere of the restaurant. It feels like someone's warm home. We always have good food and service here. On this visit there was a problem with my pasta. It wasn't made correctly and I knew that because I've ordered this dish so many times. They quickly offered to remake it and also took it off the bill. The manager came over and apologized. I didn't expect it to be free and didn't need that. But they did and they brought my new (perfect) pasta out super fast so I wasn't behind the other person in my party. I never get upset about things going wrong because they just do. It's always in how it's handled and they were gracious and old school service about it. Bravo. Things to order: Pizzas - and in the summer get the watermelon pizza. Baked pasta (YUM), and always order the Polenta Fries. Cocktails are great here too. Happy hour is a favorite. read more

I ordered Paesanos via deliver for my birthday this year and it did not disappoint! It has always been a place where, before the pandemic, I have gone to celebrate whatever occasion was at hand and it was very nice to be able to continue the tradition mid-lockdown. Their pastas are very tasty - especially their Fettuccini Alfredo, which I usually have them add chicken to. And I have heard really good things about their pizzas too. What really hits the spot for me though are their Ricotta Garlic Bread starters. SO GOOD. And, to my surprise, all the food I ordered for my birthday held up very well being delivered halfway across town. My only real complaint is that they seem to have removed the option to add Broccolini to your pasta, though I wonder if this was due simply to some temporary issue. Either way a very solid place and a very real contender for my next birthday! read more

This place is fine. Worth trying. We came on a busy night and our order got lost in the shuffle, so we had to wait a bit to receive our order. Pizza and salad...yum! Due to the error we were offered free dessert. Since we are not into sweets, we declined their generous offer. My date had some tummy problems from the pizza, but we had a nice time. read more

nothing special imo. Overpriced spaghetti that I could make by myself for under $5. Lacked flavor and was fairly small. Wish I knew that before coming here. The garlic bread was buttery, but very mild on the garlic. Maybe I should try something else on the menu, but I probably won't be back. The people were friendly and prompt tho! read more

Paesanos is located in downtown Davis; it's a great place to head for if you want to get some delicious and affordable pasta and salads when you're in the area :-) This is a popular dining venue in Davis; the ambiance is casual, the service is friendly and I haven't tried anything on their menu that wasn't good! When I'm in the area and I want some good pasta, this is where I'll head for :-) read more

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Best pizza and pasta I've had in a while. Highly recommend. The pizza crust is the bomb.

Hadn't been here the entire pandemic!!! First Covid experience was great! They have a plastic curtain dividing tables inside and they now have QR codes on tables to order and on receipts to pay! Love this contactless option! Food was exceptional and so damn tasty! Made me realise how much we've missed out on this last year. We ate outside - small concern that there was a kid at the table next to ours continuously coughing (like every couple minutes a deep chesty cough) I definitely wouldn't be going out to eat in a restaurant if I had a kid coughing that much I don't think it's fair to other customers or staff. My husband approached staff inside to ask to move tables they said they were aware of it and were happy to move us. I do think businesses should have some grounds to refuse service to people who are clearly unwell - even if it isn't Covid I think we've all learned the importance of staying home when we are sick to avoid spreading it to others! The California guidance also does say "Guests should be temperature and/or symptom screened upon arrival" - but I understand this is difficult for staff to address given the back lash we see on social media. - if it was an option I'd knock off a half star for this but I don't think it warrants a full star given if this family hadn't been here it would be a 10star experience! I'll also note our server was exceptional! The rest I think is covered in my previous reviews. I truly think Paesanos is one of our best davis restaurants. read more

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Good Italian restaurant in a college town. Been here a few times with my UC Davis daughter and always try different things on the menu, haven't had a miss yet. Service is always excellent, atmosphere is nice and clean and the bathrooms are well maintained. We have tried a few other places near by when looking for a burger or something different to eat, but this place is the best of all the surrounding restaurants in my opinion. I'll miss it once she graduates next year!! read more

This place is delicious, I love coming here, and decided I finally needed to leave them a review. Took my sons on a date here today and my picky little man loved the spaghetti and meat balls! Their Polenta fries are sooooo freaking delicious (and it's part of their happy hour specials!) I had the Prawn scampi , it's definitely a favorite now. They're doing indoor and outdoor seating right now. Happy hour 3-6pm M-F! (Wish they'd add 1-2 more Prawns lol, but that's ok) read more

