We went here for our anniversary and everyone needs to check it out once in their life. Inside is very dim and gives a very warm feeling to anyone sitting. I was that person to use their flashlight to see the menu, but noticed at least one person at every table following suit. The menu is very specific and precise. The rack of lamb was the best lamb I've ever had. The seasoning and flavor of each bite was delectable. Our pastas were fantastic and left us more than full by the time we left. The service was 10/10 and took time to explain every dish and answered any questions we had. It truly felt he was our personal waiter. At least come here once in your life! read more

See all

High quality food, top notch service. Dinner is delicious- a bit pricey but worth it! Dimly lit, romantic atmosphere - which really takes you by surprise, considering it's in a strip mall. read more

Don't understand the hype. It's too dark inside to see the menu. Food takes a hot second to get out. Very crowded inside with very little room to maneuver. Just a nightmare. If I want to get some quality Italian you won't catch me at this place. The level of quality just isn't up to par with the prices being charged. The popular "want to be fancy" restaurant idea is hard to execute, and it's safe to say this place failed. It was not all bad though as they had the Chiefs vs Ravens game on TV. I was very pleased with that as it provided an escape from the mediocrity hidden behind the high prices. Also, why is it so hidden from the public. This place just isn't good enough to hide themselves from the everyday person. Sorry. read more

They define old school charm in St. Louis with classics such as chicken Parmesan, mozzarella salad with fried eggplant slices, and a to-die-for veal chop with mushrooms and fontina. It's been months since we were there but the memories of that meal still burn bright. They keep the lights down low which makes for a great ambiance, and our service was spot on- Informative, and not intrusive. We can't wait to get back for our next excursion. Oh/ and always choose that spinach side dish. You could put that tomato sauce over an old shoe and it would still be delicious. Simple- but done to perfection. read more

Everything is just amazing and more! Atmosphere, food and service is just above and beyond. But, and this is a big "but", getting a reservation isn't easy and being able to walk in is few and far between. Enjoy! read more

Great meal, great service, warm & cozy atmosphere. I had the same thing I used to order 15 years ago & it was just as delicious. read more

Paul Manno's Cafe - Lemon chicken - Italian Near Me - Chesterfield, Missouri

The ambiance is fabulous! The service is great and the food is even better. Everything on the menu is fantastic, but I highly recommend the rack of lamb. While making your reservation, let them know that you would like an order of the Sunday gravy as one of your appetizers. They usually don't have it available unless you let them know beforehand. Top 2 restaurant in St. Louis. read more

Paul Manno's Cafe - Tomato stack - Italian Near Me - Chesterfield, Missouri

See all

Paul Manno's was truly an amazing experience. Walking in the door you immediately smell the freshness of the ingredients being used because of all of the bright, yet savory aromas of the evenings offerings. Our server Brian was exceptional, along with a wonderful team of others that provided an seamless dinner service together. The specials, which included 3 fresh fish options all sounded great, but we opted for the rack of lamb as our main course, which was cut and finished in a lemon caper sauce, table side and presented on a sizzling platter. The real star of the show was the drunken pasta, with Italian sausage and delicate poached lobster tail. The vodka sauce was full bodied yet decadently creamy, and made for a dish that was unlike any I've ever had. I would highly recommend anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion at this quaint and romantic time capsule. The atmosphere and wonderful wait staff made for an unparalleled date night not soon to be forgotten. read more

I wish I hadn't waited 28 years since they opened to eat here. Food was delicious, atmosphere was relaxing, and service was excellent. The tomato-eggplant-mozzarella stack salad was big and hearty, more like an appetizer plate than just a salad. But very good, with fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, oil, and seasonings filling it out. The wife's Insalata Paolo was generously apportioned with hearty strips of Volpi salami, and was similarly very good. Her main entree was a house specialty, lasagna. And it was worthy of being called a specialty. Deeply flavorful and savory. My pollo limon was tender and juicy with an excellent lemon base sauce and meaty mushrooms. Both entrees were well sized and filling. Dessert was house made cannoli in a chocolate shell and tiramisu with blueberries and strawberries. These were some of the lightest whipped desserts of this type that I've had, which was great. Both tasted very fresh with a sweetness perfect to follow the savory entrees. Service was impeccable. The hostess was bubbly/friendly/welcome. Waiter was also friendly & attentive throughout the evening. He asked a couple of conversational questions at the beginning, and actually continued relevant conversation follow ups each time he came by the table. And the buspersons did a great job asking if we were finished with dishes and clearing them, as well as filling drinks. read more

