Padavano’s Place

Been a couple of months since last visit… Way too long. Calamari appetizer beyond anything I have ever had… Hot peppers… Staff is amazing… Tawni our server so personable and professional… You can tell she loves her work… She remembered my name from a visit last Christmas!, I was very impressed. Ordered haddock and chicken carbonara. Outstanding… Fresh fish hand cut fries… Cole slaw. My weakness. Oolala… Report that chicken carbonara very nice… Again hats off to Rosalina and Padavano’s!

Plastic cups with water with no lemon after she asked and served after beverages. Got w glass of wine which tasted like dish water. Service was very drawn out and not a lot of people there. She stopped to watch the Red Sox while waiting for our food to be wrapped.
Food was decent. Got the ckn parm. Typical ckn parm and BF got the sausage and pasta which was a special and nothing to rave about. I spoke w a table neighbor who said and raved about the homemade raviolis w a meatball in the middle. Looked bomb. If I ever come back I’ll try that.
Had a guy playing music which was nice. Nice acoustic. Environment is nice until u hit the red vinyl tablecloths.
We’ll see if I ever come back but food was ok. Not my fav spot in the world but don’t come here if your in a rush.

The worst food, experience, service and then the owner was the ultimate worst! First experience we have had here and will be the last. We ordered the eggplant stack. Which came out raw and cold. We had to send back to have it put in the oven. My fiancé had the Frutti Di Mare. They were out of the haddock and so it was mussels, clams and shrimp. Their idea of Italian cooking is Ragu sauce, ketchup and so many peppercinis in the «sauce» it was like someone poured a bottle in his dish. We were going to just pay and leave BUT when one of the supposed owners behind the bar (purple turtle neck and mullet) asked «how was it?» We couldn’t hold back from telling her the truth. When my fiancé told her he had so many peppers he could hardly eat it, her reply was «I usually just put them to the side» WHAT?! We support and love local business. These people need to at least check their food before it leaves the kitchen. Poor excuse for Italian food.

This is an intimate, well themed Italian restaurant. It’s not super fancy, but it’s very clean and inviting. I like the rustic décor. The hostess was super friendly and we were seated right away. Our waitress Kim was also very friendly and we received a basket of bread almost as soon as we sat down. We were there for Worcester Restaurant Week and they had a special menu for $ 23.15. We ordered the three cheese ravioli as an appetizer. The flavor of the marinara did not knock my socks off, but they were good. The portion was two large ravioli and were a perfect size for an appetizer. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and my husband got the veal parmigiana. The portions were huge. I took mine for lunch the next day. My dish had two large pieces of chicken. It was hot and crunchy and well cooked as was the pasta. The dish was delicious although again the sauce was a little underwhelming. My husband said his veal was excellent and ate the majority of his really large portion. We both got the cheesecake. There were no toppings for it, but to be honest it was so good, it really didn’t need it. The crust was buttery and the filling was creamy. This was not a large portion but just right.
I would recommend giving this place a try.

My husband and I had friends visiting from Florida last week. We decided to try Rosalina’s for dinner, but we had mistakenly not made a reservation. Rosalina’s was packed! Angela quoted us a 30 minute wait, and then offered to call over to Padavano’s to see if they could take us. We accepted her offer and headed to Padavano’s.
Our meal and the customer service we received at both Rosalina’s and Padavano’s were outstanding! Robyn, the hostess, was ready for us when we arrived. Alisa came over to talk to us before and after our meal, and Sue, our waitress, was fantastic!
I had the clams and linguine with white sauce. This is my favorite meal, and Padavano’s version is the best I have eaten anywhere — including the North End, where I lived for 6 years.
The food and service was so good, we took my parents to Padavano’s for dinner last night after they flew in from Florida to vacation with us this week. We had Sue again, and another fantastic meal!
Thank you for the wonderful meal, and fabulous service! We will be seeing you all again — very soon!

We went to Padavanos on a Saturday afternoon at 5pm. Our intention was to have drinks and then dinner and we wanted to sit outside. As we were walking in, we noticed 5 open small tables on their patio. The woman who barely greeted us at the front said they were reserved. She did not ask us how long we would be there. We could have been in and out, spent a nice bit of money, and still had her open tables free for the reservations. Poor customer service and clueless for losing their restaurant money. The vibe and greeting was not appealing and we will not return.