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Let me start by saying that my husband is Italian, born & raised in Rome. Not only is he an excellent cook himself, but he travelled all over Italy doing cultural & food programs for Italian television. So he knows Italian food. We went to Paesanos at 139 G Street, in Davis for lunch today. Because there was a calzone being advertised on a blackboard with habeneros peppers, he was cautious about ordering and questioned the waiter as he didn't want any non Italian innovations with the spaghetti carbonara. The waiter assured him that there would be no hot peppers and that the spaghetti carbonara is strictly Italian - no hanky panky with the recipe. Well, when his carbonara arrived it smelled and tasted of burnt garlic. There's not supposed to be garlic in carbonara but the burnt garlic was overwhelming. In addition, the hard bacon chips were obviously cooked in advance and added mixed in as an after-thought. So that also explained why there was no bacon flavor throughout the pasta dish. Another thing he noted was that the parmesan didn't behave like parmesan; it should have melted in with the pasta. And he knows his parmesan -- it didn't taste to him like authentic parmesan. Perhaps it was an inferior Kraft grated parmesan from a shaker. In my case, I ordered calamari fritti and a salad asking for no feta to be added (isn't that Greek rather than Italian?). The salad was okay after I'd removed a pile of thin, pickled onion rings on the top. It would been better had I'd asked the waiter to just bring to the table a caddy with oil and vinegar. On the other hand, the calamari was so over fried that had it remained in the fryer half a minute longer it would have been burnt black. As it was, it was a dark brown and so crisp that when you crushed it between your fingers it completely crumbled into hard, tiny bits of breading. It was a challenge to eat any of it. I even wondered where the calamari had gone. We asked to speak to the manager to explain the specific culinary errors of their chef. We expressly said we didn't want any comps or reduction of our bill (so they got that one request right) BUT that we'd like the chef to learn how to cook real Italian carbonara and calamari fritti. She said that since it was one of three restaurants in the Sacramento area (one each in Mid-town & Elk Grove), all she could do is pass along our complaint to upper management via email. These people don't know Italian food at all. I'm certain the chef never learned how to cook authentic Italian food. He might also have been distracted and over cooked everything for our table. Possibly, they'd do better as a Mexican restaurant with their inclination to add hot Mexican peppers to calzone. Our bill was $63.86 for one small salad, one calamari fritti, one spaghetti carbonara and one glass of rose. Add the $12.00 tip (less than our usual 20%) and the total came to $75.86. What happened to the good food diners used get at such a price? "Paesano" translates to "villager" -- which should mean simple but good eating at a reasonable price. But this place is a fail in every way. -- Anita & Alfredo Malchiodi Albedi read more

Went for dinner on 10/15/18 We set out to eat an early dinner and we had heard from a family member that this was a good place. It is a very nice place with great inside areas. It was crowded on this night so we decided not to wait and took a table outside. I wish we would have waited because it got chilly and I was not dressed for the weather. Service was slow at first as we waited to see who was going to be serving us. A very nice young lady arrived after about 15 minutes and from that point on service was great. She asked us if we wanted some bread and of course we said yes. It came with balsamic and oil and was good but not to hot and a few pieces were hard. I ordered the Stromboli and it is pictured below. It was much more good than I needed or even wanted. I was not expecting the salad but was happy to try it. I was not a fan of the dressing. It was very sweat and a little bitter. My main course was okay but not great. As I mentioned it was large and was mainly bread. The meatballs inside and the cheese was good not great. I would probably try another dish next time. My wife ordered the fried ravioli and enjoyed them but not the sauce that came with it. All in all it was s little better than average. read more

Paesanos - Italian Near Me - Davis, California

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The customer service was really bad. We waited a long time for the soup. We understand it was busy, but during that time, the server never checked on us. No water or straws were provided until we asked. read more

A great place to eat. Amazing pizza. Servers are always nice. I recommend the Caesar salad too.