See all

Don't be deceived by the strip mall. This is easily one of the best restaurants in town. Inside, you're transported to white table cloth fine dining and seranaded by Frank Sinatra. The vodka pasta is my go to. I like to add chicken to it. I can also testify that the lasagna is to die for. The veal Milanese is also exceptional. Make sure you make a reservation far ahead of time! This place is almost always booked up! read more

See all

An intimate high quality Italian restaurant. Fabulous food and service. One of the best for a nice dinner out.

Easily my favorite restaurant in St. Louis, even though it can be hard to get reservations. When you enter the restaurant located in a fairly obscure strip mall, you enter a dark room with white table cloths in traditional Italian fashion. The hostess is super friendly and you are guided to one of two dining rooms decorated with pictures of frank Sinatra. Before you order, you are presented with some bread. It may look fairly typical, but do not pass this bread up. It is incredibly fresh and tasty. Sometimes they offer mussels as part of a special, order those if they are available. I typically order the penne alla vodka with chicken and a glass of Chianti. It is the best vodka sauce I have ever tasted. If you order this dish, make sure to take some home because it tastes even better the next day. The veal Milanese is also really good. If you can't get reservations, I would recommend ordering for pick up. The food is just as good and worth every Penny! If you are in St. Louis, this place is a can't miss! Five stars all the way!!! read more

See all

Love the Sinatra ambiance and the food is amazing every time! The servers are great at pairing wine with the menu items, we love the sevice!

I cannot believe I have never stopped in here in all the years I have lived nearby. They have done an excellent job at turning a strip mall spot into feeling like a standalone restaurant. The windows are covered, there are decorative columns inside and and warm lighting. The food was wonderful. I especially loved the eggplant and mozzarella stack insalata. I love anything drizzled in rich balsamic vinegar. I also tried the calamari fritti. Very good. For dinner I had the sea scallops al Limon. They were excellent. Not pictured is the side of buttery garlic pasta that came on the side. The side green beans are excellent. Next time I will try the chicken parmesan because it looked marvelous. For dessert you can't go wrong with the cannoli, but I especially loved the dark chocolate Gelato. I reserved one star only because I think it is a bit pricey. Lovely for a special occasion, but I would certainly dine here more often if there were a few more lower price point items. (But frankly, they have been around for decades so keep doing what you're doing!) read more

Paul Manno's Cafe - Scallops in lemon sauce - Italian Near Me - Chesterfield, Missouri

Now THIS is what I expect from a family owned Italian restaurant! . The environment was warm and cozy! The hostess was welcoming and pleasant. The service (waiters and bidders) were attentive.....never had to ask for water refills or more bread---they bring it automatically and in a timely fashion. And the food....outstanding! We had a house salad, cannelloni, and chicken parmigiana. We will DEFINITELY return , as well as recommend to family and friends! read more

Paul Manno's Cafe - Italian Near Me - Chesterfield, Missouri

See all

We came here for a double birthday. Staff was very nice and I wish I remembered our server's name because he was just phenomenal. It is a great atmosphere, a bit dark, but very personal. Salads: Tomato Stack - Pretty good. Just make sure you ask for light vinaigrette. Ours was drowning in it and you really could not taste the tomato, eggplant, or mozzarella Di Casa - Standard House salad - pretty good Di Spinaci - Good salad. Next time I'd ask for light red onion, I like them, but the top was covered in them. I pushed more than half to the side and still had more than enough. Meals: Cappesante Al Portobello - Amazing! Cooked perfect, and that sauce is just addicting! Save some bread to make sure you get it all! Vitello Panna - So Good! Veal cooked perfect, sauce was not over powering. Linguini Mare Monti - REALLY good! EVEN BETTER if you ask them to put a little bit of the sauce that is on the Cappesante Al Portobello. Rigatoni Arrabbiata - I would not recommend unless you REALLY like olives. That is the strongest flavor of this meal; there are about 4 different kinds of olives along with capers. We did each get a birthday slice of chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla. The cake was excellent. read more

The outside is deceiving--you may be thinking, how good can a restaurant in a strip mall be?? Then you step inside and see all the famous people who have been there and realize you're in for a treat. Paul Manno's has incredible food and service. Great wine selection, delicious appetizers, and to-die-for entrees. On the more expensive end but you won't be disappointed in your food. read more

See all

Top notch. People like family. Food always consistently incredible. Ambiance is pleasing.