I had high expectations for the food here, having gone to Rosalina’s before. What I had not expected was the warm atmosphere and excellent service. Meghan was attentive, helpful with suggestions and just genuinely kind. We started with the Buffalo Chicken Ravioli, handmade, and they were delicious. For entrees, we had the Sebastien’s Cabin, a pasta dish with breaded chicken, maple cream sauce and perfectly cooked bacon. It was amazing! We also got their Veal & Sausage Mafia, made with housemade sausage and a roasted red pepper sauce. Also amazing. I would ignore the earlier reviews from when they first opened. They have clearly worked any previous issues. You will be doing yourself a favor by going here! One of the best restaurant experiences I’ve in a while. Looking forward to checking out the live music.

I have an addiction to their Shrewsbury St Nachos and Buffalo Chicken Ravioli. The atmosphere is great. Padavano’s is always my top choice for a night out.

Last night was my 3^rd visit to Padavano’s. I am a Rosalina’s kitchen fan so I was anticipating this new place. Each time I’ve taken a group of people and everyone loved it! Last night was the best of all I had a broiled haddock on a bed of spinach, roasted red peppers and feta cheese along with crispy potato wedges and a huge portion of fresh al dente green beans. This was the best yet. My mouth is watering just writing about it. One of my guests had the same meal and devoured it as did I. My other guest had the lemon chicken and she said it was wonderful.
If I had one criticism it would be the bread they serve with the meal. Every time I’ve been there the bread has been stale. In a place like this I would expect a better bread maybe an olive bread or warm rolls. Probably just a preference.
The atmosphere is very nice and the service is excellent. I will be there again and again and I encourage everyone to go there and try it they won’t be disappointed.

Did the boneless zesti Italian wings. chicken was dry. my date said it was drier than a desert. great atmosphere though. polite service…

One of the worst meals I’ve ever had. Awful pasta and sauce that tasted like a can of paste. You’re better off lighting your money on fire!

Food is just ok but the service and staff are the worst. We recently went there and will not be back. Too many good places on Shrewsbury st to even consider this place

While this place has only been open a month or so, I’ve been there 3 times. It’s small, but it has a decent atmosphere, the best patio on Shrewsbury street and a nice bar. The staff is very nice, I like the food, and I’ll be a regular there. I was there the night they opened (without knowing it was their opening nite) and it was very crowded, but seemed under control and we had a good time. I went back two weeks ago for Monday nite football and thought the flatbread special and wings were exceptionally good. I went in again tonight and while it was late and they were ready to close, they graciously made me a great meatball sandwich (the kitchen was closed so the bartender made it) and poured me a beer. Great customer service! I like it a lot and think most folks will agree. New places need to work a few kinks out. Not a lot of kinks here that I can see.

Updated 10÷14÷14: If you look at their Facebook page, they have a 4.4 rating out of 5. Impressive? Not so much. Most of the five star reviews came from friends of theirs (easy way to tell, look at the reviewer’s Facebook profile and then search their friends for the name Padavano) and one of them actually came from the «head chef» (Rose Ellen Provencher-​Padavano).
Updated 10÷3÷14: one of the two owners decided, rather than address my concerns like an adult, felt the need to make libelous and disparaging comments about my wife, so I’ve downgraded this place to one star. Go there at your own risk, and if you get a bad meal or have bad service and decide to write a review, you have been forewarned. They may tell the police that you’re running a meth lab out of your house or something crazy.
I struggled with what to rate Padavano’s. The staff were EXTREMELY FRIENDLY, but the quality of my food tonight (and even some aspects of the service) were well below any reasonable expectation. I had a Manhattan before dinner, ordered a bottle of wine for my wife and I, shared the Shrewsbury Street Nachos, had the Panzanella salad, and the Shrimp Scampi:
Manhattan — comes with sweet vermouth. Had a heavy dose of dry.
Bottle of wine — most places you’d expect some kind of chilled decanter to keep it cold. Was not offered one and when we brought it to the attention of the manager, she told us they do have them. Doesn’t do us much good if they’re in the kitchen or behind the bar.
Shrewsbury Street Nachos — Excellent.
Panzanella — by it’s nature (and the menu description) contains grilled bread, not the croutons I got. Easy way to tell, if you grill something, you should see black grill marks on it. None present.
Shrimp Scampi — shrimp were inordinately chewy and the pasta was 50 miles past al dente. Either the kitchen staff did test it and thought it was okay to serve or they didn’t test it. No matter which way you cut it, if an Italian restaurant can’t cook pasta, that’s a problem.
Our waitress, while very nice, needs to learn that if a customer orders a salad and an entrée, you don’t serve both at the same time and make him or her choose between a warm and soggy salad or a cold entrée. The manager was very apologetic, and while it was certainly appreciated and I understand the whole «working the kinks out,» to mess up pasta is tough to swallow. I might go back in a couple months after they «work the kinks out.»