Was so excited for a menu with such a full selection of Gluten Free options but we won't be visiting this location again. Ordered: GF Calamari - definitely recommend, dipping sauces were full of flavor GF Polenta Fries - undercooked GF Carbonara - sauce was watery and NO flavor; the GF baguette was burnt and PLAIN Grilled Chicken Sandwich with side salad - good The service was AWFUL. Where our table was gave my husband a straight view to the pickup window and my GF pasta sat in the window for about 10 minutes. Our waitress never came to ask how our starters or food was. I had to stop her to ask for Parmesan cheese (in hopes of giving my pasta some flavor) and butter for my bread - never got the butter. read more

Excellent food and service. The menu changes seasonality so if you have a favorite item call in advance. Anytime we have out of town company we bring them here. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by my chicken caesar salad here. I ordered a small and small is definitely what I got. Asked for light dressing and they delivered! It's so hard to have that in a lot of places and I end up having to have the dressing on the side. Their Caesar dressing was wonderfully flavored and I enjoyed it more than other caesars I've had. The chicken was juicy and moist. My biggest regret is that I didn't get a large! I would definitely come back here again. read more

Garlic lovers need to order BOCCE Balls. Pork Fussili is my goto dish. Service is always good. Friday's can get busy. Treat yourself and go. read more

Okay, so, YES, it's a "chain" but also their pesto tortellini is the best comfort food in a million years. So I don't care, love it. And the Fried Ravioli is solid. Can be a wait to sit if it's more than 2. A little bright on the lights. (Did I mention the chain factor?) Service (almost) always good though. read more

Food was just ok, nothing mind blowing but not worth the price. Wait staff is friendly upon entering and then forgets you at the table atleast in my experience. Had to wait over an hour for food and watch people who came after me get food before me. It was unfortunate because I really enjoy italian food but this place wasn't. read more

Great food and service; loved their Sicilian pizza so much me and a buddy of mine finished it and ordered another *chefs kiss* ‍ went back and tried the Fuji Apple & Gorganzola; also very good read more

Paesanos - Sicilian pizza - Italian Near Me - Davis, California

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Good pasta but pizza is okay! If you want Italian food in Davis, Paesanos is the place to go.

Honestly, I don't really know why I have such fond memories of this place-- every time I'm here, I try a different dish and am always, ALWAYS underwhelmed. The pasta is below average and the ambiance is very awkward. I mean, it's okay as somewhere to catch up with friends, in a "nicer" atmosphere (as opposed to the other more casual joints, like Thai Canteen) but I just I feel like it tries really hard to provide an elegant dining experience... but for a college kid budget. Everyone who I know that likes this place raves about dishes with meat in them, so I feel like my review is a little biased since I won't be able to eat those. Sorry! I'll throw in an extra star to compensate lol, I would hate to give an unfair review. During my most recent visit here, everything was about the same as expected-- weirdly seasoned pasta, SUPER loud environment (I could barely hear what my friends were saying at the table...), and the driest bread you imagine. But our server, Francis (sp?), was very diligent and provided excellent service. I had the Pesto Primavera, which was... edible. It was pretty bland for the most part. Weird texture, like pasta that was supposed to be al dente but ended up very rubbery instead. The mushrooms taste undercooked? On top of that -- literally and figuratively -- there is wayyyyy too much shredded basil. I'm sure someone out there likes it, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Overall, eh. Knowing me, I'll probably end up back here anyways. read more

Paesanos - Pesto primavera! Average at best - Italian Near Me - Davis, California

Food is really good and the polenta fries are amazing as are the Bocce balls. We came for a family dinner for four. We ordered calamari, polenta fries and bocce balls for appetizers. They came out quickly. Then we waited and waited and waited for our entrees. Sunday afternoon at 2:00 we waited 45 minutes for the entrees before they showed up. The pizza was lukewarm as was my husband's entree with kohlrabi noodles. The other two entrees were reasonably warm. We spent approximately $50 per person and it just wasn't worth the price-tag. We had a great time though as a family. read more

Found this restaurant recently when my son was accepted to UC Davis. The place is nice and the food is excellent. We've been to this restaurant a couple of times and it doesn't disappoint. Yes, you will have to wait if the restaurant is crowded at peak time for dinner but worth your wait. The servers have been friendly and even helpful on recommending a special plate of the day during our last visit. read more

Came here last night with a few friends and service was prompt even being a busy Saturday evening. First time having Bocce balls and fried ravioli were delicious as appetizers. I was not a fan of the bruschetta, but I've never really liked bruschetta. I ordered the tortellini and it was great as is! I don't drink and they have a few mocktails on menu. I purchased the POG-licious and the no added sugar was nice, it was sweet as is. Nice little spot in Davis and didn't have to deal with midtown Sacramento parking. read more

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Great food catered to Gluten free. Few errors on the order but staff fixed very quickly. Overall a nice experience and will be back.

The only place with fried calamari that we could find once we moved here. One of a few grown up food options in town. I recommend.

Food is delicious!!! The bread balls get me Everytime. Menu is limited since covid but it's still a very good place to eat.