Nondescript exterior in a strip mall, but excellent interior and amazing food. It's like walking into Narnia but Italian and romantic. Also no lions. read more

The food was phenomenal. Hands down. Service was exceptional, by Avery. Such an attentive and courteous server. The atmosphere is just great vibes, low light, and romantic. 10/10 we will be back read more

As per usual excellent service and food at Paul Manno's. Aaron was fantastic (as always) and the food did not disappoint. I've been coming here for many years. The menu never changes and maybe it should just a bit. I usually get one or two of the same dishes over and over. Last night I tried a new pasta. It was fantastic! Look forward to my next visit! read more

I hadn't been to Paul Manno's in over 20 years but went recently during the holidays. We had a very nice meal. I ordered the Di Paolo Salad (house salad with Volpi salami, mozzarella cheese) and the Penne Alla Vodka (Vodka, San Marzano tomato sauce, cream, red pepper, basil.) My dinner date ordered the dinner salad and the Pollo Involtini (Chicken stuffed with roasted bread crumbs, Prosciutto, Fontina, lemon white wine sauce, sautéed mushrooms) and we had drinks. I loved the Penne Alla Vodka. It had a nice amount of crushed red pepper and it was just creamy and indulgent enough. If I had one complaint it would be that the salad was tiny considering its $12 price tag. My dinner date loved the Pollo Involtini. It was a huge portion and at least half of it went home. We also had chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The cake was good but I wasn't wild about the ice cream. The service was friendly and efficient. They haven't changed the interior too much. It's still a little overdone and extremely dark. It was a really nice meal though and I certainly won't wait 20 years plus to come back. read more

See all

Excellent service and fabulous food. This is tucked away in a innocuous strip center and wow, is it amazing

Hidden little gem. Great Italian food. Nice atmosphere and good service. Must try the veal chops

This was my first time dinning at Paul Manno's. I had always heard it was very good, but we would not make reservations early enough to go. Our experience was wonderful. There were 9 of us celebrating my birthday. Adults and children were very happy with our choices and service. I had the Chilean Seabass and it was the best I have ever had. Will definitely go back. read more

This is a place the boomer generation eats up... literally. The ambiance is that of a super secret, underground New York City Italian place, the kind you'd need a secret handshake to get in--with Frank Sinatra on repeat. I enjoyed it, I really did, I just feel compelled to try to get across the kind of strange feeling you get when you walk into a place with blacked out windows so dimly lit your eyes struggle to adjust. For many reasons, I wish I could give 3.5 stars. Onto the food- the tomato stack surprised me- the fried eggplant was ice cold (as it is meant to be) and it was just a total miss for me. I wish it would have been hot and the residual heat would have started to melt the cheese and softened the tomato-- that's the kind of thing I'd go back for. As is, wouldn't order it again. The tortellini is the best around, although I did wish it had a salty kick (they were shy on the prosciutto or whatever meat was on top). The fish specials are flown in daily, and people rave about the rack of lamb. I'm sure that it's next to impossible to get anything under or over cooked, as the service really is something worth writing home about. Pro tips: Make reservations weekS in advance, order the 1/2 and 1/2 (2 kinds) of pasta, and swallow the atmosphere (and the cost). read more

See all

Delicious food and a romantic environment. Dimly lit dining room creates a romantic ambiance. Be ready to spend some money when you go though, it is worth the treat. The service was wonderful as well, very knowable staff to help guide you to your perfect meal. I ordered the Pollo Parmigiana per our waiter's recommendation and the balance of sauce to cheese ratio was outstanding. Although it's nestled in a shopping center, don't let the outside fool you! read more

The Lasagna was the best and highly recommend. Service was very attentive and also a very nice Ambiance.

Food and service are amazing! Such great ambience, definitely a go-to for a memorable meal experience!

