Paisanos Trattoria and Pizzeria

I have found the little gem in Pacifica that shines very brightly. The entire happy experience will start as soon as you walk into this cozy and quaint restaurant. The delicious aromas tease your senses and make you salivate upon entry. I went a little early so there was no wait, but it does get busy pretty quickly. But no worries, if you are waiting for a table, the host makes sure that you are well hydrated by offering comp glasses of their house red or white.
There caprese salad, nice and fresh. Just the perfect amount of dressing, to fresh leafy greens, to tomatoes and mozzarella. None of the ingredients in the salad overpowered one another, just complimented perfectly. Would def recommend for those who love a nice caprese salad.
Linguine and prawns, very good. The noodles were perfectly cooked, but unfortunately I felt that the prawns were a touch overcooked. The garlic white wine sauce was slightly bland, but if you add a touch (a big touch) of Parmesan, it is delish. The pappardelle with chicken, amazing. Noodles were once again cooked to perfection, as was the sauce for this dish.
Now the service was amazing. Our server Ezra (spelling?) was very attentive and accommodating.
Food, ambiance, and service were all excellent. Will def be back to try everything else on this menu. If you are looking for just a laid back night with good food, good drinks, and a relaxing atmosphere, this is the gem you have been looking for. Also, if you go early enough, you can catch an amazing sunset. Enjoy!

Undeniably the greatest when it comes to atmosphere and taste! As soon as you walk in the door, the owners Vinny & his lovely wife Marika make you feel like family. Love the classic Italian feel.
Can’t remember a time I was at an Italian restaurant that offered great food and wonderful classic Italian music and top shelf service. Whether at the bar or at a table, there’s not a bad spot in this place. Bring your parents or your kids, love the table clothes that double as drawing space for the kids!
Never need to look for another spot! When your at Paisanos. your already home!

Second visit as good as the first. Went for pizza, Great crust, super tasty even re-​heated.
Easy parking.

I still love Paisano’s! I have been coming here since it opened and have never been disappointed! There is no other place in Pacifica like this resturant! Where else do the owners come around and visit with you to make sure everything is ok and to get to know you! The owners of this retaurant really care about their customers. It really feels like they are welcoming you into their home! The food is great! The bar area is small but great to get to know other people drinking or eating beside you! Very small town feel and comfortable! Best pizza in Pacifica and I know my pizza! Not greasy, just delicious! The Osso Bucco is not on the menu but is our favorite (beef shank with potatoes, linguini and veggies). Great place for dates, visiting family, night out with friends or bring your family for pizza! Something for everyone! Enjoy for yourself!

We had a good time here. The Italian food wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but it was consistently good through all the dishes we ordered for a party of 4. The portions were just right and not freakishly huge like in some chain restaurants and because of that you might think the dishes are overpriced. Maybe they are but just by a dollar or so. For us it came out to about $ 25 per person. The difference is it really does taste like home cooking and so the portions are just right. The atmosphere is great. I would definitely come here again because the overall experience was very nice. One you are a «regular» this place becomes your neighborhood eatery. That’s something special that you can only find in small communities like Pacifica.

If it’s not Paisanos, it’s nothing. Paisano’s definitely knows what they’re doing when it comes to quality food with lots of flavor.
Best Italian food in a pretty sizable radius.
Great service.
Courteous and friendly staff.
Most importantly, an amazing Sharp Park pizza.

The owner Vinny was so awesome I had to sit and eat rarely is that the case thanks for hospitality

We were looking for a great pizza place nearby and this was it. I had red wine, cheese pizza and the tortellini. It was really good I couldn’t stop eating it. Great atmosphere and everyone was very friendly. I highly recommend this gem

Hubby, brother and I had an amazing dinner here! Definitely worth 5 stars, lasagna was delish

Very friendly staff, but the pizza was mediocre. The prosciutto tasted terrible and I’ve been stuck in bed all morning with a horrible stomach ache. We probably will not be back. Our friend had a much better experience with the food. The Joe’s special pizza was good. A majority of the stars are for the nice staff. Wish I could give more for the food.

