Paisano’s Ristorante

Very disappointed with quality of chicken picata and fettuccine Alfredo. Tasted straight out of a can with no real preparation. I thought this would be better than Olive Garden but sadly no.

My girlfriend and I went to Paisano’s Ristorante in hopes of finding a decent Italian restaurant in the Topeka area, and we were extremely disappointed. I had high hopes for tis restaurant, but we were severely disappointed. After waiting about 10 minutes for a hostess to seat us, I looked on the wall near the door about all of the very positive accolades the restaurant received, and I had a positive attitude about trying the food. The food was horrible! I had the «Penne Abruzzi», which the noodles were overcooked, and there was still water in the penne. There was way too much cheese on it, which masked the dull taste of the tomato sauce, the meatballs (or meatball pieces) were dry, and I think that cardboard has a better flavor. I also tried the Italian sausage, which is not made in house, and it had a freezer burnt /​overcooked metallic flavor to it.
My girlfriend had the «Fantastico», which was far from the meaning. It also had the same unflavorful tomato sauce, and way too much cheese. It claims to be a 15 layer lasagne, and I was expecting it to be a true 15 layers, but only amounted to about 4 – 5 layers of pasta with 10 or so layers of cheese.
For 2 glasses of wine and the food, it was roughly over $ 50.The price of the food is too much for what it is. You are better off buying a box of Barilla pasta, and a jar of some cheap ragu to get a better taste, and maybe throw in some steaks or salmon, and a tiramisu for the price.
The restaurant is in dire need of an upgrade! Torn up carpet, small wobbly tables, and a stale smell inside the dining area. I have no idea why there are blinds on the windows, but maybe it is to hide the interior from the local population?
Once we walked out, all I could say to my girlfriend was «at least the waitress was decent».

Too many tables in a small space, two of our dishes were listed as spicy and so much red pepper was added that it over powered the food, drinks arrived late and our waitress was not very knowledgeable.

This was a great find. Was in Topeka for work looking for a local restaurant. Could not believe how busy it was for a Wednesday night. We decided to grab a few seats at the bar. Service was a bit slow at the bar due to the fact the bartender called in sick. The food was fantastic. Started off with a generous portion of salad, and awesome breadsticks. Our entrees came out of the kitchen in a timely manner. Hot and yummy. A really good experience.

Paisano’s is probably the best Italian food in Topeka, but since their main competitor is Olive Garden, that doesn’t really say much. The food I’ve had here has ranged from «ok» to «good», but the wait staff is lacking. My boyfriend tried to swap out his spaghetti noodles in his dish for angel hair and the waitress said ok and then served him spaghetti noodles anyways. When this was pointed out she giggled and didn’t offer to fix it. The ravioli I’ve had here are good, and the wine selection is decent. Some updating on the inside and a well trained staff would definitely help this place out quite a bit, though.

Better food than Olive Garden and half the price. Best Alfredo around and their mushrooms Italiano is to die for. Try anything… it’s all delicious!

A wonderful example of a locally owned Italian restaurant that offers food and service that is better than the corporate imposter Olive Garden. The food is tasty and the service is friendly in a dining experience that feels as authentic as it is enjoyable.

I know a lot of people love Paisano’s and I’ll sound like a complete corporate sellout by saying this, but… I’d rather eat at Olive Garden. The food here is mediocre at best and woefully overpriced. The atmosphere and service are nothing special. I think this place remains simply because it’s local and it’s the only other Italian restaurant besides OG.

We never eat chain Italian food. Locally owned here! This place is awesome!

Enjoyed a nice lunch. We decided to try the make your pasta which was Angel hair pasta and vodka tomato cream save topped with rosemary chicken. The helping side easily can feed 2 people and comes with salad and brad sticks. We also had penne abruzzi, again the helping size is enough for two and was very cheesy and full of goodness.
Doesn’t look like the prices are different between lunch and dinner… which with drinks and entrée for two will hit you up for about $ 40.
The staff were nice and welcoming and restaurant was clean.
Many of the other posts say that this place is like Olive Garden, I would disagree. The only thing that is similar is that you get salad and breadsticks.

It was just like Olive Garden! Great nightly specials. Very fast service! Go check them out! The chicken piccata was drenched in oil and was chewy. The eggplant parm was just ok…

Italian joint, similar menu to olice garden but with more flavor. We always have great service and the food is never disappointing. –1star pass on their lattes it tasted that instant cappucino crap you get at thr grocery store.