We have been going here for special occasions for many years. Never disappoints. Last night's dinner was another outstanding meal (rack of lamb, lasagna, and Nona's tortellini) further highlighted by great service from Aaron. Another plus is the reasonable corkage fee of $25 which allows you to bring you personal favorite wine. Always a great experience. read more

Just called to ask if they had any availability and the lady that answered the phone was so rude!!!! She hung up on me. All i asked was if I could get a reservation for my wife and I and the lady on the phone very rudely said "No. of course not we've been booked for 2 months!" How am I supposed to know that? Screw this place I will never try to book a spot here and hope they lose business. read more

Love this place......great ambiance, delicious food and amazing service (Avery is fantastic), highly recommend. (Don't forget the cheesecake for desert ) read more

Wow absolutely no complaints about this place. Paul Manno's is a hole in the wall placed between a Goodwill and a Firehouse Subs. You wouldn't expect a gem to be in that plaza. My girlfriend has been here before, but it was my first time. I heard great things so I was pretty excited. Paul Manno's lived up to every expectation. Very dark, date night place, white table cloths, small menu, great wine. We ordered Italian reds and they were awesome. They will let you sample the wine so just try a couple and see what you like the best! Started off with the freshly baked bread, extremely good with a oil / vinaigrette dip. Followed by their clam / muscle appetizer special. Extremely tasty sauce, pretty solid portions, and you dip the freshly baked bread into the sauce of the appetizer, wow, extremely good. 2 main courses of the special, the Chilean Sea bass, and the rack of lamb. Wow both main courses and their pasta was awesome, delicious, cooked to perfection. That was probably the best cooked fish I've ever had before. Rack of lamb was also seasoned exceptionally well, cooked to a great soft pink (barely visible), extremely tender and soft. Love this place, will be back for sure. read more

See all

Dinner last night. Tomato-Eggplant Stack, Lamb Chops, Pasta Nonna. Best Lamb chops! Perfection. read more

See all

Hands down one of the best restaurants in STL. Perfect spot for date night. Excellent service and amazing food. read more

Paul Manno's Cafe - Bread service - Italian Near Me - Chesterfield, Missouri

See all

Celebrated our 26yr Anniversary at Paul Manno's. We had the Melenzana Parmigiano, New Zealand Rack of Lamb, Di Spinaci, Vitello Piccata and absolutely the best of the best! A festival of flavors just glorious food! Service was impeccable & Avery, our waiter was great! Thank you! read more

See all

A jewel in Chesterfield. Don't let the strip mall location fool you. The food and service are old school great. This is not the new world small servings, multiple courses and fancy plating. This is Rat Pack, pasta and big pieces of meat. I do feel like it's slightly overpriced, but what isn't these days. read more

If you know you know! I have been going to Paul Manno's since what seems like the beginning of time. Always great food and service. It is in a strip mall next to Firehouse subs but once you are in you would never know. The prices are completely worth it! Bar is very small but I think they recently updated(haven't been yet though) Always a great meal-steak, all the pastas, lamb (OMG) and they are good about modifying meals or if you had a special before they will make it again if they have everything needed. read more

This was our first time eating here. We picked it because of the close proximity to St. Luke's Hospital and the high reviews. We were definitely not disappointed. We should have had a reservation because it was pretty busy for a Tuesday (nearly full). Lucky for us they were able to accommodate us. Every single member of the staff that we interacted with treated us as if we were the only guest there. Then there was the food. You can tell that these people are passionate about good Italian food. The salads came out first and were delicious. We weren't rushed to finish them, regardless of how busy the restaurant was. I stepped away from the table for a moment and when I arrived my meal has been covered to keep it hot which was really considerate. My husband got the Filet. It was a beautiful cut, perfectly cooked medium rare. Half of our conversation over our meals was how to cook a steak that perfectly. It melted in your mouth. I got the Rigatoni special and it was phenomenal! The pasta was cooked perfectly. Since places started opening up again, I can honestly say that this is the best experience we have had dining out. Short staffing issues have often made us wonder whether it is worth dining out. THIS IS WORTH IT! The service and attention to detail on every aspect of our meal sets this place apart but I have never even come close to making a dish as good as we had tonight. We will definitely be back with reservations. read more

I did not appreciate booking a table for a special occasion for us a month in advance and being put at the table next to the busing station. Very annoying and it costs too much to sit there when you're out for a special celebration. Only one other couple was in the restaurant and we wanted to l move and the host said no we have reservations and other tables are full. Really, we had a reservation also. Food was good service not that friendly. Won't be back. Mb Husbands meal not great. read more