Just met my daughter and her girlfriend for some pizza at Paisano — their recommendation — it’s their local go to place in the neighborhood. Great live music, super friendly waitstaff and management — and the pizzas were amazing! The four of us shared a Paisano’s Special and a Sharp Park. They were both delicious wonderful fresh toppings and great yummy crust. Nice selection of wines and beers to choose from. What a great place — wish we had a one closer to home in Marin, but we’ll be back whenever we head down to meet them! Be sure to stop by whenever you’re near Pacifica!

Another Fine meal ,
Started off with having to wait for a table. Not at all a bad sign. They were busy. Most likely due to it being Friday Night around dinner time.
So we are seated in the back, not too bad except for the happy drunk guy being loud and taking up space when tables are already crowded. Not a problem.
We started with a glass of red, and some water. Bread is served. Noticed that the bread is not the same bread they served before. This is still sour dough but not as much mouth appeal, Olive oil and balsamic vinegar are on the table to make it better.
Ordered the vegetable pasta with cream sauce. Delish… used the left over bread to clean up the plate. The wife had the seafood pasta with the cream sauce, destroyed the plate .
I have to say the portions are just right and the taste is spot on.
Dessert was kinda lack luster. Triple chocolate cake, decent taste but kinda dry. The coffee is served hot and tasty.
The servers need a little training. But not a big deal. It’s a family place, and I treat it as such, I will get up and get what I need. No one complained and I got what I needed from the kitchen.
I will have to say that if you want to have a really good meal come here, but don’t expect to be waited on hand and foot.

Paisanos is the best restaurant Pacifica has. I am used to going to the city for quality or diverse food, but my SF friends come to Pacifica just for Paisanos. It’s top quality. Classy yet casual, great for dates or Friday night pizza with the family. Speaking of pizza, theirs is delicious! They even have their own pizza chef.
Recently, I have discovered a sensitivity to gluten– I am hoping they start making gluten free pizza.

5 stars and hats off tho the cooks! Yum yum! Beer was cold wine was perfect! The place was full I guess, that’s why the service was slow… it was fine coz the super good food was worth the wait! And the Manager I think it was the owner was a good character! The place will grow on you! I recommend!

The only reason to give this restaurant 2 stars (and not 1) is because the waitress was somewhat nice and friendly.
The food is overpriced for what it is. I had grilled wild salmon and it was too oily and tasteless, more like fried than grilled. Mixed veggies tasted as if there were previously frozen. Other dishes weren’t impressive either. As for the atmosphere — mediocre.
A bit disappointed, since this restaurant had pretty good reviews.

So I just left from here had some dinner with the hubby for his hour break
Greeted right away by this sweetest lady I think her name is Ellen? So friendly
She came with water and very yummy bread
I ordered the Gnocchi in aurora sauce 4 stars !! So much food
My hubby had the lasagna if they say 5 stars
Everything was perfect I think they were gonna have a live band but we left early
Definitely will come back

