Paesano's

Me and my girlfriend have been together for 7 years. But on our 6th year anniversary we decided to be brave and try something different. Well we heard of this ""great"" Italian restaurant called Paesano's on 555 E Basse Rd . So we went out of our way to make a hotel reservation near by so it would be convenient for us. We get all dressed up and take a taxi there cos we figured we would be having a blast and having some drinks. I had made reservation there as well so we wouldn't have to wait long. We get there all excited and of course as we suspected there people crowding the door and even people outside. We walk in and see a male hostess looking right at us and then look away. I didn't think nothing of it til people after us came in and he greeted them. Again I just thought it was me , then again more and more people came in and he greeted them as well. He would go up to them and ask them their name and how many. Why didn't he ask us? Cos we are two girls or cos we are not of same race or cos we didn't look like we owned a yacht? I finally went up to him and told him of our reservation and said there was 4 people ahead of us and finally took our names down. About an hour and 20 mins we get seated. So what was the point of the reservation? We get a waiter who looks like we are wasting his time. He takes our order and then walks off and starts smiling and talking to another couple. Guess we weren't good enough for his time. Then he brings us some weird looking olives. All shapes and sizes and colors. I don't know if thats what they serve in these stuck up fancy restaurants but is was gross. They give us our plates like an hour later and it looked like a child's plate. For the price I was expecting a lil more. The food was really bland and not worth the price. Our waiter rarely came to the table and when he did , he made it short and to the point and wouldn't give me time to ask for anything. We just ate and left. It was such a disappointment and a waste of a great 6th year anniversary dinner. I am never ever going to this place again. If i had the choice of putting no stars I would. They need to learn to treat their customers better and treat everyone equally! No matter race, gender, or sexual preference! more

We were looking forward to our dinner at Paesanos at the Lincoln Height location on Saturday July 18 at 8:00 to celebrate two birthdays in our party of four. Whenever we are in San Antonio, we visit Paesanos and have been eating there since the 80s. The hostess and seating staff were very welcoming and friendly and we had no problem getting a table. Unfortunately, as our meal progressed, we understood why the restaurant was only ¾ full on a Saturday night. Out lacksidasical waiter seemed less than thrilled to be there, much less wait on us. Two of us ordered a glass of wine and the other two ordered fountain drinks. He came back with only one glass of wine and one drink. We knew he had forgotten the other two drinks, but he blamed it one the “fountain drink dispenser being broken”. Hmm, doesn’t explain how he forgot the second glass of wine, but he returned later with the forgotten fountain drink and still no second glass of wine. “What type of wine did you order?” he asked again and I told him a third time. Here is the kicker, he finally brought my glass of wine midway through my dinner and wasn’t the Zinfandel I ordered, it was a glass of Chianti! But I was so grateful that he finally remembered to bring me any glass of wine that I didn’t tell him his mistake. Before we ordered, one person in our party asked the waiter to please repeat the specials and he rolled his eyes and reluctantly recited them again. The waiter brought over some great garlic bread, but soon picked up the plate and one person in our party never sampled any. If had been more available, I would have asked for another knife because I mine had dried food stuck to the handle. He must have had someplace more important to be because he quickly brought over our check and half heartedly added, “Do you want coffee or anything else?” I can forgive any restaurant for bad service, however, the food has also was as uninspiring as our waiter. The lonely salad that arrived at our table had only pieces of cut iceberg lettuce with an unoriginal mix of vinegar and oil as dressing, no tomatoes, no carrots, just lettuce on a plate. The side pasta dish that accompanied our meal was only spaghetti and butter, bland enough to be served in any hospital or geriatric living facility. The chicken parmigiana and the chicken w/lemon and capers were adequate but not superior to any similar dish I have had at an Italian food restaurant chain, such as Carrabbas, Buco di Beppo or even Olive Garden. One of us ordered the fettuccini alfredo with sea food, it was a dish we all sampled and stood out as being an exceptional choice, the seafood: shrimp, clams and scallops (ordered without the mussels) were fresh and plentiful. The alfredo sauce was rich and creamy. However, one great dish doesn’t make a restaurant and Paesanos has coasted so far on its past reputation and tradition of exquisite, fine Italian food. Overall, the food is bland, the wait staff is more interested in gathering in the corners to gossip and the manager or owner that was present was too busy promenading through the restaurant rather than doing some quality assurance visits with customers. I regret suggesting this restaurant to our friends for our dinner, as there are other quality Italian food places in San Antonio. I will give those others a try and strongly encourage others to avoid this establishment. Pros: fetticini alfredo dish Cons: service, food more

