Il Pavone

I’ll start by saying I liked Il Pavone… Liked it but didn’t love it. Firstly the name is all wrong — I mean when you see it typed it just looks like 2 vertical lines and then the word ‘Pavone’ which is all wrong and I suggest a name change! Anyway it was a quite, damp Tuesday night in Glasgow, and accompanied by Tomas, my ginger swine of a friend, we headed out once more in search of a restaurant.
At first we considered trying out the highest rated gastro pub in Glasgow (who’s name I won’t mention to ensure this review is in no was biased) but then retreated back to our familiar territory of princess square. On the way there we discussed our plans to move into our own flat together and solutions for furniture, Tomas had the genius idea of taking discarded items from the streets and raiding through skips to find the odd couch etc. But I thought why not take it a step far and rob cafes/​restaurants of their furniture? I mean there are plenty of alfresco seating areas in the city and what’s stopping my just walking by and taking your tables and chairs awahahaha! Naturally, Tomas agreed and even suggested we steal a chalkboard for our living room to write the evenings plans on! This was a terrific idea and I’ve got my eye on one that’s outside bread + butter! Also on the walk to princess square I noticed a bunch of bound and discarded cardboard boxes which I was then suddenly included to build a fort out of and live in. However Tomas quickly stopped me in my tracks and threatened me with violence in an attempt to save some face!
So after all that we finally arrived at princess square and headed for Il Pavone, which to my non-​surprise was rather empty and there seemed to be only two members of waitstaff. We then took our seats inside the eerily quiet restaurant (I say this as there is never any music playing) and ordered our usual two cokes. I was immediately upset at the hight of our table as I am a midget and it was like up to my chin — Tomas was quick to rub this right the fuck in and crush my soul! The cokes then arrived and to my shock were not in bottles but instead pre-​poured which I hate, and to make matters worse I’d brushed my teeth before venturing out so the Coke tasted like bitter acid! Not off to a good start, Il Pavone
Our waitress for the evening then reminded us that the last order for food was at 8:30pm which meant we had a mere 5 minutes to decide… splendid. Tomas noticed there were still particles of food on the floor from the patrons who had once sat before us… come on Il Pavone!
We then ordered. Tomas went for the garlic bread to start followed by the Burger Al Pavone with bacon (pictured) and I had the bruschetta to start, before the Rigatoni Amore (both pictured). While we waited for our, food a table of what seemed like American tourists were then presented with a birthday cake and sung happy birthday by their waiter — I grew jealous of this attention as it was not my birthday and it reminded me of how sad I was on my last birthday, and how I received no cake, not even from my immediate family who failed to even wish me a happy birthday! As for my ‘best friend’, Tomas well he decided an appropriate gift for me was an ass kicking and boy did he deliver (I was seriously injured and I’m still going through a long mental recovery). But I deserved nothing less.
Right anyway back to this shit review. The starters arrived and Tomas finished his in a matter of seconds — they were both adequately presented but I was disappointed with mine overall! I like bruschetta to be warm, not hot, but warm and this was freezing! That horrible contrast of ice cold tomatoes atop a slightly warmed bread crust, sogging with balsamic vinegar does not make for a good dining experience. Just as having the living shit beaten out of you does not make for a good birthday — but that didn’t stop Tomas. So after the disappointing starter I received a text from my mate Darren who informed me of a new 80s themed bar that is due to open in Glasgow named ‘Super Bario’. When I passed this message on to Tomas he went fucking apeshit and claimed it was the worst name he’d ever heard for anything! From that moment onward there was no controlling his loud, obnoxious swearing and occasional screaming.
Then tallyho! The gay main courses arrived. Tomas was disgusted to see that his burger had been garnished with a small tomato as he rejects all vegetables! Just as he rejects God and instead worships lucifer. The rigatoni was standard — pasta was slightly undercooked, sauce was okay but equally as good as something you’d get out an instant packet and the diced chicken was meh… dry. On the plus side it was a massive portion and I did finish it all as I despise wasting food! Unlike Tomas who left way more than half of his entire meal in protest! Not sure what he was protesting but it worked! We then moved on from dinner and discussed our future plans to open our own family restaurant in the city! More to follow on that

Met up with friends from the Athletes Village, Commonwealth Games, where we had all volunteered. We were seated outside the restaurant in the biz of the shopping centre and chose from the fixed price menu. I arrived later than the others as I had a meeting in the morning which overran so they had ordered by the time I arrived. Service was quick — setting a place for me, taking my order and bringing me a much needed wine. My meal came only slightly after everyone else’s.
Two of our group had pizza, one had pasta, one had steak and I had seafood risotto — yum, yum. One of our group has physical difficulties and we asked for her steak to be cut into strips. This was done which does not always happen so well done the kitchen.
Everyone enjoyed their lunch and some took what they had left home for later. There wasn’t enough left on my plate for that I enjoyed it so much.
Waiters were pleasant and one was kind enough to take a picture and was still smiling after four cameras.
Price was reasonable.