Okay food. Service that started out well ended up being horrible.
When we arrived on a Sunday evening, the restaurant was ½ empty. A person who we presumed was the owner was talking to a customer about how some tables could be moved together to accommodate her group which was arriving soon. The manager saw us and asked if he could help us. We asked if he had room for a table for two. He did and seated us at a two topper at the back of the restaurant.
Water and bread were served. When our server came by and introduced himself, we had a nice conversation about a vacation that he had just returned from. Then it was time to order. We ordered two Diet Cokes. I wanted to know what the lasagna of the day was and he said it was ground beef. I asked instead, could they make me a Linguine Tutta di Mare? He asked what that was and I explained that it would be similar to their Linguine Volgole but with the addition of white fish, prawns and calamari. He said that would not be a problem. Neither of us discussed price. I also ordered Polpete as an appetizer. She ordered a Caesar Salad for us to share and Spaghetti Puttenesca.
We had to ask for bread plates as well as our drinks and set-​ups (napkin, fork, knife).
When our server brought our salad, he had to go get a second plate so we could share.
When our entrees arrived, we were asked if we’d like cheese. I said no but she said yes. A few minutes later, a young lady wearing a white blouse came with the cheese and asked if we needed anything else. We both said no but then she suggested spoons for our pasta and we said yes, please. They never arrived.
My dinner was loaded with clams in shell and three prawns. There were also two pieces of fish and numerous calamari rings. Both the fish and calamari were overcooked. There was no scrap bowl for the shells and shrimp shell so I had to resort to using the bread napkin (we were out of bread anyway).
Oh, the long table that had to be put together for an incoming group? A little league team. The noise level was incredibly high and shrill. I waved down our server and asked to have our leftovers boxed. As I exited the restaurant, I asked if the owner was still available and that I would like to speak to him outside. I waited at least 15 minutes outside while my partner waited inside for the check to be processed. When she finally came out, we left without speaking to the owner.
Issues?
1. No bread plates.
2. Having to request set-​ups and our drinks.
3. Not being checked on by server.
4. Being offered but not receiving spoons.
5. Running out of bread.
6. No bowl or plate to collect clam and prawn shells.
7. Poorly cooked food.
8. An extremely noisy dining environment.
9. Not responding to a diner who requested an owner.
I wasn’t thrilled with that my «custom order» was $ 27 compared to a $ 18 Linguine Vongole but it wasn’t unreasonable. It would have been smart to let me know ahead of time though.
In general, the food we had was good other that the overcooked seafood. We probably would have rated it 3 or 4 but service and atmosphere killed it for us.

We came here when they first opened & tried their pizza which we enjoyed, but we’ve been meaning to return to try the rest of the menu. So on a random Wednesday evening, we did!
Before I get into the food, I want to say that I love how the restaurant is small enough, but big enough. Some small restaurants in SF, you’re practically sitting elbow to elbow with the table next to you, but Paisanos is small enough to be intimate, but large enough where I’m not overhearing the next table’s conversation or witnessing an awkward first date!
Here’s our meal:
1.) Mushroom Chicken Alfredo’s sauce was perfect consistency not too heavy, cheesy, salty or watery, but creamy & flavorful.
2.) Spaghetti Carbonara was light, yet full of taste. I can make this for dinner, but this is how it should be done. I will order this for myself next time!
3.) Tiramisu was light, fluffy & not too sweet :)
Considering we ate all our pasta & dessert with nothing left to take home, I know we enjoyed our dinner! The food, service & live music were a nice trifecta for a lovely evening!
If you haven’t been here before, come on a Wednesday night to enjoy the live music!

The Best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to in the bay
Everything was great. From the ambience of the place, to the people, and of course most importantly the food.

I feel a bit bad for writing this two star review because the wait staff was super sweet, attentive, and all around great. Service alone was solid, but the food was very, very mediocre.
We started with a Sharp Park pizza and calamari to share. Admittedly, the pizza crust was thin and crunchy, but everything on top from the sauce to the prosciutto were bland. No complaints on the calamari, so I guess it was the best thing we ordered.
As for entrees, my girlfriend had the Agnoloti with aurora sauce (marinara and alfredo mix). I had a bite of her pasta stuffed ricotta and allegedly spinach, and confirmed her sentiment that there wasn’t much spinach taste, just bland ricotta topped with an equally bland sauce.
I had the Linguine & Prawns with a white wine garlic sauce. .. more like oil smothered pasta with overcooked shrimp. Eek!
Husband had one of the night’s specials, the Osso Buco. He reported that his entrée was also blandsville.
I’m a carboholic, so I really wanted to enjoy my meal and have a go to pasta place near home. But, Paisanos simply fell short of my standard for dining out or take out. .. that is, if I can make it at home as good or better, than I won’t bother. I’ve boiled pasta and warmed up sauce outta a jar at home plenty of times; and I’m pretty sure it’s always been just as good as what I got at Paisanos. Plus, for nearly $ 150 (including tip), I can’t justify Paisanos.