I absolutely love this place. Great service, food, and ambiance. This is perfect for special occasions, night out in the town, or a romantic evening. I Highly recommend this place. You have to try their calamari! it's these huge steak calamari, order the half size if you have 1-3 people with you because it's a big portion. Very very good, there's nothing more to say but that you have to try it. It's one of my top picks for San Antonio. Pros: everything! Cons: can't think of any! more

THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO IN MY LIFE!!! And San Antonio has a very limited selection of decent restaurants, but this place was the absolute worst. I have eaten at money fine dining restaurants in my life and around the world as well, and let me tell you Paesano's doesn't even deserve one star. If I could, I would give it negative 10 stars. I actually had to make two visits to Paesano's during the past week because of business--one visit to the Lincoln Heights location and one to the 1604 location. Both experiences were HORRIBLE. On my first visit, I had the soup of the day. It was sooooo salty and had such a weird taste, I sent it back and they brought me a bisque instead. This time the soup was only lukewarm and was extremely fishy smelling. For dinner, I had the mushroom ravioli. The mushrooms were well past their prime and very strong tasting, plus the sauce was very bland. I only ate a few bites because I couldn't stand to eat anymore. The waiter packed the food to go but I smelled the leftovers the next day and just tossed it in the trash.\r \r On my next visit, I ordered a dish with shrimp and scallops. The smell was so overpowering I couldn't even eat it. The shrimp were overcooked and the scallops were old because they smelled way too fishy. I honestly felt nauseous and had to have the waiter take the dish away. Thank goodness I didn't have to pay for either meal!!!\r \r I really wanted to like this place but it will never happen. I will never return to Paesano's again!!! SAVE YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY AND AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! Cons: Disgusting food more

Paesanos signature dish is terrible, it was tasteless and oily. Seems like the chef might have over cooked the sauce to were the butter seperated into oil making the dish greasy. The pasta too was oily and overcooked. The service was bad and the hostess was rude. The hostess ignored you until she was ready, she was not friendly...not a great way to begin. The waitstaff was slow and pushy about what they want you to order. They didn't seem to care. If the food was good, I might be able to overlook it. But everything was bad bad bad...service and food. This place is overpriced and overrated. Couldn't wait to leave. So if you want poor service, bland boring food and a empty wallet: come here. Nothing special about this place. Pros: Nice location Cons: Food, service, price more

My husband and I went for our anniversary. I had the signature dish, shrimp paesano. YUCK. No flavor what so ever. If you are going to have a dish named after your restaurant you need to make sure it is good. We had the calamari. YUCK. The calamari was way to thick. It was like eating a squid steak. In my mind calamari should be delicate. My husband had the Osso Bucco. This was very good. The waiter was horrible. Like because we were just two we were an after thought. Needless to say, we will never go again. Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: Horrible food and service more

This Paesano's definately tops my list of the best places to eat in San Antonio. The Shrimp Paesano, the Orange Roughy and the Smoked Salmon are to die for! The bread you are served before your meal is fabulous, too! The place is decorated very nicely, it is dimly lit and very romantic. The only drawback is the service is pretty bad sometimes, especially the hostesses! They are always very rude! Pros: Food, location, decorated nicely Cons: service more

We went there on our 32nd anniversary. The place was packed but we were seated immediately. Our server suggested popcorn shrimp for an appetizer. Was not on the menu. Not a big popcorn shrimp fan but this was heavenly. Light batter over tender shrimp with a fantastic dipping sauce. Might have been what they use on calamari. I ordered Shrimp Paesano and my husband had the tenderloin. Everything was absolutely wonderful and very flavorful. My dessert was a apple torte with caramel topping and my husband had the chocolate banana bread pudding. I don't know which was the best. Both were excellent. Our server was very helpful with off the menu items like the appetizers and desserts. We enjoyed everything immensely. Yes it was loud but we came for the food, not the conversation! Pros: Excellent food, service Cons: Too loud for a lot of conversation more

Heading into alamo heights area I was told about this local italian restaurant that I should venture out to. The restaurant was a little too warehouse like with the restaurant a large square with all the table piled into the middle. The food was average(I had the Osso buco, she had the Shrimp paesano's) but the service was definitly below average. I have not been to a place where the waitstaff seems less interested that I was there to dine. Having worked in a good italian restaurant , I expected much more. Pros: Good location, not a chain Cons: service, quality of food more