Great food, good service (Big fan of curbside), and my absolute favorite... their ranch dressing. omg I could drink it. I always get it for the garlic bread but as I'm writing this I realize next time I eat here I need to get a pizza, and about a half-gallon of ranch. read more

The food and service is always good here, just the new LED lights they installed in the past few months make it seem like we're sitting in an urgent care waiting room. read more

What a fun evening. the wait was short on a busy Monday night...once seated, we were never rushed Audrey provided fabulous service to our group. Menu was a bit on the basic side, but what we ordered was good. read more

Based on other reviews, I can now understand why the low rating. It's either a hit or miss depending on what you order. Came here for a birthday dinner recently as a walk-in (reservations were not available) it was a 30 min wait. Bocce balls, delicious! Love the texture and the sauce they're bathed in, it's a must try! I love love bread. For my meal, I ordered the pesto tortellini which I absolutely loved! For those who say, it's a meal we can make at home, yes but what do you expect? It's pasta with sauce. Another dish that we've ordered a few times is their special "pork fusilli" so so good - it gets ordered through our party every visit. Now for the not so good, my partner ordered the shrimp scampi and those noodles were so dry! We often told him to send it back but instead ate the shrimp and left the rest. Definitely see myself coming back and ordering our "go-to's" read more

Great atmosphere and quality service. We went on a Saturday night with a group of friends. We waited about 20 minutes for our table. Meanwhile, we all hit up the bar and had a variety of drinks to choose from. $7 dollar Manhattan's are cheap and made just right. We all sat and shared appetizers. The polenta fries are FIRE!!!! I recommend these even if you've ordered too much food. They are by far one of their top menu items. Finally, I ordered the Sicilian pizza which was super tasty. Everyone ordered something different, from pastas to the Italian cheese steak. Everyone was super satisfied. Now service! Service was on point. Our waitress was super thorough and was on top of our orders. Would highly recommend this place if you are in the down town area. read more

Paesanos - Sicilian Pizza - Italian Near Me - Davis, California

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This was my first time at this Davis location and unfortunately I have to give them 2 stars. One of the biggest factors for my reviews for a business I visit more than once is CONSISTENCY. The staff was great, I will give them that. Our waitress was very attentive even though they were busy and she didnt make us feel forgotten. She was very communicative about timing and when stuff was coming out. On this visit I had the Fettuccine Arrostiti and I was disappointed. There was no flavor. Honestly was kinda shocked how bland it was. I was able to make it better after a good amount of salt and pepper. It's disappointing when you patronize a business because you know they have good food and then they drop the ball like this. My brother who was visiting from out of town also ordered the Fettuccine and before I could say anything he commented on how flavorless the food was. The Sangria did not dissapoint. The same and just as tasty as every pitcher I have consumed in the Sacramento location, what I would expect. TIP: They dont take reservations. Its first come first serve. Also, the Spicy Creole Pasta is not on the menu, BOO! read more

I went there to eat with my friend. The ambiance was chill and pretty! I asked the server for recommendations and she recommended the special to me so I got it. I love trying new dishes. And like she said, it was delicious! I also loved their tomato soup. Try this place! 10/10. read more

I've been here before and never had any issues, but tonight was a bit different. It was a Wednesday night at 6. The restaurant was pretty busy, but we got seated quickly. It took a little while before our waiter came to take our order after we sat down, but no big deal. When the appetizers came, they had one right, but the other was wrong, so we were able to eat one, while waiting for them to correct the second one. Took about 10 minutes for them to get it out to us. Our waiter came by to double check one of the entrees we ordered, but somehow when they were brought, by a different person, they did the same thing--one right, one wrong. So again, since we were sharing, were able to start on one entree, a salad luckily, while they corrected the second entree. About 15 minutes later they brought the correct one. Fortunately, the timing of all the mistakes made for a good pace of dining, and it was totally fine and didn't really bother us very much. They did discount the two appetizers by 4 and 5 dollars, which was appropriate. The food was good, the prawn scampi is a bit overpriced at $20, but it's tasty! If I lived in Davis, I might go back again, but would have the expectation that things might be similar to my experience tonight. read more

Delicious all around with savory dishes. The bocce balls were a great start. Close out with the towering tiramisu cake. Be sure to visit Paesanos and reminisce about your favorite Seinfeld memories. read more

Food here is delish. Service here needs MAJOR MAJOR improvement. Would highly recommend driving to Sacramento Downtown location or not coming. (Unless togo) read more