Paradiso Restaurant

This restaurant was on my brother's List of Places to Go so I made reservations for his birthday. We arrived to find that a ""computer glitch"" had erased our reservations but there were few diners there and they were able to ready the table quickly. Our waitress was incompetent and we had to wait 20 minutes for cold bread and water not to mention the time it took for her to actually take our order. As I said there were a mere 3 tables and 2 waitstaff. The term ""Wine Bar"" should be used loosely for this place. We ordered 2 bottles and after an unreasonable wait we pulled aside the other server only to be told they were out of stock of both varieties. The food as par although the gnocchi were over cooked and complete mush. At the end of our meal instead of the cake we pre-ordered for the birthday boy, he received a barely legible bill. Thankfully the anal CPA in the family went over the check and found we were over charged by $40 for a bottle of wine. When we asked to speak with the manager the owner Lynn come out and explained the price as ""a computer glitch."" Must be the catch all for all their problems. (Wonder if the computer cooked the gnocchi too?) The owner did nothing to atone for the problems other than correct the bill. We ended up somewhere else for dessert and making a pact to never step foot in Paradiso again! more

My husband and I went to this restaurant for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The sophisticated decor is very enticing and made us interested to see whether or not the food would be equally impressive. We scored last minute reservations on a Friday night. Both of us enjoyed our meals, but neither of us felt as ""wowed"" as we have been by other local establishments. My fish entree was tasty, but upstaged by the butternutsquash soup that I had as an appetizer. The wine list was pretty extensive and were pleased with our moderately priced selections. Pros: Less pretentious than it may appear. Cons: The ambiance is more pleasing than the food. more

We had nice time on our recent (and first) trip to Paradiso. The inside is really beautiful and well spread out, parking was not an issue, and our server was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and Italian dining. There were six of us in the party (two kids), and we had a good sampling of the menu. The portions seemed a bit small (which drives me nuts when compared to price - it is South Philly, make the plate overflow!), but my wife and mother-in-law couldn't finish their plates. I ordered a pasta dish and replaced the as-designed pasta with the gnocchi - and they really lived up to the billing! Everyone really loved the desserts (cheesecake and chocolate cake). Pros: Taste and ambience Cons: Portion vs. price more

There were 5 of us and everyone thought ""It was good"". The salads were very good but the soup of the day, a seafood selection that 2 of us had, was the first of the ?good? but far from exceptional selections chosen. My Hudson Valley duck, again, was good. Others in the same category were the Grilled Tuna with Shaved Fennel, and the Speck and Aged Asiago Stuffed Chicken. The restaurant itself has a nice feel to it but there are many other places we have enjoyed more in Philly. We won't be rushing back. Cost with tax and tip around $50 per person. Pros: Nice look Cons: Average food more

Had dinner at Paradiso for the first time last week... and we will DEFINITELY be back! It was the most delicious, original, and authentic Italian that we have had anywhere in Philly. The waitress was professional and attentive, cocktails delicious, and selections -- so hard to choose! We have paid muh more for dinner in Philly and had meals not half as good as at Paradiso. Definitely try this restaurant! Pros: great service, delicious food more

I recently threw my wife a surprise birthday party at Paradiso. What a fabulous experience from beginning to end! I found the restaurant on citysearch. Now, I'm not a great party planner, so I was a little nervous about the whole thing. When I first called, the manager was unavailable, but she returned my call very quickly. She asked all the right questions and really made me feel at ease. She and the chef worked on a special menu that fit my limited budget. They took care of every detail-the cake, wine suggestions, ordered flowers and came up with a clever way to get my wife there! The dinner itself was fabulous and all of our freinds raved. I was really impressed with how proffesional the staff was-they didn't skip a beat-not one of our guests ever had to ask for anything! Then to top it all off they gave my wife and I a bottle of champagne and a gift certificate to the restaurant as a thank you. They really made me look like a super star that night! Pros: creative menus, helpful and knowlegdable staff Cons: parking is a little difficult more

A few friends and I went to this restaurant for a work-related dinner and talk. The service was obscenely slow and unattentive. Some colleagues arrived no later than ten minutes after the waitress had begun taking orders, yet did not receive their appetizer until *after* others finished their entree! Pros: Wine selection Cons: everything else: inattentive service, slow order fulfillment on an empty night, tasteless food more

Had dinner there for the first time last sat night, it was fantastic. The service was friendly and the wine list was reasonably priced. I can't wait to go back! more

After making an 8:00 reservation, we had to wait over half an hour for a table near the door, that happened to be open the entire time. The hostess was very friendly, but unaccomodating. When we were finally seated, another half hour went by until we were greeted by a waiter. It was then around 9:15. Finally another 20 minutes went by, and the waiter took our order. That wasn't the worst, we waited over an hour for our ""dinner"" and finally told the hostess we were going to leave. It was past 10:00. The hostess ""generously"" comped a piece of cheesecake for our troubles and we had our dinners wrapped. The menu was terrible, the service was worse, and the food was not very good. I would not reccommend this restaurant to anyone. Pros: ambiance Cons: service, menu, food more

My Husband and I recently visited Paradisio on a spur of the moment restaurant search. We parked on Tasker st. and walked south on Passyunk not knowing where we were going to dine. We passed serveral resaurants and viewed the menus posted on their windows. We choose Paradizio. It was a Thursday evening and the resaurant was empty. Believe me, when I see an empty reastaurant I head for the door. But it was so pretty I just had to go in. Paradisio is newly remodled and very elegant. I ordered the beet appitizer and the Cobia special with lemon risotto, my husband ordered the filet with the mashed potatoes. The meal was excellent, large portions, we were very satisfied. We shared the rice pudding, to die for. I would diffently recommend Paradisio. I can't wait to take my family there. Pros: good service, parking, quality more

My wife and I have eaten at Paradiso on several occasions and every time we go it gets better! It's like dining in Old City but without the crowds, traffic and lack of parking.We've had no problem getting in without a reservation during the week, but I would definately make one on weekends-it's pretty busy! The best part is you can make a reservation on line and that way there is no chance of it getting ""lost""! The Portions are a nice size, but not so huge you can't have a couple of courses. The wine list is pretty cool too. We've been able to have several different wines by the glass that we've only been able to get by the bottle in other restaurants and, the mark up doesn't seem to high. If you haven't been to Paradiso yet-add it to your list of to do's for 2006! Pros: inexpensive, great wine more

Fattiest piece of pork I have ever had. Tastless Ossobucco. Had to wait a half an hour for our reservations then a table was created right by the door to accomodate us right next to the jazz musicians so we were blasted out through our whole meal. Waitress asked us what we would like to eat before giving us the specials and then proceeded to ignore us the rest of the evening. Nothing was worth the time or price. Would not EVER go back or recommend this restaurant to anyone. more