Don't even think about this place. The appetizer, giant calamari, was big on quantity and that's about it. The flavor haunted us all afternoon. The pizza was dreadful--from thick doughy crust to commercial pizza sauce it made us wish we had stayed home and heated up a frozen pizza--that would have been so much better.\r \r This place is about as Italian as McDonald's. Actually--McDonald's would have been more satisfying (and better priced). \r \r Do yourself a favor--if in need of a pizza--go to the Frozen Pizza Aisle and get a California Kitchen Sicilian--you'll be happier & so will your wallet.\r \r As far as the Calamari (1/2"" thick) be afraid--be very afraid! Pros: Nice Lighting Cons: Too many to mention...Commercial to a Fault more

What a horrible way to spend my 19th anniversary, Paesanos is so overrated. our food took forever and smelled liked burnt bacon. we spent over $200.00 and got about a $30.00 meal. over crowded and bland food. Please don't waste your time here. I always have had better service and better quality at other fine places around the city. Pros: Beauitful place server' seem to work very hard Cons: food is bland and overcooked, over crowded, over priced for the quality more

I don't understand why this restaurant has such a high rating. I have been here numerous times and on most occasions have found the food to be bland if not downright bad. While the signature shrimp paesano is excellent, the chicken parmesagn tastes like dog food (or how I imagine dog food to taste!) Now, the newest Paesano's on 1604 is wonderful--it's a different menu and is really good! Pros: excellent service, great shrimp paesano, good atmosphere Cons: most of the food is bland or not very good more

This place is a rip-off. Make your own cheap food at home and enjoy it in peace and if you order a wine by the glass, make sure you see it being poured-you'll be surprised to see what you are really paying for! Cons: , crammed, unfulfilled waitstaff more

Paesanos is a must eat at restaurant. The service is great and the food is even better. The shrimp Paesano is to die for. So if your ever in the area check it out. Pros: Crowded Cons: , Great Service more

The only reason to go to Paesano's is because you either live in Alamo Heights or pretend like you do. There must be something in Alamo Height's water supply that makes otherwise sensible people think that Paesano's sub-par food, atrocious service, and unbearable noise level make for an enjoyable dining experience. Or maybe I just have an unnatural aversion to paying $20 for shrimp swimming in fake butter sauces, or $6 for soups made from oversalted and processed bases. Both only grudging served by San Antonio's most neglectful waitstaff. Please go somewhere else! Pros: Snob appeal Cons: Bad food, Bad service, Expensive more

Paesano's is by far the best Italian food in San Antonio. The main one is in the Alamo Quarry and they also have a restaurant downtown on the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk has a limited menu though. Great food!! more

I don't understand the hype about this restaurant. Our experience was terrible at the quarry. The restaurant was not very busy, yet we were given a terrible table. When we asked to move, we were taken to a table on the patio, next to the windows on a very cold night. The heater for the patio was not turned on until we inquired. The seats were metal and very uncomfortable. There were 20+ empty tables inside, so I don't understand why we were seated on the patio. I ordered the tuna special and it was overcooked, tasteless, and drowned in sauce. There are over a dozen restaurants in S.A. of the same caliber, that offer better food and atmosphere - Reggianno's, Piatta, the new Aldino's to name a few. This was definately our first and last visit to the quarry location. more

Sincerely, the difference from one restaurant to the other is mainly the zip code. Bad value for the money at Paesano's, but you'll find a bland who wants to be who of San Antonio. Sad choice for so many who want to be seen. more

the first time i ate at Paesano's, i accidentally ordered the ""appetizer"" - Calamari Gigantissimo (apparently i didn't read the Gigantissimo part...) imagine my surprise when the plate arrived and was LOADED with huge portions of Calamari (this is not your ""french fry"" ""freeze-dried"" restaurant Calamari) try as i might, i couldn't stop eating the Calamari and ""spicy"" dipping sauce that came with it. by the time the veal arrived, i was too stuffed, and had to take my dish home. so, word to the wise - order the Calamari with 2 or more people (just try not to stab the other person with your fork if you both find it too good to stop eating!) and as for the rest of the ""reviewers"" who equate Paesano's scrumptious dishes with Chef-Boy-R-Dee...just how do you remember what Chef-Boy-R-Dee tastes like anyway? Pros: tasty food, attention to detail, impreccable service Cons: crowded, insufficient parking more

This restraunt offers little to choose fromon the menu, high prices for the small selection, and an atmosphere that makes you want to get to the door ASAP. I was very unimpressed by my experience and will not return in the future. Pros: Good location, accomodates groups Cons: too expensive, small selection, eerie lighting more