This is a pretty nice date night restaurant, if you can deal with the little kids tiring themselves out in the center of the mall. If not, you could always sit inside, but it’s a bit cramped.
There seems to be no music? If you’re sitting outside you’ll hear some of the music from neighboring Darcy’s, but it’s still a little odd. Probably good for my wife, as she’s grown quite tired of me dancing in my seat when «my jams» come on.
My wife swears by the rigatoni amore, which has chicken, broccoli, and some kind of cream sauce. She also has the mozzarella sticks pretty often. Can’t mess those up too badly.
Most of my meals there have been pretty good. Love the mussels appetizer with cream and fennel sauce, but keep a handle on those things. Accidentally flinged a load of the sauce at my wife when the shell bounced back on me. Sorry, dear. The penne toscana (bolognese, sausage, and mushrooms) is solid too, as is the funghi risotto. Saw another couple get pizzas, and I think I might need to try one next time.
The service isn’t so great. I’ve had multiple occasions where I’ve ordered a refill on a soft drink or something simple like that, and they seem to… forget? Other than that they’re just slow as all hell. Probably understaffed, but it doesn’t make a difference to me. Nothing against the servers — they’re kind enough. I guess I’m just not used to the slow-​dining café culture, being from ‘Murica and all.
If you’re craving dessert, they have pretty tasty ice cream. They stick a couple wafers and a Flake bar in there by default. Don’t care for the latter, but there are plenty of other toppings to choose from.
I’ve been shoveling Italian food into my craw for my whole life, so I know enough of the usual suspects. Nothing thrills me about this place per se, but if you’re looking for some safe Italian, give it a go. It’ll satisfy. It’s not particularly expensive, so I’d say you get your money’s worth.

Went here on a Thursday night with my mum and cousin. I had purchased a itison deal for 2 pizza or pasta dishes for £11 which I thought was good value.
Since there was 3 of us, my mum and cousin took advantage of the offer and ordered the salmon pasta and prosciutto pizza to share between them. I went for a seafood salad. The plates took a while to come but the restaurant was quite busy. The waiters seemed flustered and didn’t seem like they were paying attention. The food was average. In fact the salad was really disappointing. The prawns were tiny and the seafood wasn’t very tasty. The pickled veg seemed a bit out of place. The pasta looked OK. It looked like something I could have easily made at home for £2. The pizza was thin and crispy and looked good but nothing special.
The atmosphere was a bit non existant. We were sitting slightly out of the restaurant in the square which didn’t feel cosy. If we were there on a Saturday afternoon im sure the place would have been far too loud with kids running about!

Always good food, good service & a great ambiance — can sometimes be a touch chilly but a good regular haunt for us

Without a doubt, one of the best little places I’ve ever had the pleasure of filling my stomach in. There are a couple of things that would normally make me give a place a lower rated review that this restaurant succumbed to, but the food was so gloriously good that I can’t even fault the place for them.
Colin, our friend Clare and I all went here for a late lunch/​early dinner yesterday and what an idea that was! Seeing as Glasgow is still absolutely heaving with people claiming all their Boxing Day/​post Christmas sales, we did have a bit of a wait before we were seated, but only about 10 minutes. We were seated outside the restaurant, in the shopping centre bit, but considering my love of people watching this was ideal for me! We were served by various different waiters and waitresses but the service never dipped, they all seemed pleasant and helpful without being pestering.
Our food order was taken swiftly; for starters we had minestrone, potato wedges and I had gorgeous meatballs in a tomato sauce with garlic bread. Yum. The food came out in good time so we never had to wonder what was taking so long, and was consumed in probably even less time. For mains, Colin ordered the bolognese, Clare had a rigatoni pasta in a creamy broccoli sauce, and I had the carbonara which was honestly one of the best carbonaras I’ve had, and I’m terribly picky with that specific dish (nobody ever seems to make it garlicky/​creamy enough!)
The food was absolutely stunningly wonderful, the service was impeccable and never dipped, and the atmosphere just after Christmas with all the children running about was so pleasant. I will 100% be returning here as I loooooved it! Go here now if you haven’t already!

I just love this restaurant. Nestled on the ground floor of the delightful Princes Square this a lovely italian restaurant. The food is just sublime and although it was so busy when we headed over there this afternoon the staff were very friendly and professional. I highly recommend this restaurant good value for money.

Pleasant enough if undistinguished, this branch offers substantial portions.

You’ll find Il Pavone in the basement of the delightful Princes Square shopping centre. I say basement, but if you’ve been to the floor of the Princes Square that I’m talking about — you’ll know there’s nothing basement-​y about it. Instead it boasts a collection of really nice restaurants, with a great Italian piazza feel.
Conveniently, Il Pavone is a great Italian restaurant which feels really authentic despite the fact that it’s in the heart of Glasgow. Their menu consists of a whole lot of pizza and pasta dishes, as well as salads other traditional Italian fare. As far as drinks are concerned, you’ll be greeted with some delicious Italian wines and a selection of continental beers. Could you ask for much more?! Probably not.
The staff are friendly and attentive in the way that the best waiters/​waitresses are — and the whole place is well decorated and inviting. Plus, the food is really really tasty!
Worth a visit if you’re in town and fancy a bit of a special lunch.

Il Pavone is one of my old favourites — I used to eat here with my family regularly when I was growing up and remember it for huge portions of Italian favourites like lasagne and carbonara. I recently visited it again for lunch (after a 10 – 15 year absence!) and found that I still loved it. The portions are still huge but the food is tasty, comforting and freshly made. I had a mediterranean vegetable risotto (which could have fed 3!) which was full of flavour and packed with different types of vegetables. The menu has a wide choice of pasta, risotto and pizza options so there should be something to suit everyone. The restaurant is situated on the ground floor of Princes Square which means it is always reasonably busy and has a good atmosphere (as it is open plan to the shopping centre). Being in the square means that Il Pavone is also child friendly. The service is friendly, the portions are generous and the food is tasty — what more do you want?!