Food wasn’t terrible, but it was certainly overpriced for the quality. The worst part was when I ordered a $ 4.00 latte after my meal. It looked like instant coffee and skim milk — watery and weak with little black granules (presumably from an instant coffee mix, or maybe grounds).

Another big group gathering and extremely disappointed with service and pace of service.
Had reservation, yet breadsticks and salads were extremely slow. Only assigned one server when we should have had a least 2.
Won’t recommend for our group again. Smaller groups, date night be OK.

Been here a few times already and have never been disappointed. The portions are a good size even for someone with a bid appetite. I am a vegetarian and I have never had to have the same thing twice. And that is saying something ! My favorite by far is the asiago and pesto ravioli! The staff is really courteous and they are very accommodating when it comes to substitutions or any other special requests.
My only complain here is that there way too much oil in most of their preparation. I wish they would take it down a notch.
All in all good place to come with a big group of friends or with a special someone.

I liked paisanos. The food was very flavorful and the waiter was professional and seemed experienced. It’s nice to have a grown, experienced person as a waiter. They know not to bother you every 5 minutes to ask you «how is everything, everything ok?»
That’s a big plus in my book; not having my conversations with my girlfriend be constantly interrupted.
Very small issue, when we walked in for my grandmother’s birthday, we didn’t see anybody in the front. I finally peeked around the corner and the staff were busy conversing with each other until someone noticed me and then the hostess took a little too long to come and get us. I’d be a big apologetic if I were her but she was not at all, took her sweet time coming to seat us lol…
But that’s a tiny inconvenience, definitely didn’t ruin our experience.

Weary travelers
Found this place on your site. Instead of the ubiquitous bar b que we had a sumptous dinner at Paisao’s. Fantastic house made salad dressing and sauses. The Mediterean pasta was full of perfectly cooked seafood & vegetables in a balanced olive oil/​garlic sauce. The prices were reasonable & our server was exceptional. (Zarikia)

In the mood for a 15 layer lasagna? This is your place! We dropped in for lunch while in Topeka for the day hoping to find something that didn’t come out of a box or a can. We were not disappointed with the homemade sauces and friendly service! We chose from a variety of pasta and sauce choices to please our tastes, and were our tastes ever pleased! The Alfredo sauce was creamy and cheesy, and the fresco sauce like it was picked from the garden in the back.
2 people stuffed with delicious food for under $ 20 including tip and enough for a small supper left over. «Best deal in town,» is what our waiter kept saying — we agree.

Okay, so I love the food at Paisano’s Ristorante. In terms of Italian food in Topeka no one competes. This is obvious. The service? Nearly ruins it. Hold on for the jump if you want to know more.
I’ve never liked Olive Garden, it’s too corporate and their food always tastes like it has soap in it. Johnny Carrinos (now closed) was alright but their food was just not inspired. Sometimes, a corporate restaurant just gets beat by a local in every capacity. This is one of those places. I don’t know why people go anywhere else. The salad is always perfect, the breadsticks always soft and warm and the lasagna is the best I’ve had. The Roman Twins? I swear it is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Come before 11:30 for half price and order two, their that good.
The service, on the other hand, is below par. The fiancée and I came here for half price and got treated with half care. We kept having to tell the wait staff to run down our waitress, constantly empty soda and then there was our appetizer fiasco.
DO NOT ORDER THE BRUSCHETTA. It is cold, un-​flavorful and easily one of their weakest dishes. It is sub par. We ordered it and between the two of us managed to eat ONE piece. Expecting good customer service we ere hoping the waitress would ask if something was amiss, nope. She came by two or three times and we didn’t touch it. We then informed her that we didn’t like it, and we were returning it. She simply took the appetizer, did not apologize and then did nothing about the bill. Sure, I suppose if I ordered it I will pay full price. Just don’t expect a 20% tip. This experience is not uncommon, somehow the staff is super pretentious and acts like I am annoying them with my presence.
Overall, Paisano’s is a must go. I just wish their staff was a little more customer service friendly.
Maybe I’ll just get my next order to go.

Went here for lunch with some colleagues from work and had the Marco Polo. The almond cream sauce tasted cheesy and the chicken was extremely dry while on the other hand the broccoli was nicely steamed and pasta was firm. The salad was good but the bread sticks were a little sticky rather than fluffy. Service was good and fast.
Overall a decent meal but nothing to write home about.